We Are Ambassadors For Christ

The Bible tells us,  "Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God"  (2 Corinthians 5:20 nasb).

In other words, we Christian believers are representing Jesus Christ to all the world, believers and non-believers.  Years ago, my dear Friend and mentor, Pastor Sam Lacanienta, told us of a time when he was pastor of a church in the Philippines.  The Philippine Ambassador to England, Pastor Sam's relative, attended on of his services. 

After the service, as they were talking, Pastor Sam asked him what it means to be his country's ambassador to another country.  He told him, and I am paraphrasing from memory, "My job as an ambassador is to represent my country and to do my best to not embarrass her nor bring shame upon her."

That, in a nutshell, is our job as representatives of Jesus Christ - to bring glory to His name and not to shame His name.

Recently an incident happened which caused me to reflect upon that thought, an ambassador for Christ.   For a few years I have had a neighbor, a man in his early forties, who is very nice - and although we would often speak, say hello, etc., we have never really stopped to chat.  At times I have wondered why, but I suppose it is because we tend to move in different circles.  Until about six months ago when, instead of just walking by, nodding hello, and keep walking - I stopped and started talking with him.  Turns out we had more in common that I thought. 

Then, a few days ago he stopped me and asked, "Bill, you're a Christian, aren't you?"  "Yes," I replied.  And, he asked, "Can I talk with you?"

We talked for a while and he told me of marital concerns.  Now, I am not a marriage counselor, nor any other kind of counselor - but I sensed he just wanted to use me as a sounding board, i.e., he just wanted to verbalize his feelings.   Two things I did suggest, but not in a way to push him - was that I would like to invite him and his wife to go to church with us - and the second thing, I asked if he had considered talking with a marriage counselor.

As our discussion was coming to a close, I told him to feel free to knock on my door any time he feels like talking and we left it at that.  Later, I thought about it.  I have never told him I am a Christian - although he did know that I had a Bible study at my home a few years back.  He did not attend, but his friend, another neighbor, did.  I am just thrilled that he sees me as a Christian.

And, that caused a flash-back to the mid-1990s when I worked for a computer company in Orange County owned by a Pakistani - and my immediate manager, Agha, was a Pakistani Muslim.  One day our group was having a meeting to discuss new products and how to present them to customers.   As Agha was explaining what we should say about the new products, Beverly, one of my co-workers, told him, "Bill cannot tell them that."   Agha looked shocked and asked, "Why not?" 

And, Beverly told him, "Because Bill is a Christian and he cannot lie about the product."   Wow, even I was a little surprised - for she and I had never really talked about it at work.  She knew that Dory and I are church members and attend Bible studies - but Beverly and I had never had a real discussion about it.   Yet, inside I praised God that she saw Jesus Christ in me.

That flash-back led to another slightly different episode.   In January 2002, I wrote a short blog titled, "Today, I Cried."   This is what I wrote:

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Today, as I was ironing shirts and blue jeans, a male survival skill taught me as a youth by a wonderful mother, I was listening to a Good News Radio, a Christian radio station in Riverside, California.   The song they were playing, "I Bowed On My Knees And Cried Holy," sung by the Heritage Singers, really touched my heart.  The words spoke of meeting loved ones in heaven. 

I thought of my mother who went home to be with the Lord in 1994.  A thought came to me, possibly from the Holy Spirit, which made me cry.  I thought about those loved ones, especially my mom, who have gone ahead and wondered if they know about me now.  I found solace and sadness in the fact that the Bible teaches us that there will be no more tears in heaven.  So my mother's pains, her unhappiness, her heartaches were left behind when she went home to be with the Lord. 

In my heart, I could picture her in heaven, with Jesus, and she is always smiling.  She is always happy.  Then I remembered the question that many have asked, "Will my loved one, my mother, my father, my brother or sister, my wife or husband, my child - will they know what is happening to me here on earth, what I am doing, how I am living?  Will they know the many times I have failed to act and walk as a Christian should?  Would my mother be happy with what I am today?"   And I saw, what to me was the answer. 

I see Jesus, every time I do something right, going to my mother and telling her what I have done that really pleased Him.  Oh, I know how happy that makes her.  But, what about those times when I do things which I know do not please Jesus?  What does He tell my mother then?  The answer, He tells her nothing.  Because He wants her to be happy, so He tells her only the good things about me, the things I do which will make her happy. 

That is when I cried.  Because I know that the things which He cannot tell my mother far outweigh the things He can tell her.   And I know then that, once again, I have made Him very sad - and once again He alone has carried my sins upon His wonderful, cross scarred shoulders.  Once again, He alone has borne my stripes.  That is why I cried. 

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One last short story, a true story I read a few years ago.  A pastor was visiting in a hospital when a lady walked up to him and said, "Thank you.  Because of you I became a Christian believer."   The pastor, somewhat embarrassed, told her, "I am sorry.   But, I don't remember you."

She smiled and told him, "No, we never met.  But, when your mom was in the hospital years ago, I was in the same room with her.  When you were visiting with her the nurses had drawn the privacy curtain - but I could still hear.  As you prayed and read the Bible to her, I was convicted.  That day, in our hospital room, I prayed and asked Christ to come into my heart.  So, because of you and your mom, I was saved.  Thank you."

How do these last two thought tie together with my initial "Ambassadors for Christ" thoughts?  Glad you asked.  If we are faithful ambassadors for Christ, people will see Him in us - and even though we may not openly witness to everyone - just their seeing Christ in us could be the "seed" needed to encourage them to begin seeking Him. 

And, one day when you and I join my mom, my brother, Bob, and all our loved ones and friends in heaven - there just may be a few we do not know who will walk up to us in heaven and say, "Thank you.  Because of your witness I became a believer."  Oh, what a glorious moment that will be for us.

How does it feel to be an Ambassador For Christ?  Keep in mind that Christ did not save us just so we can be "Couch Potato Christians."  No, He told us to "GO, Make disciples, Baptize them, Teach them.  .  . Be His witnesses in all the world"  (Matthew 28:19-20, Acts 1:8, Mark 16:15).   How is your Great Commission today?

God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,

Bill

 

Bill Gray, This Is Your Life! ~ Or, How To Marry A Filipina!

Recently on Facebook I have joined a group named Married To A Filipina - and the posting members seem to range from "I am getting ready to marry a Filipina" to "We have been married a few glorious years" and there are even some of we who have been married for a long time.  So far I do believe I have the longest running success story of "I am happily married to a Filipina" on that Facebook group.

Reading all those wide ranging tales of love - I decided to share my Love Story with the group and with all my Friends.   So, below I have combined two posts from the past few years and come up with this:  "Bill Gray, This Is Your Life!  ~  Or, How To Marry A Filipina!"

I pray my Love Story encourages others to shoot for have a long, happy Christian marriage.

Note:  In the story below, to have a better view of the photos, put your cursor on the photo and click the left mouse button.  After viewing, to return to the story, left click the "X" in the upper right corner of the photo page.

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On the TimesDaily Religion Forum in 2014, I had an agnostic Friend with a special fascination for the loves and life of Bill Gray.   In between the barbs she held special just for me, she would take aim at the ladies who have been special in my life.   So, I decided to put that issue to bed once and for all time.  What women, or I should say, what nationality of women have caught my eye over the years?

How far back shall we go?  In the 1st grade I had a terrific crush on a cute little blonde named Ruth Barksdale, who has stayed a friend for life.  Jump forward a few years to the 8th grade and I had a crush on another cute blonde named Sue Wiley.  I believe she moved away before high school.  

In high school, my eye was taken by a feisty wee Irish lass named Molly McCullough.   I took a class in physics - because from the classroom window on the second floor I could watch Molly's Phys Ed class.  Kind of hard to study physics when all I was interested in was Molly's anatomy.  Due to a lack of progress in my studies, it did not take me long to drop that class.  Heck, who needed physics anyway?   But, I had signed up for Latin because Molly was in that class - and I actually made it all the way through the class.

You may have noticed a lack of Asian or Hispanic names in my early romantic interests.   That is because Alabama, in the 1940s/50s, had virtually no Asians nor Hispanics living there.  We were all just plain old Heinz 57, distinguishable only by the European names we inherited from our long forgotten ancestors.

