If you are aware of a person's intent to come into your home and attack you family, your children -- what would you do to prevent this type of "home invasion"? Would you defend your family? Well, it is time to take a stand to defend your family, your family values, and your Christian values.
ABC television's upcoming Prime Time show "Good Christian Bitches" is in the works today. And, the show features the tagline: “For Heaven’s sake, don’t let God get in the way of a good story!”
Critics Slam ABC Pilot "Good Christian Bitches": http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2011/03/04/critics-slam-abc-pilot-good-christian-bitches-inappropriate-damaging-title/print
Can you imagine the world uproar if their show was named "Good Muslim Bitches" or "Good Jewish Bitches" or even "Good Buddhist Bitches"? Then, why shouldn't the Christian world be in an uproar demanding the same respect for our Christian faith?
Many years ago, I loved the show "The Flying Nun" starring Sally Field, who also starred in the family friendly television series "Gidget." Yes, for many years, Sally Field was a role model for family friendly values on television. Then, in 2007, at the Emmy Awards, while accepting her award -- Sally Field, on world-wide television -- cursed the name of God. Since then, I cannot stand to see her on television. If even a commercial comes on featuring Sally Field, I will change the channel.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Fox Explains Censorship Of Actors At Emmys: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/18/arts/television/18emmy.html
Ms. Field used an expletive in saying that if mothers ruled the world, there would be no wars. She won the Emmy for her performance as Nora Walker, a liberal matriarch whose son is headed to Iraq for combat duty, on the ABC drama “Brothers & Sisters.”
Backstage after her acceptance, Ms. Field said she “would have liked to say more four-letter words up there.”
But she added that she “probably shouldn’t have said” the word that was censored. “If they bleep it, oh well, I’ll just say it somewhere else,” she said.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Kathy Griffin's Jesus Remark Cut From Emmy Show: http://www.reuters.com/article/2007/09/11/us-griffin-emmys-idUSN1144512920070911
In 2007, comedienne Kathy Griffin, in her Emmy Award acceptance speech declared, "A lot of people come up here and thank Jesus for this award. I want you to know that no one had less to do with this award than Jesus," an exultant Griffin said, holding up her statuette. "Suck it, Jesus. This award is my god now."
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
This was so offensive that the secular Emmy Awards Show producers edited it out of the taped version. But, unfortunately, not before millions had seen it on television. Today, I will not watch any show, period, on which this woman appears. I would rather go to a barn and shovel manure -- than to see her on any venue.
Personally, I boycott any and all shows which include Sally Field or Kathy Griffin. Does my boycott cause them any loss of money or fame? No, but, it most certainly allows me to respect myself -- and, I personally feel that it pleases God.
But, just imagine if ALL CHRISTIAN believers are offended and personally boycott all shows and commercials featuring these two ladies -- what an impact that would have on these ladies and on all businesses who advertise on shows which feature these ladies.
Yes, my Christian brothers and sisters, we CAN impact who and which "home invasions" enter our homes via the television. Are you willing to do it, to protect your family, for you own personal self-respect, and to please the God we serve?
Another more immediate thing YOU can do, right now, is to visit the "American Family Association Action Alert" web page and sign their petition. I have. Will you join me?
A Petition To ABC And Parent Company Disney http://secure.afa.net/afa/activism/signpetition.asp?id=1920
This message is my plea for all Christians, world-wide, to join me in telling the secular television and media "money worshiping" bosses, "We Christians demand the same respect you give to Muslims, Buddhists, Atheists, Secularists, and all other world religions. Stop defaming our God and our faith!"
It is time that we stand and tell the secular world, "We are tired of your attacks on our Christian faith -- and we won't take it anymore!"
If you agree with me, please share this with ALL your Friends, Relatives, Associates, and Neighbors -- all your FRANs. Let's all stand tall in our Christian faith
God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,
Bill
Showing posts with label Lifestyle. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Lifestyle. Show all posts
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Gianna Jessen: Abortion Survivor! - Video
Today, a young lady, a Christian sister, shared this video on Facebook -- and I have to continue that sharing on every venue God has given me. This video is the most important I have ever watched. And, I urge you to watch it and to share it.
GIANNA JESSEN - ABORTION SURVIVOR:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hOWMmx6eBjU
SHARE THIS VIDEO WITH THE WORLD! -- I thank my dear sister in Christ, Valerie Zin, for making me aware of this video.
In the late 1990s, my wife, Dory, and I attended an anti-abortion fund raising concert hosted by Dr. David Hocking and Pat Boone at Calvary Church in Santa Ana, California. The two special guests were Joni Eareckson Tada and a teenage girl in a wheel chair who had survived a Saline Abortion.
For those not familiar with saline abortions -- to an unborn baby it is like giving it a bath in acid. This method of abortion is intended to burn the unborn child to death in the womb. At the concert, this teenage girl in her wheel chair sang a love song to Jesus Christ. That teenage girl we saw at the concert -- is the beautiful lady in this video, Gianna Jessen.
Who can better speak, in person and in her life -- against abortion, all abortions, than this lady? Who can speak of the glory of God's love -- louder than this articulate lady? Who should we, the world, be listening to -- this lady blessed by God with life -- or the abortionists who get rich by killing, snuffing out the lives, of millions of unborn babies each year?
I thank God for Gianna Jessen; I thank God for her brave stance against the infanticide of millions of babies each year via legal abortions; I thank God for Gianna Jessen's life and courage.
This could be the most important sixteen minutes of your life. This sixteen minute video -- just may save the life of ONE UNBORN BABY! Share this video and this message with the world!
God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,
Bill Gray
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hOWMmx6eBjU
SHARE THIS VIDEO WITH THE WORLD! -- I thank my dear sister in Christ, Valerie Zin, for making me aware of this video.
In the late 1990s, my wife, Dory, and I attended an anti-abortion fund raising concert hosted by Dr. David Hocking and Pat Boone at Calvary Church in Santa Ana, California. The two special guests were Joni Eareckson Tada and a teenage girl in a wheel chair who had survived a Saline Abortion.
For those not familiar with saline abortions -- to an unborn baby it is like giving it a bath in acid. This method of abortion is intended to burn the unborn child to death in the womb. At the concert, this teenage girl in her wheel chair sang a love song to Jesus Christ. That teenage girl we saw at the concert -- is the beautiful lady in this video, Gianna Jessen.
Who can better speak, in person and in her life -- against abortion, all abortions, than this lady? Who can speak of the glory of God's love -- louder than this articulate lady? Who should we, the world, be listening to -- this lady blessed by God with life -- or the abortionists who get rich by killing, snuffing out the lives, of millions of unborn babies each year?
I thank God for Gianna Jessen; I thank God for her brave stance against the infanticide of millions of babies each year via legal abortions; I thank God for Gianna Jessen's life and courage.
This could be the most important sixteen minutes of your life. This sixteen minute video -- just may save the life of ONE UNBORN BABY! Share this video and this message with the world!
God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,
Bill Gray
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Why Do Non-believers Post So Zealously
On The Religion Forum?
On The Religion Forum?
Do atheists and secularist really believe there is no God? Or, is that their desired belief? While I do understand that there are people who can commit heinous crimes, murder, rape, child abuse, etc., with no apparent feelings of guilt, i.e., with no guilty conscience -- I suppose I want to believe those are the exceptions, the human anomalies, and not the norm.
So, when a large number of people tell me that they do not believe God exists -- I have to wonder how many of these are the anomalies, and how many only want to deny God exists, because they do not want to allow Him to be master of their lives?
Once again, I want to believe that the majority are in the latter group -- and there is still a chance to bring them to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. Maybe I am naive; but, I know that my God exists -- and I know that He can save even the most stubborn and hopeless people. He proved that with the apostle, Paul, in Acts, chapter 9.
If you agree, share this with your Friends, Relatives, Associates, and Neighbors -- all your FRANs. Let's keep telling the world about the love of God; about His Word, written just for them; and the Gospel of Jesus Christ who wants all to be saved. Let's keep telling them all -- until He returns.
God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,
Bill Gray
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Hi to all my Forum Friends,
In the discussion titled "So Does God Decide Who Goes To Hell?" begun by our new Forum Friend, or an old Friend with a new posting name, Everlasting Godstopper (what does this posting name tell you?) -- there has been a running dialogue between Jan, a declared atheist, and Peter, a Christian believer.
As usual, Jan, and all of our atheist Friends, are comparing our belief in God to children's belief in Santa Claus and the Tooth Fairy. She tells Peter, "A child believes in a Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy, the Easter Bunny, right? However, when they grow up most put those kinds of fairy tales behind them and realized that they are not real. Some kids apparently only grow out of certain fairy tales and hold on to others. You seem to be one of those kids that held on to the biggest one of all.
So, because some of us other kids grew up and read a science book or two, we got past all those childhood falsehoods. Including your scary god figure that knows when we are sleeping, that knows when we're a wake, who knows if we've been bad or good. Oh for goodness sake!
And, Peter responds to Jan, "(Since) you think of God in the same way you think of Santa -- why are you wasting your time on a Forum about God?
Seriously! I don't care if you think of Him as a sky fairy. That's your choice. And, if I'm correct in my beliefs, you will have to deal with that choice one day. But why do you continue to scream from the mountain tops that the 'sky fairy' isn't real? Do you do that about Santa, the Tooth Fairy, or the Easter Bunny? NO? Didn't think so. God is so irrelevant to you, (yet) you sure do seem to spend a ton of time and energy discussing Him."
Peter, as long as the atheists can close their eyes (spiritual eyes) and keep repeating, "He is not real! He is not real! He is not real!" -- they can pretend, and, I imagine, even to some degree, convince themselves that He is not real.
I am reminded of a time when my brother and I were young boys in Sheffield. One evening, we were home alone and in bed -- when we heard someone opening a window and coming into our home. So, we did the intelligent thing -- we pulled the blanket over our heads! Hey, if we could not see him -- surely he could not see us! Right? Wrong!
When I was a young adult, believe it or not, I was, not necessarily afraid -- but, very nervous in the dark. I suppose I was imagining all the things lurking in the dark which could jump out and grab me. But, there I was -- a young adult -- and, basically afraid of the dark.
Then, I read a book by John Steinbeck, "Travels With Charlie." Steinbeck, who came from the mid-California Monterey area, had written about America for years and decided it was time to get on the road and see America again. He had a camper put on his pickup truck -- and, with his large poodle, Charlie, set out to see America.
Normally, he stopped at camp grounds so that he could interact with people. But, one evening there was no camp ground available; so, he pulled off the highway and parked for the night. In the middle of the night, he began to hear all sorts of night noises. He became nervous, got his gun, and went outside to see what was up. As it turned out, it was just that -- night noises and noises from the camper settling. So, once he had assured himself that all was well, he slept well.
Reading this, I thought to myself, "Self, if a manly man such as John Steinbeck can be afraid of the dark -- then, why are you so worried about this silly fear?" And, believe it or not -- from that moment I have never been nervous in the dark. As a matter of fact, I cannot sleep well unless it is very dark. If there is light seeping into the room where I am sleeping, I have to get a night mask to prevent the light from keeping me awake. Quite a reversal.
And, I sense that our atheist Friends fear that same kind of spiritual reversal, i.e, if they acknowledge God -- they will be accountable to God. Then, they could not be "masters of their own world" -- they could not be their own gods. So, the more this idea of a true God of the Bible tends to seep in through the cracks -- the bigger their night mask must be to keep Him out.
How can this dilemma -- this fear that there could be a real God and that He would take control of our lives and we would be His slaves -- be prevented? Well, I would suggest that we begin by teaching our children about God and His love when they are very young. Then, they can grow up understanding, feeling, and growing in the love of God -- rather than in fear of God.
Let me give you a good example; once again using my brother and me, and our childhood. When we were young -- 9, 10, 11, 12 -- we were both tall and skinny. Even though he is three years older, we were always about the same size. Yet, when we did things -- he was always the best, he always won. When we went into PeeWee Football, he was always the first string player -- and I was his second string backup. With the young ladies -- even those I had a crush on, always seemed to like my brother better.
