The Epistle to the Philippians

I know I have posted at least the first half of this in multiple installments, but this is the entire first chapter's notes from my Sunday School class. Feedback is appreciated.

Philippians 1:12-18a

12 I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel, 13 so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ. 14 And most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.

It very well may be that the Philippian Christians were disheartened by the imprisonment and persecution of their beloved Apostle, but Paul encourages them. He tells them that his trials are serving to advance the gospel, and this indeed has been the story throughout the history of the church. The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church, and the bloody persecutions endured by the saints has always been an encouragement to perseverance. If you have not already, get a copy of Foxe’s Book of Martyrs, and read it. The stories of our brothers and sisters past enduring the most horrific tribulations with grace, hope and unbelievable courage will stir up anyone to be bold in the cause of Christ.

One great example of the supernatural strengthening given to the persecuted church is found in an early Christian writing known as “The Martyrdom of Polycarp”. Polycarp was a disciple of the Apostle John, and was martyred in A.D. 155. The author of the account is unknown, but it is generally accepted as contemporary to the event. The following excerpt is taken from Kirsopp Lake’s 1912 translation:

Now when he had at last finished his prayer, after remembering all who had ever even come his way, both small and great, high and low, and the whole Catholic Church throughout the world, the hour came for departure, and they set him on an ass, and led him into the city, on a "great Sabbath day." And the police captain Herod and his father Niketas met him and removed him into their carriage, and sat by his side trying to persuade him and saying: "But what harm is it to say, `Lord Caesar,' and to offer sacrifice, and so forth, and to be saved?" But he at first did not answer them, but when they continued he said: "I am not going to do what you counsel me." And they gave up the attempt to persuade him, and began to speak fiercely to him, and turned him out in such a hurry that in getting down from the carriage he scraped his shin; and without turning round, as though he had suffered nothing, he walked on promptly and quickly, and was taken to the arena, while the uproar in the arena was so great that no one could even be heard.

Now when Polycarp entered into the arena there came a voice from heaven: "Be strong, Polycarp, and play the man." And no one saw the speaker, but our friends who were there heard the voice. And next he was brought forward, and there was a great uproar of those who heard that Polycarp had been arrested. Therefore when he was brought forward the Pro-Consul asked him if he were Polycarp, and when he admitted it he tried to persuade him to deny, saying: "Respect your age," and so forth, as they are accustomed to say: "Swear by the genius of Caesar, repent, say: `Away with the Atheists'"; but Polycarp, with a stern countenance looked on all the crowd of lawless heathen in the arena, and waving his hand at them, he groaned and looked up to heaven and said: "Away with the Atheists." But when the Pro-Consul pressed him and said: "Take the oath and I let you go, revile Christ," Polycarp said: "For eighty and six years have I been his servant, and he has done me no wrong, and how can I blaspheme my King who saved me?"

But when he persisted again, and said: "Swear by the genius of Caesar," he answered him: "If you vainly suppose that I will swear by the genius of Caesar, as you say, and pretend that you are ignorant who I am, listen plainly: I am a Christian. And if you wish to learn the doctrine of Christianity fix a day and listen." The Pro-Consul said: "Persuade the people." And Polycarp said: "You I should have held worthy of discussion, for we have been taught to render honour, as is meet, if it hurt us not, to princes and authorities appointed by God. But as for those, I do not count them worthy that a defence should be made to them."

And the Pro-Consul said: "I have wild beasts. I will deliver you to them, unless you repent." And he said: "Call for them, for repentance from better to worse is not allowed us; but it is good to change from evil to righteousness." And he said again to him: "I will cause you to be consumed by fire, if you despise the beasts, unless you repent." But Polycarp said: "You threaten with the fire that burns for a time, and is quickly quenched, for you do not know the fire which awaits the wicked in the judgment to come and in everlasting punishment. But why are you waiting? Come, do what you will.

And with these and many other words he was filled with courage and joy, and his face was full of grace so that it not only did not fall with trouble at the things said to him, but that the Pro-Consul, on the other hand, was astounded and sent his herald into the midst of the arena to announce three times: "Polycarp has confessed that he is a Christian." When this had been said by the herald, all the multitude of heathen and Jews living in Smyrna cried out with uncontrollable wrath and a loud shout: "This is the teacher of Asia, the father of the Christians, the destroyer of our Gods, who teaches many neither to offer sacrifice nor to worship." And when they said this, they cried out and asked Philip the Asiarch to let loose a lion on Polycarp. But he said he could not legally do this, since he had closed the Sports. Then they found it good to cry out with one mind that he should burn Polycarp alive, for the vision which had appeared to him on his pillow must be fulfilled, when he saw it burning, while he was praying, and he turned and said prophetically to those of the faithful who were with him, "I must be burnt alive."

These things then happened with so great speed, quicker than it takes to tell, and the crowd came together immediately, and prepared wood and faggots from the work-shops and baths and the Jews were extremely zealous, as is their custom, in assisting at this. Now when the fire was ready he put off all his clothes, and loosened his girdle and tried also to take off his shoes, though he did not do this before, because each of the faithful was always zealous, which of them might the more quickly touch his flesh. For he had been treated with all respect because of his noble life, even before his martyrdom. 

Immediately therefore, he was fastened to the instruments which had been prepared for the fire, but when they were going to nail him as well he said: "Leave me thus, for He who gives me power to endure the fire, will grant me to remain in the flames unmoved even without the security you will give by the nails."

So they did not nail him, but bound him, and he put his hands behind him and was bound, as a noble ram out of a great flock, for an oblation, a whole burnt offering made ready and acceptable to God; and he looked up to heaven and said: "O Lord God Almighty, Father of thy beloved and blessed Child, Jesus Christ, through Whom we have received full knowledge of thee, the God of Angels and powers, and of all creation, and of the whole family of the righteous, who live before thee! I bless thee, that Thou hast granted me this day and hour, that I may share, among the number of the martyrs, in the cup of thy Christ, for the Resurrection to everlasting life, both of soul and body in the immortality of the Holy Spirit. And may I, to-day, be received among them before Thee, as a rich and acceptable sacrifice, as Thou, the God who lies not and is truth, hast prepared beforehand, and shown forth, and fulfilled. For this reason I also praise Thee for all things, I bless Thee, I glorify Thee through the everlasting and heavenly high Priest, Jesus Christ, thy beloved Child, through whom be glory to Thee with him and the Holy Spirit, both now and for the ages that are to come, Amen."

