In the Dark?

Do you ever wonder why you're here,
just what is the point of your being?
Are you facing life with a hope sincere,
beyond what your eyes are seeing?
Ask yourself what you know for sure.
Discover whether you're on the mark.
Do you have answers to life's questions
or must you admit you're in the dark?
Are you here by accident or by design?
Is there a purpose to the life you live?
Does happiness come from what you get
or does it ensue from what you give?
Do you know why in this crazy world
good guys often lose and bad ones win?
Can you explain why tragedies happen
or make sense of this muddle we're in?
Of course the biggest question of all
is what happens the day we must die.
Does life simply end in an instant,
in eternal hell, or heaven by-and-by?
Have you considered all these questions?
Have you sought what God has to say
or do you, like so many others,
keep putting it off to another day?
If you're in the dark, by faith seek Christ
who offers light to all who look.
He is the answer to all your questions.
Search Him out in His Holy Book.

SO MANY FOLKS ignore reading the Bible, or, if they should browse its pages, they find so much to be unfathomable, not knowing even where to begin. That really shouldn't be such a surprise since so much of it deals with God who is invisible and unknowable to our natural disposition. What's more, we know that even in things of this world, knowledge doesn't always come easy. Who ever accomplished anything significant without a dedicated desire and willingness to learn? But folks often think they should understand spiritual truth in five minutes. The real problem is that most people aren't interested or are even defiant. Not only does the Bible confirm this, but it is evident to honest observation. So if you've wanting answers to the issues of life, you should count yourself blessed. At least that's what Jesus said in the Sermon on the mount, "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst, for they shall be filled." He also said we must be born again. We must get honest. We must acknowledge our own helplessness and unworthiness before God and place our hope in a miraculous God who can change our lives. 

It might help to know that the Bible speaks of TWO creations--this one with which we are so familiar, and God's spiritual creation that existed even before he formed the heavens and the earth. We can know quite a bit about this present world by means of our natural senses and intellect. We can see some good. We can see some bad. We should see--though we avoid it--that this creation is temporary. Things wear out. The things we so prize end up in the trash heap or junk yard. Our bodies suffer, die and end up in the grave. We wonder about it all, most often without any clue. The wisdom of this world is useless. The Bible says the gospel truth is foolishness to the world. We remain in the dark until we enter into truth God's way. He has given us the answers but they come only by faith. How else could God who is invisible reveal Himself than by a man like as us, one with whom we can identify?  In Missouri it's said, "Seeing is believing." With God, it's just the opposite--believe and then you will see. The purpose of this website is to encourage you to do that. 

You got questions? God has answers!

You'll find them in His Book--who He is, His plan for creation, why you see both good and evil in the world, how you can know Him for sure.

Since the Bible deals with God, it is often misunderstood and discounted by many. Yet its truth is proved by prophesy. Do you know that centuries before Christ lived, his birth, life, death and resurrection were spelled out in detail by some hundreds of prophesies? Could anyone but God know the future? Could He not inspire men to reveal his thoughts? 

This book gives us the history of civilization and foretells our future. Our nation and the world are in trouble because it is ignored. Find out what it says for yourself.

The problem and the solution

First, the Bible reveals we're born with a disposition that ignores God. Only by receiving His Spirit will we understand. "The natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned." As Jesus told Nicodemus, "You must be born again" that is, spiritually. He said, "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst  for they shall be satisfied.."

Also, we must have faith, not pumped up "positive thinking" but an attitude of simple trust in Him and what He declares. "Without faith it is impossible to please Him." We need to quit trying to figure Him out, and take Him at his Word. He is invisible, Holy, unknowable by natural ability.

Last, to be born anew is one thing; to grow up is another. We must come to know what He says and hold Him to His promises. In the trials of life, we will trust Him regardless of how things look, not by our feelings. His word is truth, the only lasting reality.

What do you think of all this?

Has God created this world without giving us a clue about why? Are you willing to check out what he says rather than settle for hearsay?

You may already believe in God, but if so, exactly what is He like? Just about everyone believes in God, each with his own perception, so there is no end of dissension about who He really is. Do we not in our minds create idols of Him, making God in our own image? The Bible warns us that "even the demons believe--and tremble!" The apostle Paul cautions, "For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth . . . yet for us there is one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we for Him; and one Lord Jesus Christ."

The Bible repeatedly emphasizes that the words of the men by whom God revealed Himself are inspired by God, literally "God-breathed." True or not? If not, the Bible must be a lie, a travesty deceiving all of mankind. Many infer that is so. What do you say?

What this can mean to you

God in His perfection must be opposed to whatever is not true of Him. Do you want Him to be less than perfect? He loves us but hates sin and must punish it. He did that 2,000 years ago, bruising His only Son who suffered for our sins on the Cross.

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." John 3:16

We can't help being born separated from God. We inherited that from Adam. Neither can we merit the approval of God. We can, however, accept the gift He offers. To spurn that is to choose hell; God will not violate our will.

Check out what He says. Read your Bible daily. He offers a life "out of this world," an adventure leading to a personal knowledge and enjoyment of the One who made and loves you. Will it be quick and easy? No, but worth it all.

HATH GOD SAID?

"It is written, man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God." -Matthew 4:4

HAS GOD EVER SPOKEN TO YOU? Ever hear that still, small voice like Elijah did? How can you know if it was the voice of God? After all, the Bible warns us of false prophets.

Luke tells us how Jesus "increased in wisdom and stature." Even so, he was 30 years old before He began His ministry and then only after being baptized by the Spirit of God. We learn that immediately after His baptism, Jesus was led into the wilderness to be tempted by the Devil. Think about this. After forty days without food, when tempted to prove who

He was by turning stones into bread, He replied with the words above. In each of the three temptations, he overcame Satan's devices with the words, "It is written..." Shouldn't that be an example and lesson for believers?

Question: Where and how did Jesus get all His knowledge of what had been written in scripture? I suggest he gained it the same way we learn anything---by searching and testing, the difference between Him and us being His Godly disposition from birth. True, we were born in sin, separated from God, but, if like Jesus, we have been miraculously born of

God, our spirit should reflect the same disposition to seek and please our Father, a desire to know what He is like, how He works and our relationship to Him. We might ask how true this is in our lives.

We need the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth

These days we see everyone putting a spin on truth. There's your truth, my truth, no truth, you name it. How do you measure truth? Jesus said, "I am the way, the life, and the truth." But what does that mean? Pilate at Jesus' trial stood looking Him in the eye and asked, "What is truth?" Jesus, when praying for his disciples asked, "Sanctify [set apart] them in thy truth; thy word is truth."

Obviously the truth that Jesus refers to escapes the understanding of many. It is not the truth we come by naturally---reading, writing and arithmetic, the sciences, the arts, and all. These, of course, are beneficial and to be sought after as the common grace of God. But this particular truth is only discerned spiritually by believing what God has declared in scripture. It is beyond our natural senses to grasp. It is the revelation God has made of Himself, of who He is, what He has done, how He works, the disclosure of who we are and of our eternal destiny based on our attitude toward Him. But as it is written:

Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. -II Corinthians 2:9-10

The downside of the matter showing our complete helplessness to learn of God by our own smart follows in the same passage:

But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.  - I Corinthians 2:14

The answer for anyone interested in how to unlock the truth of God is found in the Letter to the Hebrews:

But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.  -Hebrews 11:6

With such a straightforward answer at hand, wouldn't you think there would be a mad rush by all to follow the advice in Hebrews? After all, we're invited to come to know the One who made us, who can assure us of Heaven. Who wants to die, not knowing what's next?

They say ignorance is bliss. Yes, you can be full of bliss---while in the path of an onrushing truck! The Bible associates sin with ignorance. It describes sin as lawlessness, a blindness to God that results in our going our own way in opposition to His advice. Surely, that's the epitome of ignorance. It's just plain dumb. Certainly there is ignorance that we can't help. When you don't know something, you don't know you don't know. That's not a sin in itself; we're just born that way, and God understands the condition we inherited from Adam. However, while it may be argued that ignorance is no sin, willful ignorance certainly is. To deliberately ignore God, to refuse to face His word, THAT is SIN. The Bible says we're born spiritually DEAD, that we have no capacity to know or understand God. The trouble is we don't know how helpless we are.

Okay, so we're ignorant; beware of being willingly ignorant

While we will admit to God's existence, we are ignorant of His nature, creating idols in our minds of what we will have God to be. Ignoring, rejecting, or compromising His standards, we invent our own god. Countless options are open---we may ignore God completely or become fanatically religious; we may exhibit criminal behavior or pride ourselves on our righteousness. Whatever course we choose, it focuses on our own self effort and understanding. The end result is either guilt from falling short or false pride, perhaps a mixture of both. We miss the purpose of what God has designed us to be-joint heirs with Christ for all eternity. We fail to know God as He has expressed Himself in Christ---no certain confidence in His love and power to keep us, no real peace in our spirits, no joy over the hope of meeting Him one day. This must be our condition until by His grace, His spirit works in our lives to show us our need and His answer. Hey, then, it's decision time! It's the time to make the one decision that will determine where we spend eternity, in the company of His presence or alone in a sphere designed for the Devil. It's a decision having practical consequences now. For if by faith we choose to follow Christ, our lives take on a new dimension-a resting in His love rather than trying to earn it, a true love for Him and others, a desire to obey Him and a growing understanding of what it means to have life more abundantly.

Let me share my own testimony to illustrate how this can come about, though surely every person's case will be unique. With no help from me, I assure you, God brought me into circumstances and an inner conviction of my own moral need and helplessness.  Leaving nothing to chance, God also sent a man on the scene who took a spiritual interest in me---the only person ever to do so, apart from my mother. Such timing! My friend proved to be especially equipped to provide some answers I needed. For instance, intellectually, I was hung up on evolution. As a rock collector and student of geology, he introduced me to creationism and showed me a rational alternative. Though he was gradually winning me over, I still drug in my heels. Then, one day the clincher happened.  I accused my friend of smoking, which in my eyes a Christian couldn't do, since I felt Christians had to be perfect. I'll never forget his words:

"Larry, I don't know how God can love a sinner like me, but I know he does and that I'm going to heaven."

No effort to excuse himself. Just these simple words, yet so profound. I recognized that I had encountered truth, which caused me to ask, "How can anyone know that?" His answer: "Just pick up the Bible, Larry; you'll find it. Well, I did pick it up, and I did find out. I started searching the Bible, and I found the truth, so that today I can echo my friend's words to others.

Don't fear to ask "dumb" questions

However, If I were to stop here it would be most misleading. As I began reading the Bible, I really had more questions than answers. So much seemed incomprehensible; yet even so, I was drawn to it, and gradually it began to make some sense. Since that time some 40 years ago, I've had to revise my convictions time and again, having fought many a spiritual battle to comprehend God's word and see Him prove it out in my life.

My search for God,  I am sure, has been His search for me. God is indeed the author and the finisher of our faith, always one step ahead of us, always directing the steps of God's chosen ones who acknowledge Him.

Contrary to what some preach, God's aim is not to make us rich but to make us godly. His way is totally against our natural bent. He must first show us our problem. Where we strive to be strong and victorious by our efforts, He makes us weak, often bringing us to a place of despair and failure, so that our trust is directed to Him and not ourselves. We find the trials of life are God's means of proving out his promises. As we grow in our relationship and understanding of Christ, we begin to see these trials are "exams" to show us where we're at and to demonstrate His faithfulness. No trials, no spiritual progress. As James says:

My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. --James 1:2-4

I recount my personal testimony to drive home by example that if we earnestly begin our search in honesty and faith, God will complete it. Our greatest obstacle is our own delusion of independence, thinking so much depends on us. Really, everything depends on Him. What do you have that you haven't received? Who is in control of your circumstances? Who is making your life possible, giving you air to breath, enabling your heart to beat? Yes, we have a limited amount of freedom---comparable to a goldfish in its bowl, so far as God's purposes are concerned.

All this is not to say we just sit back in our rocking chair and do nothing. Taking up our cross at the start of the day should actually free us for action by getting self out of the way. Whatever activity we engage in, whether little or much, easy or difficult, should be accompanied by a relaxed confidence that God is doing the work. Do we always attain this? Of course, we don't, but we should look at it as a realistic goal that God wants us to enjoy. Have a great day, folks! God has promised that He is able to make every single thing contribute to conforming us to the likeness of His son (Rom. 8:28,29).

The simplicity and power of the Gospel

IN THE BEGINNING, the Bible tells us Adam and Eve were naked but not ashamed, that is, not until they disobeyed God. Just as Adam and Eve hid from God and covered themselves with fig leaves, so the human race continues today. Perhaps if people were to remove the fig leaves, it would be more difficult to strut so proudly. Certainly, to show ourselves "naked" before God will make us aware that we may fool others but not Him who knows us better than we know ourselves. God requires that we submit our bodies to him as living sacrifices, an act more often than not of desperation. Anything but relinquish control over ourselves. Deny God's existence. Recreate him to fit our wishes and satisfy our self esteem. Do good deeds to beg His favor. Then there's the favorite---simply pretend nothing is wrong. Perhaps this accounts for the rarity of conversation about the deeper issues of life. To each his own. However, there is a way by which we can confidently present ourselves to God without fear or shame, a way described by Jesus Christ as eternal life--resulting in the love, peace and joy our creator desires us to have. That way is our ONLY hope. Please pray that I might present it in a way that will honor God and be a blessing to the reader. Following is an outline of major truths we should all consider.

OUR DILEMMA

We are limited by our natural outlook- senses, emotions, intellect-to this world only. By ourselves there is no way we can discover God unless He chooses to reveal Himself. The trouble is we don't know our condition.

We're born with a disposition of independence from the God of scripture; while we are ready to acknowledge a god, we create one of our own choosing (an idol if you please). We're not ready to trust our lives to seeking His will. The Bible calls this Sin (with a capital S) from which all other sins proceed. The result is a world of little gods, trying to be big gods--with all the resultant conflict from Adam to now.

Because of our alienation from the True God, all our attempts to  define him are futile guesswork, resulting in a myriad of differing religions and cults that border on and sometimes exceed the boundaries of sanity.

THE SOLUTION GOD HAS PROVIDED

Since we, as His creation, are naturally blind to God, it was imperative that God reveal Himself to us. As Jesus told Nicodemus, "no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven." John 3:13

God's revelation shows forth His holiness, the attributes of his nature such as His almighty power, wisdom, patience, justice and  mercy. The last two, incidentally, can only be reconciled in the finished work of the cross. "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and JUST to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." I John 1:9 God's requirement of justice was fulfilled at the cross upon the death of his son who suffered the punishment due us because of our sin.

In Christ, God has communicated Himself as someone with whom we can truly identify, a person like as we, but born with a disposition to seek only His father's will. No longer so unapproachable as in the Old Testament, God entered this world by means of His Son, who bore our own infirmities and temptations, giving His life as a ransom for all who would accept Him as savior. "None other name is given in heaven whereby men must be saved."

GOD'S METHOD OF REVELATION

Since Adam, God has been at work revealing His nature. This was a gradual revelation through the Old Testament, being fulfilled in the New Testament with the advent of His Son--truly man created in God's image. Hebrews 1:1 states that "God, who at sundry times and in diverse manners spake in times past unto the fathers by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken to us by his Son..."

The words God has given to man have been written down and faithfully, scrupulously recorded through history. "All scripture is given by the inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness." II Timothy 3:16

The bible is history--that is, His Story. It is without question the most accurate history book ever written. It is full of names, places, dates and events that historians have documented. While challenged by skeptics, its accuracy is again and again documented by new discoveries in archaeology and other sciences. There are jurists who contend the resurrection of Christ would be more provable in a court of law than the death of Lincoln. The Bible sets apart Christianity from all other religions and cults.

While you can never prove Christ to anyone bent on rejecting Him, I do contend he is provable to any HONEST skeptic. Really, probably every Christian was a skeptic to begin with, even the apostles. Christianity is in no conflict with men of intellect either. Many of the greatest minds in history, some of whom set out to disprove Christianity, became believers after examining the facts thoroughly.

OUR NEED FOR FAITH

As mentioned, we are equipped to know something of this world. Indeed, much of what we can observe in creation should immediately lead us to seek out a creator. The beauty, order and design before us attest to a supreme power of remarkable intelligence, even though that in itself doesn't provide the complete picture of God. As Paul's letter to the Romans declares, "For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood from the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse." It's remarkable that in view of the God's creation and a book that claims to be authored by Him, few appear to seek out who He is? Is not this the Sin that accounts for all sins?

