Attracting the Masses or God's Elect?

Thursday, January 30, 2009
Dear Fellow Travelers,
The Scriptures are rather clear regarding God’s calling for Paul (the apostle): “ . . . he is a chosen instrument of Mine, to bear My name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel” (Acts 9:15). Having read that, I am assuming that this means that his assignment was to spread the good news of Jesus (the Gospel!) throughout a major part of the world and to quite a diverse group of people.
After a careful reading Paul’s writings, it is obvious that my assumption is correct, as he traveled miles and miles and miles, over land and sea, doing just that he was born to do. However, he had a very strange way of doing it. To say the very least, he would have failed “Evangelism 101” in anyone’s modern-day seminary. It appears that he did everything possible to discourage people from buying-in” to his cause, rather than doing what he could to encourage people to join his cause! It seems to me that, at the very least, he could have told them what a wonderful, happy, healthy, prosperous life they could have, if only they would invite Jesus into their hearts. This was not to be; in fact, he did just the opposite.
“The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of god, and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him in order that we may also be glorified with Him. For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us” (Romans 8:16-18; NASB; emphasis added). Yes, indeed, if God had called me to “win the world for Jesus,” to bear His name to the multitudes, this is precisely the approach I would use. Yea, right!! I can hear the invitation now: If you will just invite Jesus into your heart, I can promise you a lifetime of incredible, gut-wrenching suffering, but, not to worry, because the suffering you will be called upon to endure cannot be compared to the glory that will be revealed to you in the sweet by-and-by! Come on down—confess, repent, and seek forgiveness!
“But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish in order that I may gain Christ, and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith, that I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being con-formed to His death, in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead” (Philippians 3:7-11; NASB; emphasis, added). This one should really get the job of evangelism done; why, I cannot imagine a more effective invitation. I can hear it now: If you will just give your heart to Jesus, I can promise you that you will not only suffer the loss of all the things you have gained, you will suffer the loss of everything, and count all of the loss as dung! I can also promise you that you will be blessed to join in the fellowship of HIS sufferings, even be conformed to HIS death! Come on down! Walk the aisle! Confess, repent, and seek forgiveness!
I could go on and on, but I will stop here, however, before I do, let me remind you that Jesus’ modus operandi was worse than Paul’s ever thought about being—much worse!
My question: Why does the church think it must turn the offensive gospel into some-thing less offensive? Why does the church think it is acceptable to present the gospel to the masses in a way that will attract them? Why does the church think it must remove the stumbling stone, the rock of offense, from the gospel? Does it not know that that stone, that rock, is Jesus? A better question: Where did the church get permission to turn the offensive gospel into some fairy tale that guarantees health, wealth, happiness, prosperity, and suffering-free living? It does NOT have that permission!
Yesterday, one of my church members, responding to one of my perspectives, said this: You always bring us back to the cross. I responded to him with this: You just handed me the highest compliment I have ever received, as a preacher. I meant that be-cause I sincerely believe the church needs to bring her people back to the cross—the offensive, rugged cross—sermon after sermon after sermon.
The church has never been called to tell people how to live a better life; instead, it has been called to preach the offensive gospel! It has never been commissioned to “do whatever it can to attract the masses”; instead, it has been commissioned to offend the masses with the glorious truth of the Gospel.
Religion attracts the masses and offends God’s elect; the Gospel offends the masses and attracts God’s elect. Go figure-

Instructions or The Good News?

Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Dear Fellow Travelers,
To be sure, the Pharisees were zealously committed to the Scriptures (the part they had!) but they missed the point: THE BIBLE IS NOT AN INSTRUCTION MANUAL FOR HOLY LIVING! Regardless, the Jewish leaders were fully persuaded that the Bible was their “Handbook to Happiness!” They had (in their opinions!) correctly interpreted the Law (of Moses, aka The Ten Commandments); consequently, all their followers had to do in order to please God, to be happy, to live a “blessed” life, to avoid the penalty for sin, to have eternal life was to read and, then, obey the instruction manual. How simple could it get? As a test, try obeying the 210 Rules for Keeping the Sabbath Holy, that they had to obey. On second thought, go back and read the book of Leviticus and just try to understand the rules, forget about trying to obey them! Let me know how you do.
So much for the Pharisees. What about the typical, modern-day Christian? Oh, to be sure, we are zealously committed to the Scriptures, and like the Pharisees, we (for the most part) sincerely believe that we will find not only eternal life in them, but also happiness, blessings, prosperity, health, et al. Interestingly, this is the very thing that Jesus was at-tempting to correct for the Pharisees, so maybe we, too, should pay attention. “You search the Scriptures, because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is these that bear witness of Me; and you are unwilling to come to Me, that you may have life” (John 5:39-40; NASB).
Folks, when we reduce the Bible to life’s instruction manual, we trivialize it into nothing more than “good ideas for better living,” making man the central character, rather than Jesus. Yes, the Scriptures contain many good instructions for our lives, instructions that, when followed, can make an incredibly positive difference in our lives. Consider these as examples: “Pray for your enemies”; “Owe no man anything but to love one another”; “Judge not, that you be not judged”; “Be kind to one another”; and “Do all things without grumbling”.
Now be honest: Of all the sermons you have heard, how many were crafted in such a manner, as to present the Bible as THE instruction manual for better, even holy, living? How many times have you heard something similar to this, as you listened to a sermon: Obey these three principles and your marriage will improve; or obey these five principles and you will be financially free; or obey these seven (perfect number) principles and your children will make you proud. I am betting that most of what you have heard (with the possible exception of “revival week”) falls into this framework. Of course, you have to find out the “hard way” that following the principles does NOT always produce the promised result.
Until the Holy Spirit allowed me to see the Scriptures as the revelation of Jesus, the revelation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, I saw them as THE instruction manual for better, even holy, living; consequently, I read them, studied them, and preached them to that end. How often I have wished I could somehow “undo” the damage I did, especially to those who were on the receiving end of my study and preaching.
When, however, He allowed me to see that to which I was blinded, the Scriptures came alive to me; for the first time in my life, they were making sense to me. I realized that I had had the “cart before the horse”! I realized that what people needed to hear was not how to live a better life; instead, they (we!) needed to hear the gospel of Jesus Christ. After all, IT is the power of God for salvation (justification, sanctification, and glorification)—to the Jew first but also to the Greek (Gentile)!
For some reason, the church today seems to think that once the Gospel is preached and believed, it is then time to give instructions on how to live the Christian life. Sadly, even the “gospel” is often preached in terms that communicate this tragic and false message: Becoming a Christian and, then, living a life that is pleasing to God will guarantee a better, happier life, in the here and now. In my opinion, this is tragic! Why? Because it is NOT true! Ask Paul!
In my opinion, The Gospel of Jesus Christ should be preached often, as in very often, not only to the lost, but also (and especially) to believers! Why? Because it is so easy to be manipulated into using the Bible, merely as an instruction manual, and losing sight of this fundamental truth: God has a much higher dream for my life (and yours) than mere happiness in the here and now. His dream for me is that I find ultimate fulfillment in the Person of Jesus Christ, who is revealed in the Scriptures, even the Gospel. I must be reminded that Jesus is the main character in the Scriptures, the One who came, not to give me a book of instructions, but to rescue me from sin and death!