Now when he had uttered his Amen and finished his prayer, the men in charge of the fire lit it, and a great flame blazed up and we, to whom it was given to see, saw a marvel. And we have been preserved to report to others what befell. For the fire made the likeness of a room, like the sail of a vessel filled with wind, and surrounded the body of the martyr as with a wall, and he was within it not as burning flesh, but as bread that is being baked, or as gold and silver being refined in a furnace. And we perceived such a fragrant smell as the scent of incense or other costly spices.

At length the lawless men, seeing that his body could not be consumed by the fire, commanded an executioner to go up and stab him with a dagger, and when he did this, there came out a dove, and much blood, so that the fire was quenched and all the crowd marvelled that there was such a difference between the unbelievers and the elect. And of the elect was he indeed one, the wonderful martyr, Polycarp, who in our days was an apostolic and prophetic teacher, bishop of the Catholic Church in Smyrna.

The word translated as “imperial guard” in verse 13 refers to the tent of the general in a Roman camp. When Paul used the term here, he was imprisoned in Rome, so the “tent of the general” would be the house of Caesar Nero, himself. The fact that the gospel had spread through even the household of Nero was a miracle, and had demonstrated to the brothers that God will triumph no matter the power of His enemies, granting them a boldness in proclaiming the gospel they would have never had otherwise. 

15 Some indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from good will. 16 The latter do it out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. 17 The former proclaim Christ out of rivalry, not sincerely but thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment. 18 What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice.

This passage is difficult mainly because we don’t know who the contentious preachers were or what exactly they had against Paul. We do know from verse 14 that Paul’s imprisonment stirred up brothers to preach the gospel, and from vv.15-17, that some of those who were compelled to preach had insincere motives. What we cannot infer from the passage is that the insincere men were preaching false doctrine. Verse 18 makes it clear that Paul rejoiced in the message of these men, even if they were intending to afflict him. In his letter to the Galatians, Paul makes it clear how he feels about false doctrine, and, needless to say, he didn’t rejoice in it. 

The direct application we should take from this is simple: Do not attack those who preach the gospel correctly, even if you don’t agree with their methods or their personalities. We should never tolerate wolves among the sheep, but disagreement on secondary issues, or even a belief that someone has bad motives is not reason to divide. This can be difficult when you factor in pride, but if Paul could rejoice in the preaching of men who hated him, because they preached Christ, we should do no less.

Philippians 1:7-11

I've been on the road for work for a while, so when I returned to my Sunday school class I did a little review of the exposition of the first six verses of Philippians 1 (found here) that I taught back in August. After the review,  I was able to make it all the way to verse eleven. At this rate I should be done with Philippians sometime in 2013. Oh well, here it is.

Philippians 1:7-11

7 It is right for me to feel this way about you all, because I hold you in my heart, for you are all partakers with me of grace, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel.

Paul is confident of the perseverance of the Philippian believers because they partake of the grace of God, with Paul, during times of persecution. The affliction of Paul’s imprisonment is a gift from God as noted by Christ in Matthew 5, “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account” (v. 11) No unbeliever could see this persecution as anything other than a scandalous reproach, however, true believers have an eternal perspective on such things. 

Paul also notes the defense and confirmation of the gospel by this church. All believers are called to make a defense of their beliefs to anyone who asks. (1Peter 3:15) One of the signs of a saving faith is a desire to defend and proclaim the gospel to the world and Paul sees this in the Philippians as a sign of the grace of God working itself out in evangelism and apologetics.

8 For God is my witness, how I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus.

Paul makes a most serious oath of his affection for the church at Philippi. He raises this affection to the highest level possible in connecting it to the very affection of Christ for His church. 

9 And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, 10 so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ,

Next, Paul returns to the prayer he began in verse 3, moving from his thankfulness for them to his petition to God on their behalf. Paul prays that the love of the church would continue to grow, but not without knowledge and discernment. In his first letter to the Corinthians, Paul makes the statement that love “does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with truth” (13:6). True love is not the head in the clouds lust portrayed by Hollywood romance, but rather is a sober, divinely inspired, affection that sometimes hurts. When a Christian grows in love for God and their neighbor, a desire for the exposing of lies, and the propagation of truth will inevitably follow. 

Without this love, we will approve of things that are ungodly, so Paul connects this growth in truth exalting love with approval of what is excellent, leading to purity and righteousness. We see the approval of worldly passions daily in the culture. The truth of the gospel is always in constant conflict with this world, and whenever we find ourselves comfortable in the world, we should examine ourselves to be sure that we are pursuing holiness, in keeping with God’s truth. 

11 filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.

The righteousness that proceeds from the love Paul speaks of comes only through union with Christ. Any righteousness we possess is alien to ourselves and comes, not from law-keeping or holy living, but rather from the imputed righteousness of Christ that we receive as a free gift. (Phil. 3:9) 

We must keep in view that the love, purity, blamelessness, righteousness, etc. are all from our relationship with Christ, and are not in ourselves by nature, but rather, are gifts of God given to His children by adoption, according to the divine purpose and decree of God, who works all things according to the council of His will. (Eph. 1:11)

Philippians 1:1-6

This is the lesson I taught in Sunday School last week. I will be going through Philippians whenever I teach this class, Lord willing.

The epistle to the Philippians has very little to no controversy as to date, origin or authorship. It is universally accepted by reasonable scholars that the letter was written by the Apostle Paul during his imprisonment in Rome between 59 and 61 AD. Acts chapter 16 gives us the account of the establishment of the church at Philippi, a city located in East Macedonia in modern day Greece, by Paul and Silas during Paul’s second missionary journey in approximately 49 AD. Paul visited the city at least two more times, in 56 and 57 AD.

During Paul’s imprisonment in Rome, the Philippian church sent Paul a gift delivered by Epaphroditus, a member of the church. When Paul received the gift he sent what is essentially a thank-you note back with Epaphroditus to the church, and we have that letter in the Epistle to the Philippians.

Philipians 1:1-6

1 Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus,

To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the overseers and deacons:

2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Paul addresses the church at Philippi in a friendly, familiar fashion. The church there had not questioned his authority as others in Galatia or Corinth had, so there was no need for him to belabor the point of his calling. 