If we're to strike out beyond the knowable in this world, it must be by faith, as described in the 11th chapter of Hebrews. This is not just positive thinking, it is the deep inner knowing that results after having proven out something. Much like being asked to sit in an old, rickety chair, we most likely will test it very carefully before committing our weight to it, but upon finding it truly sturdy, we can confidently rest in it. The Lord knows our doubts; he only asks that we prove him out.

Many will insist you need to pump up your faith or insist upon great visions and experiences with God. Who am I to dispute their claims? But I know that's not necessary for me or other Christians I know. If God wants to do special things in and for us, that's His business. Mine is simply to keep centered on his love and faithfulness. To simply trust God in all kinds of trials without demanding special favors and miracles, I think must please him.

PROBLEMS WE CREATE

The greatest problem is our failure to know ourselves. We all seem so sure we can handle our problems by ourselves. Even as Christians we have a hard time learning to refrain from approaching things in our own strength and intellect. This has caused untold damage the world over since time began. Moses' first act for God ended up in his killing an Egyptian. Peter cut off an ear. Are we so naive as to believe that we are exempt from the tendency?

There is the need to learn how to read the Bible. It's not written like your dime store novel. God has written it in such a way that only those honestly and desirously seeking him will come to an understanding. Our heart condition is just as essential, if not more so, than our intellect. I think of the Bible as a great gold mine. Some nuggets may lie on the surface, but you must dig hard and deep to discover the rich veins of precious ore. Scripture declares that it was given by the inspiration of God, that is, by His Spirit working within the writers. It is only understood in the same way.

Many insist on reducing everything they read to the level of their understanding. If it doesn't make sense to them, it must not be so. They should remember, GOD IS THE AUTHOR OF THIS BOOK. Frankly, the more questions the better. For anyone who is serious, questions can stimulate interest and deepen our awareness of our need. God will provide the answers we need to know in his own way in his own time. It is after we fail and then see Him succeed that we grow in assurance of His grace.
There are those who try to make scripture fit their own preconceived point of view. They, as Peter referred to them, are "those who twist the scriptures to their own destruction." They account for the cults and even much error in the ranks of professing Christians.

WARNING: Don't take the word of ANYONE, whether theologian, preacher, teacher, author, ad infinitum, without making sure it is in agreement with scripture. They may well be wrong! In a matter so vital as establishing an eternal relationship with God, second-hand answers should not satisfy us. In our quest for truth, it's better to be slow than sorry.

Much scripture is read out of context which may infer a meaning not intended.

Many readers take scriptures either too literally or often not literally enough--and the consequences can be tragic. Christians who consider scripture to be the word of God are often called literalists, as if there was something wrong with taking scripture at face value in much the same way as we read any book or newspaper. Our "enlightened" society, including many "men of the cloth" hold such a straightforward way in disdain. So did the Pharisees and Sadducees in Jesus' time.

A final note: Even the study of scripture can become a snare. Our knowledge may become a source of pride. We may become argumentative, dogmatic. Our scriptural study is valuable only so far as it enables us to know the one to whom it testifies--our Lord Jesus Christ. We will either make him our own or not. Our salvation rests in Christ, not our Bible I.Q. But we should never let this be an excuse for failure to study. As Jesus advised, "Be wise as servants and innocent as doves." We need to distinguish between the legal demands of God under the Law which reveal our sin and the unmerited favor of grace that we rest in through what Christ has accomplished. Distinctions should be made between verses dealing with the free gift of salvation as opposed to those requirements for discipleship. Jesus told his disciples he had many things to make known to them but that they weren't able to understand it at the time. In one of Peter's letters he remarked, "By faith and patience, we inherit the promises of God." That's been my experience. Trust and wait expectantly.

One Gospel, Two Peoples

QUESTION: As a Christian, are you one day going to heaven or will you live in a restored new earth? If you study your Bible, undoubtedly you will run across scriptures that speak of both. Regarding which is right, differing outlooks prevail. One particularly influential view, Replacement theology, holds that the Church has been grafted into Israel, inheriting all the promises of that nation and living under the New Covenant.

Much in this opinion is offered to show in the four gospels that the Church is the "New Israel," that it has replaced that nation in this new age. However, read the letters of the apostle Paul that are so heavenly centered and dear to members of the Church. Can these apparently opposite views be reconciled?  Perhaps that is why Paul devoted chapters 9-11 in Romans to show Israel's past, present, and future relation in the plan of God. It is must reading if we are to understand. Paul reminds us of what both Israel and the Church have in common. Note Romans 11:16,17:

For if the firstfruit is holy, the lump is also holy; and if the root is holy, so are the branches. And if some of the branches were broken off, and you, being a wild olive tree, were grafted in among them, and with them became a partaker of the root and fatness of the olive tree.

Notice that the source of both branches is from the root of the tree. The wild branches are not grafted into those broken off but into the root, which as the firstfruit must refer to Abraham, the father of the Gentiles as well as the Jews according to Romans 4:9-12:

Does this blessedness then come upon the circumcised only, or upon the uncircumcised also? For we say that faith was accounted to Abraham for righteousness. How then was it accounted? While he was circumcised, or uncircumcised? Not while circumcised, but while uncircumcised. And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had while still uncircumcised, that he might be the father of all those who believe, though they are uncircumcised, that righteousness might be imputed to them also, and the father of circumcision to those who not only are of the circumcision, but who also walk in the steps of the faith which our father Abraham had while still uncircumcised.

Now we know that in the body of Christ there is neither Jew nor Greek for God through Christ has broken down the wall of separation (Eph. 2:14, see also Rom. 1:16, 10:12, Gal. 3:28, and Col. 3:11). We know God is no respecter of persons, whether Jew or Greek. There is none righteous; all are ungodly, saved solely by grace made possible through the Cross. All are sinners; all come the same way by the blood of Christ, declared righteous by his resurrection, dead to sin and the law, new creations in Christ. God's elect now are one in Christ. We are in the Church, in the unseen elliptic age of grace hidden between the 69th and 70th weeks of Daniel 9:24-27. Chronologically, the order begins with Abraham, later the nation of Israel, then because of their failure to receive Christ, the nation being cast aside that grace may reign until "Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled"  See Romans 11:25,26:

For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles be come in. And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Zion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob.

So while Jews individually are now members of the body of Christ, just as the gentiles, it is imperative that Israel be restored as a nation if God is to fulfill His promises. Read chapters 11 and 65 in Isaiah as well as Revelation 20, 21. Has the like ever been witnessed to date? The teaching today that the Church has replaced Israel has created no end of confusion over the scriptures (For instance, consider how the rapture of the saints is misconstrued with the second coming of Christ to deliver Israel). Note what Paul says concerning the reestablishment of the nation in Romans 11:25-29:

"For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion, that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: 'The Deliverer will come out of Zion, And He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob; For this is My covenant with them, When I take away their sins.' Concerning the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but concerning the election they are beloved for the sake of the fathers. For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable."

It is after Israel has gone through that promised time of "Jacob's trouble," (Jer. 30:7) that Christ will return to deliver his people and usher in the Millennium. It will be during that future period that God's New Covenant will be fulfilled in Israel as a nation. That future covenant is made to the nation of Israel, not to the Church which, though the beneficiary of the Abrahamic covenant, is saved by grace apart from works. When the nation of Israel is blessed by the New Covenant, all will know God and will be sought out by the Gentiles and will honor Israel in a glorious way. However, the Church will have been already resurrected to Heaven in the rapture beforehand and will return to rule with Christ at his second coming. (Note Rev. 19:13,14)

"And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean."

If we are to have a correct overview of the Bible and rightly understand how it all ties together from start to finish, we must see that God's elect included both the nation of Israel and the Church. Each is God's elect, each saved by the blood of Christ, but each enjoy different promises and have different roles, one earthly, one heavenly. Read John, 14:10, I Cor. 15:42-44, 49-54, I Thes. 4:15-18, and Col. 3:1-4 speaking of we who are risen with Christ and his coming for us. For instance, 1Cor. 15:49:

"And as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly Man."

However, when the tribulation saints enter into the Millennium, Israel will then finally inherit the promises but they shall still be mortal.  Note Isaiah 65:20:

"No more shall there be in it an infant that lives but a few days, or an old man who does not fill out his days, for the child shall die a hundred years old, and the sinner a hundred years old shall be accursed." [This must be future!]

Concerning Israel, we need to remember John 16:12:

"I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now"

Even after the disciples had received the holy spirit, they learned only gradually God's inclusion of the gentiles, such as from Peter's episode with Cornelius. As we move along in Acts, we meet Paul, the apostle to the gentiles, whose letters reveal how Christ would build his church just as he had promised in Matt. 16:18. That had been a mystery until the time of this revelation to Paul; it was truth unknown before to Israel (and, sad to say, little understood over the centuries even today).

Unless we study the Bible carefully, we fail to see that it speaks of the gospel in two ways--the gospel of the Kingdom and the gospel preached by Paul to the Church, "my gospel," as he put it. The first gospel is preached to Israel, "beloved for the sake of the fathers," to whom was given promises relating to this earth, such as "the meek shall inherit the earth." Paul's gospel speaks of our becoming citizens of heaven, joint heirs with Christ. Certainly in our spiritual journey, the gospel of the Kingdom can have great appeal and is indeed truth, but it is not the whole truth. As Paul Harvey said, "We need to hear the rest of the story." We will if we lay aside our presumptive views and humbly ask God to show us the perfect consistency of His word as we approach it in diligent study and prayer.

The prayer of Christ

"I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one. (John 17:20-22)

IN THE FACE of today's failed ecumenical movement, these words of Jesus should make us think. Was his prayer just a wishful hope or an accomplished fact? Is all going according to plan or not? How can we reconcile his repeated emphasis that we "be one" when "division," more than any other word, seems to characterize His Church? Protestantism is said to embrace some thousand different denominations, opening the door for Catholicism, which despite its claims to be the one church, is deeply divided, too. Then there is the Greek Orthodox Church. All this after the better part of the last century was spent trying to bring about ecumenism. Where is any unity?

The answer, I am convinced, lies in our conception of what really constitutes the true unity that Christ prayed for. We presume that for unity to exist, it must be visibly evident with all Christians in lockstep. However, in His omniscience, God looks upon the hearts of all, able to distinguish between mere profession and actual possession of His life. Every believer is made one with Christ the moment he repents and obeys the Gospel. Moreover, he is made one with every other true believer. God's ecumenical program is immediately fulfilled and continually enlarged as He calls out a people for His name. (Obviously, this discussion of unity is limited to the Church and not to the growing world ecumenism seeking to equate all religions as one and the same).

Consider how we differ

From our standpoint it may be encouraging to think of the Church as one big family, bearing in mind that no family, even though tied together by an inseparable bond, is ever without differences (perhaps with some black sheep). Dissension has been present ever since the days of the apostle Paul. Remember how Israel initially insisted on Christians keeping the law and being circumcised? (Not much insistence on circumcision today, but making the law a condition for salvation is still often preached). I'm still looking for the believer perfectly in agreement with me. Further, as Christ has given me light, my views gradually have changed from time to time. Let's think about this. Of all the Christians in the world, no two of us are identical. Each of us is unique, differing in heredity and an environment that has influenced our lives whether for better or worse.

God isn't in business to produce millions of clones that all think alike and act alike. Oh, yes, as we grow in appreciation of His grace, our lives will increasingly manifest our love for Him and each other, but each of us will glorify Him in a unique way. Presently, if we could look through God's eyes, what a panorama of believers we would see, ranging from those just born again just beginning to take in the milk of the word to those who have grown to maturity having searched out and proven God's promises over time. We would see those slow to understand, still living by their wits, others in love with this present world; we would see smart ones, dumb ones, emotional ones, those blessed with different gifts; there would be no end of variety.  Obviously disagreement is inevitable, but it need not always be irreparable. A bit of humility, honesty and respect for others will work wonders in resolving opposite views, especially  when aided by the light of scripture.

Unfortunately, The real problem is that disagreements can grow into unyielding, dogmatic division. The saying, "You can prove anything from the Bible" is so often confirmed, and a biased view of scripture advanced by some group with an esteemed leader. Then, instead of following after the Great Shepherd, too many follow after another, holding to a particular persuasion without humbly heeding the whole counsel of God. No end of examples abounds, but probably none more far-reaching than the controversy over the teachings of Calvin versus those of Arminius. Whatever inclination we hold, it is instructive to examine how and why such division originated and continues today.

Our adversary quotes scripture too

What is so striking is that both sides claim scripture for support. The trouble is Satan is good at quoting (actually misquoting) scripture. The Devil may concede one truth if he can cause you to swallow a lie along with it. In this respect, it has been said that the appeal of all error lies in the kernel of truth within it. Consequently, we must learn to look for what is not there, much like a good proofreader who looks not only for observable errors but for less noticeable omissions from the original text. Likewise, when we encounter divisive issues, let's research the scriptures used in opposition most carefully and thoroughly, making sure nothing is overlooked.

No less important than doing our homework and being good proofreaders to examine the truth is the injunction of Ephesians 4:15 to speak the truth in love. My friends, when in our excitement to defend the Lord, we fail to reflect His love and to show respect for our opponents, we will lose the battle every time. We should all know this, but how easy it is to forget! And how tragic! Allow me to cite a case in point for sake of illustration.

In his book, What Love is This?, author Dave Hunt has presented an extensive review of Calvinism in great detail comprising well over 400 pages including footnotes, bibliography and a scriptural index. He examines it from the roots of its beginning dating back to Augustine to the advent of Calvin and on to proponents today. It treats of the history of the reformation detailing the lives of key figures and includes no end of quotations from Calvinists and opponents. Hunt is also the author of The Seduction of Christianity and A Woman Rides the Beast among many other works for which he has borne criticism from various quarters of Christendom. However, this latest work has brought him under fire like nothing he has ever published. He has received a flood of letters characterizing him as a liar, a deceiver, a destroyer of the faith, as one woefully ignorant and incapable of understanding Calvinism. His offices report an effort to suppress distribution of his book to Christian Bookstores, entire chains having refused to carry it. Both Hunt's ministry and his publisher have seriously suffered financially. Acknowledging that not all Calvinists condone such treatment, T.A. McMahon, executive director, expresses surprise at the animosity prevalent in the majority of responses. He asks, "Why can't such important issues be brought before the Church and every believer be encouraged to see which teachings are true to God's Word?"

May we learn to disagree agreeably

Whether or not one agrees with everything Hunt says, such a tirade harms not only Hunt's ministry but backfires against the critics themselves, not to mention casting a shadow on the unity of the Church at large. Sadly, McMahon's hope that things might be different shows little promise of happening in today's Biblically illiterate society. Let's each be sure that we are not part of the problem.

Allow me to be up front about where I stand. I think Hunt has done a great service in bringing such a controversial issue before us for examination. I learned much from his book, which seemed fair and impartial in presenting well-documented facts. Is it entirely without fault? I doubt it but presently am unaware any serious misrepresentations. Anyone feeling Hunt has failed to accurately quote Calvinists or otherwise misstate his case should point to the specifics rather than resorting to name-calling. I encourage anyone unfamiliar with Calvinism to read his book before making a judgment. As one who was once a Presbyterian (who at the time knew little about that denomination), I have since studied Calvinism and respectfully disagree with certain of its premises. Without dealing with the issue in depth, let me briefly tell you why.

First, the title of Hunt's book "What love is this?" points to a major error that we as good proofreaders should look for-something omitted from the text. In this case, it is God's love for His creation. R.C. Sproul, a Calvinist, has stated the attributes of God are not a smorgasbord from which we can pick and choose; they are a package that can't be divided. However, in focusing solely on the sovereignty of God Calvinism loses sight of God's love and mercy. To appreciate this, one must necessarily digress to examine the five points (remembered by the acronym, TULIP) of Calvinism that may be reviewed in abbreviated fashion, though I think accurately and in harmony with basic, more comprehensive Calvinist teaching.

Let's face the challenge before us to deal with division in a Christ-honoring way that will affirm we are one in him. God never violates one's will. Love cannot be forced; it can only be won. We love Him because He first loved us (I John 4:19). If we want to unify rather than to divide, each of us individually must resolve to obey and share the truth in love and mercy as Christ did. It will not only demonstrate our unity but result in glory, not only for God and Christ but for ourselves. Remember Christ's prayer.

