Question: Regarding the Prosperity Gospel Teachers, pt. 2

The same person who asked me about this post sent the following response.

I understand your desire to keep God’s word untainted and I respect you for that but I don’t agree with your methods of dealing with it to an extent. No one really knows the heart of a man, except God which is why He’s the only judge. Blessings.

This is my answer:

It’s about more than keeping God’s word untainted. It is about protecting the Church from being ripped apart and devoured by those wolves.

The issue is this:  you are correct in saying that God is the only Judge; however, we have been given authority to (a) Discipline members of the Church (cf. Matthew 17; 1 Corinthians 5), (b) Publicly warn the Church about false teachers by specifically naming them (cf. 2 Timothy 4:10, 14, where Paul explicitly calls out Alexander and Demas for subverting and harming Paul’s mission), and (c) To unqualifiedly dismiss, warn against, and fight against false teachers. As (c) seems to be the one with which you take issue, we will take our time in discussing it.

Matthew 7:15-20, “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles? So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will recognize them by their fruits.”

Jesus is warning his disciples against the false prophets who will come into the Church. They look like believers; they talk about Jesus all the time and how much they love him. But, both their lives and their doctrines do not match with what Jesus actually preached. If you’ll do some research, you will see that most of these prosperity gospel preachers are fabulously wealthy, and many of them have been cited for tax evasion and similar crimes. Christ explicitly says, “You will recognize them by their fruits.” We can tell who false prophets are. How? By the way they live their lives and the things that they say.

Matthew 15:17-19, “Do you not see that whatever goes into the mouth passes into the stomach and is expelled? But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander.”

Again, Christ is pointing out that we can judge the nature of a person by what they do. How one lives their life is evidence of their spiritual condition. Again, because we are not God, we do not have all the evidence. Nevertheless, we are absolutely able to judge and make an informed decision as to whether somebody is a false prophet or teacher, or is simply misinformed. Unrepentant false teaching is heresy.

Matthew 24:23-25, “Then, if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect. See, I have told you beforehand.

What is not evidence of one’s spiritual condition? Signs and wonders, for even the false prophets will do this. In so doing, they will lead astray many; they would even lead away the elect if it were possible. Christ is warning the disciples to be ever vigilant against these people. They are not to be trusted. False teachers and false prophets have no business in the church.

Acts 13:6-12, “When they had gone through the whole island as far as Paphos, they came upon a certain magician, a Jewish false prophet named Bar-Jesus. He was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, a man of intelligence, who summoned Barnabas and Saul and sought to hear the word of God. But Elymas the magician (for that is the meaning of his name) opposed them, seeking to turn the proconsul away from the faith. But Saul, who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him and said, ‘You son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, full of all deceit and villainy, will you not stop making crooked the straight paths of the Lord? And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you will be blind and unable to see the sun for a time.’ Immediately mist and darkness fell upon him, and he went about seeking people to lead him by the hand. Then the proconsul believed, when he saw what had occurred, for he was astonished at the teaching of the Lord.”

A few things to note about this passage:

• Luke explicitly records both the name and the fact that this man was a false prophet.
• The false prophet, and all others, try to turn people away from the true faith.
• Paul called the false prophet a son of the devil, an enemy of all righteousness, full of all deceit and villainy, and one who makes crooked the straight paths of the Lord.
• The Spirit through Paul struck Bar-Jesus blind. The Spirit does not play with false prophets if we confront them.
• As a result of the false prophet’s being struck blind, the proconsul—the one who was being led astray—saw the power of the Lord and believed.

2 Corinthians 11:12-15, “And what I am doing I will continue to do, in order to undermine the claim of those who would like to claim that in their boasted mission they work on the same terms as we do. For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. So it is no surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their deeds.”

A few things to note:

• Paul made it a mission to undermine, or to subvert, to false claims of those pretending to be apostles, of those who pretend to have the same goal as the Church.
• They are false apostles, deceitful workmen.
• They disguise themselves as apostles of Christ. Is this not a similar picture to the wolves disguised as sheep?
• Satan disguises himself as an angel of light; his servants disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Connection:  False apostles, false prophets, false teachers and their ilk are servants of Satan. I cannot be more clear about that.
• The end of all the false apostles corresponds, or matches, their deeds, i.e. hell.
• Their deeds are unrepentant and flagrant leading astray of the Church to a false gospel.

Galatians 1:6-9, “I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel—not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed.”