June 1955, high school graduation - and one week later, with my classmates, Bob Davis, Willie Joe Foust, and Cortez Melton - I left to see the world courtesy of the United States Air Force.   Basic Training at Lackland AFB was eleven weeks.  And, after eight weeks, because we had done most things right - my friend, Bob, and I were able to spend Sunday afternoon in downtown San Antonio.

Keep in mind that, in our whole life, neither of us had ever seen an Hispanic female.  That day, walking through the park, we chanced upon two attractive young Hispanic ladies - and, like two country hicks, we mumbled, "Can we take our picture with you?"  I still have that photo.  But, from that day, Hispanic ladies carried a fascination for me.

The first Asian girl I ever met was on the train in September 1955, traveling from my home in Alabama to Air Force Tech School in Denver.  After Basic Training I went home for a month and then left by train for Denver.  On the same train car a pretty Chinese girl was traveling from Atlanta to San Francisco.  She got my attention because she was obviously Chinese - but, she spoke English with a Georgia accent, y'all.  I changed trains so that she and I could travel from Memphis to Kansas City together.  From there, she went on to San Francisco and I went to Denver.

At the Air Force Tech School orientation in Denver, they told us, "There are seven women in Denver for every man - and 80% of you will be married before you leave Tech School."   Whoa!  Not me!  Life is too much fun to get married.

Once I got settled into my Tech School routine, I discovered the Denver USO where every evening there was dancing and lovely ladies with whom to dance.  I was in my Fred Astaire heaven.  We danced to the Top Ten songs of the week, which were usually about 75% Elvis and the Platters, with a few other thrown in for flavor.  Then, and now, there is no better dancing music than Elvis and the Platters; still love those songs.

Then, one Sunday evening a lovely Hispanic vision walked into the USO.  Not only was she "to die for" beautiful; but when I met her I found that she was also a great dancer.  Now that was a combination I could not resist.  We dated for about a month and then I went home to Alabama for Christmas.   At home, I told my mom, "Mom, I believe I have found the woman for me."

In January 1956, when I returned from Christmas leave, Betty and I began to date seriously - and on March 3, 1956, we were married.

My brother always said that I married her because she was such a good dancer.  But, actually there were a number of factors:  she was beautiful, inside and out; she was exotic to me because she was Hispanic; she had three adorable small girls (3, 4, 18 months) and was a great mother.  And I could go on.  But, add those up and factor in my love for children - and we were a great match.

After Tech School, I had a one month leave and in April 1956, I shipped out to Korea and Formosa (Taiwan) for a year.   In 1958 I was discharged from the Air Force and we moved to Los Angeles where I started my career in the computer industry.  Over the years we lived in Austin, Texas; Southern California; Norfolk, Virginia; and Alexandria, Virginia/Washington DC.  Then, in early 1963 we moved back to Southern California.

Later we separated - but, remained good friends, talking often on the phone, until her death from cancer in 2001.

In Southern California during the 1960s and 70s, I was living the life most young men dream of - a good job, plenty of money, great night life, acting school, you name it and I found it.  Even got to attend a week-long Jimmy Doolittle Tokyo Raiders Reunion at the Del Mar Beach Club in Santa Monica where Bob Hope was the closing dinner guest speaker.  Definitely living the good life.

At some point during that time, I saw the 1962 movie titled "No Man Is An Island" - the true story of a World War 2 American sailor, George Tweed, who was stranded on the island of Guam when the Japanese invaded.  A Filipino family hid him in a cave and brought him supplies to survive.  In the movie, the Cruz family had a beautiful daughter, played in the movie by Barbara Perez (called the Audrey Hepburn of the Philippines).  Over the several years Tweed was living in the caves, and this being a Hollywood movie, he and the daughter fell in love.  That part was not true, but it made for an interesting story line, Hollywood style.

Yet, that movie was a life changer for me!  When I saw Barbara Perez I told myself, "I have found the perfect woman, the Filipina.  She has the fire of the Hispanic, and the femininity of the Asian woman."  What more could a man want? 

Boy, I sure knew how to complicate my life.  I decided I wanted to marry a Filipina - but where could I meet a Filipina living in Southern California and having no Filipino friends at that time?  The ones I would want to meet did not go to bars and night clubs.  And, the ones I could meet in the night clubs - I would not want to take home to mom.  What a dilemma.

What I did not know then is that every hospital and medical clinic was full of Filipina nurses and doctors.   I could have just visited a hospital and I would have been in "Filipina heaven."  But, who knew?

Still, my decision was firm - I must marry a Filipina.  In the meantime, I continued my busy nightlife.   One Wednesday evening I was at the lounge of the Saddleback Hotel in Santa Ana with friends.  We were just getting ready to start an evening of dancing when one friend, Lupe, pointed to the lobby door of the lounge, telling me, "Bill, there is Rita."  Rita was one of the Filipinas I would date, but not take home to mom.

I looked up, saw a beautiful Filipina and her girl friend standing in the lounge lobby area, and told Lupe, "No, that is not Rita.  But, I do want to know this gorgeous lady."

Yes, that is how I met my future Filipina wife, Dory.  She was a real estate agent for Red Carpet Realty and they had a company meeting at the Saddleback Hotel every Wednesday evening.  She and her girl friend, Phil, had just come out of the meeting.  I managed to introduce myself and we talked for a while - during which I asked if I could call her for a date.  She agreed, but that week I chickened out and did not call.

The next Wednesday, I saw her again after their meeting and she asked why I had not called.  Well, to make a long story a wee bit shorter, that Saturday evening we went on our first date.  And Sunday morning I went to church with her.  After church we went for a drive, stopped for a movie at Fashion Island in Newport Beach, and then had dinner at the Quiet Cannon (now just called The Cannon) restaurant in Dana Point.

From that Sunday dinner, we never dated anyone else.  And, on September 2, 1977 we were married in a civil wedding and had a short honeymoon in Estero Beach, Mexico.  Three years later, we decided we wanted to have a church wedding and a more fitting honeymoon.   So, off we went to Hawaii - and on September 2, 1980, we had a church wedding and a one week honeymoon in Oahu.

Dory has a great singing voice and plays piano.  When we first met and were married, she used to sing at many Filipino functions around Southern California, once singing at a special ceremony held for the governor at the Century Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles.

Music was her first love - and on our dates, as we were riding in the car she would sing to me.  One song which she sang beautifully was "The Way We Were" a Barbra Streisand song - "Memories light the corners of my mind, Misty water-colored memories of the way we were. . . "

Another song which she would sing and I dearly loved then, and still do today is the Filipino classic love song, "Dahil Sa Iyo."  I could not understand the words, but the tune and the feelings I could easily understand - and it touched something within me.

On Facebook in 2015, the Filipino American Facebook Community Group posted a reunion video of the group, Pinay.  I listened to several songs, but when I heard them sing Dahil Sa Iyo, it brought a beautiful flash-back to our dating days.  The following is the the lyrics in both Tagalog and in English:

Dahil Sa Iyo (Because Of You)

Sa buhay ko’y labis
Ang hirap at pasakit, ng pusong umiibig
Mandin wala ng langit
At ng lumigaya, hinango mo sa dusa
Tanging ikaw sinta, ang aking pag-asa.

(Long have I endured in my life
The pain and sorrows from Love arise
Then you came and redeemed me, my dear,
My only hope in my darkest fears)

Dahil sa iyo, nais kong mabuhay
Dahil sa iyo, hanggang mamatay
Dapat mong tantuin, wala ng ibang giliw
Puso ko’y tanungin, ikaw at ikaw rin

(Because of you, I yearn to be alive
Because of you, ‘till death (you) must realize
In my heart I know there is only you
And ask my heart, you’ll know that this is true)

Dahil sa iyo, ako’y lumigaya
Pagmamahal, ay alayan ka
Kung tunay man ako, ay alipinin mo
Ang lahat ng ito, dahil sa iyo

(Because of you, I found happiness
That to you I offer this love that is so blessed
Though indeed I may be a slave for loving you so true
It matters not to me, ‘cause everything’s because of you)

Now, I invite you to enjoy the group Pinay singing "Dahil Sa Iyo (Because Of You)."   When you watch this video, I believe you will see why I decided many years ago to marry a Filipina.  And, I have never regretted that decision. 