"And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that
they may be one just as We are one." John 17:22

Can there really be a loving God?

COMMON QUESTION: If there's a loving God, how come we see so much wrong in the world? No better example exists than the terrorists' attack on the World Trade Center September 11th. Many are asking how God can allow such evil to take place. It's not a new question. So often the good guys lose, the bad guys win, and things never seem to change. We see wars the world over, government corruption, apathy by the people, swindles, robbery, murder, child abuse, no end of evil. No need to detail it; we see it every day.

How striking are the words of King Solomon who in all his wisdom remarked, Some three thousand years ago, "Everything under the sun is vanity," that is, in this present world everything appears empty of meaning. Solomon said something else, too, "There's nothing new under the sun." Like we say, what comes around goes around. The more things change the more they stay the same.

That's what it looks like, yet even Solomon's final word was to "Fear God and keep His commandments . . . For God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether good or evil." We're free to agree or not agree with his conclusion and advice; yet the question remains, is there no way for us to understand what in the world is going on? What about the issues of life and death? Who are we? Why are we here? What's our purpose? What's God really like? What about death? If there's an afterlife, what's it like? Perhaps many think it's pointless, impossible to get answers to these things. Yet, what of the things we do know? The wonder of creation around us, the incredulous design of our very own bodies logically point to a Creator. We're born with a conscience that can point to right and wrong (although it can be ignored and blunted), we have a desire for justice, we can see love and goodness, even in the face of evil.

Question abound

Even so, we're left with questions. And, so far as I know, there is only one person qualified to speak on the subject. Of course, what he had to say got him strung up on the Cross. However, considering that he's the only one ever resurrected after being in a grave three days just as he predicted--well, that should make him worth listening to. We can learn a lot from His words.

Do you read and study the Bible? It appears most folks are too busy. Still, many people who do read it say they can't make sense out of it. If that's the case with you, maybe you are approaching this special book in the wrong way. Just as the Bible claims to be inspired by the Spirit of God, it only can be understood by the same Spirit. In the apostle Paul's first letter to the Corinthian church, he reveals a vital truth.

"The natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned."

Paul likens the problem to your inability to know my thoughts just as I can't know yours. So it is with knowing the thoughts of God. If you're going to understand someone speaking a foreign language, you need an interpreter. God has promised us He will gives us an interpreter if we ask.

"If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!"

Some may say, "I asked but He never delivered" Aside from accusing God of lying, the answer suggests God was asked in the wrong way---either for the wrong reasons or without faith. Concerning the first, James puts it this way: "Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts." Contrary to much popular preaching, God has never promised to grant us our every worldly desire, to act as a kind of Santa Claus. No, His desire is that we come to know Him, that is, really trust Him, the One who has made us, so we might enjoy His eternal life here and now, and forever. That's a staggering thought, isn't it? Although the life of Christ was hard; and so it may be with His followers, we are assured He can enable us to meet any trial and never be separated from Him.

We misunderstand and mess up

Secondly, besides asking amiss, to seek selfish desires, a lack of faith may be the problem. The book of Hebrews tells us:

"Without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him."

Have you done that? Perhaps you're like some who say, "I asked Jesus to come into my heart, but nothing happened; I didn't feel any different." God doesn't deal with us on the basis of our feelings; He looks for faith that believes Him regardless of either feelings or intellectual understanding. To depend on either of these is to totally miss the spiritual blessings entered into only by making God's word your standard. Are we then only cold zombies who throw away our brains? No, it means first, we live by faith in what God has revealed; then feelings and understanding follow in God's own time. Our job is to believe that He exists and that He is true to His word to anyone who holds Him to it, who simply won't take no for an answer. How serious are you?

What does God say about faith? In the book of Jude, verse 3 refers to "the faith once and for all delivered to the saints." Faith is spoken of as a body of truth, the revelation that God has made to us in scripture. Biblical faith is to trust in this truth. The Bible says, "Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God," Just as we naturally learn by faith what is trustworthy in this world, so, too, God asks us to give an attentive ear to what He says and act upon it. We are told "to test all things and hold fast to what is good" The trials of life are not accidental. They are God's means of showing us our dependency on Him and His sufficiency. They are the means by which God proves our faith.

As the Bible says:

"Faith is the substantiating [proving out] of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen." 

You may ask, what are we to test, what are we to believe? For starters, it is all summed up in John 3:16, a Bible verse everyone should know:

"God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, so that whoever believes on Him should not perish but have everlasting life."

It's hard for human nature to understand

Notice, it's a gift, and not a cheap one. It cost God His only Son, Jesus Christ, who willingly took upon himself the punishment for sin. Will you accept His gift of eternal life, that is, the very life of God? Certainly, neither you nor I deserve it. You can't earn it. We are asked, like a little child, to humble ourselves and accept His love by simple trust in what He has declared. Will you do it? All that's needed to make His gift personal is to make the word "whoever" apply to YOU, and give thanks to God. But, please, don't stop there, as so many seem to do. Jesus said that we should "live by every word that comes from the mouth of God," and we surely can't live by it if we don't know it

If you are to grow in understanding things invisible and beyond your natural comprehension, trust what God says by obeying His words in your everyday life. Make up your mind. Does God mean what He says? Are His words accurate and reliable? Can you bank your life on them? Here's what scripture says:

"All scripture is given by the inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete."

Is that true or not? If it isn't, what will you hope in? Some say the Bible is only the ideas of men. While it's true that men wrote the Bible, God inspired them with the very words He wished to use. The Bible is no fabrication or myth; it is the TRUTH from start to finish. Revealing God's master plan for the ages, it is like no other book. The writings of the world's religions and cults pale beside it.  Its historical accuracy has been affirmed by archeologists in a host of continuing discoveries. It has withstood the most intensive scrutiny of skeptics over the centuries, converting many, never proved in error when honestly understood. Isaiah gives the strongest proof for God's inspiration of scripture:

"I am God, and there is none like Me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not yet done, saying, 'My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure.'"

With all their technology and expertise, the weather forecasters are notable for their goofs. Not so with God in respect to His prophecies. Every prophecy to date made over a period of thousands of years by men ranging from shepherds to kings has been literally fulfilled. Hundreds of prophecies relating to Christ are fulfilled in the Gospels alone. Today's headlines read like prophecies of the end times to believers. Prophecy and its fulfillment has been God's way of proving who He is.

Know this. God is holy and unchangeable in His character. He cannot lie. When He makes a promise, He is honor bound to make good on it. He simply wants us to prove what He says is true and reliable..

"Draw near to God and He will draw near to you."

He is eager to reveal Himself to anyone who humbly seeks Him. You can do that now with a prayer admitting your need and helplessness, holding Him to His promise that He will help you. Don't put it off; make it your lifelong pursuit to understand and obey His gospel. Anything worthwhile mastering in this world requires time, study and effort. How much more to realize the life of God that determines our eternal destiny! You may fail to understand Him and often prove untrustworthy, but rest in the knowledge that He knows all this beforehand and can make even your failures fulfill His purposes for good. What a God!

Once Saved, always Saved?

IS IT TRUE that you can never lose your salvation? Folks don't always agree on this and are quick to martial certain scriptures to defend their view. Certainly eternal security is a doctrine that may be used by some to justify a failure to walk with the Lord; but if it's not true, all believers are in trouble. I think the controversy arises from what is meant by being saved. In today's religious culture, answering an altar call and inviting Jesus into one's heart seems to be the rule. Sadly, the moment often is seemingly quickly forgotten in the midst of life's demands. (Hey, we're a nation in a hurry.)

The perseverance of the saints is a vital doctrine, too. Scripture places a lot of emphasis on following through with the initial decision. For instance, John 8:30-32 is revealing. "As He [Jesus] spoke these words, many believed in Him. Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, "If you continue in My word, you are My disciples indeed." The rest of the chapter proceeds to show how these same "believers" ended up trying to stone him. That was the trouble with Jesus. He wouldn't immediately commit himself to some who were said to have "believed." It makes you wonder if he would appreciate all our soul-winning programs and efforts today.  He would ask tough questions and challenge people. The parable of the sower is instructive, too, notably the seed that fell where there was no depth of earth and the seed that fell where thorns choked it.

The answer to the controversy is to recognize that one truly saved WILL continue in the faith. However, that needn't mean assurance comes all at once. Many believers, if not most, may struggle long and hard to possess the priceless truth of their security. Such was my case.

Things too easily obtained are frequently not appreciated like they should be. Perhaps that is why God may be slow in answering the prayers of His newborns. Those who have struggled will sing the loudest to the hymn of "Blessed Assurance, Jesus is Mine." Then it is seen that the bedrock of the Christian faith is the assurance scripture offers to all who entrust their lives to Christ and his finished work on the cross. Believers since the time of Job and Abraham testified to this. Christ Himself assures us repeatedly, demonstrating His love through His suffering on the Cross and His power by His resurrection.

Jesus is both our Lord and Savior. As much as we might want to make Him Lord we must first know Him as Savior. Only out of a response to his unconditional love and ability to fulfill his promises can true discipleship take place. Otherwise, we have no alternative but to depend upon our own goodness and efforts.
Countless scriptures give us reason for complete confidence in Christ, that nothing can ever separate us from His love. To quote but just a few:

JOHN 5:24  "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life."

JOHN 6:40 "And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day."

JOHN 6:47 "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me has everlasting life."

JOHN 10:27-29 "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father's hand. I and My Father are one."

ROMANS 8:28-30 "And we know that all things work together for good to those  who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified."

ROMANS 8:38-39 "For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels  nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor  height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us  from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Is there a verse above that speaks to you? Then make it your own by faith. As you ponder these and other verses you will encounter, bind those that speak to you into your lifeline of trust in Christ.  Like a rope is made strong by many strands woven together, so too your confidence will be made stronger by storing multiple scriptures in your heart.

An Answer to Hebrews 6:1-9

TALK ABOUT a controversial passage in scripture, this is it! Hebrews 6:1-9. Although this is not an easy passage, careful study can resolve a lot of questions, especially whether it implies the loss of salvation or not. Read it carefully and prayerfully in full:

1) Therefore, leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ, let us go on to perfection [maturity], not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, 2) of the doctrine of baptisms, of laying on of hands, of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment. 3) And this we will do if God permits. 4) For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, 5) and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, 6) if they fall away, to renew them again to repentance, since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to an open shame. 7) For the earth which drinks in the rain that often comes upon it, and bears herbs useful for those by whom it is cultivated, receives blessing from God; 8) but if it bears thorns and briars, it is rejected and near to being cursed, whose end is to be burned. 9) But, beloved, we are confident of better things concerning you, yes, things that accompany salvation, though we speak in this manner.

This passage must be read in context. Essential to any understanding are the preceding verses, Heb. 5:11-14, and those following, Heb. 6:10-12. If we take the words at face value, the writer appears to be referring to Christians -- but to a particular group (those hard of hearing, sluggish, and unbelieving). He is concerned over their spiritual growth so essential to becoming fruitful. These believers, like so many today, had forgotten the A-B-C's of their faith -- had lapsed into self effort, tradition, etc. rather than exercising their original trust. What have they fallen away from? Notice it is not from salvation but repentance! Read carefully the key words, "it is impossible . . if they fall away to renew them again to repentance from dead works." They have reverted to working their way to heaven. This being the case, it is impossible to renew them again to a repentance from dead works since so far as they are concerned, Christ is as good as dead. It amounts to them putting him on the cross again, rather than sharing his life from heaven. Now, this is a serious thing--because the only fruit they can produce will be rotten to the core from their own self-life. It is tragic but it is commonplace.

Other relevant scriptures must be borne in mind. God is not the author of confusion. We worship a sovereign God who, all-knowing and all-powerful, can assure true believers that our names are "written in heaven." Indeed, He has "chosen us in him before the foundation of the world." The scripture is full of promises that God will complete the work He has begun in us, that nothing can ever separate His elect from Him. No, our passage cannot be speaking of the loss of salvation. However, there are many warnings about the loss of rewards. The excerpts below from I Corinthians 3:1-15 strikingly confirm this and mirror our passage.

"And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ. I fed you with milk and not with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able; for you are still carnal. . . . For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men? Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each one's work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one's work, of what sort it is. If anyone's work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. If anyone's work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire."

Note that the writer speaks to carnal believers, as to babes in Christ needing solid food. As in the natural realm, a good diet and exercise are essential to growth and maturity, so it is spiritually true with every believer. Paul's reference to fire in I Corinthians 3:15 above sheds light on the words in Hebrews 6:8, "rejected and near to being cursed, whose end is to be burned."  Thank God, they are only near to being cursed. Though spared from eternal torment, the shame and loss of potential works is surely no happy thought. Certainly this should cause us to beware of carnality in ourselves and to soberly reflect upon the true meaning of repentance. So often it is understood as our forsaking individual sins rather than forsaking Sin itself, the culprit that resides in our natural born nature that manufactures sins. Not until we recognize our helpless depravity and that we have died with Christ will we begin to appreciate fully His resurrection life in us.

Concerning the issue of carnality, Romans 8:3-12 provides much light. In verses 3-6 the believer is seen to have a choice of two walks or states of mind regarding how to live:

"For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace."

The verses make clear the profound difference between being IN the flesh and IN the Spirit. Those in the flesh cannot please God because they have not His Spirit and do not belong to Christ, while those IN the Spirit are not IN the flesh. Consequently, the truly saved are distinguished from unbelievers. Notice that being IN the flesh or IN the Spirit speaks of one thing, while walking according to the flesh or according to the Spirit speaks of another. Those IN the flesh are not saved; they have no choice but to be carnal. However, those IN the Spirit have a choice of two ways to live, one, where life is focused upon Christ, the other where it is focused on self and circumstances. If this were not true, the instruction of verse 12 would be unnecessary: "we are not under obligation to the flesh, to live according to the flesh." This shouldn't surprise a true believer, since which of us at times have not been convicted and corrected from setting our sights on this world? The solution, of course, to living according to the Spirit is to walk by faith in Christ's finished work on the Cross, focusing on him, setting the mind on the things of the Spirit. Thank God for His word!

"Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path"
(Ps 119:105).

Universalists say ALL will ultimately be saved.
Are they right?

UNIVERSALISTS insist that all people, even the unsaved, shall ultimately gain eternal life. Such a view is certainly not without appeal, for who of us desires anyone to spend eternity in hell? Certainly not any Christians I know. Nor does God. As someone has said, hell is a subject that can only be preached with tears in your eyes. Perhaps this explains why the subject is so seldom preached and why so often arguments are proposed against it. Furthermore, Universalists can present a compelling argument based not only on reason but on certain scriptures that appear to support it.

Briefly, their case rests upon three tenets. First, that God is all-powerful and able to do His good pleasure. Second, that He is A God of Love and desirous that all men be saved. Third, they maintain that His glory would be diminished if, having the desire and the power, He failed to do so. Consequently, they reason that the White Throne judgment of the unsaved will be a remedial punishment that causes them, when seeing the revealed glory of Christ, to repent and accept Him. They do not deny that the unsaved will encounter agony in hell, but it is argued that after the second death, they will be vivified in the final consummation when God will be all in all, as detailed in I Cor.15:22-28. The view appears both logical and scriptural, at least at first glance.

SCRIPTURES USED TO SUPPORT UNIVERSALISM

Below are scriptures commonly used to support the idea of universal salvation. However, they are in opposition to so much scripture to the contrary that they should be carefully weighed in regard to the context from which they are taken and for any biased assumption regarding their meaning. Natural reasoning and feelings fall short in ascertaining God's will, as illustrated by Peter's advice for Jesus to not go to the Cross. The heart is indeed deceitful. It has been said that the best commentary on difficult scriptures is other scriptures bearing on the subject, taking care how we read them.

John 12:32: "And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to Myself." William Barclay and others cite this verse which, taken by itself, appears to support universalism. However, the Greek word pas translated "all men" in the KJV has also been rendered as "all peoples," in the NKJV or simply as "all"  in Darby's version. We need to remember that Jesus was addressing the Jews who regarded God as favoring them to the exclusion of the gentiles. Rather than meaning "all men," "all peoples" may be the intent, that is, that Christ's work on the cross would attract all nations to Him, not necessarily every individual. Further, much rests upon what is deduced from the word draw. Note John 6:44: "No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day (the word draw used here is from the same Greek word used in John 12:32). Christ made clear that only those whom His Father had given him would be saved. Our own observation and history attests that not all have been saved; indeed, only a relative few, as Jesus said, "...narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it"  (Matt. 7:14). The universalist' contention that all will be saved at the consummation following the great white throne judgment will be addressed later. For now we rest our case and our lives with the words of Acts 13:28: "...when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of the Lord: and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed.