Needless to say, I grew up feeling second best. How could this have been prevented? If only my mom, or some other adult in the family, would have set me down and explained that Bob is three years older and should be stronger and more mature; very likely things would have been different. No one ever did this and consequently I grew up feeling second best.
We even carried this silent competition into high school. Bob was the star of our Sheffield High track team. He was, with no doubt, the best 440 Dash runner in the state of Alabama at that time -- and was offered a scholarship to the University of Alabama. And, I have no doubt that, had he pursued this, he would have gone to the Olympics. Instead, he got married while still in high school.
Yet, this I will declare, again with absolute certainty, his wife for 56 years, Mary, is a far greater prize than any Olympic gold medal.
In high school, I played varsity basketball. I would go to Bob's track meets and cheer my head off for him; but, no way would I allow him to know this. In the same way, he would cheer for me at our Sheffield basketball games. But, in person -- you suck!
My point in this personal excursion into the past is that, if some adult had set me and Bob down as young boys and explained to us about our bodies, how he was supposed to be stronger and more mature because he was three years older -- very likely we would not have developed that competitive sibling rivalry which carried over into our adult lives. Today, praise God, that feeling is totally dead. But, I mourn the lost sibling camaraderie of those young years.
In the same way, if parents and grandparents are Christian believers, if children are raised in Godly Christian homes and environments -- they will grow up loving God and not fearing Him. That should be the goal of all parents and grandparents. But, of course, the parents and grandparents need to be Christian believers -- before they can raise the children to love God.
Assuring that all children will have this kind of Christian home environment in which to grow in God's love -- by witnessing to and evangelizing non-believing adults who are parents and grandparents, and young adult who will become parents -- should be our highest priority for all Christian believers. We can help plant the "seeds of salvation" which can turn a secular home into a Christian home -- and into a Christian environment in which children can grow into God loving, God worshiping, young adults. Can you think of a more effective way of assuring the eternal happiness of our children?
Of course, our atheist Friends will answer that last question by replying, "Yes! Just leave them alone and let them develop their own ideas and morality." That, my Friends, is called Moral Relativism and is the rallying call of all atheists and secularist -- and was the driving motivation for Madelyn Murray O'Hair and the ACLU in 1963 when they had God and prayer evicted from our pubic schools.
We all have witnessed the happy results of that 1963 decision by the Supreme Court: an explosion of drive-by shootings and teenage crimes; runaway teen pregnancy; rampant drug use among young children; children in elementary schools now routinely having sex; and, the highlight of the secular world view -- the "politically correct" teaching and indoctrination of homosexuality and same-sex marriage in our public schools, beginning in Kindergarten.
How has America and our families benefited from the secular Moral Relativism? How has America and our families benefited from God and prayer being evicted from our schools? In absolutely no way! Since 1963, it has been all down hill.
Since 1963, the only bastion for Positive Moral Values, i.e., Christian Values -- are our Christian homes, our Christian churches, and our Christian schools where children can escape the indoctrination of the secular schools -- and grow in the love of God and Godly families.
What is next on the secular/atheist agenda? What is the next move in their attempts to deny God?
God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,
Bill
So, when a large number of people tell me that they do not believe God exists -- I have to wonder how many of these are the anomalies, and how many only want to deny God exists, because they do not want to allow Him to be master of their lives?
Once again, I want to believe that the majority are in the latter group -- and there is still a chance to bring them to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. Maybe I am naive; but, I know that my God exists -- and I know that He can save even the most stubborn and hopeless people. He proved that with the apostle, Paul, in Acts, chapter 9.
If you agree, share this with your Friends, Relatives, Associates, and Neighbors -- all your FRANs. Let's keep telling the world about the love of God; about His Word, written just for them; and the Gospel of Jesus Christ who wants all to be saved. Let's keep telling them all -- until He returns.
God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,
Bill Gray
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Hi to all my Forum Friends,
In the discussion titled "So Does God Decide Who Goes To Hell?" begun by our new Forum Friend, or an old Friend with a new posting name, Everlasting Godstopper (what does this posting name tell you?) -- there has been a running dialogue between Jan, a declared atheist, and Peter, a Christian believer.
As usual, Jan, and all of our atheist Friends, are comparing our belief in God to children's belief in Santa Claus and the Tooth Fairy. She tells Peter, "A child believes in a Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy, the Easter Bunny, right? However, when they grow up most put those kinds of fairy tales behind them and realized that they are not real. Some kids apparently only grow out of certain fairy tales and hold on to others. You seem to be one of those kids that held on to the biggest one of all.
So, because some of us other kids grew up and read a science book or two, we got past all those childhood falsehoods. Including your scary god figure that knows when we are sleeping, that knows when we're a wake, who knows if we've been bad or good. Oh for goodness sake!
And, Peter responds to Jan, "(Since) you think of God in the same way you think of Santa -- why are you wasting your time on a Forum about God?
Seriously! I don't care if you think of Him as a sky fairy. That's your choice. And, if I'm correct in my beliefs, you will have to deal with that choice one day. But why do you continue to scream from the mountain tops that the 'sky fairy' isn't real? Do you do that about Santa, the Tooth Fairy, or the Easter Bunny? NO? Didn't think so. God is so irrelevant to you, (yet) you sure do seem to spend a ton of time and energy discussing Him."
Peter, as long as the atheists can close their eyes (spiritual eyes) and keep repeating, "He is not real! He is not real! He is not real!" -- they can pretend, and, I imagine, even to some degree, convince themselves that He is not real.
I am reminded of a time when my brother and I were young boys in Sheffield. One evening, we were home alone and in bed -- when we heard someone opening a window and coming into our home. So, we did the intelligent thing -- we pulled the blanket over our heads! Hey, if we could not see him -- surely he could not see us! Right? Wrong!
When I was a young adult, believe it or not, I was, not necessarily afraid -- but, very nervous in the dark. I suppose I was imagining all the things lurking in the dark which could jump out and grab me. But, there I was -- a young adult -- and, basically afraid of the dark.
Then, I read a book by John Steinbeck, "Travels With Charlie." Steinbeck, who came from the mid-California Monterey area, had written about America for years and decided it was time to get on the road and see America again. He had a camper put on his pickup truck -- and, with his large poodle, Charlie, set out to see America.
Normally, he stopped at camp grounds so that he could interact with people. But, one evening there was no camp ground available; so, he pulled off the highway and parked for the night. In the middle of the night, he began to hear all sorts of night noises. He became nervous, got his gun, and went outside to see what was up. As it turned out, it was just that -- night noises and noises from the camper settling. So, once he had assured himself that all was well, he slept well.
Reading this, I thought to myself, "Self, if a manly man such as John Steinbeck can be afraid of the dark -- then, why are you so worried about this silly fear?" And, believe it or not -- from that moment I have never been nervous in the dark. As a matter of fact, I cannot sleep well unless it is very dark. If there is light seeping into the room where I am sleeping, I have to get a night mask to prevent the light from keeping me awake. Quite a reversal.
And, I sense that our atheist Friends fear that same kind of spiritual reversal, i.e, if they acknowledge God -- they will be accountable to God. Then, they could not be "masters of their own world" -- they could not be their own gods. So, the more this idea of a true God of the Bible tends to seep in through the cracks -- the bigger their night mask must be to keep Him out.
How can this dilemma -- this fear that there could be a real God and that He would take control of our lives and we would be His slaves -- be prevented? Well, I would suggest that we begin by teaching our children about God and His love when they are very young. Then, they can grow up understanding, feeling, and growing in the love of God -- rather than in fear of God.
Let me give you a good example; once again using my brother and me, and our childhood. When we were young -- 9, 10, 11, 12 -- we were both tall and skinny. Even though he is three years older, we were always about the same size. Yet, when we did things -- he was always the best, he always won. When we went into PeeWee Football, he was always the first string player -- and I was his second string backup. With the young ladies -- even those I had a crush on, always seemed to like my brother better.
Needless to say, I grew up feeling second best. How could this have been prevented? If only my mom, or some other adult in the family, would have set me down and explained that Bob is three years older and should be stronger and more mature; very likely things would have been different. No one ever did this and consequently I grew up feeling second best.
We even carried this silent competition into high school. Bob was the star of our Sheffield High track team. He was, with no doubt, the best 440 Dash runner in the state of Alabama at that time -- and was offered a scholarship to the University of Alabama. And, I have no doubt that, had he pursued this, he would have gone to the Olympics. Instead, he got married while still in high school.
Yet, this I will declare, again with absolute certainty, his wife for 56 years, Mary, is a far greater prize than any Olympic gold medal.
In high school, I played varsity basketball. I would go to Bob's track meets and cheer my head off for him; but, no way would I allow him to know this. In the same way, he would cheer for me at our Sheffield basketball games. But, in person -- you suck!
My point in this personal excursion into the past is that, if some adult had set me and Bob down as young boys and explained to us about our bodies, how he was supposed to be stronger and more mature because he was three years older -- very likely we would not have developed that competitive sibling rivalry which carried over into our adult lives. Today, praise God, that feeling is totally dead. But, I mourn the lost sibling camaraderie of those young years.
In the same way, if parents and grandparents are Christian believers, if children are raised in Godly Christian homes and environments -- they will grow up loving God and not fearing Him. That should be the goal of all parents and grandparents. But, of course, the parents and grandparents need to be Christian believers -- before they can raise the children to love God.
Assuring that all children will have this kind of Christian home environment in which to grow in God's love -- by witnessing to and evangelizing non-believing adults who are parents and grandparents, and young adult who will become parents -- should be our highest priority for all Christian believers. We can help plant the "seeds of salvation" which can turn a secular home into a Christian home -- and into a Christian environment in which children can grow into God loving, God worshiping, young adults. Can you think of a more effective way of assuring the eternal happiness of our children?
Of course, our atheist Friends will answer that last question by replying, "Yes! Just leave them alone and let them develop their own ideas and morality." That, my Friends, is called Moral Relativism and is the rallying call of all atheists and secularist -- and was the driving motivation for Madelyn Murray O'Hair and the ACLU in 1963 when they had God and prayer evicted from our pubic schools.
We all have witnessed the happy results of that 1963 decision by the Supreme Court: an explosion of drive-by shootings and teenage crimes; runaway teen pregnancy; rampant drug use among young children; children in elementary schools now routinely having sex; and, the highlight of the secular world view -- the "politically correct" teaching and indoctrination of homosexuality and same-sex marriage in our public schools, beginning in Kindergarten.
How has America and our families benefited from the secular Moral Relativism? How has America and our families benefited from God and prayer being evicted from our schools? In absolutely no way! Since 1963, it has been all down hill.
Since 1963, the only bastion for Positive Moral Values, i.e., Christian Values -- are our Christian homes, our Christian churches, and our Christian schools where children can escape the indoctrination of the secular schools -- and grow in the love of God and Godly families.
What is next on the secular/atheist agenda? What is the next move in their attempts to deny God?
God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,
Bill
Saturday, September 11, 2010
What Is Jesus Christ's Message To Us
In Luke 18:18-30?
In Luke 18:18-30?
Often, when sharing with others, in person or in writing, we often are asked questions and do not really know the motive behind those questions. Is this person a believer and truly seeking to better understand God's Word? Or, is this person a non-believer and only trying to lure us into a "Gotcha!" situation?
Regardless, the best way to respond is with the best Biblical answer we have, in Christian love, and with the intent of pointing this person toward Jesus Christ -- or helping a fellow believer become closer to Jesus Christ. I pray that I was effective in doing this in my response to my Times Daily Religion Forum Friend, Blue.
If you find this useful, please feel free to share it with your Friends, Relatives, Associates, and Neighbors -- all your FRANs. Let's keep sharing the Word of God in love, keep sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ -- until He returns.
God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,
Bill Gray
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Hi to all my Forum Friends,
In the discussion begun by Blue titled "So Much Controversy, I Am Right, Your Wrong, Your Right, I Am Wrong" -- Blue and I have sort of a running dialogue. In an earlier post, Blue wrote,"Guess we won't know until we are gone, for me I believe in CHRIST, what have I got to lose, I will take my chances on HIM."
And, I replied, "Hi Blue, From your statement, it sounds more like you have bought a lottery ticket. Question: Do you have a saving, personal relationship with Jesus Christ?