He greets the church as saints in Christ Jesus, as he does in all his letters to bodies of believers. We shouldn’t overlook the implications of this word “saint”. A saint is one who is called out or set apart. All people who have repented and put their trust in Christ are called out of the world and set apart for God. There is no special status of saint as the Roman Catholic Church would say, but rather all believers everywhere and at all times are saints.

Paul also addresses the overseers and deacons. Overseer can also be translated as bishop, however, in Acts 20 Paul calls the elders, overseers. In addition to this, the pastoral epistles give the qualifications for elders and bishops, and they are virtually indistinguishable, so they may be used interchangeably.  Paul uses the plural of bishop and deacon in this passage, so we may assume that there is a plurality of overseers and deacons present at Philippi. A deacon is simply a servant of the church, and may be involved in financial distribution and other mercy ministries within the body, whereas an elder or bishop is in an authoritative role of ruling, teaching, and exhorting the body.

Paul ends his greeting with his typical “grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ”. First, we see that the grace and peace we have as believers comes from God and not from the bringer of the message. While Paul had done many things for the Philippians, including bringing them the Gospel, the grace and peace they have is a gift of God brought by the means of Gospel proclamation.

3 I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, 4 always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, 5 because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. 

The apostle begins with thanksgiving to God, letting the Philippians know that he has great joy because of them and that he prays for them constantly. The joy that Paul has is a direct result of their perseverance in the faith from the day he brought the Gospel message to them until now. He speaks of this perseverance in terms of a partnership with him, and we must, as believers, see one another as partners in Gospel ministry rather that those folks we run into on Sunday morning. It should bring us great joy that we have other believers to walk in this sinful world alongside. Prayer for one another should never be seen as a burden, but as a joyful privilege, that God has provided brothers and sisters for us to lean on and to support. We should take pleasure in the triumphs of the brethren, and mourn with each other in times of loss. If we partake of the Gospel, we have a great many brothers and sisters with whom we should share our lives with, not just the doughnuts in the lobby.

6 And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.

This is why Paul thanks God for the perseverance of the Philippian believers. It is not Paul that began the good work in them, nor was it the Philippians that will bring it to completion. This is a promise that we can hang our hat on! God Himself began the work in us and He WILL see it completed. Paul leaves no room for man’s decisions in this equation. Paul can have a joyful resolution that all of those who trusted in Christ and repented of their sins will continue trusting and repenting until the day of our Lord. This concept is not new to Pauline writing, “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? Romans 8:31-35

We can see now that the partnership in the Gospel is an eternal, God initiated, God sustained, thing. We should fall to our knees daily and praise God for beginning this good work in us and our brothers and sisters, as well as being faithful to complete it. 

The Bad News

I taught this to the youth at my church some time ago.

“Deceitful and Wicked”?

“Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the heart” says Proverbs 21:2. Our society teaches us that we are good people, who sometimes make mistakes, but we can make up for those mistakes by doing good deeds. You have probably been told by teachers, friends, parents, etc., that you are a good person, but the Bible has a radically different view of who we are at heart.

The Apostle Paul doesn’t hold back when he talks about the condition of all people:
“What then? Are we Jews any better off? No, not at all. For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin, as it is written:
“None is righteous, no, not one;
no one understands;
no one seeks for God.
All have turned aside; together they have become worthless;
no one does good,
not even one.”
“Their throat is an open grave;
they use their tongues to deceive.”
“The venom of asps is under their lips.”
“Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.”
“Their feet are swift to shed blood;
in their paths are ruin and misery,
and the way of peace they have not known.”
“There is no fear of God before their eyes.”
Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God. For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.” (Romans 3:9-20)

When Paul talks about “works of the law” he is referring to the law given to Moses in the wilderness. The Lord gave the ten commandments to the Jews to show them their need for a savior. No one could possibly fulfill one of the commands, much less all ten! Have you ever lied? Stolen? Dishonored your parents? Maybe you can say you’ve never murdered anyone. However, if we dig into the scriptures a little we can see that we’ve all violated that one too. Jesus said, “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire. (Matthew 5:21,22)

We can see that we’re in trouble, but it gets worse! Paul says later in Romans, “For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin.” (14:23) This is serious! If anything that someone does that isn’t from faith in God is a sin, what can someone who doesn’t have faith possibly do to make God happy? The answer is simple, NOTHING! Therefore, we can agree wholeheartedly with the prophet Jeremiah when he says, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?” (Jeremiah 17:9)

The heart of every person who you’ve ever met is deceitful and wicked. This has implications for eternity. What does God do with people who violate his law? Most people would, at this point, start shouting: “But what about forgiveness? What about all the good things that I’ve done? If no one can please God, He must throw everyone into Hell, but that can’t possibly be true!” Let’s take a look at what the Bible has to say about it.

Eternal, Conscious, Torment. Really?

If we are all sinners, what does that mean? Well, the Apostle John says, “But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.” (Revelation 21:8) Ouch. Did you catch that last group in the list? Liars. In the lake of fire. This isn’t looking good. How many lies do you have to tell to be a liar? Is the Jesus we see in paintings, meek and lowly, knocking at the door of our hearts begging to be let in really going to send people to Hell? Aren’t we talking about the mean old nasty from the Old Testament?

Paul says in his second letter to the Thessalonians, “since indeed God considers it just to repay with affliction those who afflict you, and to grant relief to you who are afflicted as well as to us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might,” (2 Thessalonians 1:6-9) It sure seems clear that Jesus is the one afflicting those liars, idolaters, and murderers we heard about in Revelation, doesn’t it?

So, here’s the verdict, “And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment” (Hebrews 9:27). Everyone dies. Once. No reincarnation, no second chances offered here. We will all die, and stand before Almighty God to give an account of what we have done. Claiming to be a Christian won’t save you, either. Jesus said, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’ (Matthew 7:21-23) Apparently, going to church, going to youth camp, doing fundraisers, casting out demons, or any other “mighty work” just aren’t going to get rid of this sin problem.

The law of God should drive us all to our knees in despair. No amount of good we can do will make up for the countless times we’ve sinned against God. The standard God has given us to live up to, in order to get into Heaven, is simple. Perfection in thought, word, and deed, from the cradle to the grave. How are you doing?

