FOUNDATION FOR IMPACT: 1. IDENTITY

1 The words of Nehemiah the son of Hacaliah.  Nehemiah 1

This is a monologue from Nehemiah. He is disclosing in first person what transpired in his life and how God used him. He introduces himself as the son of Hacaliah. His identity was that he was the son of Hacaliah. What is your identity? Whose son are you? God has created you from your parents, 50% genes are from your father and 50% genes are from your mother. We should thank God for our parents and honor them. We are made from them. Let’s cherish them and take care of them.

Spiritually any born again believer is a Child of God. That is our true identity. We have to learn to see ourselves as God’s kid, living in God’s world. We must rest ourselves and be completely overwhelmed and gripped by this truth that we are in fact God’s Children and he cares for us. Without establishing ourselves in our God given identity we will not be able to serve God and accomplish his will in our lives. As we read the book of Nehemiah, it becomes evident that it is Nehemiah’s identity as an Israelite, the chosen people of God, who had a covenant relationship with God, which made him do what he did. Without having a strong sense of this identity that we are the people of God through the New Covenant in Christ, we will also not be able to accomplish God’s purpose for our lives. We will loose our way without rooting ourselves in our identity as the Children of God, citizen of the Kingdom of God, Holy People, Holy Nation, a people belonging to God , called to represent him as his family and witnesses.

Our identity as the Children of God will propel us to fulfill the mission of God on earth. It will help us to employ God’s resources to fulfill God’s mission for our life and our generation. Our identity will keep us from worldly ways and selfish ambitions. It controls and restrains us to identify temptations and overcome them. It helps us to relate to other believers from different backgrounds rightly and helps us to network with them so that we can work together to build God’s kingdom.

Identity in Christ has two sides as that of a coin. One side is the privileges associated with our identity in Christ and the other side is the obligations and responsibilities associated with our identity in Christ. As any member of a family has both privileges and responsibilities, so also a Child of God in the family of God has both privileges and responsibilities. It is also a very important factor for those seeking to be delivered from bondage to sin.

Neil Anderson wrote a book titled, “Who I am in Christ”. It deals with how to get a right view of our identity in Christ. It helps establish the reader in his God given identity so that we can live the life intends which is the abundant life that God has prepared for us.

Here is a list which is found in their website : http://www.ficm.org/handy-links/#!/who-i-am-in-christ

I am accepted…

John 1:12 I am God’s child.

John 15:15 As a disciple, I am a friend of Jesus Christ.

Romans 5:1 I have been justified.

1 Corinthians 6:17 I am united with the Lord, and I am one with Him in spirit.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 I have been bought with a price and I belong to God.

1 Corinthians 12:27 I am a member of Christ’s body.

Ephesians 1:3-8 I have been chosen by God and adopted as His child.

Colossians 1:13-14 I have been redeemed and forgiven of all my sins.

Colossians 2:9-10 I am complete in Christ.

Hebrews 4:14-16 I have direct access to the throne of grace through Jesus Christ.

I am secure…

Romans 8:1-2 I am free from condemnation.

Romans 8:28 I am assured that God works for my good in all circumstances.

Romans 8:31-39 I am free from any condemnation brought against me and I cannot be separated from the love of God.

2 Corinthians 1:21-22 I have been established, anointed and sealed by God.

Colossians 3:1-4 I am hidden with Christ in God.

Philippians 1:6 I am confident that God will complete the good work He started in me.

Philippians 3:20 I am a citizen of heaven.

2 Timothy 1:7 I have not been given a spirit of fear but of power, love and a sound mind.

1 John 5:18 I am born of God and the evil one cannot touch me.

I am significant…

John 15:5 I am a branch of Jesus Christ, the true vine, and a channel of His life.

John 15:16 I have been chosen and appointed to bear fruit.

1 Corinthians 3:16 I am God’s temple.

2 Corinthians 5:17-21 I am a minister of reconciliation for God.

Ephesians 2:6 I am seated with Jesus Christ in the heavenly realm.

Ephesians 2:10 I am God’s workmanship.

Ephesians 3:12 I may approach God with freedom and confidence.

Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me.

Read, repeat, study and meditate on these identities and let it saturate your mind, renew your mind so that you can start viewing yourself as God sees you and start living as God intends you to.

Through the identity we have in Christ, we know we are accepted, so that when the world rejects you for living the Christ-life, you can still keep slogging at your work overcoming their rejection by resting in the acceptance found in Christ. If the creator of the universe has accepted you, it does not matter much if sinful men reject you.

Through the identity we have in Christ we know that we are secure. God gives us security and takes care of us. He keeps us safe during in the spiritual battle that we are in as result of entering into a relationship with God. He keeps us from falling and helps us up when we fall. He protects us from the worldly influences. But all these does not mean we have no responsibility. We have a responsibility to keep ourselves from slippery ground and grey areas. But it is God who leads us to avoid these also.

