Doth this Offend You?

Regifting

2011-12-23T17:00:00.000-08:00

Yes, it’s true. I’m regifting this year. In the current economy, it seems that regifting is more common than ever, but it is by no means new. The Christ of Christmas said, “You received without paying; give without pay.” So with the vast number of friends and family to whom I would like to give a gift, I’ve decided to join trend of regifting. The gift I have received is the gift of God – eternal life. It is the perfect gift for regifting. It is the gift that once you’ve received it you can regift it over and over again and still keep it for yourself. (Of course God, the original giver, continues to be the source of the gift.)

I love Christmas. But celebrating the birth of the Christ child apart from the reality of why He was born is empty and meaningless. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, was born in order that He might live as a man the perfect sinless life that no one else could ever live. And having lived that life, He was to die in the place of sinners. God, the universal Lawgiver and Judge, is holy and just. His justice demands that He punish lawbreakers, and all of mankind is guilty before the God to whom we must give account.. Yet He is merciful, and in His mercy he has determined to provide salvation in His Son, Jesus Christ.

When Jesus died on the cross, he died as a substitute for sinners. God, the Judge of all, transferred the penalty for sin to His sinless Son and punished Him. “For our sake He made Him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.” The penalty for sin, if exacted upon sinners, would consign each and every one of us to eternal conscious punishment in hell. Yet the sinless God-Man suffered the full wrath of a holy God in one day on a Roman cross in Jerusalem, just six miles away and 33 years after His birth in Bethlehem. And three days later, as if to say, “I am satisfied with the death of My Son on behalf of sinners,” God raised Jesus from the dead. Now, because God has poured out all of His wrath for sinners on the Savior, all those who receive Christ have their sins forgiven and live forever with God.

This Christmas season receive the gift of eternal life. Stop trusting in your own goodness (you have none). Put your faith in the sinless Son of God instead. Repent and turn from your life of sinning against the Lawgiver and His law. Receive this greatest of gifts. And then you can regift it over and over again and still keep it for yourself.

Now tell me, doth this offend you?

Merry Christmas,

Craig Akin

P.S. Feel free to regift this post.

Harold Camping - May 21, 2011

2011-05-18T08:47:00.000-07:00

If you are a follower of Harold Camping I have something to say to you. When May 22, 2011 arrives please know that Mr. Camping is a false teacher and he does not represent biblical Christianity. Reject the false teacher. Do not reject the Bible. Find a Bible believing church, REPENT, and be restored.

Now tell me, doth this offend you?

An Easter Sermon for Children's Church

2011-04-25T18:41:00.001-07:00

You may know many things about the death and resurrection of Jesus. You may know about the Man who was killed on the Cross. You may know that man. I do!

Or, maybe you don’t know anything about the story. You may have questions. You may be asking:

Did these things really happen?
Who was that Man on the Cross?
Why did He have to die?
Did He really come back to life?
What does it all have to do with me?

I hope to answer these questions over the next few minutes.

The Gospel – Good News

Paul the Apostle wrote these words in the Bible:

(Romans 1:1b-4 ESV) 1 …the gospel of God, 2 which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures, 3 concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh 4 and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord,

These words speak of the gospel of God. Gospel means “good news”. And they say it is God’s gospel. It is “good news” from God. This “gospel of God” was promised by God “through his prophets in the holy Scriptures.”

In another place we read this about the gospel of God.

(First Corinthians 15:1, 3-4 ESV) 1 Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you… 3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures,

There is a clear statement of the gospel:

Christ died for our sins and Christ rose from the dead!

That is the gospel. That is the “good news”.

The Bad News

But if you were listening close, in that clear statement you also heard some bad news. And it is that bad news that makes the “good news” so very good.

“Christ died for our sins.” Christ Jesus, the man who died on the Cross, “died for our sins.”

The bad news we must face is the bad news about “our sins”.

What is sin?

Have you ever lied? God said, “do not lie.” Lying is sin. That is why Jesus died; “for our sins.”

Have you ever stolen anything? God said, “do not steal.” Stealing is sin. That is why Jesus died; “for our sins.”

Have you ever disobeyed your parents? God said, “Honor your father and your mother.” Disobeying your parents is sin. That is why Jesus died; “for our sins.”

Sin is doing what God has commanded us not to do or not doing what God has commanded us to do. Everyone has sinned. The Bible says:

(Romans 3:23 ESV) 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the gloryof God,

The consequence of sin is death. The Bible says:

(Romans 6:23 ESV) 23 For the wages of sin is death…

The death this verse speaks of is an eternal painful existence in hell - separated from God and all that is good.

That is why Jesus died; “for our sins.”

Jesus, Our Sin, and His Death

Who is Jesus? How could He die for my sin?

There is one answer to both of these questions.

Our Scripture talks about “the gospel of God… concerning his Son.”

The reason Jesus could die for our sins is because he is the sinless Son of God. He is God in human flesh. Jesus…

“was descended from David according to the flesh”

He was the perfect Man who never sinned

And Jesus…

“was declared to be the Son of God”

Very God in human flesh. And he “died for our sins.”

How can we know that Jesus is the Son of God? That is what Easter is all about. Our Scripture says Jesus…

“was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead”

We know that Jesus is the Son of God because, after he “died for our sins” on the Cross, He rose from the dead. He came back to life.

Your Response

Do you still ask, “What does this have to do with me?

Well, nothing if you reject the good news. If you reject the Son of God’s death as payment for your sin, then it has nothing to do with you. You must pay for your own sin forever in hell.

But, if you receive Jesus and His death as payment for your sins then your sins are forgiven and you will live forever with God in heaven.

You must receive Jesus by faith. Faith is turning to Jesus in love and trusting in his death and resurrection for the forgiveness of your sins. And faith is turning from sin. This is called repentance. It means that with God’s help you live the rest of your life the way God wants you to live.

If you understand that you need your sins forgiven - if you believe that Jesus died to pay for your sins and that He rose again - if you are willing to turn from sin and trust in Jesus, you can receive Him now.

Prayer

If you would receive Jesus, tell Him so in prayer. Tell Jesus that you want to trust Him and turn from your sin. Tell him you want your sins forgiven. Tell Him you believe that he died for you and that He rose again from the dead.

Now tell me, doth this offend you?

Regeneration - Justification - Sanctification

2011-04-04T16:41:00.001-07:00

There is great room for error when we fail to properly distinguish the various works of God in the salvation of sinners. This is especially true with reference to three prominent aspects of God's work of salvation: regeneration, justification, and sanctification. The work of God in regeneration must be distinguished from both justification and sanctification. And justification must be clearly distinguished from sanctification.

First, regeneration is to be distinguished from justification. Justification is a legal declaration by God the Judge of the universe. In it God declares the believing sinner to be righteous because Jesus paid the penalty for his sins on the cross, and the righteousness of Jesus has been credited to him. In justification the believing sinner becomes positionally righteous not practically righteous. In justification righteousness is credited or imputed (not infused) to the sinner; no change is made in him.

In regeneration, however, there is a radical change in the sinner. He who was dead in sin is now made alive. He who hated God now loves and trusts God. He who lived for sin now lives for righteousness. Regeneration is the actual infusion of holiness.

If we fail to distinguish regeneration from justification we fall in to the error of believing that our righteous standing before God depends on how holy and righteous we behave. Holiness in the life of the believer has as it origin and of necessity follows from regeneration, but our justification before God is always and only dependent on the merits of Jesus Christ.

Second, regeneration is to be distinguished from sanctification. Sanctification is a progressive work of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer whereby we are brought into conformity with the righteous character of Christ. It begins at regeneration and is completed at glorification. Therefore, from the moment we put our trust in Jesus until we breath our last breath, the Holy Spirit is at work in us making us holy. Whereas in justification we are positionally declared righteous by God through faith in Jesus, in sanctification we are progressively made righteous practically.

Regeneration is an instantaneous work of the Holy Spirit and is the seed of all holiness of life that is to follow. Sanctification is a progressive work of the Holy Spirit, following upon the new birth, making us more and more holy.

If we fail to distinguish regeneration from sanctification we fall into the error of believing that any failure in the progress of sanctification makes void the grace of regeneration. Those who make this mistake find themselves seeking to be born again again and again.

Now tell me, doth this offend you?

The Doctrine of Justification by Faith Alone in Christ Jesus Alone - Apart from Works

2011-03-23T20:34:00.000-07:00

“And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness, just as David also speaks of the blessing of the one to whom God counts righteousness apart from works:” (Romans 4:5, 6 ESV)

There are legalists in every age. The Pharisees, in New Testament times, were legalists. They had a list of laws, some biblical and some extra-biblical, that they believed must be kept to be right with God. Roman Catholicism is radically legalistic with its system of penance and venial and mortal sins. They believe that sinners are made right with God by a combination of faith and works. There are legalists in the Church today who give lip service to grace but then load people up with all kinds of laws that they say must be kept. Legalism is the heart of man’s religion. If man creates a religion you can be sure it will be legalistic. The biblical answer to legalism in all of its forms is the doctrine of justification by faith alone in Christ Jesus alone, apart from works. You cannot truly understand and believe this doctrine and be a legalist.

Now tell me, doth this offend you?

Righteousness by Imputation

2011-03-13T16:00:00.000-07:00

Justification is the imputation of righteousness to those whose faith is in God. The imputation of righteousness is not an infusion of righteousness, whereby, the sinner is changed into a righteous person. Rather it is the crediting of the righteousness of Christ to the account of the sinner.

The believing sinner is considered and treated as if he were righteous. God treats us as if we had lived the righteous life of Jesus. Our righteous standing before God is positional not practical. In justification, righteousness is not worked in us (that’s sanctification) it is credited to us. It is an alien righteousness; a foreign righteousness. It is a righteousness that does not have its origin in us. It is not the result of anything we have or can do. It is ours by imputation.

Our sin was imputed to Christ on the cross. Jesus was not infused with sin. He did not become a sinner. But God considered and treated Jesus as if He were a sinner. God treated Jesus as if He had lived our sinful life.

17 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.(Second Corinthians 5:21 ESV)

The righteousness of God (that is the righteous merits of the life of Jesus Christ) is imputed to believing sinners. The righteousness that is imputed to believers is the obedience of Jesus.

The obedience of Jesus was both active and passive. During His life, Christ actively obeyed the Father by keeping the law of God perfectly. In His death, Christ passively obeyed the Father by enduing the penalty for the violation of God’s law. The death of Jesus was complete payment of the penalty for the violation of God’s law that we by our sin incurred. The perfectly righteous life that Jesus lived is the source of the righteousness received by faith in justification.

In the law there is both precept and penalty. The precepts say “you shall do” or “you shall not do.” The penalty says, “if you violate the precept you incur this punishment.” Jesus lived perfectly. He actively did everything the law said do and He actively avoided everything the law said not to do. We actively violated the law. We didn’t do what the law said to do and we did what the law said not to do.

God imputed to Jesus the lawbreaking of the world and sentenced Jesus to be punished according to the law. Jesus passively endured the penalty prescribed in the law, thus satisfying the wrath of the just and holy God. With his sin paid for by Jesus, the believing sinner passively receives God’s imputation of the righteous merits of the perfect life of Christ.

Because of the imputation of righteousness the believing sinner is declared by God to be righteous. How righteous? Perfectly righteous; as righteous as Jesus Christ. Because our righteousness before God is the righteous merits of Jesus Christ.

Now tell me, doth this offend you?

If Christ Has Not Been Raised

2010-02-06T15:30:00.000-08:00

Men are incurably religious. When we reject the true and living God we have to create a god or gods to take His place. The result is a world full of false religions.

Every false religion has its origin in the sinful heart of man under the inspiration of demons.

(First Corinthians 10:18-20 ESV)¹⁸Consider the people of Israel: are not those who eat the sacrifices participants in the altar? ¹⁹What do I imply then? That food offered to idols is anything, or that an idol is anything? ²⁰No, I imply that what pagans sacrifice they offer to demons and not to God. I do not want you to be participants with demons.

