1. God Has a Plan.
The universe is not a car without a driver, nor a driver without a map. There is a purpose behind everything. The Bible often speaks of this great plan of God. It is the “purpose” of that famous and favorite Bible verse, Rom. 8:28. God has planned out this purpose in advance. He thought it out, planned it in every detail, and carries it out “on purpose”. It is an absolute purpose, not merely a wish or command. In theology it is called the “decree”. God has decreed His purpose and it shall happen. See Rom. 9:11, Isa. 46:10-11, Eph. 3:11, Acts 4:28 and 2 Tim. 1:9.
2. God Predestined Everything.
The plan of God is also called predestination. God pre-programmed everything that will come to pass (Eph. 1:11). Everything can be traced back to God's ultimate plan, for “from Him are all things” (Rom. 11:36). He not only created all things (Gen. 1:1), but drew up the blueprints for everything. He foreordained what will happen, and He did this in advance in eternity. He drew up the plan before He laid the foundation. He pre-determined what would happen, not merely what could or should happen. Then He set the ball rolling in a certain course, and it must follow the pre-arranged course.
3. God Planned Every Detail.
There is a time for every purpose under Heaven, says Eccl. 3:1. God has planned out this great purpose to the smallest detail. This includes the exact timing when everything would occur. He also prepared every relationship with every other detail. Nothing was ignored. Even the smallest and seemingly insignificant detail was included, such as the number of hairs on our heads. He prepared this detailed inventory in advance, and the construction of the universe follows it perfectly, for God is the great architect and contractor who never makes a mistake. In theology, we speak of the great plan as the decree, the individual details as decrees.
4. There is No Such Thing as Chance.
Since God has determined everything in advance, there is no such thing as chance. “Chance” was a concept invented by certain Greek philosophers, especially promoted among the Epicureans (opposed in Acts 17). It denies the existence of a personal and sovereign God who foreordains everything. Similarly, there is no such thing as luck, either good or bad. Nor is there any fortune or accidents. Even the roll of dice has been determined by God (Pro. 16:33). Conversely, there is also no such thing as blind fate, a concept promoted by the ancient Stoics. Whatever will be will be, only because God has determined them so. Coincidence is true only in the sense that two events may co-incide, or happen at the same time. But that is because God planned it like that.
5. God's Plan is Inevitable.
This plan will, shall and must come to completion. It is inevitable because God is sovereign and omnipotent. Neither angel, demon, sinner or saint can stop it in any detail, for even their actions to stop it are part of the plan. Nothing can stop it. See Psa. 33:11, 148:3, Tit. 1:2, Pro. 19:21, Isa. 14:27, Heb. 6:17, and Job 42:1. It is God's plan and only God could change it. But God has sworn with an oath that He will not change it. He is not fickle like a man who can change his mind (Jer. 4:28, 23:20, 30:24, I Sam. 15:29). In time, God interacts with us, and seems to change His actions, but this is all part of the great strategy. The plan is God's eternal purpose and God does not change His sworn intentions. He is not an Indian-giver or cheat. He keeps the oath He has sworn.
6. God Consulted Only With Himself in the Plan.
This should be obvious, since nobody else existed when God made the plan. He did not consult with the angels, for they are not on the same level as God. He consulted only with Himself within the Trinity (Eph. 1:11; Psa. 33:11). Who is able to serve as advisor to God on such things? (Rom. 11:34; Isa. 40:13-14). God did not consult with Man even by foresight, for He foresaw what He pre-determined would occur. When it comes to pass, then, only God can take the credit for the accomplishment of what was planned.
7. God Has Not Revealed All the Details of the Plan.
“The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but those that have been revealed belong to us, that we may do the words of this Law” (Deut. 29:29). God has revealed that there is a plan, and has even revealed a few details of the plan. But He has not revealed it all, nor could we comprehend it all even if He did. We must not pry into things that have not been revealed, such as the date for the Second Coming of Christ. In theology, we speak of the plan as the “secret will of God”. On the other hand, God has revealed much to us about our responsibility. This is the “revealed will of God”. Though God is sovereign and has foreordained all our thoughts and actions, we are still accountable and responsible. The revealed will includes the Law and the Gospel.
8. God Uses Even Sin in His Plan.
Even sin is included among the details of the great plan. How could it be otherwise? Sin infects and affects so much of human existence, and much of the plan directly concerns Man. Therefore, God had to include sin in the great plan. He uses sin and sinners to carry out His purpose, even their own destruction (Pro. 16:4). We sinners mean sinful things for evil, but God means them for good (Gen. 50:20). God not only overrules sin, but includes it in a marvelous way as part of the plan. He planned to allow sin in order to reveal His holiness and justice in punishing it or to reveal His grace and mercy in forgiving it (Rom. 9). Even the crucifixion of Christ, the worst of all sins, was predestined by God (Acts 2:23, 4:28).
9. Christ is Central to the Plan of God.
The plan is Christocentric. Christ is the very apex of God's purpose, for it is through Christ that God reveals His glory and through Christ that God receives glory back from His creation. Col. I describes how Christ is pre-eminent above all things, prominent in the plan of God and the great pivot of all history. Phil. 2 also describes how Christ is the center of God's plan, specifically the plan of redemption. We are not saved merely to enjoy God forever; we are saved in order to give glory to Christ and through Him give glory to the Father.
10. God's Plan is to Reveal His Glory.
Rom. 11:36 says that all things are from God in predestination and Creation. They are also through Him in providence. But they are also to Him in the final accomplishment of the great plan. And the bottom line of this plan is just this: the glory of God. God does all things for His own glory. Everything that is, was or ever shall be will give glory to God (Psa. 46:10, 145:10). God will reveal His glory when it is time for the great consummation. He will show His glory - glory revealed. He will receive glory reflected back to Him - glory received. God does not share His glory with another (Isa. 42:8, 48:11). Yet He does show His glory in part now and more fully in eternity. He will display the glory of His grace to the elect (Eph. 1:6, 12, 14) and the glory of His wrath to the reprobate (Rom. 9). And this glory will even be revealed to the angels, demons and inanimate objects. To God be glory forever and ever!
Soli Deo Gloria!
Monday, July 28, 2008
Saturday, July 26, 2008
The Atonement
1. Jesus obeyed the Law for Us.
Our Lord Jesus was perfectly innocent, pure and sinless. By obeying the Law of God and never sinning, He was thus uniquely able to provide the only sinless sacrifice to His Father. The O.T. sacrifices could not have any blemishes or faults. Moreover, Christ also obeyed the Law in our stead. We call this the “Active Obedience” of Christ, and also His vicarious obedience. Romans 5 says that the disobedience of Adam brought sin and death into the world; the obedience of Christ brought righteousness and life.
2. Jesus Was Crucified.
He came to die. After 30 years waiting and working, and 3 years of ministry, Christ was betrayed by Judas and was falsely condemned by two unjust trials. God ordained that He die by crucifixion. It was a Roman method, not a Jewish one, and extremely cruel and painful. Jesus was “hung on a tree” (Deut. 21:23, Gal. 3:13), not by ropes but by nails in His hands and feet. It was a public and shameful execution, recorded in all 4 Gospels. Hung up between Heaven and Earth, the Lord Jesus was fastened to the Cross like the animals were tied to the altar in the Temple, for the Cross was His altar. I Pet. 2:24 calls the cross a tree, referring to to Deut. 21:23 and the tree motif in the O.T. (Garden of Eden, etc).
3. Jesus Took our Sins upon Himself.
1 Pet. 2:24 says that Jesus took our sins upon Himself. Isa. 53 says He carried them on Himself like a heavy burden. God laid our sins upon Him, treated Him as if He were the sinner. 2 Cor. 5:21 says that God “made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, so that we could be made the righteousness of God in Him.” This was the first part of what is called the “divine exchange”. Our sins were imputed to Christ; His righteousness is imputed to us. This does not mean that Jesus was literally made sin or a sinner, but treated “as if” He were sin. The second part of this awesome process was that, being made sin, He was then “made a curse for us” (Gal. 3:13). God looked at Him as sin, and the thrice-holy God cursed Him and unleashed the floodgates of divine wrath against Him.
4. Jesus Suffered for Us.
“Christ also suffered for us” (I Pet. 2:21). He suffered the ignominy of not being recognized and worshipped for 33 years. This intensified to the very end. He agonized in Gethsemane, even sweating drops of blood. He was laughed at, mocked, beaten with sticks, whipped. The crucifixion itself was excruciating. But the internal pains were even greater. He suffered the very wrath of God in His soul. He drank the cup of wrath and internalized it. By so doing, His sacrifice was the propitiation that appeased the Father's wrath. It was the only thing that could satisfy all the requirements of the Law. God accepted the sacrifice.
5. Jesus Shed His Blood for Us.
The animal sacrifices in the Temple were types of Christ in several ways: alive and suffering, and shedding blood. But Jesus was no animal - He was a human sacrifice. He shed His blood as a special part of the sacrifice. Without this blood, there could be no atonement or forgiveness (Heb. 9:22). It was sinless, “precious” blood (I Pet. 1:19), infinite in value. One drop alone was worth more than a thousand universes. God gave blood to us to be life in the flesh, and for Christ for sacrifice (Lev. 17:10)
6. Jesus Paid the Price for Our Redemption.
Jesus bought us (I Cor. 6:20). He paid the ransom price to free us from sin and the wrath of God. The price was not paid to Satan, to whom it was not due, but to the Father, whose wrath was over us. Christ “gave His life as a ransom” (Mark 10:45). The price was His life and His death. Our sins incurred an infinite debt, not because they are infinite in number or quality, but because they are committed against an infinitely holy God. We owed an infinite debt, which only the infinite God could pay. But Man must pay it. So God became Man to pay it to Himself. This is the great doctrine re-discovered by Anselm.
7. Jesus Died as a Substitute.
Jesus had no sins of His own, and therefore did not have to die. He would still be alive on Earth today had He not done what He did. But He died in our place. This is called the “vicarious atonement”. He stood in our place, He took what we had coming. And He did this voluntarily. Nobody took His life from Him. He laid it down of His own accord (John 10:18). He could have called down thousands of angels to stop the crucifixion (Matt. 26:53), but He didn't. “Christ died for us” (Rom. 5:8).
8. Jesus Died for All Men, But Especially the Elect.
God loves all men, and especially the elect. Just as a husband loves all people but especially His wife, so Christ died for all people but especially His bride. On the one hand, there is a general sense in which Jesus died for all men everywhere (2 Cor. 5:14, 1 Tim. 2:4-6). This is the basis for the free offer of the Gospel. But Jesus also died in a special sense for the elect (Eph. 5:25, John 10:15-18, Isa. 53:8). He died for all, but not equally for all. He made salvation possible for all, but He made it definite for His people in particular. He bought some blessings for all men, and all blessings for some men.
9. Jesus Defeated Satan.
There many aspects of the atonement. In the Godward direction, it was propitiation. It satisfied God's wrath. In the Manward direction, it was expiation. It took away sins. But there was a third aspect. Satanward, it defeated the Devil. Jesus came to die, and His death secured the defeat and overthrow of Satan (Heb. 2:14; 1 John 3:8). It also defeated the demons (Col. 2:14-15). Gen. 3:15 predicted when Christ would crush Satan's head by incurring injury to Himself. He slew the great Dragon and freed the fair maiden, the Church. He overthrew the Prince of Darkness (John 12:31). He did not negotiate with Satan. He resisted all Satan's temptations and tricks, for Satan had nothing in or on Him.
10. Jesus Displayed the Love of God.
No man can show greater love to a friend than by dying for Him (John 15:13). Christ died for His friends while they were still His enemies (Rom. 5:10). “God demonstrates His love for us, in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us” (Rom. 5:8). Christ showed us just how much He loved us, by dying for us (I John 3:16). This is the greatest display of love imaginable, that God would let His only Son die in the place of enemies (I John 4:9-10; John 3:16). Surely if God loved us enough to give us the greatest gift of all (Christ), then He will give us everything else (Rom. 8:32). Just as the love of God itself in an unfathomable ocean of undeserved goodness, so the work of Christ is awesome and overwhelming. It alone can finally break these hard hearts of ours and melt them into hearts of loving gratitude.
Our Lord Jesus was perfectly innocent, pure and sinless. By obeying the Law of God and never sinning, He was thus uniquely able to provide the only sinless sacrifice to His Father. The O.T. sacrifices could not have any blemishes or faults. Moreover, Christ also obeyed the Law in our stead. We call this the “Active Obedience” of Christ, and also His vicarious obedience. Romans 5 says that the disobedience of Adam brought sin and death into the world; the obedience of Christ brought righteousness and life.