Hell is real. We all deserve to go there, right now. Ignoring it won’t make it go away. Today, I’m 31 years old. It seems like yesterday I was 21, and the day before that I was 16. Life is fleeting, merely vanity to use biblical language (Ecclesiastes 1:2). In less than 100 years, all of us will be wherever it is that we’re going, forever. If we skip along through life, without taking these things seriously, chasing after all that the world has to offer, in the end we will be able to answer Christ’s question, “For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?” (Mark 8:36) with a resounding, nothing.

Indicative and Imperative in Paul’s Letter to the Colossians

What follows is the lesson I taught yesterday in our Sunday school class. Enjoy.

In language we have distinctions between moods that an author may use. Here we will discuss the difference between the indicative and imperative moods in Pauline writing, and the theological implications of that distinction. The letter to the Colossians will be used as a case study.

The indicative mood is the most common mood used in all languages. The indicative is used when making positive statements, stating facts, or simply telling of a particular situation. The easy way to remember this is to look at the root (indicate). The imperative mood is used when an author wishes to exhort or command his audience to do something or behave in a specific way.

The gospel is by definition, indicative. No one can do or be the gospel. Paul, in his letter to the Corinthians said, “Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.” (1 Cor. 15:1-5) We see here that the “good news” is a statement of facts, not a command to do anything.

The law of God is, in contrast to the gospel, inherently imperative in mood. The precepts that God gives us are not statements of how things are, but rather are commands of what we must do to please God. We must understand that the laws of God cannot be followed by the mere will of fallen man, Paul makes this very clear. “For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.” (Romans 8:7,8) There must be a way for us to please God, and if we simply focus on the imperative passages in the scripture, we will consistently fail to live up to them.

Paul never gives us a command to follow without grounding that imperative in a gospel indicative. The letter to the Colossians is an excellent example of this structure. The letter begins with a typical Pauline greeting and moves directly into indicative statements of what God has already done for us in Christ. “He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. (Colossians 1:13,14)

The Apostle then moves into a high Christology, describing who Christ is and what he has done in creation (both indicatives). “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. (Colossians 1:15-17) Paul continues by describing what God has done through him in his ministry to the church, and says of His saints, “To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” (Colossians 1:27)

In chapter 2, verses 6-8, Paul gives an imperative to walk in Christ, not being taken in by human traditions or philosophy, but in verse 9 he takes off into another indicative, proclaiming the deity of Christ. He further grounds the imperatives of verses 6-8 in one of the most profound gospel indicatives of the entire scripture, “And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.” (Colossians 2:13-15)

After these amazing statements, Paul then tells the Colossians that their standing in Christ removes the need to follow the festivals or sabbaths, and not to let anyone judge them for these “human precepts and teachings”. In fact, he says that they are mere shadows of the reality, which is Christ. (Colossians 2:17)

Now that Paul has made the position of the saints clear and irrefutable, he begins to show them what the proper response of Spirit-born believers should be. Now begins the imperatives, but Paul still doesn’t hammer the believers with pure law, but sprinkles gospel indicative throughout his commands so as not to forget why these things are to be done. An example is “If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. (Colossians 3:1-4) Paul here commands the Colossians to seek the things of Christ, (laid out in verses 12-17) and not the things on earth, (laid out in verses 5-9), but why? Because they have died, and their life is hidden with Christ in God!

Next, Paul lays out the proper way for a Christian household to operate, wives submitting to husbands, husbands loving wives, children obeying parents and so on. He continues with orders for masters and slaves, commands to walk in wisdom and to have gracious speech. No one can do any of these things without the indwelling Holy Spirit, and no one can be indwelt by the Spirit apart from the work of God in Christ! Paul completes his letter with some final greeting from his companions and news from his prison cell.

This wonderful letter displays the proper use of law and gospel that we should all seek to apply to our own lives, as well as in our exhortation of fellow believers. The imperative without the indicative is legalism. The commands of God are good and holy, but apart from the good news of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ they can only condemn and kill.

Lastly, we must understand that these glorious truths are for believers only! The law is to an unbeliever, primarily, a mirror to show them their need for redemption, but for the regenerate, it shows what good works are, “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:10) An unbeliever cannot walk in good works, because they hate God! (John 7:7) The imperative is used in evangelism properly when the unbeliever despairs of their own righteousness in light of the standard laid before them. (Romans 3:19) The gospel is to a believer, a glorious truth of what has been done for them, but to an unbeliever it is foolishness and a stumbling block. (1 Corinthians 1:23) Until a sovereign work of regeneration wrought by God Himself is worked on an unregenerate heart, they will not ever see the beauty of Christ and His gospel.

Essentials

Essential?

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. (John 14:6)

No matter what our society tries to say, there is such a thing as absolute, objective, transcendent truth. Jesus Christ is that truth. If we are to call ourselves followers of Christ, we must seek to know this truth as revealed in the Word of God. The Bible lays out essential truths that must be affirmed in order to call yourself a Christian. One problem we face is raising nonessential truths to the level of essential, thereby alienating fellow believers to whom we should be showing grace as we seek to understand the hard truths of scripture. The bigger problem is when people lower the importance of essential truths, thereby watering down the Gospel and losing the faith “once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 1:3).

First, let’s define some terms. The definitions I will here lay out may not be agreed upon by all, but they will suffice for this lesson. 

A heretic is a person who denies one of the essential doctrines of the faith, but we must be careful to distinguish between a formal heretic and a functional heretic. A functional heretic is someone who misunderstands one of these essential truths but is willing to correct their error when presented with the truth from scripture. A formal heretic is one who denies an essential truth even when presented with scriptural evidence that they are in error. Every believer has been or is a functional heretic if you look closely at their beliefs, but the Holy Spirit is indwelling these saints and will correct us all in due time. 

The difference between an orthodox belief and a heterodox belief must also be distinguished. An orthodox position is in accordance with sound doctrine as revealed in the Bible. A heterodox belief is in opposition to sound doctrine, but may not constitute heresy, as it does not necessarily deny essential truth. All heresy is heterodox, but not all heterodoxy is heresy.

There is some more refining that must be done, but bear with me. 

A primary essential is a truth statement that if denied indicates a lack of regeneration, and is clearly demonstrated in scripture to result in damnation.

A secondary essential is a truth that is not plainly stated in scripture as being essential, but denial of such would still constitute an unregenerate heart, as it distorts or flatly denies who God is and what He has done as revealed in scripture.

A primary nonessential is a truth that is plainly taught in scripture, but not indicated as being essential to salvation. However, denial of a primary nonessential would strongly indicate a lack of regeneration, because it is a denial of God’s Word.