The religions of the world come in many shapes and sizes. Postmodern philosophy would say, it’s up to you to choose which one is true for you, to choose not to participate in any, or to create your own system. And no religion is better or truer than any other.

But Christianity, with its truth claims stands out from all the religions of the world. It can never be subjected to the postmodern idea of relative truth. You cannot say, “Christianity is true for me.” Because Christianity is either absolutely true, or it is not true at all. Either Jesus really did rise from the dead, and therefore, Christianity is the only true ‘religion,’ or Jesus did not rise from the dead and Christianity is to be absolutely rejected.

Those who want to hang on to Christianity, but spiritualize the resurrection of Jesus are really creating another false religion and simply calling it Christianity.

No other doctrine sets Christianity apart from the false religious systems of the world more than the doctrine of the bodily resurrection of Jesus. Christians claim that the bodily resurrection of Jesus is a historic fact. No other religion can say that its founder came back from the dead; nor do they need to. But if Christ did not rise, our faith is useless. The validity of our faith is dependent on the absolute truth of the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ as a historic fact.

(First Corinthians 10:18-20 ESV)¹⁷ And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. ¹⁸Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. ¹⁹ If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.

Now tell me, doth this offend you?

Mary: Perpetual Virgin?

2009-12-18T15:51:00.000-08:00

(Matthew 1:23 ESV) 23 “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us).

(John 2:12 ESV) After this he went down to Capernaum, with his mother and his brothers and his disciples, and they stayed there for a few days.

The Roman Catholic Church teaches as a dogma (a teaching that must be believed by faithful Catholics) that Mary, the mother of Jesus, was perpetually a virgin. They say that Mary remained a virgin after the birth of Jesus and for her whole life. But the plain reading of John 2:12 (and many other passages that refer to the siblings of Jesus) seems to debunk this dogma. Obviously, if Jesus had even one brother in the normal sense of the word then it would stand to reason that Mary did not remain a virgin. So, to maintain the doctrine of the perpetual virginity of Mary in the face of these passages Roman Catholics have offered a number of alternative understandings of the phrase “his brothers.” (I refer here to explanations given by private Catholics and/or popular Catholic apologists, not official Roman Catholic statements). For example, some have said that Joseph was married to another women before he married Mary and the “brothers” are the children of Joseph and his first wife. But most Roman Catholics argue that the word for “brothers” in the original language is broad enough to mean “cousins,” so the “brothers” are really the children of Mary’s sister. This is the preferred view because it saves Joseph’s virginity as well as Mary’s.

In response I would make seven points:

1). The “brothers” are always referred to as the brothers of Jesus and they are never called the sons of Joseph. This would be strange if their only connection to Jesus is that they were Joseph’s sons, because being Joseph’s sons would not make them the biological brothers of Jesus.

2). The “brothers,” whenever they appear in the Gospels, are always with Mary, which would be strange if they were the children of her husband and another woman.

3). The Greek word for “brothers” is the normal word for “brothers.”

While in certain contexts the word for "brothers" is used with a broader meaning such as kinsmen or even countrymen, the context always determines the meaning. There is a Greek word for cousins, but it is never used of this group’s relationship to Jesus. There is nothing in the context of John 2:12 or any other passage that refers to Jesus’ brothers to make one think it means anything other than “brothers.” Therefore, the Roman Catholic argues that “brothers” means cousins only because there is a predetermined perspective that says that Jesus had no siblings and this ultimately leads them to circular reasoning.

Imagine this conversation:

Evangelical: “John 2:12 says Jesus had brothers.”

Roman Catholic: “That means cousins.”

Evangelical: “How do you know that it means cousins?”

Roman Catholic: “Because Jesus didn’t have any brothers.”

Evangelical: “But the text says He did have brothers.”

Roman Catholic: “That means cousins.”

Evangelical: “How do you know that it means cousins?”

Roman Catholic: “Because Jesus didn’t have any brothers.”

So this is the kind of circular reasoning we encounter. To break this cycle the Evangelical must ask another question,

Evangelical: “How do you know that Jesus had no brothers?”

Roman Catholic: “Because Mary was perpetually a virgin.”

But this only broadens the circle of reason and a circle is a circle no matter how large. In other words Roman Catholics believe that the references to Jesus’ brothers must mean cousins because Mary was perpetually a virgin. So when you point out passages that speak of Jesus’ “brothers” it is automatically assumed that they are His cousins because Mary could not have had more children because she was perpetually a virgin. But the perpetual virginity of Mary is the very point that is at question. So they are using their conclusion, that Mary remained a virgin for her whole life, as the basis for their argument, that the references to Jesus’ “brother’s” means “cousins,” to prove their conclusion, that Mary remained a virgin for her whole life. That is the essence of circular reasoning.

Let’s take it one step further:

Evangelical: “How do you know that Mary was perpetually a virgin?”

Roman Catholic: “Because that is what the Church teaches.”

Evangelical: “The Bible says that Jesus had brothers.”

Roman Catholic: “That means cousins.”

Evangelical: “What makes you think that that means cousins?”

Roman Catholic: “Because Jesus did not have any siblings.”

Evangelical: “How do you know that Jesus did not have any siblings?”

Roman Catholic: “Because Mary was perpetually a virgin.”

Evangelical: “How do you know that Mary was perpetually a virgin?”

Roman Catholic: “Because that is the teaching of the Church.”

Ultimately then, for Catholics, the Bible does not determine what the Church teaches; the Church

determines what the Bible teaches. The final authority then is not the Bible but Rome.

4). The Bible nowhere teaches that Mary remained a virgin after the birth of Christ. To say that she did is an argument from silence. This argument from silence is defeated by the argument from the texts which teach that Jesus had siblings.

5). The Bible actually teaches that Mary did not remain a virgin after the birth of Jesus. It does so in the many references to Jesus’ siblings.

Also, Matthew 1:25 says that Joseph had no sexual relations with Mary “until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus” (ESV). The word “until” is significant. If I say to you, “Loan me $50 “until” Friday,” it means that, if you agree, a certain condition will exist from now to Friday. The condition will be that you are without $50 of your own money and that I am indebted to you for $50. Well then, how long will this condition last? This condition will last “until” Friday, at which time, if I am true to my promise, the condition will change. So the word “until” implies that at the end of the stated time the condition will change. Matthew 1:25 says that Joseph had no sexual relations with Mary “until she had given birth to a son.” I might break my promise to pay back your $50, but when Matthew said, “until she had given birth to a son,” he was writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit Who cannot lie.

6). Mary was far too godly to abstain from normal sexual relations in the context of marriage.

Paul the Apostle, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, commanded married couples: “Do not deprive one another, except perhaps by agreement for a limited time, that you may devote yourselves to prayer; but then come together again, so that Satan may not tempt you because of your lack of self-control” (First Corinthians 7:5 ESV). Accordingly, for Mary to remain a virgin she would be sinning by depriving her husband the normal sexual relationship that is commanded in Scripture for married couples, and doing so would make Joseph unduly vulnerable to sexual temptation.

7). The belief that Mary was perpetually a virgin (as well as the celibate priesthood) seems to stem from the false assumption that virginity is somehow better or more spiritual than marriage. It certainly does not come from the biblical record.

For the Bible says, “Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous" (Hebrews 13:4 ESV).

John 2:12 says that Jesus had “brothers.” And “brothers” means brothers. Jesus had brothers because, after Jesus was born, Joseph and Mary experienced normal marital sexual relations. Mary did not perpetually remain a virgin.

Now tell me, doth this offend you?

The Word Became Flesh

2009-12-11T09:27:00.000-08:00

“The Word”

Who was “in the beginning,”

The Word - Who “was with God,”

The Word - Who “was God,”

The Word - through Whom “all things were made,”

The Word - in Whom “was life,”

The Word - Whose “life was the light of men,”

The Word - Whose “light shines in the darkness,”

The Word - Whose light “the darkness has not overcome,”

The Word – Who is “The true light,”

The Word – “which enlightens everyone,”

The Word – Who “was coming into the world,”

The Word - Who “was in the world,”

The Word – Who “the world was made through Him,”

The Word – Who “the world did not know,”

The Word - Who “came to His own,”

The Word – Who “His own people did not receive,”

The Word - Who “to all who did receive him, who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God,”

"became flesh."

Now tell me, doth this offend you?

The Coming of Christ and the Sovereignty of God

2009-12-05T16:41:00.000-08:00

(Galatians 4:4 ESV) 4 But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law,

God’s sovereign control over all things is clearly seen in His orchestration of the timing and detail of the birth of the Messiah.

More than seven hundred years before the birth of Jesus, God declared through the prophet Micah:

But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah,
who are too little to be among
the clans of Judah,
from you shall come forth for me
one who is to be ruler in Israel,
whose origin is from of old,
from ancient days. (Micah 5:2 ESV)

The fulfillment of this prophecy was no small thing. For the mother of the Messiah to be in Bethlehem Ephrathah at “the fullness of” her time, or when “the days were accomplished that she should be delivered” (Luke 2:6 KJV) took nothing less than a decree from the Emperor of Rome.

(Luke 2:1-7 ESV) 1 In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. 2 This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. 3 And all went to be registered, each to his own town. 4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, 5 to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. 6 And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. 7 And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.

How is it that Caesar Augustus would issue that decree just at the right moment in history; “when the fullness of time had come?” Further, how is it that Caesar Augustus came to be Emperor so as to be in a position to issue that decree?

(Daniel 4:17 ESV) 17 ...the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will and sets over it the lowliest of men.’

Caesar Augustus was Emperor of Rome because the Most High made him Emperor of Rome.

(Proverbs 21:1 ESV) 1 The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord; he turns it wherever he will.

Caesar Augustus issued his decree “that all the world should be registered” at that very moment in history because God decreed it. The Most High turned his heart as if it were a few drops of water in the palm of His hand.

Truly the coming of the Messiah was right on time. The Incarnation happened “when the fullness of time had come.” The coming of Christ perfectly fulfilled the Old Testament prophecies, because our sovereign God rules in the affairs of men.

(Daniel 6 34-35 ESV) 34 ...blessed the Most High, and praised and honored him who lives forever, for his dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom endures from generation to generation; 35 all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, and he does according to his will among the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay his hand or say to him, “What have you done?”

Absolutely nothing occurs outside of His sovereign control. This means he will bring to pass all He has promised and all He has threatened. It also means that He has purpose in all the things believers experience in this life no matter how good or bad they are.

(Genesis 50:18-20 ESV) 18 His brothers also came and fell down before him and said, “Behold, we are your servants.” 19 But Joseph said to them, “Do not fear, for am I in the place of God? 20 As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.

Now tell me, doth this offend you?

Thoughts On Hell (part 3)

2009-11-28T17:39:00.000-08:00

Hell is a place of eternal conscious punishment. Unredeemed sinners, Satan and the fallen angels will forever experience the tormenting wrath of a holy God there. There will be no relief, no break, no end, and no hope. There are those who would say that sinners are cast into hell and experience its torments, but only temporarily. Either they will be annihilated or they will be paroled after serving a finite sentence. But the punishment of hell is not corrective purgative or rehabilitative.

Hear what Jesus said.

(Matthew 25:31-34, 41, 46 ESV) 31 "When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. 34 Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world... 41 "Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels... 46 And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."

Jesus used the same word - “eternal” - to describe the punishment of the wicked as He used to describe the “eternal life” of the righteous. The punishment of the wicked is as “eternal” as the “life” of the righteous.

Now tell me, doth this offend you?

Thoughts On Hell (part 2)

2009-11-24T07:53:00.000-08:00

Somehow Christians have gotten the idea that the fear of hell is an illegitimate motive for fleeing to the Savior. It is not. It is to save us from hell that the Savior has come.