If I or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel contrary to the gospel with apostolic authority, or even a gospel slightly distorted, let me or him be accursed. It is no clearer than that.

1 Timothy 6:3-5, “If anyone teaches a different doctrine and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching that accords with godliness, he is puffed up with conceit and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy craving for controversy and for quarrels about words, which produce envy, dissension, slander, evil suspicions, and constant friction among people who are depraved in mind and deprived of the truth, imagining that godliness is a means of gain.”

Anyone who teaches a doctrine contrary to Christ is not to be welcomed as a teacher or minister of the faith. He should be revealed and exposed. That last phrase is telling for the prosperity gospel, though, “…imagining that godliness is a means of gain.” That is exactly the position of the prosperity gospel. They are not fellow ministers.

2 Peter 2:1-3, “But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction. And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed. And in their greed they will exploit you with false words. Their condemnation from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.”

• False prophets and false teachers will bring in destructive heresies.
• They will deny the Master who brought them.
• They bring upon themselves swift destruction.
• Many will follow them because of their sensuality. Is it any surprise to you that the prosperity gospel hinges on that, pleasure in the flesh?
• Because of these false teachers, the way of truth—i.e. Christianity—will be blasphemed.
• They will exploit the Church with false words because of their greed. Those in the prosperity gospel always ask you for money for healing, by the way.
• Their condemnation does not wait, and their destruction is coming.

Peter then compared these false teachers to angels who did not escape condemnation. It is too long to include here, so I’d encourage you to check it out. However, he does return to the false teachers here.

2 Peter 2:12-22, “But these, like irrational animals, creatures of instinct, born to be caught and destroyed, blaspheming about matters of which they are ignorant, will also be destroyed in their destruction, suffering wrong as the wage for their wrongdoing. They count it pleasure to revel in the daytime. They are blots and blemishes, reveling in their deceptions, while they feast with you. They have eyes full of adultery, insatiable for sin. They entice unsteady souls. They have hearts trained in greed. Accursed children! Forsaking the right way, they have gone astray. They have followed the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved gain from wrongdoing, but was rebuked for his own transgression; a speechless donkey spoke with human voice and restrained the prophet’s madness. These are waterless springs and mists driven by a storm. For them the gloom of utter darkness has been reserved.

For, speaking loud boasts of folly, they entice by sensual passions of the flesh those who are barely escaping from those who live in error. They promise them freedom, but they themselves are slaves of corruption. For whatever overcomes a person, to that he is enslaved. For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first. For it would have been better for them never to have known the way of righteousness than after knowing it to turn back from the holy commandment delivered to them. What the true proverb says has happened to them: ‘The dog returns to its own vomit, and the sow, after washing herself, returns to wallow in the mire.’”

That speaks for itself.

2 John 7-11, “For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not confess the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh. Such a one is the deceiver and the antichrist. Watch yourselves, so that you may not lose what we have worked for, but may win a full reward. Everyone who goes on ahead and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God. Whoever abides in the teaching has both the Father and the Son. If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house or give him any greeting, for whoever greets him takes part in his wicked works.”

We are not to welcome, wish well for, or enjoy fellowship with those who do not abide in the doctrine of Christ, and all that accords with his teaching. He who does not abide in Christ’s doctrine does not have God. Again, these people are not fellow children of God—wolves in sheep’s clothing.

Revelation 2:1, 2, “To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: ‘The words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand, who walks among the seven golden lampstands. “I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance, and how you cannot bear with those who are evil, but have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not, and found them to be false.”’”

Christ himself praised the Church in Ephesus for not bearing with “those who are evil” and rather testing “those who call themselves apostles and are not,” thus finding them to be false. That is significant. Of all the things to praise a church body for, Christ chooses to praise this one for their insistence on not being led astray by false teachers.

In short, those of the prosperity gospel have bastardized the gospel, making it a means to a worldly wealth. Because of this, they are to be branded as false teachers and false prophets until they repent and recant. Because of that branding, no believer should have anything to do with their ministries, should publicly rebuke their teachings, and should warn his brothers and sisters. If you love the Church, you seek her well-being, and thus guard against these destructive heresies. We can judge the heart by what comes out of their mouths.

Grace and peace

Question: Regarding the Church and Prosperity Gospel Teachers, pt. 1

A friend remarked about the tense relationship that I have concerning prosperity gospel teachers, “Perhaps we should try less to make it an ‘us versus them’ mentality and instead call them brothers and sisters still.”