This year, September 2, we will celebrate our 40th Wedding Anniversary.  But, best of all, because we are both Christian believers - we will be together for eternity.  How good is that?

Pinay Performs A Classic Tagalog Song "Dahil Sa Iyo" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WKyhPAmfV8I

God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,

Bill 

Click to enlarge photo:

Why Is RINO John McCain Attacking President Trump?

IT SEEMS THAT RINO JOHN McCAIN is in the attack mode against President Trump.  Could this be sour grapes because Donald Trump could win against the Liberal Socialist Gang - and John McCain could not?

Let me take you back to the 2008 Presidential election when John McCain was the GOP nominee running against Barack Obama:

When McCain was running for president against Obama, I sent an e-mail to his POW Commanding Officer, Admiral Jeremiah Denton.  After returning from the Vietnam POW captivity, Admiral Denton became a Senator from Alabama.   He was the first Republican Senator from Alabama since the Civil War Reconstruction days.

After he retired from the Senate, he founded the National Forum Foundation, which in 1984 was renamed the Admiral Jeremiah Denton Foundation.  This Christian ministry did work among poor families in the Philippines, Africa, and other nations.

You may also recall that Admiral Denton was the POW who, during a forced interview by his Vietnam captors for national TV - sent a Morse Code message by blinking his eyes during the broadcast, spelling out "T O R T U R E" - to let the U. S. Intelligence Service know that the prisoners were being tortured.

While he was running the Admiral Jeremiah Denton Foundation, he was also publishing a newsletter.  For years Admiral Denton had been on my Friends Ministry mail list.  And, I was so thrilled one day when I received an e-mail from him asking permission to use one of my writings in his newsletter.

But, back to my reason for mentioning Admiral Denton.   When John McCain was running for president against Obama - since Admiral Denton had been McCain's senior officer all that time during their POW years - who would better know his character under pressure?

So, I sent Admiral Denton an e-mail asking him his opinion of John McCain for president.   In his reply to me, his exact words were, "Well, all I can say is that the SOB is better than the alternative!"  

I got Admiral Denton's message loud and clear.   He passed away in 2014 - and Alabama, America, and all the world lost a real hero.

This same RINO John McCain, who is supposed to be a Republican - is the most vocal "attack dog" the Liberal Socialist Democratic Gang has in their determination to pull down President Trump and prevent him from fulfilling the promises he made to all Americans, promises which got him elected.

Those people don't care about America nor Americans.  They are just stomping their Sour Grapes, trying to make political wine from them.  They lost the elections - and their Sour Grape Wine will be just as bitter.

God bless,  have a wonderful, blessed day,

Bill
 

Soul Winning ~ The Berean Call Newsletter

For many years I have been receiving The Berean Call newsletter.  And, although the main article is always interesting, thought provoking, and apologetic for our Christian faith - the first section I read is always the Q&A section.  Why?  Well, I guess it is for the same reason I love a good discussion style Bible study and Sunday School class.  In discussing Scripture and our Christian faith teachings with other believers - I always learn something new, gain some new insight. 

In the same way, reading a Scripture passage for the hundredth time - I can still find and learn something new.  Is that because I have a learning or reading disability?  No, it is because each time I read it - God may choose to reveal a new truth, a new insight to show me some new (to me) facet of His Truth which is appropriate for where I am today in my Christian walk.

When I began studying End Times prophecies and the book of Revelation over 25 years ago, I had many questions which were unanswered.  Yet, I found that God was faithful in giving me answers, at the appropriate time.  Let me give you an example.  Some 20 plus years ago I was still wondering what will happen to believers who survive the Tribulation.  

One evening as I was driving home from work, I was sitting at a four-way stop sign in Tustin, California - thinking only of getting home and relaxing.  From out of nowhere, a thought popped into my head, "Those who survive the Tribulation will go into the Millennial Kingdom of Jesus Christ, in their mortal bodies."  Whoa, where did that thought come from and why now?  It did not take me long to realize that the Holy Spirit had just solved another piece of my End Times puzzle.  We serve an amazing God.

So, this week when I received my snail-mail copy of The Berean Call newsletter, the Q&A question "I know that soul winning is supposed to be a really important part of the Christian life, but can you explain further about what the Scriptures say on this subject?" - that immediately made me think.  Is the only way to do soul winning to knock on doors or to do street evangelism? 

Short answer:  No!  There are many ways to do soul winning - even though door knocking and street evangelism may show the most immediate results.  God gives each of us different talents and we should use those talents to be faithful in following His Great Commission.

I think back on ways that I have been His witness across the years.   Some 25 years ago, I was having lunch at Coco's in Newport Beach and behind me I heard an older man tell the hostess that he was feeling weak and was afraid to drive home.  I turned and volunteered to drive him home and during the drive, I felt an immediate friendship with him, George.  That weekend Dory and I visited George and shared with him.  Did we win him to Christ?  No, but it was a good learning experience. 

George told me, "I am a retired Christian."  Stunned I listened when he told me, "Being a scientist, I changed my mind."   I will admit that I was too new a Christian and not really armed with the Scripture knowledge to refute his statement.  So, I tucked my tail and left.  But, that taught me that I needed to get deeper into a study of His Word - for the next time I met a George.

About 18 years ago, I was in Moreno Valley and had to go to the Regional Medical Center ER for my foot.  Waiting in line, there was a young man who was a White Supremacist standing behind me.  Later, in the waiting room I noticed him reading a Bible. 

At an appropriate time, I asked him, "Pardon me, but you finger tattoos say H A T E - yet the book you are reading teaches L O V E.  What is the story?"   He told me that he, a devout White Supremacist, had been walking in Riverside when a Christian approached him and shared Jesus Christ with him.  That day, on the sidewalk of Riverside, that White Supremacist became a Christian believer. 

Would YOU have the faith to approach an obvious White Supremacist and share Christ with him?  God gave that person the courage and the desire to share with that young man - at that time.  And a soul was won!

Twelve years ago, about 11:30 PM, I went for a walk on Magnolia Avenue near Tyler Street in Riverside.  Suddenly a homeless man, who appeared to be on drugs, jumped out from behind a sign and was screaming and cursing at me.  I nervously backed away from him, crossing four lanes of Magnolia Avenue traffic with him stalking after me, and not one driver seemed to notice. 

But the moment I stepped on the center island, I felt the peace of God come over me.  I stopped and told the man, "I have no money (I never carry a wallet when I walk at night), but can I pray for you?"

I walked up to him, put my right hand on his left shoulder, and prayed that God would bless and protect this man.  After praying for him, we hugged, tightly.  And, this man who had been screaming and cursing at me just minutes before - said in a small quiet voice, "That is what I really wanted."  And he meekly walked away. 

As I was walking home it suddenly dawned on me, neither that man nor his clothing had any "sleeping on the street" odor.  Looking at him it was very obvious that he was homeless - yet, no odor when I hugged him?  How was that possible? 

Then a Scripture verse came to mind:   Hebrews 13:2, "Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it."    Am I saying that I met an angel that night?  Not really, but who knows?  That Scripture verse sure did seem to fit my situation - and who are we to question the power of God?

For the past 25 plus years I have been sharing my faith via newsletters, articles, and blogs that hopefully are edifying, encouraging, and when needed, apologetic.  I believe that is the ministry God has given me.  Have you found your God-given ministry yet?  Talk with Him about how He would have you serve Him.

That said, let me share with you the Q&A question from the latest issue of The Berean Call newsletter which caused my flash-back moment:

Question: I know that soul winning is supposed to be a really important part of the Christian life, . . .

The Berean Call newsletter Q&A Section, January 31, 2017

By Ed Newby, TBC Staff
http://www.thebereancall.org/content/question-i-know-soul-winning-supposed-be-really-important-part-christian-life-can-you

Question:  I know that soul winning is supposed to be a really important part of the Christian life, but can you explain further about what the Scriptures say on this subject?