QUOTE: Arthur W. Pink

Concerning the eternal punishment of the wicked there are few, it seems, who realize the vital importance of a ringing testimony to this truth, and fewer still who apprehend the deep seriousness of what is involved in a denial of it. The importance of a clear witness to this doctrine may be seen by noting what a prominent place it holds in the Word; and contrariwise, the seriousness of denying it is evidenced by the fact that such denial is a rejection of God’s truth. The need of giving this solemn subject a prominent place in our witness is apparent, for it is our bounden duty to warn sinners of their fearful peril and bid them flee from the wrath to come. To remain silent is criminal; to substitute anything for it is to set before the wicked a false hope. The great importance of expounding this doctrine, freely and frequently, also appears in that, excepting the Cross of Christ, nothing else so manifests the heinousness of sin, whereas every modification of eternal punishment, only serves to minimize the evil of it. (Arthur W. Pink, Eternal Punishment)

Thoughts On Hell (part 1)

2009-11-22T14:42:00.000-08:00

For many the most objectionable doctrine of the Bible is the doctrine of hell. Even among professed Christians there are those who deny that it could really be eternal. Most Christians have never heard a sermon preached on hell. Preachers and teachers today avoid the doctrine of hell at all cost.

The reason seems simple. In a day when men “will not endure sound doctrine” (Second Timothy 4:3 KJV) and preachers prefer the acclaim of men to the pleasure of God, sound doctrine in general must go and the most difficult doctrines must go first. Hell is clearly one of the most unendurable doctrines. But it is certainly the teaching of the Bible.

We do not want to be among those who “will not endure sound doctrine.” We want to know, understand, believe, and proclaim the whole counsel of God. Even the most difficult doctrines.

Now tell me, doth this offend you?

Incarnate Mediator

2009-11-14T09:58:00.000-08:00

Christianity is nothing if it is not historical. Christianity is all about a Person; a real Person. A man! He was a man who lived in history. He lived at a particular place. He lived at a particular time; “when the fullness of time had come” (Galatians 4:4 ESV). He lived in a particular way. A man! He was an utterly unique man - a man like no other man, yet a man.

God the Son became a Man. Jesus possesses from all eternity the nature of God. He is equal to the Father in power, knowledge, self-existence, and holiness. In every way the Son is equal to the Father; “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation” (Colossians 1:15 ESV). God the Son in His Deity is spirit. He is eternally the WORD of God. He never ceased to be all that the Father is. But in the course of human history - at a particular place and time - He assumed a second nature. He became a Man. He did not become half Man and half God. He never lost a single attribute of Deity. While He never ceased to be 100% God, He became a real Man. He became a Man in every sense, only without sin. From eternity He was one Person with one nature. At a particular moment in history He became one Person with two natures. He is the God-Man. He is not a mixture of the divine and the human. He is 100% God and 100% Man. He is the WORD become flesh.

Christ, by highest Heav’n adored;
Christ the everlasting Lord;
Late in time, behold Him come,
Offspring of a virgin’s womb.
Veiled in flesh the Godhead see;
Hail th’incarnate Deity,
Pleased with us in flesh to dwell,
Jesus our Emmanuel.

All of eternity past looked forward to the events that began when God became Man. And all of eternity future will look back on the Incarnation of the Son of God as the greatest event in the history of mankind. The events that began with the conception and birth of Jesus Christ stand as the ultimate demonstration of both the justice and the mercy of our great God.

Jesus remains the God-Man. In His glorified state He forever retains His Humanity. This qualifies Him to be our Mediator.

(First Timothy 2:5 ESV) 5 For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,

As Mediator, Jesus can represent men to God because He possesses our human nature. Jesus can represent God to men because He possesses God’s nature.

“God sent forth his Son” (Galatians 4:4 ESV). “The Word became flesh” (John 1:14 ESV). God became a Man. The importance of this doctrine cannot be overstated. All Christian doctrine hangs on the fact that Jesus Christ is God in the flesh. It is because of the Incarnation that we can know God. Had God not pitched His tent among us we could not know Him.

What an amazing thing that the God of creation would condescend to live among His creatures. Jesus lived the life of a man on earth for nearly three and a half decades. Think about it. He played. He laughed. He “increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man” (Luke 2:52 ESV). He worked. He taught. He loved. He healed. He prayed. He wept. He died. He rose again! His life has had a greater impact on the world than any other person or event. The events of one Passover weekend at the end of His life changed the world forever.

Now tell me, doth this offend you?

Barack Obama Joins Yasser Arafat as Nobel Peace Prize Winner

2009-10-09T11:49:00.000-07:00

My Dream Question and a Seeker Sensitive Pastor

2008-07-25T00:35:00.000-07:00

In Acts 16 we read about the ministry of Paul in Philippi.

While in Philippi a demon possessed slave girl became a hindrance to the ministry. Finally, “...Paul, having become greatly annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” And it came out that very hour” (Acts 16:18 ESV).

This was a great blessing for the slave girl, but “her owners” were not pleased because the demon was a “spirit of divination and brought her owners much gain by fortune-telling” (Acts 16:16 ESV). “They seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace before the rulers” (Acts 16:19 ESV). They falsely accused Paul and Sillas before the magistrates who had them beaten with rods and thrown in prison. After Paul and Silas were beaten they were placed in stocks in the deepest part of the prison.

(Acts 16:25-29 ESV) 25 About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them, 26 and suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken. And immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone's bonds were unfastened. 27 When the jailer woke and saw that the prison doors were open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped. 28 But Paul cried with a loud voice, “Do not harm yourself, for we are all here.” 29 And the jailer called for lights and rushed in, and trembling with fear he fell down before Paul and Silas.

The next verse records, in the words of the Philippian jailer, my dream question.

(Acts 16:30 ESV) 30 Then he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”

In all my years as a Christian I have never had anyone ask me a question like that. (Just as an aside, I think most Christians are waiting for such a question before they will ever proclaim the gospel.) But I can tell you this. If someone ever asks me that question I will have an answer for them. I say that with confidence because I do not wait for someone to ask may dream question before I proclaim to them the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Having said all that, let me tell you a story.

A few days ago I was with my family at a farmer’s market/street fair passing out tracts and talking to people about the gospel. Occupying one of the booths at the street fair was a church that is a new plant from a local seeker sensitive mega church. So I decided to see what they were all about. I asked them what kind of church they were. They said, “We are a Christian church...evangelical Christian. Our pastor preaches messages that are relevant to life and they come from the Bible. We are not a seeker church.”

As we talked they introduced themselves. One of them was the children’s ministry director, one was the worship pastor, and the other two were also involved in the ministry. They said that they were half of the leadership of the church.

That’s when I decided to ask my dream question. What must I do to be saved? Only I wanted to ask it in a way that was still a question about their church.

So I looked at the worship pastor (after all he’s a pastor) and said, “What does your church teach about the nature of the gospel?”

His mouth opened as he visibly inhaled. He looked at the children’s ministry director and said, “Uh.” He looked back at me and said, “Uh, the nature of the gospel? Jesus died for our sins.”

Okay, that’s true. That Jesus died in the place of sinners is essential to the gospel message. But half the unbelievers I talk to tell me that Jesus died for our sins. I gave a pastor the opportunity to expound the gospel of Jesus Christ and that was all he could come up with.

For all he knew I could have been a Mormon, a JW, or an irreligious pagan asking him to explain the gospel.

He continued, “We preach the whole gospel, not a watered down message. Uh, I’m new at the church. I’m still learning.” Then the others chimed in to tell me about the great programs they had at the church.

As we were walking away my wife heard the worship pastor say, “Well, that was a really broad question.” I said, “That’s my dream question.”

The Bible commands Christians to be prepared to answer that question:

(First Peter 3:15 ESV) 15 but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect,

Below I have linked to a couple ministries that help Christians to be prepared to proclaim the gospel.

The Way of the Master

Evangelism Explosion

Now tell me, doth this offend you?

The ESV Study Bible

2008-07-19T09:57:00.000-07:00

Wednesday, October 15, 2008 will mark the publication of the ESV Study Bible.

I’ve been reading the English Standard Version for almost two years now and I am very pleased with it. I’m also excited to see the publication of this new study Bible based on the ESV.

“The ESV is a dream come true for me. The rightful heir to a great line of historic translations, it provides the continuity and modern accuracy I longed for. Now the scope and theological faithfulness of the ESV Study Bible study notes is breathtaking. Oh how precious is the written Word of God.” John Piper, Pastor for Preaching and Vision, Bethlehem Baptist Church, Minneapolis, MN

Now tell me, doth this offend you?

Justification Before God Apart from Human Effort

2008-06-25T21:03:00.000-07:00

When Paul said,

(Romans 3:20 ESV) “by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight”

he eliminated all human effort as the way to justification.

5 minute video:

Now tell me, doth this offend you?

Spurgeon on the Love of God for the Justified Sinner

2008-02-26T07:07:00.000-08:00

The doctrine of justification by faith alone in Christ alone is essential to the Gospel. Lately, I've been reading a number of thing on the doctrine. The following is a quote from a sermon by C.H. Spurgeon.

The moment the man believes in Christ, he ceases to be guilty in God’s esteem, but what is more, he becomes righteous, he becomes meritorious, for, in the moment when Christ takes his sins he takes Christ’s righteousness, so that, when God looks upon the sinner who but an hour ago was dead in sins, he looks upon him with as much love and affection as he ever looked upon his Son. He himself has said it — “As the Father loved me, so have I loved you.” He loves us as much as his Father loved him. Can you believe such a doctrine as that? Does it not pass all thought? Well, it is a doctrine of the Holy Spirit, the doctrine whereby we must hope to be saved. (Justification By Grace, A Sermon [#126] Delivered on April 5, 1857)

Now tell me, doth this offend you?

Bicycle Crash

2008-02-14T08:37:00.000-08:00

This is my first attempt at putting a video on the blog.

What's the Point?

2007-07-10T13:25:00.000-07:00

There are those who, while affirming the Deity of Jesus, deny the doctrine of the Trinity. They are called modalists, since they believe that the Father Son and Holy Spirit are mere modes of the unitarian God. They teach that Jesus is the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.

I have found in defending the biblical doctrine of the Trinity against this heresy, its adherents will not argue the point in dispute. They will accuse me either of tritheism or Arianism. But I affirm both monotheism and the Deity of Jesus Christ (as does the doctrine of the Trinity).

The real point to be argued is this, “Does the Bible teach that there are personal distinctions between the Father Son and Holy Spirit?” Since Trinitarians and modalist both affirm monotheism and the Deity of Christ, there is no reason to argue these points. But modalist almost universally want to argue these very points. This is because for them to argue the real point of difference (personal distinctions in the Deity) is a loosing battle.

So, they will argue, one God cannot be three gods. I agree! But that is not what the Bible teaches and it is not what Trinitarians believe. The Bible teaches that there is One God who is three Persons. If they want to say that One God cannot be three divine Persons, or, if there are three divine Persons that must mean that there are three gods, then they are arguing philosophically - not biblically.

For if the Bible teaches that there is only one God (and it does), and that there are three divine Persons (it does), then the three divine Persons must be the one God.

Therefore, the debate, to be of any use, must ask the question, “Does the Bible teach that there are Personal distinctions between the Father Son and Holy Spirit?”

Now tell me, doth this offend you?

A Witness at the Door

2006-09-30T19:11:00.000-07:00

My wife told me about something that happened today while I was at work. I wanted her to tell you about it:

Today a van pulled up in front of our house and parked. Two Jehovah’s Witness men got out and approached our door. When I saw them I quickly ran to the back door and called our five year old son, Creed, in from playing.

When we returned to the front door the two men were waiting. I said, “Hello.”

They started saying that they were “telling people about our creator.”

I said, “Creed, who is our creator?”

He said, “God!”

“Wow, that’s good!” the men said.

I said, “Creed, who is Jesus?”

Creed said, “Jesus is God. He came from heaven to earth; lived a perfect life. He died on the Cross to pay for our sins. And He rose again!

One of the Jehovah’s Witnesses said, “Wow, you know, people four times your age don’t know that much.”

“Creed, where is Jesus now?” I said.

“In heaven,” he began, “offering us the free gift of eternal life.”

They said they had two booklets that talked about God...

I said, “I think we differ on who Jesus is.”

“Well, we try not to argue or discuss too much on differences,” they said.