Through the identity we have in Christ, we know we have significance because God cared to die for us on the cross. We know that we have a purpose in our life which God wants to fulfill. We know that we are as a person significant and God will individually meet our needs, wants and desires which are in accordance with his will for us. Our thoughts, actions, attitudes, behaviours, goals and purpose have eternal significance because we are significant in God’s sight and we receive everything from God who makes everything significant and produces the impact which we least expect. Our significance lies in the fact that we are created in the image of God and are crowned with honour and glory in Christ. To be bear the image of God is glorious and significant. As human beings who have a relationship with God let us be aware of our true identity in Christ and let us be the people who God wills us to be.

The Error of Particular Redemption

"Now, you are aware that there are different theories of Redemption. All Christians hold that Christ died to redeem, but all Christians do not teach the same redemption. We differ as to the nature of atonement, and as to the design of redemption. For instance, the Arminian holds that Christ, when He died, did not die with an intent to save any particular person; and they teach that Christ's death does not in itself secure, beyond doubt, the salvation of any one man living. They believe that Christ died to make the salvation of all men possible, or that by the doing of something else, any man who pleases may attain unto eternal life; consequently, they are obliged to hold that if man's will would not give way and voluntarily surrender to grace, then Christ's atonement would be unavailing. They hold that there was no particularity and speciality in the death of Christ. Christ died, according to them, as much for Judas in Hell as for Peter who mounted to Heaven. They believe that for those who are consigned to eternal fire, there was a true and real a redemption made as for those who now stand before the throne of the Most High. Now, we believe no such thing. We hold that Christ, when He died, had an object in view, and that object will most assuredly, and beyond a doubt, be accomplished. We measure the design of Christ's death by the effect of it. If any one asks us, "What did Christ design to do by His death?" we answer that question by asking him another—"What has Christ done, or what will Christ do by His death?" For we declare that the measure of the effect of Christ's love, is the measure of the design of it. We cannot so belie our reason as to think that the intention of Almighty God could be frustrated, or that the design of so great a thing as the atonement, can by any way whatever, be missed of. We hold—we are not afraid to say that we believe—that Christ came into this world with the intention of saving "a multitude which no man can number;" and we believe that as the result of this, every person for whom He died must, beyond the shadow of a doubt, be cleansed from sin, and stand, washed in blood, before the Father's throne" -- C.H. Spurgeon

Particular atonement is nothing but limited atonement in the sense that Christ died only for the few elect and it is they who will be saved eventually.

Point 1:
11:32 For God has consigned all people to disobedience so that he may show mercy to them all. <sup>24 

Spurgeon conveniently says , 'all' does not mean 'all' always. This is true provided the text qualifies who it is talking about. But it also means that all does mean all sometimes. One such would be the sinfulness of man. Rom 3 states that ,"All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God".  It is the same thing Paul is stating here. All have sinned , God has given everyone over to sin. He has permitted sin to stain every human which is born, except Christ. Paul in this verse describes why God gave over all to sin. Why? So that he can have mercy on us all. 
Roman 9 starts with stating that God will have mercy on whom he will have mercy and romans 11 ends by stating that God will have mercy on all. 
If you agree the 'all' in "All have sinned" is really all humans, then it is not a big problem to believe in the same line of of thought that God shows mercy on them all. The 'all' who are given over to sin are the same 'all' who are shown mercy. Therefore it follows that God shows mercy to all as he has permitted sin to take over all. But those who do not resist  God's mercy are saved whereas those who resist it are damned.

Point 2:</sup>
 2:2 and hehimself is the atoning sacrifice ⁵  for our sins, and not only for our sins but also for the whole world.<sup>6  1 John 2:2
And he (kai auto). He himself in his own person, both priest and sacrifice ( Hebrews 9:14 ).The propitiation (ilasmo). Late substantive from ilaskomai ( Luke 18:13 ; Hebrews 2:17 ), in LXX, Philo, Plutarch, in N.T. only here and 1 John 4:10 . Christ himself is the means of propitiation for (peri concerning) our sins. See ilasthrion in Romans 3:15 . For the whole world (peri olou tou kosmou). It is possible to supply the ellipsis here of twn amartiwn (the sins of) as we have it in Hebrews 7:27 , but a simpler way is just to regard "the whole world" as a mass of sin ( Hebrews 5:19 ). At any rate, the propitiation by Christ provides for salvation for all ( Hebrews 2:9 ) if they will only be reconciled with God ( 2 Corinthians 5:19-21 ).

Point 3:
Here Spurgeon builds a straw man for arminianism by representing it as semi-pelagianism. 

"For instance, the Arminian holds that Christ, when He died, did not die with an intent to save any particular person; and they teach that Christ's death does not in itself secure, beyond doubt, the salvation of any one man living. They believe that Christ died to make the salvation of all men possible, or that by the doing of something else, any man who pleases may attain unto eternal life; consequently, they are obliged to hold that if man's will would not give way and voluntarily surrender to grace, then Christ's atonement would be unavailing."

Arminianism does not teach that "man can choose grace" or that "anyone who pleases may attain unto eternal life"
Arminianism teaches that it is by the preveniant grace of God that people respond to saving grace. Anyone who pleases cannot by himself come to Christ. Anyone can come to Christ only as a response to the work of the Holy Spirit in their life. Man cannot take the initiative. He can only respond to the work of the Holy Spirit who has prepared that man by prevenient grace to come to a saving knowledge of Christ.