Response:  It is certainly true that Proverbs:11:30 tells us, “He that winneth souls is wise.”  Further, in Luke:19:10, our Lord declared, “For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.”   In 1 Corinthians:9:16, Paul wrote, “For though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory of: for necessity is laid upon me; yea, woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel!”

The principle of soul winning and its necessity is there.  That’s the challenge and admonition our Lord left when He gave the commission in Matthew:28:19, “Go ye therefore, and teach [make disciples of] all nations;...”  

What we aren’t given is a “methodology.”  We are given examples of the disciples preaching the gospel: “And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ”  (Acts 5:42).

Consequently, some people don’t seem to believe they are soul winning unless they are preaching publicly or house to house.  Yet the Lord Jesus had many meetings with people who came to Him to speak.  And, while the term “friendship evangelism” is a popular focus today, too often it can be an excuse for never confronting someone with the claims of the gospel.  The gospel by its very nature is an offense (1 Corinthians:1:18).

Also, we need to remember that the Lord uses circumstances and often will bring us to places where the gospel can be shared with individuals.  The point is that we are to be ready. “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear”  (1 Peter 3:15).

In Acts 8, Philip was given an opportunity to minister the gospel to the Ethiopian eunuch whom God had prepared.  Philip simply had to be ready both to minister and to obey the Lord’s command to “join thyself to this chariot”  (v. 29).

Paul always went to the synagogues or places “where prayer was wont to be made; and we sat down, and spake unto the women which resorted thither”  (Acts:16:13).  He went to these places both to minister to his people and to join with those who clearly were pursuing spiritual things.  In short, they were alert to and took advantage of opportunities that presented themselves.

There certainly are good reasons for keeping tracts available to give to people.  We may not always be going door to door, but we should prepare by praying and asking the Lord to give us a heart for evangelism and study to know the gospel message.  As much as possible, prayerfully seek to build relationships with neighbors, friends, and relatives, and be alert for opportunities. 

Finally, if no opportunities are readily available, then prayerfully seek to create them as led by the Lord and be content if you only plant a seed, trusting Him to water and give the increase.

To read the full February 2017 issue of The Berean Call visit the link below.

Hebrew Roots and the Leaven of Works Salvation - Part 1

The Berean Call Newsletter, February 1, 2017

By T.A. McMahon and G. Richard Fisher
http://www.thebereancall.org/content/hebrew-roots-and-leaven-works-salvation-part-1

Purge Out Therefore the old leaven… —1 Corinthians:5:7 The Apostle Paul warned about being tossed to and fro by every wind of doctrine (Ephesians:4:14).  These days, the winds of false doctrine are blowing hard against the church.

To subscribe to The Berean Call Newsletter visit this link:   http://www.thebereancall.org/

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I pray this you have found this blog useful, that maybe you found a "golden nugget" or two - and that you will share it with your FRANs (Friends, Relatives, Associates, Neighbors).

God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,

Bill 

Make Today Count!

It is interesting that just yesterday I was thinking about a lighthearted dialogue my wife and I often have when she will say, "We are getting old."  And I will quickly respond, "Who is we?   Do you have a mouse in your pocket?"   And, this morning I received my "Guidelines Daily Commentary On Living" eNewsletter from Dr. Harold Sala.   What is his commentary subject?   TIME!   How appropriate.

I guess I am like the old farmer who replied when his wife asked why he never told her her loved her anymore, "I told you I loved you the day we got married.  If I ever change my mind, I will tell you."  I suppose I could rephrase that to say, "If I ever find myself getting old, I will tell you."

But, just by coincidence, last night I was thinking about our frequent dialogues and recalled two parenthetical statements from the past.  In 1963 I worked at Ramo Wooldridge (RW which later became TRW) helping setting up a department to test the first militarized mini-computer, the AN/UYK-1.  A coworker, Don Cook, laughed as he told us about asking his grandfather who was 70 years old, "Papa, how old were you when your lost interest in sex?"   And his grandfather replied, "Son, you will have to ask someone much older than me."

And on the other side of that parenthetical pause I recalled seeing actor/comedian George Burns on television when he was approaching 100 years of age.  Burns quipped, "Yes, I still talk about sex.  At my age that is as close as you can get."

But, all humor aside, Dr. Sala makes a strong point in his commentary when he writes:   "God has given you today to make preparation for eternity.  It's all part of His gracious goodness.  Take time to get to know God, to love Him, and to use this day to glorify Him.  Make today count."

If you are not yet a believer and you are not sure where you will spend eternity - today is the most important day of your life.   Why do I say that?  Well, today you can decide that "by grace through faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ" (Ephesians 2:8) - you will turn from following the secular world and do a 180 degree turn to believe, receive, and follow Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior (John 1:12) - assuring your eternal life in Christ (1 John 5:12).   

If you are a believer, but still have loved ones or friends who have not yet believed - today is a very important day in your life.  Why do I say that?   Because if you do not tell those loved ones and friends about Jesus Christ and the glorious gift of eternal life He is offering them - those loved ones and friends could slip into eternity without Christ.  That would be eternal hell.  And, you do not want that for them.

Don't let yourself or your loved ones and friends wait until tomorrow to believe and receive His "paid in full" eternal pardon.   Don't decide to wait until tomorrow to tell them how much He loves them and wants them to spend eternity in the presence of God.

Don't wait for tomorrow to share Jesus Christ with those loved ones and friends.  For today is all we have; we are not promised tomorrow.  The past is gone - tomorrow may never come - today is all we have that is certain.   As Dr. Sala tells us in his commentary, "Make today count."

TIME
By Dr. Harold J. Sala
Guidelines International

"Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I will depart.  The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised."  Job 1:21

Victor Borge, the renowned pianist, once told a friend that he could tell time by his piano.  The friend wasn't convinced so Borge proceeded to prove his point.  He immediately began playing a resounding march.  In only moments there was a noisy banging on the wall and a voice on the other side screamed, "Stop that noise!  Don't you know it's 1:30 in the morning?"

Borge may be able to tell time by his music, but he can't stop time.  Only God can do that.  Have you ever noticed that time is like an unending river, and once your craft is launched on it, there is no turning back, no stopping it?  Like a river which may wind through a meadow, there are seasons in our lives when it seems that time moves very slowly.  Then there are other times when it seems that the craft of our lives is carried faster and faster through the turbulence of white water rapids.  And more than anything else, we would like to slow things down - just for a little while.  But we can't.

Mario Andretti was like that.  Remember the famed Italian race car driver?  As he talked with reporters before driving his final Indianapolis 500 at the age of 54, he said, "It's not my fault that the years go by.  If I could make a deal with somebody and buy five or six years of this life, I would."  Think of it - trading his millions for just a few more years of peak performance racing.

He couldn't buy time, and neither could one of the world's richest, if not the richest, woman in the world.  As she lay on her death bed, the best doctors in the world at her side trying to save her life, Queen Victoria, whose British Isles were at the peak of their glory, cried out, "My kingdom, my kingdom for an inch of time."  A strange thing - this entity that we call time.  Scientists, philosophers, and theologians strive to understand it, yet at the very time they ponder it, all of them are controlled by it.

I can tell you what you already know:  that if you don't use it, you lose it.  I can also remind you that the farther you travel on the river of time, the faster it seems to carry you.  We talk about time but can actually do little about it.  This side of eternity, time is a fixed commodity, and when it's gone, it's gone.  God trades neither money nor kingdoms for more of it.

The only thing we can really do about time is to learn to use the moment, to take advantage of what lies within your grasp.  The sad thing is that so often when there is a rainy day, people are distraught because they cannot go somewhere or do something.

If there is any wisdom acquired in aging, it surely must include the importance of using time wisely, of saying what you meant to say while the person you love can still hear those words, of writing the letter you have been intending to write while a friend can yet read it.

I used to wonder how just God is in fixing a person's eternal destiny based on such a short period of perhaps 70 or 80 years, yet we are such creatures of habit that few of us would really change our lifestyles should we live centuries beyond the biblical three-score-and-ten or 70 years.

God has given you today to make preparation for eternity.  It's all part of His gracious goodness.  Take time to get to know God, to love Him, and to use this day to glorify Him.  Make today count.