A secondary nonessential is a truth that is debatable between saints, and affirmation or denial has no bearing on the state of someone’s soul.

What follows is a list demonstrating some doctrines in each of the aforementioned categories. This list is taken directly from the “doctrine grid” as found on www.carm.org.

Primary Essentials

Jesus is both God and man. 

See: John 1:1,14; 8:24; Colossians 2:9; 1 John 4:1-4

Jesus physically rose from the dead. 

See: John 2:19-21; 1 Corinthians 15:14

Salvation is by grace through faith. 

See: Romans 5:1; Ephesians 2:8-9; Galatians 3:1-2; 5:1-4

The Gospel is the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus according to the scriptures. 

See: 1 Corinthians 15:1-4; Galatians 1:8-9

There is only one God.

See: Exodus 20:3; Isaiah 43:10; 44:6,8

Secondary Essentials

God exists as a Trinity of persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. (Nature of God)

Jesus was born of the Virgin Mary. (Nature of the incarnation)

Jesus is the only way to God the Father

See: John 14:6

Primary Nonessentials

Moral integrity

See: Exodus 20:1-17

Fidelity in marriage in heterosexual relationships.

The condemnation of homosexuality.

The inerrancy of scripture.

Baptism not necessary for salvation

See: Acts 10:44-48

Secondary Nonessentials

Predestination, election, limited atonement, free will.

Communion every week, monthly, or quarterly, etc.

Saturday or Sunday worship.

Pre, mid, post trib rapture.

Premill, Amill, Postmill, Preterism

Continuation or cessation of the charismatic gifts.

Baptism for adults or infants.

Musical instruments in church.

This list is not exhaustive, but a pretty good representation of the issue at hand. We must understand that everything we believe is important. The nonessentials should be debated in love and we should know where we stand on these issues. The point is simple: do not separate from brothers and sisters who disagree on secondary nonessential issues. There are different denominations for a reason, namely, we are too thick to understand what the correct position is on these secondary issues. But make no mistake, there is a correct position, and we should diligently seek to discover the answer from the Word of God.

Context, Context, Context.

“I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” Philippians 4:13 

This verse is often used as a “life verse” by many Christians, but can it be applied to anything we are going through? Sports figures often put this verse on their eye-black, or stitch it on their jersey, or even tattoo it on their skin to show that the strength they get to perform well comes from Christ. What happens if two quarterbacks on opposing teams both have Phil. 4:13 on their jerseys? Did Christ fail the losing quarterback? Others may use it to get inspiration for making it through a tough day at work, or any number of trials or difficulties in life. If I claim this verse as the verse that I live by, what if I lose my job? Did Christ fail to give me the strength necessary to “do all things”? The Apostle Paul wrote these words to the church at Philippi from a Roman prison cell. I’m sure that Paul would have walked out of that cell if he had the option. Was he given the strength to do that? The context of this passage may give us some insight into what exactly Paul meant by “all things”.

“I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at length you have revived your concern for me. You were indeed concerned for me, but you had no opportunity. Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me. Yet it was kind of you to share my trouble.” (Philippians 4:10-14)

It seems that Paul is speaking about specific trials that he is going through in Rome; being poor, hungry, and persecuted for the sake of Christ. We know that everything that we go through in life is ultimately in God’s hands, and that he alone gives us the strength to endure hardship, but we must be careful to not take verses out of their context to prove a point. 

It may seem like nitpicking to single out this particular verse, that when taken apart from it’s context would seem to be true independently, but God’s Word is so important, as the primary means by which we can know His character and nature, that we must be extremely careful to not misrepresent it. 

Probably the most misused text in the Bible is Jeremiah 29:11, which reads, “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” This verse is an encouragement to many Christians, but it is curious that no one reads the verses before or after verse eleven. “For thus says the Lord: When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will visit you, and I will fulfill to you my promise and bring you back to this place. For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you, declares the Lord, and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, declares the Lord, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile. (Jeremiah 29: 10-14) 

In context, it would seem that this particular prophecy is referring to a specific people. Unless you are an exile in Babylon, you might want to rejoice that God takes care of His people, and leave this promise alone. Furthermore, no one seems to want to claim the promise given to the Jews still in Jerusalem in the verses that follow the already quoted passage: “Because you have said, ‘The Lord has raised up prophets for us in Babylon,’ thus says the Lord concerning the king who sits on the throne of David, and concerning all the people who dwell in this city, your kinsmen who did not go out with you into exile: Thus says the Lord of hosts, behold, I am sending on them sword, famine, and pestilence, and I will make them like vile figs that are so rotten they cannot be eaten. I will pursue them with sword, famine, and pestilence, and will make them a horror to all the kingdoms of the earth, to be a curse, a terror, a hissing, and a reproach among all the nations where I have driven them, (Jeremiah 29:15-18)

A single letter is meaningless apart from other letters, that when combined, constitute a word. A single word (while having meaning in itself) cannot convey a thought when not combined with other words to constitute a sentence. This principal can be carried out all the way from letters, to words, sentences, paragraphs, and ultimately to genres. The genre in which an idea is conveyed can drastically effect the meaning of a single word. For instance, if I told you that it was raining cats and dogs outside, you would grab an umbrella, not a kennel. The phrase “cats and dogs” changes meanings depending on the genre of speech I am using, (metaphor in this instance).

It is impossible for us to know what an author intended for his original readers to understand apart from the context in which the statement is contained. If we would know what God has said in His Word, we must consider the context in which verses are contained. Many preachers, as well as lay people, yank verses out of their immediate context in order to import their own ideas into the scripture that they are using.

Some passages people use out of context seem harmless, however, when the Bible is used as a catch-phrase factory it becomes harder and harder to discern when a false teacher is mishandling the Word. The Holy Spirit will illumine the scripture to us, but when we refuse to allow the text to speak for and interpret itself, it is no longer the Word of God, but rather it is simply a neat book of cool sayings. In his second epistle, following his glorious message about the new heavens and the new earth, Peter says, “Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these, be diligent to be found by him without spot or blemish, and at peace. And count the patience of our Lord as salvation, just as our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom given him, as he does in all his letters when he speaks in them of these matters. There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures. You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, take care that you are not carried away with the error of lawless people and lose your own stability. But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen. (2 Peter 3:14-19)

According to Peter, the result of twisting scripture is the destruction of the one doing the twisting. God takes his Word very seriously, and so should we.