To this, you respond,"Bill, you know I don't play the lottery and the casinos don't pay 98% more like 5% on them machines."
Blue, I am not sure I really understand your response. We both know that I was not talking about literally playing the Lottery -- but, that you seem to be approaching Jesus Christ and salvation as though you are just placing a "win, place, or show" race track bet on Him -- just in case. That is not the meaning of Ephesians 2:8-9, which tells us, "By grace you are saved through faith" -- faith in Jesus Christ -- not, "Let's place a bet and see what happens."
Next, you say,"Then again one who stands on a ball field does not make them a ball player, no more than one who attends a church makes them a Christian."
So true. One is not saved by attending church; nor is one saved because of the church he attends. We are saved ONLY by having a personal, saving relationship with Jesus Christ. And, that is why I asked you, "Do you have a saving, personal relationship with Jesus Christ?"
Then, you tell me,"I have read the Bible through and through from the beginning to the end seven times, read the Koran once, have not tried reading the Zoroastrian Bible yet."
Reading the Bible through a thousand times will not make a person a Christian believer; it will just give him strained eyes. And, yes, you may have read the Qur'an and other holy books from various world religions; but, that is not the point.
It all goes back to the question I asked you in my earlier post, "Do you have Him in your heart, spiritually -- not in your head, intellectually?"
The scholars who make up the Jesus Seminar intellectually know the Bible; most of them are professors, Bible scholars, and theologians. However, from the "fruit" or, more appropriately, "lack of fruit," we can see in their work -- personally, I would not want to be any of them when it is time to stand before Jesus Christ in judgment.
These so called scholars have publicly denied about 95% of what the Bible, the Written Word of God, tells us that Jesus said and did during His earthly ministry. Yes, these guys have intellectual knowledge of Biblical writings -- but, they have no spiritual knowledge of Jesus Christ.
Blue, do not be like those intellectual know-nothings. It is better to read and spiritually know God's Word once -- than to read it a thousand times and only know it only intellectually. That is why I asked you, "Do you have Him in your heart, spiritually -- not in your head, intellectually?"
Finally, you suggest,"Bill, go read St. Luke Chapter 18 verses 22-30."
The passage you are suggesting in Luke 18:22-30 is the story of the Rich Young Ruler:
Luke 18:18-21, Now a certain ruler asked Him, saying, "Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?" So Jesus said to him, "Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. You know the commandments: 'Do not commit adultery,' 'Do not murder,' 'Do not steal,' 'Do not bear false witness,' 'Honor your father and your mother.'!" And he said, "All these things I have kept from my youth."
Luke 18:22-25, So when Jesus heard these things, He said to him, "You still lack one thing. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me." But when he heard this, he became very sorrowful, for he was very rich. And when Jesus saw that he became very sorrowful, He said, "How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God! For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."
Luke 18:26-27, And those who heard it said, "Who then can be saved?" But He said, "The things which are impossible with men are possible with God."
Luke 18:28-30, Then Peter said, "See, we have left all and followed You." So He said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or parents or brothers or wife or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, who shall not receive many times more in this present time, and in the age to come eternal life."
Blue, I am not quite sure I understand what you are asking in your reference to this passage in Luke 18; but, I will make the assumption that you are implying that just because I write about Biblical issues and beliefs on the Religion Forum -- this does not make me a Christian believer or a Christ Follower. That is very true. I could write volumes about Biblical issues and beliefs -- and still not be a Christian believer.
But, praise God, that is not true. I am a Christ Follower, I am a Christian believer -- because, by the grace of God, through faith in Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:8) -- I have believed and received (John 1:12) His "free gift" (Ephesians 2:8) of eternal life. And, I have His personal promise on this in John 6:47, "He who believes HAS eternal life" (also in John 3:16, 36, and John 5:24).
But, Blue, we do have proof of your premise in the Jesus Seminar and in stacks of scholarly books written by Bible professors, scholars, and theologians who only know Jesus Christ intellectually.
And, these writings can be harmful to new believers and to those just beginning to seek God. When I was a new believer, I read a book written by a Bible professor from the University of San Diego. Basically, his writings worked to tear down faith in much of the Old Testament writings. He wrote in his book why he believed Moses did not write the first five books of the Bible; he wrote why he believed that the book of Isaiah was written by multiple writers instead of by the single writer.
And, on and on, he systematically ripped apart the Word of God -- and, because he was a "Bible scholar" -- at that stage of my early Christian infancy -- I almost believed what he had written. At that stage of my Christian life -- that could have led me down an entirely different path; not to condemnation; but, to having no "peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ" (Romans 5:1).
This is why I caution Friends -- when you buy and read a Christian book, even a Bible, make sure you know who wrote it, how and why it was written, and to the best of your knowledge, where those writers stand on conservative Christian theology. Let me give you a good example. About fifteen years ago, Dory and I had an older friend we were trying to get to come to church with us. Mary kept dragging her feet; so, I decided to buy her a good study Bible as a gift.
I went to a reliable Christian book store and began to browse the study Bibles. I found one which really looked good. But, then, I looked at the list of contributing writers who had written the study notes. It read like a Who's Who of the "Name It And Claim It" Prosperity Theology preaching crowd. Needless to say, I put that Bible away and found a more appropriate study Bible with a list of contributing study note writers whom I knew to be dependable and who, to the best of my knowledge, believe and teach a solid Christian theology.
But, Blue, to get back to the Scripture passage you recommend, Luke 18:22-30 (better yet, Luke 18:18:30). In this passage Jesus is approached by a rich young ruler (meaning that, in their culture, he was well versed in Old Testament Scripture) who asked what he had to do to gain salvation.
Jesus first referred him to the last six of the Ten Commandments, our relationship with others -- and the ruler declared that he had done this since childhood. Doubtful, since no one can truly live the Ten Commandment without failing -- but, that is not the point Jesus was leading toward.
Next, in Luke 18:22-25, Jesus leads the young ruler to the first four of the Ten Commandments, our relationship with God. Here Jesus tells him to sell and give away all his riches -- and become a Christ Follower. The young ruler could not do this -- for his worldly wealth was his god; just as many of our atheist and secular Friends makes science their god.
And, finally, when asked how a person could do this, Jesus tells them that, "With God all things are possible" (verse 27).
Basically, Jesus is not telling anyone that he must leave his family, leave his job, give away all of his material things to be a Christian believer. What He truly is telling us is that we must place Him first in our lives. What does this mean? Well, how many times have you wanted to watch the Super Bowl or another popular event -- but, it was on during your church worship service? Did you go to church?
How often have folks taken a better paying job, even though it meant having to work on Sundays -- just to gain more material things? It is one thing if your normal job requires you to work on Sunday and there is no way to reschedule. However, to voluntarily take a job that called for Sunday work -- just to make more money -- is not putting Jesus Christ first.
When a friend asks you to go to the beach on Sundays, or go to the Nascar races on Sunday, or to go fishing on Sunday -- where do YOU go on Sunday? This is the teaching that Jesus Christ was giving to the young ruler and to us; not that we have to leave our wife, children, family -- and run away to preach the Gospel.
Wherever we are, whatever we are doing, whoever we are with -- we can always put Jesus Christ first in our lives. And, if we do, we have His promise of greater rewards and eternal life "in the age to come" (Luke 18:30).
Blue, I pray that I have answered your question. If not, let's continue our dialogue.
God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,
Bill
Regardless, the best way to respond is with the best Biblical answer we have, in Christian love, and with the intent of pointing this person toward Jesus Christ -- or helping a fellow believer become closer to Jesus Christ. I pray that I was effective in doing this in my response to my Times Daily Religion Forum Friend, Blue.
If you find this useful, please feel free to share it with your Friends, Relatives, Associates, and Neighbors -- all your FRANs. Let's keep sharing the Word of God in love, keep sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ -- until He returns.
God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,
Bill Gray
Hi to all my Forum Friends,
In the discussion begun by Blue titled "So Much Controversy, I Am Right, Your Wrong, Your Right, I Am Wrong" -- Blue and I have sort of a running dialogue. In an earlier post, Blue wrote,
And, I replied, "Hi Blue, From your statement, it sounds more like you have bought a lottery ticket. Question: Do you have a saving, personal relationship with Jesus Christ?
To this, you respond,
Blue, I am not sure I really understand your response. We both know that I was not talking about literally playing the Lottery -- but, that you seem to be approaching Jesus Christ and salvation as though you are just placing a "win, place, or show" race track bet on Him -- just in case. That is not the meaning of Ephesians 2:8-9, which tells us, "By grace you are saved through faith" -- faith in Jesus Christ -- not, "Let's place a bet and see what happens."
Next, you say,
So true. One is not saved by attending church; nor is one saved because of the church he attends. We are saved ONLY by having a personal, saving relationship with Jesus Christ. And, that is why I asked you, "Do you have a saving, personal relationship with Jesus Christ?"
Then, you tell me,
Reading the Bible through a thousand times will not make a person a Christian believer; it will just give him strained eyes. And, yes, you may have read the Qur'an and other holy books from various world religions; but, that is not the point.
It all goes back to the question I asked you in my earlier post, "Do you have Him in your heart, spiritually -- not in your head, intellectually?"
The scholars who make up the Jesus Seminar intellectually know the Bible; most of them are professors, Bible scholars, and theologians. However, from the "fruit" or, more appropriately, "lack of fruit," we can see in their work -- personally, I would not want to be any of them when it is time to stand before Jesus Christ in judgment.
These so called scholars have publicly denied about 95% of what the Bible, the Written Word of God, tells us that Jesus said and did during His earthly ministry. Yes, these guys have intellectual knowledge of Biblical writings -- but, they have no spiritual knowledge of Jesus Christ.
Blue, do not be like those intellectual know-nothings. It is better to read and spiritually know God's Word once -- than to read it a thousand times and only know it only intellectually. That is why I asked you, "Do you have Him in your heart, spiritually -- not in your head, intellectually?"
Finally, you suggest,
The passage you are suggesting in Luke 18:22-30 is the story of the Rich Young Ruler:
Luke 18:18-21, Now a certain ruler asked Him, saying, "Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?" So Jesus said to him, "Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. You know the commandments: 'Do not commit adultery,' 'Do not murder,' 'Do not steal,' 'Do not bear false witness,' 'Honor your father and your mother.'!" And he said, "All these things I have kept from my youth."
Luke 18:22-25, So when Jesus heard these things, He said to him, "You still lack one thing. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me." But when he heard this, he became very sorrowful, for he was very rich. And when Jesus saw that he became very sorrowful, He said, "How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God! For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."
Luke 18:26-27, And those who heard it said, "Who then can be saved?" But He said, "The things which are impossible with men are possible with God."
Luke 18:28-30, Then Peter said, "See, we have left all and followed You." So He said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or parents or brothers or wife or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, who shall not receive many times more in this present time, and in the age to come eternal life."
Blue, I am not quite sure I understand what you are asking in your reference to this passage in Luke 18; but, I will make the assumption that you are implying that just because I write about Biblical issues and beliefs on the Religion Forum -- this does not make me a Christian believer or a Christ Follower. That is very true. I could write volumes about Biblical issues and beliefs -- and still not be a Christian believer.
But, praise God, that is not true. I am a Christ Follower, I am a Christian believer -- because, by the grace of God, through faith in Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:8) -- I have believed and received (John 1:12) His "free gift" (Ephesians 2:8) of eternal life. And, I have His personal promise on this in John 6:47, "He who believes HAS eternal life" (also in John 3:16, 36, and John 5:24).
But, Blue, we do have proof of your premise in the Jesus Seminar and in stacks of scholarly books written by Bible professors, scholars, and theologians who only know Jesus Christ intellectually.
And, these writings can be harmful to new believers and to those just beginning to seek God. When I was a new believer, I read a book written by a Bible professor from the University of San Diego. Basically, his writings worked to tear down faith in much of the Old Testament writings. He wrote in his book why he believed Moses did not write the first five books of the Bible; he wrote why he believed that the book of Isaiah was written by multiple writers instead of by the single writer.
And, on and on, he systematically ripped apart the Word of God -- and, because he was a "Bible scholar" -- at that stage of my early Christian infancy -- I almost believed what he had written. At that stage of my Christian life -- that could have led me down an entirely different path; not to condemnation; but, to having no "peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ" (Romans 5:1).