Watch Me, Jesus, and You Will Be Proud!

Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Dear Fellow Travelers,
Why is it so difficult for us to realize that we simply cannot please God, try as we might? Maybe it is because most church-goers have been thoroughly taught that it is their responsibility to live in such a manner, as to please God. To be sure, they have been given the list of things to do and to avoid doing that make pleasing Him possible. Of course, this list varies according to the paradigm out of which the teacher teaches. Admittedly, to the casual onlooker, this sounds both reasonable and feasible, even honorable. Sadly, I know many long-time Christians who have spent their entire Christian lives striving to do the “right” things and avoid the “wrong” things, in order to please God. Most even believe they are doing a pretty good job at it! Really!
Sadly, a “pretty good job” is not nearly good enough, not even close; in fact, it doesn’t even warrant a second glance from God! First runner-up is simply a loser according to God’s system of record keeping; it makes no positive impression on Him whatsoever. I might add, Jesus never did appreciate self-righteousness (which is exactly what our attempts at pleasing God are!). Please allow me to set the record straight: God’s standard is perfection, and nothing short of that is acceptable—never has been, never will be! “There-fore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matthew 5:48; NASB). Remember? The Lamb had to be without even so much as a blemish! So, if you think you are going to please God by your behavior, you might do well to remember His standard.
If this is your mission, you are in good company, as this is precisely what Israel had in mind. “And all the people answered together and said, ‘All that the Lord has spoken we will do’” (Exodus 19:8; NASB)! If you have any knowledge of the Scriptures at all, you know the rest of that story! Actually, the Pharisees were pretty good at doing what these Jews promised, but as you know, they flunked the test—miserably (read Matthew 23!). Paul said this about himself: “. . . as to the righteousness which is in the Law, found blameless” (Philippians 3:6; NASB; emphasis mine). Hey, that is “perfect,” BUT it is perfect self-righteousness, which in God’s view is as offensive as a woman’s dirty menstrual rag (strange how we seem to adore what He finds offensive)! Listen to Paul’s next statement: “But whatever was gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ” (vs. 7). Hmmmm . . . that sucks, well it does for those who think they are doing a good job.
To add insult to injury (obviously, without us knowing it!), Jesus came along and said this: “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another. By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:34-35; NASB). As if that were not enough, He also said, “This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you” (John 15:12; NASB; emphasis added). And we came along, read this, and said, “Wow! This simplifies everything; I can do this! Now, I can please God! Hallelujah! Watch me, Jesus, and you will be proud!”
As you might imagine, Jesus didn’t stop with this; instead, He continued with these encouraging, warm, fuzzy, creative words: “Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for His friends. You are My friends, IF you do what I command you” (John 15:13-14; NASB, emphasis mine). Love others, as He loves us? I do not think so! Not even close! Honestly, now, unless you are a narcissist, you have to admit that being Jesus’ friend “ain’t no piece of cake”; in fact, it is completely out of our reach!
The fact is this: we desperately need a Savior, aka Jesus! Without embracing His finished work, we do not have a snow ball’s chance in hell (pun intended!).
In the end, Christianity is not about our bragging on ourselves; instead, it is altogether about bragging on Jesus—the author and finisher of our faith! Go ahead and GET OVER YOURSELF!
Listen up! If you have been born of the Spirit of God (His doing, not yours!), then you are already pleasing Him, not because of what you might do, or might not do for that matter, but because of what He has done for you! God takes great pleasure in Jesus, not because of what He does or does not do, but because He is His Son, the One in whom He is well-pleased!
Please, stop talking about what you are doing for Him, and, instead, talk about what He has done for you!

Enough about Us; Let's Talk about Him!