Rom. 5:18: Therefore, as through one man's offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man's righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life.(Note that it is the free gift that came to all men, a gift that if received, results in justification.) The determining factor, of course, is to receive the gift by faith. John 1:12 "But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name."

Praise God that Christ took upon himself the punishment for the world's sins. No one will ever go to hell for their sins, as terrible as they might be. No, they will enter hell for the sin of unbelief. Just as one enters heaven by believing in Christ, so one enters hell by unbelief in God's son. "If you believe not that I AM, you shall die in your sins." John 8:24

Rom. 11:32: "For God has committed them all to disobedience, that He might have mercy on all." As in John 12:32 above, the context shows Jesus was addressing the Jews, speaking of Israel and not the world. As Paul concluded in Rom. 11:26 "And so all Israel will be saved." Read the entire chapter to see that it was the true Israel, the remnant who trusted in the faith of their fathers.

Phil. 2:10,11: "that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." Yes, all shall bow, but can we safely assume all will bow in joy or will it be in regret? No matter, God will be glorified in either case, not only for his mercy to all who have believed but for his justice in executing His wrath against those who have spurned Him. (Note Rev. 19:12, 2 and related verses).

Eph. 1:10: "that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth---in Him." The question with respect to universalism is whether the unsaved are a part of this final consummation. In view of references to the unsaved regarding this final time in Rev. 20:14,15, 21:8,27 and 22:15 (see the Great White Throne Judgment and The New Earth and New Jerusalem below), we are told that they are excluded.

I Tim. 2:3,4: "For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who will have all men to be saved and to come unto the knowledge of the truth." There can be no question that God desires all men to be saved, but not at the expense of violating their own right to freely choose Him. (There are some things God cannot, or if you prefer, will not do-that is, He will not do anything that violates His own nature). The word will in the verse is better rendered as desires than in a sense of sovereign command. John 3:16 is conditioned by the phrase "whosoever believeth on Him." Remember Christ's words in Luke 13:34 "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem . . . How often would I have gathered together your children together. . . but you would not!" Where does scripture ever indicate we will be given a second chance to repent? Indeed, it says, "It is appointed unto man once to die but after this the judgment." (Heb. 9:27).

I Tim 2:6: "who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time." Surely He was a ransom for all. "God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son." However, though the penalty was paid for all, it still remains for God's forgiveness and acceptance to be freely accepted. The universalists cannot claim this verse for those who spurn God's offer.

I Tim. 4:10: "For to this end we both labor and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of those who believe." (Yes, Savior of all men . . .who believe. Again, the penalty was paid for all but was effective specifically for those who believe)

Heb. 2:9: "But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone." (His death for all made it possible for God to forgive whoever would accept Christ's redemption by faith.)

II Peter 3:9: "The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance." Notice the context. Peter is writing to the elect, the beloved of like precious faith as his, with words of encouragement. God is patient toward us, not willing that any [of us] should perish.

WHAT OF THE UNIVERSALISTS' THREE ASSUMPTIONS?

First---God is all-powerful. Obviously God is all-powerful, but never will he use His power to violate one's freedom to either choose or deny Him. This would be contrary to both His nature and purpose.

Second---Scriptures show God desires all men to be saved. How very true! Yet God will not violate anyone's free will to choose or reject Him. Remember Jesus' words in Matt. 23:37, "...how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not."

Third---because God is all-powerful and desirous that all be saved, His glory is diminished if all are not. No, God's purpose is that His Glory be manifested, whether by His mercy or His justice. To make the salvation of everyone His objective is to take issue with scripture. God will be glorified no matter what. Whether He is believed or rejected, every knee will bow before Him. He, who has created evil by means of Satan, has decreed that all the forces of evil will only serve to work for ultimate good and to glorify Him. Nowhere is this better exemplified than by His permitting Christ to suffer on the Cross, whereby we are saved.

The universalists claim that everlasting or eternal do not mean forever:

Following are a few of many verses where universalists attribute a limited sense to words such as eternal and everlasting, claiming they do not mean forever but only duration. I

Tim. 6:3, 4 comes to mind, where Paul cautions against arguments over words. The universalists rely heavily upon the Concordant Version of the Bible to make their case, casting doubt upon other versions such as the KJV. In essence, they are claiming that God has been unable to accurately convey His word so that believers (excepting universalists) are wrong.

Dan. 12:2: And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, Some to everlasting life, Some to shame and everlasting contempt.The Greek word everlasting that modifies both life and contempt is the same word owlam. If it is argued that the punishment of unbelievers is to end, then it must be asked, what of eternal life?

Matt 25:46: And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.The Greek word aionios is used for both everlasting and eternal.Just as in Dan. 12:2, the NT is consistent in its usage of the words for both death and life. To render the same word as having an ending in one instance and never ending in another is unworthy of good scholarship.

Mark 9:43-44: "If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life maimed, rather than having two hands, to go to hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched---"where 'Their worm does not die, And the fire is not quenched.' Surely Christ offers no hope for any end to suffering in hell. Should we?

John 5:24: "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life." Clearly, trust in Christ is what separates eternal life from the judgment of hell. This is the major thrust of the entire Bible; no matter how persuasive the reasoning, we must be careful of speculation by reading into scripture things that are not clearly there, especially when they do violence to so much opposing doctrine.

REMEDIAL JUDGMENT

The argument is made that all punishment is remedial rather than punitive, since God is love. As much as one might want to deny it, God's wrath is spoken of every bit as often as His love. Yes, He loves His Son; He loves those who love His Son. Yet, because He is holy, He hates sin and unrighteousness that is so abhorrent to His nature of love. R.C. Sproul points out that ALL of God's attributes are common to His Oneness; they are not a smorgasbord from which we pick and choose one attribute over another. He is the whole package. We may truly say, "God is love." That is to mention one of his attributes. Yet to say, "Love is God� by attributing to His holiness one attribute must diminish the others and border on mental idolatry. Who will charge that God's glory is diminished when He punishes the wicked? Why does He say, "Vengeance is mine; I will repay." ? Let us pots beware of judging the potter. Note just a few verses:

John 3: 36: "He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him."
Rom. 1:18: "For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness."
Ephesians 5:6: "Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience."

A WARNING AGAINST JUDGING GOD

The charge that God would not be glorified unless all are saved is refuted by Romans 9:13-23. As it is written, "Jacob I have loved, but Esau I have hated."14) What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? Certainly not! 15) For He says to Moses, "I will have mercy on whomever I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whomever I will have compassion." 16) So then it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy. 17) For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, "For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I may show My power in you, and that My name may be declared in all the earth." 18) Therefore He has mercy on whom He wills [those who accept Him by faith], and whom He wills [those who reject Him] He hardens. 19) You will say to me then, "Why does He still find fault? For who has resisted His will?" 20) But indeed, O man, who are you to reply against God? Will the thing formed say to him who formed it, "Why have you made me like this?" 21) Does not the potter have power over the clay, from the same lump to make one vessel for honor and another for dishonor? 22) What if God, wanting to show His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, 23) and that He might make known the riches of His glory on the vessels of mercy, which He had prepared beforehand for glory, 24) even us whom He called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles?
Universalists need to heed Paul's words. Naturally speaking, we may often question the righteousness and wisdom of God, and it is admitted that "All is vanity(meaningless) under the sun," as Solomon discovered. Nevertheless, scripture declares that "the just shall walk by faith," and we are urged to "lean not to our own understanding." Paul, who could wish himself accursed for his countrymen, certainly did not speak these words lightly, nor should we so regard them. Apart from any rationale or feelings of our own, we know what we need to know, that by His word God has expressed Himself in Christ. "Shall not the judge of the earth do right? (Gen. 18:25)

THE GREAT WHITE THRONE JUDGMENT

REV. 20:11: Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. 12) And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. 13) The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. 14) Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. 15) And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.

The Universalists believe the unsaved, upon being cast into the lake of fire, which is the second death, are then "vivified" i.e., given life. What a presumption when there is no scripture to clearly support it! Remember, God has made promises to save those who believe on Him and promises to punish those who have rejected Him (really, to grant them their own wishes would separate them from Him forever). Then, can God break His promises clearly made throughout scripture? Not the God most of us know! Finally, the unsaved don't appear to be present in John's vision of the new earth and new Jerusalem. (See Rev. 21:8, 27; 22:18 below.)

THE NEW EARTH AND NEW JERUSALEM

REV. 21:1: Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. 2) Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. . . 7) "He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son. [See I John 5:5 about who the overcomers are]. 8) "But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death." [Whatever the final disposition of those mentioned here, they have no part in this new day of God].

27 ) But there shall by no means enter it anything that defiles, or causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb's Book of Life .[Again, only the saved, no unsaved, are present].

REV. 22:14: "He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son. . . 18) For I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book; 19) and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the Book of Life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book." [What a fear this should instill in anyone about adding to or detracting from the Word of God based on speculation!]

How to make sense out of scripture

EVER PICK UP the Bible with good intentions, only to put it down in exasperation? Surely much in its pages can strike home to even a first-time reader, but, oh, there's so much that is beyond understanding! It is indeed a formidable book, which probably accounts for it being so little read by so many. Even so, no one should lose heart if God's advice is followed, and clearly scripture gives us the essential precepts to follow.
At the risk of stating the obvious, repentance and faith toward God is the number one requirement. However, the obvious is obviously most often ignored, resulting in spiritual blindness, confusion, and dissension. Though emphasized from beginning to end in His Word, Hebrews 11:6 reveals it in a nutshell:

"But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him."

A good example of diligence is that of Jacob who wrestled with God the whole night and would not let him go until being blessed. Jacob's refusal to take 'no' for an answer should be a reminder for everyone who seeks, often for weeks, months, even years, to secure God's blessing.

Every born-again Christian will appreciate that, yet it is only the beginning, not the whole story. So many appear to stop short of serious discipleship and do damage to the truth of scripture because of natural inclinations. Even Christian leaders are found following a "different gospel" than the apostle Paul preached. Let's be careful we don't make the same mistakes. What are they? Why do they happen? Consider these for starters:

• Approaching scripture without reliance upon God's help.
• Reading into scripture our own preconceptions and hearsay from others, making it fit our view rather than our being conformed to it.
• Failure to appreciate the accuracy and consistency of scripture when it sometimes appears to contradict itself. 
• Ruling out the miraculous; trying to explain it in natural terms, as does evolutionist teaching.
• Taking what is obviously symbolic in a literal way, as Nicodemus did.
• Trying to spiritualize by allegory, etc. passages meant to be taken literally.
• Reading verses and passages out of context must be the most common problem. Failing to consider the five "W's"--the who, when, what, where and why is essential. Not considering other scriptures may be a problem Often a portion of the truth is taken to support a pre-conceived notion.

TEXT OUT OF CONTEXT IS PRETEXT

Apart from our efforts to read in context, we encounter a problem that normally escapes our notice. It is the failure to recognize the progressive revelation of truth in the various dispensations of God by which He has dealt with mankind-those periods from the time of Adam's innocence to that of conscience, government, promise, the law, grace, and finally the millennium. Though dispensations are not always explained in the same way, the truth remains that God's word must be understood as it is tailored to specific times. To give but one example, God speaks to us in this age of grace in contrast to the way he did to Israel under the Law. To confuse the truth of one dispensation with the other will wreak havoc with our understanding of God's word. For instance, Christians may take words in the Gospels addressed to Israel as if they applied to the Church.

Differing from God's progressive revelation by means of dispensations is Covenant theology that views history in terms of two or three covenants. Much as we would encourage study of these in detail, we mention them here only to show how our views can be dramatically and practically affected. An example is Replacement theology predicated on the Covenant view equating the Church with Israel and that the Church has replaced Israel once for all. That view has practical consequences, resulting in many of the Covenant persuasion no longer supporting Israel. Two questions: Will God break His promises to Israel? Will He not "bless those who bless thee and curse those who curse thee? (Gen. 12:3) Before writing off Israel in the plan of God, better pay attention to Paul's word in Romans 9-11, especially, Romans 11:25-29.

Christendom has been divided no end by idolizing the views of so called "Church fathers" who were under the influence of Greek philosophy and the culture of Rome. The resulting theology and influence of traditions have often all but erased the stated intent of scripture with a mix of different interpretations that leave Christians divided and confused. It has been said, "You can prove anything from the Bible." True. But let's remember the injunction of witnesses in courts of law to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. May we test every teaching by that standard. Of course, we are helpless to do so if we don't study our Bibles. That failure helps explain the failure of Christians today and the division existing in Christ's body.

Hopefully, what's been said will motivate consistent, thoughtful Bible study. This is not to advocate some kind of systematic program for everyone to use. No, each of us learns in different ways; instead, the intent here is to offer reminders that might reveal and perhaps solve unwitting roadblocks to study. God knows and understands our individual needs; if we earnestly seek Him, He promises that we shall find Him (Matt 7:7). Let's remember God's greatness, that He is able to reach to the uttermost, to speak to even those who are literally blind and the deaf. That being so, we who are blessed with the ability to search His written word should be greatly encouraged.

The Bible warns of many who, hearing, do not hear, those who have become familiar with the scriptures but haven't let the truth sink into their hearts. Sometimes in our approach it may be better to start with a little and chew on it well, rather than to cover more than we can digest. To read and re-read just one of the gospels, validating questions raised by cross referencing other relevant scriptures can be a good approach for many. Sometimes just a few verses that speak to us can be really powerful and can encourage us to ask God for more. As one theologian has advised, our goal is not limited to how many scriptures we come to know but how they all fit together. To do that is to be astonished  by how the Bible ties together from start to finish, evidence that all 66 books by all kinds of people is inspired by one Author. Ours is no blind faith.

How hungry are we?

"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
For they shall be filled." ----Matthew 5:6

LIKE THE OLD SAYING GOES, you can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink. The same goes for trying to lead people to God. If they don't hunger and thirst it's a waste of time. It also holds true for believers if we're to discover the riches we possess in Christ. Each of us might ask if this true of us--are we really hungry and thirsty to know God. So many seem to leave Christ hanging on the Cross, never coming to know His resurrection power. They will tell you, "Yes, I know he died for my sins and I hope to go to heaven some day when I die." That may be a start; it may not, but it's a far cry from what God wants us to know.

Let's be honest. How serious are we about wanting to know God? What do we do about it? How much time do we spend? How many excuses do we offer? Do we really seek Him in the Book He has authored?  We say we believe the Bible but do we? When science or reason seems to cast doubt on it, do we still believe it though we don't understand? Is it really accurate and true down to the last jot and tittle (or gnat's eye, as we would put it)? When it exceeds our natural understanding, when it seems opposed to our views of right and wrong, what do we say then? The natural tendency, I believe, is for us to judge the Bible rather than to let it judge us. It is so natural to make it fit what we have experienced or understand, rather than to realize that it is speaking of an entirely new and different realm that can only be understood by taking God at His word. If God by His Spirit doesn't draw us to Him and enlighten us, His word will make no sense, and we will not pursue it. As I Corinthians 2:14 says:

"But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned."

Anyone seeking God but ignorant of who He is should obey the truth of Hebrews 11:6

"But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him."

The same goes for believers if they are to grow up.This is not a faith we pump up, not positive thinking. It comes from studying and proving out the claims that scripture makes. It is the faith which, amidst all our questions and doubts--like Jacob when he wrestled with the angel--will not let God go. In seeking God's blessing it will not take no for an answer.

I am convinced God has authored the Bible in such a way that only those really serious about knowing him can ever understand it. (Curiosity seekers and the uncommitted need not waste their time.) In an inexplicable way, God gradually increases our appreciation of how accurate and true are His words, which are hidden from the unbelieving world. Our spiritual growth is not unlike our physical development. The newborn babe in Christ is told to "earnestly desire the sincere milk of the word that you may grow thereby." You don't have to force feed a baby; it just naturally craves its mother's milk. Then, together with a mix of rest and increasing exercise, it learns to crawl and walk and talk. But it takes time. Incidentally, ever wonder how a baby could learn to walk if he was afraid of failure? Thankfully, pride doesn't hinder his adventuring in life, as is the case with so many adults afraid of failure. Don't we love to see the growth of a child that is loved by its parents, who knows he is secure, accepted and gradually learns through their loving discipline and teaching. If they have raised him up to fear and honor the Lord they have the promise of Proverbs 22:6 "Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it."