This is why I caution Friends -- when you buy and read a Christian book, even a Bible, make sure you know who wrote it, how and why it was written, and to the best of your knowledge, where those writers stand on conservative Christian theology. Let me give you a good example. About fifteen years ago, Dory and I had an older friend we were trying to get to come to church with us. Mary kept dragging her feet; so, I decided to buy her a good study Bible as a gift.
I went to a reliable Christian book store and began to browse the study Bibles. I found one which really looked good. But, then, I looked at the list of contributing writers who had written the study notes. It read like a Who's Who of the "Name It And Claim It" Prosperity Theology preaching crowd. Needless to say, I put that Bible away and found a more appropriate study Bible with a list of contributing study note writers whom I knew to be dependable and who, to the best of my knowledge, believe and teach a solid Christian theology.
But, Blue, to get back to the Scripture passage you recommend, Luke 18:22-30 (better yet, Luke 18:18:30). In this passage Jesus is approached by a rich young ruler (meaning that, in their culture, he was well versed in Old Testament Scripture) who asked what he had to do to gain salvation.
Jesus first referred him to the last six of the Ten Commandments, our relationship with others -- and the ruler declared that he had done this since childhood. Doubtful, since no one can truly live the Ten Commandment without failing -- but, that is not the point Jesus was leading toward.
Next, in Luke 18:22-25, Jesus leads the young ruler to the first four of the Ten Commandments, our relationship with God. Here Jesus tells him to sell and give away all his riches -- and become a Christ Follower. The young ruler could not do this -- for his worldly wealth was his god; just as many of our atheist and secular Friends makes science their god.
And, finally, when asked how a person could do this, Jesus tells them that, "With God all things are possible" (verse 27).
Basically, Jesus is not telling anyone that he must leave his family, leave his job, give away all of his material things to be a Christian believer. What He truly is telling us is that we must place Him first in our lives. What does this mean? Well, how many times have you wanted to watch the Super Bowl or another popular event -- but, it was on during your church worship service? Did you go to church?
How often have folks taken a better paying job, even though it meant having to work on Sundays -- just to gain more material things? It is one thing if your normal job requires you to work on Sunday and there is no way to reschedule. However, to voluntarily take a job that called for Sunday work -- just to make more money -- is not putting Jesus Christ first.
When a friend asks you to go to the beach on Sundays, or go to the Nascar races on Sunday, or to go fishing on Sunday -- where do YOU go on Sunday? This is the teaching that Jesus Christ was giving to the young ruler and to us; not that we have to leave our wife, children, family -- and run away to preach the Gospel.
Wherever we are, whatever we are doing, whoever we are with -- we can always put Jesus Christ first in our lives. And, if we do, we have His promise of greater rewards and eternal life "in the age to come" (Luke 18:30).
Blue, I pray that I have answered your question. If not, let's continue our dialogue.
God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,
Bill
Friday, September 10, 2010
Using "OMG" And The "F" Word On Public Forums
In the past few weeks, my heart has been burdened. I am seeing a proliferation of people, mostly young, but some not so young, who I know to be Christian and who I know come from good Christian families - flagrantly posting two very offensive words/phrases on Facebook. What are these that I find so offensive? First, is the initials "OMG" and the second is the "F" word.
Why are these so offensive to me? Well, OMG is texting shorthand for "Oh, my God!" - which is taking God's name in vain. God takes His name and His glory very serious. That is why He wrote in the Bible, "You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, . . ." (Exodus 20:7). So, just because it is abbreviated; makes it no less offensive - to God and to all Christian believers.
Creating slang versions of His name is the same, i.e., saying "Geez" or "Jeezus" - is just as bad as using, "Oh, Jesus!" as an exclamation.
Most of the people I have seen writing these have relatively good education - and I am sure that, if that person tries just a little, he/she can find a more appropriate word to use to vent their frustration, to highlight their point, or to make an exclamation.
And, what does surprise me the most - is that 95% of the people I have seen recently using these offensive words on public forums - are female.
When we, especially we Christian believers, post on public forums such as Facebook - we are representing all Christian believers; and we are representing our Lord. We are told in 2 Corinthians 5:20, "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."
When I read this Scripture verse, I am reminded of a story my good Friend and mentor, Pastor Sam Lacanienta, told us many years ago. When Pastor Sam was a young pastor in the Philippines, one Sunday a relative who also was the Philippine Ambassador to England, came to the worship service. After the service, Pastor Sam asked him what it meant to be an ambassador for his country. He told Pastor Sam, "My main job as an ambassador to England - is to not embarrass my nation while doing my job."
As Christian ambassadors for Christ when we write on public forums, and even when in private discussions - we should be very aware of not embarrassing our Lord.
For my young Friends, when you post such words on Facebook and other networking channels - keep in mind that you are representing first, your Lord; then, yourself - and, very important - you are representing YOUR FAMILY, your mom, your dad, your siblings - all your family.
So, please, I know that you do not purposely want to be offensive - and I know you do not want to embarrass your family or yourself. Therefore, when you write on Facebook or other networking channels - write your message as though you are writing it to your mother. Write messages you would not be ashamed to have your mother and father read. And, write messages which will glorify our Lord.
And, to my non-believing Friends, while you may or may not find these words offensive; keep in mind when you post on any Forum or network channel - that those things are offensive to we Christians. So, as a courtesy to us, please do try to find other words or phrases to use. For that, we thank you.
Thank you and God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,
Bill Gray
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Are New Age, Wicca, And Christianity Compatible?
So often, over the years, I have heard people say, "I'm a Christian, but, I see nothing wrong with psychics, astrology, and superstitions." That is basically what my Forum Friend was saying when she told us she is a New Age/Christian/Wiccan. Sorry, no way. New Age and Wiccan are the antithesis, the total opposite, of Christianity. One cannot be short and tall, one cannot be fat and skinny -- and one cannot be New Age or Wiccan and be a Christian believer. Yet, on the Religion Forum I am chastised for pointing this out to my misguided Friend.
Yet, we all know that when we share the Gospel, there will be many who will disagree, many who will attempt to discredit us and the Gospel. Jesus told us, in Luke 6:22, "Blessed are you when men hate you, and ostracize you, and insult you, and scorn your name as evil, for the sake of the Son of Man." And, in 1 Peter 4:14, we are told that this brings us blessings. So, praise God -- I am blessed!
Please feel free to share this with your Friends, Relatives, Associates, and Neighbors -- all your FRANs. Let's all keep sharing the Word of God, sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ -- until He returns.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Hi to my Forum Friends,
In another discussion begun by O No titled "Why We Are Here" my Forum Friend, B50, wrote,"It was a humbling moment. So I guess God can work through a New Age/Christian/Wiccan."
And, I responded to her with,"Not that I want to burst your bubble -- but, there is NO WAY a person can be New Age and Wiccan -- and be a Christian believer. The two are totally polar opposites. If you think you can wear both coats -- you are only fooling yourself."
Then, O No tells me,"I truly do believe that Bill, wittingly or unwittingly, IS working for the other side. The way he slams people who he KNOWS are believers, the way he insults people and tries to denigrate them. We all KNOW that is not Christian behavior! Bill pushes people AWAY from Christ by his actions and his venomous words."
O No, my Friend, when B50 tells us that she follows the New Age religion, this is what is meant:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Age
The New Age (also referred to as the New Age movement, New Age spirituality, and Cosmic Humanism) is a decentralized Western social and spiritual movement . . . It includes aspects of Occultism, astrology, esotericism, metaphysics, alternative medicine, music, collectivism, sustainability, and nature.
The New Age movement includes elements of older spiritual and religious traditions ranging from atheism and monotheism through classical pantheism, . . . New Age practices and philosophies sometimes draw inspiration from major world religions: Buddhism, Chinese folk religion, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism; with particularly strong influences from East Asian religions, Gnosticism, Neopaganism, New Thought, Spiritualism, Theosophy, Universalism, and Western esotericism.
When B50 tells us that she follows the Wiccan religion, this is what is meant:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wicca
Wicca is a Neopagan religion and a form of modern witchcraft. It is often referred to as Witchcraft or the Craft by its adherents, who are known as Wiccans or Witches. Its disputed origins lie in England in the early 20th century, though it was first popularized during the 1950s by Gerald Gardner, a retired British civil servant, who at the time called it the "witch cult" and "witchcraft", and its adherents "the Wica." >From the 1960s the name of the religion was normalized to "Wicca."
Wicca is typically a duotheistic religion, worshipping a Goddess and a God, who are traditionally viewed as the Triple Goddess and Horned God. These two deities are often viewed as being facets of a greater pantheistic Godhead, and as manifesting themselves as various polytheistic deities. Nonetheless, there are also other theological positions within the Craft, ranging from monotheism to atheism.
So, anyone telling us that he/she can follow a New Age religion, can follow the Wiccan religion -- and still be a Christian believer -- has NO idea what it means to be a Christian believer. As I have said many times before, New Age/Wiccan and Christianity are polar opposites.
One cannot be both. That would be analogous to saying, "I am going to spend eternity in heaven and in hell." No. Not possible. Sorry, my Friend -- that is totally impossible. One has to make a choice between the two -- just as one HAS to make a choice between world religions and Christianity.
O No, if you consider what I write to be "venomous words" -- I must suggest that you confuse the Gospel with "venomous words." And, as the apostle Paul tells us in Romans 1:16, "For I am not ashamed of the Gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes. . ." The key words here are "everyone who believes" -- and one cannot believe in and follow Jesus Christ while following antiChristian world religions.
My Friend, you accuse me of serving the wrong side. Do you think that, maybe, by trying to hold hands with all sides; you may be doing just what you accuse me of doing?
Joshua 24:15, "If it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served which were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD."
If you still disagree with me, you might want to do more research on the New Age, Wiccan, and other world religions -- and their relationships with Christianity. And, just possibly, you might want to take an introspective look inside to see if it is Bill Gray with whom you disagree -- or God.
God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,
Bill
Yet, we all know that when we share the Gospel, there will be many who will disagree, many who will attempt to discredit us and the Gospel. Jesus told us, in Luke 6:22, "Blessed are you when men hate you, and ostracize you, and insult you, and scorn your name as evil, for the sake of the Son of Man." And, in 1 Peter 4:14, we are told that this brings us blessings. So, praise God -- I am blessed!
Please feel free to share this with your Friends, Relatives, Associates, and Neighbors -- all your FRANs. Let's all keep sharing the Word of God, sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ -- until He returns.
Hi to my Forum Friends,
In another discussion begun by O No titled "Why We Are Here" my Forum Friend, B50, wrote,
And, I responded to her with,
Then, O No tells me,
O No, my Friend, when B50 tells us that she follows the New Age religion, this is what is meant:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Age
The New Age (also referred to as the New Age movement, New Age spirituality, and Cosmic Humanism) is a decentralized Western social and spiritual movement . . . It includes aspects of Occultism, astrology, esotericism, metaphysics, alternative medicine, music, collectivism, sustainability, and nature.
The New Age movement includes elements of older spiritual and religious traditions ranging from atheism and monotheism through classical pantheism, . . . New Age practices and philosophies sometimes draw inspiration from major world religions: Buddhism, Chinese folk religion, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism; with particularly strong influences from East Asian religions, Gnosticism, Neopaganism, New Thought, Spiritualism, Theosophy, Universalism, and Western esotericism.
When B50 tells us that she follows the Wiccan religion, this is what is meant:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wicca
Wicca is a Neopagan religion and a form of modern witchcraft. It is often referred to as Witchcraft or the Craft by its adherents, who are known as Wiccans or Witches. Its disputed origins lie in England in the early 20th century, though it was first popularized during the 1950s by Gerald Gardner, a retired British civil servant, who at the time called it the "witch cult" and "witchcraft", and its adherents "the Wica." >From the 1960s the name of the religion was normalized to "Wicca."
Wicca is typically a duotheistic religion, worshipping a Goddess and a God, who are traditionally viewed as the Triple Goddess and Horned God. These two deities are often viewed as being facets of a greater pantheistic Godhead, and as manifesting themselves as various polytheistic deities. Nonetheless, there are also other theological positions within the Craft, ranging from monotheism to atheism.