Arminian theology is neither pelagian nor semi-pelagian</sup>

"Salvation, then, in the Pelagian perspective comes through obedience; we are justified on the basis of our merits, which we gain through our obedience to God. Augustine taught that salvation comes through divine grace. Our only claim on salvation is the promise of grace through Christ. Even our good works are dependent upon grace, and therefore are not meritorious.  This is the basis for the classic doctrine of total depravity.

It is quite clear that Arminians are not Pelagian, because Arminans affirm the doctrines of original sin and total depravity.   Human salvation is completely dependent upon God’s grace, without which we would be helpless.  While Arminians do hold that God’s prevenient grace provides fallen humanity with a measure of freedom so that we can respond to God, this freedom is not an inherent human quality.  Rather, it is a gift of grace, without which we would be helpless.

Semi-Pelagianism is a mediating position between Augustine and Pelagius which was  proposed later.  In Semi-Pelagianism, the initial step towards salvation is made by the unaided human free will.  In other words, the human person is capable of deciding to turn to Christ in faith, without any divine assistance.   After that initial step is made, the Semi-Pelagian position proposes, divine grace is then poured out for the “increase of faith.” Semi-Pelagianism was condemned at the Council of Orange in 529.

Again, any responsible account of Arminian soteriology will make it clear that Arminians are not Semi-Pelagian.  Arminians do not believe that human beings decide to exercise faith in Christ by an unaided act of the will.  On the contrary, they affirm that, without divine grace, the fallen human person is incapable of turning to God.  Prevenient grace frees the person so that such a response is possible.

What is distinctive about the Arminian position (as opposed to monergistic Reformed accounts) is that God’s grace is resistible, meaning that we can refuse his gracious offer of salvation.  However, that hardly means that our acceptance of that offer is some kind of Pelagian or Semi-Pelagian meritorious “work.” "

^{----- James Pedler ,} http://jamespedlar.wordpress.com/2012/05/10/why-arminian-theology-is-neither-pelagian-nor-semi-pelagian/

Therefore Spurgeon is wrong not only in his understanding of whom Christ died for but also in his understanding of arminian theology of salvation.

Point 4:
Christ's offer of salvation is an invitation to the 'new covenant'. A covenant has two parties and each have responsibilities. The Monergism of spurgeon makes the 'new covenant' a one sided affair where as the synergism of arminianism which affirms salvation by grace through faith correctly explains the bilateral nature of the covenant.

Point 5:
The question of spurgeon as to whom did Christ die to save can be answered in several ways.
"Christ died to save sinners. He was very explicit in this. "I have come to seek and save the lost(not just the elect). I have come not to call the righteous but sinners to repentance(not just the elect)."
 If Christ came to call sinners to repentance and salvation, who are the sinners? All are sinners and need Christ.

Point 6:
Though Christ died for all , all do not accept him and therefore all are not saved. Though Christ died for all, Christ saves only those profess faith in him. These professing faith is not a meritorious work and is itself a response to God's grace. Therefore Christ dying as a ransom for many is also true. But it does not mean he did not die for all. The Scriptures teach that he died for all and also for the many(effectually). But it never teaches that he did not die for some who are damned forever. So salvation is offered universally and it becomes effectual in those who do not reject the work of the holy spirit but by the prevenient grace of God receive it.

Therefore Particular redemption is not true nor biblical.

Controversy Clarified : The Ending of Mark's Gospel

The ending of Mark's Gospel has produced considerable controversy in the theological academia. Many scholars believe it ends with verse 8 of chapter 16.

Verse 9-20 is the controversial part
 "Now when he rose early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, from whom he had cast out seven demons. She went and told those who had been with him, as they mourned and wept. But when they heard that he was alive and had been seen by her, they would not believe it. After these things he appeared in another form to two of them, as they were walking into the country. And they went back and told the rest, but they did not believe them. Afterward he appeared to the eleven themselves as they were reclining at table, and he rebuked them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they had not believed those who saw him after he had risen. And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover. So then the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God. And they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by accompanying signs."

A Textual Commentary on the Greek New Testament, Bruce Metzger writes: “Clement of Alexandria and Origen [early third century] show no knowledge of the existence of these verses; furthermore Eusebius and Jerome attest that the passage was absent from almost all Greek copies of Mark known to them.”1 The language and style of the Greek is clearly not Markan, and it is pretty evident that what the forger did was take sections of the endings of Matthew, Luke and John (marked respectively in red, blue, and purple above) and simply create a “proper” ending.(1)

According to Metzeger there are four endings to the Gospel of Mark , i.e. Mark 16; 9 -20.

(1) The last twelve verses of the commonly received text of Mark are absent from the two oldest Greek manuscripts (א and B), from the Old Latin codex Bobiensis (it ^k), the Sinaitic Syriac manuscript, about one hundred Armenian manuscripts, and the two oldest Georgian manuscripts (written A.D. 897 and A.D. 913). Clement of Alexandria and Origen show no knowledge of the existence of these verses; furthermore Eusebius and Jerome attest that the passage was absent from almost all Greek copies of Mark known to them. The original form of the Eusebian sections (drawn up by Ammonius) makes no provision for numbering sections of the text after 16:8. Not a few manuscripts which contain the passage have scribal notes stating that older Greek copies lack it, and in other witnesses the passage is marked with asterisks or obeli, the conventional signs used by copyists to indicate a spurious addition to a document.