2. Jesus Was Crucified.
He came to die. After 30 years waiting and working, and 3 years of ministry, Christ was betrayed by Judas and was falsely condemned by two unjust trials. God ordained that He die by crucifixion. It was a Roman method, not a Jewish one, and extremely cruel and painful. Jesus was “hung on a tree” (Deut. 21:23, Gal. 3:13), not by ropes but by nails in His hands and feet. It was a public and shameful execution, recorded in all 4 Gospels. Hung up between Heaven and Earth, the Lord Jesus was fastened to the Cross like the animals were tied to the altar in the Temple, for the Cross was His altar. I Pet. 2:24 calls the cross a tree, referring to to Deut. 21:23 and the tree motif in the O.T. (Garden of Eden, etc).
3. Jesus Took our Sins upon Himself.
1 Pet. 2:24 says that Jesus took our sins upon Himself. Isa. 53 says He carried them on Himself like a heavy burden. God laid our sins upon Him, treated Him as if He were the sinner. 2 Cor. 5:21 says that God “made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, so that we could be made the righteousness of God in Him.” This was the first part of what is called the “divine exchange”. Our sins were imputed to Christ; His righteousness is imputed to us. This does not mean that Jesus was literally made sin or a sinner, but treated “as if” He were sin. The second part of this awesome process was that, being made sin, He was then “made a curse for us” (Gal. 3:13). God looked at Him as sin, and the thrice-holy God cursed Him and unleashed the floodgates of divine wrath against Him.
4. Jesus Suffered for Us.
“Christ also suffered for us” (I Pet. 2:21). He suffered the ignominy of not being recognized and worshipped for 33 years. This intensified to the very end. He agonized in Gethsemane, even sweating drops of blood. He was laughed at, mocked, beaten with sticks, whipped. The crucifixion itself was excruciating. But the internal pains were even greater. He suffered the very wrath of God in His soul. He drank the cup of wrath and internalized it. By so doing, His sacrifice was the propitiation that appeased the Father's wrath. It was the only thing that could satisfy all the requirements of the Law. God accepted the sacrifice.
5. Jesus Shed His Blood for Us.
The animal sacrifices in the Temple were types of Christ in several ways: alive and suffering, and shedding blood. But Jesus was no animal - He was a human sacrifice. He shed His blood as a special part of the sacrifice. Without this blood, there could be no atonement or forgiveness (Heb. 9:22). It was sinless, “precious” blood (I Pet. 1:19), infinite in value. One drop alone was worth more than a thousand universes. God gave blood to us to be life in the flesh, and for Christ for sacrifice (Lev. 17:10)
6. Jesus Paid the Price for Our Redemption.
Jesus bought us (I Cor. 6:20). He paid the ransom price to free us from sin and the wrath of God. The price was not paid to Satan, to whom it was not due, but to the Father, whose wrath was over us. Christ “gave His life as a ransom” (Mark 10:45). The price was His life and His death. Our sins incurred an infinite debt, not because they are infinite in number or quality, but because they are committed against an infinitely holy God. We owed an infinite debt, which only the infinite God could pay. But Man must pay it. So God became Man to pay it to Himself. This is the great doctrine re-discovered by Anselm.
7. Jesus Died as a Substitute.
Jesus had no sins of His own, and therefore did not have to die. He would still be alive on Earth today had He not done what He did. But He died in our place. This is called the “vicarious atonement”. He stood in our place, He took what we had coming. And He did this voluntarily. Nobody took His life from Him. He laid it down of His own accord (John 10:18). He could have called down thousands of angels to stop the crucifixion (Matt. 26:53), but He didn't. “Christ died for us” (Rom. 5:8).
8. Jesus Died for All Men, But Especially the Elect.
God loves all men, and especially the elect. Just as a husband loves all people but especially His wife, so Christ died for all people but especially His bride. On the one hand, there is a general sense in which Jesus died for all men everywhere (2 Cor. 5:14, 1 Tim. 2:4-6). This is the basis for the free offer of the Gospel. But Jesus also died in a special sense for the elect (Eph. 5:25, John 10:15-18, Isa. 53:8). He died for all, but not equally for all. He made salvation possible for all, but He made it definite for His people in particular. He bought some blessings for all men, and all blessings for some men.
9. Jesus Defeated Satan.
There many aspects of the atonement. In the Godward direction, it was propitiation. It satisfied God's wrath. In the Manward direction, it was expiation. It took away sins. But there was a third aspect. Satanward, it defeated the Devil. Jesus came to die, and His death secured the defeat and overthrow of Satan (Heb. 2:14; 1 John 3:8). It also defeated the demons (Col. 2:14-15). Gen. 3:15 predicted when Christ would crush Satan's head by incurring injury to Himself. He slew the great Dragon and freed the fair maiden, the Church. He overthrew the Prince of Darkness (John 12:31). He did not negotiate with Satan. He resisted all Satan's temptations and tricks, for Satan had nothing in or on Him.
10. Jesus Displayed the Love of God.
No man can show greater love to a friend than by dying for Him (John 15:13). Christ died for His friends while they were still His enemies (Rom. 5:10). “God demonstrates His love for us, in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us” (Rom. 5:8). Christ showed us just how much He loved us, by dying for us (I John 3:16). This is the greatest display of love imaginable, that God would let His only Son die in the place of enemies (I John 4:9-10; John 3:16). Surely if God loved us enough to give us the greatest gift of all (Christ), then He will give us everything else (Rom. 8:32). Just as the love of God itself in an unfathomable ocean of undeserved goodness, so the work of Christ is awesome and overwhelming. It alone can finally break these hard hearts of ours and melt them into hearts of loving gratitude.
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Is Jesus really the only way?
Is Jesus really the only way? In an environment of such plurality and diversity this really seems an implausible or even arrogant claim of Christians. When confronted with the exclusive claims of Christianity, the question on many people's minds is how can Christians be so narrow as to believe that all non-Christians will be excluded from heaven? There are plenty of good people who are not Christians. Do Christians think they are better than others? So the question often put to Christians is what about a person, a good person who has been good all their life ... will they go to heaven?
Actually, Jesus himself answered this question. When asked by a rich young ruler what must he do to gain eternal life, Jesus answered: "If you want to enter life, obey the commandments" (Matt 19:17). So Jesus himself makes it clear that a good person who obeys all of God's commands would merit or qualify for eternal life. This includes all good people of all time from all nations, peoples, races and languages. The point is that if anyone could obey all God's commandments, they will live (also see Rom 2:6-8). So in answer to the question, yes a good person who has done good all their life would merit eternal life. The Scripture declares, however, that there is no one on earth who fits that description (Rom 3:9-18). There is no one who does not sin when measured against the holiness and majesty of God. That means you ... and that means me ... yes, all of us have utterly failed to follow the law God has given us. Only Jesus Christ alone has obeyed all of God's commands and earned a place at the right hand of God (Hebrews 4:15). You see, it is always important to look at context, for after Jesus tells the rich young ruler, "If you want to enter life, obey the commandments", He then goes on to explain but "With man this is impossible..." (Matt 19:26) So it is very important to note that Jesus teaches that the first prerequisite of eternal life in God, is when by God's grace, we recognize our utter impotence to save ourselves by human effort due to our moral corruption. This slavery we have to our rebellion renders it impossible to obey God's commands. In fact Jesus saved his greatest criticism of people on earth for the Pharisees because they believed and trusted in their own righteousness and moral ability to please God.
So what is Jesus saying here because this is really important? He is saying that in God's economy both moral and immoral people are equally alienated from God. God is equally offended by both. This may be counter-intuitive but moral people are lost because of their "goodness". Why? It is often the case that goodness keeps people from God. In fact many people avoid Jesus by avoiding sin because they are trying to become their own saviors ... attempting to justify themselves. But the gospel is neither moralism nor relativism and so it is equally offensive to the moral and the irreligious. So Christ calls us to repent of both our good and bad works, for we have no righteousness of our own.
If you look to your moral performance as the basis of your relationship with God, then you commit idolatry because inwardly you are setting up self as a false savior which could never be good enough to please God. If we are trusting in being politically active, generous, compassionate, a good parent, a good spouse, or trusting in our moral uprightness or our service to others then we trust in these as our "Saviors". Human beings look everywhere for significance and worth and if we do not trust God provides this in Christ we will fill that void by our own futile attempts. Dr. Tim Keller once wisely said, "Every sin is rooted in the inordinate lust for something which comes because we are trusting in that thing rather than in Christ for our righteousness or salvation. At the moment we sin it is because we are looking to something to give us what only Jesus can give us. Beneath any particular sin is the general sin of rejecting Christ-salvation and indulging in self-salvation."
Christianity differs from all other religions because the gospel is news we declare about what God has done for us. It is not advice on how to live for him. Jesus came to inform us that every human idea about how to reach God is wrong and He shattered every human category. In the gospel "I am accepted through Christ, therefore I obey" while every other religion operates on the principle of "I obey, therefore I am accepted." The principle of 'religion' is the deep default mode of the human heart. Our hearts are never empty because we are always trying to fill it with something that comforts or justifiies us.
As an example of Jesus dislike of people who trusted in their own morality, Jesus said, "If you were blind, you would have no guilt; but now that you say, 'We see,' your guilt remains." (John 9:41) Those who think God will accept us based on goodness actually understand only part of the truth. Yes, God loves what is good. But since He also loves the truth, we must confess that, in light of God's holy law, we are not good and have woefully failed to do what is pleasing to God, replacing God with worthless self-pleasing idol substitutes, and so we justly deserve to be punished for it. Those who think they have done enough to please God have not understood or considered the seriousness of their condition. John Calvin once said, "Man is never sufficiently touched and affected by the awareness of his lowly state until he has compared himself with God's majesty." In light of the holiness of God all persons, even the best of us, would become undone. This was the case even with the holiest of the saints of the Bible. When it pleased God to reveal himself to them, they fell at his feet as though dead. God created us to enjoy and glorify Him, but humans voluntarily rebelled against God falling into the bondage of the self-centeredness of sin and cannot help themselves out of it.
So the point of the exclusiveness of Christianity is not to show the rest of the unbelieving world that Christians are better or more moral than others. Christians are not better. Rather, the purpose is to communicate that we all share the same alienated condition as human beings and so we bring the gospel as beggars pointing other beggars to the only bread. Jesus does not point to some innate goodness in yourself. You have none. I have none. He is a Savior who comes from the outside to save those who acknowledge themselves sinners in need of a Savior.
To understand this more clearly we must not rely on our opinions. Rather we should simply listen as we let God speak. Let us look and see what Jesus states is the means for obtaining eternal life. First, Jesus makes clear that all the law and the prophets are summarized in just two commandments.
"And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. "Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?" And he said to him, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the prophets." (Matthew 22:35-40)
Next, God makes it clear that in order to gain entrance into His favor one must not fail to obey and keep all of God’s law. “For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.” (James 2:10).
"And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, "Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?" He said to him, "What is written in the Law? How do you read it?" And he answered, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself." And he said to him, "You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live." (Luke 10:25-28)
But how often have you done this? As I read this and answer honestly, I can only confess that not for a moment do I love God with all my heart of my neighbor as myself. Each day along with the "good" there is the constant reality of pride, self-righteousness, hypocrisy, lust, hatred, covetousness, jealousy, envy and more. The Scripture says, “For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous ( that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.”
(Ephesians 5:5-6 ESV) “For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, "Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them."” (Galatians 3:10 ESV) And the curse described here for violating God’s law is eternal. See Matthew 25:41-46. I must admit, that in light of this, in light of God's perfect standard I am undone.
Why? Because God's holy standard is not graded on a curve but calls us to perfectly obey his law in word and deed. So if you look at God's law, and you are honest, you will become increasingly aware that you fall woefully fall short of having kept any of it. For the purpose of God's law to us is not so that we would see our ability, but that it would reveal our inability, "for through the law comes knowledge of sin." (Rom 3:20).
"But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed. He will render to each one according to his works: to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury." (Romans 2:5-8) "...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, when he comes on that day to be glorified in his saints, and to be marveled at among all who have believed, because our testimony to you was believed."(2 Thessalonians 1:7-9)
Thankfully God has provided a means apart from his law, lest none of us would have hope. But before you see your need for that you need to recognize your hopeless condition in light of God’s standard which is moral perfection for you in light of his holy law. So we implore you on behalf of Christ, take the time to examine yourself; have you ever honored yourself above others, been proud, selfish, put yourself before God, coveted, lusted, lied, envied, stolen, worshipped false gods, hated others, fornicated? If you have committed any of these sins, even in your heart, then, according to the true testimony of Scripture, then judge yourself truly: the just punishment for your sins is to be cast into the lake of fire prepared for the devil and his angels.
"Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, 10nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.(1 Corinthians 6:9-10)
"...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 21:7-8)
Again, the purpose of showing these passages to you is not for me to look down on you from some higher moral ground ... no, I am right there with you. For all persons who call themselves Christians have been guilty of of the same. So if you have committed any of the above sins, you are not alone. But it is necessary that your true condition before God is revealed, that no one (not you, not me) is capable of keeping God’s law through their own effort. There is not a just man on earth who has never sinned for none is righteous, not even one. If by reading God's law you see that you see you are guilty of breaking it, then this is very good. God is working in you.