I continued, “It’s a big difference. We stand firm on our belief that Jesus is God; it’s a very important difference!”

“Okay,” they said as they were backing away from the door, “Have a good day.”

I turned to Creed, took his face in my hands and said, “Son, do you know what you just did? You just witnessed for Jesus! You just told some people who did not believe that Jesus is God that He is God! You see, they believe in God the Father, but they don’t believe in God the Son. They don’t believe that Jesus is our Creator.”

Creed ran back outside where Cameron and Haley were playing (Caleb had been in the corner the whole time). Creed said, “Woo hoo! I just witnessed for God! I just told someone who didn’t know Jesus about God...that He created us! I was a create? I was crea...? What was I Cam?”

Cameron said, “Creator?”

He said, “No... I... I was a witness!...for Jesus! Yeah! Woo hoo!”

I was crying, wishing his daddy could hear. And I was praying that he would continue to the glory of his Heavenly Father.

Amen!

Check out this related article.

Now tell me, doth this offend you?

First Day of School

2006-08-22T13:31:00.000-07:00

Our son Creed and our daughter Cameron started kindergarten today.

I’ve told them both that I was paying for their primary and secondary education. But college tuition is up to them, so they better work hard and get a scholarship.

They said, okay!

What is the Doctrine of the Trinity?

2006-08-04T15:54:00.000-07:00

I was asked this question by a modalist in the comment section at another blog.

The following is my response:

There is one, and only one, eternal Being which is by nature God. That is, this one eternal Being alone possesses Deity (Deuteronomy 6:4; Isaiah 43:10).

The Father of Jesus Christ is the one eternal God (John 20:17; I Peter 1:3).

Jesus Christ is the one eternal God (John 1:1; 8:58; 20:28; Romans 9:5)

The Holy Spirit is the one eternal God (Acts 5:3, 4; II Corinthians 3:17).

There is a “Personal” distinction between the Father of Jesus Christ and Jesus Christ. There is a “Personal” distinction between the Father of Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. There is a “Personal” distinction between Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. In other words, the Father is not the Son, the Father is not the Holy Spirit, and the Son is not the Holy Spirit (Luke 1:35; Mathew 3:15, 16; 28:19)

Therefore, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are the one eternal God. The Being of God is not divided between the three “Persons”. Rather, each “Person” possesses fully the Deity.

Your question seems to come from a failure to allow for the possibility of a being having any thing other than one person. Maybe this will help:

You and I are each one being. You and I are each one person. The kind of being we are is a human being. Human beings are personal beings. Each human being is limited to one person. A rock is a inanimate being. A rock is not personal. A dog is a living being yet it is not personal. Of all the personal being we know of in nature (that would be human beings) each is limited to one person. But what about the supernatural? There are created spirit beings. Angels and demons are spirit beings and they are personal. But each of these created spirit beings are limited to one person each. Every personal being in creation is limited to one person each. Our frame of reference is this world. It is hard for us to conceive of a being possessesed by more than one person.

But God is not a created Being. God is unlike anything in creation. God is the Creator. We must not force God to conform to our frame of reference. We must allow God to be the God revealed in Scripture even if it does not fit our natural frame of reference.

If God has revealed Himself to be one eternal Being co-equally and co-eternally existing in three distinct “Persons” we must bow to God as He has revealed Himself. But if we say, one being can only be one person, therefore, the one God is only one “Person”, then we are recreating God in our own image.

Modalist have assumned unitarianism and have, therefore, forced the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit to be different modes of the one Person. Without this unitarian assumption the three “Personal” relatrionships in the nature of the one eternal God are clearly seen on the pages of Scriture.

Now tell me, doth this offend you?

Who Is the Aggressor?

2006-08-02T06:48:00.000-07:00

I heard the following on the radio this morning. It really makes the point.

“If the Arabs laid down their weapons today there would be no more violence. If the Israelis laid down their weapons today there would be no more Israel!”

Now tell me, doth this offend you?

Adoption

2006-07-16T16:36:00.000-07:00

No, this is not a theological post.

On Friday, July 7, my wife and I went before a superior court judge to finalize our adoption of our daughter
Haley Faye Akin.

Haley has been in our home since September 2005. We are very happy to have the process of adoption complete, and we thank God for sending her to us.

Is Jesus God the Father?

2006-07-05T18:04:00.000-07:00

I recently asked someone on another blog this question: “Is Jesus God the Father?” In response I got a chain of modalistic statements denying the personal distictions between the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Modalism is a branch of unitarianism that teaches that there is only one person in the being of God. The apparent personal distinction in the New Testament between the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are unreal. For the modalist then, the Father is Jesus and Jesus is the Holy Spirit. Christianity has always rejected this belief as heresy.

So I have a challenge to all who deny the personal distinction between the Father and the Son. Whether you are a oneness pentecostal or some other type of modalist I would like for you to help me understand a Bible passage from your perspective.

First, read the following passage from First Corinthians 15.

(First Corinthians 15:22-28 NASB) 22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all shall be made alive. 23 But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, after that those who are Christ's at His coming, 24 then comes the end, when He delivers up the kingdom to the God and Father, when He has abolished all rule and all authority and power. 25 For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet. 26 The last enemy that will be abolished is death. 27 For HE HAS PUT ALL THINGS IN SUBJECTION UNDER HIS FEET. But when He says, "All things are put in subjection," it is evident that He is excepted who put all things in subjection to Him. 28 And when all things are subjected to Him, then the Son Himself also will be subjected to the One who subjected all things to Him, that God may be all in all.

Now, go through the passage again and identify what person is being referred to be each use of a pronoun. Here is the passage with blank spaces provided.

(First Corinthians 15:22-28 NASB) 22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all shall be made alive. 23 But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, after that those who are Christ's at His coming, 24 then comes the end, when ____ delivers up the kingdom to the God and Father, when ____ has abolished all rule and all authority and power. 25 For ____ must reign until ____ has put all ____ enemies under ____ feet. 26 The last enemy that will be abolished is death. 27 For ____ HAS PUT ALL THINGS IN SUBJECTION UNDER ____ FEET. But when ____ says, "All things are put in subjection," it is evident that ____ is excepted who put all things in subjection to ____. 28 And when all things are subjected to ____, then the Son Himself also will be subjected to the ____ who subjected all things to ____, that God may be all in all.

Now tell me, doth this offend you?

Some More Basic Theology

2006-06-25T07:46:00.001-07:00

Now this one Being who possesses all these attributes is Personal. But He is not simply Personal; He is Tri-Personal. Within the nature of this One all powerful Being are three distinct Persons: the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. The Bible teaches that God is a Triune Being.

The second Person within the Being of God entered time and space. God the Son became a Man. Jesus, God the Son, possesses from all eternity the nature of God. He is equal to the Father in power, knowledge, self-existence, and holiness. In every way the Son is equal to the Father.

(Colossians 1:15 NKJV) “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation”

God the Son is by nature spirit, and therefore, without physical form. He is not limited by time and space. He is eternally the WORD of God. He never ceased to be everything that the Father is. But in the course of human history - at a particular place and time - He assumed a second nature. He became a Man. He did not become half Man and half God. He never lost a single attribute of Deity. While He never ceased to be 100% God, He became a real Man. He became a Man in every sense, only without sin.

From eternity He was one Person with one nature. At a particular moment in history He became one Person with two natures. He is the God-Man. He is not a mixture of the divine and the human. He is 100% God and 100% Man. He is the WORD become flesh.

Now tell me, doth this offend you?

Some Basic Theology

2006-06-17T20:00:00.000-07:00

Given the necessity for basic theology and the lack of understanding among most Christians (including most pastors), I want to consider some things about God. I am not a trained theologian. I am not a pastor. I am an average Christian. I love my God and I want to know Him more. Contrary to current opinion in the Church, I do not believe you can know God apart from knowing about God. To the degree that one’s knowledge of God is shallow and/or erroneous; to that degree one’s fellowship with God is shallow (and/or erroneous).

(1 John 1:1 NKJV) 1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life; 2 the life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us; 3 that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ.

According to the Apostle John having fellowship with God is contingent on receiving the things that were manifested to and witnessed by the Apostles.

The Bible is the only authority for telling us what to believe about God. As I said above, I am not a trained theologian. I am a student of the Bible. If I am in error, I am open to correction. I am not qualified to produce a Systematic Theology, but I have decided to declare on this blog some basic things about our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ. Let’s begin with the fact that God is infinite.

God is infinite in all of His attributes. This means that every quality God possesses He possesses it without limit. For example: God has power. How much power? He has limitless power. God has knowledge. How much knowledge? He has limitless knowledge.

We could go on and on with this exchange attribute after attribute. This format (and my skill) will not allow a full examination of the attributes of God. But let’s take it just a little further. The dimensions of time and space are the greatest limiting factors in creation. But God is infinite. God is eternal. Eternality is one of His attributes. Therefore, God is unlimited by time. God is everywhere present. Omnipresence is one of His attributes. Therefore, God is unlimited by space.

Saying God is eternal means more than that He has always existed. It means that He lives outside of time and sees the end from the beginning.

Let me illustrate this point. A book may contain events, people, places, and the passage of time, but when a man picks up the book he has all of that information in his hands. He can flip from page to page, from event to event. He can read about a particular person involved in a particular event, turn the page read a different passage, and then go back and read about that particular person and event again. History and the passage of time from beginning to end is like that book. God is like the man who holds the book in his hand, except God does not turn from page to page. He sees every person, place, thing, and event, in His eternal present tense. And God is not merely on the outside reading an authors words, He is the Author and He is in control.

(Isaiah 57:15 NKJV) For thus says the High and Lofty One Who inhabits eternity, Whose name is Holy…

(Isaiah 46:9, 10 NKJV) “Remember the former things of old, For I am God, and there is no other; 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,”

When we say that God is omnipresent we do not mean that God is so large that He fills the universe, as if God were dispersed throughout the creation; a little bit here and a little bit there and a little bit everywhere. When we say that God is omnipresent we mean that God is present in His fullness at every point in the universe at all times. God is here with us in His completeness. At the same time God is as completely present everywhere else.

God is limited neither by time nor space because He is the uncreated pure Spirit.

(John 4:24 NKJV) God is Spirit, and those who worship Him, must worship in spirit and trust.

God does not possess shape or size. People have imagined a God made in the physical image of man; or worse yet, three physical beings with bodies like men. But this is not the God of the Bible.

There is only One Being who is by nature God. This One Being is Spirit, therefore, He is not a physical or special being. This Being is outside of the time-space continuum and is limited by neither time nor space. He is everywhere present in His fullness. He relates to every moment in time in His eternal present tense. He has infinite power. And He is totally separate from creation.

Now tell me, doth this offend you?

The Necessity of Basic Theology

2006-06-11T17:42:00.000-07:00

Most churches today are filled with people who have little or no theological understanding. There has been a failure in many denominations and local churches to proclaim the great doctrines of the faith. Many Christian’s Christianity never goes beyond a list of does and don’ts, or a series of “how to’s” (how to: be financially successful, live a clean life, be a good husband, make friends and influence people…) So many people are left without a basic understanding of what the Bible is all about.

I am not calling for the accumulation of facts for the sake of knowing the facts. The doctrines taught in the Bible are all about our God and how He relates to this fallen creation. Knowing these facts without knowing God will not do you any good. But the Christian who does not “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (II Peter 3:18) will be weak and ineffective in the Christian life. It is necessary to know something about God to worship God. It is essential to know what God is like to effectively pray to God. It is impossible to tell others of a God we know nothing about. For Christians, then, theology is the most practical thing we can do.

Now tell me, doth this offend you?

Mohamed, a True Prophet?

2006-05-31T17:04:00.000-07:00

I want to share some questions I asked in a discussion I had recently with a Muslim:

Was Mohamed a true prophet of Allah?

Can a true prophet of Allah, when speaking as a prophet, lie?

Did Mohamed, speaking as a prophet, say that Jesus was a prophet?

Did Mohamed, speaking as a prophet, say that there is only one God and He cannot have a son?

Did Jesus claim to be the Son of God?