Hebrews 1 and 2 and Christological Heresies

Wednesday my pastor was out of town, so I taught the adult Bible study at my church. This is the notes/outline of what I presented.

Hebrews 1 and 2 and Christological Heresies

9 If we receive the testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater, for this is the testimony of God that he has borne concerning his Son. 10 Whoever believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself. Whoever does not believe God has made him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has borne concerning his Son. 11 And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. 1John 5:9-12(ESV)

We know from the clear teaching of the Apostle John from his first epistle that unless a person has the Son, they do not have life. It is vitally important that we understand who the Son is if we would believe in Him. Over the years, since the time of the Apostles, many heresies have arisen concerning the person of Christ. Unless we have a proper understanding of who Christ is, as revealed in sacred scripture, we will merely be worshipping a god of our imagination.

The Deity of Christ

The writer to the Hebrews opened his letter with a profound statement regarding who this Jesus is that we worship.

1 Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. 3 He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, 4 having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs. Hebrews 1:1-4 (ESV)

This text has many implications, however, here we will deal with the divinity of Christ as revealed by the writer.

Verse two distinguishes between the Father and the Son. The fact that the Son was appointed by the Father negates the idea that the Father and the Son are the same person. A heresy developed in the third century by the theologian Sabellius, known as Sabellianism (or more common recently as Modalism or “Jesus Only”), taught that God revealed Himself in three modes or manifestations, known as the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Sabellianism denies the distinction of the persons in the Godhead. Modern day heretics like Oneness Pentecostals still hold to this false teaching, the most notable proponent being Bishop T.D. Jakes.

Verses two through four teach that Christ is the one through whom God created the world, and that He upholds the universe by the word of His power. This clearly teaches that Jesus is God, for no mere creation could uphold the universe by his word, much less create it. The Apostle Paul said no one has ever seen the Father, (1 Tim. 6:16) but here Christ is portrayed as the radiance of His glory, the very shekinah that was with the Jews in the wilderness! Furthermore, the exact imprint of His nature could not be merely a man, or any other creature for that matter. The word translated “nature” here is where we get the word character. In other words, Christ is the exact representation of the character of God, hence Christ can say, “Whoever has seen me, has seen the Father” (John 14:9).

This passage stands in clear contrast to Arianism, a heresy developed by Arius, an elder in the Egyptian church in the third and fourth centuries. Arius taught that Christ was a lesser, created being, that the Father used for the redemption of His people. Jehovah’s Witnesses claim the heresies of Arius as their own to this day, although they have gone further than even Arius dared to go in their blasphemy.

Mormonism also teaches that Christ was created by the Father, although differently than the Aryans. Mormons teach that Christ was conceived by the physical union between the Father and the virgin Mary. They have a convoluted concept of Jesus’ preexistence, in the loins of the Father, so they claim to believe in the eternality of the Son, although still as a lesser being than the Father.

Verse four also teaches that Christ is superior to the angels. Jehovah’s Witnesses, as well as Seventh Day Adventists teach that Christ is in fact the Archangel Michael.

The Humanity of Christ

14 Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, 15 and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery. 16 For surely it is not angels that he helps, but he helps the offspring of Abraham. 17 Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. 18 For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted. Hebrews 2:14-18 (ESV)

We have seen from chapter one of Hebrews that Christ is truly divine, and a separate person from the Father. Chapter two clearly lays out the humanity of Christ as well. The writer says that Christ himself partook of flesh and blood, just as the children of God have. We see in verse fourteen that in order for the power of death to be defeated, Christ must have truly died, in the same way that His children die. Without a true death of the Son, there can be no deliverance for us.

The heresy of Docetism developed as early as 70 A.D. and was held by early gnostics. Docetism, (from the root dokeo, or “to seem”) is the belief that Christ only seemed to have a physical body, but in reality he was only spirit, and so the life, death and resurrection of Christ were simply an illusion. If Christ only seemed to die, then logically we must conclude that the wrath of God only seemed to have been propitiated at the cross. This leaves us in our sins, and no one can be saved.

Monophysitism is the belief that Christ possessed no human nature, but the “humanness” of Jesus was consumed by His divinity, thereby making Christ not “truly” human. If Christ was not a man, in every sense of the word, He did not qualify for the priesthood, making Him unable to offer sacrifice on behalf of His people.

There are many more heresies or variations of the ones addressed here, but the point has been made. Historic orthodox Christianity holds that Christ is 100 percent God, and 100 percent man. His human and divine natures are distinct, yet function within the one person of Jesus Christ. The second person of the Trinity added humanity unto Himself at the incarnation, bridging the gap between God and man and thereby making Him fully able to fulfill the law, and bear the weight of the wrath of God at Calvary.

A Critique of Rob Bell's "Love Wins"

A few weeks ago I presented a review of Rob Bell's new book, Love Wins, to my church. I read the book through a couple of times, and this is a quick summary of what I found.

A Critique of “Love Wins” by Rob Bell

“Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him if a great millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea. And if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than with two hands to go to hell, to the unquenchable fire. And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life lame than with two feet to be thrown into hell. And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into hell, ‘where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.’  Mark 9:42-48

And another angel, a third, followed them, saying with a loud voice, “If anyone worships the beast and its image and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, he also will drink the wine of God's wrath, poured full strength into the cup of his anger, and he will be tormented with fire and sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever, and they have no rest, day or night, these worshipers of the beast and its image, and whoever receives the mark of its name.” Rev. 14:9-11

Rob Bell is a pastor of a church in Grand Rapids, MI. He has written a book titled “Love Wins” that is currently number seven on the Amazon Bestsellers list, and has stirred a lot of controversy. Bell is no stranger to controversy as a leader in the so-called Emergent Church.

In his book, Bell challenges the traditional Christian view of Hell. In fact, in the preface to the book he calls this view “toxic” and says that the true “Jesus story” has been hijacked and needs to be reclaimed. His position is hard to nail down, but in a nutshell, he teaches that Hell is not a literal place that God sends people who break His commandments, refuse to repent, and reject Christ, but rather, Hell is a state of mind, in which someone refuses to soften their own heart, do good deeds, and instead commit atrocities like not recycling or not buying fair trade coffee.

Bell’s position is known as Universal Reconciliation. UR is the belief that, eventually, everyone goes to Heaven, albeit through Christ. He teaches that, eventually “love wins” and everyone, no matter their rejection of Christ and His Gospel in this life, will embrace Jesus.