But now we have a very serious dilemma. If all who do not keep the law of God are to receive just punishment, then the entire human race has no hope of doing anything to please God and we are all without hope of helping ourselves. We are morally unfit for the task. There is no way to free ourselves from this cursed bondage so that we might live. Who will help us?
God resolved the dilemma by coming to earth Himself in the person of Jesus Christ who lived the life we should have lived and died the death we deserve. "For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." (2 Cor 5:21) Jesus humbled himself to become a human being, suffered for sinners the stripes we deserve. He endured on behalf of all his people who would call on his name.
If you are a sinner who acknowledges that you justly deserve the wrath of God save for Christ’s mercy ... if you place your trust in Jesus alone who died for sinners and whom God rose from the dead, then God counts His perfectly righteous life as your own. Having no righteousness of your own by sheer grace, he grants to you the perfectly righteous life of Jesus, who justly bore the full wrath of God for your sin. So if you have renounced all self-sufficiency and flee to Him knowing you need mercy, then He not only forgives your sins but adopts you as his very own child. To those who believe, Jesus has redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us.
"But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith."
What we learn from all this is that, apart from Him, we can do nothing. If the Spirit of Christ has opened your heart to place faith in Jesus Christ we must acknowledge that salvation is all of the Lord, not of yourselves. "But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, "Abba! Father!" So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God." (Galatians 4:3-7)
What about faith? Where does one get it? Are some more wise? Do some persons choose Christ because they are more sensitive to spiritual things than others? no. Jesus taught that no one can believe in Him unless it is granted through the gracious work of the Holy Spirit (John 6:63-54) and all persons so granted will believe (John 6:37). therefore the Bible plainly teaches that faith is the gift of God. God requires all persons to believe the gospel. It is his command, but since no one by nature is inclined to do so, God has mercy on those He came to save.
To Summarize:
Man was created to glorify God & Enjoy Him forever
"Worthy are you, our Lord and our God to receive glory and honor and power, for You created all things." (Rev 4:11) "Do all to the glory of God" (1 Cor 10:31)
Man has failed to glorify God & is under His just condemnation
"For all have sinned..." (Rom 3:23) The wages of sin is death (Rom 6:23) "These will pay the penalty of eternal destruction" (2 Thes 1:9)
Jesus fully bore the wrath and suffered the punishment sinners deserve
Not wishing that sinners perish forever, God determined to save a people for Himself in the Eternal Son who became a man and lived the life we should have lived and died the death we justly deserve. God loves sinners and sent Son to the wrath absorbing sacrifice for their sin (1 John 4:10; John 6:37) he "...gave His life as a ransom for many" (Mk 10:45) & "rose again" from the dead (2 Cor 5:15) on their behalf.
All who, by the grace of God, turn to Jesus in repent submissive faith are forgiven
& begin a life-changing, eternally satisfying relationship with God! "Repent and believe the gospel (Mk 1:5) "In Your presnece is fullness of Joy (Ps 16:11)
Actually, Jesus himself answered this question. When asked by a rich young ruler what must he do to gain eternal life, Jesus answered: "If you want to enter life, obey the commandments" (Matt 19:17). So Jesus himself makes it clear that a good person who obeys all of God's commands would merit or qualify for eternal life. This includes all good people of all time from all nations, peoples, races and languages. The point is that if anyone could obey all God's commandments, they will live (also see Rom 2:6-8). So in answer to the question, yes a good person who has done good all their life would merit eternal life. The Scripture declares, however, that there is no one on earth who fits that description (Rom 3:9-18). There is no one who does not sin when measured against the holiness and majesty of God. That means you ... and that means me ... yes, all of us have utterly failed to follow the law God has given us. Only Jesus Christ alone has obeyed all of God's commands and earned a place at the right hand of God (Hebrews 4:15). You see, it is always important to look at context, for after Jesus tells the rich young ruler, "If you want to enter life, obey the commandments", He then goes on to explain but "With man this is impossible..." (Matt 19:26) So it is very important to note that Jesus teaches that the first prerequisite of eternal life in God, is when by God's grace, we recognize our utter impotence to save ourselves by human effort due to our moral corruption. This slavery we have to our rebellion renders it impossible to obey God's commands. In fact Jesus saved his greatest criticism of people on earth for the Pharisees because they believed and trusted in their own righteousness and moral ability to please God.
So what is Jesus saying here because this is really important? He is saying that in God's economy both moral and immoral people are equally alienated from God. God is equally offended by both. This may be counter-intuitive but moral people are lost because of their "goodness". Why? It is often the case that goodness keeps people from God. In fact many people avoid Jesus by avoiding sin because they are trying to become their own saviors ... attempting to justify themselves. But the gospel is neither moralism nor relativism and so it is equally offensive to the moral and the irreligious. So Christ calls us to repent of both our good and bad works, for we have no righteousness of our own.
If you look to your moral performance as the basis of your relationship with God, then you commit idolatry because inwardly you are setting up self as a false savior which could never be good enough to please God. If we are trusting in being politically active, generous, compassionate, a good parent, a good spouse, or trusting in our moral uprightness or our service to others then we trust in these as our "Saviors". Human beings look everywhere for significance and worth and if we do not trust God provides this in Christ we will fill that void by our own futile attempts. Dr. Tim Keller once wisely said, "Every sin is rooted in the inordinate lust for something which comes because we are trusting in that thing rather than in Christ for our righteousness or salvation. At the moment we sin it is because we are looking to something to give us what only Jesus can give us. Beneath any particular sin is the general sin of rejecting Christ-salvation and indulging in self-salvation."
Christianity differs from all other religions because the gospel is news we declare about what God has done for us. It is not advice on how to live for him. Jesus came to inform us that every human idea about how to reach God is wrong and He shattered every human category. In the gospel "I am accepted through Christ, therefore I obey" while every other religion operates on the principle of "I obey, therefore I am accepted." The principle of 'religion' is the deep default mode of the human heart. Our hearts are never empty because we are always trying to fill it with something that comforts or justifiies us.
As an example of Jesus dislike of people who trusted in their own morality, Jesus said, "If you were blind, you would have no guilt; but now that you say, 'We see,' your guilt remains." (John 9:41) Those who think God will accept us based on goodness actually understand only part of the truth. Yes, God loves what is good. But since He also loves the truth, we must confess that, in light of God's holy law, we are not good and have woefully failed to do what is pleasing to God, replacing God with worthless self-pleasing idol substitutes, and so we justly deserve to be punished for it. Those who think they have done enough to please God have not understood or considered the seriousness of their condition. John Calvin once said, "Man is never sufficiently touched and affected by the awareness of his lowly state until he has compared himself with God's majesty." In light of the holiness of God all persons, even the best of us, would become undone. This was the case even with the holiest of the saints of the Bible. When it pleased God to reveal himself to them, they fell at his feet as though dead. God created us to enjoy and glorify Him, but humans voluntarily rebelled against God falling into the bondage of the self-centeredness of sin and cannot help themselves out of it.
So the point of the exclusiveness of Christianity is not to show the rest of the unbelieving world that Christians are better or more moral than others. Christians are not better. Rather, the purpose is to communicate that we all share the same alienated condition as human beings and so we bring the gospel as beggars pointing other beggars to the only bread. Jesus does not point to some innate goodness in yourself. You have none. I have none. He is a Savior who comes from the outside to save those who acknowledge themselves sinners in need of a Savior.
To understand this more clearly we must not rely on our opinions. Rather we should simply listen as we let God speak. Let us look and see what Jesus states is the means for obtaining eternal life. First, Jesus makes clear that all the law and the prophets are summarized in just two commandments.
"And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. "Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?" And he said to him, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the prophets." (Matthew 22:35-40)
Next, God makes it clear that in order to gain entrance into His favor one must not fail to obey and keep all of God’s law. “For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.” (James 2:10).
"And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, "Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?" He said to him, "What is written in the Law? How do you read it?" And he answered, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself." And he said to him, "You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live." (Luke 10:25-28)
But how often have you done this? As I read this and answer honestly, I can only confess that not for a moment do I love God with all my heart of my neighbor as myself. Each day along with the "good" there is the constant reality of pride, self-righteousness, hypocrisy, lust, hatred, covetousness, jealousy, envy and more. The Scripture says, “For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous ( that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.”
(Ephesians 5:5-6 ESV) “For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, "Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them."” (Galatians 3:10 ESV) And the curse described here for violating God’s law is eternal. See Matthew 25:41-46. I must admit, that in light of this, in light of God's perfect standard I am undone.
Why? Because God's holy standard is not graded on a curve but calls us to perfectly obey his law in word and deed. So if you look at God's law, and you are honest, you will become increasingly aware that you fall woefully fall short of having kept any of it. For the purpose of God's law to us is not so that we would see our ability, but that it would reveal our inability, "for through the law comes knowledge of sin." (Rom 3:20).
"But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed. He will render to each one according to his works: to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury." (Romans 2:5-8) "...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, when he comes on that day to be glorified in his saints, and to be marveled at among all who have believed, because our testimony to you was believed."(2 Thessalonians 1:7-9)
Thankfully God has provided a means apart from his law, lest none of us would have hope. But before you see your need for that you need to recognize your hopeless condition in light of God’s standard which is moral perfection for you in light of his holy law. So we implore you on behalf of Christ, take the time to examine yourself; have you ever honored yourself above others, been proud, selfish, put yourself before God, coveted, lusted, lied, envied, stolen, worshipped false gods, hated others, fornicated? If you have committed any of these sins, even in your heart, then, according to the true testimony of Scripture, then judge yourself truly: the just punishment for your sins is to be cast into the lake of fire prepared for the devil and his angels.
"Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, 10nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.(1 Corinthians 6:9-10)
"...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 21:7-8)
Again, the purpose of showing these passages to you is not for me to look down on you from some higher moral ground ... no, I am right there with you. For all persons who call themselves Christians have been guilty of of the same. So if you have committed any of the above sins, you are not alone. But it is necessary that your true condition before God is revealed, that no one (not you, not me) is capable of keeping God’s law through their own effort. There is not a just man on earth who has never sinned for none is righteous, not even one. If by reading God's law you see that you see you are guilty of breaking it, then this is very good. God is working in you.
But now we have a very serious dilemma. If all who do not keep the law of God are to receive just punishment, then the entire human race has no hope of doing anything to please God and we are all without hope of helping ourselves. We are morally unfit for the task. There is no way to free ourselves from this cursed bondage so that we might live. Who will help us?
God resolved the dilemma by coming to earth Himself in the person of Jesus Christ who lived the life we should have lived and died the death we deserve. "For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." (2 Cor 5:21) Jesus humbled himself to become a human being, suffered for sinners the stripes we deserve. He endured on behalf of all his people who would call on his name.
If you are a sinner who acknowledges that you justly deserve the wrath of God save for Christ’s mercy ... if you place your trust in Jesus alone who died for sinners and whom God rose from the dead, then God counts His perfectly righteous life as your own. Having no righteousness of your own by sheer grace, he grants to you the perfectly righteous life of Jesus, who justly bore the full wrath of God for your sin. So if you have renounced all self-sufficiency and flee to Him knowing you need mercy, then He not only forgives your sins but adopts you as his very own child. To those who believe, Jesus has redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us.
"But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith."
What we learn from all this is that, apart from Him, we can do nothing. If the Spirit of Christ has opened your heart to place faith in Jesus Christ we must acknowledge that salvation is all of the Lord, not of yourselves. "But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, "Abba! Father!" So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God." (Galatians 4:3-7)
What about faith? Where does one get it? Are some more wise? Do some persons choose Christ because they are more sensitive to spiritual things than others? no. Jesus taught that no one can believe in Him unless it is granted through the gracious work of the Holy Spirit (John 6:63-54) and all persons so granted will believe (John 6:37). therefore the Bible plainly teaches that faith is the gift of God. God requires all persons to believe the gospel. It is his command, but since no one by nature is inclined to do so, God has mercy on those He came to save.
To Summarize:
Man was created to glorify God & Enjoy Him forever
"Worthy are you, our Lord and our God to receive glory and honor and power, for You created all things." (Rev 4:11) "Do all to the glory of God" (1 Cor 10:31)
Man has failed to glorify God & is under His just condemnation
"For all have sinned..." (Rom 3:23) The wages of sin is death (Rom 6:23) "These will pay the penalty of eternal destruction" (2 Thes 1:9)
Jesus fully bore the wrath and suffered the punishment sinners deserve
Not wishing that sinners perish forever, God determined to save a people for Himself in the Eternal Son who became a man and lived the life we should have lived and died the death we justly deserve. God loves sinners and sent Son to the wrath absorbing sacrifice for their sin (1 John 4:10; John 6:37) he "...gave His life as a ransom for many" (Mk 10:45) & "rose again" from the dead (2 Cor 5:15) on their behalf.