(2) Several witnesses, including four uncial Greek manuscripts of the seventh, eighth, and ninth centuries (L Ψ 099 0112), as well as Old Latin k, the margin of the Harelean Syriac, several Sahidic and Bohairic manuscripts, and not a few Ethiopic manuscripts, continue after verse 8 as follows (with trifling variations): "But they reported briefly to Peter and those with him all that they had been told. And after this Jesus himself sent out by means of them, from east to west, the sacred and imperishable proclamation of eternal salvation." All of these witnesses except it ^k also continue with verses 9-20.

(3) The traditional ending of Mark, so familiar through the AV and other translations of the Textus Receptus, is present in the vast number of witnesses, including A C D K W XΔ Θ Π Ψ 099 0112 f ¹³ 28 33 al. The earliest patristic witnesses to part or all of the long ending are Irenaeus and the Diatessaron. It is not certain whether Justin Martyr was acquainted with the passage; in his Apology (i.45) he includes five words that occur, in a different sequence, in ver. 20. (του λογου του ισχυρου ον απο ιερουσαλημ οι αποστολοι αυτου εξελθοντες πανταχου εκηρυξαν).

(4) In the fourth century the traditional ending also circulated, according to testimony preserved by Jerome, in an expanded form, preserved today in one Greek manuscript. Codex Washingtonianus includes the following after ver. 14: "And they excused themselves, saying, 'This age of lawlessness and unbelief is under Satan, who does not allow the truth and power of God to prevail over the unclean things of the spirits [or, does not allow what lies under the unclean spirits to understand the truth and power of God]. Therefore reveal thy righteousness now — thus they spoke to Christ. And Christ replied to them, 'The term of years of Satan's power has been fulfilled, but other terrible things draw near. And for those who have sinned I was delivered over to death, that they may return to the truth and sin no more, in order that they may inherit the spiritual and incorruptible glory of righteousness which is in heaven.' " (2)

The View of the Church Fathers

Clement of Alexandria claims to have no knowledge about it. Irenaeus seems have accepted it as he had quoted from that passage. Eusebius and Jerome have knowledge about this variant ending but do not conisder it non-canonical.

“Clement of Alexandria and Origen show no knowledge of the existence of these verses; furthermore Eusebius and Jerome attest that the passage was absent from almost all Greek copies of Mark known to them” (Metzger, 2005, p.123)(1)

 "Eusebius and Jerome, well aware of such variation in the witnesses, discussed which form of text was to be preferred. It is noteworthy, however, that neither Father suggested that one form was canonical and the other was not. Furthermore, the perception that the canon was basically closed did not lead to a slavish fixing of the text of the canonical books. Thus, the category of 'canonical' appears to have been broad enough to include all variant readings (as well as variant renderings in early versions) that emerged during the course of the transmission of the New Testament documents while apostolic tradition was still a living entity, with an intermingling of written and oral forms of that tradition. Already in the second century, for example, the so-called long ending of Mark was known to Justin Martyr and to Tatian, who incorporated it into his Diatesseron. There seems to be good reason, therefore, to conclude that, though external and internal evidence is conclusive against the authenticity of the last twelve verses as coming from the same pen as the rest of the Gospel, the passage ought to be accepted as part of the canonical text of Mark." (3),(2)

What to make of the abrupt ending of Mark's Gospel?

"There are three possible explanations for Mark ending at 16:8: (1) The author intentionally ended the Gospel here in an open-ended fashion; (2) the Gospel was never finished; or (3) the last leaf of the ms was lost prior to copying. This first explanation is the most likely due to several factors, including (a) the probability that the Gospel was originally written on a scroll rather than a codex (only on a codex would the last leaf get lost prior to copying); (b) the unlikelihood of the ms not being completed; and (c) the literary power of ending the Gospel so abruptly that the readers are now drawn into the story itself. E. Best aptly states, “It is in keeping with other parts of his Gospel that Mark should not give an explicit account of a conclusion where this is already well known to his readers” (Mark, 73; note also his discussion of the ending of this Gospel on 132 and elsewhere). The readers must now ask themselves, “What will I do with Jesus? If I do not accept him in his suffering, I will not see him in his glory.”"(4)

John MacArthur wrote 

"The last word that Mark wrote was the word “afraid, fear.” That’s kind of a key. They were afraid. Not in the sense that they were afraid for their lives or they were afraid of being harmed or that they were in danger. This is the word phobeo from which we get phobia, which means an irrational experience. They’re literally experiencing bewilderment, amazement, astonishment, wonder. There are no human explanations. This thing ends in wonder.