The following is my response:

I understand your sentiment. Truly, I do. I value the unity of the Bride greatly. One of my greatest troubles with the Church today is the useless and senseless division of the Body over nonessential items of doctrine, which drags in bitterness and resentment—neither of which have any place among redeemed and being sanctified believers and children of the Most High.

That said, the reason that I—and others—have made this an ‘us against them’ issue and do not call them brothers and sisters is because they, meaning the proponents of the prosperity gospel, have forsaken the true gospel and unrepentantly teach a false gospel.

What these false teachers have done is egregious. They have prostituted the death of Christ and have attempted to strong-arm God into bending to their will, in turn teaching vast laymen that they too can accomplish this impossible task.

So, the issue is twofold. First, they simply have forsaken the true gospel, which teaches us to lay up treasures in heaven and to forsake this world since it is passing away. Second, they are leading thousands of people away from the true Christ. Not only that, they show no remorse and no desire to repent from or recant their position. Until they do so, we must not treat them as misguided teachers, instead removing them from authority or dissolving association with them as a Church. In fact, the teachers (and pastors and prophets and evangelists) of the faith are to be judged the most strictly, since it is by their words that the Church walks left or right (James 3).

Now, there are two ways to address these people. If they are truly born-again and love Jesus, they must be rebuked publicly, since it is beyond the reason to believe that they have not been privately been rebuked before now. In this regard, we follow the doctrines set forth in Matthew 18 and 1 Corinthians 5, ultimately giving them over to Satan for a time until they repent.

The second avenue develops if these people are not believers, which can be evidenced by their teaching. This avenue is to dissolve unqualifiedly every relationship to them as a universal church. The Church has no business ministering with or well-wishing these proponents of the false gospel; we can never be compliant in sin. We thus follow the doctrines set forth in Galatians 1 and 2 John, which call for an unqualified and absolute dismissal and removal of approval by the Church of their ministries; Paul goes so far in Galatians 1 as to say that any who preach a false gospel should be accursed.

We cannot take lightly false teaching as egregious, idolatrous, and dangerous as this, and now is not the time to pussyfoot around the issue.

A further discussion takes place here.

A short defense of theological study.

1. We are called to love the Lord our God with all our mind. (Matthew 22:37, Mark 12:30)
2. We are called to be like Christ, who was in very nature God (Philippians 2:6), and thus had knowledge of all that God is and is not, and does and does not.
3. We are called to understand, teach, and adhere to sound doctrine, which is the only kind of doctrine that promotes Christ-likeness, i.e. being like Christ both in action and inaction, as well as in motive.
4. All Scripture is God-breathed and useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness. (2 Timothy 3:16)

Regarding “theoretical” topics, e.g. predestination, the extent of atonement, etc:

• Theoretical means unpractical, or not pertaining to the practice. For that reason, I contend that most concepts deemed theoretical are thus misnomers, since everything in the Scripture is useful for the things listed in (4).
• Nevertheless, concerning predestination, it is a beneficial topic to understand and study since it (a) increases one’s view of God, God’s sovereignty, God’s plan and (b) increases one’s hope in the ultimate benefit of working for the Lord, since one can then trust fully in God’s providential working in every ministry.

Be blessed, friends.

The Riches of Christ: the Church

Let us draw near to the fire of martyred Lawrence, that our cold hearts may be warmed thereby. The merciless tyrant, understanding him to be not only a minister of the sacraments, but a distributor also of the Church riches, promised to himself a double prey, by the apprehension of one soul. First, with the rake of avarice to scrape to himself the treasure of poor Christians; then with the fiery fork of tyranny, so to toss and turmoil them, that they should wax weary of their profession. With furious face and cruel countenance, the greedy wolf demanded where this Lawrence had bestowed the substance of the Church: who, craving three days’ respite, promised to declare where the treasure might be had. In the meantime, he caused a good number of poor Christians to be congregated. So, when the day of his answer was come, the persecutor strictly charged him to stand to his promise. Then valiant Lawrence, stretching out his arms over the poor, said: “These are the precious treasure of the Church; these are the treasure indeed, in whom the faith of Christ reigneth, in whom Jesus Christ hath His mansion-place. What more precious jewels can Christ have, than those in whom He hath promised to dwell? For so it is written, ‘I was an hungered, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in.’ And again, ‘Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.’ What greater riches can Christ our Master possess, than the poor people in whom He loveth to be seen?” 