All who, by the grace of God, turn to Jesus in repent submissive faith are forgiven
& begin a life-changing, eternally satisfying relationship with God! "Repent and believe the gospel (Mk 1:5) "In Your presnece is fullness of Joy (Ps 16:11)
Why is there NO CROSS on the Mormon Church?
You may have noticed that Mormon temples are normally adorned with a golden angel rather than a cross. The fact is, crosses are never used on any Mormon buildings. Strangely enough, Mormon leaders have often pointed to the Garden of Gethsemane as the place where Christ’s atonement took place.
In the April 2005 issue of the official LDS magazine Ensign, Mormon President Gordon Hinckley told the story of a question he received from a Protestant minister who was invited to attend the open house of the newly renovated Mesa (AZ) temple. "I've been all though this building, this temple which carries on its face the name of Jesus Christ,” the minister said, “but nowhere have I seen any representation of the cross, the symbol of Christianity. I have noted your building elsewhere and likewise find an absence of the cross. Why is this when you say you believe in Jesus Christ?”
Hinckley’s answer was not at all unlike answers I have heard from Mormons for years. “For us,” Hinckley responded, “the cross is a symbol of the dying Christ, while our message is a declaration of the living Christ.”
I find Hinckley’s comment problematic for a number of reasons. First of all, the comparison he draws makes it seem as if Christians who see a great deal of significance in the cross fail, in some degree, to grasp the significance of Christ’s resurrection.
The resurrection is indeed a very important aspect of the Christian faith for it validates Christ’s role as Messiah. As Paul noted in 1 Corinthians 15:14, if Christ is not raised, our faith is worthless.
Nowhere do we find any implication in the New Testament that the cross should somehow be minimized because Christ rose from the dead. There is certainly room to remember the importance of both. The fact is, these two events go hand in hand since there can’t be a resurrection without a death. Why Mormons such as Hinckley hold that the memory of the cross must be given a back seat in order to draw attention to the resurrection is puzzling since the evidence clearly shows how the cross was a major theme in the New Testament.
In his article, Hinckley states that “the lives of our people must become the most meaningful expression of our faith and the symbol of our worship.” Does Hinckley imply that having the cross as our symbol somehow takes away from a Christian’s desire to live a life that strives to reflect the holiness of Christ? If so, I must once again strongly object.
Reading this article, one might draw the conclusion that Mormons have no symbols unique to their faith. This, of course, is far from the truth. Anybody who has visited Salt Lake City will quickly notice that Mormon symbols are found throughout the downtown area. Probably its best known symbol is the angel Moroni. Ironically, this trumpet-blowing effigy stands in the same place a Christian cross would probably stand if LDS temples were Christian churches.
Beehives, moonstones, sunstones, the all-seeing eye, and Masonic “grips” are in abundance on the temple in Salt Lake City, and while Mormons are quick to distance themselves from the cross, they have no problem defending the numerous five-pointed pentagrams used as decorations on both the Salt Lake City and Nauvoo temple.
I personally wish Mormons gave closer heed to the cross; in doing so they may discover more fully why Christians see this as an important symbol that reminds us of all that was accomplished through Christ’s suffering on behalf of the believer. It is the suffering of Christ that gives real meaning to the resurrection, for it allows us to see why the resurrection is as important as it is. But what exactly did his suffering and death on the cross accomplish? Consider this:
Romans 5:9 – The shedding of His blood on the cross makes being justified before an all-holy God a present reality. No longer must we wonder if we will ever be “good enough.”
Romans 8:34 – His death resulted in us having One who intercedes on our behalf before the Father.
1 Corinthians 5:7 – As the sacrificed Passover Lamb, Christ enables us to get rid of the contamination of sin of malice and wickedness and embrace sincerity and truth.
Galatians 3:13 – Christ’s death on the cross redeemed us from the curse of the Law, a system by which no sinful human could ever be justified.
Colossian 1:22 – Through the death of Christ’s physical body, those of us who were at one time alienated and enemies of God are now reconciled and made holy in His sight without blemish and free from accusation.
Colossians 2:13 – Nailed to the cross was the promised cancellation of the written code with its regulations that condemned us, resulting in the forgiveness of not some but all our sins.
Colossians 2:15 – Christ’s death on the cross triumphed over Satan and his demonic influences by depriving them of their powers and authority.
Hebrews 2:14 – By His death Jesus frees those were once held in slavery by the fear of death. The bondage brought about by the thought of death no longer has a hold on us. Death’s sting has been removed.
Hebrews 9:14 – Whereas the regular sacrifices of bulls and goats had no power to take away sins or clear a worshipper’s conscience, Christ’s death, offered once for all, serves dual purposes: it cleanses the conscience of the believer and takes away his sin, and it also enables him to serve the living God.
Hebrews 10:14 – Most adherents of other religions struggle to please their particular deities. However, Christ’s sacrifice by itself allows His people to become perfect. The anxiety of striving to be “good enough” has been taken away, allowing us to rest completely in His finished completed work.
In John 15:13, Jesus pointed to His future death as His great of love for His people: “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”
In Galatians 6:14, the Apostle Paul certainly didn’t seem to share the same hesitancy as Gordon Hinckley: “But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.” Nowhere can we find Paul shirking from being associated with the cross.
Christians should feel no shame when they emphasize the cross for their redemption. Paul clearly reminded the believers that “when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commends his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:6-8).
In his tract titled Calvary, John Charles Ryle, a well-respected bishop in the Church of England during the 19th century, summed it up well when he wrote:
“Would I know the fullness and completeness of the salvation God has provided for sinners? Where shall I see it most distinctly? Shall I go to the general declarations in the Bible about God's mercy? Shall I rest in the general truth that God is a God of love? Oh, no! I will look at the crucifixion at Calvary. I find no evidence like that: I find no balm for a sore conscience and a troubled heart like the sight of Jesus dying for me on the accursed tree. There I see that a full payment has been made for all my enormous debts.
“The curse of that law which I have broken, has come down on One who there suffered in my stead; the demands of that law are all satisfied: payment has been made for me even to the uttermost farthing. It will not be required twice over. Ah, I might sometimes imagine I was too bad to be forgiven; my own heart sometimes whispers that I am too wicked to be saved. But I know in my better moments this is all my foolish unbelief; I read an answer to my doubts in the blood shed on Calvary. I feel sure that there is a way to heaven for the very vilest of men, when I look at the cross.”
In the April 2005 issue of the official LDS magazine Ensign, Mormon President Gordon Hinckley told the story of a question he received from a Protestant minister who was invited to attend the open house of the newly renovated Mesa (AZ) temple. "I've been all though this building, this temple which carries on its face the name of Jesus Christ,” the minister said, “but nowhere have I seen any representation of the cross, the symbol of Christianity. I have noted your building elsewhere and likewise find an absence of the cross. Why is this when you say you believe in Jesus Christ?”
Hinckley’s answer was not at all unlike answers I have heard from Mormons for years. “For us,” Hinckley responded, “the cross is a symbol of the dying Christ, while our message is a declaration of the living Christ.”
I find Hinckley’s comment problematic for a number of reasons. First of all, the comparison he draws makes it seem as if Christians who see a great deal of significance in the cross fail, in some degree, to grasp the significance of Christ’s resurrection.
The resurrection is indeed a very important aspect of the Christian faith for it validates Christ’s role as Messiah. As Paul noted in 1 Corinthians 15:14, if Christ is not raised, our faith is worthless.
Nowhere do we find any implication in the New Testament that the cross should somehow be minimized because Christ rose from the dead. There is certainly room to remember the importance of both. The fact is, these two events go hand in hand since there can’t be a resurrection without a death. Why Mormons such as Hinckley hold that the memory of the cross must be given a back seat in order to draw attention to the resurrection is puzzling since the evidence clearly shows how the cross was a major theme in the New Testament.
In his article, Hinckley states that “the lives of our people must become the most meaningful expression of our faith and the symbol of our worship.” Does Hinckley imply that having the cross as our symbol somehow takes away from a Christian’s desire to live a life that strives to reflect the holiness of Christ? If so, I must once again strongly object.
Reading this article, one might draw the conclusion that Mormons have no symbols unique to their faith. This, of course, is far from the truth. Anybody who has visited Salt Lake City will quickly notice that Mormon symbols are found throughout the downtown area. Probably its best known symbol is the angel Moroni. Ironically, this trumpet-blowing effigy stands in the same place a Christian cross would probably stand if LDS temples were Christian churches.
Beehives, moonstones, sunstones, the all-seeing eye, and Masonic “grips” are in abundance on the temple in Salt Lake City, and while Mormons are quick to distance themselves from the cross, they have no problem defending the numerous five-pointed pentagrams used as decorations on both the Salt Lake City and Nauvoo temple.
I personally wish Mormons gave closer heed to the cross; in doing so they may discover more fully why Christians see this as an important symbol that reminds us of all that was accomplished through Christ’s suffering on behalf of the believer. It is the suffering of Christ that gives real meaning to the resurrection, for it allows us to see why the resurrection is as important as it is. But what exactly did his suffering and death on the cross accomplish? Consider this:
Romans 5:9 – The shedding of His blood on the cross makes being justified before an all-holy God a present reality. No longer must we wonder if we will ever be “good enough.”
Romans 8:34 – His death resulted in us having One who intercedes on our behalf before the Father.
1 Corinthians 5:7 – As the sacrificed Passover Lamb, Christ enables us to get rid of the contamination of sin of malice and wickedness and embrace sincerity and truth.
Galatians 3:13 – Christ’s death on the cross redeemed us from the curse of the Law, a system by which no sinful human could ever be justified.
Colossian 1:22 – Through the death of Christ’s physical body, those of us who were at one time alienated and enemies of God are now reconciled and made holy in His sight without blemish and free from accusation.
Colossians 2:13 – Nailed to the cross was the promised cancellation of the written code with its regulations that condemned us, resulting in the forgiveness of not some but all our sins.
Colossians 2:15 – Christ’s death on the cross triumphed over Satan and his demonic influences by depriving them of their powers and authority.
Hebrews 2:14 – By His death Jesus frees those were once held in slavery by the fear of death. The bondage brought about by the thought of death no longer has a hold on us. Death’s sting has been removed.
Hebrews 9:14 – Whereas the regular sacrifices of bulls and goats had no power to take away sins or clear a worshipper’s conscience, Christ’s death, offered once for all, serves dual purposes: it cleanses the conscience of the believer and takes away his sin, and it also enables him to serve the living God.
Hebrews 10:14 – Most adherents of other religions struggle to please their particular deities. However, Christ’s sacrifice by itself allows His people to become perfect. The anxiety of striving to be “good enough” has been taken away, allowing us to rest completely in His finished completed work.
In John 15:13, Jesus pointed to His future death as His great of love for His people: “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”
In Galatians 6:14, the Apostle Paul certainly didn’t seem to share the same hesitancy as Gordon Hinckley: “But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.” Nowhere can we find Paul shirking from being associated with the cross.
Christians should feel no shame when they emphasize the cross for their redemption. Paul clearly reminded the believers that “when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commends his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:6-8).
In his tract titled Calvary, John Charles Ryle, a well-respected bishop in the Church of England during the 19th century, summed it up well when he wrote:
“Would I know the fullness and completeness of the salvation God has provided for sinners? Where shall I see it most distinctly? Shall I go to the general declarations in the Bible about God's mercy? Shall I rest in the general truth that God is a God of love? Oh, no! I will look at the crucifixion at Calvary. I find no evidence like that: I find no balm for a sore conscience and a troubled heart like the sight of Jesus dying for me on the accursed tree. There I see that a full payment has been made for all my enormous debts.
“The curse of that law which I have broken, has come down on One who there suffered in my stead; the demands of that law are all satisfied: payment has been made for me even to the uttermost farthing. It will not be required twice over. Ah, I might sometimes imagine I was too bad to be forgiven; my own heart sometimes whispers that I am too wicked to be saved. But I know in my better moments this is all my foolish unbelief; I read an answer to my doubts in the blood shed on Calvary. I feel sure that there is a way to heaven for the very vilest of men, when I look at the cross.”
Monday, July 21, 2008
What to Do in the Gray Areas
Will it benefit me spiritually?
All things are lawful, but not all things are profitable. All things are lawful, but not all things edify. (1 Cor. 10:23)
A "profitable" thing is useful, helpful, or to your advantage to do; and the idea behind "edify" is to build up spiritually. So based on this verse, ask yourself, "Will doing this enhance my spiritual life? Will it cultivate godliness? Will it build me up spiritually?" If not, you should seriously question whether that behavior is the best choice.
Will it bring bondage?
All things are lawful for me, but not all things are profitable. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be mastered by anything. (1 Cor. 6:12) In the second part of this verse, Paul is saying, "I will not be brought under the power of anything." If what you are considering can be habit forming, why pursue it? Don't allow yourself to be in bondage to anything or anyone. You are a bond-servant of the Lord Jesus Christ, and Him alone.