(Matthew 27:43 “for he said, I am the Son of God.” Luke 22:70 “Then said they all, Art thou then the Son of God? And he said unto them, Ye say that I am.” John 3:18 “He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” John 9: 35 “Jesus heard that they had cast him out; and when he had found him, he said unto him, Dost thou believe on the Son of God?” John 10 36 “Say ye of him, whom the Father hath sanctified, and sent into the world, Thou blasphemest; because I said, I am the Son of God?” John 11:4 “When Jesus heard that, he said, This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby.”)

Was Jesus telling the truth or was He lying?

If Jesus was telling the truth then He is the Son of God. If Jesus is the Son of God then Mohamed lied when he said, God cannot have a son. And if Mohamed lied then He can not be a true prophet of Allah.

If, on the other hand, Jesus is not the Son of God then He lied when He claimed He was. If Jesus lied about being the Son of God then He is certainly not a true prophet. And if Jesus is not a true prophet then Mohamed lied when he said that Jesus was a prophet. If Mohamed lied about Jesus being a prophet then Mohamed cannot be a true prophet of Allah.

Is it true that whether Jesus is the Son of God or not Mohamed is a false prophet?

Now tell me, doth this offend you?

Oh Depth of Terror, and yet Height of Love!

2006-03-03T15:26:00.000-08:00

We continue with Spurgeon’s sermon, “The Heart of the Gospel.” Having expounded the sinlessness of Christ, he now moves to “what was done with Him who knew no sin? The text for the sermon is Second Corinthians 5:20, 21:

“Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us; we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God. For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.”

This leads me on to the second point of the text, which is, what was done with him who knew no sin? He was "made sin." It is a wonderful expression: the more you weigh it the more you will marvel at its singular strength. Only the Holy Ghost might originate such language. It was wise for the divine Teacher to use very strong expressions, for else the thought might not have entered human minds. Even now, despite the emphasis, clearness, and distinctness of the language used here and elsewhere in Scripture there are found men daring enough to deny that substitution is taught in Scripture. With such subtle wits it is useless to argue. It is clear that language has no meaning for them. To read the 53rd chapter of Isaiah, and to accept it as relating to the Messiah, and then to deny his substitutionary sacrifice is simply wickedness. It would be vain to reason with such beings; they are so blind that if they were transported to the sun they could not see. In the church and out of the church there is a deadly animosity to this truth. Modern thought labours to get away from what is obviously the meaning of the Holy Spirit, that sin was lifted from the guilty and laid upon the innocent. It is written, "The Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all." This is as plain language as can be used; but if any plainer was required, here it is,—"He hath made him to be sin for us."

The Lord God laid upon Jesus, who voluntarily undertook it, all the weight of human sin. Instead of its resting on the sinner, who did commit it, it was made to rest upon Christ, who did not commit to it; while the righteousness which Jesus wrought out was placed to the account of the guilty, who had not worked it out, so that the guilty are treated as righteous. Those who by nature are guilty, are regarded as righteous, while he who by nature knew no sin whatever, was treated as guilty. I think I must have read in scores of books that such a transference is impossible; but the statement has had no effect upon my mind. I do not care whether it is impossible or not with learned unbelievers: it is evidently possible with God, for he has done it. But they say it is contrary to reason. I do not care for that, either: it may be contrary to the reason of those unbelievers, but it is not contrary to mine; and if I am to be guided by reason, I prefer to follow my own. The atonement is a miracle, and miracles are rather to be accepted by faith than measured by calculation. A fact is the best of arguments. It is a fact that the Lord hath laid on Jesus the iniquity of us all. God's revelation proves the fact, and our faith defies human questioning! God saith it, and I believe it; and believing it, I find life and comfort in it. Shall I not preach it? Assuredly I will.

"E'er since by faith I saw the stream
His flowing wounds supply,
Redeeming love has been my theme,
And shall be till I die."

Christ was not guilty, and could not be made guilty; but he was treated as if he were guilty, because he willed to stand in the place of the guilty. Yea, he was not only treated as a sinner, but he was treated as if he had been sin itself in the abstract. This is an amazing utterance. The sinless one was made to be sin.

Sin pressed our great Substitute very sorely. He felt the weight of it in the Garden of Gethsemane, where he "sweat as it were great drops of blood falling to the ground." The full pressure of it came upon him when he was nailed to the accursed tree. There in the hours of darkness he bore infinitely more than we can tell. We know that he bore condemnation from the mouth of a man, so that it is written, "He was numbered with the transgressors." We know that he bore shame for our sakes. Did not your hearts tremble last Sunday evening when our text was, "Then did they spit in his face?" It was a cruel scorn that exhausted itself upon his blessed person. This, I say, we know. We know that he bore pains innumerable of body and mind: he thirsted, he cried out in the agony of desertion, he bled, he died. We know that he poured out his soul unto death, and yielded up the ghost. But there was at the back, and beyond all this, an immeasurable abyss of sufferings": probably to us they are unknowable sufferings. He was God as well as man, and the Godhead lent an omnipotent power to the manhood, so that there was compressed within his soul, and endured by it, an amount of anguish of which we can form no conception. I will say no more: it is wise to veil what it is impossible to depict. This text both veils and discovers his sorrow, as it says, "He made him to be sin." Look into the words. Perceive their meaning if you can. The angels desire to look into it. Gaze into this terrible crystal. Let your eyes search deep into this opal, within whose jewelled depth there are flames of fire. The Lord made the perfectly innocent one to be sin for us: that means more humiliation, darkness, agony, and death than you can conceive. It brought a kind of distraction and well-nigh a destruction to the tender and gentle spirit of our Lord. I do not say that our substitute endured a hell, that were unwarrantable. I will not say that he endured either the exact punishment for sin, or an equivalent for it; but I do say that what he endured rendered to the justice of God a vindication of his law more clear and more effectual than would have been rendered to it by the damnation of the sinners for whom he died. The cross is under many aspects a more full revelation of the wrath of God against human sin than even Tophet, and the smoke of torment which goeth up for ever and ever. Who would know God's hate of sin must see the Only Begotten bleeding in body and bleeding in soul even unto death: he must, in fact, spell out each word of my text, and read its innermost meaning. There, my brethen, I am ashamed of the poverty of my explanation, and I will therefore only repeat the full and sublime language of the apostle—"He hath made him to be sin for us." It is more than "He hath put him to grief"; it is more than "God hath forsaken him"; it is more than "The chastisement of our peace was upon him"; it is the most suggestive of all descriptions—"He hath made him sin for us." Oh depth of terror, and yet height of love!

Now tell me, Doth this offend you?

Our Substitute was Spotless Innocent and Pure.

2006-02-24T15:56:00.000-08:00

A few weeks back I posted the introduction of a sermon by C.H. Spurgeon called, “The Heart of the Gospel.” In his introduction Spurgeon said, “THE heart of the gospel is redemption, and the essence of redemption is the substitutionary sacrifice of Christ.” This doctrine is so essential and necessary, but at the same time so neglected today.

In this post I will continue to quote from this sermon based on Second Corinthians 5:20, 21. As Spurgeon begins to consider the doctrine of the atonement he first focuses upon the sinlessness of Christ Jesus.

“Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us; we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God. For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.” — 2 Corinthians 5:20, 21.

First, then, with as much brevity as possible I will speak upon THE GREAT DOCTRINE. The great doctrine, the greatest of all, is this, that God, seeing men to be lost by reason of their sin, hath taken that sin of theirs and laid it upon his only begotten Son, making him to be sin for us, even him who knew no sin; and that in consequence of this transference of sin he that believeth in Christ Jesus is made just and righteous, yea, is made to be the righteousness of God in Christ. Christ was made sin that sinners might be made righteousness. That is the doctrine of the substitution of our Lord Jesus Christ on the behalf of guilty men.

Now consider, first, who was made sin for us? The description of our great Surety here given is upon one point only, and it may more than suffice us for our present meditation. Our substitute was spotless, innocent, and pure. “He hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin,” Christ Jesus, the Son of God, became incarnate, and was made flesh, and dwelt here among men; but though he was made in the likeness of sinful flesh, he knew no sin. Though upon him sin was laid, yet not so as to make him guilty. He was not, he could not be, a sinner: he had no personal knowledge of sin. Throughout the whole of his life he never committed an offense against the great law of truth and right. The law was in his heart; it was his nature to be holy. He could say to all the world, “Which of you convinceth me of sin?” Even his vacillating judge enquired, “Why, what evil hath he done?” When all Jerusalem was challenged and bribed to bear witness against him, no witnesses could be found. It was necessary to misquote and wrest his words before a charge could be trumped up against him by his bitterest enemies. His life brought him in contact with both the tables of the law, but no single command had he transgressed. As the Jews examined the Paschal lamb before they slew it, so did scribes and Pharisees, and doctors of the law, and rulers and princes, examine the Lord Jesus, without finding offense in him. He was the Lamb of God, without blemish and without spot.

As there was no sin of commission, so was there about our Lord no fault of omission. Probably, dear brethren, we that are believers have been enabled by divine grace to escape most sins of commission; but I for one have to mourn daily over sins of omission. If we have spiritual graces, yet they do not reach the point required of us. If we do that which is right in itself, yet we usually mar our work upon the wheel, either in the motive, or in the manner of doing it, or by the self-satisfaction with which we view it when it is done. We come short of the glory of God in some respect or other. We forget to do what we ought to do, or, doing it, we are guilty of lukewarmness, self-reliance, unbelief, or some other grievous error. It was not so with our divine Redeemer. You cannot say that there was any feature deficient in his perfect beauty. He was complete in heart, in purpose, in thought, in word, in deed, in spirit. You could not add anything to the life of Christ without its being manifestly an excrescence. He was emphatically an all-round man, as we say in these days. His life is a perfect circle, a complete epitome of virtue. No pearl has dropped from the silver string of his character. No one virtue has overshadowed and dwarfed the rest: all perfections combine in perfect harmony to make in him one surpassing perfection.

Neither did our Lord know a sin of thought. His mind never produced an evil wish or desire. There never was in the heart of our blessed Lord a wish for any evil pleasure, nor a desire to escape any suffering or shame which was involved in his service. When he said, “Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me,” he never desired to escape the bitter potion at the expense of his perfect lifework. The “if it be possible,” meant, “if it be consistent with full obedience to the Father, and the accomplishment of the divine purpose.” We see the weakness of his nature shrinking, and the holiness of his nature resolving and conquering, as he adds, “nevertheless, not as I will, but as thou wilt.” He took upon him the likeness of sinful flesh, but though that flesh often caused him weariness of body, it never produced in him the weakness of sin. He took our infirmities, but he never exhibited an infirmity which had the least of blameworthiness attached to it. Never fell there an evil glance from those blessed eyes; never did his lips let drop a hasty word; never did those feet go on an ill errand, nor those hands move towards a sinful deed; because his heart was filled with holiness and love within as well as without our Lord was unblemished. His desires were as perfect as his actions. Searched by the eyes of Omniscience, no shadow of fault could be found in him.

Yea, more, there were no tendencies about our Substitute towards evil in any form. In us there are always those tendencies; for the taint of original sin is upon us. We have to govern ourselves and hold ourselves under stern restraint, or we should rush headlong to destruction. Our carnal nature lusteth to evil, and needs to be held in as with bit and bridle. Happy is that man who can master himself. But with regard to our Lord; it was his nature to be pure, and right, and loving. All his sweet wills were towards goodness. His unconstrained life was holiness itself: he was “the holy child Jesus.” The prince of this world found in him no fuel for the flame which he desired to kindle. Not only did no sin flow from him, but there was no sin in him, nor inclination, nor tendency in that direction. Watch him in secret, and you find him in prayer; look into his soul, and you find him eager to do and suffer the Father’s will. Oh, the blessed character of Christ! If I had the tongues of men and of angels I could not worthily set forth his absolute perfection. Justly may the Father be well pleased with him! Well may heaven adore him!