Maybe to grow up we need to become kids again

Of course, the problem is so many born-again believers are physically full grown before discovering Christ. How will they mature? Same way--by a loving Father who slowly but ever so thoroughly trains us by his discipline and teaching, giving us no end of tests to prove out our faith.

Maturity appears sadly lacking in Christ's church. We see so much division, so little fervent love of the Lord and obedience to His advice that we wonder. We need to remember God is calling out a people for His name, working behind the scenes. Not all who parade under the banner of Christianity belong to Him, maybe only a small minority. The present times are reminiscent of the days when God had to correct Elijah's impression that he alone was left to serve in Israel, when God said "Yet I have left me seven thousand in Israel, all the knees which have not bowed unto Baal, and every mouth which hath not kissed him." (I Kings 19:18). Elijah was mistaken, just as we can be. God doesn't publish His truth in the newspapers; it's only in the Bible. God is working undercover, and His truth is found "under cover" in the Bible. Remember, He says, "...Thy word is truth," (or as we might say in a spiritual sense) Reality.

The miracle of our spiritual birth

Romans 8:29-30 gives us a great overview of our life in Christ:

"For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justifiedRo 8:29 For whom He foreknew, He also predestinated to be conformed to the image of His Son, for Him to be the First-born among many brothers. But whom He predestinated, these He also called; and whom He called, those He also justified. And whom He justified, these He also glorified."

How wonderful to know God had His eye on us before we were ever born, that He has laid out a plan for each of our lives! All of us enter this new life like newborn babes with much to learn. Though individual experiences may vary, many believers struggle initially to even be certain of their birth. Hey, the life we are called to so far exceeds our grandest expectations that doubts are common. We read into scripture things that are not there, and leave out things that are. The tendency is to make scripture conform to our ideas rather than for our views conformed to it.

Let's remember that according to I Thes. 5:23 we are tripartite beings of spirit, soul and body. Though originally born with a spirit of blindness and unbelief toward God, when we trusted our lives to Christ we died spiritually to that sin nature and became new creations in Christ with him as our life. We were born again. Romans 6 explains that our baptism into Christ identified us with him in his death and--most important--his resurrection. Just as Christ was risen, never to die again, so too are we who are in him. He is our life. However, we need to understand it was our sinful spirit that died, not our body that is mortal, nor our soul that must be renewed. Though we are new creations, nowhere does the Bible say our sin nature died. Indeed, I John 1:8 says, "If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us." No, sin has not died, but thankfully we have died to it.

Regarding the assurance of our birth, I John 5:13 may become a clincher for us - "These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God" As we become familiar with the many other scriptures of assurance, our faith becomes stronger and stronger (much like the strength of a rope resulting from its many individual strands being woven together).

Once born again, we are justified

Related to our birth comes the question of our justification, which many may struggle over (I know I did). Perhaps it's a passage like Romans 3:20-24:

"Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin. But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus."

We don't arrive at such truth on our own, by our own smart. True, we find ourselves studying, searching, praying, endeavoring to understand, but it is alone by God's spirit that it happens just as written in Philippians 2:12-13,  ". . . work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God which works in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure."

Let's face it. The Bible speaks of so many things beyond our understanding. Even things we may understand intellectually may not square with our experience. We may feel like giving up. But if God has brought us to search after Him and to believe His word is truth, He causes us to press on. Most often He brings us into difficulties beyond our own capabilities--trials, the Bible calls them. Then, as we call out in what may be quiet desperation, God delivers us in ways that cause us to understand in our hearts what our minds couldn't grasp before. We more fully appreciate the truth of Romans 1:17:

". . . the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith"

The next hurdle for the growing Christian is recognition of his sanctification. The world and no few Christians make sanctification one's struggle to become more like God (does that make you think of a promise the Serpent made to Eve?) No, sanctification shows us how ungodly we are. The word, sanctify, means to make separate. Just as God is separate from this world, He makes his children separate from it, too. Having freely looked for God to control our lives, He has set us apart for His own purpose, namely to conform us to the likeness of His Son. Really, we have nothing to do with it but to focus on Christ.

May we rest in God's promises

We simply rest in the assurance of what God has promised. The words sanctify, saint, and holy are strikingly similar in this sense of being separate. When we are commanded to be holy as God is holy (I Pet 1:16), it is not that we are to become better but to be separated from our sin to the love of God in Jesus Christ. Our sanctification is in a threefold sense--of past, present and future. We have been, are, and will forever be separated in Him. Whether we understand all this or not, the truth of it will increasingly be evident in our lives. Once having gained God's assurance of our salvation and justification, we have to learn that sanctification is really a rest from all our own efforts, the result of simply placing ourselves at God's disposal to do whatever He wants. We learn to trust in Him rather than in ourselves, not only in major trials but in the little seemingly insignificant things of life. Rather than being so shocked when we sin or fail, we come to know and depend on I John 1:9 as our lifestyle

"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

As we grow, we cease wasting time moping over the past but like Paul, forgetting what lies behind, we press on.
Though our passage in Romans 8 didn't mention our glorification when we ultimately meet Christ in heaven, I don't think many grapple with that so much, at least in terms of the time when believers will be taken to glory. They know good and well that God must do THAT for them! However, there is a sense in which we may presently come to have a part in glorification, if by it we mean to glorify God in all that we do.

"Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God." (I Corinthians 10:31)

Here is where we discover God fulfilling His life in us, creating in us the motivation and joy of serving others. This is the really fun part, we might say, what life is really all about.

But where to start? The Bible can appear so formidable. Admittedly, to those unfamiliar with it, and even to those who have studied it, it can pose so many questions, speaking of so many things hard to understand. Remember this. God knows where you're at, so why not ask Him to help guide you. He has promised to do so. I remember starting in Genesis, and I learned a lot there, but I soon jumped to the Gospels where most folks are advised to begin. The Gospel of John is a good choice as its purpose is stated in chapter 20, verse 31:

"But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name."

The important thing is to stick at it, to make a habit of reading the Bible daily. Ask God to help you understand what you need, and let it speak to you without trying to become a theologian all at once. Most folks will be surprised at how much they do understand, even if they do have many questions. Incidentally, what's wrong with having questions? No questions, no answers.

Don't stop with the Gospels

A word of advice to believers who don't venture beyond the Gospels: As precious as they are, remember Christ told his disciples He had much to say to them but that they couldn't bear it at the time. He explains that the Holy Spirit later would lead them into all truth. The letters by Paul and the other apostles are vital to understanding the Gospel in its totality. We must remember that in the four Gospels, Christ spoke to Israel respecting God's promises to that nation. Not until after his resurrection and ascension, when at Pentecost and later through Paul was the full scope of his finished work made known.  In fact, when reading only the Gospel accounts, it might be helpful to pretend we had never heard about Christ if we are to better appreciate how His words were understood or more often misunderstood by Israel.

We may for sure miss out if we've not come to see our identification with Christ as Paul expressed it in Galatians 2:20 when He exclaimed:

"I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me."

To appreciate Paul's words, we must have identified with him in chapters 7 and 8 of Romans. This is not easy truth to come by. It wasn't for Paul. It's not for us; it's not a beginners' class designed to achieve instant Christian maturity. Here Paul shows us how the law of God, holy and just as it is, can only expose our sin. He takes us through his own experience to show us how he encountered the law as a believer, discovering that sin was the hangover of his natural self as opposed to his true spiritual identity by faith in Christ. The excerpted verses that follow should be no substitute for reading these chapters and related passages in full to arrive at how, spiritually, we also have died to the law, how God has set us apart for Himself in Christ who manifests His life in us as we learn to abide in Him.

"I was alive once without the law, but when the commandment came, sin revived and I died. And the commandment, which was to bring life, I found to bring death.  For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it killed me." Romans 7:9-11

Paul, I believe, is expressing a battle common to every believer. After the initial joy of our rebirth, we eventually find ourselves caught up in trying to live by God's commandments, forgetting it was by FAITH that we were born again. Certainly Israel thought they could keep all God's commandments given at Mt. Sinai, but, of course, they never did. We remember Paul's reminder to the Galatians in chapter 3:2

"This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?"

"Therefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy and just and good. Was then what is good become death to me? Certainly not! But sin, that it might appear sin, was producing death in me through what is good, so that sin through the commandment might become exceedingly sinful.  For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am carnal, sold under sin." Romans :12-14

The law of God as an expression of His holiness is spiritual. It can only show us how far we fall short of His glory in the flesh of our natural natures.

"For all fall short of the glory of God" Rom. 3:23
"For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do. If, then, I do what I will not to do, I agree with the law that it is good. But now, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man.  But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members." Romans 7:15-17, 22-23

If we can identify with Paul here, rejoice. We are no longer exhibiting the attitude of a sinner (who will do anything but truly confess sin); instead, sin is an enemy trying to enslave you. This is the battle every saint encounters. Remember Galatians 5:17:

"For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would."

We must learn, as I Thes. 5:23 reveals, that we are tripartite beings having body, soul, and spirit. Further, we must see that our true identity is our spirit. Finally, we must see that our spirit under sin was crucified with Christ, separated from sin and born anew in Christ. While that is true by faith, our natural nature still remains under the influence of sin, so we face a battle between our flesh and our spirit. This is Paul's experience in Romans 7.

"O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?" Romans 7:24

To truly appreciate Christ, we must be shown our need. Certainly no one naturally seeks such a state of agony. In Romans 10:28 God in His love for us makes all things work for our good. Consider what Paul concluded from his struggle:

"I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin. There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death." Roman 7:25, 8:1

The way of escape is to walk by the faith that declares we have died to the law, to sin, to our old nature, despite its continual protests to the contrary. Every trial in life gives us opportunity to grow in our spiritual life, to prove out God's calling and sufficiency.
The preceding chapters of Romans and Paul's other letters are helpful for anyone seeking insight into the identification truths of our relationship with Christ. The heart of the matter is defined in Romans 6:3,4:

"Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life."

Does this make sense to you? Is it true in your experience? No? Then, if you have come to be a born-again Christian, remember Jesus' words in John 17:17, ". . . thy word is truth." Make up your mind; is that true or not? Remember again Romans 1:17, ". . . the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith." Another thing: Much misunderstanding over Paul's references to our having died to sin is due to the way sin is defined. Paul is referring to the sin nature with which we are born, that blindness to God that exalts self in rebellion against Him. That sin still indwells our flesh (but not our spirit in which we have been made one with Christ) is evident in Paul's battle with it in Romans 7. Yes, we must confess our sins and our Sin; certainly Satan will remind us we are guilty as charged. However, our answer, after obeying I John 1:9, will always be, "Yes, but our Sin has been crucified, dead and buried with Christ, and our sins, past, present, and future, have been forgiven and forgotten."
The high ground for every Christian is to know who we really are in Christ and dare be obedient to Him. This obedience begins by believing in Him, abiding in Him, focusing on Him rather than on ourselves, walking as Jesus walked in complete dependence upon our Father. Too much to ask? If our answer is no, the shame we may feel can be dispelled by the remembrance of Him, who "while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8) Surely, if anything can cause us to love Him more, it is to first remember His love for us. As Christ told the Pharisee, He who is forgiven much will love much." As vessels of God we are meant to be filled with His love to overflowing. What a shame that so many vessels appear to be empty when they may freely receive Christ at any time! What do you say? Our lives reflect what captivates our minds.

"For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace." (Romans 8:5)

Let's remember that Jesus is not only the Son of God but the Son of Man. He is not only the perfect expression of God; as the second Adam, he is the perfect expression of humanity.  He is the demonstration of what you and I are ultimately meant to be. Do we believe the Bible? Do we take God seriously? Can you name a greater goal than to be conformed to the likeness of Christ? If you want something to occupy your time and thoughts, pick up your Bible and read His words, be informed of your destiny to be joint heirs with Christ. Discover that nothing in all creation can separate you from His love and care, that He can do the impossible in your life. Every reader is at a different level of understanding. Some are mature Christians. Others are apparently not yet established in their faith. Still others have yet to believe on Christ. Whoever you are, may this speak to where you're at, helping you to discover the riches of Christ. Think big! Think on the Lord God Almighty who has expressed Himself through His Son Jesus Christ, whose life is revealed in the Bible for you to see, believe, and experience.

How many Baptisms?

PROBABLY two of the biggest reasons for the misinterpretation of scripture is the failure to recognize dispensational truth and to confuse Israel with the Church. Failure to recognize these pitfalls, I believe, accounts for many errors, one of which, I feel, is water baptism.

Let me begin with the Gospel of Matthew. Surely it has much to say to us, but we should never forget it gives the account of God's dealings with Israel, not the Church. We read of John the Baptist preaching a baptism of repentance: "Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand." Israel had the opportunity as a nation to see the Kingdom set up right then and there, as it ultimately will be in the Millennium. (It's interesting that only in Matthew is the term "kingdom of heaven" used, I think because it only applies to Israel, a kingdom visible to the world, in contrast to the kingdom of God which is unseen.) We know that when Christ came to Israel the dispensation of the law was in effect; after his resurrection he revealed through Paul the gospel of his grace, apart from the law, to Jews and gentiles alike. Confusion results when Christians apply scriptures addressed to Israel rather than obeying the gospel given to us. Instead of rejoicing in the assurance of our acceptance in the Beloved, many believers still try to keep the law and follow other Jewish customs, including water baptism.

Matthew 3:11,13 is instructive. We see John preparing the way for the Lord, in short, waking up Israel to its need to repent and receive their Messiah. While Jesus consented to be baptized by John, not exempting Himself, His reply to John, "Suffer it to be so for now" seems significant--"for now," I think, points to water baptism instituted for Israel at that time. But John's declaration that He who would come after him would baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire is something else, related to the giving of the Holy Spirit after the resurrection of Christ and marking the birth of the Church and the age of grace. Incidentally, a question arises in John 4:2 where it makes the point that Jesus himself did not baptize. Something to ponder.

Scripture shows us there was a gradual transition from the views of believers prior to Christ's ascension to the time when God fully revealed the mystery of His plan for His Church through Paul.

It takes a while for insight to blossom

Without question, we see many instances of water baptism performed not only during Jesus' ministry but in the book of Acts as well. How to explain this? Acts 3:6-9 is instructive. Immediately before Christ is taken up, the disciples asked whether He would then restore the Kingdom to Israel (not the kingdom of God but the kingdom of heaven). Even at the time of Christ's ascension, the disciples were looking for One to sit on the throne of David and fulfill God's promises of the Kingdom to Israel then and there. They were told it was not for them to know, but they were promised they would receive power, which was fulfilled in Acts 2:1-4. As the story continues we see God working mightily, yet believers still were still in need of light yet to be revealed.

Peter's episode with Cornelius is an example. When, after Cornelius had received the Holy Spirit, Peter then baptized him with water. Clearly this was opposite to the order of John's preaching concerning the two baptisms, the first being with water unto repentance and the second by the Holy Spirit. Quite characteristically the loveable but impetuous Peter took unneeded action on his own. And who of us will point fingers? Traditional presumptions still influence us, and we need to take care evaluating the views, acts and practices of early believers that so often affect Church doctrine. The acts of followers in the gospels and Acts must be seen in the light of their limited insight at the time. They were living up to the truth they knew, but the full picture was yet to come.

The early chapters of Acts where Jewish believers' conceptions--still centered on Israel and the kingdom of heaven--awaited the gradual unfolding of God's plan to reach the Gentiles. The stoning of Stephen appears to have been the turning point after which Paul comes on the scene and ultimately turns from Israel to the gentiles. When referring to the gospel in Romans 1:16, Paul's mention "to the Jew first" is interesting. Although called to the gentiles, he began his ministry, as Christ did, by going to the synagogues of the Jews until finally he had had a bellyful and declared in Acts 13:46, "...lo, we turn to the Gentiles."