I want you to follow with me a little bit. Let’s go back to chapter 1, you’re going to enjoy this brief review of Mark. Chapter 1 verse 22, “They were amazed at His teaching.” Verse 27, “They were all amazed, so that they debated among themselves.” He had just cast out a demon. Go to chapter 2 verse 12, “He healed the paralytic, and they were all amazed and were glorifying God saying, ‘We’ve never seen anything like this.’”

Go to chapter 4 and verse 41, “He calmed the storm and they became very much afraid and they said to one another, ‘Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?’” Chapter 5 verse 15, “They came to Jesus and observed the man who had been demon-possessed sitting down clothed and in his right mind, the very man who had had the legion and they became frightened.” Chapter 5 verse 33, “He healed the woman with the issue of blood, and the woman fearing and trembling, aware of what had happened to her came and fell down before Him.” Verse 42, “Jesus raised the little girl from death and immediately, verse 42 says, they were completely astounded.” Chapter 6 verse 51, He got in a boat and stopped the storm, walked on the water and they were utterly astonished.

Go to chapter 9. This is Peter, James and John at the Transfiguration, and in verse 6, “They became terrified.” Go to verse 15, “Immediately when the entire crowd saw Him, they were amazed and began running up to greet Him.” Go to verse 32, “He had just spoken of His death and resurrection, they didn’t understand the statement and they were afraid.” Go to chapter 10, verse 24, “The disciples were amazed at His words.” Go to verse 32, “They were on the road going to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking on ahead of them, and they were amazed and those who followed were fearful.” Chapter 11, verse 18, “Jesus goes in and attacks the temple Tuesday of Passion Week, the chief priests, scribes heard it, began seeking how to destroy Him for they were afraid of Him, for the whole crowd was astonished at His teaching.”

Chapter 12, verse 17, when Jesus had escaped the confrontation with the Jewish leaders, chapter 12 and verse 17, “He wisely answers, ‘Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, to God the things that are God’s,’ and they were amazed at Him.” Chapter 15 verse 5, Jesus stands before Pilate and doesn’t say anything. “So Pilate was amazed.” Chapter 16, verse 5, “Entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting at the right, wearing a white robe…you read it…and they were amazed.”

Could I retitle this book, The Amazing Jesus? What else do you expect Mark to say to finish then that the women fled trembling, and astonishment gripped them and they said nothing to anyone for they were afraid?” This is absolutely consistent with how Mark ends everything. This is his pattern and this is the most amazing thing of all. He’s used this all the way along to punctuate absolutely everything. And he moves from one point of amazement to the next. So it ends where it ought to end. It’s not incomplete. It ends where he loves to end. It ends with amazement and wonder at the resurrection." (5)

CONCLUSION:

The ending of Mark as seen in the New Testament today has nothing new even if it was added later to give it an ending. It tells the same things that the other Gospel writers narrate. 

The controversy over the ending of Mark's gospel does nothing to change the message of the New Testament. 

In the best interest of the Church, we should take the attitude of the Church fathers and accept them as canonical even if it did not come from the pen of Mark. The Holy Spirit is under no constraint to use only Mark to end that Gospel. The Holy Spirit, the primary author can use anyone to do his job of completing it and sealing it so that no others can add to it at a later time which would have been much worse. We should remember that the ending of Mark's Gospel we have today was there even in the second century. Nothing has been added to it after that. The long ending was there even before the canon was formed. So by the time the canon was formed, the Church fathers included it even though it was not present in all manuscripts.

 Nobody knows what end God intended for Mark's Gospel. We can be sure it does not matter, as it adds nothing new to the message of Jesus. We can trust God to have given us the Bible, he wished us to have, with the long ending, even if was not from the pen of Mark himself. God is sovereign. 

References:
1. http://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/biblical-topics/new-testament/the-strange-ending-of-the-gospel-of-mark-and-why-it-makes-all-the-difference/
2. http://www.bible-researcher.com/endmark.html
3. Bruce Metzger, The Canon of the New Testament: its Origin, Development, and Significance (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1987), pp. 269-270.
4. NetBible: https://net.bible.org/#!bible/Mark+16
5. http://www.gty.org/resources/sermons/41-85

Practical theology : Learn Wisdom

http://bible.us/107/PRO1.1.NET The Proverbs of Solomon son of David, king of Israel: To learn wisdom and moral instruction, and to discern wise counsel. To receive moral instruction in skillful living, in righteousness, justice, and equity. To impart shrewdness to the morally naive, and a discerning plan to the young person. Bible.com/app

The bible repeatedly calls us to learn wisdom , moral righteousness, discernment , prudence and live by them . Wisdom in biblical literature is understod in terms of  moral righteousness and not in terms of  intelligence . This wisdom of God has to be learnt from God . We should ask God for it and discipline ourselves to live by it. Moral skillfulness is the ability to live life according to the law of God and  it is considered wisdom. Moral naivity is considered foolishness in the sight of God and he calls us to develop moral discernment so that we can differentiate the good from evil and then decide and do the good. We should as follwers of Christ and worshipers of the living God dedicate ourselves to learn and live by God's laws. This is wisdom in the sight of God.
Today make a decision to live by God's laws and dedicate yourself to learn to live by them. Then you wil be considered wise in the sight of God.