Beloved, it was absolutely necessary that any one who should be able to suffer in our stead should himself be spotless. A sinner obnoxious to punishment by reason of his own offenses, what can he do but bear the wrath which is due to his own sin? Our Lord Jesus Christ as man was made under the law; but he owed nothing to that law, for he perfectly fulfilled it in all respects. He was capable of standing in the room, place, and stead of others, because he was under no obligations of his own. He was only under obligations towards God because he had voluntarily undertaken to be the surety and sacrifice for those whom the Father gave him. He was clear himself, or else he could not have entered into bonds for guilty men.

Oh, how I admire him, that being such as he was, spotless and thrice holy, so that even the heavens were not pure in his sight, and he charged his angels with folly, yet he condescended to be made sin for us! How could he endure to be numbered with the transgressor and bear the sin of many? It may be no misery for a sinful man to live with sinful men, but it would be a heavy sorrow for the pure-minded to dwell with a company of abandoned and licentious wretches. What an overwhelming sorrow it must have been to the pure and perfect Christ to tabernacle among the hypocritical, the selfish, and the profane! How much worse that he himself should have to take upon himself the sins of those guilty men. His sensitive and delicate nature must have shrunk from even the shadow of sin, and yet read the words and be astonished: “He hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin.” Our perfect Lord and Master bare our sins in his own body on the tree. He, before whom the sun itself is dim and the pure azure of heaven is defilement, was made sin. I need not put this in fine words: the fact is itself too grand to need any magnifying by human language. To gild refined gold, or paint the lily, were absurd; but much more absurd would it be to try to overlay with flowers of speech the matchless beauties of the cross. It suffices in simple rhyme to say —

“Oh, hear that piercing cry!
What can its meaning be?
‘My God! my God! oh! why hast thou
In wrath forsaken me?’
“Oh ‘twas because our sins
On him by God were laid;
He who himself had never sinn’d,
For sinners, sin was made.”

Now tell me Doth this offend you?

Faith Works and James Two (Part 6)

2006-02-17T06:45:00.000-08:00

In chapter two verse 25, James presented his second Old Testament illustration to prove his case that a claimed faith that does not result in good works is not the kind of faith that saves. The kind of faith that saves always results in good works. No doubt James could have chosen any Old Testament believer to show that good works necessarily follow true faith, but he chose Abraham the patriarch Abraham and Rahab the prostitute. In my previous post I considered Abraham. In this post I will consider Rahab.

(James 2:25 NASB) And in the same way was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works, when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way?

Rahab demonstrated that she had genuine faith by her actions. The author of the epistle to the Hebrews made the point that it was because of her faith that she did what she did.

(Hebrews 11:31 NASB) By faith Rahab the harlot did not perish along with those who were disobedient, after she had welcomed the spies in peace.

The historical account of this story is found in Joshua chapter two. Joshua sent two men to spy out the land of Cannan and especially the city of Jericho. While in Jericho they went to “the house of a harlot whose name was Rahab, and lodged there.”(Joshua 2:1 NASB).

The king of Jericho became aware that there were Israeli spies in Jericho and that they were staying with Rahab. The king sent a message to Rahab. He told her to send them out because they were spies. But Rahab had hidden them on her roof. She told the king that the spies had been there but they had went out the city gate just before it was closed for the night. She said, “Pursue them quickly, for you will overtake them.” (Joshua 2:5 NASB) So Rahab sent the king and all the king’s men on a wild goose chase. That night Rahab went up to talk to the spies. She had demonstrated her faith when she hid the spies. In this conversation, she declared her faith.

(Joshua 2:8-13 NASB) Now before they lay down, she came up to them on the roof, and said to the men, "I know that the LORD has given you the land, and that the terror of you has fallen on us, and that all the inhabitants of the land have melted away before you. "For we have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red Sea before you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon and Og, whom you utterly destroyed. "And when we heard it, our hearts melted and no courage remained in any man any longer because of you; for the LORD your God, He is God in heaven above and on earth beneath. "Now therefore, please swear to me by the LORD, since I have dealt kindly with you, that you also will deal kindly with my father's household, and give me a pledge of truth, and spare my father and my mother and my brothers and my sisters, with all who belong to them, and deliver our lives from death."

Rahab declared that she believed in the LORD the God of Israel, and she was willing to lay her life on the line for her faith. The spies promised her that she would be safe if she did as they told her.

(Joshua 2:14 NASB) So the men said to her, "Our life for yours if you do not tell this business of ours; and it shall come about when the LORD gives us the land that we will deal kindly and faithfully with you."

She demonstrated her faith by hiding the spies and further by helping them escape.

(Joshua 2:15 NASB) Then she let them down by a rope through the window, for her house was on the city wall, so that she was living on the wall.

The spies instructed her that, “when we come into the land, you tie this cord of scarlet thread in the window through which you let us down, and gather to yourself into the house your father and your mother and your brothers and all your father's household.” (Joshua 2:18 NASB). After all their instructions, she said, “According to your words, so be it." So she sent them away, and they departed; and she tied the scarlet cord in the window. (Joshua 2:21 NASB).

In the sixth chapter of Joshua it we read,

(Joshua 6:17 NASB) “And the city shall be under the ban, it and all that is in it belongs to the LORD; only Rahab the harlot and all who are with her in the house shall live, because she hid the messengers whom we sent.”

In Joshua 6:21-25 we read that the people of Israel followed God’s plan of attack and the city walls fell in on the city. Jericho was totally destroyed. Everyone was killed by the edge of the sword. No one survived. No one except Rahab and those she had taken into her house.

Rahab made a profession of faith. She claimed to believe. But, how was the Israeli spies to know if she was for real? The answer to this question is the point of James 2:25.

And in the same way was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works, when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way? (NASB)

Rahab's claim to have faith in the LORD God of Israel was justified (evidenced) in the sight of men by her actions.

The rest of Rahab’s life continued to justify her claim that she believed in the LORD. Rahab became part of God's people. She married a Hebrew from the tribe of Judah named Salman. Through this marriage Rahab the pagan prostitute became an ancestor of Jesus Christ.

Rahab was justified (declared to be righteous) before God by faith alone. Her faith led her to perform good works, and her claim to have faith was evidenced (justified) before men by her actions.

The last verse of James two is the final restatement of James’ conclusion.

(James 2:26 NASB) For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.

Just as the human body is lifeless without the immaterial spiritual nature of man, the kind of faith the does not result in a changed life, in holiness, and yes in good works is dead. It has nothing to offer and it is incapable of producing salvation. The kind of faith that saves is the kind of faith that results in good works. Paul said,

(Ephesians 2:8-10 NASB) For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, that no one should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

Now tell me, Doth this offend you?

The Necessity of Gospel Preaching

2006-02-14T13:45:00.000-08:00

Today I would like to share with you the introduction to a sermon Charles H. Spurgeon preached July 18, 1886, called “The Heart of The Gospel.” After almost 120 years the Gospel preaching of C.H. Spurgeon retains its relevance.

The heart of the gospel is redemption, and the essence of redemption is the substitutionary sacrifice of Christ. They who preach this truth preach the gospel in whatever else they may be mistaken; but they who preach not the atonement, whatever else they declare, have missed the soul and substance of the divine message. In these days I feel bound to go over again the elementary truths of the Gospel. In peaceful times we may feel free to make excursions into interesting districts of truth which lie far afield; but now we must stay at home, and guard the hearths and homes of the Church by defending the first principles of the faith. In this age there have risen up in the church itself men who speak perverse things. There be many that trouble us with their philosophies and novel interpretations, whereby they deny the doctrines they profess to teach, and undermine the faith they are pledged to maintain. It is well that some of us, who know what we believe, and have no secret meanings for our words, should just put our foot down and maintain our standing, holding forth the word of life, and plainly declaring the foundation truths of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Let me give you a parable. In the days of Nero there was great shortness of food in the city of Rome, although there was abundance of corn to be purchased at Alexandria. A certain man who owned a vessel went down to the sea coast, and there he noticed many hungry people straining their eyes toward the sea, watching for the vessels that were to come from Egypt with corn. When these vessels came to the shore, one by one, the poor people wrung their hands in bitter disappointment, for on board the galleys there was nothing but sand which the tyrant emperor had compelled them to bring for use in the arena. It was infamous cruelty, when men were dying of hunger to command trading vessels to go to and fro, and bring nothing else but sand for gladiatorial shows, when wheat was so greatly needed. Then the merchant whose vessel was moored by the quay said to his shipmaster, "Take thou good heed that thou bring nothing back with thee from Alexandria but corn; and whereas, aforetime thou hast brought in the vessel a measure or two of sand, bring thou not so much as would lie upon a penny this time. Bring thou nothing else, I say, but wheat: for these people are dying, and now we must keep our vessels for this one business of bringing food for them." Alas! I have seen certain mighty galleys of late loaded with nothing but mere sand of philosophy and speculation, and I have said within myself, "Nay, but I will bear nothing in my ship but the revealed truth of God, the bread of life so greatly needed by the people." God grant us this day that our ship may have nothing on board it that may merely gratify the curiosity, or please the taste; but that there may be necessary truths for the salvation of souls. I would have each one of you say: "Well, it was just the old, old story of Jesus and his love, and nothing else." I have no desire to be famous for anything but preaching of the gospel. There are plenty who can fiddle to you the new music; it is for me to have no music at any time but that which is heard in heaven,—"Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, to him be glory for ever and ever!"

The complete sermon (#1910) by C.H. Spurgeon can be found in volume 32 of the Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit or at www.spurgeon.org.

Now tell me, Doth this offend you?

Faith Works and James Two (Part 5)

2006-02-10T06:56:00.000-08:00

In chapter 2 verses 20-26, James used two Old Testament characters, Abraham and Rahab, to illustrate and prove his point. James interspersed these two illustrations by stating his conclusion three times. First, in verse twenty, before the Abraham illustration James stated his conclusion negatively.

(James 2:20 NASB) But are you willing to recognize, you foolish fellow, that faith without works is useless?

Second, in verse 24, after the Abraham illustration and before the Rahab illustration James stated his conclusion positively.

(James 2:24 NASB) You see that a man is justified by works, and not by faith alone.

And finally, in verse 26, after the Rahab illustration James again states his conclusion negatively.

(James 2:26 NASB) For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.

It is important to remember two things here. First, a proper understanding of James’ point in these two Old Testament illustrations must go to prove what is stated in his conclusions. We must not draw any conclusion from these illustrations other than James’ conclusion. Secondly, and conversely, whatever meaning we draw from James’ conclusion statements must be supported by the illustrations that the inspired writer provided. We must not force James’ conclusion to mean something that the illustrations do not support.

To begin let’s consider the first conclusion statement.

(James 2:20 NASB) But are you willing to recognize, you foolish fellow, that faith without works is useless?

Are you willing to recognize? Are you willing to be convinced by the evidence? We should note two things here. First, James is asking if this “foolish fellow” is willing to look at the evidence. People, even religious people, reject biblical truth. They reject the truth, not because there is no evidence for the truth, but because they are unwilling to receive it. Secondly, when James set out to prove his point he cited God's revealed Word. He provided evidence from the biblical stories of Abraham and Rahab. The Bible is the final authority for the Christian.

“Faith without works is useless” is the negative side of James’ conclusion. Saying “I have faith” is insufficient if it is not the kind of faith that results in a changed life and good works. Even believing true things about God and Christ is insufficient if it is not the kind of faith that results in a changed life and good works. The kind of faith that James wrote about is useless and dead. The solution to the problem James is addressing is not to add works to this merely said faith or intellectual faith. Jesus addressed those who had these kinds of faith and also had “good works.”

(Matthew 7:21-23, 26, 27 NASB) "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven; but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven. "Many will say to Me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?' "And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.' ..."And everyone who hears these words of Mine, and does not act upon them, will be like a foolish man, who built his house upon the sand. "And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and burst against that house; and it fell, and great was its fall."

Adding ‘good works’ to flawed faith does not turn the flawed faith into genuine faith.

The solution is to abandon this useless and dead faith and replace it with complete confidence and trust in the Person and work of Jesus Christ alone for eternal life. This kind of faith is neither useless nor dead. This kind of faith is the sole and sufficient means of coming into a right relationship with God. And this kind of faith always results in a changed life and good works.