Two passages come to mind that illustrate the failure of early believers to apprehend the gospel fully. First, there is the incident in Acts 18:24-26 involving Apollos, who though eloquent and mighty in scripture, "knew only the baptism of John." What did that mean? We see that after being more fully instructed by Aquila and Priscilla, he was made so effective in Achaia. Then, immediately following in Acts 19:1-6 there appears what I consider to be the perfect picture of the baptism by the Holy Spirit as opposed to John's baptism:

1) And it came to pass, that, while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul having passed through the upper coasts came to Ephesus: and finding certain disciples, 2)  He said unto them, 'Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed?' And they said unto him, 'We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost.' 3) And he said unto them, 'Unto what then were ye baptized?' And they said, 'Unto John's baptism.' 4) Then said Paul, 'John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance,  saying unto the people, that they should believe on him which should come after him, that is, on  Christ Jesus.' 5)When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 6) And when Paul  had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spoke with tongues, and prophesied. [Note: no mention of a follow-up with water]

During the transition God appears to patiently bear with the early apostolic thought; but surely, though not immediately, He brings the truth to bear. We see instances when Paul who, ready to become all things to all men that he might win some, acquiesced to Jewish thought and custom; but the gospel becomes increasingly clear. The passing from the dispensation of the Law to that of Grace is noted by Paul in Ephesians 3:1-5.

Here, through Paul we see the advent of the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. Paul offers the revelation by which he lived as a pattern to them who should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting. (1 Tim 1:16). So how does this pattern bear on water baptism?

Paul's view in I Cor. 1:17-18 surely is no commercial for water baptism. Yes, he was baptized himself when he first believed---before his three years under God's tutelage---and he confessed to baptizing a few others, somewhat apologetically it seems. Paul's emphasis in verse 18 is on preaching the gospel which to those who are saved is the power (baptism?) of God. (Aptly illustrated in Acts 19:1:6 above)

We also should take note of what Paul didn't command. Not once in all of his letters does he ever command us to be baptized. When things are vital and important to do, God owes clear orders. Where are they regarding water baptism? I do know from personal experience that I was baptized (identified with, made one with) by the Holy Spirit years ago, completely free of any H20 agent. God has made me ONE with HIM in my spirit, though my soul has had a lot of catching up to do. He has fulfilled His promise beyond anything I originally ever dared to hope for; he has cleansed me, forgiven me, bought me, taught me, sustained me and given me a hope simply out of this world. Of the various baptisms, that's the ONE that interests me.

In closing, a final verse comes to mind---Ephesians 4:5---"One Lord, one faith, one baptism..."If there is only one baptism, which is it---John's or the Spirit's?
Mine may be a minority view, but it's scriptural, and that's what counts. I respect the opinions of others and don't wish to offend any who in sincerity and love for Christ have been immersed. God looks upon the heart, not upon our religious correctness. However, as His children, we are encouraged to grow in the knowledge of Him and the ways that please him.

Can we identify with the apostle Paul?

I WANT TO SHARE with you my gospel. I say this in hope that you have made or will come to make the same claim. Please don't assume I'm boasting of any special revelation, but understand I have made the truth of God my own. I am in good company, too. No less a one than the apostle Paul did the same. He explained to the Galatians that he had not received the gospel by any man but by the revelation of Christ himself. As the apostle to the gentiles, his letters revealing the mystery of the Church reflect an insight not found in other writings. Truly he made this truth his own, concluding his letter to the Church of Rome with the benediction beginning, "Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my gospel."

Do I speak too boldly? Is it too much for us to identify ourselves with the likes of Paul? After all, Paul was tutored by the risen Christ who was given revelation by God after his ascension (see Rev. 1;1). Certainly, if we try comparing ourselves with Paul's life and ministry, his love and zeal, the persecution he endured, we may appear like the tiniest of pigmies. But God cautions us not to compare ourselves with others. None of us lived in the time when the gospel was so new and explosive. Who of us has been taken to the third heaven? Do not each of us vary in talent and gifts as God has determined?

God doesn't have favorites

We must remember God has established a level playing field. He is no respecter of persons, that is, He doesn't show favoritism. All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Like Paul, we believers have been convicted of our Sin and miraculously saved by His grace, given His Spirit and made members of the household of God. It seems hard to get this through our heads, but let's face it. Have we ever a choice but to trust Christ in us and to run the race of faith in the time and place to which we each uniquely are appointed? Paul confessed that there was nothing good in his flesh, i.e., his natural self. "Wretched man that I am, who will deliver me from this body of death?" In his spiritual struggle, Paul was freed by becoming identified with the Spirit of Christ in him. He saw that Sin was an intruder from which he had been separated by God in his inner man. Like Paul, we only have two choices. Let's rest in faith on what God says, not in a continual self trip. Let's copy Paul who said, "For I live, no, not I, but Christ lives in me." If we lay claim to the fullness of the gospel, we can do that, too.

The problem we face

America has been so blessed with the Gospel that a downside has resulted. It appears many people take offense if approached about it, thinking it is insulting to assume their ignorance of such a common topic. However, most people seem unable to accurately define it. Let's be sure we have a clear understanding of what the gospel is--and what it isn't--for certainly there are many "gospels" today. Paul warned the Galatians about accepting "another gospel" conditioned upon being circumcised as the Jews insisted. His concern might seem a small matter anymore, compared to so much false preaching today that makes a mockery of God's word, making man rather than Christ the center. To elaborate on this is surely unnecessary since the apathy and division of today's so-called "Christianity" is so commonplace and apparent.
What is the gospel? Not necessarily what some creed or theologian or preacher says, but what the Bible declares, because too often there is a vast difference. The gospel comes from the Greek word euaggelion that means "a good message" or, as it is often called, "good news." If we consider what it declares, the term "good news" is the epitome of understatement. Paul called it "glorious." Words like phenomenal, fantastic, awesome, and the like, all fall short. Think of it:

God gave the one person he treasured above all else to suffer in agony on a Cross to take upon himself the penalty due for the sins of the world. John 3:16 says it well: "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." Notice that it is a gift, not a reward. Putting our hope solely in Christ is the only condition for gaining the unmerited favor of God and being assured of heaven. To insinuate we must somehow contribute anything to our salvation must be an insult to the priceless gift of Christ's suffering on the Cross. See Eph. 2:8, 9.

It is a gift offered to the entire world, to every sinner, no matter how undeserving. "He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life" I John 5:12 All have sinned. See Rom. 3:10-12, 23.

Only those who claim to be righteous themselves are excluded. "I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance" The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel" This repentance is not like that of giving up some habit or trying to be better; instead it is to turn from trusting in ourselves to trusting solely in God.

It's not simply an "add-on" like computer software added to improve performance of an operating system. Instead, it is about a brand new system, the very same Spirit that indwelled Christ's life in exchange for ours. We truly become new creations born of the Spirit of Christ.

It is accompanied by the promises of God to bless every believer with His Spirit. "In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise." The Bible declares we are all under sin, born with a spirit that is dead to God, blind to Him and under self delusion. It also declares that if we earnestly seek God we will find Him and be given a new spirit, indeed, His Spirit.  We must see that He not only died for us but we died in Him. On the Cross our sins He forgave, and on that same Cross we entered our spiritual grave. He accomplished what we could not do on our own, paying the price for our wrongdoing and freeing us from the old nature at the root of the problem.

Hard to fathom?

Do we have another gospel?

A case of mistaken identity

WHO ARE YOU? A sinner or a saint? Surely if you've trusted in Christ as your savior, you may be more aware of your sins and unworthiness than ever. Moreover, so often our battle to possess our birthright seems to be a losing proposition. So often we hear the words, "I am such a sinner." We may praise God for His forgiveness of our sins, but what about our condition that still causes us to sin? If we are to be honest before God, how dare we claim to be saints? Think about it.

Every born-again believer should appreciate what has been called "positional truth," that is, how God sees us who have trusted our life to Christ and His work on the cross. Sadly, many fail to appropriate here and now the blessings God declares to be true. Rather than looking upon ourselves as sinners, we need to see that we are saints (no matter how many warts we have). Our problem keeping us from enjoying the full blessings of our sanctification is the same one we encountered before being saved--focusing on ourselves rather than on what God declares to be true. Three reasons come to mind.

1. Our preconceptions of sainthood may be wrong. Contrary to religious notions, nowhere does the Bible say saints are perfect in themselves, that by their good works they are worthy of their title. The world judges by outward appearances while God judges the intentions of the heart. Indeed, to be a saint is to admit a sin nature, to confess that we have no righteousness other than that which God attributes for our trusting Christ. Even the apostle Paul confessed that, naturally speaking, nothing good dwelled in him (Rom. 7:18).  As a saint matures, his life will increasingly reflect the nature of Christ; but that is the outcome of being a saint, not the condition for it. A saint is only a dependent vessel in which God's spirit can dwell to will and do His good pleasure.
2. We trust in our experiences, emotions, and limited understanding rather than relying on faith alone. When the Devil points to our sins, we need to know and remember they are forgiven sins.
3. Finally, our problem may be a faulty understanding of our very nature. Paulprayed to God that, "our whole spirit, and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ" (I Thess. 5:23). We are indeed new creations blessed with a spirit we had never known before coming to Christ. However, nowhere does scripture say we have been given a new soul or body. Certainly our present bodies have no eternal life but are destined to die. Concerning our souls, that is, our natural intellectual/emotional outlook, Romans 12:2 advises us to "...not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind." Surely this is where the battle is joined--to make real in our understanding and experience what God declares. How? By becoming familiar with scripture and heeding its advice. We are urged to "walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit." The Bible is full of promises that God will patiently wean us from our natural self-centered behavior to an increasing spiritual dependency to rest our thoughts and actions on God's word. Quite apart from any efforts of our own, God will in His own time and way bring us into an increasing foretaste of the eternal life we possess. To that end, the verses that follow should be part of every Christian's spiritual diet. 

SANCTIFICATION

Basically, the word sanctify means to be set apart by God as His possession for His purposes. It is closely associated with being made holy by God quite apart from our own deserts. Sanctification can be spoken of in three different senses: 1) when we were first saved, 2) the ongoing work of God in conforming us to Christ's likeness, and 3) the ultimate consummation of God's work when we enter heaven.

John 17:17 "Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth." [Such was Jesus' prayer for you and I, and such was his confidence in God's truth.] Think of it! In verse 21, we read, "the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one."

1 Corinthians 1:2 "...to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord"  [Never once does he refer to us as sinners.]

1 Corinthians 6:11 "And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God."  [It's a package, a done deal.]

1 Thessalonians 5:23 "And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ"

Hebrews 2:11 "He who sanctifies and those who are being sanctified are all of one, for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren.? [We're family, us saints]

The problem is that upon reading such scriptures, many unfortunately respond with such comments as, "Well, I don't see how..." or "I just can't understand..." or "I don't feel..." But what has that got to do with faith in the truth? As Paul declares in Rom. 1:17, "The just shall live by faith." Let's quit striving by our own efforts and just rest our spirits in what God has revealed to be true. 

COUNT IT TO BE SO:

Romans 6:11  "Likewise reckon [count on the fact] ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord." [It's been advised that when the Devil knocks on the door, we should send Jesus to answer it. Our enemy would deceive us; our battle tactic is to focus on God who cannot lie, whose promises are guaranteed to us.]

FLESH VS. SPIRIT:

John 3:6 "That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit."

John 6:63 "It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life." [Jesus said we are "to live by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God." Do we?]

Romans 7:18-20  "For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find. For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice. Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me" [Paul's battle in Romans 7 ended in his discovery of his separation from sin. So it will be for every believer when his failures end in the victory Paul expressed in Romans 8:2 "For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death."]

Romans 8:4-5 "That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit." [Walking involves taking one step at a time. Even as kids, it took us a while to learn. We would fall, get up, and take another step, never giving up. Sure, we're slow to learn to focus on God rather than ourselves, but He is a great teacher. He is painstakingly thorough in bringing us to maturity.]

Galatians 3:3, 5:16 "Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?" "This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh." [It's time to make up our minds. Will we rely on our own smart and strength or trust the One who made us and who is our life?]

WHO WE ARE IN CHRIST AND HOW WE ARE TO LIVE:

Romans 6:3-7 "Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?  Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:  Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.  For he that is dead is freed from sin." [Note that Paul is speaking of sin (singular, that is, the old sin nature), not sins.  It's been truly said that we are not ready to live until we are ready to die.]

THE SECRET TO OUR WALK:

I John 1:8-9 "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." [John is distinguishing between our sin nature (SIN) and what it produces (sins). It is the sinner who hugs his sins, whose pride and self-reliance won't permit him to humble himself before God. The very fact that the saint hates sin is evidence of his faith.]

Romans 6:4 "Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life." [Here is the clincher for enabling our walk, the discovery that we have died to our old nature and made alive in Christ who is our new life. Let us rejoice in all our Godly perks!]

Think for a moment. Suppose you died today. Certainly, if you had trusted in Christ as your savior, you would find yourself in his presence, beholding him in his glorified body, made like him. You literally would be "out of this world" Would there any longer be concern over the power of sin, the demands of the law, the fears and concerns that plague us all? Of course, such is not the case in natural fact; we are very much in this world, even though not of it because of God's grace. We daily do battle against the sin nature that besets us, taking sides with God because of our growing appreciation of who we are in Christ. Yes, we suffer defeats; we are often chastened but we gradually come to appreciate the words of Romans 8:28, "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose."

Yes, we have done business with God. We have traded our life for the life of His Son. In the place of pride, we have been made meek and lowly. In place of guilt our sins have been washed white as snow by the blood of Jesus. In place of our striving we begin entering into a rest. Our self reliance has given way to a confidence in God to care for every detail in our lives. We have a whole new set of desires, hopes, and dreams, all bent on pleasing God. Sure, in the process, we keep getting hit with all sorts of trials and sorrows. We fail daily as God continues to show us aspects of our old self of which we were unaware. It's funny the way we exclaim in surprise, "Really? Who me? Then, to our surprise, after perhaps some initial serious disagreement, we end up thankful that He knows us better than we know ourselves. Our calling so far surpasses what we dared imagine. Though we see dimly and are sometimes blinded and deceived by our sin nature, let's run the race with a patient optimism. God in His good time will enable us to experience a measure of the eternal life He has promised. "He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ."  Philippians 1:6. He has given us His word!

Just who are we, anyway?

HAVE YOU EVER TRIED getting a picture of the saints who comprise the body of Christ? If you have, I think you'll agree it's a challenge to figure it out if we judge folks solely by what we hear and see. For sure there appears to be a big mix. We see so many who don't walk the talk. We see others whose lives look good but never mention the Lord.

There are those preaching Christ on TV caught in money making or adultery who after brief remorse again ask for money to support their ministries. Then, we see those who seem genuine but can become vindictive and judgmental over differences in doctrine. Happily, we may be blessed with a few who humbly walk in fascination with Christ, loving and encouraging us. Like I say, it ain't easy. Just who is and who isn't can be a tough call. No wonder we're advised to "judge nothing before the time." Still, is there help?

A favorite passage of mine that sheds light on the big picture is II Tim. 2:10-13:

10) This a faithful saying: For if we died with Him, We shall also live with Him.
11) If we endure, we shall also reign with Him. If we deny Him, He also will deny us.
12) If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself.

Let's take the verses one by one:

10) If we died with Him, We shall also live with Him. Rom. 6:3-5 assures us of our salvation, that if by God's Spirit we have become identified with Christ in his death for sure our spirit will be united with his resurrection. Doesn't this make a lot of spiritual sense? I Thess. 5:23 explains we are tripartite, body, soul, and spirit (this latter being our very life,  who we really are). When trusting in Christ our sinful spirit necessarily died and was recreated in the spirit of Christ who is our life and who has promised never to leave nor forsake us.
11) Now that we are saved, we have freedom of choice. We can set our minds on the things of the flesh, our natural outlook, which is death, or we can focus on the love and sufficiency of Christ in whom our spirits dwell, which is life. To endure is to reap all the rewards of his life in this world and heaven. To deny trusting Him leaves God with no opportunity to bless us.
12) I Cor. 3:14,15 reminds us: If anyone's work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. If anyone's work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire. Despite the foolishness that robs believers of rewards, God remains true.

Doesn't all this help to gain a more comprehensive picture of God's people on earth? Essentially, all are saved quite apart from their faithfulness, yet in the matter of rewards bringing glory to God, there is great disparity. I wonder if many ever get beyond salvation to even consider the matter of rewards. I have seldom heard it preached. The life we are called to live is all-consuming: "whatever you do, do all to the glory of God."