Will it defile God's temple?
Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body. (1 Cor. 6:19-20)
Don't do anything that you know will harm your body or bring shame–it is the only instrument you have to glorify God. Romans 6:13 says, "Present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God." How you choose to use your body should always reflect your concern to honor Jesus Christ.
Will it cause anyone to stumble?
Food will not commend us to God; we are neither the worse if we do not eat, nor the better if we do eat. But take care lest this liberty of yours somehow become a stumbling block to the weak. (1 Cor. 8:8-9)
This is the principle of love. As Romans 13:10 says: "Love does no wrong to a neighbor; love therefore is the fulfillment of the law." If you know that your choice–what you consider "in bounds" and approved–causes another Christian to stumble and sin, love that brother or sister enough to restrict your own freedom. That is not very popular in our self-absorbed society, but it is biblical. To continue to indulge in a legitimate freedom that causes problems for another Christian is a sin. For "by sinning against the brethren and wounding their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ. Therefore," Paul said, "if food causes my brother to stumble, I will never eat meat again, that I might not cause my brother to stumble." (1 Cor. 8:12-13)
Will it further the cause of evangelism?
Give no offense either to Jews or to Greeks or to the church of God; just as I also please all men in all things, not seeking my own profit, but the profit of the many, that they may be saved (1 Cor. 10:32-33).
Whether you are aware of it, what you allow or disallow in your behavior affects your witness for Christ–and the world is watching. It's an issue of testimony–what your life says about God. Your testimony either tells the truth about God, or it tells a lie. The choices you make in the "gray" areas should reflect your concern not to bring offense to God's reputation but to bring Him praise instead.
Will it violate my conscience?
He who doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith; and whatever is not from faith is sin (Rom. 14:23).
First Corinthians 10:25 29 contains three references to abstaining from a certain practice "for conscience sake." Never train yourself to violate your conscience. If your conscience is troubled by what you consider, don't do it. If you aren't sure about it, don't do it. It is hard to overstate the value of a clean conscience, but it is worth keeping your conscience clear so that your relationship to God will not be hindered. If you'll keep yourself in prayer and the study of God's Word, you will inform your conscience so you can "walk as children of light...finding out what is acceptable to the Lord" (Eph. 5:8, 10).
Will it bring glory to God?
Therefore, whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God (1 Cor. 10:31).
That verse is clearly both the summary and the goal of all the principles I've shared. Isn't our heart's cry to glorify our Lord and Savior with our lives? Think about your decision–Will He be glorified, honored, and praised through it? May we say along with Jesus, "I glorified You on the earth." (John 17:4)
So what questions do you have? Run them through the principles above and enjoy your freedom in Christ – the freedom to be what He created you to be!
All things are lawful, but not all things are profitable. All things are lawful, but not all things edify. (1 Cor. 10:23)
A "profitable" thing is useful, helpful, or to your advantage to do; and the idea behind "edify" is to build up spiritually. So based on this verse, ask yourself, "Will doing this enhance my spiritual life? Will it cultivate godliness? Will it build me up spiritually?" If not, you should seriously question whether that behavior is the best choice.
Will it bring bondage?
All things are lawful for me, but not all things are profitable. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be mastered by anything. (1 Cor. 6:12) In the second part of this verse, Paul is saying, "I will not be brought under the power of anything." If what you are considering can be habit forming, why pursue it? Don't allow yourself to be in bondage to anything or anyone. You are a bond-servant of the Lord Jesus Christ, and Him alone.
Will it defile God's temple?
Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body. (1 Cor. 6:19-20)
Don't do anything that you know will harm your body or bring shame–it is the only instrument you have to glorify God. Romans 6:13 says, "Present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God." How you choose to use your body should always reflect your concern to honor Jesus Christ.
Will it cause anyone to stumble?
Food will not commend us to God; we are neither the worse if we do not eat, nor the better if we do eat. But take care lest this liberty of yours somehow become a stumbling block to the weak. (1 Cor. 8:8-9)
This is the principle of love. As Romans 13:10 says: "Love does no wrong to a neighbor; love therefore is the fulfillment of the law." If you know that your choice–what you consider "in bounds" and approved–causes another Christian to stumble and sin, love that brother or sister enough to restrict your own freedom. That is not very popular in our self-absorbed society, but it is biblical. To continue to indulge in a legitimate freedom that causes problems for another Christian is a sin. For "by sinning against the brethren and wounding their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ. Therefore," Paul said, "if food causes my brother to stumble, I will never eat meat again, that I might not cause my brother to stumble." (1 Cor. 8:12-13)
Will it further the cause of evangelism?
Give no offense either to Jews or to Greeks or to the church of God; just as I also please all men in all things, not seeking my own profit, but the profit of the many, that they may be saved (1 Cor. 10:32-33).
Whether you are aware of it, what you allow or disallow in your behavior affects your witness for Christ–and the world is watching. It's an issue of testimony–what your life says about God. Your testimony either tells the truth about God, or it tells a lie. The choices you make in the "gray" areas should reflect your concern not to bring offense to God's reputation but to bring Him praise instead.
Will it violate my conscience?
He who doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith; and whatever is not from faith is sin (Rom. 14:23).
First Corinthians 10:25 29 contains three references to abstaining from a certain practice "for conscience sake." Never train yourself to violate your conscience. If your conscience is troubled by what you consider, don't do it. If you aren't sure about it, don't do it. It is hard to overstate the value of a clean conscience, but it is worth keeping your conscience clear so that your relationship to God will not be hindered. If you'll keep yourself in prayer and the study of God's Word, you will inform your conscience so you can "walk as children of light...finding out what is acceptable to the Lord" (Eph. 5:8, 10).
Will it bring glory to God?
Therefore, whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God (1 Cor. 10:31).
That verse is clearly both the summary and the goal of all the principles I've shared. Isn't our heart's cry to glorify our Lord and Savior with our lives? Think about your decision–Will He be glorified, honored, and praised through it? May we say along with Jesus, "I glorified You on the earth." (John 17:4)
So what questions do you have? Run them through the principles above and enjoy your freedom in Christ – the freedom to be what He created you to be!
What to Do in the Gray Areas
Will it benefit me spiritually?
All things are lawful, but not all things are profitable. All things are lawful, but not all things edify. (1 Cor. 10:23)
A "profitable" thing is useful, helpful, or to your advantage to do; and the idea behind "edify" is to build up spiritually. So based on this verse, ask yourself, "Will doing this enhance my spiritual life? Will it cultivate godliness? Will it build me up spiritually?" If not, you should seriously question whether that behavior is the best choice.
Will it bring bondage?
All things are lawful for me, but not all things are profitable. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be mastered by anything. (1 Cor. 6:12) In the second part of this verse, Paul is saying, "I will not be brought under the power of anything." If what you are considering can be habit forming, why pursue it? Don't allow yourself to be in bondage to anything or anyone. You are a bond-servant of the Lord Jesus Christ, and Him alone.
Will it defile God's temple?
Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body. (1 Cor. 6:19-20)
Don't do anything that you know will harm your body or bring shame–it is the only instrument you have to glorify God. Romans 6:13 says, "Present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God." How you choose to use your body should always reflect your concern to honor Jesus Christ.
Will it cause anyone to stumble?
Food will not commend us to God; we are neither the worse if we do not eat, nor the better if we do eat. But take care lest this liberty of yours somehow become a stumbling block to the weak. (1 Cor. 8:8-9)
This is the principle of love. As Romans 13:10 says: "Love does no wrong to a neighbor; love therefore is the fulfillment of the law." If you know that your choice–what you consider "in bounds" and approved–causes another Christian to stumble and sin, love that brother or sister enough to restrict your own freedom. That is not very popular in our self-absorbed society, but it is biblical. To continue to indulge in a legitimate freedom that causes problems for another Christian is a sin. For "by sinning against the brethren and wounding their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ. Therefore," Paul said, "if food causes my brother to stumble, I will never eat meat again, that I might not cause my brother to stumble." (1 Cor. 8:12-13)
Will it further the cause of evangelism?
Give no offense either to Jews or to Greeks or to the church of God; just as I also please all men in all things, not seeking my own profit, but the profit of the many, that they may be saved (1 Cor. 10:32-33).
Whether you are aware of it, what you allow or disallow in your behavior affects your witness for Christ–and the world is watching. It's an issue of testimony–what your life says about God. Your testimony either tells the truth about God, or it tells a lie. The choices you make in the "gray" areas should reflect your concern not to bring offense to God's reputation but to bring Him praise instead.
Will it violate my conscience?
He who doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith; and whatever is not from faith is sin (Rom. 14:23).
First Corinthians 10:25 29 contains three references to abstaining from a certain practice "for conscience sake." Never train yourself to violate your conscience. If your conscience is troubled by what you consider, don't do it. If you aren't sure about it, don't do it. It is hard to overstate the value of a clean conscience, but it is worth keeping your conscience clear so that your relationship to God will not be hindered. If you'll keep yourself in prayer and the study of God's Word, you will inform your conscience so you can "walk as children of light...finding out what is acceptable to the Lord" (Eph. 5:8, 10).
Will it bring glory to God?
Therefore, whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God (1 Cor. 10:31).
That verse is clearly both the summary and the goal of all the principles I've shared. Isn't our heart's cry to glorify our Lord and Savior with our lives? Think about your decision–Will He be glorified, honored, and praised through it? May we say along with Jesus, "I glorified You on the earth." (John 17:4)
So what questions do you have? Run them through the principles above and enjoy your freedom in Christ – the freedom to be what He created you to be!
Saturday, July 19, 2008
The Attributes of God
1. God is Eternal.
God fills all time and dwells in the realm of eternity (Isa. 57:15). He is the Ancient of Days (Dan. 7:9). He is not only older than the universe, He is eternal. He never had a beginning. He has always been the great “I AM”. He is from everlasting to everlasting (Psa. 90:2). He is, was and always shall be (Rev. 1:8). We cannot fully grasp just what eternity is, though, for we are not eternal. We are limited by time; God is not. God is eternal in His love and other attributes. He gives eternal life, which is not merely endless life but eternal in its quality.
2. God is Infinite.
God is not limited by time; neither is He limited by space. He is infinite. He is omnipresent, or present everywhere at the same time. He is immense. God is not only big; He is sizeless. There is no place where God is not. He is a circle whose center is everywhere and whose circumference is nowhere. The entire universe cannot contain Him (Acts 17:24). The universe, therefore, is not infinite, but God is. He is everywhere, but especially in Heaven. Also, He is imminent, or near all of us. He is also transcendent, or high above us (Isa. 57:15).
3. God is Spirit.
God is spirit, not a spirit (John 4:24). This refers to His being, not the Holy Spirit. God has no material body. His substance is pure and uncreated spirit. He is invisible to us now, but one day we will see Him. Being pure spirit, He is one in being, not having parts. The attributes of God are not parts of God, but qualities of His whole being. The Mormons are wrong to say God has a physical body. No, but God the Son became a man and took on a fleshly body (John 1:14).
4. God is Unchangeable.
God is perfect, and therefore never changes (Mal. 3:6). There is no shadow of change in His being (James 1:17). He is immutable. He cannot change for the better, for He is already perfect. Nor can He change for the worse, for that would mean He is not perfect. He is not growing, either. So-called “Process Theology” says God is changing and growing, but God already knows everything and is everywhere, so He cannot change to a fuller existence. This does not mean He is stagnant, though. He is perfect in life. And God does not change His mind or decrees. He is the same yesterday, today and forever (Heb. 13:8). Everything else changes, but not God (Heb. 1:12).
5. God is Holy.
God is holy. He is absolutely pure. “God is light and in Him is no darkness at all” (I John 1:5). He is absolutely morally pure. It is not that He became pure by purification, but is pure by nature. He is totally just. His will is Law for all His creatures, but there is no higher law to which God is subject. Also, because we are not holy, God is angry. He is filled with wrath and fury, far more than we can imagine. And it is a pure and holy wrath, not like losing one's temper. God is so holy that He cannot break His own Law. It is the height of blasphemy, then, for any mere sinful creature to accuse God of doing anything wrong. Being angry against sin, God will punish all unrepentant sinners in eternal Hell. Lastly, we are to pattern our ideas and lives after God, for He has said, “Be holy as I the Lord am holy” (I Peter 1:16). We can never be as holy as God, but should strive to obey Him in all things without hesitation or question.
God is Sovereign.
God is King of Kings. He is the absolute ruler of the entire universe. He is the just totalitarian potentate of everything, and is subject to nothing and nobody. He is absolutely free and independent. He does whatever He wants to (Psa. 115:3, 135:5-6, Job 23:13, Dan. 4:25). He owns everything and does whatever He wants to with it. He rules as King over all (Psa.93:1). He is the supreme judge, above whom there is no appeal. Therefore, no one can accuse God, for He is the potter and we are the clay (Rom. 9). Is it not His right to do whatever He wants to with His universe? (Matt. 20:15).