(II Peter 1:5-11 NASB) Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge; and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness; and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For he who lacks these qualities is blind or short-sighted, having forgotten his purification from his former sins. Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble; for in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied to you.

Having stated his conclusion, James offered Abraham as the primary proof that the kind of faith that produces a right relationship with God also results in a changed life and good works.

(James 2:21-23 NASB) Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he offered up Isaac his son on the altar? You see that faith was working with his works, and as a result of the works, faith was perfected; and the Scripture was fulfilled which says, "AND ABRAHAM BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS RECKONED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS," and he was called the friend of God.

We really need to think clearly as we go through this section. We need to answer this very important question. Was James actually saying that Abraham was made right with God by the act of offering his son on the altar? Some Bibles paraphrases make it sound that way.

Think of Abraham, our ancestor. Wasn't it his action which really justified him in God's sight when his faith led him to offer his son Isaac on the altar. (Phillips)

How was our ancestor Abraham put right with God? It was through his actions, when he offered his son Isaac on the altar. (Today’s English Version)

The most striking difference between these paraphrases and the New American Standard Bible is the inclusion of the words "in God's sight," or "with God". The fact is the word for God is nowhere in the original text of this verse.

But it still remains that James did ask, "Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he offered up Isaac his son on the altar?” The implied answer is that Abraham our father was justified by works, when he offered up Isaac his son on the altar. But the real question to be asked is this. Before whom was Abraham justified by works? If we answer, Abraham was justified by works before God, then James is in clear contradiction with the teaching of the Apostle Paul.

(Romans 4:2 NASB) For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about; but not before God.

The justification that came by works "when he offered Isaac his son on the altar" was a justification before men. It was Abraham’s claim to have saving faith that was justified by his works. Abraham was tested. He was given an opportunity to demonstrate that his faith was genuine. Hebrews 11:17-19 parallels James’ point.

(Hebrews 11:17-19 NASB) By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac; and he who had received the promises was offering up his only begotten son; it was he to whom it was said, "IN ISAAC YOUR DESCENDANTS SHALL BE CALLED." He considered that God is able to raise men even from the dead; from which he also received him back as a type.

Abraham's faith was being tested when God called him to sacrifice his only son. Abraham passed the test and showed the world that his faith was genuine. Abraham’s faith found its fulfillment and in his works.

(James 2:22 NASB) You see that faith was working with his works, and as a result of the works, faith was perfected;

Justification before God is not accomplished by a co-operation between faith and works. Faith alone saves. But genuine faith finds its expression in “good works.” Faith and works must be distinguished, but they can never be separated.

In verse 23, James said that Abraham's actions proved and confirmed what God had already said. Abraham's works confirmed what God had declared years earlier.

(James 2:23 NASB) and the Scripture was fulfilled which says, "AND ABRAHAM BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS RECKONED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS," and he was called the friend of God.

James cited two passages from Genesis and the life of Abraham. First he said, “Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he offered up Isaac his son on the altar?” (James 2:21 NASB). Then he said, “and the Scripture was fulfilled which says, "AND ABRAHAM BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS RECKONED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS,"” (James 2:23 NASB).

Let’s consider these two passages in the context of Genesis. First we will go back to Genesis 15.

(Genesis 15:5 NASB) And He took him outside and said, "Now look toward the heavens, and count the stars, if you are able to count them." And He said to him, "So shall your descendants be."

God promised a childless 80-year-old man that he would of have multitudes of descendants. Let’s go back to the beginning of the chapter.

(Genesis 15:1-4 NASB) After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision, saying, "Do not fear, Abram, I am a shield to you; Your reward shall be very great." And Abram said, "O Lord GOD, what wilt Thou give me, since I am childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?" And Abram said, "Since Thou hast given no offspring to me, one born in my house is my heir." Then behold, the word of the LORD came to him, saying, "This man will not be your heir; but one who shall come forth from your own body, he shall be your heir."

(Romans 4:20, 21 NASB) yet, with respect to the promise of God, he did not waver in unbelief, but grew strong in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully assured that what He had promised, He was able also to perform.

God promised Abraham that he would have multitudes of descendents, and Genesis 15:6 says, “Then he believed in the LORD; and He reckoned it to him as righteousness.” There it is. God declared Abraham to be righteous based on his faith.

It is important to note that God’s declaration that Abraham was righteous was wholly unrelated to what he did “when he offered up Isaac his son on the altar.” (James 2:21 NASB). The passage that James cited concerning the offering of Isaac on the alter is not found in Genesis 15. We have to go forward seven chapters to Genesis 22 to find the offering of Isaac. And we have to go thirty-something years into the future. When God declared that Abraham was righteous because of his faith Isaac wasn’t even born and he wouldn’t be born for another twenty years. God declared Abraham to be righteous because Abraham had genuine faith. He had the kind of faith that lead him to obey God when thirty-something years later God said,

(Genesis 22:2 NASB) "Take now your son, your only son, whom you love, Isaac, and go to the land of Moriah; and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I will tell you."

Abraham was justified before God by genuine faith alone. Abraham's genuine faith resulted in obedience to God. Abraham's claim to have genuine saving faith was justified before men by his obedience to God. God's declaration is confirmed and fulfilled by Abraham's obedience.

(James 2:23 NASB) and the Scripture was fulfilled which says, "AND ABRAHAM BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS RECKONED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS," and he was called the friend of God.

So, as I said above, Abraham's actions proved and confirmed what God had already said. Abraham's works confirmed what God had declared years earlier.

We say we have faith in God, and that God, therefore, declares us righteous in His sight. Do our actions confirm and corroborate our claim that God has called us righteous, or do they contradict it?

Finally, James follows his first Old Testament illustration by reiterating his point.

(James 2:24 NASB) You see that a man is justified by works, and not by faith alone.

Again, this conclusion statement must be supported by the passages in Genesis. Allow me to paraphrase and expand a bit on this conclusion based on the illustration of Abraham.

You see that a man is justified [even Abraham provided evidence to men that he was in a right relationship with God] by works, [that is, by his non-meritorious action which he did after and as a result of coming into a right relationship with God] and not by [saying, I have] faith alone.

Now tell me, Doth this offend you?

Faith Works and James Two (Part 4)

2006-02-03T08:27:00.000-08:00

In this post I will continue with my consideration of James 2:14-26.

In verse eighteen James presented a hypothetical challenge to the person who claims to have faith but does not have any works to prove that his faith is genuine.

(James 2:18 NASB) But someone may well say, "You have faith, and I have works; show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works."

If we claim to have faith but our faith does not result in good works, then we are leave ourselves open to this challenge. To the one who claims faith but has no works the challenger may well say, "You have faith, and I have works; show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works." J.B. Phillips’ paraphrase is helpful at this point.

A man could challenge us by saying, "You have faith and I have merely good actions. Well, all you can do is to show me a faith without corresponding actions, but I can show you by my actions that I have faith as well."

In other words, the challenge is for the one who claims to have faith but does not have works to demonstrate (or give evidence) that his faith is real without works. Clearly, this is an impossibility. It cannot be done. You cannot prove that you have faith by saying, I have faith. Faith must be demonstrated in actions. In fact the lack of good works tends to prove the lack of true faith. On the other hand if a person has genuine good works his good works provide evidence that his faith is genuine.

Everyone who claims to have faith must ask himself, can I show others my faith? How do I show that I have true faith? Can others see my faith?

I’ve heard parents instruct their children to be seen and not heard. In his epistle, James was confronting professed Christians who, when it came to their faith, were heard and not seen. True faith is not one or the other. True faith must be seen and heard; and probably in that order.

Next, James turned his attention to intellectual faith.

(James 2:19 NASB) You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder.

Knowing certain things about God and even believing these things are true is not the kind of faith that saves.

True biblical faith has three elements: knowledge, agreement, and trust. To be saved a sinner must know certain things about God, and agree that these things are true, but that is not enough. James said, the demons also believe, and shudder. What do the demons believe? He says that the demons believe, that God is one. This is the basic truth of Judaism and Christianity. Monotheism, the belief that there is only one God, is the foundation of all biblical truth. Yet affirming all biblical truth is not enough to save. In addition to knowing the truth and believing the truth, the sinner must trust fully in the Person and work of Jesus Christ alone to be saved.

So far then, James has identified two kinds of faith that are insufficient to save. First he dealt with the kind of faith that is merely a said faith or a claimed faith that does not result in good works. He asked, can that kind of faith save? The answer is no. Second he dealt with the kind of faith that is merely intellectual. Knowing and believing certain things about God does not save. True saving faith is trust, not in anything that the sinner can do to earn or deserve his salvation, but in the finished work of Jesus Christ alone. And genuine faith in Jesus always results in good works and holiness. The kind of faith that does not result in good works and a righteous life is not the kind of faith that brings a sinner into a right relationship with God. It is not saving faith. It is the kind of faith that demons have.

It should be noted that it is not God who needs to see good works to know if the sinner’s faith is genuine. God sees the saving faith and declares the sinner righteous immediately. But saving faith is accompanied by the Holy Spirit coming into the life of the believer. Therefore, the believer can no longer live in sin. A changed life is the necessary result of saving faith. If the life never changes it is because the Holy Spirit is not there. It is because there was never genuine faith.

(I John 3:5-10 NASB) And you know that He appeared in order to take away sins; and in Him there is no sin. No one who abides in Him sins; no one who sins has seen Him or knows Him. Little children, let no one deceive you; the one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous; the one who practices sin is of the devil; for the devil has sinned from the beginning. The Son of God appeared for this purpose, that He might destroy the works of the devil. No one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother.

(I John 2:4, 6 NASB) The one who says, "I have come to know Him," and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him; but whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected. By this we know that we are in Him: the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked.

Now tell me, Doth this offend you?

Faith Works and James Two (Part 3)

2006-01-31T10:54:00.000-08:00

My last two posts have focused on the doctrine of justification by faith alone in Christ alone. I’ve noted that some see a contradiction between the teaching of Paul on this point and what James said in the second chapter of his epistle. In my previous post I demonstrated that there is a contradiction here only if we force the doctrine of justification before God to be the issue that James was writing about. Indeed, if James was writing about the way a sinner is justified before God, then his teaching dose contradict the teaching of Paul. But, as I noted, the resolution to this apparent contradiction is to be found in the way that James used three key words (works, justified, and faith) as opposed to the way that Paul used those same words. I defined each of the three words in the way that each writer used them. When the words “works” “justified” and “faith” are given there proper meanings (the meaning intended by the authors) in context there is no contradiction between Paul and James.

Now, having dealt in general terms with the issue of the compatibility of the teaching of Paul and the teaching of James, in this post I want to begin to look specifically at James 2:14-26. In doing this we will see how the definitions to those three words work in the context of the passage. But more importantly we will hear what James, and God, intended for us to hear in this passage.
James began this passage by asking what good is it for someone to say he has faith?

(James 2:14 NASB) What use is it, my brethren, if a man says he has faith, but he has no works? Can that faith save him?

The NIV says, "What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith…? James is clearly talking about a said faith or a claimed faith rather than genuine faith. This verse defines the way James most commonly used the word “faith” throughout this passage. By faith James meant a merely intellectual and said faith which is dead and has no power to produce righteousness or good works.

James asked, “What use is it, my brethren, if a man says he has faith, but he has no works?” By “works” James meant non-meritorious acts done after and resulting from salvation. James is asked “What use is it,” or “What good is it” to claim to have faith if you have no works to demonstrate that your faith is genuine. This is very much like what John the Baptist told the Pharisees and Sadducees who came to him to be baptized.

(Matthew 3:7-10 NASB) But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, "You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? "Therefore bring forth fruit in keeping with repentance; and do not suppose that you can say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham for our father'; for I say to you, that God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham. "And the axe is already laid at the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.

John the Baptist told the Pharisees and the Sadducees that if they had true repentance there would be fruit in their lives to demonstrate it. James said if your claimed faith is genuine faith your life will demonstrate it by good works. Likewise, the absents of good works demonstrates that the claimed faith is a farce.