John Fox, Fox’s Book of Martyrs

Question: Literal or Metaphoric Interpretations of the Bible?

I received this question,

When you read the Bible, do you take it metaphorically or literally?

The following is my response:

It should be read as metaphorical where the author intended it to be metaphorical and literal where the author intended it to be literal.

There are two extremes when reading the Bible, and both should be avoided. The first extreme is to read the Bible as literal throughout. This is a fallacious way to read the Bible. I need only point you to a couple of verses to show you this.

And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

(Mat 16:18)

Now, is Peter a rock? No. Peter is a human being. Clearly, Jesus was using a figure of speech. That is one metaphoric part of Scripture:  literal metaphors.

“I have said these things to you in figures of speech. The hour is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figures of speech but will tell you plainly about the Father. In that day you will ask in my name, and I do not say to you that I will ask the Father on your behalf; for the Father himself loves you, because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God. I came from the Father and have come into the world, and now I am leaving the world and going to the Father.”

(John 16:25-28)

These are Jesus’ words. Jesus specifically said that at times he spoke in figures of speech, whether that be in the parables (are we actually sheep; are we actually limbs? No, we’re people) or symbolic language. However, he follows this statement by pointing to the clear and literal statements: he is going to the Father, he came from the Father, and he had come into the world. And the disciples understood that he was “now speaking plainly” here. See John 16:29, 30.

Moreover, there are times in the Old Testament where it is important to understand that metaphor is being used, e.g., in the Proverbs (is an adulteress actually a city?) and in the Psalms (are we actually sheep, again?).

Nevertheless, if we begin to say that Scripture is all metaphorical, well, then we’re in trouble. Let’s examine something Paul says and relate the principle to the conversation at hand.

Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified about God that he raised Christ, whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.

(1 Corinthians 15:12-19)

If Christians say that Christ has been raised from the dead, but when in reality he hasn’t, then we have a few issues. 1) “Then our preaching is in vain, our faith is in vain and futile, and we are still in our sins.” and 2) “We are even found to be misrepresenting God.”

So, clearly, if Christ has not been literally raised from the dead, then we are without hope, “If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.” In other words, if following Christ helps you get your best life now, why bother? There are other ways to make this life easier without assuming the resurrection of a dead prophet or good man. If Christ has not died and been raised, I will have nothing to do with Christianity. But if he has been actually resurrected from the grave, that changes everything.

“If in Christ we hope in this life only” succinctly sums up the “liberal Christian” position. Christ has not actually died and actually atoned for our sins on the cross and has not actually been raised from the dead. It is only a good story, a moral compass, and helpful to live a good life. The death of Christ has no practical or spiritual importance other than to show us an example to live by, with no metaphysical or life-altering and nature-shaking changes being made.

No matter what they tell you, Christ’s commands and example are of least importance unless the Kingdom of Heaven actually is advancing and Christ’s death actually accomplished something. I point you to this post for more details.

Unrestrained liberal, i.e. metaphorical, interpretations of Scripture lead to those described in 2 Timothy 3,

But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people.
(2 Timothy 3:1-5)

Liberal interpretations of Scripture lead to a form of godliness; they may look very much Christians, but they deny the power of the gospel. The gospel message itself has done no work in their lives and they see no benefit from it. In Spurgeon’s words, “He who does not hate the false does not love the true; and he to whom it is all the same whether it be God’s word or man’s, is himself unrenewed at heart.” The liberal interpretations give the same credence to other religions as it does to Christianity, valuing each for its moral importance rather than for being an inspired Word of God.

Gill describes them in this way in his commentary,

Having a form of godliness,…. Either a mere external show of religion, pretending great piety and holiness, being outwardly righteous before men, having the mask and visor of godliness; or else a plan of doctrine, a form of sound words, a scheme of truths, which men may have without partaking of the grace of God; and which, with respect to the doctrine of the Trinity, the church of Rome has; or else the Scriptures of truth, which the members of that church have, and profess to hold to, maintain and preserve; and which contains doctrines according to godliness, and tend to a godly life and godly edification:

but denying the power thereof; though in words they profess religion and godliness, the fear of God, and the pure worship of him, yet in works they deny all; and though they may have a set of notions in their heads, yet they feel nothing of the power of them on their hearts; and are strangers to experimental religion, and powerful godliness: or though they profess the Scriptures to be the word of God, yet they deny the use, the power, and efficacy of them; they deny the use of them to the laity, and affirm that they are not a sufficient rule of faith and practice, without their unwritten traditions; and that they are not able to make men wise, or give them a true knowledge of what is to be believed and done, without them; and that the sense of them is not to be understood by private men, but depends upon the infallible judgment of the church or pope:

from such turn away; have no fellowship with them, depart from their communion, withdraw from them, and come out from among them: this passage sufficiently justifies the reformed churches in their separation from the church of Rome.