This position is not supported in scripture, and undermines evangelism, the church, and ultimately, the Gospel itself. But this is only a symptom of a much greater problem. Bell’s problem is not only the heresy of UR, but rather, Bell is wrong on two essential points of Biblical theology. First, he doesn’t believe that man is sinful, and second, he doesn’t believe that God is holy! His position on Hell is merely a symptom of an unregenerate heart worshipping a god of his own sinful imagination.

On page 54 of  “Love Wins” Bell says:

“Think about the single mom, trying to raise kids, work multiple jobs, and wrangle child support out of the kids‘ father, who used to beat her. She’s faithful, true, and utterly devoted to her children. In spite of the circumstances, she never loses hope that they can be raised in love and go on to break the cycle of dysfunction and abuse. She never goes out, never takes a vacation, never has enough money to buy anything for herself. She gets a few hours of sleep and then repeats the cycle of cooking, work, laundry, bills, more work, until she falls into bed late at night, exhausted.  

With what she has been given she has been faithful. She is a woman of character and substance. She never gives up. She is kind and loving even when she’s exhausted.

She can be trusted.

Is she the last who Jesus says will be first?

Does God say to her, ‘You’re the kind of person I can run the world with’?

Think about her, and then think about the magazines that line the checkout aisles at most grocery stores. The faces on the covers are often of beautiful, rich, famous, talented people embroiled in endless variations of scandal and controversy.

Where did they spend those millions of dollars?

What did they do with those talents?

How did they use their influence?

Did they use any of it to help create the new world God is making?

Or are we seeing the first who will be last that Jesus spoke of?

When it comes to people, then-the who of heaven-what Jesus does again and again is warn us against rash judgments about who’s in and who’s out.”

Notice that we know nothing of this woman’s spiritual state. She may be Christian, atheist, Buddhist, etc. To Bell, it doesn’t matter, she is a “good” person. No mention of sin, righteousness, judgment, or the cross.

On page 173 of “Love Wins” Bell says,

“Millions have been taught that if they don’t believe, if they don’t accept in the right way, that is, the way the person telling them the gospel does, and they were hit by a car and die later that same day, God would have no choice but to punish them forever in conscious torment in Hell. God would, in essence, become a fundamentally different being to them in that moment of death, a different being to them forever. A loving heavenly father who will go to extraordinary lengths to have a relationship with them would, in the blink of an eye, become a cruel, mean, vicious tormenter who would ensure that they had no escape from an endless future of agony.

If there was an earthly father who was like that, we would call the authorities.

If there was an actual human dad who was that volatile, we would contact child protection services immediately.

If God can switch gears like that, switch entire modes of being that quickly, that raises a thousand questions about whether a being like this could ever be trusted, let alone be good.

Loving one moment, vicious the next.

Kind and compassionate, only to become cruel and relentless in the blink of an eye.

Does God become somebody totally different the moment you die?

That kind of God is simply devastating.

Psychologically crushing.

We can’t bear it.

No one can.

And that is the secret deep in the heart of many people, especially Christians: they don’t love God. They can’t, because the God they’ve been presented with and taught about can’t be loved. That God is terrifying and traumatizing and unbearable.”

Rob Bell assumes that God has no rights over His creation. He divorces God’s love from His holiness, and in the process turns the triune Yahweh of scripture into an impotent beggar, who could not possibly judge anyone for anything. AND HE CAN’T! Because the god that Rob Bell believes in is a figment of his imagination.

Rob Bell is not a brother in Christ who has strayed on a minor doctrine. He has been presented clearly with the truth in scripture and denies it. Bell is a ravenous wolf seeking to devour the sheep under his care.

Sin: Part 3

This is part 3 of 3 of the series on sin that I taught to the youth at my church. Read part 1 here. Read part 2 here.

Sin.

Part 3. How Does Sin Affect The Human Race?

Sin affects the Human race in many ways, but can be divided into two major categories; consequences in life, and punishment.

Consequences in Life.

1. Original Sin

The consequences of sin in this life include original sin. Original sin can be further separated into the categories of original guilt, and original pollution.

Original guilt is the doctrine that teaches that Adam’s sin was imputed to his descendants, and therefore every descendant of Adam has the guilt of that sin to bear. We can see, biblically, that death is the punishment for sin, and that punishment is passed from Adam to all of his descendants. See Rom. 5:12-19; Eph. 2:3; 1 Cor. 15:22.

Original pollution teaches that “original sin is not merely negative; it is also an inherent positive disposition toward sin”. (LB) Original pollution is well expressed by the doctrines of total depravity, and total inability.

Total depravity is not the idea that men are as depraved as they possibly could be, or that they have no God-given conscience, but rather that every part of man’s nature is corrupt. This doctrine teaches that there is no spiritual good in relation to God, in the sinner, only perversion.

Total inability is not the idea that man cannot perform good in any sense of the word. He is able to do external religious good, civil good, and natural good, but “these same actions and feelings, when considered in relation to God, are radically defective. Their fatal defect is that they are not prompted by love to God, or by any regard for the will of God as requiring them.”. (LB) The unregenerate man can do nothing that is pleasing to God, including changing his own propensity for wickedness. In the words of Paul, “those who are in the flesh, cannot please God” (Rom. 8:8) See also: John 6:44; 8:34; 15:4,5; Rom. 7:18,24; 8:7,8; 1 Cor. 2:14; Heb 11:6

2. Free Will.

In any discussion of inability, depravity, pollution, and original sin, inevitably the question of free will is going to come up.

Lessons Learned Part 2

In January I had to leave my family for five weeks in order to travel to Illinois for work. It was the hardest time I've had in a while, but not all in vain. God taught me a lot in my time in that dank, tiny hotel room.


The second big thing that I learned was how much the Holy Spirit is involved in the relationships between His people. I met several brothers and sisters throughout my trip, and it astounded me how easy it was to feel at home with them. I attended a few different churches while I was there, and even though, from a worldly perspective, I had little or nothing in common with the people there, I had an immediate bond with them. Before I was saved, I would have never hung out with people twice my age, or that grew up in the midwest, and liked different music than I did. I never would have gone to lunch with computer programmers or Air Force Commanders, or pastors, or insurance agents. The only thing that I had in common with the people I met was a common relationship with Jesus Christ, and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. 