Consider a couple scriptures that bear witness to God's people,

Regarding carnality (I Cor. 3:1-4):

"And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able. For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men? For while one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are ye not carnal?"

What does this say of all who are denominational? Do we not need to refute the division so prominent in the Church by centering on Christ alone? Would Paul say today, "For while one says, I am of Luther, and another, I am of Calvin (add Wesley, et al.), are you not carnal?" Hey, these guys are deserving of honor, but don't let them get in the way of Christ who died for us.

The House of God is made up of all kinds (I Tim. 2:19b-21)

"Let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity." But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay, some for honor and some for dishonor. Therefore if anyone cleanses himself from the latter, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work."

Departing from inequity, cleansing oneself from sin is the order, an impossibility apart from abiding in the forgiveness of Christ offered in I John 1:9.

Judging from this, it seems to me we are daily encountering folks who may be Christians even though they may not be religiously correct. Rather than spending so much time trying to determine their spirituality, let us first demonstrate our own by walking humbly and respectfully in love, trusting God to do in and through us what He will. Beware of helping God. Remember, Moses slew an Egyptian.

The folks we meet come in all sizes, shapes, and colors, each a unique creation of God, who alone knows their hearts and is willing that "all mankind should be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth" (I Tim. 2:4). Sadly, many seem to settle for heaven some day rather than learning and growing as disciples in the truth.

Just who do you think you are anyway?

We ask this question respectfully in hopes you, as a Christian, are enjoying the riches of eternal life here and now that rightfully belong to you. It is a shame so few ever hear the fullness of the gospel preached or seek to hungrily examine the scriptures to differentiate between law and grace. We must come to know without doubt who we are in Christ. Without getting into a lot of theology, let's do some reasoning based on what most every believer ought to know, starting with Isaiah1:18:

"Come now, and let us reason together," Says the LORD, "Though your sins are like scarlet, They shall be as white as snow."

Any believer ought to know his sins are forgiven by the blood of Christ. BUT that's not the only problem that had to be solved. What about the fact that we are SINNERS? Let's not deny it in the face of I John 1:8:

"If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us."

Sin speaks of the condition from which our sins spring. Forgiveness won't help us here. Let's assume God was to forgive our Sin, would it not still plague us? A forgiven liar would still be a liar. No, sin is part of our identity with Adam.

What about our identity? Even before creation God knew you and me. Our identity as persons was established in His eyes. Just as Christ "was foreordained before the foundation of the world" (I Pet. 1:20), so, too, "God has chosen us in him before the foundation of the world" (Eph. 1:4). Of course, it is clear that Adam was, too. So how is our identity related?

When Adam sinned, his relationship with God ended that day. Although physically he lived nearly a thousand years, his identity had been changed by his death separating him from God. As the head of the human race, his sin nature passed on to us all. In God's eyes, our identity was in Adam.

"Just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men" (Rom. 5:12)

So we all, as descendents of Adam, are unique persons who are under the same condition, born if you will with a spiritual disease. Our condition and identity must be changed. Now II Cor. 5:21 helps make clear the other aspect of Christ's death.

"God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God"

As Christ's death was a substitution for sins, it also identified him with SIN so it might be condemned and he live evermore with God See Rom. 6:9,10:

"Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him. For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God"

Now we can see who we really are. Though our identity first was in Adam, it is now in Christ to all of us who have trusted our lives to him. See Rom 6:4,5:

"We were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection."

Given this astonishing and priceless truth, a common question is why we do not experience it more. What is the problem? Consider these things:

"For in it [the gospel] the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, 'The just shall live by faith.'" (Rom. 1:17)

We need not pump up our "faith" as some advocate. We simply need to have facts that our faith can rest on. Do we ever have much faith in anything until we have tested and proved it? Such it is with the word of God, examining it, proving it by trial and error, which takes persistence and time requiring dedication. Moses, after killing an Egyptian, was 40 years before his experience with the burning bush. Jacob had to wrestle with an angel to be blessed.

"Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him." (Hebrews 11:6)

In doing so, we may have to "unlearn" some things our culture has ingrained in our thinking. These are many; let it suffice here to mention but one. Though we have died to sin, as already explained, nowhere does scripture say that sin has died in us. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us (I John 1:8). Do we not know that very well even as believers? Paul surely did in his struggle in Romans 7. We must see that we have TWO natures, our new man in Christ and our old man in Adam. In our lives we are confronted daily with choosing which we will live by. Let's then remember in working out our salvation, "It is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure." (Phil. 2:13) Sure, we keep messing up, but His continued discipline and forgiveness make us ever more appreciative of His love and faithfulness.

It is when we mistakenly see ourselves as having only ONE nature that we can flounder in confusion. Miles Stanford exposes the error that can be read into Romans 6:6 if it is read experientially rather than our heavenly position in Christ.

"Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin." KJV

To infer that the crucifixion of our old man, i.e., our sin nature, with its body of death is actually extinct in death must mean we ourselves are holy.  Okay, if you are holy go ahead and keep all the law. Good luck. Many folks try to. No, we need to understand that never does scripture say death is annihilation. Instead it points to separation, and we have been separated (sanctified if you will). Our spirit has been set apart for the purposes of God, distinct from our sin nature. Incidentally, many scriptures show our body is not the source of sin but, in our redemption, it is the temple of God.

"And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you." Rom. 8:11

Like the rabbit used to say, "That's all, folks!" Here's hoping you know for sure who you are in Christ. Remember, the race we are running is not against others but only to leave our sin nature in the dust as we gain the high prize of our calling.

Are you In or Out?

IT'S A COMMON QUESTION in poker, "In or out? Are you in the game or not?" We might well ask it respecting our relationship to Christ. Are we bettin' all our chips on him?

The apostle Paul in Romans 8:9 declares, "But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His." Not much wiggle room, is there? It's an either/or statement that demands a yes or no answer. And the answer zeros in on the two-letter preposition "IN" that can easily pass our notice. We need to watch those little prepositions. For instance, if we back up to verse 5, we run into another preposition. "For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit." Rather than the word "in" we find "after," speaking of choices and results of how we may live.

The thrust of Chapter 8 is two-fold, first, to show us who we are; second, how to live. Anyone not saved, i.e., who is IN the flesh and not IN Christ can only live after the flesh. Those of us IN Christ have two options-to be deluded about ourselves with all the dire consequences or to discover who we really are by focusing on God's truth.
What then is our problem understanding and applying all this to ourselves? Granted that we may agree with the scriptures and by faith count ourselves to be IN Christ, yet we experience so much that is not Christ like. How can we honestly say we are not IN the flesh when we experience it daily? Let's give it some thought.

Definitions can make all the difference

First, what is meant by the word flesh? I suspect this is one of those many words where the definition will vary depending on whom you talk to. Many may equate it with the body as the seat of sin as in Paul's exclamation, "Who will deliver me from this body of death?" Others may disagree. So what do the scriptures say?

A search of the word flesh shows it is used in the Bible in different ways. For instance, it may be used of the body as Paul mentioned in Gal. 4:14:

"And my temptation which was in my flesh ye despised not."

Paul uses it in Rom. 11:14 as his relationship with his natural countrymen:

"If by any means I may provoke to emulation them which are my flesh."

Or often it may refer to our carnal nature as Paul declares in Rom. 7:18:

"For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh," [or as translated in the NIV], "I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature"

It can refer to material things, i.e., money, etc. as seen from I Cor. 9:11.

"If we have sown unto you spiritual things, is it a great thing if we shall reap your carnal things?"

The Greek word for flesh is sarx, a noun, while that of carnal is sarkikos, an adjective referring to sarx. Both words pertain to the body, but the context in which they are used is the key to their meaning.

If we are to understand the flesh, we must ask just how it relates to us. I Thes. 5:23 that defines our makeup is helpful: "Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." With which of these three that make up our tripartite nature does the flesh correspond? Certainly not the spirit. Leaving the soul for later consideration, let's consider the body.

Is our body the culprit?

Let's start at the beginning when Adam and Eve were naked and not ashamed, and according to Gen. 3:6, when Eve "saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat."

Nothing has changed. We see at the end of the Bible the words of the apostle in I John 2:16: "For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world." It is fair to ask why Eve succumbed as explained in Gen. 3:6:.

So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate.

We might say it was the flesh, citing mention that the tree was "good for food" that the body craves. "Pleasant to the eyes," though, seems more concerned with "things" i.e., materialism. Certainly, "to make one wise" speaks not of the body but of the lust to exalt ones self, in effect, to be like God.

But Eve's temptations in themselves were not the cause of her downfall. No, that was the result of disobeying God. It had nothing to do with her body. She had a perfectly good body. But after she sinned, she was ashamed of it, as she had come under the rule of Satan. That shame has continued in the human race even unto today. We have inherited the sin of Adam (Rom. 5:12) and its consequences. We hide from God and are ashamed of our nakedness. Each of us has been born with a spirit opposed to God, living in a body that must die. God's solution for our dilemma was to send His son who would willingly die for us. In Romans 6:6, we read, "our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin." Does this take effect when we get to heaven or does it apply to us here and now? Paul's whole emphasis is that, knowing what Christ has accomplished for us, we now should take advantage of our new birthright, being freed from sin and the law.
There is a verse that appears to say the body is the source of our problem, i.e., Rom. 6:12. A legitimate question is why or how those desires originate. Is it because of the body itself is evil or from sin ruling in it? Respecting this, theologian Adam Clark makes some incisive remarks:

"Verse 12. Let not sin therefore reign--This is a prosopopoeia, or personification. Sin is represented as a king, ruler, or tyrant, who has the desires of the mind and the members of the body under his control so that by influencing the passions he governs the body.  Do not let sin reign, do not let him work; that is, let him have no place, no being in your souls...That ye should obey it in the lusts thereof--This clause is wanting in the most ancient and reputable MSS. and in the principal versions.  Griesbach has left it out of his text; and Professor White says, Certissime delenda: "These words should certainly he expunged" they are not necessary to the apostle's argument; it was enough to say, Let not sin reign in your mortal bodies, that ye should obey it.  If it is there it will reign there; and its reign supposes, necessarily, the subjection of that in which it reigns.  A king reigns when his laws are enforced, and the people obey them.  When there is no executive government there is no reign.  There may be a royal shadow there, but there is no king." [italics and boldface are my emphasis, not Clark's]

I believe Clark's remarks help us understand that evil desires in the body are not directly attributable to it but to the underlying principle of SIN ruling over it. Our body was dead because of Sin but is now alive under the new ownership of Christ (Rom. 9:11). He bought it at the Cross and now indwells it. We've always had the same unchanging body--mortal, subject to the wear and tear of this sinful world, destined for the grave. But weak and infirm as it may be, God accepts it as His temple to dwell in. Granted, we may be slow awakening to this, yet God knows our problem and will prevail. What we need to remember is that our body is not the problem.

What about our soul?

Back to body, soul, and spirit. Just as our spirit joins us with God, so our body unites us with the world, a world under domination of the Tempter who will put our bodies to the test. Our striving to bring our bodies under control fails because Satan convinces us we are the ones to do it, blinding us to God's provision. One might say that in a way our soul is in the middle ground, faced with the decision of how we will live, whether according to God or to the ruler of this world (See Gal 5:17). Acknowledging that the soul is spoken of in differing ways, I believe it is most commonly acknowledged to speak of our mind, will, and emotions. The soul is where our decisions are made.

Our challenge is to make sure our souls and our heart are in sync. Jesus was emphatic that our words and actions would reflect what we truly believe in our innermost selves-our heart condition. Jer. 17:9 tells us, "The heart is desperately wicked" I know some who profess Christ believe that is still true of them. However, if we have confessed our wickedness, sought forgiveness, and claimed Christ as our Lord and Savior (see Rom. 10:9,10) are we not given a new heart? Someone will then ask, "Why then do we still mess up so often?" Why? Because nowhere does scripture tell us we have been given a new soul. Though deep within us, God's spirit is "at work to both will and do His good pleasure" (Phil 2:13), our soul has a lot of catching up to do, a process most humbling.

So much of the error and preconceptions gathered over the years must be exposed and changed by the word of God. I Pet. 2:1 tells us, "As newborn babes desire the pure milk of the word that you may grow thereby." Romans 12:2 puts it this way: "do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect."

Growing up to maturity in Christ takes time and patience, seeking answers to so many questions, going through daily trials, sometimes winning, often losing--all of which God promises to make work together for the good of those who love Him (Rom 8:28). Upon first trusting Christ, some may experience truly wonderful changes and blessing. Wonderful! Even so, most eventually will confess how much they still had to learn. Others may believe on Christ with hardly any immediate change in experience and be slow to grow. We must remember each of us are unique, unlike anyone else; we must trust God to fulfill His promises in us in His own time and way, being careful not to compare ourselves with others. Apart from a knowledge and appreciation of what the scriptures say, whoever desires to obey Christ is bound to encounter daily difficulty with the flesh. It's our natural lifestyle. Something of Paul's experience related in Romans 7 will be our own, at least until we embrace the glorious news of chapter 8.

So where does all this leave us?

How can we learn to overcome the flesh, to know how to recognize it and deal with it? Certainly we cannot if we identify ourselves with it. If we are to grow up spiritually, we must progress from milk to meat by studying and obeying the deeper truth of the mystery of Godliness to see who we really are in Christ. According to the truth of Romans 8:8,9, we are no longer IN the flesh but IN Christ. We must be convinced that God speaks the truth. Our adversary will point to our failings. That's why we must walk in faith and wisdom, thanking God that He came to save sinners like ourselves. If we are wise, we will instantly agree with God about our sins and thank him for his forgiveness and acceptance through Christ who gave himself for us.

May we understand that God is not trying to improve us. Self-improvement is our game, influenced by the Devil. It is not God's. He must show us that our own righteousness is as filthy rags; it can only be self-righteousness. In short, our salvation is not about us. It is exclusively about the glorification of His son. Our job: to rest in Him, to acknowledge we can do nothing. He is our righteousness, our wisdom, and our strength, yet understood rightly it is ours, too, for we are one with him.

Finally, let's consider a passage from Galatians 5:19-23 comparing the works of the flesh with the fruit of God's spirit in us.

Gal. 5:19-21 Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

While the first four works may be attributed to the body, those that follow clearly do not. These speak of the depravity of the soul that even affects the body, mistakenly identified with the source of the flesh or carnal nature. With this Adam Clark agrees as does Albert Barnes' commentary:

"It is evident here that the word sarx, flesh, is used to denote corrupt human nature, and not merely the body; since many of the vices here enumerated are the passions of the mind, or the soul, rather than of the body."

Praise God, in Christ we have a good body, even though now mortal, weak and subject to temptation but one in which the spirit of our Savior is pleased to dwell and work.

Gal. 5:22,23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.

End of story. And what a happy ending, ours even now when we abide in Christ!

The Incredible Lie of Darwin

IT'S STILL on my bookshelf-GENERAL BIOLOGY, 2nd Edition, Strausbaugh-Weimer. Third printing in 1947. Fifty-five years have elapsed since I first studied its contents that were crowned by the final chapter, "What is Evolution?

Like so many, I swallowed the lie presented by its authors who made no secret of their disdain for the differing views of believers in God. This air of superiority by the authors over those believing in creation is evident from a remark they made at the outset--"Even today (1948) it(special creation) satisfies those who have never troubled themselves to study the question objectively and scientifically." This assertion shamelessly brushes aside the study and conclusions of some of the greatest Christian scholars and scientists. Regrettably, such sophistry that so dogmatically endorses evolution continues today and endangers the survival of our society.

How has this come about? Without debating the scientific arguments (I am no scientist), many reasons abound for rejecting the whole thrust of evolution that seeks to explain creation apart from the Creator. For a fuller, more scientific examination of what today is most often termed "Intelligent Design," let me refer you to the web site, AnswersinGenesis.org.

From the time Copernicus and Galileo determined that the world was not the center of things, the Bible has been under fire, increasingly so since the advent of Darwin, Freud and others. Today, whether it's admitted or not, science is what the world looks to for its salvation. But for all its merit, science is not on the same level as spiritual truth. Science is admittedly subject to error, requiring revision as new discoveries are made. Wrong conclusions accepted as truth can lead to tragic consequences.

Every aspect of our society has been affected (infected?)