Next, James asked, “Can that faith save him?” To this we must ask, what faith? If James was talking about genuine faith is the person and work of Jesus Christ then the answer would have to be yes! That faith saves. But the passage demands a no answer. We answer no because James is not talking about genuine faith in Jesus. What faith is he talking about? When, at the end of verse fourteen, James asked, “Can that faith save him?” he was talking about the same kind of faith that he defined at the beginning of verse fourteen. Kenneth S. Wuest, in his 'An Expanded Translation' of the New Testament, said it this way, "The aforementioned faith [namely, that faith which does not result in good works] is not able to save him, is it?"

The answer to the question is clear, that sort of faith, a said faith that does not result in good works, cannot save anyone's soul. We must examine our faith. Is it merely a said faith? Or is it the kind of faith that saves? The kind of faith that saves is the same kind of faith that results in good works.

James then used a parable to illustrate the uselessness of a said faith that does not produce good works.

(James 2:15-16 NASB) If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily good, and one of you says to them, "Go in peace, be warmed and be filled," and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that?

There are two ways to look at verses fifteen and sixteen. First, we could see this parable as an example of a said faith without works. Someone may claim to have faith, but what good is that claimed faith if it does not lead them to help people in need? This does provide us with a real world application for the principle being taught. Our faith, if it is genuine will lead us to help others.

But the second way of looking at this text is more accurate. It is more appropriate to see this parable as an illustration of the deadness of words without actions.

In the same way that merely saying be warmed and filled is of no help for someone who is naked and hungry, so merely saying “I have faith” without a resulting holy life and good works is useless. This is what we see in the conclusion to the parable:

(James 2:17 NASB) Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself.

The point of this parable is that merely saying, 'I have faith,' without a resulting holy life and good works is as useless as saying, "be warmed and filled," to someone in need if I do not help in a tangible way.

Saying you have faith does not mean that you really do. Saying you have faith does not save you. Having genuine faith alone in the Person and work of Jesus Christ alone saves. But the kind of faith that save always results in good works.

Faith alone saves, but the faith that saves is never alone!

Now tell me, Doth this Offend You?

Faith Works and James Two (Part 2)

2006-01-27T07:34:00.000-08:00

In my last post I began a discussion of the doctrine of justification by faith alone, and how it relates to the teaching, in James chapter two, that “faith without works is dead.” In that post I defined the doctrine of justification by faith alone.

Paul the Apostle clearly teaches that sinners are justified before God by faith alone in the Person and work of Jesus Christ alone; without works.

(Romans 4:5, 6 NASB) But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is reckoned as righteousness, just as David also speaks of the blessing upon the man to whom God reckons righteousness apart from works:

But James said:

(James 2:24 NASB) You see that a man is justified by works, and not by faith alone.

Here’s the question. Is Paul right and James wrong? Or is James right and Paul wrong?

Evangelical Christians believe the Bible is the inerrant Word of God. We believe that both Paul and James are inspired writers. Therefore, we believe, both must be correct. But if Paul says, “God reckons righteousness apart from works,” and James says, "a man is justified by works, and not by faith alone," can they both be correct? Christians have struggled with the teaching of James for centuries, and the cults have taken advantage of this apparent contradiction to lead many astray.

Some would say that the words of Paul and the words of James form an obvious contradiction. Do Paul and James contradict one another? Let’s find out.

The law of non-contradiction states: If two statements cannot be both true at the same time and in the same way, and if both statements cannot be false at the same time and in the same way, the two statements form a contradiction. In other words, a proposition and its opposite cannot be both true at the same time and in the same respect.

Paul said, “But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is reckoned as righteousness,” (Romans 4:5 NASB). James said, "You see that a man is justified by works, and not by faith alone," (James 2:24 NASB)

From these two verses we can form two statements to compare.

Paul: Apart from works a man is justified by faith alone.
James: By works a man is justified and not by faith alone.

Now, if both Paul and James mean the same thing in the same way by each of the words “works,” “justified,” and “faith,” then they certainly do contradict one another. In other words, if Paul and James are taking about the same thing, then what each one is saying about that thing is in direct opposition to what the other is saying about it.

Hopefully we are beginning to see the importance of this issue. If we conclude that James is talking about the way a sinner is justified before God then his conclusion is the opposite of Paul’s conclusion on that very point. If that is the case then one or the other must be wrong. And if God inspired the Bible then God made a mistake. If God made a mistake then He is not God. This is a very important issue indeed.

But God is God. He did not make a mistake. Neither Paul nor James is wrong because they are not talking about the same thing at all. The issues they were dealing with are related, but they are not identical. They used the same words, “works” “justified” “faith,” but they used these words differently. The resolution to this problem must be found in understanding what each of these words mean in the context as they are used by each writer.

Let’s consider the word “works.” When Paul used the word “works” he was talking about meritorious acts which are done prior to and for the purpose of obtaining salvation. But when James used the word “works” he was talking about non-meritorious acts which are done after and resulting from salvation. Paul at times also used the word “works” in this way.

(Ephesians 2:10 NASB) For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

Paul’s opposition is not to the kind of works that James was promoting; non-meritorious acts which are done after and resulting from salvation. Paul is opposed to meritorious works added to the work of Christ. James, on the other hand is not promoting a works based salvation, rather he is opposing a “salvation” that does not result in good works.

Now let’s consider the word “justified.” When Paul used the word “justified” he was talking about the declaration of God that a sinner is righteous before God because the perfect righteousness of Christ has been imputed to his account. But when James used the word “justified” he was talking about evidence to support a sinner’s claim to have genuine faith. For James the question is can you justify your claim that you have faith?

In Paul we have the sinner justified (declared righteous) before God by faith alone. In James we have the sinner's claim to have faith justified (evidenced) before men by works.

When Paul used the word “faith” he was talking about a sinner's trust in and reliance on the Person and work of Jesus Christ for justification before God. This, of necessity, produces the fruit of holiness and good works. But when James used the word “faith” he was talking about a mere intellectual and said faith which is dead and has no power to produce righteousness.

For Paul, genuine faith alone placed in the true and living God through Jesus Christ is both necessary and sufficient to bring a sinner into a right relationship with God. The necessary result of this relationship is a holy life and good works.

For James mere intellectual said faith that does not result in a holy life and good works is insufficient to produce a right relationship with God.

With these definitions in mind let's reconsider our sample statements from Paul and James.

Paul: Apart from works (meritorious acts added to the work of Christ) a man is justified (declared by God to be righteous) by faith (trust in the Person and work of Christ) alone.

James: By works (acts done after and resulting from salvation) a man is justified (shown to be truthful in his claim to have genuine saving faith) and not by faith (mere intellectual and said faith) alone.

When the words “works” “justified” and “faith” are given there proper meanings (the meaning intended by the authors) in context there is no contradiction between Paul and James.

Having laid this foundation, in the next few posts, I will show how these definitions work throughout the key text in James two.

Now tell me, “Doth this Offend You?”

Faith Works and James Two (Part 1)

2006-01-24T08:56:00.000-08:00

Often, when the doctrine of justification by faith alone is taught, someone will say, "But, faith without works is dead." This, of course, is a quotation from the Epistle of James. James goes on to say, "You see that a man is justified by works, and not by faith alone." (James 2:24 NASB). Is James teaching here that sinner’s are justified before God by the good works they do? If he is then, it would seem, he is in direct contradiction to the teaching of the Apostle Paul throughout the New Testament. For example:

(Romans 4:4-8 NASB) Now to the one who works, his wage is not reckoned as a favor, but as what is due. But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is reckoned as righteousness, just as David also speaks of the blessing upon the man to whom God reckons righteousness apart from works: "BLESSED ARE THOSE WHOSE LAWLESS DEEDS HAVE BEEN FORGIVEN, AND WHOSE SINS HAVE BEEN COVERED. "BLESSED IS THE MAN WHOSE SIN THE LORD WILL NOT TAKE INTO ACCOUNT."

Do Paul and James contradict each other? I plan to spend a number of posts answering that question. Today I will lay the foundation by defining the doctrine of justification by faith alone.

Justification is a once for all time declaration of God that the one believing in Jesus is righteous. The believer has come into a right relationship with God.

But a right relationship with God must be based on righteousness and because all men are sinners we have no righteousness. Where does this righteousness come from?

Though the sinner has no righteousness of his own, God imputes to him righteousness. It is not a righteousness based on works or human effort. It is a righteousness foreign to the sinner. In other words, God declares sinners to be righteous even though we are not righteous. It is God’s declaration of righteousness which forms the basis for a sinner’s right relationship with Him.

God demands righteousness. But the righteousness God demands, God supplies as a free gift of His grace. God accomplishes this “...through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus;" (Romans 3:24 NASB). God punished Jesus on the cross for our sin. Jesus paid it all. Christ's death eliminated the believer’s sin debt. But even with our sin debt paid we have no positive righteousness with which to merit God's favor. Because the believer remains a sinner he is unable to accrue any righteous merit by his sin tainted good works. If all that Christ did was to die to pay our sin debt, we would still be left without a righteous standing upon which to base a right relationship with God.

Jesus lived a perfect sinless life of obedience to God the Father. The righteous life of Jesus is the source of the righteousness that God freely imputes to our account. All our sin was laid to the account of Jesus. God imputed to Jesus the sin of the world. God declared Christ to be a sinner even though He is righteous. In the same way, when a sinner puts his trust for eternal life in the Person and finished work of Jesus Christ, God imputes to his account the merits of Christ’s righteous life. God declares the sinner to be righteous even though he is a sinner. The sinner enjoys a right relationship with God based on the righteous merits of Jesus.

The obedience of Christ was both active and passive. During His life, Christ actively kept the law of God perfectly. In His death Christ passively paid the penalty for the violation of God’s law. The evidence that Christ’s righteous life and sacrificial death was sufficient for the justification of sinners is His resurrection from the dead. “He who was delivered up because of our transgressions, and was raised because of our justification.” (Romans 4:25 NASB).

Because Christ has paid the penalty for sin God’s righteous judgment has been satisfied. God remains just in that He has not failed to judge sin. And having judged the believer’s sin God now imputes to the believer the righteous life of Christ. He declares the sinner to be righteous. “...He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.” (Romans 3:26 NASB)

Finally, I want to note a few passages that demonstrate that the sinner’s justification before God is not by works:

(Romans 3:20-24 NASB) because by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight; for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin. But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus;

(Romans 3:28 NASB)For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law.

(Romans 4:2-5 NASB) For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about; but not before God. For what does the Scripture say? "AND ABRAHAM BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS RECKONED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS." Now to the one who works, his wage is not reckoned as a favor, but as what is due. But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is reckoned as righteousness,

Now tell me, “Doth this Offend You?”

How “Doth this Offend You?” Works

2006-01-21T10:20:00.000-08:00

First, I want to say a few things about me. I’m married with anywhere from 1 to 6 children depending on how you count them.

My occupation is in law enforcement (and that’s all I have to say about that).

I’m involved in Christian ministry. I direct the Sunday morning children’s ministry program at my local church. I’m a disciple maker in an evangelism and discipleship training program with my local church. And I teach an adult Bible study at my home twice a month.

This blog will primarily focus on the Bible and theology. I write thing that interest me. If you read it and enjoy it, learn from it, or have any other reaction to it that will be secondary to my purpose. My purpose is to write whatever I want to write.

I will post twice a week (Tuesday and Friday) as my schedule allows.

The content will include my comments on current theological trends, excerpts from Bible studies I teach, and quotes from others I believe are worth quoting.

If you do happen to read this blog, let me know in the comments section. You can just tell me that you are reading, you can tell me that you like what you are reading, or you can tell me you don’t like what you are reading.

I also see this as a learning process for me. If I am in error in anyway that can be shown from the Bible please correct me.

You can comment on anything I write, but please tell me “Doth this Offend You?”

COMING SOON

2006-01-19T19:02:00.000-08:00

Doth this Offend You? will begin soon.