Monday, January 26, 2009
Dear Fellow Travelers,
The following is a quote from a book I am reading, a book that I highly recommend that you read: “The church exists in order to change the subject from us and our deeds to God and His deeds of salvation, from our various missions to save the world to Christ’s mission that has already accomplished redemption. He sends us into the world, to be sure, but not to save it. Rather He sends us into the world to witness to Christ as the only Savior and to love and serve our neighbor in our secular vocations. Evil lies not outside us but inside; it is salvation that comes from outside ourselves. Nothing the church does extends, completes, or fulfills Christ’s all-sufficient, once-and-for-all, completed work of living, dying, and rising for sinners. So enough about us! We are the sinners He saves, not the redeemers He inspires. That is the content of our witness, which is why we are heralds of the Good News rather than mere purveyors of good advice” [Michael Horton, “Christless Christianity: The Alternative Gospel of the American Church” (Grand Rapids: Baker, 2008), 141].
How could I ever forget the day I realized that God had not called me to “win the world for Jesus,” but to merely (and simply, thankfully) preach the Gospel? Prior to that moment, I was fully convinced that every additional “notch” I added to the spine of my Bible made a huge impression on God; consequently, I was busy “MAKING converts” and, thus, adding names in the Lamb’s Book of Life. Tragically, I was devoting almost all of my energy into carrying out a task that was not mine. Until that incredible moment in my life, Christianity was about what I could do for Him, not about what He had done for me. Talk about deception!
As you might imagine, because I was convinced that I was called to “win the world for Jesus,” I was also convinced that I had been called to tell those I won how to live a much better life, aka the Christian life. The truth is, every preacher/teacher I heard in those formative years of my life was fully persuaded that Jesus came to be a role model, a role model that, if followed, would result in a truly blessed and prosperous life. You can guess the fruit of that mindset: a long list of “dos” and “don’ts” that were gleaned from not only the Ten Commandments, but also from the life of Jesus. There were a few problems: (1) no two Christians had the same list, which made things difficult to say the least, but, rest assured, I was convinced that MY list was The Correct List; (2) hypocrisy was prevalent be-cause I had to pretend that I was actually obedient to my certified-correct list!
How great I am, how great I am! Lord, I am more beautiful than silver; Lord I am more costly than gold! Come Holy Spirit, You need me! I love to tell my story of unseen things above, of me and my glory . . .! My faith looks up to me, the lamb of Calvary! ‘Tis so sweet to trust in me, just to take me at my word! Sound familiar?
ENOUGH ABOUT US!! LET US TALK ABOUT HIM!

God's Stimulus Plan!

Saturday, January 24, 2009
Dear Fellow Travelers,
This morning, I read Psalm 96 and was blown away, especially by the last three verses: “Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice; let the sea roar, and all it contains; let the field exult, and all that is in it. Then all the trees of the forest will sing for joy before the Lord, for He is coming; for He is coming to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness, and the peoples in His faithfulness” (Psalm 96:11-13; emphasis mine). BE GLAD, REJOICE, ROAR, EXULT, SING FOR JOY because He is coming! Wow!
You know, it really concerns me that so many church-goers sincerely believe the false teaching that “God helps those who help themselves.” What they are really saying is this: If you do not do your part, then do not expect any help from God! Now, I can understand this mindset, when it comes to welfare; but for the life of me, I cannot understand it, when it comes to the gospel.
As you know, our welfare system is broken, and it is because the US congress has promoted a system that says, “The less you do, the more help we will give to you.” Now, I am very much in favor of helping those, who really need help; however, I have long-since been fed up with giving “entitlements” to those who have no intentions of ever doing anything. In my opinion, they are “entitled” to nothing—absolutely nothing. I might add: this nation is overpopulated with those who fit into this category. Again, in my opinion, every welfare office should have a placard hanging over the door that reads: “If You Aren’t Willing to Work, Then Do Not Waste Your Time by Crossing This Threshold!” And while I am on this subject, there is a way—a very good way—to eliminate much of the cost of welfare: Require that welfare recipients be alcohol and drug free (random blood tests will save billions!). Oh, I forgot: this would violate their “rights”!
Where am I going with this? Unless there is a major turn, and I do mean major turn, in the direction our government is heading, we will soon be a socialistic nation. Unless, something drastic happens—soon—the US government will control every aspect of our lives. At the present moment, this might not seem important, but it is very, very important! Ask those who have had to live under such dire circumstances, and you will find that, well, just ask.
What about those who truly cannot help themselves? Then by all means, let us do whatever is necessary to provide for them, and let us do so with love and compassion. What an incredible privilege that would be, and what a difference it would make in the US Treasury coffers—positive difference! But for those who simply want to be parasites, leeches, and vermin, who spend all day, every day, trying to figure out how to get something for nothing, well, I will keep that to myself!
Interestingly, however, when it comes to the gospel, this is the tack God took: If you think you can save yourself, then plan to do so without My help; however, if you plan to trust Me to save you, then trust Me to do everything. If you think you can help Me save you, then plan to do so without My help; however, if you plan to trust Me to save you, then trust Me to do everything. Interestingly, God does NOT make any attempt to help those who at-tempt to help save themselves; instead, He leaves them completely alone (see Adam & Eve!) to fend for themselves.
On the other hand, to the helpless and hopeless, to those who are very aware of their desperate need for a Savior, One who does EVERYTHING, this is His Word: “Consider the lilies of the field . . . “.
Just for the record: My hope is NOT in the US Government; not in the new administration; not in the “stimulus plan”; instead, it is in the God of Creation, and in His Son, Jesus Christ—the One who died for me because I could do nothing to help myself! I couldn’t believe, I couldn’t choose, I couldn’t behave, I couldn’t ask, I couldn’t work, I couldn’t walk, I couldn’t crawl, I couldn’t follow, I couldn’t do anything—I was dead, and dead folk do nothing! Thankfully, He did not raise the dead; instead, He brought into existence a new creation, one who is alive to Him!
This is God’s stimulus plan and it works for me: “Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice; let the sea roar, and all it contains; let the field exult, and all that is in it. Then all the trees of the forest will sing for joy before the Lord, for He is coming; for He is coming to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness, and the peoples in His faithfulness”!
Jesus is coming again and He is coming without reference to sin! “. . . so Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, shall appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin, to those who eagerly await him” (Hebrews 9:28).

Oops! Sorry, I was so long-winded!! Well, not real sorry, but somewhat sorry.

Set up!