7. God is Powerful.
God is omnipotent, or all-powerful. He is God Almighty. He has all power and strength. He has all life and energy within Himself, and supplies life and energy to His universe. Being omnipotent, there is nothing too hard for Him to do. It is blasphemy to even suggest stupid questions like, “Can God make a rock too heavy for Him to lift?” He is pure power. He never grows tired, nor sleeps. Even when He ceased creating all things, He was not resting. Being the highest and perfect God that He is, He has this infinite power from within Himself, not from outside Himself.
8. God is Wise.
God is Omniscient. He knows all things. He knows every detail of everything that is, was, ever shall be. He also knows every possibility of things that could be but never will be. He knows all answers to all questions. He makes no mistakes. He remembers everything. He never learns, for He has always known everything about everything. He knows the future. It is gross heresy to say that God “limits His knowledge”, as if God could choose to not know something He already knows. He says He “forgets” our sins by way of justice, not by way of omniscience. God is also perfectly wise. He knows what is best. He knows all relationships between facts and how they work out together for the planned end. Finally, God has perfect self-knowledge.
9. God is Love.
God is love. First, God loves Himself. The Father, Son and Holy Spirit all love each other perfectly. God is not lonely. But God expresses this internal love externally to His creatures. He has a general love for all things as creatures. But He also has a special love for His people, which is called election. Theologians speak of God's love of benevolence (love for the unlovely) and His love of complacence (love for the lovely). He has grace for the guilty, mercy for the miserable, kindness for the helpless. God is good. He is patient. God is generous. He is compassionate. He is forgiving. These and many other terms are used to say "God is love."
10. God is Glorious.
God is all glorious within. He is the God of glory. Within the Trinity, there has always been an infinite splendor of light and glory that we have never seen or known. It is the glory of God. It is His plan to reveal this internal glory externally to His creation. This glory will one day be revealed and reflected in all things. His love will be displayed in His elect, His wrath in the non-elect. In turn, this revealed glory will be reflected back to God. In that sense, we are said to “give glory to God”. What is the glory of God? It is His splendor, His fame, His beauty. It is the revelation of what He is, all that He is, all His attributes together in perfect harmony. It is often compared to light in all its various refracted colors, like the rainbow. It is living glory. And the focal point of it is the Lord Jesus Christ, through whom God reveals His glory to creation, and through whom He receives it back again.
God fills all time and dwells in the realm of eternity (Isa. 57:15). He is the Ancient of Days (Dan. 7:9). He is not only older than the universe, He is eternal. He never had a beginning. He has always been the great “I AM”. He is from everlasting to everlasting (Psa. 90:2). He is, was and always shall be (Rev. 1:8). We cannot fully grasp just what eternity is, though, for we are not eternal. We are limited by time; God is not. God is eternal in His love and other attributes. He gives eternal life, which is not merely endless life but eternal in its quality.
2. God is Infinite.
God is not limited by time; neither is He limited by space. He is infinite. He is omnipresent, or present everywhere at the same time. He is immense. God is not only big; He is sizeless. There is no place where God is not. He is a circle whose center is everywhere and whose circumference is nowhere. The entire universe cannot contain Him (Acts 17:24). The universe, therefore, is not infinite, but God is. He is everywhere, but especially in Heaven. Also, He is imminent, or near all of us. He is also transcendent, or high above us (Isa. 57:15).
3. God is Spirit.
God is spirit, not a spirit (John 4:24). This refers to His being, not the Holy Spirit. God has no material body. His substance is pure and uncreated spirit. He is invisible to us now, but one day we will see Him. Being pure spirit, He is one in being, not having parts. The attributes of God are not parts of God, but qualities of His whole being. The Mormons are wrong to say God has a physical body. No, but God the Son became a man and took on a fleshly body (John 1:14).
4. God is Unchangeable.
God is perfect, and therefore never changes (Mal. 3:6). There is no shadow of change in His being (James 1:17). He is immutable. He cannot change for the better, for He is already perfect. Nor can He change for the worse, for that would mean He is not perfect. He is not growing, either. So-called “Process Theology” says God is changing and growing, but God already knows everything and is everywhere, so He cannot change to a fuller existence. This does not mean He is stagnant, though. He is perfect in life. And God does not change His mind or decrees. He is the same yesterday, today and forever (Heb. 13:8). Everything else changes, but not God (Heb. 1:12).
5. God is Holy.
God is holy. He is absolutely pure. “God is light and in Him is no darkness at all” (I John 1:5). He is absolutely morally pure. It is not that He became pure by purification, but is pure by nature. He is totally just. His will is Law for all His creatures, but there is no higher law to which God is subject. Also, because we are not holy, God is angry. He is filled with wrath and fury, far more than we can imagine. And it is a pure and holy wrath, not like losing one's temper. God is so holy that He cannot break His own Law. It is the height of blasphemy, then, for any mere sinful creature to accuse God of doing anything wrong. Being angry against sin, God will punish all unrepentant sinners in eternal Hell. Lastly, we are to pattern our ideas and lives after God, for He has said, “Be holy as I the Lord am holy” (I Peter 1:16). We can never be as holy as God, but should strive to obey Him in all things without hesitation or question.
God is Sovereign.
God is King of Kings. He is the absolute ruler of the entire universe. He is the just totalitarian potentate of everything, and is subject to nothing and nobody. He is absolutely free and independent. He does whatever He wants to (Psa. 115:3, 135:5-6, Job 23:13, Dan. 4:25). He owns everything and does whatever He wants to with it. He rules as King over all (Psa.93:1). He is the supreme judge, above whom there is no appeal. Therefore, no one can accuse God, for He is the potter and we are the clay (Rom. 9). Is it not His right to do whatever He wants to with His universe? (Matt. 20:15).
7. God is Powerful.
God is omnipotent, or all-powerful. He is God Almighty. He has all power and strength. He has all life and energy within Himself, and supplies life and energy to His universe. Being omnipotent, there is nothing too hard for Him to do. It is blasphemy to even suggest stupid questions like, “Can God make a rock too heavy for Him to lift?” He is pure power. He never grows tired, nor sleeps. Even when He ceased creating all things, He was not resting. Being the highest and perfect God that He is, He has this infinite power from within Himself, not from outside Himself.
8. God is Wise.
God is Omniscient. He knows all things. He knows every detail of everything that is, was, ever shall be. He also knows every possibility of things that could be but never will be. He knows all answers to all questions. He makes no mistakes. He remembers everything. He never learns, for He has always known everything about everything. He knows the future. It is gross heresy to say that God “limits His knowledge”, as if God could choose to not know something He already knows. He says He “forgets” our sins by way of justice, not by way of omniscience. God is also perfectly wise. He knows what is best. He knows all relationships between facts and how they work out together for the planned end. Finally, God has perfect self-knowledge.
9. God is Love.
God is love. First, God loves Himself. The Father, Son and Holy Spirit all love each other perfectly. God is not lonely. But God expresses this internal love externally to His creatures. He has a general love for all things as creatures. But He also has a special love for His people, which is called election. Theologians speak of God's love of benevolence (love for the unlovely) and His love of complacence (love for the lovely). He has grace for the guilty, mercy for the miserable, kindness for the helpless. God is good. He is patient. God is generous. He is compassionate. He is forgiving. These and many other terms are used to say "God is love."
10. God is Glorious.
God is all glorious within. He is the God of glory. Within the Trinity, there has always been an infinite splendor of light and glory that we have never seen or known. It is the glory of God. It is His plan to reveal this internal glory externally to His creation. This glory will one day be revealed and reflected in all things. His love will be displayed in His elect, His wrath in the non-elect. In turn, this revealed glory will be reflected back to God. In that sense, we are said to “give glory to God”. What is the glory of God? It is His splendor, His fame, His beauty. It is the revelation of what He is, all that He is, all His attributes together in perfect harmony. It is often compared to light in all its various refracted colors, like the rainbow. It is living glory. And the focal point of it is the Lord Jesus Christ, through whom God reveals His glory to creation, and through whom He receives it back again.
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
The Consequences of Sin
1. All People Inherit Adam's Sin.
Romans 5 teaches the great doctrine known as Original Sin. It does not refer to the first or original sin of eating the Forbidden Fruit, but to how we were in Adam and have inherited sin. We were in Adam in essence and by representation. When he sinned, we sinned. When he sinned, his soul died and was thrown into a state of rebellion with God. We are born in that state. Eph. 2:3 says we were all “by nature children of wrath.” The image of God is defaced in our nature, but we bear a close resemblance to Adam (cf. Gen. 5:3). Original Sin refers to our nature, what we are. Actual sins flow from it. We have the nature of sin and the necessity of sinning. It is as much a part of us as our fingerprints or DNA code.
2. We Are Born Guilty.
Pelagians deny Original Sin. Semi-Pelagians and Arminians agree that we inherit something from Adam - they say we inherit the tendency to sin, but not the sin itself, and certainly not the guilt. The Bible teaches that we inherit the sin and the guilt. It is not that we are guilty of something we did not do. Rather, we were in Adam doing it, and he was our representative. We were born in sin, born evil by nature (Gen. 6:5, 8:21, Psa. 51:5, 58:3, Isa. 48:8, Pro. 22:15). And born guilty, too, for how can there be sin without guilt? We were born sinful, guilty, condemned.
3. Dying Infants Go to Heaven.
Scripture seems to teach that all dying infants go to Heaven. This is apparent from passages like Matt. 19:14, David's dying baby, etc. They died before the age of a formed consciousness, what some call the Age of Accountability. This does not mean they were innocent, however. Rather, it would mean that God has elected all dying infants to be saved. That they die proves they are guilty; that they are saved proves they are elect. They are incapable of faith, and their Original Sin deserves Hell. But God graciously saves them by grace and they are given faith as they enter Heaven. But the point is that they needed to be saved.
4. All Have Sinned.
Since all people are descended from Adam and inherit his sin and guilt, it follows that all of them eventually commit individual acts of sin. There are many, many verses that teach that everyone everywhere has sinned against God, of which Rom. 3:23 is the most well-known. There are no exceptions, except for the Lord Jesus Christ, who was not descended from Adam (because of the Virgin Birth). Some sin more than others, but everyone is sinful and guilty before God. In fact, we were born in the state of sin and have never known innocence. Adam and Eve were the only two humans (except Christ) who ever knew what it was to be innocent, and their innocency was temporary.
5. Sin Infects Every Part of Our Being.
We are all totally depraved. Sin affects and infects all persons and all parts of every person. Isa. 1:5-6 compares our being to a sick body which is infected by disease literally from head to toe. Sin indwells us in our body, mind, soul, heart, conscience, emotions, will, memory, down to the smallest part. A little leaven leavens the whole lump. Calvinists alone teach this awesome doctrine. Arminians and others say that our minds or maybe our wills are not affected, or if affected are not totally affected. But the Bible is clear: we are one seething mass of sin.
6. Man is Evil, Not Good.
To answer the old philosophical and religious question, “Is Man basically good with some evil or evil with some good?”, the Bible teaches something more drastic. Man is bad, bad, bad. Bad to the bone. Not even a little good is left in him. Rom. 7:18, “nothing good dwells in me.” Jesus said in Matt. 7:11, “you who are evil” and in vss. 16-18 He added that we are like bad trees bearing bad fruit. Because of Original Sin, there is no good but only bad in us. Indeed, we are sons of the Devil (John 8:44). The difference between us and Satan is quantitative, not qualitative.
7. Man Does Not Have Free Will.
Man is responsible to obey God, but is no longer able to do so. His will is dead and therefore incapable of doing what only a live will could do. We are born slaves to sin (John 8:34, Rom. 6:20, 2 Pet. 2:19) and slaves of Satan (2 Tim. 2:26). We are willing slaves, too, who do not want to be free. We sin to assert our pretended freedom from God. Our wills are dead, not merely sick (Eph. 2:1, 5, Col. 2:13).
If it is so frequently said to be dead and a slave, how can anyone say it is alive and free?
8. Man is Unable to Obey God.
Fallen Man does not have the ability anymore to obey God, or to believe, repent, love God, or anything else of virtue. This is the doctrine of Total Inability. We are unable to come to Christ because we are bound in sin (John 6:44, 65). It is not that we want to but can't; rather, we cannot want to. Our natures and wills must be changed before we are able. Matt. 7:18, “A bad tree cannot bear good fruit.” Rom. 8:7-8, “Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.” But this inability does not negate our responsibility. It does not lessen our guilt, only compounds it.
9. Man Loves Sin and Hates God.
Because of the extremely black state of Man's heart in total depravity and inability, it manifests itself in two basic ways. First, Man loves sin. He is addicted to it and enjoys sin. He loves sin as sin. This is not always conscious, but by nature and choice. Second, fallen Man hates God. See John 3:19-20, Matt. 6:24. No man is neutral to God; he is either for him or against him. The man in Adam is against God and for sin; the man in Christ is for God and against sin. Fallen men hate God and therefore also hated Christ (John 7:7, 15:18). They still do.