They deny the principle in John 17:17, wherein Christ prays to the Father concerning the disciples–and by extension for us, “Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.” We are set apart from this world by the Bible–and not by the vain and fleeting philosophies and theologies constructed by man.

In addition, wholly literal interpretations of Scripture lead to a Phariseeical mis-handling of the Word of God, imposing undue burden on believers, as well as ignoring the times in Scripture that call for leniency of interpretation–such as when the adulteress in Proverbs is referred to as a city.

I believe that adequately addresses the two extremes. A wholly literal interpretation is foolish; if the author did not intend a literal interpretation, why would we interpret it that way? In the same way, a wholly metaphoric interpretation is dangerous, for it denies the power of Christ and the metaphysical veracity of the Scriptures.

A maxim:  Understand the passage of Scripture as the author intended it. Know that the Holy Spirit has inspired Scripture in one way, and there is one correct interpretation.

Ignore the extremes and allow the Spirit, proper teaching, and contextual study to lead you into a true understanding of the Word.

Why do you post?

Honest question. In light of Blake’s earlier post, it’s a valid and important question to ask. What is the driving reason behind our blogging or posting, especially if you are a semi-teacher or quasi-theologian here? What is our motivation?

“I count myself one of the number of those who write as they learn and learn as they write.”

Augustine

Do we post to show our knowledge, or do we post to learn? Do we post to receive acclaim? Do we post to receive attention? Do we post to glorify the Lord, or do we post to glorify ourselves? These sorts of questions strike my heart. I’ve lately deleted posts mid-typing because I fear my motivation. Only the Lord can wreck us of our self-glorification and self-exaltation.

As I typed this last night, the Lord was just striking me with conviction:  how important it is to dwell on the things of the Lord, to value him and his word above all else, to yield to his Spirit and allow him to direct us and bear fruit within us.

When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with the humble is wisdom.
(Proverbs 11:2)

And further,

A fool takes no pleasure in understanding, but only in expressing his opinion.

(Proverbs 18:2)

Read Henry’s commentary on Proverbs 18:2,

A fool may pretend to understanding, and to seek and intermeddle with the means of it, but, 1. He has no true delight in it; it is only to please his friends or save his credit; he does not love his book, nor his business, nor his Bible, nor his prayers; he would rather be playing the fool with his sports. Those who take no pleasure in learning or religion will make nothing to purpose of either. No progress is made in them if they are a task and a drudgery. 2. He has no good design in it, only that his heart may discover itself, that he may have something to make a show with, something wherewith to varnish his folly, that that may pass off the better, because he loves to hear himself talk.

Tough words exposited from the Scripture.

More words,

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,
and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.
For by me your days will be multiplied,
and years will be added to your life.
If you are wise, you are wise for yourself;
if you scoff, you alone will bear it.

(Proverbs 9:10-12)

Friends, we must check our motivation. We must view ourselves in light of God and his purposes and his glory—not our own vain-glory. It is the fear of the Lord that leads to proper wisdom, proper insight, a proper perspective on things that matter. Wise men bear their own folly; humble men are lifted up and cared for by the grace of God through faith in the cross.

What sort of wisdom ought to be pursued?

Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom. But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice. But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.

(James 3:13-18)

The characteristics of the wisdom that comes from God are thus:

• Pure
• Peaceable
• Gentle
• Open to reason
• Full of mercy
• Full of good fruits
• Impartial
• Sincere

Do we look like this?

But, oh, how our God supplies for us. He does not will that we remain helpless and trapped in sin and in pride.

If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind.
(James 1:5-6)

But compare that to this, which was above,

When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with the humble is wisdom.
(Proverbs 11:2)

Q:  If God grants wisdom freely to those who ask, and if wisdom lies with the humble, who is that ask for wisdom from God?

A:  Only the humble ask God truly and purely and with full faith for wisdom.