Friday, January 23, 2009
Dear Fellow Travelers,
Today, I spent some time with a couple in my flock, and what a time we had. They are both 80 years old and truly love Jesus. When I walked into their den, I began to hear the familiar music of the Gaithers. My friends were sitting at their kitchen table, not three feet away from their small TV, glued, as it were, to the picture and, especially, to the music. Instead of interrupting, I sat down and joined them. Soon all three of us were crying, as we listen to David Ring speak these words (my version of them): “If you don’t like the way I am, be patient, as I am in the oven and God is in the kitchen, cookin’. One of these days, when He finishes cookin’, He will open the door of that oven, pull me out and say, ‘Well done thy good and faithful servant’” (In case you don’t know, David has Cerebral Palsy!)! Anyway, when he finished speaking, he began to sing this hymn (please read the words carefully, even sing them, if you will): There is coming a day, when no heart aches shall come,
No more clouds in the sky, No more tears to dim the eye, All is peace forever more, On that happy gol-den shore, What a day, glorious day that will be. What a day that will be, When my Jesus I shall see,
And I look upon His face, The One who saved me by His grace; When He takes me by the hand, And leads me through the Promised Land, What a day, glorious day that will be. There'll be no sorrow there,
No more burdens to bear, No more sickness, no pain, No more parting over there; And forever I will be,
With the One who died for me, What a day, glorious day that will be. What a day that will be, When my Jesus I shall see, And I look upon His face, The One who saved me by His grace; When He takes me by the hand, And leads me through the Promised Land, What a day, glorious day that will be!
When you are sitting with two people who are 80 years old, have been married for over 63 years, who have one foot in heaven and the other on a banana peel, and really love Jesus, and they call you “pastor,” well, let me say it this way, the Holy Spirit set me up for quite a time! In those precious moments, my mind was not pondering predestination, election, choice, grace, Baptist, Methodist, Presbyterian, Calvinism, Arminianism, or sanctification; instead, I was basking in the fruit of the glorious fact that I have been redeemed by the blood of the Lamb; I, even I!
These words are still ringing in my heart: When He takes me by the hand and leads me through the promised land, what a day, glorious day that will be. And forever I will be, with the One who died for me! My, my, even the thought that One would die for me!! I dare not ask, “Why?”
I guess I just want you to know that I am very thankful that the Holy Spirit set me up today and, in doing so, reminded me of His indescribable gift. Redeemed, how I love to proclaim it!! Redeemed by the blood of the Lamb. All His doing!! Hallelujah!

Questions, Questions, and More Questions!

Dear Fellow Travelers,
Because of the responses to my recent perspectives, I have been spending an unusual amount of time answering questions: some from believers who, having no agenda, just want to know truth; others from believers, who are out to prove that “they are right and I am wrong”; and others from believers who, for the most part agree but are having a difficult time “putting off the old” and “putting on the new”. Amazingly, I am also receiving many responses from people who are in full agreement, and actually encourage me on! In either case, I trust that the dialogue will continue. It is my determined purpose to respond to your questions in a way that will encourage the dialogue, not discourage it, but it is not always easy to accomplish that, due to the nature of the thesis (opinion) I might be offering, especially when it involves election, predestination, choice, and grace.
Having said that, I can make this one observation: It is very difficult for Christians to relinquish control. For obvious reasons, it is very difficult for those of us who live on planet earth even to consider the possibility that God is God and He can, therefore, do whatever He pleases, however He pleases, whenever He pleases—all without any input from any of us. For some reason, we are fine with His being God, as long as He thinks the way we think and acts in ways that do not offend us. In fact, most denominational doctrines have been built around our attempts to fit God into our world view, rather than our fitting into His world view. In the end (and in the middle, too!), this means that God must also believe what we believe, not the other way around. As you know, we are quite adamant about this, as is evidenced by the division that exists between believers, rather than the unity that should exist.
No, I am not implying that Buddhists and Muslims and Hindus and Christians should be unified around theology, but I am implying that Christians should realize that what we have correctly identified as truth, is so infinitesimally small in comparison to the whole of truth, that there is plenty of room for all of us to be wrong, very wrong, and there is certainly enough room for us to live together in the unity of the Spirit and in the bond of peace. In other words, we should be able to discuss the most difficult of theological matters without becoming enemies, without judging one another, without distancing ourselves from one another, and (especially) without the fear of being rejected.
In other words, I really want to encourage you to ask questions, state your beliefs, argue with me, challenge me, jump up and down with me, and I want you to do so because, well because when Truth finds you, you will be glad you did.

A Couple of Calvinists

Dear Fellow Travelers,
For some of you, I have (of late, at least) been pushing the proverbial “envelope” pretty far, and you have reacted (in love, of course); on the other hand, there are those of you who have been most comfortable, even encouraging me to continue. Truthfully, I enjoy the dialogue, especially when someone is sincerely searching for truth. On the other hand, I really don’t mind the “attacks” that come because I know that truth will stand on its own two feet; thankfully, I do not have to defend it. I really am too old to take on that project!
It is sad, however, that many people are so convinced that their belief system is absolutely, positively correct, that they cannot fellowship with those who disagree with them. It makes me wonder if they realize just how prideful that stance really is; after all, God is The Creator and The Sustainer of this universe. In light of that fact, I have the strong feeling that not one of us has even scratched the surface, when it comes to knowing theological truth. To be sure, this writer is well-aware of his ignorance, and the older he becomes, the more he realizes just how little he knows. Thankfully, the older I become, the more I realize that it is really OK for me to know little, and it really doesn’t disappoint God because He already knows it. Imagine that!
Anyway, yesterday I had lunch with a dear friend, a comrade in theology (he is every bit as Calvinistic as I am; maybe even more so, if that were possible!), and we had a great time. He is better read than I am, but I can almost keep up with him, most of the time. His working knowledge of the Scriptures is far above most folk that I know, (yes, including me, which really isn’t saying much!), but most of the time, I do know from whence he cometh and can, therefore, continue the dialogue.
Now, you have to understand this: We both bleed Calvinism. I know that some people bleed “red & black” and others bleed “blue & gold” and some don’t bleed at all, but we bleed Calvinism. Truth is, neither of us like to be placed in such a pigeon hole, but doing so in the moment simplifies my making my point, if you know what I mean by Calvinism. If not I will help you. Do you remember the acronym T U L I P? Well, again, if you don’t, I will help you: Total depravity; Unconditional election; Limited atonement; Irresistible grace; and Perseverance of the Saints. Just to set the record straight, some prefer Definite atonement but that ruins the acronym! (It is the foundation of the Baptist doctrine but they don’t know it!)
My Point: Although both of us are well-aware of our ignorance and our need to be teachable, iron does sharpen iron, especially when there is love and freedom! Because I love him and because I have the freedom to do so, I want to ask you to pray for my friend, as he listens to that still, small Voice.