10. Man Cannot Save Himself.
Some people don't know they are lost, and they don't care. Others sense they are lost and care enough to try to do something about it. They invent all sorts of religions, all false. Some try building bridges to God by their own good works, such as charity and philanthropy. Others try to keep the Golden Rule, the Sermon on the Mount or the Ten Commandments. Still others think that they can be saved from the wrath of God against sin by being baptized, taking Communion, going to church, singing in the choir, reading their Bible or putting money in the offering basket. These are good things, but none of them can save anyone. Why? Because no one can be saved by his good works (Rom. 3:28, Gal. 2:16, Eph. 2:8-9, Tit. 3:5). For one thing, fallen Man cannot even do a real good work or if he could, he could never do enough. We are not saved by having more good works than bad, as many think. Man can no more give himself life than a corpse can. He cannot earn salvation for himself, let alone for anyone else. He cannot change his fallen nature (Jer. 13:23). He is dead, lost, doomed, damned, utterly without hope of himself. And unless God alone does something, he'll go to Hell.
Romans 5 teaches the great doctrine known as Original Sin. It does not refer to the first or original sin of eating the Forbidden Fruit, but to how we were in Adam and have inherited sin. We were in Adam in essence and by representation. When he sinned, we sinned. When he sinned, his soul died and was thrown into a state of rebellion with God. We are born in that state. Eph. 2:3 says we were all “by nature children of wrath.” The image of God is defaced in our nature, but we bear a close resemblance to Adam (cf. Gen. 5:3). Original Sin refers to our nature, what we are. Actual sins flow from it. We have the nature of sin and the necessity of sinning. It is as much a part of us as our fingerprints or DNA code.
2. We Are Born Guilty.
Pelagians deny Original Sin. Semi-Pelagians and Arminians agree that we inherit something from Adam - they say we inherit the tendency to sin, but not the sin itself, and certainly not the guilt. The Bible teaches that we inherit the sin and the guilt. It is not that we are guilty of something we did not do. Rather, we were in Adam doing it, and he was our representative. We were born in sin, born evil by nature (Gen. 6:5, 8:21, Psa. 51:5, 58:3, Isa. 48:8, Pro. 22:15). And born guilty, too, for how can there be sin without guilt? We were born sinful, guilty, condemned.
3. Dying Infants Go to Heaven.
Scripture seems to teach that all dying infants go to Heaven. This is apparent from passages like Matt. 19:14, David's dying baby, etc. They died before the age of a formed consciousness, what some call the Age of Accountability. This does not mean they were innocent, however. Rather, it would mean that God has elected all dying infants to be saved. That they die proves they are guilty; that they are saved proves they are elect. They are incapable of faith, and their Original Sin deserves Hell. But God graciously saves them by grace and they are given faith as they enter Heaven. But the point is that they needed to be saved.
4. All Have Sinned.
Since all people are descended from Adam and inherit his sin and guilt, it follows that all of them eventually commit individual acts of sin. There are many, many verses that teach that everyone everywhere has sinned against God, of which Rom. 3:23 is the most well-known. There are no exceptions, except for the Lord Jesus Christ, who was not descended from Adam (because of the Virgin Birth). Some sin more than others, but everyone is sinful and guilty before God. In fact, we were born in the state of sin and have never known innocence. Adam and Eve were the only two humans (except Christ) who ever knew what it was to be innocent, and their innocency was temporary.
5. Sin Infects Every Part of Our Being.
We are all totally depraved. Sin affects and infects all persons and all parts of every person. Isa. 1:5-6 compares our being to a sick body which is infected by disease literally from head to toe. Sin indwells us in our body, mind, soul, heart, conscience, emotions, will, memory, down to the smallest part. A little leaven leavens the whole lump. Calvinists alone teach this awesome doctrine. Arminians and others say that our minds or maybe our wills are not affected, or if affected are not totally affected. But the Bible is clear: we are one seething mass of sin.
6. Man is Evil, Not Good.
To answer the old philosophical and religious question, “Is Man basically good with some evil or evil with some good?”, the Bible teaches something more drastic. Man is bad, bad, bad. Bad to the bone. Not even a little good is left in him. Rom. 7:18, “nothing good dwells in me.” Jesus said in Matt. 7:11, “you who are evil” and in vss. 16-18 He added that we are like bad trees bearing bad fruit. Because of Original Sin, there is no good but only bad in us. Indeed, we are sons of the Devil (John 8:44). The difference between us and Satan is quantitative, not qualitative.
7. Man Does Not Have Free Will.
Man is responsible to obey God, but is no longer able to do so. His will is dead and therefore incapable of doing what only a live will could do. We are born slaves to sin (John 8:34, Rom. 6:20, 2 Pet. 2:19) and slaves of Satan (2 Tim. 2:26). We are willing slaves, too, who do not want to be free. We sin to assert our pretended freedom from God. Our wills are dead, not merely sick (Eph. 2:1, 5, Col. 2:13).
If it is so frequently said to be dead and a slave, how can anyone say it is alive and free?
8. Man is Unable to Obey God.
Fallen Man does not have the ability anymore to obey God, or to believe, repent, love God, or anything else of virtue. This is the doctrine of Total Inability. We are unable to come to Christ because we are bound in sin (John 6:44, 65). It is not that we want to but can't; rather, we cannot want to. Our natures and wills must be changed before we are able. Matt. 7:18, “A bad tree cannot bear good fruit.” Rom. 8:7-8, “Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.” But this inability does not negate our responsibility. It does not lessen our guilt, only compounds it.
9. Man Loves Sin and Hates God.
Because of the extremely black state of Man's heart in total depravity and inability, it manifests itself in two basic ways. First, Man loves sin. He is addicted to it and enjoys sin. He loves sin as sin. This is not always conscious, but by nature and choice. Second, fallen Man hates God. See John 3:19-20, Matt. 6:24. No man is neutral to God; he is either for him or against him. The man in Adam is against God and for sin; the man in Christ is for God and against sin. Fallen men hate God and therefore also hated Christ (John 7:7, 15:18). They still do.
10. Man Cannot Save Himself.
Some people don't know they are lost, and they don't care. Others sense they are lost and care enough to try to do something about it. They invent all sorts of religions, all false. Some try building bridges to God by their own good works, such as charity and philanthropy. Others try to keep the Golden Rule, the Sermon on the Mount or the Ten Commandments. Still others think that they can be saved from the wrath of God against sin by being baptized, taking Communion, going to church, singing in the choir, reading their Bible or putting money in the offering basket. These are good things, but none of them can save anyone. Why? Because no one can be saved by his good works (Rom. 3:28, Gal. 2:16, Eph. 2:8-9, Tit. 3:5). For one thing, fallen Man cannot even do a real good work or if he could, he could never do enough. We are not saved by having more good works than bad, as many think. Man can no more give himself life than a corpse can. He cannot earn salvation for himself, let alone for anyone else. He cannot change his fallen nature (Jer. 13:23). He is dead, lost, doomed, damned, utterly without hope of himself. And unless God alone does something, he'll go to Hell.
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Sin
1. God Permitted the Existence of Sin.
God predestined and foreordained everything that will ever happen (Rom. 11:36). Therefore, God predestined sin. Sin is not an accident; it is part of God's overall plan to glorify Himself. God foreordained sin so as to further glorify His holiness and love. God is glorified in His wrath by punishing sin and in His grace by forgiving it. The first one to sin was Satan, but that was not the whole beginning. It was planned. God predestined it negatively and by permission, rather than positively or actively, as He did in predestinating good.
2. God Cannot Be Blamed for Sin.
Though God predestined its existence, God cannot be blamed or accused. In this sense, God is not the author of sin, nor its approver, essential source or promoter. God is holy. He does only that which is holy. God does no evil or wickedness. Nor does He tempt people to sin (James 1:13). This is a deep mystery. But it is sufficient for us to remember Rom. 9:19-20. Sinful Man cannot blame the sinless God. The faultfinder is at fault and cannot find fault in God.
3. God Put Adam and Eve in a Covenant of Works.
Adam and Eve were created holy and innocent, not neutral. But it was a kind of naive innocence; it needed to be tested. So God put them on a conditional standing. If they obeyed, fine. They would be granted immortality. Otherwise, they would die. We call this the Covenant of Works. They did not earn or merit salvation. Rather, they were tested to see if they would maintain their loyalty to God. Adam was the Federal Head, or representative, for all mankind. If he passed, they passed; if he failed, they failed. Some think the test was for a short probationary time; others say it was perpetual. Either way, it was conditional.
4. Adam and Eve Disobeyed God.
They failed the test and broke the Covenant of Works. It took only a single act of disobedience. This was the first sin on Earth, and through it entered sin and death to the rest of humanity (Rom. 5:12). Eve was actually the first one to sin, and unlike Adam, she was deceived while Adam went into it deliberately (I Tim. 2:14). Their sin involved more than eating the Forbidden Fruit, whatever it was. It included unbelief in God's Word, making themselves the test of all truth, obedience to Satan, idolatry, selfishness, greed, putting tangible pleasures before spiritual duties, disregard for the glory of God, and many other sins. They were punished with immediate spiritual death, eventual physical death, banishment from Eden, and loss of fellowship with God. Adam was cursed with having to sweat hard in his work, and Eve was cursed with labor pains in childbirth and the tendency to rebel against Adam.
5. Sin is Disobedience to God's Law.
The Bible, not psychology or majority opinion, determines what sin is. God defines sin as the breaking of His Law (I John 3:4). God's Law is summed up in the 2 love Commandments and in the 10 Commandments. Sin is when we fail to do what God tells us to do or when we do what God tells us not to do. We call these sins of omission and commission (cf. James 4:17). One word for “sin” means failure to hit the mark. A trespass is when we do what ought not to do, like trespassing where we ought not to go. A transgression is an act of disobedience to a known Law. An iniquity is an inequality in our dealings with God and Man.
6. There Are Many Kinds of Sins.
There are many catalogs of sins in the Bible, and also many examples. There are also various kinds of sins. Some sins involve the body, others the mind (Eph. 2:3). Some are internal only, others involve external acts. We sin in thought, word and deed. Some sins are new, others old. Some are habits, or besetting sins (Heb. 12:1). We are born in Original Sin and later commit individual acts of Actual Sin. Some sins are civil crimes, others not. Some are against ourselves (vice), others are against other people. Some are mortal, others non-mortal (I John 5:16-17) The list goes on and on. And all are evil, wicked, black and despicable.
7. Some Sins Are Worse than Others.
All sins deserve punishment, but some deserve more punishment than others. Some are crimes which deserve punishment here on Earth, either by civil law or by God's direct act. Judas had a “greater sin” than Pilate (John 19:11). Sin is determined by knowledge of God's Law, and some have the Law only in conscience and Nature while others have it in the Bible. A willful and deliberate sin is worse than a sin of ignorance. An external sin is worse than one which is only internal, for it involves both. A repeated sin is worse than a new sin. Sins directly against God (such as blasphemy or sacrilege) are worse than those directly against Man (such as hatred). Murder is worse than hate. Some deserve more punishment in Hell than others. But even the smallest sin is far worse than we think.
8. There is an Unpardonable Sin.
Unless a person is forgiven, he will be punished in Hell. But there is a unique kind of sin mentioned in Matt. 12:31-32 that is unpardonable both in this life and in the next. It is the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. It is very rare and confirms that a person is reprobate and will never repent. A person commits it when he is convinced that the special work of God is real, but he attributes it to Satan rather than to God. This is similar to the extreme form of apostasy in Hebrews 6. Apostasy is when a person renounces his profession of faith in Christ and the Gospel, showing that he never was truly saved to begin with. In some cases, this involves the unpardonable blasphemy against the Holy Spirit.
9. There is No Excuse for Sin.
Adam blamed Eve, Eve blamed Satan. Adam even blamed God. We try to shift the blame onto others, such as friends and family, our environment, etc. But we can blame no one but ourselves. We cannot blame Adam for Original Sin, for we were part of Adam. We cannot say, “Someone tempted me” like Eve did, nor “I couldn't help it”. Nor can we blame God in any form or fashion. Though God foreordained sin, we alone have the guilt. God tests us by allowing us to be tempted by Satan, but He Himself does not solicit to sin (James 1:13). Indeed, God always provides a way of escape from temptation if we would only listen (I Cor. 10:13). Sin is no small thing. It is no laughing matter. Only fools scoff at sin or make excuses.