We are blessed beyond measure that God enables us to live more and more fully according to his purposes and his plans.

Further words:

The knowledge of God leads us to fear Him and to love Him. For we cannot know Him as Lord and Father, as He shows Himself, without being dutiful children and obedient servants.”
(John Calvin, Commentary on 1 John)

Knowledge which is not personally applied will only light a man to hell!

(Thomas Watson)

May the Lord of all creation humble us under his mighty hand and more perfectly and more completely enable us for his purposes and his glory; may we each be joyful partakers of his glory.

The Beauty of Theology

Written by Susanna Cotter:

The important of context in interpreting the Bible

Location, location, location. The same principle that echoes throughout the real estate agent profession must be echoed in the halls of churches today. Location, location, location; or, in other words, context, context, context. Without context, the Scriptures mean whatever you want them to mean. I can take a verse out of any part of Scripture to justify nearly any action. Wanton, unrepentant sin? “Free in Christ” (Galatians 5:1). Moralistic living? “God gave those commandments for a positive reason!” (Exodus 20). And so on.

Context determines what a verse means, how a verse is limited in scope, to whom the verse is intended, etc. All the time, I see people who say that 2 Peter 3:9 applies to every single person, “…not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.” As beautiful as a statement that this would be, it does not align with the rest of the Scriptures when it is ripped out of its context. And it’s immediate context is this:  ”Simon Peter, a bondservant and apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who have obtained like precious faith with us by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ…” When we see the verse in context, we clearly see that this letter was written to believers. But these misinterpretations happen throughout the Scripture; I’m sure most people have a coffee cup with Jeremiah 29:11 on it, although that was a passage of Scripture directed towards the Israelites who had been enslaved by the Babylonians.

Now, what sort of context is important? Here’s a list:

• Immediate surrounding verses. Many verses of Scripture, especially in the New Testament letters, are only parts of a sentence. Paul would go for (what are now) verses at a time to finish a sentence. It is important to see the whole sentence, break it down, examine it, and then determine what it is saying as a whole before ripping one section out of it.
• The audience and purpose of the book. To whom was the letter or prophecy written? Is this a historical piece? Is it poetry? The audience limits who are the beneficiaries of the contents.
• The author. How does the author in his works use the terms in the verses you are examining? How does he define them elsewhere?
• The covenant. The New Testament is written under a different covenant than is the old, namely the Covenant of Grace. So the commands found through Leviticus and Deuteronomy do not have the same positive weight as they did for the Israelites. Grace reigns for the believers now; not works.
• Relatedly, historical position. When was the book written? At what point in time? This determines the unique cultural things found in Scripture. Although our cultural norms should never elevate beyond Scripture’s commands, there are some gray areas that seem strange to our American culture, e.g. sheep-herding.
• The whole counsel of God. This is the end-all of context. How does this verse mesh with the rest of Scripture. Scripture cannot contradict, so how do the various verses interact? How is atonement defined throughout Scripture? How is holiness defined? How is chosenness defined? “God is love” is true, but that does not mean that God is only love, for the rest of Scripture declares him to be a Consuming Fire, a hater of evildoers, and a merciful God to his people. All of Scripture defines itself.

I do not believe this is complete, but it is a starting point.

A maxim:  Do not use one verse to support your theology.

A video:  Never Read a Bible Verse

A carrot in Front of Your Face

The devil can dangle a carrot in front of your face, but there is something inside you that actually wants that carrot. You aren’t lustful because some demon comes on you. You are lustful because you have within you a desire for what isn’t right.

Steve Gallagher, At the Altar of Sexual Idolatry

I tired of hearing the same mantra from people:  ”Oh, the devil made me do it. Oh, this world is such bad it is so difficult to stay away from temptation.” We shift blame best in all of creation. How often do we hear of corruption being found out among community or world leaders and that a number of people knew but keep quiet? It happens often enough that it doesn’t exactly raise the alarms in our minds.

It’s been happening since the beginning. We were born into that sort of nature. “The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate” (Genesis 3:12). So, not only does Adam not own up for speaking truth into Eve’s ears when the snake tempted her; he also blamed God for putting her there to begin with. Adam was quite the snake himself. But that is our forefather; that is everybody’s nature outside of Christ (Romans 5:12-14). In fact, outside of Christ, our nature closely resembles the devil’s:  intentional deception, murderers in our heart. You will recall Christ’s discussion with the Jewish leaders in John 8:37-47. He concedes that they are Abraham’s descendants. But Abraham’s children? By no means. If they were Abraham’s children, they would do what he did, among which things would not include trying to kill Christ. No, they have another father, whom Christ describes, “You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources (i.e., from his own character), for he is a liar and the father of it” (John 8:44).