Most folks appear to consider evolution no big deal, just another biological theory not particularly affecting them. Not so! It is striking at the very roots of our society--our educational system, our courts, our media, and our view of life. Espoused as science, denying our Creator, proclaimed and accepted as fact, the theory of evolution runs contrary to true science, which must rest upon observable, testable, demonstrable facts. Evolution is, in fact, no more than conjecture that supports a world view which either denies the God of the Bible or puts Him at a manageable distance. Since its initial acceptance in the biological field, it gradually has permeated the thought and approach of geology, archaeology, and paleontology. Sciences in human behavior, psychology and sociology, reflect its premise. Even in the humanities, literature, history, philosophy, ethics, and law, all have been heavily influenced.

Evolutionary thought is by no means limited to studies in the classroom, whether in public schools or universities. It has infiltrated our government, influenced the enactment of our laws, the interpretation of the Constitution, and decisions rendered by our courts. Most surprising of all, it has been accepted by most of our churches, particularly mainline denominations. Most seminaries accommodate it in one form or another in teaching Christian theology. God's account of creation, instead of being accepted at face value, has been spiritualized and essentially dismissed, opening the door to undermining the authority of all scripture. And many wonder what's gone wrong with America.

What's at stake?

The book of Genesis has been called the seed plot of the Bible; in it is presented the foundation truth which all other books confirm and elaborate. If the Genesis account is inaccurate then how can the rest of the Bible be regarded as trustworthy? If that is so, no longer is the Bible our judge; we must judge it, determine what part of it is true and what isn't. If God didn't inspire the words of the Bible it is a lie, because it testifies otherwise. But its amazing accuracy, unity and message is proof in itself that it's not man's doing. Christ warned that false messiahs would come in His name.  So too, false theories have come under the guise of true science.

Of course, the media is crazy about evolution, nearly always presenting it as fact. Speculation about the age of the earth is presented in terms of eons of time. New findings of possible "missing links" get big headlines. It's been that way since I can remember. In a program on PBS dealing with the evolution of man, Walter Cronkite, in his ever so authoritarian tone, narrated recent findings of "early man" in Africa. It all conveyed the impression there could be no doubt. Well, how much does Walter really KNOW about evolution? How much does anyone?  How about the press? 

Now, someone is going to ask why I'm so sure evolution is wrong. After all, so many say it's right. Fair question. I'm no authority, but I can refer you to those who are--scientists over the nation who have challenged evolution, who, in debates with their opponents have won their case time after time. The problem today is finding evolutionists to debate. Without going into detail, let me pose just a few of the questions you may want to consider and check out for yourself.

Question: What's at the heart of the issue? What's the reason for the disagreement?  Both schools include reputable scientists. Both are faced with the same set of facts. Obviously differing viewpoints are the cause--evolutionists ruling out a Creator whereas their opponents do not. Since none of them were here at the time of the world's beginning, each side must theorize on how it all happened. Logically, the case will be strongest for the side best able to substantiate its theory by observable findings in our world, which would favor creationists. Even so, this hardly can be called science; there's no way to prove it.

Question: Why such governmental resistance? Why have our courts consistently struck down efforts to balance the teaching of evolution by presenting the Creation viewpoint in our nation's classrooms? Henry M. Morris, founder of the Institute for Creation Research, mentions in his book, The Long War Against God,the following:  "Whenever any attempt to get creationism back in the schools--even on a scientific, two-model basis--has reached the courts it has invariably been rebuffed. This has happened in Tennessee, Indiana, California, New York, Arkansas, Florida, Louisiana, and other states." Morris adds that the Louisiana "creation law" was rejected in 1987 by the Supreme Court on the grounds its purpose was to "advance a religious viewpoint that a supernatural being created humankind." Wow!  Morris notes that the decision was not surprising in view of evolution's impact on our legal system. It is the result of our nation's gradual acceptance of secular humanism, which has been ruled a religion in itself. Our nation's founders' attempt to assure freedom of religion has been subtly thwarted. Rather than separation of church and state, instead we have separation of God and state.  In its deference to humanism our government has sided with a religion that insidiously excludes all others.

Question: Why all the "good press" for evolution and next to none for creationism? Why is it we don't hear of disagreement and concerns within the evolutionist community? It's there, big time. Many evolutionists admit their misgivings but feel they have no alternative. Revealing his bias against a Creator, a British biologist in the evolutionist camp, expressed his rationale for evolution this way: 

". . . a theory universally accepted not because it can be proved by logically coherent evidence to be true but because the only alternative, special creation, is clearly incredible."

If anything is incredible, it's evolution. We hear next to nothing about scientists who refute evolution. Henry Morris in his book, Scientific Creationism, has noted that, "There are literally thousands of scientists and other educated intellectuals today who reject evolution." Certainly there is a cost to pay for bucking today's "scientifically correct" view, not the least of which can be peer pressure and loss of acceptance. Another reason-if you are deceived, you do not know it, so you do not question. Further, any argument presented in the name of science or academics can be compelling to those unaware of its weaknesses. The high schooler believes his biology teacher, who, in turn, believes his college instructor, who likewise believes what others have claimed. God help us when a wrong view takes root; when the teachings of men vary with God's, man gets the nod.

Question: Is evolution really so credible? It is NOT--for two major reasons. One, it is in disagreement with so much of what can scientifically be proved today. Two, in no way is it compatible with the word of God revealed in the Bible. First, among a host of reasons, note just a few of its scientific shortcomings.

• Evolution is in opposition to the 2nd law of thermodynamics that states the world is in a system of decay--that it is continually moving to a lower state of order, not to a more complex order, which is demanded by evolution.
• If species evolve from one to another should we not expect to find evidence of many intermediate forms? These so-called "missing links" are still missing after intensive search ever since the time of Darwin 137 years ago.
• For life to proceed from non-life is impossible. Science has verified that for the most simple DNA molecule to randomly come into existence, the laws of probability are 10 to the two-billionth power (Anything over 10 to the 50th power will never happen). Chances of amino acids ever combining to form a protein molecule are in the same league of probability--zilch! If this is true of the simpler forms of life, consider the staggering complexity of the human brain, the eye, etc.

While advances in science have proven wrong the many original assumptions of evolution, we never hear of it. To give just three examples: (1) Darwin's observation that differences in finches' beaks pointed to evolutionary proof of new species: however, it has since been demonstrated it was simply natural variation within a species. (2) Vestigial organs, once cited as unneeded according to evolution, are now known to have purpose and value.  (3) Ernst Haeckel's attempt to link the development of the egg of man from birth to adult as common to the ancestral tree of all vertebrates, even fish, to support evolution. Long since proven wrong and not supported by  reputable scientists today, Haeckel's conclusions and drawings to support his theory continue to be published in biological textbooks. Educators are subject to a biased cultural and political aspect to evolution that glosses over its failings.

Why evolution and the Bible are at odds

Attempts to reconcile evolution with scripture either ignore the Bible's clear intent or "spiritualize" it, which twists its intended meaning. Some will try to say the Bible is not a book of science. While that's true, God will not speak contrary to true science.

• Genesis 1:31 "And God saw everything that He had made, and, behold, it was very good." The creation was a paradise in perfect harmony with the nature of God. Is cell life that originated in some sort of  primordial soup what God calls "good"? Genesis 2:7 clearly states "God formed man of the dust of the ground." Further, Genesis 3:19 declares, "for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return," which science confirms about the ultimate remains of our bodies. The Genesis account shows man to have been created an intelligent being, cognizant of God, not some kind of cave man creature evolved from a lower species.
• In both the plant and animal kingdoms, everything reproduced "after its kind." This needn't imply that a species can't adapt to new environments, but scientific findings confirm that species retain their distinctive characteristics. Evolution has never proved its contention that they change.
• Death came only after Adam sinned. Blood was shed only after God provided Adam and Eve with "coats of skins" to cover their nakedness. Evolution paints man as victor in a cruel, deathly war of the survival of the fittest over millions of years.
• Where Genesis points to God, evolution denies a Creator. Where Genesis reveals the devastation caused by Sin--Adam's fall, the ground cursed, all creation in travail--evolution denies the world's need for redemption. Well, look around at the state of this world. What do you think?

Personally, I see a world where the creation story is confirmed everywhere and God's message is mostly ignored. Are evolutionists among those to whom God referred in II Thes 2:10-11: "because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved...God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie..."?  Let's be sure that we don't.

A mystery often overlooked and misunderstood

LIKE SO MANY other precious truths lost during the centuries by an apostate Church, the rapture was unappreciated until the 19th century.  John Nelson Darby is generally credited with bringing attention to the truth of the rapture. He and others in Ireland and England became united in a group known as the Plymouth Brethren who sought to worship in accord with the teachings of the early Church as revealed in the Bible. Darby was a brilliant theologian, but his was a minority view ignored and at odds with popular thought of the day. Although the many scriptures pointing to the rapture came to be increasingly appreciated, it was not until Hal Lindsey's book, The Late Great Planet Earth, that many really became familiar with the teaching. Unfortunately, much misunderstanding and controversy have surrounded the doctrine. Probably the foremost reason for conflict is that verses referring to the rapture are mistaken to mean Christ's second coming after the Tribulation. As with most controversies over scripture, the cause is from differing presumptions that result in different interpretations. Rather than to become embroiled in all the varying views of the theologians, a better way is to let the scriptures speak for themselves. You be the judge.

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE RAPTURE AND THE 2ND COMING

THE RAPTURE	THE 2ND COMING
The Church will be CAUGHT UP with Christ into HEAVEN /  IThes. 4:17	Christ shall DESCEND from heaven to EARTH / Zech. 14:4
Christ comes FOR His Church / John 14:1-3, IThes 4:14-17	Christ comes WITH His Church / I Thes. 3:13, Jude 14, Rev. 19:14
It happens only to Christians in the twinkling of an eye / I Cor. 15:52	Every eye shall see Him as He comes in the clouds. / Matt. 24:30, Rev. 1:7
It can happen at any time / Titus 2:13, I Thes. 5:4-6, Rev. 3:3	It must be preceded by seven years of tribulation / Matt 24:29,30
We will be instantly given a glorified body / I Cor. 15:42.44	Those surviving the Tribulation will have mortal bodies / Isa. 65:20-25
All saints will be resurrected to be joined with Christ / I Thes. 4:16,17	Survivors of the Tribulation  saved but not resurrected / Isa 65:20-25
It is the "blessed hope: that comforts the saints / I Thes. 4:18	It speaks of judgment of the wicked at its end / Mal. 4:1, Rev. 19:14,15

Not only is the rapture denied by those who equate it with the second coming, many who do affirm it disagree about when it will take place. Three views are commonly espoused--the Pre-Trib., the Mid-Trib., and the Post-Trib.--centering on the rapture's relation in time to the great Tribulation, that is, before the Tribulation, in the middle of it, or at its end? Apart from the arguments of scholars who are divided, a literal view of scripture consistently shows  the rapture to be a fulfillment of Titus 2:13 Looking for that blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and our Savior Jesus Christ.Coming face to face with our savior in heaven at any moment,  that is surely a blessed hope. But how can the expectancy of undergoing God's wrath against sin be called hope? Further, since Christ has dealt with sin for believers, what need for the Church to suffer further? And how can His appearance ever be said to be immanent if the events of a 7-year tribulation must precede it? Scripture makes clear that the rapture must precede the Tribulation.

Another source of confusion regarding the rapture stems from a failure to distinguish between Israel and the Church, since many today consider the two to be one and the same. This is the view of Covenant theology that misses the progressive working of God in accomplishing His will. Consequently, the assumption is that His relationship with the Church is no different from that of Israel. Of course, this fails to distinguish between the dispensations of  Law and Grace, accounting for no end of misunderstanding by believers over their relationship to Christ. Any discussion of this is a major study in itself and not within the scope of this paper. What's important is to differentiate between scriptures addressed to Israel as opposed to those to the Church, something absolutely essential if anyone is "to rightly divide the word." (II Tim. 2:15) 

That God has determined separate roles for Israel and the Church, the book of Daniel is instructive. In Daniel 9:24 God clearly speaks of His plan for Israel, that "70 weeks are determined for thy (Daniel's) people" [Israel]. In summary, seven weeks and 62 weeks (69 weeks of years in all) had been determined from the time Jerusalem was to be rebuilt until Israel's messiah would come and be crucified. A little math shows 7 times 69 to be 483, the exact number of years to the day when Christ entered into Jerusalem as was prophesied.  Then, following the crucifixion of Christ, in the 70th week the people (Rome) of the prince to come (Anti-Christ),  complete the last chapter in Israel's history. The church age, a mystery until revealed to Paul, lies BETWEEN the 69th and 70th weeks. Note the parenthesis in time, that the 70th week has not yet begun after nearly 2,000 years. Nor will it occur until after the rapture when God's program for Israel will resume on schedule, as if the parenthetical Church age had never happened. Without a doubt the events of the 70th week pertain to Daniel's people, Israel, not the church!

Certainly this knowledge is crucial to our rightfully comprehending not only the rapture but so many prophecies in the Gospels. Keeping in mind that Jesus' words were addressed primarily to Israel ("I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." (Matt. 14:24) It gives insight about otherwise unsolvable passages. Remember, Jesus' words, "I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now." (John 16:12) It was not until after His ascension that Christ chose the apostle Paul to reveal what His work on the Cross had accomplished for the gentiles as well as the Jews. Thank God He followed the Gospels with the letters of Paul and others that reveal the mystery of the Church!

While all the above is relevant and may be helpful, the truth of the rapture so obviously revealed in scripture, captivated me long before ever hearing any theologian discuss it. While I hold Darby and the Brethren and others in high regard, it is scripture that convinces me, as it should anyone. But don't take my word for it. Judge for yourself. Read the passages that follow and study the many others to see whether my conclusions are justified.

I Cor. 15:51-52  Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

I Thes. 4:17  Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. God's promises to Israel concern establishing His kingdom on earth. The saints are Heaven bound, destined to rule with Christ.

John 14:2  In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. Note that, unlike His return to the earth at the end of the Tribulation, here he promises to prepare a place for us and to come for us so that we may be with him there.

I Thes. 5:9  For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.Read this in context of I Thes. 5:4-11. Paul is writing to believers who already are saved. The word salvation in verse 9 has a narrower meaning, I believe, specifically saved from the great tribulation. The rapture will precede God's wrath poured out on the world.

I Thes, 5:23, 24 Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it. If we are to appear blameless before God, I daresay we can have no confidence that it is anything of ourselves but only something that scripture promises God will do.

2 Thes. 2:7  For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming. Many think this refers to the Holy Spirit who indwells the Church which is taken out of the way. Otherwise, the verse makes no sense.

2 Thes. 2:1-3  1 Now we beseech you, brethren, touching the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and our gathering together unto him;  to the end that ye be not quickly shaken from your mind, nor yet be troubled, either by spirit, or by word, or by epistle as from us, as that the day of the Lord is just at hand; let no man beguile you in any wise: for it will not be, except the falling away come first, and the man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition.We are certainly seeing the fulfillment of this prophecy about the apostasy. Its time to look up!

I Thes. 5:2  For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night.

OLD TESTAMENT INSTANCES

When God flooded the world, when He destroyed Sodom and Gomorra, when he rescued Israel from Egypt, none of His children perished. In the case of the Flood, it's interesting that Methuselah died the very year (I suspect immediately prior to when Noah entered the ark) and did not perish with the wicked. Similarly, destruction came upon Sodom and Gomorra only after Lot and his family were led out of the city; God had promised Abraham that even if there were ten righteous in the city, He would not destroy it. Last, in their helpless captivity in Egypt, all of Israel crossed the Red Sea before the Egyptians were consumed. Surely these instances are a picture of the rapture. 

Zola Levitt has shown how God has used the seven feast of Israel to  foretell His plan for the ages that includes the rapture. These feasts belong exclusively to Israel. So where is the Church?  During the time of Jacob's trouble, the Tribulation mentioned above, the Church is in Heaven, appointed to return with Christ at his second coming when the saints will rule with Christ during the millennium.

Sadly when the rapture is mentioned, too many today respond in the words of II Peter 3:4, "Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.Not only are they "willingly ignorant" as verses 5-7 that follow reveal, but their words are the unwitting fulfillment of the very prophecy. Let's not forget the reminder of I Thess. 5:4-6:

"But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.  Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober."

All conditions have been met. We could be "caught up" at any moment. Let us redeem (buy up; make the most of) the time.