No Contingencies!

Dear Fellow Travelers,
The truth is most believers cringe even at the thought that God would exclude anyone from the opportunity of being saved (justified by faith). As a result, the overwhelming majority of those who call themselves Christians believe (1) that Jesus shed His blood for everyone; (2) that God extends the invitation for salvation to everyone; and (3) that it is up to the individual to choose whether or not he/she will accept it and, thus, experience justification by faith. Unfortunately, there is a significant problem with this mindset: it places the onus for justification on man, not on God, and it allows for man by his choice to determine the efficaciousness (the power to produce a desired and positive result) of the sacrificial blood of Jesus, not blood itself.
Allow me to place this example on our “table of discussion”: Jesus shed his blood for our beloved John Doe and extended the offer of salvation to him. John, however, repeatedly refused to accept the invitation, and he, eventually, died and went to hell. At this point, we must face a couple of theological conundrums: (1) the blood of Jesus was not efficacious for John Doe, which, to say the least, is puzzling and confusing, or (2) the efficaciousness of Jesus’ blood was in John Doe’s choice, not in the blood itself, which is just as puzzling and confusing; in fact, both are completely unacceptable. The sacrificial blood of Jesus is ALWAYS efficacious, contingent upon nothing—absolutely nothing!
Now, IF we are going to conclude, like most, that Jesus shed His blood for everyone and IF we are going to conclude that God extends His invitation for salvation to everyone, and IF we are going to conclude that it is up to the individual to choose whether or not to accept God’s invitation, then we must also conclude (1) that everyone is Heaven bound (no one is going to hell), or (2) that God is, somehow, the victim of man’s choice. Obviously, neither of these conclusions is acceptable Biblically.
Listen carefully to this passage from the ministry of the early church: “And when the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord; and as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed” (Acts 13:48; emphasis mine). Who believed? As many as had been appointed to eternal life believed! Who appointed them? Go figure!
If that doesn’t convince you, consider this: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him” (Ephesians 1:3-4; emphasis mine).
Indeed, you have a choice, but it is confined to the parameters of God’s providence, and for that you should be forever grateful; otherwise, you would be forever damned be-cause you would never choose Him. Remember this? “I chose you; you did not choose Me!”

One or the Other!

Dear Fellow Travelers,
Today, I want to take a brief detour from our study of Hebrews 10, in order to clarify something that some seem to fail to understand and that “something” is this: From the Garden of Eden until the return of Jesus, there have been and will continue to be only two kinds of people—the redeemed and the rest.
Contrary to popular opinion, not everyone belongs to the family of God, i.e. not eve-ryone is redeemed, far from it. Thankfully, it is not my job to judge who is in His family and who is not, but this is for certain: some belong to another family, namely, the family of Adam. The truth is this: all of us are physically born into Adam’s family and, thus, have his seed in our loins; however, as the result of Jesus’ vicarious death, burial, resurrection, and ascension, some of us die and are born again into the family of God—altogether His doing—and now have His seed in our loins, which makes us His children!
Furthermore, belonging to His family is by invitation only—His invitation, not an altar call, even an intense one—and believers, in spite of their desires, do not cause Him to adjust His list of invitees. He prepared His list of invitees before the foundation of the world, and He did so without our influence. Obviously, this tells us much about the manipulative schemes of evangelical evangelism! If anyone could have talked God into adding some of His friends to the list, Paul could; however, even he could not get it done (read Romans 9:1-5). Oh, yes, I know what you are thinking (quoting!): “Whoever will may come” and “Whoever believes in Him might have eternal life”! Unfortunately, you are placing the emphasis on the “whoever” and not on the “will” and the “believe”.
You see, when we were in Adam’s family, we were dead to God and, consequently, it was impossible for us to “will” (desire) to come to Him, just as it was impossible for us to believe in Him. Dead is dead, and dead neither wills nor believes, especially in that to which it is dead! So, we can say that “whoever wills may come”; in fact, we can say that “whoever wills WILL come, no doubt about it; however, we must quickly add that only those who are on God’s Invitation List can “will” to come. Of course, we must also quickly add that even those cannot come, until He moves them from death to life! At this point, they do have a choice, but only ONE choice—to live in Christ as a member of God’s redeemed family, with all of its benefits and privileges (and they are many).
You (whomever you are!) are either one of God’s elect or you are not, and there is nothing you can do about that—period. Strangely, if you are not, you have no desire to do anything about it, anyway! If you are, I can almost promise you that this “perspective” has stirred your emotions.

A Better Way of Life?