Practical Theology : Living in spiritual victory

Spiritual Victory is victory over sin. Jesus taught his disciples , "watch and pray , that you will not fall into temptation!". Watch and Pray! Means we must watch out for the temptations , Identify them as temptations and pray so that we can overcome temptations and not fall into them! The happenings of the cross were not far away and Christ did not want his disciples to fall away from him and sin .So he instructs them that they should pray. They were unaware of what was going on spiritually so they did not pray as Jesus wanted them and ended up ditching him when he most needed their support.

What is Eternal Life?

Eternal life is one of the central themes of the bible and the teachings of Christ. Eternal life has two words namely, "eternal" and "life". The word eternal means it is something never ending, as opposed to the temporal life which has an end. The word eternal is used in the bible to describe God.

1 Timothy 1:17

Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen

Deuteronomy 33:27
The eternal God is your refuge

Genesis 21:33

Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba, and there he called upon the name of the LORD, the Eternal God.

Psalm 90:2

Before the mountains were born
or you brought forth the earth and the world,
from everlasting to everlasting you are God.

God alone is eternal.  

So eternal life is synonymous with God-life. God life is synonymous with Christ-life. One of it's implication is that it cannot be had apart from God, apart from Christ.

Consequently, we can have eternal life by entering into a relationship with the eternal God, who has manifested himself to us, through Christ.

No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known. John 1:18

Again Jesus in John 17:3 says

"Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent."

In this context, to know someone is to have a close, intimate relationship with them. For us humans, this is God's will, this is Salvation, to have an intimate relationship with God. 

If you have a relationship with God, you have eternal life. You can have eternal life only as long as you are in relationship with God. You can come as you are, recognizing and accepting your sinfulness, with a repentant heart and God will accept you as you are based on what Christ did for you on the cross. Faith is the arm with which we receive this relationship with God. It means you believe that Christ is God and he died for you, out of love for you and because of your sins. When you repentantly believe that, God accepts you, your guilt is destroyed, your conscience is cleansed and you receive the Holy Spirit. God gives you a new nature. He gives you a new life, eternal life, abundant life lived in this relationship with him. 

Do you have a relationship with God through Christ, by faith? Do you have eternal life? It's free for all. Come! your creator is calling you! He is love eternal and give life eternal to everyone who believes in Christ.

 

Practical Theology: Ego-symptoms

Ego symptoms are the symptoms which reveal the underlying problem of pride. As bodily symptoms help diagnose physical illness, ego-symptoms help diagnose the spiritual pathology of pride.
These ego-symptoms will reveal how much we are bound to pride and are enslaved by pride.

These are few of the ego-symptoms
1. Taking about self unnecessarily to promote self or insult others
2. Looking down on others for various reasons
3. Judgemental attitude and actions
4. Self righteousness
5. Considering self better  than everybody else
6. Unwilling to associate with people  of lower socioeconomic status, different race, other religions, lower/higher caste, lesser education,
7. Comparing oneself with others
8. Higher notion of oneself based on national identity, cultural identity, religious identity, caste identity, tribal affiliation, geographical location, ethical code, moral behaviour, skills, talents, education, educational instituition, occupation
9. Setting own rules to live life as opposed to accepting God and his law.
10. Despising Authority
11. Unteachable, "I know everything attitude"
12. Unable to accept correction
13. Unable to accept mistakes even when proved or true
14. "I did it my way" attitude
15. "I want it my way" attitude
16.  Thinking oneself as important than others
17. Invincible attitude
18. Haughty eyes, that "Proud look"
19. Throwing weight(authority) around excessively or unnecessarily
20. Unable to accept rejection, "How can they say no to "ME"?
21. Easily provoked
22. Argumentative
23. Unable to adjust with others and work in a team
24. Falsely accusing others to save face
25. Inability to handle failure rightly
26. Divisive, factious

These are some of  the ego-symptoms which bring out the pride in the heart.
Pride makes a person devilish, whereas humility makes a man Christlike.
Jesus wants to deliver us from pride by making us Christlike, i.e humble. The Holy Spirit is working to transform us and we should submit to the teachings of Christ and develop the attitude of Christ.
   If pride not be conquered it will place us in a position of perpetual spiritual defeat. So it become imperative that we seek God's face to make us more humble, more Christlike, more spiritual and constantly victorious spiritually.

Romans 8
¹² Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation—but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it. ¹³ For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live.

Let us remember our obligation and let us learn to put to death the deeds of the flesh with the help of the Holy Spirit. Unless we learn this and make it a part of us, we can never be spiritually victorious, successful or fruitful.

1.The Errors of Calvinism - Hyper-literal interpretation of Scripture

I was discussing Calvinism with one of it's young followers and one of the striking mistakes I could see with the evidences he was giving was hyper-literal interpretation of some of the Bible passages.

1. God's hatred of Esau

In Romans 9 , Paul quotes the old testament and says , "Jacob I have loved, Esau I have hated".

Here the Calvinist gives it a hyper-literal meaning to the passage saying that God indeed hated Esau and so did not elect him to be saved. What a distortion of the truth!