10. Sinners Deserve Punishment.
Sin brings guilt. We are responsible to God, and culpable for our every thought, word and deed. Every person deserves to be punished. God is angry with all sinners and everyone deserves to be punished in Hell forever, no matter how many sins they have committed or of what kind. Rom. 6:23, “The wages of sin is death”, meaning we have earned it. The thief on the cross spoke rightly when he said, “We are getting what we deserve.” In repentance, we admit that we have no excuse and have only ourselves to blame. Confession means we admit that we deserve to be punished in Hell. Conviction of sin is when we finally know it.
God predestined and foreordained everything that will ever happen (Rom. 11:36). Therefore, God predestined sin. Sin is not an accident; it is part of God's overall plan to glorify Himself. God foreordained sin so as to further glorify His holiness and love. God is glorified in His wrath by punishing sin and in His grace by forgiving it. The first one to sin was Satan, but that was not the whole beginning. It was planned. God predestined it negatively and by permission, rather than positively or actively, as He did in predestinating good.
2. God Cannot Be Blamed for Sin.
Though God predestined its existence, God cannot be blamed or accused. In this sense, God is not the author of sin, nor its approver, essential source or promoter. God is holy. He does only that which is holy. God does no evil or wickedness. Nor does He tempt people to sin (James 1:13). This is a deep mystery. But it is sufficient for us to remember Rom. 9:19-20. Sinful Man cannot blame the sinless God. The faultfinder is at fault and cannot find fault in God.
3. God Put Adam and Eve in a Covenant of Works.
Adam and Eve were created holy and innocent, not neutral. But it was a kind of naive innocence; it needed to be tested. So God put them on a conditional standing. If they obeyed, fine. They would be granted immortality. Otherwise, they would die. We call this the Covenant of Works. They did not earn or merit salvation. Rather, they were tested to see if they would maintain their loyalty to God. Adam was the Federal Head, or representative, for all mankind. If he passed, they passed; if he failed, they failed. Some think the test was for a short probationary time; others say it was perpetual. Either way, it was conditional.
4. Adam and Eve Disobeyed God.
They failed the test and broke the Covenant of Works. It took only a single act of disobedience. This was the first sin on Earth, and through it entered sin and death to the rest of humanity (Rom. 5:12). Eve was actually the first one to sin, and unlike Adam, she was deceived while Adam went into it deliberately (I Tim. 2:14). Their sin involved more than eating the Forbidden Fruit, whatever it was. It included unbelief in God's Word, making themselves the test of all truth, obedience to Satan, idolatry, selfishness, greed, putting tangible pleasures before spiritual duties, disregard for the glory of God, and many other sins. They were punished with immediate spiritual death, eventual physical death, banishment from Eden, and loss of fellowship with God. Adam was cursed with having to sweat hard in his work, and Eve was cursed with labor pains in childbirth and the tendency to rebel against Adam.
5. Sin is Disobedience to God's Law.
The Bible, not psychology or majority opinion, determines what sin is. God defines sin as the breaking of His Law (I John 3:4). God's Law is summed up in the 2 love Commandments and in the 10 Commandments. Sin is when we fail to do what God tells us to do or when we do what God tells us not to do. We call these sins of omission and commission (cf. James 4:17). One word for “sin” means failure to hit the mark. A trespass is when we do what ought not to do, like trespassing where we ought not to go. A transgression is an act of disobedience to a known Law. An iniquity is an inequality in our dealings with God and Man.
6. There Are Many Kinds of Sins.
There are many catalogs of sins in the Bible, and also many examples. There are also various kinds of sins. Some sins involve the body, others the mind (Eph. 2:3). Some are internal only, others involve external acts. We sin in thought, word and deed. Some sins are new, others old. Some are habits, or besetting sins (Heb. 12:1). We are born in Original Sin and later commit individual acts of Actual Sin. Some sins are civil crimes, others not. Some are against ourselves (vice), others are against other people. Some are mortal, others non-mortal (I John 5:16-17) The list goes on and on. And all are evil, wicked, black and despicable.
7. Some Sins Are Worse than Others.
All sins deserve punishment, but some deserve more punishment than others. Some are crimes which deserve punishment here on Earth, either by civil law or by God's direct act. Judas had a “greater sin” than Pilate (John 19:11). Sin is determined by knowledge of God's Law, and some have the Law only in conscience and Nature while others have it in the Bible. A willful and deliberate sin is worse than a sin of ignorance. An external sin is worse than one which is only internal, for it involves both. A repeated sin is worse than a new sin. Sins directly against God (such as blasphemy or sacrilege) are worse than those directly against Man (such as hatred). Murder is worse than hate. Some deserve more punishment in Hell than others. But even the smallest sin is far worse than we think.
8. There is an Unpardonable Sin.
Unless a person is forgiven, he will be punished in Hell. But there is a unique kind of sin mentioned in Matt. 12:31-32 that is unpardonable both in this life and in the next. It is the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. It is very rare and confirms that a person is reprobate and will never repent. A person commits it when he is convinced that the special work of God is real, but he attributes it to Satan rather than to God. This is similar to the extreme form of apostasy in Hebrews 6. Apostasy is when a person renounces his profession of faith in Christ and the Gospel, showing that he never was truly saved to begin with. In some cases, this involves the unpardonable blasphemy against the Holy Spirit.
9. There is No Excuse for Sin.
Adam blamed Eve, Eve blamed Satan. Adam even blamed God. We try to shift the blame onto others, such as friends and family, our environment, etc. But we can blame no one but ourselves. We cannot blame Adam for Original Sin, for we were part of Adam. We cannot say, “Someone tempted me” like Eve did, nor “I couldn't help it”. Nor can we blame God in any form or fashion. Though God foreordained sin, we alone have the guilt. God tests us by allowing us to be tempted by Satan, but He Himself does not solicit to sin (James 1:13). Indeed, God always provides a way of escape from temptation if we would only listen (I Cor. 10:13). Sin is no small thing. It is no laughing matter. Only fools scoff at sin or make excuses.
10. Sinners Deserve Punishment.
Sin brings guilt. We are responsible to God, and culpable for our every thought, word and deed. Every person deserves to be punished. God is angry with all sinners and everyone deserves to be punished in Hell forever, no matter how many sins they have committed or of what kind. Rom. 6:23, “The wages of sin is death”, meaning we have earned it. The thief on the cross spoke rightly when he said, “We are getting what we deserve.” In repentance, we admit that we have no excuse and have only ourselves to blame. Confession means we admit that we deserve to be punished in Hell. Conviction of sin is when we finally know it.
Monday, July 14, 2008
The Doctrine of the Trinity
1. The Trinity is the Mystery of Mysteries.
The doctrine of the Trinity is the greatest mystery in the Bible. It is revealed, but not fully revealed. Nor will it ever be fully comprehended by Man even in Heaven. It is vastly deep and high, and inspires holy awe in those who approach it rightly. It has been accepted by evangelical Protestants, historical Roman Catholics, and the Greek Orthodox. But it has been rejected by many cults, some liberals, and even some Pentecostals, such as the United Pentecostal Church, not to mention Jews and Moslems.
2. The Trinity is Taught in the Bible.
There is no perfect analogy to the Trinity in Creation, so the doctrine is taught by Special Revelation and not by mere Natural Revelation. Yet no one place in Scripture discusses it at length. It is learned by comparing text with text. Still, some places are of particular importance in setting forth the Trinity, such as the Baptism of Jesus (Matt. 3) and Christ's command to baptize “in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit” (Matt.28:19). All three members of the Trinity are sometimes mentioned together, such as 2 Cor. 13:14, Eph. 2:18, 3:14-16, I Peter 1:2, 2 Thess. 2:13-14, 1 Cor. 6:11, Gal.4:6, etc.
3. There is Only One God.
The first truth of the doctrine of the Trinity is that there is only one God. Perhaps the most important truth of the Old Testament was the “Shema” (Hebrew for “Hear”) of Deut. 6:4, “Hear, 0 Israel. The Lord our God, the Lord is one.” This truth is repeated over and over in both testaments. There has always been only one God and will always be only one God. The doctrine of the Trinity does not teach that there are three gods. The unity of God disproves polytheism (that there are many gods, such as in Hinduism) and henotheism (one favorite god among many others).
4. All Members of the Trinity are Equal.
The Bible also teaches that there is something plural within God. We call them “persons”. They share the same one divine nature, the same substance of deity. Thus, all are equal, for one infinite being cannot be larger than another infinite being. There is no hierarchy or subordinate natures within the Trinity. Each one is fully God and has all the attributes of full deity. Each one is God and with God (John 1:1-2). The Son is equal with the Father (John 5:18, Phil. 2:6). Theologians speak of the Trinity in two ways. The “Ontological Trinity” is what God is in-and-of Himself from all eternity. The “Economical Trinity” is the Trinity in relation to time, history and Man. The latter reflects and reveals the first.
5. The Members of the Trinity are Not Identical.
The three divine members share the same nature, but have distinct persons. They are not three in the same sense that they are one, so there is no contradiction here. The Father is not the Son; the Son is not the Spirit; the Spirit is not the Father. There is only one Father, one Son, and one Spirit (Eph. 4-4-6). It was the Son, not the Father nor the Spirit, who became a man. It was the Spirit, not the Son nor the Father, who came at Pentecost. The atonement was presented to the Father, not to the Son or the Spirit. Jesus prayed to the Father in John 17, not to Himself. The Father spoke to Jesus at His Baptism; this was no ventriloquism. Jesus called the Spirit “another comforter”, therefore not Himself. Some groups reject the idea of the Trinity but accept the deity of Christ, saying there is no difference between the three at all. This is Oneness, Modalism, “Jesus only”, or Patripassionism. But it is not Biblical Trinitarianism.
6. The Father is God.
Matt. 28:19 specifies that the three members of the Trinity are the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Scripture repeatedly speaks of God as the Father. This one is not just Father of Christians, but the Father of the Son. And He is eternally the Father of the Son, not just in the Virgin Birth. He was Father to the Son from all eternity. It was decided in the eternal Trinity that the Father would represent God in His dealings with Man, and so the name “God” by itself sometimes refers to the Father. “God” sent His Son into the world, meaning the Father sent His Son (John 3:18). The Father received the atonement from the Son, who represented Man.
7. The Son is God.
The Second Person of the Trinity is the Son, God the Son. Later we will discuss the deity of Christ more fully. Over 100 Bible verses prove the deity of Jesus Christ (e.g., John 1:1, 20:28). He is the great “I AM” (John 8:24, 58). He was worshipped as God. Many Old Testament verses that speak of Jehovah are applied to Jesus in the New Testament. Jesus is God, but is not the only person in the Godhead, as taught by the advocates of the “Jesus Only” heresy. There are three divine persons, but only one is Son.
8. The Son is Eternally Begotten by the Father.
The distinctive feature of the Second Person of the Trinity is that He alone is eternally begotten. He is God the Son within the Trinity. This eternal begetting is indicated in John 1:14, 18, 3:16-18. In theology, it is called Eternal Generation. It is eternal; there was never a time that He was not the Son. Some Evangelicals deny this. They say that the term “God the Son” is synonymous with “Son of God”, and that both refer to the incarnation. But Jesus was Son before the Incarnation. In fact, the Incarnation is the historical (or Economical) display of the eternal (or Ontological) nature of the Trinity. Just as a human father has the same nature as his son (e.g., John and Joe Smith are both Smith), so do the eternal Father and eternal Son share the same nature. The Father alone begets the Son. There is no divine mother, no, not even the Spirit.
9. The Holy Spirit is God.
The Holy Spirit is the Third Person of the Trinity. He is “the eternal Spirit” (Heb. 9:14). There is only one Holy Spirit (Eph. 4:4). He is personal, for He speaks, feels, thinks, is grieved, has joy, etc. He convicts of sin, regenerates sinners into saints, indwells believers, etc. But first of all, the Holy Spirit is God. To lie to the Spirit is to lie to God (Acts 5:3-4), and to blapheme the Spirit is unforgivable. The Spirit is God (Isa. 48:16, 63:10, Psa. 51:11, I Cor. 3:16, 6:11, 19, 12:4, 2 Cor. 3:17-18, etc.). He is every much eternally God as are the Father and the Son. All three are equal in power, glory and majesty.
10. The Spirit Eternally Proceeds from the Father and the Son.
The distinctive feature of the Holy Spirit within the Trinity is what is called “Eternal Procession.” It is found in John 14:16, 26, 15:26, 16:13-15. It is not the same as the eternal generation of the Son, which comes from the Father, not the Father and the Spirit. The Spirit eternally proceeds from both the Father and the Son. The Greek Orthodox Church says the Spirit proceeds only from the Father. It is difficult to ascertain just what this procession is. It is akin to eternal breathing, thus an eternal spiration. This was reflected in the Spirit coming in a special way on the Day of Pentecost. He reveals the Father and the Son, and stays in the background. Sent by Christ, He is the “Spirit of Christ” (Rom. 8:9, Phil. 1:19). He brings the elect to Christ, who brings them to the Father. All in all, the members of the Trinity work together for their mutual glory, which is a display of their perfect unity and diversity.
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