Dear Fellow Travelers,
Who deserves the most severe punishment? We all do!!—every last one of us—which is why we do NOT want God to be fair. “What then? Are we better than they? Not at all; for we have already charged that both Jews and Greeks (you and I) are all under sin, as it is written, ‘There is none righteous, not even one (this includes you and me, especially me); there is none who understands (why can’t we get this?), there is none who seeks for God (so much for the ‘seeker-friendly’ mentality that pervades the church today); all have turned aside, together they have become useless (gosh!); there is none who does good, there is not even one (eliminates you and me, even the Pope!)’” (Romans3:9-12; parenthetical comments, mine).
You see, the poor, old chap who was stoned to death for picking up sticks got what he deserved because he fell into the above category, not because he violated one of the Ten Commandments. He, like you and I, was born in Adam—a sinner, who could not make it on his own, especially, if doing something as benign as picking up sticks would cause him to fail the test for righteousness. You see, his birth was his problem, NOT his behavior. He could not please God by keeping the rules because keeping rules does not please God—never has, never will. It is only Jesus, who pleases God, and, thankfully, He pleased Him in your behalf, i.e. IF (and only IF) you are one of those He chose for redemption.
It is obvious to me (and I have been around the block a time or two!) that the mes-sage of the church today (sadly!) is that Jesus came to show us how to live a better life, to be an example for us to follow, to help us improve our ability to obey the Ten Commandments. Folks, this is NOT why Jesus came, not even close! The message of the gospel is not what most seem to think; it is not “if you obey God, He will bless you with health, wealth, and wisdom”! Listen up! Jesus came because God knew that were incapable of righteousness on our own! He came to accomplish for you what you not only could never accomplish on our own, but also what you did not desire (and could not desire) to accomplish on your own, or with His help for that matter. He came to create a new creation in Christ Jesus, not a remodeled version of a corpse (we are born into the world dead to God!). As an embalmer, I “remodel” corpses all the time, but, inevitably, when I finish, all I have is a dressed-up dead man (or woman). Trust me, God did much more than that for His elect! He gave us the very life of Jesus!!
By the way, if you are one of those who believes that Jesus came to show you a better way to live your life, you are also one of those who tramples underfoot the Son of God and regards the blood of the New Covenant as unclean, and insults the Spirit of grace.
Please give this some thought--

Who Deserves What?

Dear Fellow Travelers,
Continuing from yesterday: In light of our foolish desire for God to be fair, who deserves the most severe punishment, those who pick up sticks on the Sabbath, or those who trample underfoot the Son of God, and regard the blood of the New Covenant as unclean, and insult the Spirit of grace? Yes, I know—the latter, not the former, as he was punished far beyond any semblance of fairness. Why in the world would a loving God want to dole out such harsh punishment, for such a minor infraction? (The answer to that is important!)
Let me “modernize” my question with this: Who deserves the most severe punishment, the cashiers that work at Wal-Mart on Sunday, or the church-goers, who judge the cashiers for working on Sunday? Careful!
Now listen up: there is not one, single thing in the Bible that tells us not to work at Wal-Mart on Sunday—nothing, nada, zilch; however, there is much that tells us not to judge one another. The church, however, never says much about judging (I wonder why!), but it is constantly preaching the dangers of failing to keep the Sabbath Day holy! Will we ever learn that the Sabbath in no longer a day of the week, but the Person of Jesus? Hmmmm-
Let me put a slightly different twist on my question: Who deserves the most severe punishment, those who teach that our keeping the Ten Commandments is an essential part of our justification and sanctification, or those who teach that our keeping the Ten Commandments has nothing whatsoever to do with our justification and righteousness? Re-member: throughout church history, heretics have never been treated very kindly, so be careful how you answer!
One more time: Who deserves the most severe punishment, those who teach that it is our responsibility to faithfully use our energies to win the world to Jesus, or those who teach that the gospel is the power of God for salvation, and leave the “winning” to Him? I will tell you this: the former group is much larger than the latter—much larger!
Now, in the above, I have given you some examples of “trampling underfoot the Son of God,” of “regarding as unclean the blood of the covenant,” and of “insulting the Spirit of Grace.” Can you identify them?
Finally, which group deserves the most severe punishment?

Yes, I will continue this on the morrow!!

What Punishment Do We Deserve?

Dear Fellow Travelers,
Although I have read this verse many, many times and taught it’s meaning to a host of people, it still affects me like few others: “How much severer punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled underfoot the Son of God, and has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit of grace” (Hebrews 10:29; emphasis added; NASB)?
As you know, the author is contrasting the punishment these sinners deserve with the punishment the Jews actually received when they disobeyed the Law (not only the Ten Commandments, but also all of the interpretations the Jewish leaders imposed upon them). For example, each of you remembers the story of the man who was caught picking up sticks on the Sabbath, and, as the result, was condemned to death by stoning (please read Numbers 15:32-36). In my mind, this was a rather harsh sentence for such a minor infraction; however, God was his judge and this is what He had to say: “The man shall surely be put to death; all the congregation shall stone him with stones outside the camp” (vs. 35).
Hopefully, you already see this; however, just in case you missed it, I will make it evident: When one is living by the Law, grace is scarce, as scarce as hen’s teeth. It would be quite a stretch to even imply that God was being gracious to this chap! The fact is this: He got what he deserved!
Yes, I know you are asking how could he have deserved such a harsh sentence for such a minor infraction, but let me remind you that in God’s economy there are no minor infractions—none whatsoever! Oh, we think we want God to be fair, especially, if He is going to judge us, but please believe this: you really do not want Him to be fair. Should He decide to be fair, every one of us would wind up in hell, and we would be receiving exactly what we deserved.
Now, this is our question: In light of our desire for God to be fair, how much worse punishment do you think those deserve, who have trampled underfoot the Son of God, and have regarded the blood of the New Covenant as unclean, and have insulted the Spirit of grace, as compared to the punishment the man who picked up the sticks received?
Please give this some thought, and I will continue tomorrow-

Insulting the Spirit of Grace!