For clarification on this please read the other blog on Jacob and Esau : http://crosstheologie.blogspot.in/2012/09/romans-9-clarification-2.html

2. Hyper-literal reading of Acts 13:48

Here the Calvinist makes the mistake of translating the word ordain to mean foreordain from all eternity.
Click this link to read how they are not the same words and how it should actually be understood.
http://crosstheologie.blogspot.in/2012/09/is-acts-1348-about-election-for.html

3. Calvinists read spiritual death hyper-literally
In his lecture , "Why I am not a five point calvinist", Dr.Norman Geisler, explains how Calvinists interpret "spiritual death" hyperliterally.
http://samzlogic.wordpress.com/2011/07/09/calvinistic-confusion-2-mistaking-separation-for-annihilation-with-regards-to-spiritual-death/

Without these errors Calvinism would not be what it is today. That is why it is an erroneous doctrine.

Reasons why Calvinism is not the Gospel

Within the last 30 days atleast two people quoted this , "Calvinism is the Gospel". Calvinism is popularly defined by the acrostic TULIP.
T- Total Depravity
U- Unconditional election
L- Limited atonement
I-  Irresistable grace
P- Preservation/perseverance of the saints

T - Total depravity - Yes , it is part of the presentataion of the Gospel. To tell the sinner that he cannot save himself, by any of his good works is necessary before pointing him to Christ, the saviour , who alone can save.

U - Unconditional election. No one during the Gospel presentation has ever told the audience that God has indeed unconditionally elected a few to be saved and there is a 50% chance that he might be on the list. Unconditional election does not form part of the Gospel. It is at best an unbiblical doctrine, disputed over centuries and remains a mystery for many.

L- Limited atonement : Limited atonement says that Christ died only for those who were unconditionally elected by God. But the bible repeatedly says that Christ died for the sins of the whole world. In John 2:2
"He is a atoning sacrifice for our sins. Not only for our sins but also for the sins of the whole world"
So this too is an unbiblical doctrine and does not form part of the Gospel. No calvinist ever presents the Gospel saying , "Jesus would have died for your sins. It's possible". They present the Gospel as if Jesus died for everybody hearing the Gospel. This doctrine turns them  into hypocrites, who believe in limited atonement but preach an universal one.

I - Irresistable grace:  Irresistable grace means God's grace cannot be resisted by the elect to whom alone it is shown. No one preaches this in any gospel presentation. Nor is it part of the Gospel of Christ.
You are always resisting the Holy Spirit; as your ancestors did, so do you. Acts 7:51. The Bible is very clear that people did resist the Holy Spirit and his grace. It is not part of the Gospel presentation either.

P - Perseverance of the Saints: Those who are thus irresistable saved by the election of God are preserved from losing their salvation.This can form part of the Gospel presentation. But it is conditional perseverance nor unconditional preservation.

The false Gospel of the TULIP turns the Good News of Christ into a bad news. It restricts the grace of God to the elect few and thus makes the good news into a bad news  because majority of the population are non elect and are hopelessly going to hell, because God had not chosen them to be saved. 

The true Gospel which our Lord Jesus declared goes thus ,

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16

Jesus clearly taught that God loved the world, not a few elect.  Out of his love for the world he gave his only begotten son, Jesus Christ so that whosoever believes in Christ will not perish but have eternal life. 

The TULIP gospel does not say that God loved the world. So it is a false gospel.

The TULIP gospel does not say that God gave his only begotten son for the sins of the whole world as John 2:2 says.So TULIP is a false Gospel

The TULIP gospel denies that whosoever can believe and receive salvation. Therefore it is a false Gospel.

The TULIP gospel which comes to you in the form of 'Doctrines of Grace' is indeed a very ungracious Gospel, which restricts the Gospel to the few elect of God and turns the GOOD NEWS  of Christ into a bad news for many with no choice for them to receive it.

For these reasons the TULIP gospel of calvinism is a false gospel.

Faith Alone ?

One of the heart cry of the reformation was faith alone.Martin Luther studying the Epistle of Romans discovered that man is justified by faith and not by works of the law. By observing the moral law no one can at any point seek justification from God. Isaiah , the Prophet cried , "Our righteous deeds are like filthy rags in the sight of God". The Psalmist cried , "Who can ascend the hill of the Lord ..." and goes on to say that purity is necessary prerequisite to approach a Holy God.

Romans 3 categorically states that the whole human race has intentionally sinned and fallen short of the "Glory of God". We who were made in the image of God have lost the glory the image of God gave. Though we still bear the image of God, it is a tarnished image; an image which is not the original. Every sin we do further tarnishes that image as the conscience gets more and more used to sin. We start becoming more and more like the devil.

  If you take a life span of 50 years ,a man left to himself and lives by his own rules and strength keeps getting worse morally as he defies his conscience which is the moral compass given to every human being by God and continues to grow in evil.
 
  We can do some good but our primary intentions and motives if analyzed will reveal that we are evil and have many times gone against our own conscience. Now for this man to go before a perfect and holy God and claim that he has done somethings right and thus should be accepted by God , is unacceptable to a holy and perfect God. God expects perfection. No one can be perfect by himself. All have sinned intentionally atleast once. It is a hopeless situation for any human being.