So, anyone telling us that he/she can follow a New Age religion, can follow the Wiccan religion -- and still be a Christian believer -- has NO idea what it means to be a Christian believer. As I have said many times before, New Age/Wiccan and Christianity are polar opposites.
One cannot be both. That would be analogous to saying, "I am going to spend eternity in heaven and in hell." No. Not possible. Sorry, my Friend -- that is totally impossible. One has to make a choice between the two -- just as one HAS to make a choice between world religions and Christianity.
O No, if you consider what I write to be "venomous words" -- I must suggest that you confuse the Gospel with "venomous words." And, as the apostle Paul tells us in Romans 1:16, "For I am not ashamed of the Gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes. . ." The key words here are "everyone who believes" -- and one cannot believe in and follow Jesus Christ while following antiChristian world religions.
My Friend, you accuse me of serving the wrong side. Do you think that, maybe, by trying to hold hands with all sides; you may be doing just what you accuse me of doing?
Joshua 24:15, "If it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served which were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD."
If you still disagree with me, you might want to do more research on the New Age, Wiccan, and other world religions -- and their relationships with Christianity. And, just possibly, you might want to take an introspective look inside to see if it is Bill Gray with whom you disagree -- or God.
God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,
Bill
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Two Extremes: Calvinism & Arminianism -
Let's Meet In The Middle!
Let's Meet In The Middle!
Recently, a Friend sent me a message asking, "I have been reading a lot lately about theology. What is your view regarding Calvinism and Arminianism? Where do you stand on both -- and why?"
Where do I stand on Calvinism and Arminianism? Pretty much in the middle between the two. While there are teachings in both theologies which I agree with -- there are issues in both which I believe are not Biblical. Let's take a look at each:
CALVINISM: The doctrines and teachings of Calvinism are defined by the Five Points of Calvinism which are usually illustrated by the acronym T U L I P.
T -- Total Depravity: Sin has affected all parts of man. The heart, emotions, will, mind, and body are all affected by sin. We are completely sinful. We are not as sinful as we could be -- but we are completely affected by sin.
U -- Unconditional Election: Some are elected into salvation, others are not (Rom. 9:15, 21). God chooses to save people unconditionally; that is, they are not chosen on the basis of their own merit. The reason it is called Unconditional Election -- is because there is "no condition" through which man can choose, of his own "free will" -- to follow Jesus Christ and have eternal salvation. Those saved are chosen arbitrarily; like in a lotto; some win, some lose.
L -- Limited Atonement: The sacrifice of Christ on the cross was only for the purpose of saving the elect, those "predestined" -- chosen before the Creation to be saved. His death was not meant to offer salvation to all people. Jesus died only for the elect. Though Jesus' sacrifice was sufficient for all, it was not meant for all. Jesus only bore the sins of the elect.
I -- Irresistible Grace: When God has chosen to save someone, He will. When God calls his elect into salvation, they cannot resist. God offers to all people the Gospel message. This is called the external call. But to the elect, God extends an internal call and it cannot be resisted.
P -- Perseverance Of The Saints: You cannot lose your salvation. Because the Father has elected, the Son has redeemed, and the Holy Spirit has applied salvation -- those thus saved are eternally secure. Those people God chooses cannot lose their salvation; they will continue to believe. If they fall away, it will be only for a time.
The doctrines and teachings of Calvinism which I believe are not Biblical are:
U - Unconditional Election, which is another name for Predestination -- lotto style salvation; some win, some lose. Nothing a person can do to gain salvation if he/she was not chosen before the Creation. How secure does that make YOU feel?
L - Limited Atonement, which teaches that Jesus Christ did not die for all people as we are told in John 3:16; but, only for those chosen, i.e., predestined, before the Creation to be saved. If you were not chosen before the Creation -- on the cross, He did not know you. Can you believe that Jesus Christ -- did NOT die for YOU on the cross? If you believe Calvinism -- maybe He did not. But, how are YOU to know?
I -- Irresistible Grace: When God has chosen to save someone, He will be saved, whether he wants to be saved or not. In other words, man does not have the "free will" to choose to follow Jesus Christ or to deny Jesus Christ.
Calvinism teaches Predestination, that ONLY those people chosen before the Creation to be saved -- will be saved. And, it teaches that everyone chosen before Creation to be saved -- will be saved, regardless. They will have no choice. In other words, Calvinism teaches that we do not have the "free will" to choose to follow Jesus Christ or to deny Him.
Ephesians 1:13 tells us, "In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the Gospel of your salvation — having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise."
This tells me that those who heard the Gospel being preached and believed -- were saved, sealed in Him by the Holy Spirit. Are the Calvinists telling us that God closed the ears of those He did not want saved -- so that they could not hear the Gospel and believe?
Calvinist, themselves, do not believe this -- for under Irresistible Grace above, we are told, "God offers to all people the Gospel message." If God offers the Gospel message to all people -- and some believe -- can they not be saved as Ephesians 1:13 tell us? Not according to the Calvinist doctrine of Predestination.
I do not believe my God would do that to a person who sincerely wants to hear and believe.
Where I agree with Calvinism is their teaching of Total Depravity, that man, with his sin nature inherited from Adam, is lost in sin and only the Holy Spirit can lead him to salvation in Jesus Christ. Yet, I will state that I believe Jesus Christ gave us the Great Commandment (Matthew 28:19-20, Acts 1:8, Mark 16:15) because we are to be Sowers of Salvation Seeds -- to all people, not just those predestined to be saved. And, when we are evangelizing; how do we know who was predestined -- and who was not?
I believe that we Christian believers sow seeds of salvation through our evangelism; that others water and nourish those seeds through their evangelism -- but, only the Holy Spirit can harvest those seeds and bring the person to saving faith in Jesus Christ.
If we witness to people not predestined to be saved; aren't we wasting the Gospel on them? Would it not be better to put all of our witnessing effort toward evangelizing only those predestined to be saved? But, how do we know the difference?
And, I agree with Calvinism that one cannot lose his/her salvation. Yet, Calvinism teaches "once saved, always saved" only for those arbitrarily chosen by God before the Creation. I believe that ALL can, by grace, through faith in Jesus Christ, be saved. And, once saved, always saved -- for if a person can lose his salvation this makes a liar of Jesus Christ who tells us, "He who believes HAS eternal life" (John 6:47).
Calvinism says: because of man's sinfulness, God must predestine people into salvation -- or none would be saved. This is because Calvinism denies the gift of "free will" which God gave to man.
ARMINIANISM: The Five Points of Arminianism are:
• Human Free Will: This states that, though man is fallen and will always have the curse of his sin nature -- he still has the "free will" to make a choice to follow God and be saved. His will is not restricted and enslaved by his sinful nature. All people have the God-given attribute of "free will" -- the ability to choose to follow Jesus Christ or to deny Jesus Christ.
• Conditional Election: God, in His omniscience, knows all things; there is nothing He does not know -- from eternity past to eternity future. Therefore, in His "foreknowledge" -- His knowing what you and I will do throughout our entire life -- He knows who will follow Jesus Christ -- and who will deny Jesus Christ. Those who will follow Jesus Christ -- are predestined to eternal life with God.
• Universal Atonement: Jesus Christ died on the cross to offer salvation to ALL (". . . whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life" -- John 3:16) -- who will, by the grace of God, through faith in Jesus Christ -- believe and receive His "free gift."
• Resistible Grace: That because God had given man the gift of "free will" -- man can choose to resist the grace of God and reject salvation in Jesus Christ.
• Fall From Grace: The Teaching that a person can fall from grace and lose his salvation.
While I agree with the first four Points of Arminianism; the last, to fall from grace and lose your salvation, is totally unBiblical.
Arminianism teaches that everyone can be saved -- if we will, by grace, through faith, believe and receive His "free gift" of salvation. However, the Arminians go over the cliff on the other side -- saying that a person can loose his/her salvation by sinning. If that were true -- absolutely no one would be saved -- for we all sin (Romans 3:23).
And, since we are told in Ephesians 4:30, "Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption" -- the teaching that we can lose our salvation makes a liar of God. God, in this Scripture verse, tells us we are sealed for, or until, the day of redemption. Yet, the Arminian teaching tells us that this is not true -- and that, if one sins, he/she will lose his/her salvation.
Personally, I stand where I believe the Bible stands -- right in the middle between these two teachings. I agree with Arminianism that Jesus Christ died on the cross to make salvation available to everyone who will, by grace, through faith -- believe and receive His "free gift" of salvation (Ephesians 2:8-9).
And, I agree with the Calvinist that once a person is saved, sealed with the Holy Spirit until the day of redemption, he/she cannot lose that salvation. Salvation is a "free gift" from God -- and God does not give a gift -- and then take it away.
Several points come to mind regarding Calvinism:
Calvinist believe that God predestined before Creation, i.e., God arbitrarily decided before He created the heavens and the earth -- who will be saved and spend eternity with Him. And, He arbitrarily chose before the Creation who will spend eternity in hell with Satan.
If that is true, YOU have to ask yourself: If God created man for fellowship, to love, worship, and honor Him -- if He created man from His love; why would He allow Satan to have the "free will" to turn from Him; but, will not allow man to have that same "free will"? Does this sound like the God of the Bible, where we read, "God is love" (1 John 4:8, 4:16).
If Calvinism is true and God did indeed predetermine, before the Creation, who will be saved and who will spend eternity in hell -- how do YOU know that YOU were predestined for salvation? Do those who have been predestined for eternal life with God have a special mark on them?
Does the Holy Spirit give the chosen people a "special revelation" telling each chosen person that he/she has been saved? If this is true -- have YOU been given that "special revelation" -- that special message from the Holy Spirit? If not, do you really believe that God has turned His back on you and that you cannot be saved? That is what Calvinism teaches.
Calvinism will tell you that if, in God's foreknowledge, He predestined people according to His foreknowledge of the choice each person will make in his/her lifetime -- then, that negates "free will." First, Calvinism tells us that they do not believe God gave us "free will" -- then, they use the loss of "free will" to allow them to negate His foreknowledge. They seem to want their cake and to eat it, too.
Romans 8:29-30, "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."
This tells me that God foreknew who He would predestine. What does this mean, to foreknow? It means that God knew from the foundation of the earth who will choose to follow Jesus Christ and who will reject Him. Calvinists will say that this takes away our "free will" to make a choice. No. It says that God foreknew -- it does not say that God fore-destined. Man still has the "free will" to believe or deny; nothing changes that. However, since God is omniscient -- He foreknew the decision YOU will make regarding Jesus Christ. Now, doesn't this sound more like the God you have chosen to worship?
Regarding Arminianism:
If, as Arminianism teaches, we can lose our salvation if we sin -- and given the fact that we all sin (Romans 3:23) -- how can anyone know they are saved, how can anyone be saved?
1 John 1:8, "If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us."
1 John 1:10, "If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us."
REGARDING BOTH CALVINISM AND ARMINIANISM: Let's take a look at the teachings of Jesus Christ:
John 3:36 "He who believes in the Son HAS eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him."
John 5:24 "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, HAS eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but HAS passed out of death into life.
John 6:47 "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes HAS eternal life."
John 3:15, "So that whoever believes will in Him HAVE eternal life."
John 3:16, "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 6:40, "For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will HAVE eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day."
1 John 5:13, "These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may KNOW that you HAVE eternal life."
Does anyone see, in any of those Scripture verses, a single instance where it reads, "will have eternal life IF. . ." or "may have eternal life IF. . ." or "could have eternal life IF. . ."? No, Jesus Christ is telling us that, ". . .he who believes HAS eternal life."
Notice that these verses do not say, "He, who was predestined before Creation, and believes, HAS eternal life."
One point I would like to emphasize: When interpreting the Bible, i.e., hermeneutics, if you have several Scripture verses or passage that you believe say one thing -- but, you find another verse or passage which you know says something different; you do not have the correct interpretation.
While both Calvinism and Arminianism base their theologies on Scripture verses and passages -- both are establishing their theology by ignoring other verses and passages which contradict their interpretation. The Bible cannot contradict the Bible. So, when Calvinism quotes Scripture passages which they use to support their doctrine of predestination and limited atonement -- they are refusing to look at other Biblical verses and passages which absolutely deny that doctrine.
