Do You Know This Repentance?

By Justin Edwards

Do you know of the godly sorrow that produces repentance leading to salvation (2 Corinthians 7:10)? Have you turned from sin toward Christ to love Him and obey Him as He rightly deserves as sovereign Lord and King?  If you do not know this kind of repentance, then you are still a slave to your sin.  As I mentioned on facebook on Saturday,

Repentance means to let go of what you shouldn't love, and embrace Whom you should love. You can't love God and love sin at the same time, nor can you live for Christ and continue to live in sin at the same time. Love God and live, or love sin and die.

Let's now take a look at another biblical definition of repentance as defined in the note for Acts 26:20 in The New Geneva Study Bible:

"Repentance means changing one's mind, so that one's views, values, goals, and ways are changed, and one's whole life is lived differently.  Mind and judgment, will and affections, behavior and lifestyle, motives and plans:  all are involved.  Repenting means starting to live a new life.

"The call to repent was the fundamental summons in the preaching of John the Baptist (Matthew 3:2), Jesus (Matthew 4:17), the Twelve (Mark 6:12), Peter at Pentecost ( Acts 2:38), Paul to the Gentiles (Acts 17:30; 26:20), and the glorified Christ to five of the seven churches in Asia (Revelation 2:5, 16, 22; 3:3, 19).  It was part of Jesus' summary of the gospel that was to be taken to all the world (Luke 24:47).  It corresponds to the constant summons of the Old Testament prophets to Israel to return to the God from whom they had strayed (e.g., Jeremiah 23:22; 25:4, 5; Zechariah 1:3-6).  Repentance is always set forth as the path to remission of sins and restoration to God's favor, while impenitence is the road to ruin (e.g., Luke 13:1-8).

"Faith and repentance are themselves fruits of regeneration. But as a practical matter, repentance is inseparable from faith.  Turning towards Christ in faith is impossible without turning away from sin in repentance.  The idea that there can be saving faith without repentance, and that one can be justified by embracing Christ as Savior while refusing Him as Lord, is a dangerous error.  True faith acknowledges Christ as what He is, our God-appointed king as well as our God-given priest, and faith that trusts in Him as Savior will submit to Him as Lord also.  To refuse this is to seek justification with an impenitent faith, which is no faith.

"The Westminster Confession says that in repenting

a sinner, out of the sight and sense, not only of the danger, but also the filthiness and odiousness of his sins, as contrary to the holy nature and righteous law of God, and upon the apprehension of His mercy in Christ to such as are penitent, so grieves for and hates his sins as to turn from them all unto God, purposing and endeavoring to walk with Him in all the ways of His commandments (Westminster Confession, 15.2). 

"Feelings of remorse, self-reproach, and sorrow for sin generated by fear of punishment, without any wish or resolve to forsake sinning should not be confused with repentance.  David expresses true repentance in Psalm 51, having in his heart the serious purpose of sinning no more, and of living a righteous life (Luke 3:8; Acts 26:20)."

Have you this repentance, my friend?  If your faith is absent of this repentance, then you do not understand life-saving faith.  Please see the link on Eternal Life, or contact me if you'd like to talk about it. Don't waste your life, and don't wait until it's too late - you are not promised tomorrow.  Repent and believe the Gospel.

What Is Wrong with NON-Lordship Salvation? - Part 6

By Justin Edwards

Chosen vessels of mercy, notwithstanding their backslidings, are brought back; but ah! remember that nine out of ten of those who backslide never were God’s people. - Charles Spurgeon

In this series addressing the erroneous arguments in Dr. Andy Woods' article against lordship salvation titled, What Is Wrong with Lordship Salvation?, I have attempted to biblically counter each of Dr. Woods' points with regards to saving faith, repentance, carnal Christianity, and sanctification. In each of these articles, it has been shown that Dr. Woods has a flawed view in these respective areas and significant misunderstanding as to what lordship salvation actually is. The reason for this, of course, is primarily because Dr. Woods adheres to a low view of God's glory in our salvation, which causes him to attribute any type of repentance or committing one's life to Christ as works-based effort to achieve salvation. With a biblical view of salvation, one understands that eternal life begins and is completed with God, and it is His work, not ours, that causes us to be born again and subsequently progress into holy living, without which no one will see God (Hebrews 12:14).