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

Dear Fellow Travelers,
Yesterday, I promised to continue what I started, so here goes. As a reminder, here is the text: “For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a certain terrifying expectation of judgment, and the fury of a fire which will consume the adversaries. Anyone who has set aside the Law of Moses dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. How much severer punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled underfoot the Son of God, and has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit of grace? For we know Him who said, ‘Vengeance is Mine, I will repay.’ And again, ‘The Lord will judge His people.’ It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God’ (vss. 26-31).
First, it is very, very important that we accept the sacrifice for sins that Jesus made in our behalf; otherwise, we will live in the fear of that terrifying expectation of judgment, to which the author of Hebrews refers, and rightly so. Yes, most Christians will quickly say that they accept His sacrifice, but the fact is most do not. Herein lies the deception: they accept His sacrifice but only as partial payment for their sins, adding not only their futile attempts at keeping the Law, but also their own confessing, repenting, and asking for forgiveness, in order to complete the “deal.”
Now listen up! There is NO “deal”—period! God does not make deals; He is not in the used car business. Here is the fact: When we add anything to the finished work of Jesus, we are refusing to accept His sacrifice for our sins; thereby, trampling underfoot the Son of God AND regarding as unclean the blood of the covenant by which we were sanctified (made holy), not to mention, INSULTING THE SPIRIT OF GRACE!
Here is another fact: In the days of the Old Covenant, anyone who set aside (disobeyed) the Law of Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. Since that is true, how much more severe punishment do you think those deserve who are trampling underfoot the Son of God, AND regarding as unclean the blood of the covenant by which we were sanctified (made holy), AND INSULTING THE SPIRIT OF GRACE? The answer is rather obvious! A much more severe punishment is warranted—very much more!
Stop making things so complicated and so self-centered; instead, simply, accept His sacrifice for your sins, adding nothing, as it is perfect and complete, completely satisfying God’s requirement for our justification, sanctification, and glorification!
Remember: GRACE says we do not get what we deserve! Hallelujah!

Terrifying Expectation?

Dear Fellow Travelers,
Yes, there is another “strange doctrine” that Hebrews 10 clears up for us and it is this: If, after receiving the good news of the gospel, you should continue willfully sinning, you can certainly expect to burn in Hell’s furious fire; after all, it is a terrifying thing to fall into the hand of the living God. This is a “strange doctrine” indeed—even heretical!
OK, let us be honest: if this “ strange doctrine” is true, then every last one of us should rush out an purchase a high-tech asbestos suit because we are headed for that furious fire, like a loaded freight train, going downhill without brakes—even worse. Come on guys and gals—fess up! Every time we disobey God (which is often!), we do so willfully! Listen, we need our Savior—all day and every day! Without the benefit of His finished work, working in our behalf, we would be in serious trouble—very serious—but thanks be to God, that benefit is perfect and complete. We, therefore, never again need to live, even for a moment, in the terrifying expectation of God’s wrath—never again!
This is what the author of Hebrews says about this (listen carefully, or you will miss it!): “For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a certain terrifying expectation of judgment, and the fury of a fire which will consume the adversaries. Anyone who has set aside the Law of Moses dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. How much severer punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled underfoot the Son of God, and has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit of grace? For we know Him who said, ‘Vengeance is Mine, I will repay.’ And again, ‘The Lord will judge His people.’ It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God’ (vss. 26-31).
Now, with that I am going to make a simple comment, encourage you to give it some thought, and continue this tomorrow: The author of Hebrews is simply reminding us that there is but one sacrifice for our sins, and if we reject that sacrifice, there is no other; consequently, in our effort to find one, we will find ourselves living in that terrifying expectation of judgment, and being cast into that furious fire. [NOTE what he did NOT say!]
I will add this: There are many, many church-goers who, because they reject that one Sacrifice, live in that terrifying state 24/7!

Cease Striving and Enjoy!

Dear Fellow Travelers,
Yes, I know it is Saturday afternoon and many of your are watching a football game; however, I do want to get one more “Hebrew’s clarification of strange doctrines” in before the day is done. This is the strange doctrine: Confessing, repenting, and asking God for forgiveness are essentials for the believer’s continued sanctification [Please note that I said this is a strange doctrine, as in erroneous, false doctrine].
You see, this is another of those man-centered doctrines that places the onus for the believer’s continued sanctification directly upon the believer, rather than where it belongs—upon God. Yes, they do have a place but that is for another perspective, and, just for the record, their place is probably not what you think.
Anyway, if confessing, repenting, and seeking forgiveness are our means to continued sanctification (righteousness), then we really do not need Jesus, unless, of course, we take the position that righteousness is the result of both of us making our respective contributions, which is the epitome of heresy. The fact is this: we have nothing to contribute, absolutely nothing, that could even hint at assisting in our being justified, or in our continued righteousness. I find it incredible that most (well, many) believers readily confess that justification is accomplished by grace alone, through faith alone, in Jesus alone, but few act as if that were true, regarding either their justification or their sanctification. The mentality is typically this: I must do my part, so God can (will) do His part. Talk about self-righteousness! Whatever happened to grace?
This is what the author of Hebrews has to say: “By this will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all . . . For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified. And the Holy Spirit also bears witness to us; for after saying, ‘This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the Lord; I will put My laws upon their heart, and upon their mind I will write them,’ He then says, ‘And their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.’ Now where there is forgiveness of these things, there is no longer any offering for sin” (vss. 10, 14-18).
The fact is this: Jesus did far more for us than most of us have been willing to accept, and, consequently, we live far-short of the abundant life He died to provide for us. Guilt rules and reigns, and in an effort to rid ourselves of it, we confess, repent, and seek forgiveness from the God, who has already not only forgiven us, but also raised us up with Him and seated us in Christ at His right hand in the heavenly places.
Why not stop striving to become what you already are—as righteous as Jesus is righteous—and begin to enjoy the more abundant life that He died to provide for you?

Behold the Lamb of God!