In the beginning, Satan tempted Eve with an (admittedly) tantalizing prospect, “You will be like God” (Genesis 3:5). He clearly wasn’t talking to a brick wall without desire. Something in Eve was intrigued. What exactly that was I am not prepared to give an answer, although I have some thoughts. Nevertheless, the potential for sin–the imperfect, or incomplete (by which I simply mean the potential to fall was present, whereas in God that is an impossibility because of his perfectly complete nature)–was realized and made an actuality. Satan could have merely served as an expedient; the potential may have been realized at a later date.

Regardless, we live in the full condition of sinful people without hope outside of Christ. Meaning, we are so entrenched in that condition that we need no external tempter to overtake us. We are sinful enough on our own to accomplish that desire. The carrots around us are enticing enough that the devil does not even need to dangle it there. It could sit in the trash heap covered in mud and blood, and we would still pursue it for the addictive pleasure, as seen in those with addictions around the world who sacrifice everything, including dignity, to fulfill the desire and in the Prodigal Son, who ate from the pods (Luke 15:16).

The blame-shifting must cease, but that is impossible outside of Christ, wherein the Father redeem his children from their death and grants them new desires and new affections for things that satisfy wholly and perfectly, namely himself. Peter points to the root of this change, “…knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot” (1 Peter 1:18, 19). That’s the root of new life:  the precious blood of Christ. He has bought his children with that blood from trying to strive to be holy and from living in willful rebellion like Satan. The Christian may lean on the cross of Calvary with full assurance, knowing that it is sufficient for everything that he has ever, is now, or will ever do. Period. End of story. “It is finished,” in Christ’s words (John 19:30).

I intended to continue with this post, speaking ill of our tendency to blame the circumstances or even the principalities of this world for our poor choices. But we know that in Christ we are laid bare before him, we are naked and without cover. He strips us of all our self-imposed righteousness and self-exaltation. And then he clothes us with the precious nature and blood of our Blessed Redeemer. Hosannah, hosannah!

What great hope we have. Lean on Christ and on Christ alone.

Christians and American Freedom

We love too deeply and too idolatrously those rights ensured to us by the Constitution.

The second anyone encroaches on our right to anything–be it life, liberty, pursuit of happiness, freedom of religion or of speech, or any number of other inalienable rights, we throw a hissy fit and stomp our feet like a child denied a piece of candy.

As believers, we ought to realize that, yes, these freedoms are a benefit and an enabling for the advancement of the kingdom, but they should not be the abode of either our joy or sorrow. When these rights are infringed upon (when in reality we perceive them to be so), we should take note, shrug it off, and continue proclaiming Christ, whether it be in the prisons, under house arrest, or in the face of certain death.

The first disciples proclaimed Christ in the face of actual persecution—not this pseudo-persecution more akin to “Oh, they’re going to laugh at me or not talk to me” than to “This person could take me to the governor and have me arrested, thrown into the Coliseum, or killed.”

And we have fear in sharing the Gospel.

How dare we?

How cheap is this message of a dying person’s only hope that we would refrain from sharing it with anybody to keep our own flesh intact?

How dear do we hold our own lives?

Where are the young men and women of this generation who will hold their lives cheap and be faithful even unto death? Where are those who will lose their lives for Christ’s sake — flinging them away for love of him? Where are those who will live dangerously and be reckless in his service? Where are his lovers — those who love him and the souls of men more than their own reputations or comfort or very life?

Where are the men who say ‘no’ to self, who take up Christ’s cross to bear it after him, who are willing to be nailed to it in college or office, home or mission field, who are willing, if need be, to bleed, to suffer and to die on it?

Where are the adventurers, the explorers, the buccaneers for God, who count one human soul of far greater value than the rise or fall of an empire? Where are the men who are willing to pay the price of vision? Where are the men of prayer? Where are God’s men in this day of God’s power?

Howard Guinness, source

(cf. Matthew 5:10-12; Romans 12:12-21; Philippians 1:12; 1 Peter 1:6-10, 2:19-25, 3:8-17, 4:1, 2, 12-19, 5:8-11)