The common theme throughout the articles in this series (as is the common them throughout Scripture) has been the view of the glorious sovereignty of God in our salvation. God's sovereignty is so critical in understanding the doctrine of salvation (soteriology) that if one fails to grasp its fundamental truths, then the rest of their understanding of salvation will crumble or not make any sense. The doctrine of biblical assurance of salvation is no exception to this and will be the final argument addressed in Dr. Woods' article.

Part 6 - Biblical Assurance of Salvation

Dr. Woods opens his fifth and final argument with the following:

Fifth, Lordship Salvation destroys the believer's assurance of salvation. 

On the contrary, NON-lordship salvation gives false converts false assurance of salvation whereas lordship salvation exhorts one to examine himself in the mirror of God's Word:

Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you are disqualified. - 2 Corinthians 13:5

Whereas NON-lordship salvation condemns any such self-examination because it assures potential false converts that as long as they were once sincere when they "asked Jesus into their heart" they are saved, Scripture tells us in Jeremiah 17:9,

The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it?

The truth of the matter is, biblical assurance of salvation cannot be destroyed when one entrusts himself to the promises of God by engaging these promises in the objective truth of God's Holy Word. Too often, men and women depend on their feelings and subjective experiences to give them assurance of salvation, and what's worse, they have easy-believist pastors of the false modern evangelical gospel potentially leading them down the path of destruction instead of encouraging them to examine themselves in the Scripture.

Dr. Woods continues,

Lordship advocates never precisely define what kind of commitment to Christ is necessary in order to become a Christian. 

I find this to be an interesting false premise as I never have a hard time telling people what kind of commitment is necessary to become a Christian. Jesus was pretty clear in this regard when He said, 

whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple. - Luke 14:33

Salvation costs us everything, Dr. Woods. Whatever has been revealed to us is what we must forsake. If there is anything for which the cost has been counted and we are not willing to lay it at the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ, then we do not want a Savior any more than we want a Lord. Let's use a practicing homosexual as an example.

Joe is a practicing homosexual and has just been exposed to Dr. Woods' gospel message, which according to his article, might be something like this:

Jesus loves you and wants to forgive you of your sins. All you have to do is ask Him to forgive you and trust Him to be your Savior. If you ask Jesus to come into your heart, He will!

So Joe prays a prayer to ask Jesus into his heart, then Dr. Woods might say something like this,

If you just said that prayer and are sincere in believing in Christ as your Savior, then you're saved and I welcome you to the family of God!

Now Joe, being that he knows nothing of repentance, the holiness of God, the judgment of God, and the power of God in our salvation to change the hearts of men, continues to practice homosexuality. When Joe said the "sinner's prayer", he was not broken over his sin and certainly did not repent of it, yet believes himself to be saved because he believes in Jesus to have forgiven him of his sins. Years later, Joe, still an unrepentant homosexual, runs into Dr. Woods and expresses doubts that he is saved. Dr. Woods might tell Joe he remembers him coming to the alter a few years back and as long as Joe was sincere in believing in Christ, he is saved. If given the chance, Dr. Woods might also tell Joe that he needs to submit to the second part of God's plan for his life and commit his life to Jesus as a disciple. In the end, Joe continued as an unrepentant homosexual and never turned from his sin, but because he "changed his mind about God and Jesus", Joe will die a homosexual saint.