And, when Arminianism quotes Scripture verses and passages which they use to support their doctrine of salvation lost, they are ignoring other Biblical verses and passages, shown above, which absolutely deny that doctrine.
The Bible shines light upon the Bible -- however, the Bible NEVER contradicts the Bible.
Although a person may teach Calvinism or Arminianism; this does not mean he is not our Christian brother. However, Jesus Christ came to assure us that "whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but HAVE eternal life."
Romans 5:1, "Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ."
How can a Calvinist have "peace with God" if he does not know for sure that he was elected, chosen, before Creation? How can this person have "peace with God" and want to follow Jesus Christ -- if he does not know if he was predestined before Creation to have eternal life with God?
How can an Arminianist have "peace with God" if he is always worried that he will sin and lose the salvation which Jesus Christ purchased with His blood on the cross? How can an Arminianist have "peace with God" -- if he cannot accept that Jesus Christ "paid in full" his sin debt to God when He died on the cross?
In Hebrews 2:17 we are told that we have a High Priest, Jesus Christ, to make propitiation for the sins of the people -- not just the elect -- but the PEOPLE -- all who will, by grace, through faith, believe and receive Him.
Hebrews 10:19-23, "Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful."
I cannot accept either Calvinism or Arminianism -- because I do have a High Priest in Jesus Christ, and with a heart in full assurance of faith -- I look forward to eternal life with Him -- "for He who promised is faithful."
I pray that YOU have that same assurance of faith -- and that you will share it with your Friends, Relatives, Associates, and Neighbors -- all your FRANs. Let's keep sharing the complete Word of God; let's keep sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ to all we meet -- until He returns.
God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,
Bill Gray
Where do I stand on Calvinism and Arminianism? Pretty much in the middle between the two. While there are teachings in both theologies which I agree with -- there are issues in both which I believe are not Biblical. Let's take a look at each:
CALVINISM: The doctrines and teachings of Calvinism are defined by the Five Points of Calvinism which are usually illustrated by the acronym T U L I P.
T -- Total Depravity: Sin has affected all parts of man. The heart, emotions, will, mind, and body are all affected by sin. We are completely sinful. We are not as sinful as we could be -- but we are completely affected by sin.
U -- Unconditional Election: Some are elected into salvation, others are not (Rom. 9:15, 21). God chooses to save people unconditionally; that is, they are not chosen on the basis of their own merit. The reason it is called Unconditional Election -- is because there is "no condition" through which man can choose, of his own "free will" -- to follow Jesus Christ and have eternal salvation. Those saved are chosen arbitrarily; like in a lotto; some win, some lose.
L -- Limited Atonement: The sacrifice of Christ on the cross was only for the purpose of saving the elect, those "predestined" -- chosen before the Creation to be saved. His death was not meant to offer salvation to all people. Jesus died only for the elect. Though Jesus' sacrifice was sufficient for all, it was not meant for all. Jesus only bore the sins of the elect.
I -- Irresistible Grace: When God has chosen to save someone, He will. When God calls his elect into salvation, they cannot resist. God offers to all people the Gospel message. This is called the external call. But to the elect, God extends an internal call and it cannot be resisted.
P -- Perseverance Of The Saints: You cannot lose your salvation. Because the Father has elected, the Son has redeemed, and the Holy Spirit has applied salvation -- those thus saved are eternally secure. Those people God chooses cannot lose their salvation; they will continue to believe. If they fall away, it will be only for a time.
The doctrines and teachings of Calvinism which I believe are not Biblical are:
U - Unconditional Election, which is another name for Predestination -- lotto style salvation; some win, some lose. Nothing a person can do to gain salvation if he/she was not chosen before the Creation. How secure does that make YOU feel?
L - Limited Atonement, which teaches that Jesus Christ did not die for all people as we are told in John 3:16; but, only for those chosen, i.e., predestined, before the Creation to be saved. If you were not chosen before the Creation -- on the cross, He did not know you. Can you believe that Jesus Christ -- did NOT die for YOU on the cross? If you believe Calvinism -- maybe He did not. But, how are YOU to know?
I -- Irresistible Grace: When God has chosen to save someone, He will be saved, whether he wants to be saved or not. In other words, man does not have the "free will" to choose to follow Jesus Christ or to deny Jesus Christ.
Calvinism teaches Predestination, that ONLY those people chosen before the Creation to be saved -- will be saved. And, it teaches that everyone chosen before Creation to be saved -- will be saved, regardless. They will have no choice. In other words, Calvinism teaches that we do not have the "free will" to choose to follow Jesus Christ or to deny Him.
Ephesians 1:13 tells us, "In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the Gospel of your salvation — having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise."
This tells me that those who heard the Gospel being preached and believed -- were saved, sealed in Him by the Holy Spirit. Are the Calvinists telling us that God closed the ears of those He did not want saved -- so that they could not hear the Gospel and believe?
Calvinist, themselves, do not believe this -- for under Irresistible Grace above, we are told, "God offers to all people the Gospel message." If God offers the Gospel message to all people -- and some believe -- can they not be saved as Ephesians 1:13 tell us? Not according to the Calvinist doctrine of Predestination.
I do not believe my God would do that to a person who sincerely wants to hear and believe.
Where I agree with Calvinism is their teaching of Total Depravity, that man, with his sin nature inherited from Adam, is lost in sin and only the Holy Spirit can lead him to salvation in Jesus Christ. Yet, I will state that I believe Jesus Christ gave us the Great Commandment (Matthew 28:19-20, Acts 1:8, Mark 16:15) because we are to be Sowers of Salvation Seeds -- to all people, not just those predestined to be saved. And, when we are evangelizing; how do we know who was predestined -- and who was not?
I believe that we Christian believers sow seeds of salvation through our evangelism; that others water and nourish those seeds through their evangelism -- but, only the Holy Spirit can harvest those seeds and bring the person to saving faith in Jesus Christ.
If we witness to people not predestined to be saved; aren't we wasting the Gospel on them? Would it not be better to put all of our witnessing effort toward evangelizing only those predestined to be saved? But, how do we know the difference?
And, I agree with Calvinism that one cannot lose his/her salvation. Yet, Calvinism teaches "once saved, always saved" only for those arbitrarily chosen by God before the Creation. I believe that ALL can, by grace, through faith in Jesus Christ, be saved. And, once saved, always saved -- for if a person can lose his salvation this makes a liar of Jesus Christ who tells us, "He who believes HAS eternal life" (John 6:47).
Calvinism says: because of man's sinfulness, God must predestine people into salvation -- or none would be saved. This is because Calvinism denies the gift of "free will" which God gave to man.
ARMINIANISM: The Five Points of Arminianism are:
• Human Free Will: This states that, though man is fallen and will always have the curse of his sin nature -- he still has the "free will" to make a choice to follow God and be saved. His will is not restricted and enslaved by his sinful nature. All people have the God-given attribute of "free will" -- the ability to choose to follow Jesus Christ or to deny Jesus Christ.
• Conditional Election: God, in His omniscience, knows all things; there is nothing He does not know -- from eternity past to eternity future. Therefore, in His "foreknowledge" -- His knowing what you and I will do throughout our entire life -- He knows who will follow Jesus Christ -- and who will deny Jesus Christ. Those who will follow Jesus Christ -- are predestined to eternal life with God.
• Universal Atonement: Jesus Christ died on the cross to offer salvation to ALL (". . . whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life" -- John 3:16) -- who will, by the grace of God, through faith in Jesus Christ -- believe and receive His "free gift."
• Resistible Grace: That because God had given man the gift of "free will" -- man can choose to resist the grace of God and reject salvation in Jesus Christ.
• Fall From Grace: The Teaching that a person can fall from grace and lose his salvation.
While I agree with the first four Points of Arminianism; the last, to fall from grace and lose your salvation, is totally unBiblical.
Arminianism teaches that everyone can be saved -- if we will, by grace, through faith, believe and receive His "free gift" of salvation. However, the Arminians go over the cliff on the other side -- saying that a person can loose his/her salvation by sinning. If that were true -- absolutely no one would be saved -- for we all sin (Romans 3:23).
And, since we are told in Ephesians 4:30, "Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption" -- the teaching that we can lose our salvation makes a liar of God. God, in this Scripture verse, tells us we are sealed for, or until, the day of redemption. Yet, the Arminian teaching tells us that this is not true -- and that, if one sins, he/she will lose his/her salvation.
Personally, I stand where I believe the Bible stands -- right in the middle between these two teachings. I agree with Arminianism that Jesus Christ died on the cross to make salvation available to everyone who will, by grace, through faith -- believe and receive His "free gift" of salvation (Ephesians 2:8-9).
And, I agree with the Calvinist that once a person is saved, sealed with the Holy Spirit until the day of redemption, he/she cannot lose that salvation. Salvation is a "free gift" from God -- and God does not give a gift -- and then take it away.
Several points come to mind regarding Calvinism:
Calvinist believe that God predestined before Creation, i.e., God arbitrarily decided before He created the heavens and the earth -- who will be saved and spend eternity with Him. And, He arbitrarily chose before the Creation who will spend eternity in hell with Satan.
If that is true, YOU have to ask yourself: If God created man for fellowship, to love, worship, and honor Him -- if He created man from His love; why would He allow Satan to have the "free will" to turn from Him; but, will not allow man to have that same "free will"? Does this sound like the God of the Bible, where we read, "God is love" (1 John 4:8, 4:16).
If Calvinism is true and God did indeed predetermine, before the Creation, who will be saved and who will spend eternity in hell -- how do YOU know that YOU were predestined for salvation? Do those who have been predestined for eternal life with God have a special mark on them?
Does the Holy Spirit give the chosen people a "special revelation" telling each chosen person that he/she has been saved? If this is true -- have YOU been given that "special revelation" -- that special message from the Holy Spirit? If not, do you really believe that God has turned His back on you and that you cannot be saved? That is what Calvinism teaches.
Calvinism will tell you that if, in God's foreknowledge, He predestined people according to His foreknowledge of the choice each person will make in his/her lifetime -- then, that negates "free will." First, Calvinism tells us that they do not believe God gave us "free will" -- then, they use the loss of "free will" to allow them to negate His foreknowledge. They seem to want their cake and to eat it, too.
Romans 8:29-30, "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."
This tells me that God foreknew who He would predestine. What does this mean, to foreknow? It means that God knew from the foundation of the earth who will choose to follow Jesus Christ and who will reject Him. Calvinists will say that this takes away our "free will" to make a choice. No. It says that God foreknew -- it does not say that God fore-destined. Man still has the "free will" to believe or deny; nothing changes that. However, since God is omniscient -- He foreknew the decision YOU will make regarding Jesus Christ. Now, doesn't this sound more like the God you have chosen to worship?
Regarding Arminianism:
If, as Arminianism teaches, we can lose our salvation if we sin -- and given the fact that we all sin (Romans 3:23) -- how can anyone know they are saved, how can anyone be saved?
1 John 1:8, "If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us."
1 John 1:10, "If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us."
REGARDING BOTH CALVINISM AND ARMINIANISM: Let's take a look at the teachings of Jesus Christ:
John 3:36 "He who believes in the Son HAS eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him."
John 5:24 "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, HAS eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but HAS passed out of death into life.
John 6:47 "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes HAS eternal life."
John 3:15, "So that whoever believes will in Him HAVE eternal life."
John 3:16, "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 6:40, "For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will HAVE eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day."
1 John 5:13, "These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may KNOW that you HAVE eternal life."
Does anyone see, in any of those Scripture verses, a single instance where it reads, "will have eternal life IF. . ." or "may have eternal life IF. . ." or "could have eternal life IF. . ."? No, Jesus Christ is telling us that, ". . .he who believes HAS eternal life."
Notice that these verses do not say, "He, who was predestined before Creation, and believes, HAS eternal life."
One point I would like to emphasize: When interpreting the Bible, i.e., hermeneutics, if you have several Scripture verses or passage that you believe say one thing -- but, you find another verse or passage which you know says something different; you do not have the correct interpretation.