Dear Fellow Travelers,
Another of the “strange doctrines” that Hebrews 10 clears up for us is this: We must continually be reminded of our sins and of our sinfulness; otherwise, there will be no repen-tance, and our behavior will continue to deteriorate.
Obviously, I cannot speak for you but I can tell you that by the time I was 12 years old, I had heard enough sermons, that reminded me of my sins and of my sinfulness, to have been more than convinced of both. To say the least, I was a very sin-conscious Chris-tian, who had no idea of the righteousness of God in Christ! By the time I reached my 15th birthday, I was fully persuaded that one of the things that marked me as a “good Christian” was my extreme consciousness of my own sin and of my sinfulness. Of course, the fruit of this “strange doctrine” was a very judgmental teenager, one who was quick to see the sin in the lives of others, as well as their sinfulness, and eager to point out both.
As you might imagine, I spent most of my time not only repenting of my sins, but also trying to coerce others into doing the same. In other words, the “altar call” was my best friend, as it gave me plenty of opportunity to do both.
Actually, I would have made a very good Jew, as I would have loved the Day of Atonement. Think about it: Once a year the high priest would enter the Holy of Holies, sprinkle the blood of a sacrificed lamb on the Mercy Seat, thus atoning for the all the sins of Israel for the previous year. He would then figuratively place these sins upon the head of a scapegoat, and another would take the scapegoat and the sins, as far into the wilderness as he possibly could, to lessen the chances of their return! Of course, this was the day of days for the Israelites because the burden of their sins was removed. BUT!
That’s right—BUT! This was an incredible day, BUT it was short lived because the very next step was a step of sin-consciousness, and, sadly, it continued until the next year and the next Day of Atonement. “But in those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins year by year” (Hebrews 10:3). Truthfully, there isn’t much difference between the way I lived my Christian life and the way the Jews lived their Jewish lives, and that is a sad documentary.
There is good reason for this journey in futility and it is this: “For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins” (Hebrews 10:4). Incredible, we know this and, yet, we continue to live, as if the blood of bulls and goats (actually our repentance!) can take away sins. Listen up: There is but ONE cure for our sin problem and it is NOT our repentance, nor is it our sin-consciousness, nor is it anything BUT the blood of Jesus! End of sentence! “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world”! No more con-sciousness of sin; instead I live in the consciousness of His righteousness, imputed to me!

No More Sin Consciousness!

Dear Fellow Travelers,
As you remember, in my last perspective, I noted that Hebrews 10 puts to rest many of the “strange doctrines” that seem to permeate the church, and I offered several exam-ples, that I trust were meaningful to you. Today, I want to point out another of these “strange doctrines” and offer the Hebrews 10 clarification. Hold on to your seat!
This is the “strange doctrine”: God did His part by sending Jesus to die for our sins, paying the penalty in full; as a result, God, graciously, imputed His righteousness to us. We, however, must do our part by striving to live holy lives, i.e., by consistently improving our ability not only to keep the Ten Commandments, but also all of the interpretations of them, that the church imposes. When we fail to “measure up,” which is often, our resulting sin-consciousness (guilt) is God’s way of bringing us back in line (repentance), and, thereby, preventing our losing His imputed righteousness.
As most, if not all, of you know, many of the preachers of the church have taken on the responsibility of being sure that this doctrine is propagated by preaching sermon-after-sermon that is specifically designed to heighten the listener’s awareness of his/her sin-consciousness (guilt). The rationale is this: Making believers feel guilty is the most effective way to get them to repent and turn from their sins. Guilt will always bring them to the altar!
This is the Hebrews 10 clarification: “For the law, since it has only a shadow of the good things to come and not the very form of things, can never by the same sacrifices year by year, which they offer continually, make perfect those who draw near. Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered, because the worshippers, having once been cleansed, would no longer have had consciousness of sin” (Hebrews 10:1-2; emphasis, added)? Hmmmm-
Thankfully, there are those who are seeing the truth and beginning to tell their lis-teners the good news: Jesus did His part and our part and, then, sat down, not because He was tired but because God’s plan of redemption was finished. Having once been cleansed, there is NO MORE SIN CONSCIOUSNESS!
“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1 NASB; emphasis added).
I wonder how this will affect preaching? To be sure, many preachers will be without a message!

A Few Clarifications

Dear Fellow Travelers,
Admittedly, Hebrews 10 is one of my favorite chapters, and it is because it put to rest so many of the “strange doctrines” that seem to permeate the church. Take this passage for example: ‘“Behold I have come to do Thy will.’ He takes away the first in order to establish the second. By this will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all” (vss. 9-10).
Clarification #1: Jesus came to do His Father’s will, i.e., to give His life, as the only acceptable sacrifice, in order that we might be made holy, through His imputed righteousness; He did not come to show us how to live better lives, so we could, eventually, measure up to the Law’s requirement.
Clarification #2: Contrary to popular belief, through His death, burial, resurrection and ascension, Jesus took away the first covenant [the Old Covenant of Law] and established another; namely, the New Covenant, a new and better covenant, with better promises (see. 8:6). In other words, we do NOT live under the Old Covenant of Law; it has no jurisdiction over us [be thankful that it doesn’t!], never has, never will. So get over it! We do not need 10 commandments (or 20 for that matter!); instead, we need the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us!
Clarification #3: Holiness is not something we achieve (acquire); instead, it is something He acquired for us, and freely gave to us—no strings attached. We have been sanctified, not by our works or efforts at better behavior, but through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. Please do not attempt to dilute this by adding, “Yes, but . . .” There is no “yes, but!” Your behavior has no more to do with your being holy than the color of your hair have to do with your appetite. Remarkably, a pig is a pig because of his birth, not because he wallows in slop, eats acorns, has a curly tail, and makes good pork chops. You are holy because of your birth (your second birth into Christ Jesus!), not because you read the Bible every morning, fast every Tuesday, give to the poor on Friday, memorize Psalm 119, refrain from sex before marriage, and refuse to drink booze.
Clarification #4: The offering of the Body of Christ is of far more importance than the church seems to realize, as is evidenced by her continued efforts to manipulate people into behaving according to someone’s set of rules, and thus living more holy lives, rather than, simply, encouraging people to rest in His finished work!
Grace lavished,
Mac