The Gospel in Four Minutes

Seeing Salvation this Christmas

The Lord has bared his holy arm
before the eyes of all the nations,
and all the ends of the earth shall see
the salvation of our God. Isaiah 52:10

What Simeon Saw

Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. And he came in the Spirit into the temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the Law, he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said, “Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to lyour people Israel.” Luke 2:25-32

John the Baptist's Purpose

John was to prepare people for this:

because of the tender mercy of our God, whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace. Luke 1:78-79

What I Deserve

"Even though I am a sinner and deserving of death and hell, this shall nonetheless be my consolation and my victory that my Lord Jesus lives and has risen so that He, in the end, might rescue me from sin, death, and hell."

Martin Luther

Three Things Earthly Riches Can Never Do

There are three things that earthly riches can never do;
they can never satisfy divine justice,
they can never pacify divine wrath,
nor can they ever quiet a guilty conscience.
And till these things are done, man is undone.

Thomas Brooks
Puritan Writer

Religion: Freedom versus Diversity

Evangelicals should be firmly for freedom of religion but should be deeply saddened by religious diversity. The former because belief in Jesus is an individual matter of freedom that cannot be dictated by the state. The latter because vast diversity necessarily means that many people are lost and destined for horrible judgement.

Saved From What?

In Christianity, we often use the word "saved."  But many of us in the Church have allowed the real meaning of that word to change to fit better in a culture that doesn't like to face the truth.  But, it is absolutely essential that the Church takes back the word "saved" from post-modernity because ALL OF OUR LIVES DEPEND ON IT!  It is literally a life or death situation.

The truth of the matter is that every person needs to be saved.  But from what?  We need to be saved from our sin.  We need to be saved from the punishment of our sin.  We need to be saved from God's wrath on ALL OF US because of our sin.

At the greatest possible cost to human beings, the Church has allowed the meaning of the word to change to something that is more socially and culturally acceptable.  We prefer to be saved from a void we are missing in our hearts.  It is common place to hear the words similar to "you have a God-sized hole in your heart that you need to let Jesus fill."  For certain, Jesus Christ can and will fill the void in our lives.  But, that is NOT why we need to be saved.

Just yesterday, I heard the truth put this way:

It is not "Oh Lord, I am empty, please fill me."  Instead the truth is "Oh Lord, I am an offense to You, please rescue me!"

Jesus Christ was beaten with whip of nine tails.  At the end of each tail was tied small bits of sharp bone or glass.  When the whip wrapped around Jesus' body, the bone stuck deep in His flesh and was ripped away as the huge, strong, professional Roman soldier drew back for another lash.  All in all, there were 39 of those lashes.  He was deserted by friends, mocked, spat upon, beard plucked, hit, smacked, struck, 2 inch thorns pressed into his brow, crucified and forsaken by His Father.

Jesus did not endure it so He could fill a void in our hearts.  He endured it so that we would not have to.  He endured it so that we could be SAVED from the same punishment (from the penalty of our sin and from the punishment from God).

HIS way will save us.  The culture's way will make us feel good for just a short season before our destruction.

The Bible says that those who repent of their sins and trust in Jesus will be saved.  (Acts 3:19, Luke 24:47, Mark 1:15, Luke 13:3-5, Acts 17:30, 2 Corinthians 7:10, 2 Peter 3:9, 1 Timothy 1:15, Acts 26:20, Romans 6:23).

The Church MUST get this right.  For it is the essence of the Gospel and Christianity.

 

Just like He said

Then he said to them, "These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled." Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and said to them, "Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things.

What Did He Say Again?

...the men said to them, "Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise." And they remembered his words, and returning from the tomb they told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest.

He Has Destroyed It By Enduring It!

He Has Destroyed It By Enduring It!

Let no one grieve at his poverty,
   for the universal kingdom has been revealed.
Let no one mourn that he has fallen again and again;
   for forgiveness has risen from the grave.
Let no one fear death, for the Death of our Savior has set us free.
  He has destroyed it by enduring it.

—John Chrysostom, bishop of Constantinople; sermon, ca. 400

What is the World's Creed?

I heard this creed quoted in a talk by Christian philosopher and apologist Ravi Zacharias.  With obvious sarcasm, English journalist Steve Turner wrote this "Creed" of Postmodernism.  It is, I hate to say, a true reflection of the prevailing thoughts and actions of the world's citizens.  It really could be our creed.

We believe in Marxfreudanddarwin
We believe everything is OK
As long as you don't hurt anyone
To the best of your definition of hurt,
And to the best of your knowledge.


We believe in sex before, during, and after marriage.
We believe in the therapy of sin.
We believe that adultery is fun.
We believe that sodomy’s OK.