Resource reading: Job 2:1-10.

Disclaimer: The preceding material was written by Dr. Harold J. Sala, and is copyrighted.  You are authorized to download this selection and use it for your own personal use.  Reproduction for sale or financial profit is prohibited.  Permission to reprint should be obtained by contacting Guidelines at e-mail address: info@guidelines.org or mailing address: 26161 Marguerite Parkway, Suite F, Mission Viejo, CA  92692, USA.

Visit www.guidelines.org to download programming, find resources, follow our speaking schedule, give to Guidelines International Ministries, and stay on top of developments at Guidelines.

In summary, God, Dr. Sala, and I urge you to Make today count.

God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,

Bill 

Christian Music ~ One Size Fits All?

In February 2015, my wife and our daughter attended the early service at a large local church because they had real estate business later.   When Dory called me later, she told me, "You would have liked that service.  They only sang hymns."   Had we been married over 37 years and she knew so little about me?   Just kidding.  

She and I both like a church which has a mixture of Christian music - hymns, contemporary, praise songs, and I have even found myself at times enjoying Christian rap.   So, I refuse to take the rap of liking only hymns!

But, I do admit that being in a church where the praise team will ONLY sing contemporary or newly released praise music - leaves me a wee bit cold.   And, a praise team which appears to view itself as entertainers instead of worship leaders gives me an even greater chill.

Christian believers come in all sizes, shapes, colors, and ages.  So, no one type of music fits all.  Christian worship service consists of many parts:  Personal Worship Preparation - Worship in Music - Worship in Giving - Worship in Teaching, i.e., sermon and Sunday School - Worship in Christian Fellowship. 

One of the things I like about the Fil-Am churches which I have attended since I was saved in 1987 - is that the Worship in Christian Fellowship also includes great food.  While filling our hearts with Christian fellowship - we are also filling our tummies with good food, with a wonderful Filipino flavor.

One of the excuses I have heard a million times over the years is, "We want the young people to be excited about our church, so they will come back."   Why do we give our young people so little credit - thinking that they will only come to church if we can make the worship service music resemble a secular dance or party?

A few years ago I was an avid Taco Bell devotee.  Once when Dory was away for a month on business, I ate every evening meal at the Taco Bell just down the street, for the entire month.  Boy, what a gas!   Literally!

When I lived in Orange County, I knew and visited almost every Taco Bell.   One day I was having lunch at a Taco Bell in Santa Ana when the Regional Manager came in.  He had seen me before in other stores, so he came over and smiling, told me, "You DO like Taco Bell, don't you?"

I took that opportunity to ask him about the loud rock music playing in that particular store.  His answer, "Well, we tailor that to fit our target customer market.  That target market is the 18 to 30 year old crowd."  

Looking around, there were about ten people in that Taco Bell when we were talking.  I smiled and told him, "You must not know your market, for look at all the people here right now.  None are younger than fifty."   Since he had no answer for that, he thanked me and walked away.

The next day, I was in the Taco Bell in Mission Viejo.  It was packed with kids from the local high school.  And, the music which the franchise owner chose to play in his store -- all classical.   Guess what?  Not one single teenager seemed to be bothered by the music; not one single teenager walked out because they were playing classical instead of rock music; every single teenager seemed to be having a good time and enjoying the music ambiance, not a problem.

What does this have to do with church worship music?  Glad you asked.  This tells me that the local Taco Bell management -- like many churches which try to tailor their Worship in Music to fit only one group, youth -- have greatly misjudged the young people, believing they can only like loud secular style music.   It is time to start giving our young people a bit more credit.

Let me offer you one last point to consider.  I grew up in the rock and roll decades - and also in the times when most churches only sang hymns.  Ne'er to twain shall meet, right?  Wrong!

The great Rock and Roll/Country Western singer, Charlie Rich, took one of our greatest Christian hymns, Amazing Grace, and set it to a rock and roll beat.  Heresy?  Corrupting Christian music?  Absolutely not.  Listen and see if this version of Amazing Grace doesn't speak to you.

Some years ago, a leader in our church praise team, Ferdy Cancino, was at our home to practice with Dory.  When I played this Charlie Rich version of Amazing Grace, Ferdy got excited and began to play along on his guitar. 

Hymns do not have to be sung like funeral dirges.  Hymns can be happy and full of life, such as this rendition of Amazing Grace.  And, when our church Worship in Music is a menu of hymns, contemporary, praise songs, and, yes, even some rap - I promise you will see the whole congregation singing with gusto - instead of lip synching.  So, please take a moment and listen to Charlie Rich's rendition of Amazing Grace.  And enjoy.

Amazing Grace, Charlie Rich
www.youtube.com/watch?v=5m3tWUgzi_E

Now, don't you feel closer to God - and didn't you find yourself doing a wee bit of foot tapping.  Loving God is happy time.  So, love God, tap your foot, and have a good time singing along with Charlie.

God bless, have  a wonderful, blessed day,

Bill 

Which God Do YOU Serve?

Several days ago, a young lady posted the following declaration to start a dialogue on Facebook:

Are you an exegeek or an eisegeek?  If you believe in the filthy unbiblical doctrine of demons known as Free Will, you would be classified as an eisegeek.  I love exegeeks.

Basically, what she is attempting to tell us is that she is a Five-Point Calvinist (TULIP or Doctrines of Grace) - and that any theology other than Calvinism is "the filthy unbiblical doctrine of demons" with emphasis on the doctrine of Free Will.

I respond to her:

In other words, you only love those Christians who are staunch Five-Point Calvinists!  Too bad, for even though I know that at least 3 of the 5 points of TULIP (or Doctrines of Grace, if you prefer) are in error, I still love all Christians ~ Calvinists, Arminianists, and those of us who know that both those extremes are just that - extremes.

Actually, both of those theologies, Calvinism and Arminianism, have to depend upon Eisegesis - reading INTO the Bible what THEY want it to say to support their chosen and preferred doctrines.

I prefer to depend upon Exegesis - reading FROM the Bible what it tells us, as God intended. God bless, Bill

Then, a gentleman joined the dialogue posting:

For those who don't understand the terms... Exegete means to explain a verse within its context.

Eisegete means you take a verse out of context and give it a whole new meaning that was never intended by the context.

And, I respond to him:

You are correct in that explanation.  However, I usually simplify it by explaining it this way:

Exegete means reading FROM Scripture what God wrote there.

Eisegete means reading INTO Scripture what man wants it to say, i.e., when man attempts to make Scripture fit his predetermined theology. 

And, from there, as you might expect, that short dialogue set off a fire storm on Facebook.   Some of my Friends may ask, "Bill, since you know that all who 'by grace through faith believe and receive Christ as Lord and Savior' are Christian believers and brothers/sisters in Christ - why do you debate the extreme Calvinists and Arminianists?"

Glad you asked.   We all - Calvinist, Arminianist, and we who stand somewhere in between those two extremes - are Christian believers if we have believed and received the "paid in full" free gift of eternal life He purchased for us on the cross.   However, we as believers should want two things for all people:  [1] for them to have eternal life in Christ (1 John 2:25, 3:15, 5:11, 5:13) ~ and [2] for them to have peace in Christ and to be secure in that peace (John 10:28-29, Romans 5:1-2).

The Calvinist doctrine of Predestination tells us that, before the Creation God arbitrarily (or exercising His sovereign will, if you wish) chose some folks to be His Elect and to have eternal life in His presence.  And, according to that same doctrine, God chose a far greater number of people He had created to be the Reprobate, i.e., to be condemned, without any chance to be saved, to spend eternity in a place void of His presence, which can only be called hell.

Does that really sound like the God you worship, the God of equal and balanced attributes of Love and Justice, Grace and Mercy?  For Calvinist Predestination to be true - one or more of those attributes of God must be diminished.  You and I both know that is not true.  We know that God, in all His attributes, is perfect.

The Arminian doctrine of Falling from Grace at the other end of the salvation spectrum, tells us that a person can be saved - and then lose that salvation.  In other words, in the Arminian doctrine of "Falling from Grace" all believers must go through life looking over their shoulder, lest they commit that one sin, most likely not even known to them, which will rob them of their salvation.  That is calling Jesus Christ a liar, for He tells us in John 10:28-29 that NO ONE can snatch the believer out of His, or the Father's, hands.  And, NO ONE can only mean NO ONE, not even the believer.  That is His promise to all believers - and God does not lie.