God who created man and knew he would sin also prepared Jesus , before the foundation of the world , before man was created and before sin entered our world , to be a sacrifice for our sins. God did this arrangement in his foreknowledge and in his great love for us.

Now 2000 years ago, Christ came and suffered under Pontius Pilot and died as a sacrifice for the sins of the whole world. 1John 2: 2 confirms what he did , " He is the atoning sacrifice not only for our sins but also for the sins of the whole world."

God grants justification of the basis of the death of Christ , on the basis of the sacrifice of Christ , when a man repents and believes in Christ. Yes justification is granted to those who repent and believe . Not just those who believe. That's why James , in his epistle writes very clearly ,"You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone".
 Unless the faith produces the work, it is a dead faith . Repentance and the fruits of repentance if not seen make the faith ,null and void. That is why justification is by repentance and faith and not by faith alone.

This is one of the reasons Martin Luther said the epistle of James is an epistle of straw ,because he saw in it a doctrine of salvation which not consistent with his own.

"The conclusion: Only he who has faith that has works following it is justified."  - John Calvin .
Even John Calvin , the reformed theologian agrees in his Geneva study bible that faith which has work brings justification.

It is a common misunderstanding among evangelical Christians that faith alone justifies. The bible never says man is justified by "faith alone". It says just the opposite . It says in James 2 , that man is justified by works and not by faith alone. Unless the faith produces good works , unless the faith is expressed as love , it is impossible to have justifying faith.

John Wesley sums up the apparent contradiction in the most beautiful way in the Wesley's Notes
2:24 "Ye see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only - St. Paul, on the other band, declares, A man is justified by faith, and not by works, Rom 3:28. And yet there is no contradiction between the apostles: because, They do not speak of the same faith: St. Paul speaking of living faith; St. James here, of dead faith. They do not speak of the same works: St. Paul speaking of works antecedent to faith; St. James, of works subsequent to it.

Justification is by faith , but not faith alone.  Justification requires repentance and faith , not faith alone.

Repent and believe the good news! - Jesus

The Epistle to the Philippians - Short thematic overview

1. Chapter 1 -
Life's Purpose - 1:21 For me to live is Christ and to die is gain

2. Chapter 2 -
Life's Pattern   - 2:5   Let this mind also be in you which was in Christ Jesus

3. Chapter 3 -
 Life's prize     - 3:14 I press towards the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus

4. Chapter 4 -
Life's Power -   4:13  I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me 

Critique of Calvin's Institutes - Chapter 5 - Part 2

The second 5 points,points 5 -10 of chapter 5 are analysed here.

1."From the power of God we are naturally led to consider his eternity since that from which all other things derive their origin must necessarily be self-existent and eternal."

This idea of God being a necessarily self existent and eternal is strong logical and ontological case for the presence of God and thus for theism.

2. "For in conducting the affairs of men, he so arranges the course of his providence, as daily to declare, by the clearest manifestations, that though all are in innumerable ways the partakers of his bounty, the righteous are the special objects of his favour, the wicked and profane the special objects of his severity. It is impossible to doubt his punishment of crimes; while at the same time he, in no unequivocal manner, declares that he is the protector, and even the avenger of innocence, by shedding blessings on the good, helping their necessities, soothing and solacing their griefs, relieving their sufferings, and in all ways providing for their safety."

3. "But as the greater part of mankind, enslaved by error, walk blindfold in this glorious theatre, he exclaims that it is a rare and singular wisdom to meditate carefully on these works of God, which many, who seem most sharp-sighted in other respects, behold without profit. It is indeed true, that the brightest manifestation of divine glory finds not one genuine spectator among a hundred. Still, neither his power nor his wisdom is shrouded in darkness. His power is strikingly displayed when the rage of the wicked, to all appearance irresistible, is crushed in a single moment; their arrogance subdued, their strongest bulwarks overthrown, their armour dashed to pieces, their strength broken, their schemes defeated without an effort, and audacity which set itself above the heavens is precipitated to the lowest depths of the earth. On the other hand, the poor are raised up out of the dust, and the needy lifted out of the dung hill (Ps. 113:7), the oppressed and afflicted are rescued in extremity, the despairing animated with hope, the unarmed defeat the armed, the few the many, the weak the strong. "

4.Hence it is obvious, that in seeking God, the most direct path and the fittest method is, not to attempt with presumptuous curiosity to pry into his essence, which is rather to be adored than minutely discussed, but to contemplate him in his works, by which he draws near, becomes familiar, and in a manner communicates himself to us. 

Is not Christ , the most direct path and the fittest method through which he draws near to man ? Though nature and the course of human events points towards God , the idea that the most fittest method to be through his work is most unbiblical. 

5. To this the Apostle referred when he said, that we need not go far in 

58search of him (Acts 17:27), because, by the continual working of his power, he dwells in every one of us.

Acts 17:27 does not mean  as calvin says , God dwells within everyone. This is one extension fallacy which we must avoid.

6.10. By the knowledge thus acquired, we ought not only to be stimulated to worship God, but also aroused and elevated to the hope of future life.