We believe that taboos are taboo.
We believe that everything's getting better
Despite evidence to the contrary.
The evidence must be investigated
And you can prove anything with evidence.


We believe there's something in horoscopes, UFO's and bent spoons.
Jesus was a good man just like Buddha, Mohammed, and ourselves.
He was a good moral teacher though we think His good morals were bad.


We believe that all religions are basically the same-
At least the one that we read was.
They all believe in love and goodness.
They only differ on matters of creation, sin, heaven, hell, God, and salvation.


We believe that after death comes the Nothing
Because when you ask the dead what happens they say nothing.
If death is not the end, if the dead have lied, then its compulsory heaven for all
Excepting perhaps Hitler, Stalin, and Genghis Kahn

We believe in Masters and Johnson
What's selected is average.
What's average is normal.
What's normal is good.

We believe in total disarmament.
We believe there are direct links between warfare and bloodshed.
Americans should beat their guns into tractors.
And the Russians would be sure to follow.

We believe that man is essentially good.
It's only his behavior that lets him down.
This is the fault of society.
Society is the fault of conditions.
Conditions are the fault of society.


We believe that each man must find the truth that is right for him.
Reality will adapt accordingly.
The universe will readjust.
History will alter.
We believe that there is no absolute truth excepting the truth that there is no absolute truth.


We believe in the rejection of creeds,
And the flowering of individual thought.
If chance be the Father of all flesh, disaster is his rainbow in the sky

And when you hear
State of Emergency!
Sniper Kills Ten!
Troops on Rampage!
Whites go Looting!
Bomb Blasts School!
It is but the sound of man worshipping his maker.

More Poetry from the Same Source

When years of time shall pass away
And earthly thrones and kingdoms fall
When men, who here refuse to pray
On rocks and hills and mountains call
God’s love so sure, shall still endure
All measureless and strong
Redeeming grace to Adam’s race
The saints’ and angels’ song

Unlimited Reparation

Propitiation means "satisfaction."  Jesus satisfies the debt of the whole world.  He died for everyone.

“and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world.”

(1John 2:2 NAS95S)

God doesn't want anyone to die.  He wants everyone to repent.  Jesus died for everyone.

“The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.”

(2Pet 3:9 NAS95S)

God desires all to be saved.  Jesus died for everyone.

“This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.”

(1Tim 2:3-4 NAS95S)

Jesus is the One.  One died for all.  Jesus died for everyone.

“or the love of Christ controls us, having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died; and He died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf.”

(2Cor 5:14-15 NAS95S)

Everyone is ungodly.  Jesus died for everyone.

“For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.”

(Rom 5:6 NAS95S)

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.”

(John 3:16 NAS95S)

God is love.  He is all-loving.  He loves all.  Jesus died for everyone.

“We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.”

(1John 4:16 NAS95S)

His gift to everyone is a free one.  Receiving it is up to you.

“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

(Rom 6:23 NAS95S)

Deserting Jesus

It is difficult to imagine anyone suffering a more gruesome physical death than the one Jesus suffered.

"They will mock Him and spit on Him, and scourge Him
and kill Him, and three days later He will rise again." - Mark
10:34

...and that is exactly what happened. The Bible records that he was beaten so badly that he could not be recognized.

Jewish law prescribed that a scourging was 39 lashes with a whip of 9 tails. Each tail was made of leather, with sharpened animal bones and iron balls attached at the ends. A Roman soldier, probably of great strength, carried out the punishment on Jesus.
He also endured this: slapped; hit, beared plucked out, splinters from the rough wood penetrated his raw flesh, 3-inch thorns thrust into His is brow, the sun burned His skin, no water, spikes driven through his wrists and through the thickest part of both feet. Amazing.
It is easy to focus on the physical part of what Jesus endured. But, that was not the worst part. The worst part was the spiritual/relational part. Think about it.
Jesus' own nation rejected Him. What if ALL Americans turned against you and demanded your death. His friend Judas, whom He loved, betrayed Him to His death. When He needed them most, ALL of His best, closest friends fled and left Him to face death alone. Peter even denied He knew Jesus.
Then, His own Dad- God the Father, deserted Him.

At the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, "ELOI, ELOI, LAMA SABACHTHANI?" which is translated, "MY GOD, MY GOD, WHY HAVE YOU FORSAKEN ME?" - Mark 15:34

There is nothing worse than separation from God. Being separated from God means that ALL the evil and depravity and curse and hatred and fear and bitterness are are ALL unconstrained and all-consuming. ALL love is absent when God is absent. It is too much for us to even begin to comprehend. Being separated from God is, without a doubt, the worse thing that could ever happen to anyone. In fact, all the evil things we've ever seen or could ever imagine combined cannot approach that level of awefulness.
That's what Jesus experienced. Much worse than we can imagine.