When we witness to non-believers we should assure them that they can HAVE eternal life, eternal security, eternal peace in Christ.   How can we share the promise of Christ with people, assuring them of His promise of eternal life - if the Calvinist doctrine of Predestination - or - the Arminianian doctrine of Falling From Grace are true?

One of the books in my personal library is "Fundamentals Of Our Faith" written by Herschel H. Hobbs and published in 1960 by Broadman Press.  Who was Dr. Herschel H. Hobbs?

Dr. Hobbs was a true Baptist statesman and leader at most every level of Baptist life.  One of his greatest achievements was serving as Chair of the committee that wrote the "1963 Baptist Faith and Message."  Dr. Hobbs received his Ph.D in New Testament interpretation at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary studying under the world renowned Greek scholar, Professor A.T. Robertson.

Today's essay (written by Dr. Hobbs), originally published as a short editorial on June 22, 1995, is entitled "God's Sovereignty and Man's Free Will."  Dr. Hobbs went to be with the Lord only a few short months after penning this article making it among the last of his prolific writing ministry.

Dr. Hobbs writes:

At the close of Billy Graham’s first London Crusade, a Church of England clergyman said that Billy Graham set Christianity back a hundred years.  Hearing of this, he (Graham) said, “I am disappointed.  I had hoped to set it back 2,000 years.”

From recent articles, we are told that a small group of Southern Baptist scholars seeks a revival of five-point Calvinism.  They propose to restore our theology to that of the 19th century.  Among others, they cite James P. Boyce.

Writers note that about the turn of the century, Southern Baptists saw a shift from that extreme position (five-point Calvinism) to a more moderate one.  Mentioned in this regard are E. Y. Mullins and W.T. Conner.  Some of them would even claim that the Apostle Paul was holding to the Calvinistic view.  Such seems to be putting the cart before the horse by about 1,500 years.  That is the reason for this article.  At the risk of being misunderstood, I am more interested in what Jesus said and Paul wrote - than what Boyce, Dagg, et al, wrote.

So, like Billy Graham, we do not need to go back to the 19th or even to the 16th century.  We need to go back to the first century.

Calvin emphasized God’s sovereignty to the neglect of man’s free will, both of which are abundantly taught in the Bible.  More specifically, Calvin held that before the foundation of the world God elected certain individuals to be saved (the Elect) to the neglect of all others (the Reprobate).  This is contrary to the very nature of God!

Recognizing the place of faith, those who follow Calvin say that only the elect believe in Jesus as Savior.  As I understand it, the opposite is true.  Believers are the elect.  I agree with Frank Stagg that election is not “a rigged television show.”

While Paul refers to election elsewhere, his extended treatment of that doctrine is found in Ephesians.  Space forbids a thorough treatment of this epistle (see my "New Men in Christ," Word, 1974, out of print).  But I want to point out some salient facts in Ephesians.

In essence, Paul says that God elected a plan of salvation (Eph. 1-2) and a people to propagate the plan (Eph. 3.1-6.20).  But man is free to accept or reject either or both of them. 

(Calvinism: Herschel Hobbs & Timothy George - SBC Tomorrow - http://peterlumpkins.typepad.com/peter_lumpkins/2006/12/calvinism_hersc.html)

And, from SBC Life, published by the Executive Committee of the Southern Baptist Convention,  2017 Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee, we read:

Today, few Southern Baptists would accept all five points of Calvinism's original TULIP.  In fact, the original points of TULIP have been largely redefined, redesigned, and repackaged by some Baptists.  It is not unusual to hear the label "modified Calvinist" embraced by some within our Southern Baptist family.  These would largely ignore the historical foundations and outright reject some of the original meanings associated with the five points. 

What is disturbing, however, is the recent tendency to grade one another on how a person lines up with a particular presentation of TULIP and make agreement a test of fellowship.  As Dr. Paige Patterson rightly observed, "There's plenty of room under the [Southern Baptist] umbrella for anyone who is anything from a one-point to a five-point Calvinist."

Finally, the greatest tragedy is when adherence to TULIP leads to division in churches and prevents them from cooperation in, and urgency for, a passion toward fulfilling the Great Commission.  The greatest safeguard is for Southern Baptists to remain close to the heart of Jesus whose mission was "to seek and save those who are lost" (Luke 19:10) and to draw our doctrines from inerrant Scripture — not from a man-made system. 

Southern Baptists are first, last, and always followers of Jesus Christ, not John Calvin.  ("The TULIP of Calvinism In Light of History and the Baptist Faith and Message" by Malcolm B. Yarnell III, Ph.D. - http://www.sbclife.net/Articles/2006/04/sla8)

The following is from the book "Fundamentals Of Our Faith" by Herschel H. Hobbs, published in 1960 by Broadman Press.   This copy was published on the web site of the Spring Creek Fellowship, Big Spring, Texas - http://springcreekfellowship.org/what-we-believe-about-election.html

About Election

The Doctrine of Election is one of the most vital in the Bible — and one of the least understood.  The word “election” does not appear in the Old Testament; it is found in only six verses in the New Testament (Romans 9:11; 11:5 KJV, 7 KJV, 28; 1 Thessalonians 1:4 KJV; 2 Peter 1:10).  But the word “elect/chosen” (Hebrew bachir; Greek eklektos) appears four times in the Old Testament (Isaiah 42:1; 45:4; 65:9, 22) and sixteen times in the New Testament (Matthew 20:16; 22:14; 24:22, 24, 31; Mark 13:20, 22, 27; Luke 18:7; 22:35; Romans 8:33; 16:13; Colossians 3:12; 1 Timothy 5:21; 2 Timothy 2:10; Titus 1:1; 1 Peter 1:2; 2:4, 6, 9; 5:13; 2 John 1, 13; Revelation 17:14).  The root Greek word for election means a choice or a laying out.

While election involves both God and man, the initiative in election is with God, not with man (John 6:44).  In creation the initiative was with God:  “In the beginning God created” (Genesis 1:1).  Likewise, in redemption the moving force was God:  “In the beginning was the Word” (John 1:1).

I.  Some Errors Regarding the Doctrine of Election

1.   God’s will – One error is that election depends merely upon God’s will or good pleasure.  The fallacy of this position is that it magnifies some aspects of God’s nature to the neglect of all others.  It emphasizes God’s will and power - and minimizes His righteousness and love.  Likewise, it ignores the human will and power of choice.

2.   Salvation of the few – Another error is that God wishes to save as few as possible, rather than as many as possible.  This is in direct contrast to the idea that “God so loved the world” (John 3:16).  The whole tenor of the Bible is that God loves all men equally and endeavors to save them equally.

3.   Election of individuals – A third error is that election relates to certain individuals, with some destined to salvation and others to damnation.  This view says that God exhibits his love in the former, while in the latter he demonstrates his justice.  Thus the atonement of Christ was not for the whole world but for the elect alone.  This, however, is a direct negation of the comprehensive teachings of Scripture (John 3:16, Revelation 22:17).  There are two schools of theology on this point:  Calvinism believes that Christ died to save some, the elect - Arminianism believes that He died to save all men.

4.   Fatalism – A final error is that election tends toward fatalism.  Such a view says that some will be saved and others lost, regardless of what they do.  Therefore, evangelism is unnecessary.  In like manner are all events of man’s life explained.  This reasoning makes man a puppet on a string.  Election never appears in the Scriptures as mechanical or blind destiny.  It has to do with a God who is love and with a man who is morally responsible (1 John 4:8-10; Acts 2:37-41; Romans 10:13).  Election never appears as a violation of human will (Matthew 23:37-38).

II.   The Twofold Elements Basic in Election

1.   The sovereignty of God  –  There are two ways to regard this truth – abstract and concrete.  The sovereignty of God, considered in the abstract, simply means that God, being all-powerful, can do as He pleases apart from any other consideration, such as the rights or well-being of others or all the attributes of His nature.  An example of this may be seen in Matthew 20:1-16 (parable of the Laborers in the Vineyard).