While both Calvinism and Arminianism base their theologies on Scripture verses and passages -- both are establishing their theology by ignoring other verses and passages which contradict their interpretation. The Bible cannot contradict the Bible. So, when Calvinism quotes Scripture passages which they use to support their doctrine of predestination and limited atonement -- they are refusing to look at other Biblical verses and passages which absolutely deny that doctrine.
And, when Arminianism quotes Scripture verses and passages which they use to support their doctrine of salvation lost, they are ignoring other Biblical verses and passages, shown above, which absolutely deny that doctrine.
The Bible shines light upon the Bible -- however, the Bible NEVER contradicts the Bible.
Although a person may teach Calvinism or Arminianism; this does not mean he is not our Christian brother. However, Jesus Christ came to assure us that "whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but HAVE eternal life."
Romans 5:1, "Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ."
How can a Calvinist have "peace with God" if he does not know for sure that he was elected, chosen, before Creation? How can this person have "peace with God" and want to follow Jesus Christ -- if he does not know if he was predestined before Creation to have eternal life with God?
How can an Arminianist have "peace with God" if he is always worried that he will sin and lose the salvation which Jesus Christ purchased with His blood on the cross? How can an Arminianist have "peace with God" -- if he cannot accept that Jesus Christ "paid in full" his sin debt to God when He died on the cross?
In Hebrews 2:17 we are told that we have a High Priest, Jesus Christ, to make propitiation for the sins of the people -- not just the elect -- but the PEOPLE -- all who will, by grace, through faith, believe and receive Him.
Hebrews 10:19-23, "Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful."
I cannot accept either Calvinism or Arminianism -- because I do have a High Priest in Jesus Christ, and with a heart in full assurance of faith -- I look forward to eternal life with Him -- "for He who promised is faithful."
I pray that YOU have that same assurance of faith -- and that you will share it with your Friends, Relatives, Associates, and Neighbors -- all your FRANs. Let's keep sharing the complete Word of God; let's keep sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ to all we meet -- until He returns.
God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,
Bill Gray
Saturday, May 1, 2010
Is It Unchristian
To Support Strict Immigration Laws?
To Support Strict Immigration Laws?
Am I being unChristian when I support stricter immigration laws? No. In no way. For all illegal aliens who want to go home and enter America legally; I will welcome them with open arms.
However, I get very bothered by those who break America's laws by sneaking across our border -- and then march through our cities in protest marches, demanding "Their Rights!" What rights? They are criminals; because they are breaking our immigration laws. The only right they have is a ride back to the border -- and let them or their government pay for the bus fare.
Why am I writing this tonight? Because I just watched the news and saw the massive preparations Los Angeles is having to do to prepare for the Immigration Protest March tomorrow in downtown Los Angeles. Supposedly 100,000 will march to City Hall in protest of Arizona's newly passed Immigration Law. And, tomorrow, the Los Angeles Police Department will have to assign 800 additional police officers as crowd control and protections for these protesters.
So, let's examine the facts: (1) 100,000 marchers, many of whom are illegal aliens, will march in Los Angeles tomorrow, (2) Los Angeles has to spend a bundle of money in preparation for this demonstration, (3) and, the LAPD has to spend a bundle of money to put an extra 800 police officers on the streets of Los Angeles, to protect these illegal aliens. Am I the only one to see that something is wrong with this picture?
Wouldn't that money be spent more productively if given to the Education Department, the Fire Department, and the Police Department to make them more effective?
With all the money being spent today in preparation -- and all the funds it will cost to put an additional 800 officers on the street -- at a time when Los Angeles is having to have lay-offs, having to curtail hiring new officers, having cut backs in funds for education, etc. -- we are spending a fortune to protect those who are guilty of crimes, while they march to protest against our laws which they are guilty of breaking. Isn't this picture out of focus?
It would be much cheaper to replace those LAPD officers with ICE officers from the Immigration Department who could check for legal identification -- and, then have buses waiting to take those without legal papers back to the border crossing.
And, then, the U.S. government can send a bill to Mexico City for reimbursement of the cost of transporting their citizens back to the border. Now, that sounds like a plan to me.
Why am I so irked? Is it because these people are trying to make a better life for themselves and their families -- by coming to America? No, that is the history of America. But, if you recall, those early immigrants from Europe, etc., came through Ellis Island -- they did not swim across the border.
What really irks me is that they come into America illegally, making them criminals -- then, they march in protest against the laws they have broken -- demanding "Their Rights!" -- and tomorrow they will be chanting the motto: "First there was Jim Crow! Now there is Juan Crow!" Forgive me, my Friends, but that is crock of baloney! If I were not a Christian; I might say it a wee bit more strongly.
First of all, this shows either their ignorance of Jim Crow -- or that they are downright lying, attempting to piggyback on the plight of the Africans who were kidnapped and brought to this country.
What is Jim Crow?
"Jim Crow was the name of the racial caste system which operated primarily, but not exclusively in southern and border states, between 1877 and the mid-1960s. Jim Crow was more than a series of rigid anti-Black laws. It was a way of life. Under Jim Crow, African Americans were relegated to the status of second class citizens." http://www.ferris.edu/jimcrow/what.htm
The blacks in America today are descendants of African blacks who were KIDNAPPED in their own countries and brought to America as slaves to be sold. They are descendants of blacks who, even after being freed, were treated very wrong.
Does anyone know of ANY Mexicans or ANY other Hispanics who were KIDNAPPED and brought into America? I do not. To the best of my knowledge; all 12 to 20 million illegal Hispanics in America came of their own accord, illegally, into America. None were kidnapped and forcibly brought to America.
If I were an African-American, I would be very insulted that these people are trying to get a free piggy-back ride on the backs of early African slaves by using their history and their plight -- as leverage to force America to grant amnesty to illegal Hispanics today.
Am I being unChristian in writing this? No.
I have great disdain for the same-sex marriage crowd who wants to use the plight of the African-Americans as their piggy-back ride.
I have great disdain for the abortion supporters who wants to use the plight of the African-Americans as their piggy-back ride.
And, I have great disdain for the illegal aliens who want to get a free piggy-back ride on the backs of African-Americans.
Personally, I give Governor Jan Brewer of Arizona, and all the Arizona legislatures who stood with her, a really big "ATTA GIRL!" and "ATTA BOY!" for having the courage to do what is right and what is best for America. America needs more politicians like these who will take a stand, even if he face of great adversity -- and do what "We The People" voted them into office to do; what their constituents want to see them do to protect us, our families, our communities, and America. Too few politicians can even remember "We The People" -- much less recall what it means.
This November, in the elections -- let's give them a reminder they will not soon forget.
God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,
Bill Gray
However, I get very bothered by those who break America's laws by sneaking across our border -- and then march through our cities in protest marches, demanding "Their Rights!" What rights? They are criminals; because they are breaking our immigration laws. The only right they have is a ride back to the border -- and let them or their government pay for the bus fare.
Why am I writing this tonight? Because I just watched the news and saw the massive preparations Los Angeles is having to do to prepare for the Immigration Protest March tomorrow in downtown Los Angeles. Supposedly 100,000 will march to City Hall in protest of Arizona's newly passed Immigration Law. And, tomorrow, the Los Angeles Police Department will have to assign 800 additional police officers as crowd control and protections for these protesters.
So, let's examine the facts: (1) 100,000 marchers, many of whom are illegal aliens, will march in Los Angeles tomorrow, (2) Los Angeles has to spend a bundle of money in preparation for this demonstration, (3) and, the LAPD has to spend a bundle of money to put an extra 800 police officers on the streets of Los Angeles, to protect these illegal aliens. Am I the only one to see that something is wrong with this picture?
Wouldn't that money be spent more productively if given to the Education Department, the Fire Department, and the Police Department to make them more effective?
With all the money being spent today in preparation -- and all the funds it will cost to put an additional 800 officers on the street -- at a time when Los Angeles is having to have lay-offs, having to curtail hiring new officers, having cut backs in funds for education, etc. -- we are spending a fortune to protect those who are guilty of crimes, while they march to protest against our laws which they are guilty of breaking. Isn't this picture out of focus?
It would be much cheaper to replace those LAPD officers with ICE officers from the Immigration Department who could check for legal identification -- and, then have buses waiting to take those without legal papers back to the border crossing.
And, then, the U.S. government can send a bill to Mexico City for reimbursement of the cost of transporting their citizens back to the border. Now, that sounds like a plan to me.
Why am I so irked? Is it because these people are trying to make a better life for themselves and their families -- by coming to America? No, that is the history of America. But, if you recall, those early immigrants from Europe, etc., came through Ellis Island -- they did not swim across the border.
What really irks me is that they come into America illegally, making them criminals -- then, they march in protest against the laws they have broken -- demanding "Their Rights!" -- and tomorrow they will be chanting the motto: "First there was Jim Crow! Now there is Juan Crow!" Forgive me, my Friends, but that is crock of baloney! If I were not a Christian; I might say it a wee bit more strongly.
First of all, this shows either their ignorance of Jim Crow -- or that they are downright lying, attempting to piggyback on the plight of the Africans who were kidnapped and brought to this country.
What is Jim Crow?
"Jim Crow was the name of the racial caste system which operated primarily, but not exclusively in southern and border states, between 1877 and the mid-1960s. Jim Crow was more than a series of rigid anti-Black laws. It was a way of life. Under Jim Crow, African Americans were relegated to the status of second class citizens." http://www.ferris.edu/jimcrow/what.htm
The blacks in America today are descendants of African blacks who were KIDNAPPED in their own countries and brought to America as slaves to be sold. They are descendants of blacks who, even after being freed, were treated very wrong.
Does anyone know of ANY Mexicans or ANY other Hispanics who were KIDNAPPED and brought into America? I do not. To the best of my knowledge; all 12 to 20 million illegal Hispanics in America came of their own accord, illegally, into America. None were kidnapped and forcibly brought to America.
If I were an African-American, I would be very insulted that these people are trying to get a free piggy-back ride on the backs of early African slaves by using their history and their plight -- as leverage to force America to grant amnesty to illegal Hispanics today.
Am I being unChristian in writing this? No.
I have great disdain for the same-sex marriage crowd who wants to use the plight of the African-Americans as their piggy-back ride.
I have great disdain for the abortion supporters who wants to use the plight of the African-Americans as their piggy-back ride.
And, I have great disdain for the illegal aliens who want to get a free piggy-back ride on the backs of African-Americans.
Personally, I give Governor Jan Brewer of Arizona, and all the Arizona legislatures who stood with her, a really big "ATTA GIRL!" and "ATTA BOY!" for having the courage to do what is right and what is best for America. America needs more politicians like these who will take a stand, even if he face of great adversity -- and do what "We The People" voted them into office to do; what their constituents want to see them do to protect us, our families, our communities, and America. Too few politicians can even remember "We The People" -- much less recall what it means.
This November, in the elections -- let's give them a reminder they will not soon forget.
God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,
Bill Gray
Friday, April 16, 2010
Are Folks Born Gay? - And Do Morals Save Us?
On an open Forum dealing with Christian faith; there are several responses which can always be counted on to come from both the non-believers and our Liberal Christian brethren. First, people are born gay and therefore can live a homosexual lifestyle and still be Christian. Second, and this is a result of the Liberal Social Theology -- a person must be doing "good deeds" to be saved.
In this dialogue, I offer a newcomer, Art, on the TimesDaily Religion Forum reasons why both of these misconceptions are not true. Please feel free to share this with your Friends, Relatives, Associates, and Neighbors -- all your FRANs. Let's keep sharing the Word of God, and refuting false teachings, until He returns.
God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,
Bill Gray
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Hi to my Forum Friends,
In the discussion "What's The Difference Between Fat And Gay Pastors?" I wrote,"Okay, start throwing the rocks. But, keep in mind that I am not telling you Bill Gray's word; I am telling you what the Word of God tells us. Take it or leave it; but, in leaving it -- a person is also leaving the God who authored it."
And, our new Forum Friend, ArtVandelay, responded,"I will leave it. You believe in a sky fairy who knows all, yet you refuse to accept reality here on earth. For example, there are people who are born gay. Also, there are non-religious people have have exceptional morals, but you refuse to accept reality. Christians claim to be caring and loving, yet they try and repress entire classes of people, and spew hate in the name of the sky fairy. Yes, I opt for no sky fairy."