The commonality that I held with these brothers and sisters, caused me to love them immediately with a love that I had never even thought possible with my closest friend, before regeneration! A pastor that I met while in St. Louis, Jeremy Jessen, providentially preached a series on the Holy Spirit while I was visiting his church. He talked aout this very issue, and really drove it home for me. I realized that the love for one another that Jesus spoke about in John 13:34 is a work of the Spirit, and without that work, the love for one another cannot possibly manifest. So the Holy Spirit is evident in a believer when the supernatural love for people (with whom there is no reason for earthly love), is seen.


Just my two cents.
SDG  

Sin: Part 2

This is part two of a three part series I taught to the youth at First Baptist Church of the Lakes, in Las Vegas, NV. You can read part one, here.

Sin.

Part 2. Where Did Sin Come From?

In Genesis Ch. 3 we have a historical narrative of the fall of the race of man. Historical narrative is a type of literature that records actual events in the form of a story. The chapters before and after the account of the fall of Adam and Eve are also historical narrative, although some would have us believe that some parts should not be taken in the form in which God himself gave them to us. The implications of the first few chapters of Genesis are so wide reaching that in order to avoid them, some people have distorted the plain reading of the text to fit in their own ideas. As Bible believing people, we must submit our lives completely to the Word of God, and this includes any and all ideas that may not be popular to an increasingly secularized society. See 2 Cor. 10:5

Take some time to carefully read the third chapter of Genesis and you will see the origination of all corruption ever to befall all of creation. The sin of Adam may seem to our modern mind as not possibly affecting his descendants, but we must continue to see things from a biblical perspective. The culture in which the Bible was written, and in which the Israelites were raised up was much more comfortable with the idea of “federal headship”.

Federal headship is the system in which the father represents his family, and by extension, his descendants. The concept is not only cultural, but biblical as well. In Hebrews Chapter 7, we see Levi represented by Abraham in the giving of the tithe to Melchizedek, many years before Levi was even born! Furthermore, if federal headship is rejected, we have no basis to accept a substitutionary atonement at Calvary. If it’s “not fair” for Adam to sin in my place, then it is surely “not fair” for Christ to die in my place.

At this point we must remember that how comfortable, or easy a doctrine is, has no bearing on whether or not that doctrine is true. The Bible clearly teaches that we all sinned “in Adam” (Romans Ch. 5), and therefore we are all guilty of that sin. We commit various sins because it is our nature to do so, being sinners, in virtue of what our first father purchased for us in his disobedience.

Lessons Learned

In January I had to leave my family for five weeks in order to travel to Illinois for work. It was the hardest time I've had in a while, but not all in vain. God taught me a lot in my time in that dank, tiny hotel room.


First, and most important, He taught me the value of quantity time with my wife and children. I was under the false understanding that quality was more important than quantity, when it comes to time with family. Boy, was I wrong! Quality is important, but there is a huge value in just being with loved ones. We don't have to do anything, except live together. Going to the park, McDonald's, Disneyland, or any other big or small event, is just not necessary all the time. Note, I said all the time. It is important to spent time doing things with your family, but scripture tells us, "Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise." Deut. 6:4-7


Scripture no where teaches that whiz-bang entertainment is necessary for godly, well-adjusted children. We should be teaching them the ways of the LORD in all that we do, and I, for one, think that living a godly life with, and in front of our family is the most important calling a spouse, or parent has. I have enough to worry about in just teaching my children the ways of Christ, and loving my wife like Christ loved the church, without adding a giant dancing mouse into the mix! More later, I've got some wrestling to do, (and possibly a tea party).

John Piper on the prosperity gospel.

What do I think of the "prosperity gospel"? Dr. Piper sums it us pretty well.

Hard Truth From Paul Washer

This is the sermon that God used to bring me to repentance. Please take the time, if you haven't heard it, to listen to the entire message. It's hard, but truth isn't usually easy!

God Saves Bad People

Art Azurdia is an amazing preacher, and this is one of my favorites. Check it out!

Sin: Part 1

This paper is another that I presented to the youth in my church, in three parts. Parts two and three will be posted in the days to come. Part one is somewhat shorter than the following installments, but defining terms is important, so be sure to look up the scripture references and don't be afraid to dig. Louis Berkhof's Systematic Theology was the main reference used, and is quoted throughout.

SIN

Part 1. What is sin?

The book of 1 John tells us “Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness” (1 John 3:4). So a simple definition would be “sin is lawlessness.” This statement is true, however lawlessness does not encompass all that sin is.

Another attribute of sin is that it is specific. By specific, we mean a specific kind of evil. “It is not a calamity that came upon man unawares, poisoned his life, and ruined his happiness, but an evil course which man has deliberately chosen to follow and which carries untold misery with it.” LB See: Gen. 3:1-6; Isa. 48:8; Rom.
1:18-32; 1 John 3:4

Sin is also absolute. There is no neutral ground between good and evil. We may perceive some gray area because of our lack of proper perspective, but in reality, black and white are the only two options. This point is important to understand, so that we don’t see evil as a lessening of something good, but as a positive evil. Jesus said, “He who is not with Me is against Me; and he who does not gather with Me, scatters.”(Lk. 11:23) Our Lord knows no middle ground. See Matt. 10:32,33; 12:30; Luke 11:23; Jas. 2:10

Sin is always in relation to God, and His will. “It is separation from God, hatred of God, and this manifests itself in constant transgression of the law of God in thought, word, and deed.” LB See: Rom. 1:32, 2:12-14, 4:15; Jas. 2:9; 1 John 3:4

Sin includes both guilt and pollution. Guilt is the state of being liable to punishment for the violation of a law or moral requirement. See Eph. 2:3. Pollution is the inherent corruption that every sinner is subject to. The state of pollution the fallen race of man is in is present from birth and unavoidable. See Jer. 17:9; Eph. 4:17-19

In Biblical terminology the heart is the center of the man. His intellect, will, affections, and every other faculty of a man proceed from this point. If the heart of man is “deceitful” and “desperately wicked”, then logically, every part of a man’s soul is affected by that sin. Therefore, it may be said that the seat, or originating point, of sin, is the heart of sinful human beings.

The sinful state of man leads to sinful habits, which in turn lead to individual sinful deeds. The state, habits, and deeds are all equally sinful and therefore sin is not confined to outward acts, but can be merely thoughts, or intentions of the heart.