Here each laborer received the same wages regardless of the hours worked simply because the owner wished it so.  However, there is much more in the parable than that one idea, e.g., justice (vv. 13-14) and mercy (v. 14).  But if the sovereignty of God is considered in the concrete, all of God’s sovereign dealings as related in the Scriptures must be included.  Here, in the words of Mullins, we discover that God “keeps the reins of government in His hands.  He guides the universe to His own glorious end.  That end embodies the highest ideals of holiness and love” (Isaiah 54:8; 55:1-9; Jeremiah 31:3; Ephesians 3:1-11).

2.   The free will of man  –  Over against the sovereignty of God - the Bible places the free will of man.  God made man in His own image (Genesis 1:27).  Man is a personality with the power of choice (Genesis 3:1-6) - he is capable of a sense of guilt (Genesis 3:7) - he is morally responsible for his decisions (Genesis 3:8-24; Jeremiah 31:29-30; Ezekiel 18:2; Romans chapters 1-3).

3.   The impossibility of harmonizing these two facts  –  On the level of finite intellect, the sovereignty of God and the free will of man cannot be harmonized, but in the infinite wisdom of God there is no conflict (Isaiah 54:8-9; Romans 11:33).  But even human reason can help us to understand, in part, this mystery.  We know that divine sovereignty must not cancel human freedom - else man becomes a mere machine incapable of fellowship with God.  Furthermore, this would make God responsible for man’s sinful acts.

However, if we remember that God is a God of law, the mystery is partially explained.  The presence of law in the physical, moral, and spiritual realms hardly needs to be proved.  Science has demonstrated the role of law in nature (Genesis 1:24-25; 8:22).  By it health is preserved and the ground is tilled; natural law makes possible orderly living on the earth.  Daily observation demonstrates that in the moral and spiritual realms the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23).  It is well to remember that all of God’s laws are beneficent (producing good).  Only when we violate them do we pay the penalty in suffering and death.  The evil in nature and in man is not by the express will, but by the permissive will of God.

We must also remember that the very nature of God’s dealing with us through law constitutes a self-limitation upon God.  Thus He does not act merely by capricious will - but by the laws which He has established.  The final answer to all things, therefore, is in the will of man.  If his life corresponds to God’s laws, well and good.  But if his will runs counter to these laws, the wages of sin is death in whatever realm it may be.  Obedience or disobedience to God’s Laws determines the outcome.  But even so, God has higher laws than those known to man by which God overrules man’s rebellious will.  By the knowledge of these higher laws (Genesis 1:28) man is able to live a fuller life and to overrule his own errors.  But even beyond man’s knowledge - God works by His laws in the realm of the miraculous.

It is in this final thought that we find understanding of the dealings of God with man in salvation.  When man sins, God imposes the higher law of His mercy and grace (Ephesians 2:1-10).  God takes the initiative to save miraculously in accord with His righteousness and love.  Hence came the incarnation in Jesus and His crucifixion, resurrection, and continuing intercession.  But the free will of man is involved, for he must either accept or reject the saving overtures of a righteous and loving God.  Even the sovereignty of God is limited by God’s moral and spiritual laws and by the nature of the free will of man.

Therefore, the doctrine of election refers to a plan of salvation for all men and not simply to the capricious choice of some men and the rejection of others.  God in His sovereignty has elected a plan of salvation for all men.  It is a plan based on grace and not merit (Matthew 20:1-16).  Those who, in their free will, accept it are saved; those who reject it are, by their own free will, lost.  “Many [or all] be called [or elected], but few [those who conform to the elected plan] chosen” (Matthew 20:16).

4.  The cognate terms relative to the problem – “For whom He did foreknow, He also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of His Son . . . Moreover whom He did predestinate, them he also called:  and whom He justified, them He also glorified” (Romans 8:29-30; author’s underline emphasis).  The foreknowledge of God simply means that God knows all things before they happen.  God knew beforehand who would accept or reject His overture of grace. 

But a person’s foreknowledge of an event does not make it a part of his will or planning.  In his finite foreknowledge he may know that automobiles are going to crash and people will be killed.  But he does not will or cause it.  The infinite foreknowledge of God removes all uncertainty, but it does not make God responsible.  He knows who will reject His grace, but He does not will it or cause it. 

Predestination with regard to salvation, on the other hand, simply means that God has predetermined that those who respond affirmatively to His call or election will be justified, or declared righteous, and furthermore will be glorified.  All of this is “according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28; Ephesians 3:11).

III.  The Twofold Operation of Election

We cannot fully understand the doctrine of election unless we see in it God’s purpose of salvation for all men.  This doctrine is not based upon arbitrary choice but upon the fulfillment of God’s “eternal purpose which He purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Ephesians 3:11).  To accomplish this purpose God elected first a people and second, individuals.

1.   The election of people – God elected individuals and families.  First, God chose Noah and his family (Genesis 6:8) to be the channel of his blessings to mankind.  Second, He chose Abraham and his seed:  “And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great: and thou shalt be a blessing:  and I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee:  and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed”  (Genesis 12:2-3; author’s underline emphasis).  Note the condition and the racial blessing.  We do not comprehend the election of Abraham unless we see also God’s worldwide purpose of grace.  The covenant with Abraham was basic in His redemptive purpose.

Of Abraham’s two sons, Ishmael and Isaac, God chose or elected Isaac (Genesis 15:4; 17:16; 21:12; Romans 9:7) - of Isaac’s two sons God chose Jacob (Malachi 1:2-3; and Romans 9:13) - and from Jacobs loins came the twelve tribes of Israel.  Note that “love” and “hate” in Malachi 1:2-3 and Romans 9:13 contain the element of choice.  God had to choose one or the other: therefore, He Loved (or chose) Jacob and hated (or rejected) Esau. 

All the above choices were sovereign, but this sovereignty was based upon God’s foreknowledge that those chosen possessed the characteristics which would make them suited to God’s purpose.  Even so, their response was one of free will.  Note instances where they acted otherwise (Genesis 9:21; 12:11; 25:25; 26:7; 27:1-46).

The crux of this matter is seen in the election of the nation, Israel.  When God was ready to redeem Israel from Egypt, He proposed to carry out through them His covenant with Abraham (Exodus 6:5-8).  Thus He elected a nation.  This covenant with Israel was sealed after their deliverance from Egypt.  Note that God covenants only with a redeemed people.   “Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto Me above all people:  for all the earth is mine:  and ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation”  (Exodus 19:5-6; author’s bold emphasis).  God was sovereign in making this proposal; Israel exercised her free will in accepting it (Exodus 19:8).

Note that this was a conditional covenant.  God’s sovereign election was still combined with Israel’s free will in accepting or rejecting, then and later, the covenant.  But this did not mean that God loved Israel more than other nations.  She was to be a priest-nation through which God would extend His love to all people.  But Israel forgot the responsibility and remembered only the privilege of being a peculiar treasure. 

The prophetic utterances bristle with challenges for Israel to accept in reality the conditions of the covenant.  “It is a light thing that thou shouldest be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved [desolations] of Israel:  I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles [heathen], that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth”  (Isaiah 49:6; author’s underline emphasis).

When finally it became apparent that Israel would not honor the covenant, God, as sovereign, promised a new covenant (Jeremiah 31:31; Hebrews 8:8).  The sovereign will of God is grounded in His saving love.  He never changes His eternal purpose, though He changes His procedure according to man’s free will.  Thus we come to the incarnation of God in Jesus Christ, who was not merely a Jew, but the Son of man.  Here again we see the worldwide redemptive purpose of God.  Christ died for all men; His commission included “all nations” (Matthew 28:19-20).

At this point we note the election of a people, the new Israel.  According to Matthew 21, God rejected national Israel.  The parables of the two sons (vv. 28-32) and the wicked husbandmen (vv. 33-41) clearly relate how repeatedly Israel’s free will had rejected God’s sovereign will with regard to His covenant.  By their own words Jesus condemns the Jews:  “He will miserably destroy those wicked men, and will let out his vineyard [Isaiah 5:1-7] unto other husbandmen, which shall render him the fruits in their seasons: (v. 41).  Jesus replied:  “Therefore say I unto you, the kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof . . . And when the chief priests and Pharisees had heard His parables, they perceived that He spake of them [as representative of the nation]” (vv. 43, 45).