Art, my Friend, be careful with your wording -- some folks may start to believe you are one of our old banned Forum Friends trying to sneak back in -- say Fish or Deep. In leaving God, I am not sure if you are declaring yourself to be an atheist, an agnostic, or just a vanilla flavored non-believer who does not want to become a Christian believer because you feel that you will have to give up your desired lifestyle. Which is it?
Yes, for a Christian believer, there has to be accountability to God -- and to your fellow Christ Followers. But, far from that being a burden, it is a blessing -- for along with that accountability goes the promise of Jesus Christ that we have eternal life, eternal security, in Him. That is what you are missing when you opt out of the Christian faith.
You tell me,"For example, there are people who are born gay."
Please give us a URL source showing that a "gay gene" has been found by science.
No, I am not talking about quoting an atheist psychiatrist, or a group of atheist psychiatrists, who declares the gay lifestyle to be normal; but, an actual scientist who declares and has proven that he/she HAS indeed found a "gay gene" and therefore proves beyond all doubt that folks are born gay.
Until then, I will stick to what God tells us in Genesis 1:24-31, the sixth day of Creation, when man is created in His image -- and He declares, "It is very good." On all the other five days of Creation, He only declares His work to be be "good." But, on the sixth day, when He creates man, He declares this work to be "very good."
Now, let's skip on over to Leviticus 18:22 where He declares the homosexual lifestyle to be "an abomination" and to Leviticus 20:13, where He declares the homosexual lifestyle to be "a detestable act."
Then, run on over to Romans 1:26 where He declares this lifestyle to be "unnatural" and in verse 27 where He calls it an "indecent act."
You get my drift. Why would God declare His creation of man to be "very good" -- and then, create some of them to be an abomination, detestable, unnatural, and indecent? Does this make sense? Who are we to believe -- God or the atheist psychiatrists? I will go with God.
Then you tell me,"Also, there are non-religious people (who) have have exceptional morals. . ."
Amen to that! There are many wonderful, exceptionally moral people who are not Christian believers. I have never questioned that. However, when we speak of being a moral person, we are not necessarily speaking of eternal salvation. A person can be very moral -- and still not have eternal salvation. So, the task of every Christian believer is to tell folks that they need Jesus Christ, they need to be born again (John 3:3), they need to, by the grace of God, through faith in Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:8-9) -- believe and receive (John 1:12) His "free gift" of eternal salvation.
How do they do this? Glad you asked. In Revelation 3:20, Jesus tells us, "Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if ANYONE hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me."
In this Scripture verse, Jesus Christ is telling all of us that He is standing at the door of our hearts, patiently waiting to be invited to come in and be our personal Lord and Savior. Believe it or not, there are things which Jesus Christ, God, cannot do. He cannot lie, He cannot make a mistake, He cannot change -- and, He cannot open the door of your heart and make you a Christian believer.
YOU have to do this yourself. This is the function of the gift of "free will" which God gave to everyone in His creation. Each of us has the "free will" to choose to follow Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior -- or to deny Him. It is your choice -- but, YOU MUST make that choice for yourself. No one else can make it for you.
So, if YOU will open the door of your heart and invite Him in -- He will come in and dine with you. In the Jewish culture of Jesus' day; to dine with a person was the highest intimacy. One did not dine with just anyone; but, only with those who were very special. So, when YOU open the door and invite Him to come in -- He becomes the most special Person in your life -- your personal Lord and Savior.
Art, that should be our main goal in life; far above just living a moral life. However, if one is a born again Christian believer -- he/she will live a moral life. We call that the "fruit" of our salvation; that we strive to do the things which are pleasing to Jesus Christ. And, He did tell us, in Luke 10:27, to, "You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself."
That is all part of being a moral, born again Christian believer. For, we are told in James 2:17, "Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself." We become a Christian believer by opening the door of our hearts to Jesus Christ -- and then, the "fruit" of that salvation is good works, moral works.
If we do not have the good works, as we are told in 1 Corinthians 3:10-15, our works will be revealed and tested by fire -- yet, the Christian believer, even if he has no real works (for we are told in Ephesians 2:8-9 that man is not saved by works, lest he boast) -- that believer is still saved, and has eternal life with God. No, my Friend, works, no matter how good -- cannot save a person.
Here it comes! Like rain surely will fall from a rain cloud! Go ahead and say it, "Okay, Bill, how about all those priest who molested young children? Are they moral?"
No, they are not! And, who says they are Christian believers? Just because a person is a priest; just because a person is a pastor; just because a person is a bishop or an elder -- does NOT make them Christian believers.
In the 1970s, Peter Jenkins and his wife, Barbara, walked across America and wrote the book, "The Road Unseen," about this journey. In the book, Jenkins, then not a Christian believer, came upon a Revival Meeting in Mobile, Alabama. The speaker was James Robison, a pastor from Texas. In this excerpt from the book, Jenkins relates this experience with Robison:
++++++++++++++++++++
James wiped his forehead and paced across the platform, "I remember an evangelist who walked up to a man in the congregation one night. The evangelist put his hand on the man's shoulder and asked him if he wanted to become a Christian. The man practically growled at the evangelist, 'I'm a deacon in this church!' And the evangelist calmly said, 'Don't let that stand in your way.'"
As most of the people laughed, he continued, "It's possible to be a deacon, an elder, a steward, a Sunday school teacher, and go to church all your life and not know the Lord."
++++++++++++++++++++
A moral Christian believer may, and most often will, slip and fall into sin on occasion. However, if a person does this evil consistently -- it becomes their lifestyle. And, a Christian believer CANNOT live an immoral, indecent, abominable lifestyle. For that is living a lifestyle which God Himself has denounced.
So, Art, my Friend, I pray that you will reconsider your choice of opting out of Christianity. When Jesus Christ was resurrected, this assured that all humans will also be resurrected and live eternal lives -- some to eternal life with God, others to eternal self condemnation with Satan. The choice is yours.
And, my Friend, I pray that you will choose well. The brief life we have on this earth; the brief worldly pleasures and desires we can attain in this life -- are but a mere pittance when compared to our eternal life. Eternity is a very long time. Plan well for it.
God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,
Bill
In this dialogue, I offer a newcomer, Art, on the TimesDaily Religion Forum reasons why both of these misconceptions are not true. Please feel free to share this with your Friends, Relatives, Associates, and Neighbors -- all your FRANs. Let's keep sharing the Word of God, and refuting false teachings, until He returns.
God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,
Bill Gray
Hi to my Forum Friends,
In the discussion "What's The Difference Between Fat And Gay Pastors?" I wrote,
And, our new Forum Friend, ArtVandelay, responded,
Art, my Friend, be careful with your wording -- some folks may start to believe you are one of our old banned Forum Friends trying to sneak back in -- say Fish or Deep. In leaving God, I am not sure if you are declaring yourself to be an atheist, an agnostic, or just a vanilla flavored non-believer who does not want to become a Christian believer because you feel that you will have to give up your desired lifestyle. Which is it?
Yes, for a Christian believer, there has to be accountability to God -- and to your fellow Christ Followers. But, far from that being a burden, it is a blessing -- for along with that accountability goes the promise of Jesus Christ that we have eternal life, eternal security, in Him. That is what you are missing when you opt out of the Christian faith.
You tell me,
Please give us a URL source showing that a "gay gene" has been found by science.
No, I am not talking about quoting an atheist psychiatrist, or a group of atheist psychiatrists, who declares the gay lifestyle to be normal; but, an actual scientist who declares and has proven that he/she HAS indeed found a "gay gene" and therefore proves beyond all doubt that folks are born gay.
Until then, I will stick to what God tells us in Genesis 1:24-31, the sixth day of Creation, when man is created in His image -- and He declares, "It is very good." On all the other five days of Creation, He only declares His work to be be "good." But, on the sixth day, when He creates man, He declares this work to be "very good."
Now, let's skip on over to Leviticus 18:22 where He declares the homosexual lifestyle to be "an abomination" and to Leviticus 20:13, where He declares the homosexual lifestyle to be "a detestable act."
Then, run on over to Romans 1:26 where He declares this lifestyle to be "unnatural" and in verse 27 where He calls it an "indecent act."
You get my drift. Why would God declare His creation of man to be "very good" -- and then, create some of them to be an abomination, detestable, unnatural, and indecent? Does this make sense? Who are we to believe -- God or the atheist psychiatrists? I will go with God.
Then you tell me,
Amen to that! There are many wonderful, exceptionally moral people who are not Christian believers. I have never questioned that. However, when we speak of being a moral person, we are not necessarily speaking of eternal salvation. A person can be very moral -- and still not have eternal salvation. So, the task of every Christian believer is to tell folks that they need Jesus Christ, they need to be born again (John 3:3), they need to, by the grace of God, through faith in Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:8-9) -- believe and receive (John 1:12) His "free gift" of eternal salvation.
How do they do this? Glad you asked. In Revelation 3:20, Jesus tells us, "Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if ANYONE hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me."
In this Scripture verse, Jesus Christ is telling all of us that He is standing at the door of our hearts, patiently waiting to be invited to come in and be our personal Lord and Savior. Believe it or not, there are things which Jesus Christ, God, cannot do. He cannot lie, He cannot make a mistake, He cannot change -- and, He cannot open the door of your heart and make you a Christian believer.
YOU have to do this yourself. This is the function of the gift of "free will" which God gave to everyone in His creation. Each of us has the "free will" to choose to follow Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior -- or to deny Him. It is your choice -- but, YOU MUST make that choice for yourself. No one else can make it for you.
So, if YOU will open the door of your heart and invite Him in -- He will come in and dine with you. In the Jewish culture of Jesus' day; to dine with a person was the highest intimacy. One did not dine with just anyone; but, only with those who were very special. So, when YOU open the door and invite Him to come in -- He becomes the most special Person in your life -- your personal Lord and Savior.
Art, that should be our main goal in life; far above just living a moral life. However, if one is a born again Christian believer -- he/she will live a moral life. We call that the "fruit" of our salvation; that we strive to do the things which are pleasing to Jesus Christ. And, He did tell us, in Luke 10:27, to, "You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself."
That is all part of being a moral, born again Christian believer. For, we are told in James 2:17, "Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself." We become a Christian believer by opening the door of our hearts to Jesus Christ -- and then, the "fruit" of that salvation is good works, moral works.
If we do not have the good works, as we are told in 1 Corinthians 3:10-15, our works will be revealed and tested by fire -- yet, the Christian believer, even if he has no real works (for we are told in Ephesians 2:8-9 that man is not saved by works, lest he boast) -- that believer is still saved, and has eternal life with God. No, my Friend, works, no matter how good -- cannot save a person.
Here it comes! Like rain surely will fall from a rain cloud! Go ahead and say it, "Okay, Bill, how about all those priest who molested young children? Are they moral?"
No, they are not! And, who says they are Christian believers? Just because a person is a priest; just because a person is a pastor; just because a person is a bishop or an elder -- does NOT make them Christian believers.
In the 1970s, Peter Jenkins and his wife, Barbara, walked across America and wrote the book, "The Road Unseen," about this journey. In the book, Jenkins, then not a Christian believer, came upon a Revival Meeting in Mobile, Alabama. The speaker was James Robison, a pastor from Texas. In this excerpt from the book, Jenkins relates this experience with Robison:
As most of the people laughed, he continued, "It's possible to be a deacon, an elder, a steward, a Sunday school teacher, and go to church all your life and not know the Lord."
A moral Christian believer may, and most often will, slip and fall into sin on occasion. However, if a person does this evil consistently -- it becomes their lifestyle. And, a Christian believer CANNOT live an immoral, indecent, abominable lifestyle. For that is living a lifestyle which God Himself has denounced.
So, Art, my Friend, I pray that you will reconsider your choice of opting out of Christianity. When Jesus Christ was resurrected, this assured that all humans will also be resurrected and live eternal lives -- some to eternal life with God, others to eternal self condemnation with Satan. The choice is yours.
And, my Friend, I pray that you will choose well. The brief life we have on this earth; the brief worldly pleasures and desires we can attain in this life -- are but a mere pittance when compared to our eternal life. Eternity is a very long time. Plan well for it.
God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,
Bill
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