It had to happen. Jesus had to take our punishment.
When we think about Hell, what we think about is the fire and physical part. But, that is not the bad part. The bad part is the literal separation from our Dad - God the Father. This punishment is yours and mine. It is what we deserve.
God the Father has offered up Jesus. God is always just and He knows their must be punishment. But God is always love too. Justice requires our punishment. Love made Jesus a substitute.
What have you decided? Do you trust Jesus to be your replacement or are you ready to take your punishment? Easter is a good time to pick Jesus.

Thoughts on Eph 1:4-5 Part II

just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, - Ephesians 1:4-5

STOP! If you haven't read Part I, please do so before you continue.

Now, let's get on with the matter at hand.

Ephesians 1:4-5 makes one thing very clear. There is such a thing as "predistination" in Christianity. We who are Christ-followers were predistined. The question that has created great division in the Body of Christ is "what are we predistined to?"

For most Calvinists, the verse supports the notion that God decided who would be saved. So, the Calvinist answers the question with the word "salvation". We are predestined to be saved.

But, is that really what Paul is saying to us? I don't think so. First of all, the text does not say that. It does not say "we were predestined to be saved" or "God decided who would be saved." Instead, I think Paul is talking about those who are already saved. In other words God predestined the believer (the one who accepted His free gift of salvation) to be holy and blameless before Him.

In John 16, Jesus said that the Holy Spirit would come to convict the world of sin. Everyone will be convicted by the Holy Spirit. Each will respond to the conviction by making Jesus Lord of our lives or by rejecting Him.

God decided, before the foundations of the world, that whoever trusts in Jesus will be presented as holy and blameless. He predestined all believers to that.

Paul clarifies the order of things in Romans 8.

For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified. Romans 8:29-30

God has always known who, when the Holy Spirit convicted them, would trust Him and who would reject Him. Everyone He foreknew (knew beforehand) would trust Him, He predestined them to become like Jesus, to a calling, to be justified and to be glorified.

Here's an analogy. I can decide that everyone who reads this blog will get a $10 bill. In a sense, everyone who reads the blog is predestined to receive $10 because I decided beforehand this would happen to anyone who reads it.  I did not decide who would read it.  I did not predestine some to read it.  However, I did predestine those who do read it to a crisp $10 bill.  

Now, unlike God, I don't know who will read it. But, God, of course has always known every move we would make. Because of this, He can foreknow (know beforehand) who will choose Him rather than reject Him.  He decided that everyone who trusts Him, they're predestined to a bounty of blessings too extravagant to measure.

He's a good God. He's especially good to those who call Him Lord.

Your comments and questions are welcome.

Thoughts on Eph 1:4-5 Part !

Here we go.  Thanks to a guy named Adam (not the first or the second) I'm now delving into the divisive.  It's not an intentional thing on my part, but, I've found that whenever Christians share their thoughts on Bible verses that we use to shape our soteriology (theology of how we are saved), we often become judgmental of one another.  

Even worse, many times we become prideful and think that if the author's thoughts on the subject don't square with mine, then they have nothing good to contribute on any subject within Christianity.  The author, too, often becomes prideful and writes as though the subject is easy unless the reader isn't intellectually gifted enough to understand.  

The Words that God speaks are meant to unite Christians behind His truth - not to divide.  I'm going to talk about Ephesians 1:4-5.  I'll also be referring to other verses that are individually claimed by Calvinists of varying beliefs, adherents of various Mediate Theologies of Salvation and Arminians of varying beliefs to support their positions.  

What this means is that there are a lot of people who sincerely love God and call Jesus Christ their Lord who will disagree with me.  I just pray that I and everyone who reads will lean on His wisdom and love so that there is a clear revelation of truth without prideful division.

I'll leave you with the verses.  We'll discuss them in an upcoming post.

Eph. 1:4 (NAS95S) just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love

Eph. 1:5 (NAS95S) He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, 

Does God Choose Us? Can we reject Him?

Question:  There seems to be a conflict in the Bible.  There are lots of verses that say God chooses us.  There are also many verses that say people can, and often do, reject Him.  Does God choose us?  Can we reject Him?  Isn't this a conflict?

Answer:  Yes & Yes & No.  

  

The Bible is clear that God chooses us. The Bible is also clear that we can reject Him.  So what gives?  Well, 

One cannot reject something until it is offered. 

None of us can respond to Him until He chooses us. But after He chooses us, we are all free to trust Him (believe in) or reject Him. 

When He chooses us, He offers His Son Jesus' works and life as a substitute for our own.  I trusted Him.  What about you?