The sequel to these words is found in 1 Peter2:4-10 with reference to Christian people.  Compare this passage with Exodus 19:5-6 and Matthew 21:42-44:  note “stone,” “corner,” “builders rejected,” “head of the corner,” “broken,” “grind him to powder”(Matthew); and “chief corner stone,” “elect, precious” (Exodus) “confounded,” “disobedient,” “stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense,” (1 Peter).  “But ye are a chosen generation; a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of Him who hath called you out of darkness into His marvelous light [Isaiah 60:2-3]:  which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God [Hosea 1:9]:  which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy” (1 Peter 2:2-10; author’s underline emphasis).

The similarity between these three passages in Exodus, Matthew, and 1 Peter cannot be accidental.  They are an expression of the electing purpose and grace of God.  A careful study of Romans will reveal that the promise of God was not to the physical seed of Abraham (Romans 4; Matthew 3:7-9) but to the spiritual seed.  Paul was careful to point out in Romans 9-11 that “they are not all Israel, which are of Israel.  . . . They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God:  but the children of the promise are counted for the seed" (9:6-8).  This entire section (Romans 9-11) points out that not all members of national Israel are within the promise.  Only those, Jews as well as Gentiles, who have accepted Christ are spiritual Israel. 

In Ephesians, probably next to the last letter written by Paul, the apostle clearly set forth the truth that the eternal purpose of God is no longer through one nation but the church, the redeemed through Christ (Ephesians 3, note especially vv. 10-11), which is made up of redeemed people of all races and nations.  This truth may be summarized by saying that God’s sovereign will elects those who are to be His “royal priesthood” and “holy nation” for the salvation of all men.  The free will of man either accepts or rejects this relationship to his own loss.

Bill Gray Note:  The fallen nation Israel and the individual Israelites are the purpose of the Tribulation, to save the remnant of Israel.  This does not imply, in any way, that the church has replaced Israel as the chosen people of God, i.e., Replacement Theology.  The people of Israel remain the chosen people of God.  While the church is the bride of Christ.  And in the Tribulation He will spiritually restore a remnant of His chosen people, Israel, into His Millennial Kingdom:

Paul emphasizes the “irrevocable” nature of Israel’s calling as a nation (see also Romans 11:12).  Isaiah predicted that a “remnant” of Israel would one day “be called the Holy People, the Redeemed of the LORD” (Isaiah 62:12).  Regardless of Israel’s current state of unbelief, a future remnant will in fact repent and fulfill their calling to establish righteousness by faith (Romans 10:1–8; 11:5).  This conversion will coincide with the fulfillment of Moses’ prediction of Israel’s permanent restoration to the land (Deuteronomy 30:1–10).  ["Will all Israel be saved in the end times?" - https://www.gotquestions.org/all-Israel-saved.html] 

2.   The election of individuals – The difference between God’s election of a nation as the means of achieving God’s saving purpose - and His election of individuals unto salvation is that the former is a matter of God’s people losing their opportunity, while the latter is a matter of a lost person’s failing to receive salvation.  While an opportunity may be grasped and lost, salvation once received is never lost.  But saved people may lose their opportunity to become part of God’s larger redemptive purpose for all other men. 

Note, further, God’s initiative in His electing grace.  Again we repeat that God in His sovereignty has elected a plan of salvation.  He has taken the initiative in offering salvation to all men.  This is seen in many Scripture passages:  John 3:16; 6:37; 6:44; Acts 13:48.  Again, in Romans 9-11, there is not only the aforementioned lesson regarding national and spiritual Israel - but the matter of the salvation of individual Jews and Gentiles.  The sovereign will of God and the free will of man is obvious in both cases (Romans 9:11-13).  Election is not a matter of capricious choice on God’s part but of His foreknowledge of what man’s response will be to His proffered grace.

Man’s response is a free choice.  God has elected salvation to all who, in freedom of will, will call on Him or who will meet the conditions of the elected plan of salvation (Revelation 22:17).  In short, God has provided, in His election, all that is necessary for man’s salvation.  He has made man a free moral agent; he is a person of knowledge (2 Corinthians 5:11); conscience (2 Corinthians 5:11); hope (Romans 8:24); love (1 Corinthians 13); sorrow (2 Corinthians 7:10; and will (Matthew 23:37; John 5:40; Revelation 22:17) - with the power to accept salvation in faith or reject it in unbelief. 

When Christ cried, “It is finished” (John 19:30), the sovereign God had done all that He could do.  Through His church He uses the Bible, music, preaching and teaching, that the Holy Spirit may aid men in making a favorable response.  But the response lies in the free will of man.  Scripture passages abound to this effect (John 3:16; 5:24; 20:32; Acts 2:41-42; 16:31; Romans 10:10).

But like Israel as a nation, so we as individuals must remember that salvation is not merely a privilege to be enjoyed - but a blessing to be shared (Genesis 12:2).  In John 15:16 Jesus said, “Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained [appointed] you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit” (author’s underline emphasis).  Here is election both to salvation and to evangelism.  In both the free will of man determines the final result.  By free will men can elect to be saved, but elect to be barren Christians.  God forbid!  The Epistle to the Hebrews is a warning against such a life.

3.   The hardening of man’s heart – Certain passages seem to teach that God is the active agent in the hardening of man’s hearts against His proffered will (Exodus 7:3, 13; 10:1).  In a sense the Scriptures often attribute events, whether good or evil, to God (Isaiah 45:7).  In these passages the sovereignty of God is under consideration.  But remembering the free will of man, we must interpret this and other such cases in the light of the permissive will of God. 

In practically all of these instances cited the context shows that the hardening of the heart was due to the voluntary acts of men themselves and not to God (Exodus 8:15, 32; 9:27-28).  The Bible abundantly and clearly declares that men bring upon themselves moral and spiritual blindness by the persistence in sin.  God permits His laws to work to the end that by their free choice men lose their moral sense and become spiritually blind (Matthew 13:13; Mark 4:11-12; Luke 8:10). 

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In conclusion we quote Edgar Young Mullins’ definition of election:  “Election is not to be thought of as a bare choice of so many human units by God’s action independently of man’s free choice and the human means employed.  God elects men to respond freely.  He elects men to preach persuasively and to witness convincingly.  He elects to reach men through their native faculties and through the church, through evangelism, and education and missionary endeavor.  We must include all these elements in election.  Otherwise we split the decree of God into parts and leave out an essential part.”   (The Christian Religion in Its Doctrinal Expression, 1917, p. 347)

In summary, while I realize this blog is a wee bit long - it is very important for you to clearly understand who God is in your life.  If you get a better understanding of God and His sovereign attributes; if you now have a stronger sense of eternal security in Christ - then I praise God, for I have accomplished my task.

Is He a God who has created billions of people who, at birth, are already condemned to eternal hell with absolutely no chance to believe and receive the gift of eternal life in Christ?  Or is He the God who sent His Son Jesus Christ to suffer and die on the cross to give all people an opportunity to choose eternal life?  The God of Elect (some saved) and Reprobate (many lost) is the God of Calvinist Predestination.

Is He a God who has made eternal salvation, eternal life in Christ, available to all people - only to change His mind and take away your salvation because of sin?  That is the God of Arminianism, the God who declares that we can become true Christian believers - and then can Fall From Grace and be lost eternally.  That is the God who negates John 10:28-29.  That is the God of Arminianism.

My God ".  .  . so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life"  (John 3:16).

My God tells me, "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and NO ONE will snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and NO ONE is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand"  (John 10:27-29).

My God has called you and me to be His witnesses.  He tells us, "Go, Make disciples, Baptize them, Teach them. . . Be My witnesses in all the world"  (Matthew 28:19-20, Acts 1:8, Mark 16:15).

Which God do YOU serve - the God of equal Love and Justice, equal Grace and Mercy?  Or do you serve a God of man-made theologies?

God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,

Bill