Blasphemous! Can you see the obvious error in this false gospel? I used the sin of homosexuality because it is often seen by the evangelical church as a "worst-type sin". But the same verses that condemn homosexuality, are the same verses that condemn drunkenness, adultery, fornication, idolatry, thieves, liars, revilers and more (1 Corinthians 6:8-10; Galatians 5:19-21; Ephesians 5:5; Colossians 3:5-6).  It is for this reason that one cannot remain in their sin and abide in Christ (1 John 3:6).  When God justifies us, He also washes us and cleanses us from these sinful lifestyles (1 Corinthians 6:11) so that this will be true:

Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God. - 1 John 3:9

To be clear, this verse is not saying Christians do not sin. The Apostle John is referring to living in a habitual pattern of practical righteousness rather than living in a habitual pattern of sin. The Christian walk, therefore, is a lifestyle of repentance where one is continuously repenting (out of godly remorse) as they are progressively sanctified (2 Corinthians 3:18; Colossians 3:10) and directionally conformed to the image of Christ (Romans 8:29; 12:2).  This is why John says the following in 1 John 3:10,

In this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest: Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is he who does not love his brother.

And as if it could not be any more clear:

Little children, let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous. He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. - 1 John 3:7-8a

 
Even though these Scriptures make it abundantly clear that the Christian does not and cannot habitually practice a lifestyle of sin, there are many in the easy-believist camp who might say all Christians habitually sin because we are sinful creatures.  They twist the Scripture to fit their agenda or misunderstanding of salvation and sanctification, or perhaps to justify the grip that sin has on their own lives, yet we see in the Word of God that sin no longer has dominion over the believer (Romans 6:14) and Christ came to destroy the work of the devil (1 John 3:8). What's more, those who have been set free by the Truth have been freed from the bondage of sin (John 8:34-36; Romans 6:17-18) to where it no longer controls us (Romans 8:1-2; Galatians 5:16-26). Therefore, an assurance of our salvation is whether or not we are controlled by sin to obey it or controlled by the Spirit of God to obey Him (Romans 6:22).

Dr. Woods asks,

How much surrender is required? 

That's also an easy question to answer, Dr. woods. Total and absolute surrender is required. When Christ purchased us with His precious blood, we became His exclusively (1 Corinthians 6:20). This means our money, our time, our possessions, our family, our bodies and our very life are now His. He owns us. We may not realize at the time of our salvation just how much He owns us, but He owns us nonetheless. The evidence that one is born again, therefore, is the willingness to continue to surrender to the Lordship of Christ (Luke 9:23).  This total and absolute surrender is simply devotion and unwavering allegiance to Christ the King. It's as simple as giving up control of one's life and submitting to the will of God in as much as one knows what that means at the time of salvation. As God conforms us to Himself, we will increasingly understand what it means to surrender to His will, and as He destroys our idols one by one, we will all the more surrender to His Lordship.

Dr. Woods also asks,

How long is this surrender to last?

Another easy question to answer. Surrender is to last forever, Dr. Woods. The evidence of this can be found in Scriptures that tell us we must abide, finish the race, persevere, and live in the Spirit such as 1 John 2:24, Colossians 1:23, 1 Corinthians 15:1-2, Hebrews 12:1-2 and Romans 8:12-14. These, of course, are only possible by the hand of God who will allow nothing in all of creation to snatch His children out of His hand (Romans 8:38-39; John 10:27-29). Every Christian, then, abides, finishes the race, perseveres, and walks in the Spirit as a pattern of life.

Dr. Woods, again, has another easy question to be answered:

How much fruit must this surrender produce?

Jesus tells us this fruit will be a hundredfold, sixty, or thirty (Matthew 13:23). How much is this? I don't know exactly, but the point is there is fruit indeed. By this we know there is no such thing as a continuously fruitless Christian. 

Dr. Woods asserts,

Because these questions are never precisely answered, the believer spends the rest of his Christian life wondering if he truly made enough of a commitment to become a Christian. 

It seems I have answered these questions, Dr. Woods. In any case, the Christian does not spend the rest of his life wondering if he has committed enough to become a Christian. The false convert, on the other hand, may never have biblical assurance of his salvation if he does not examine himself in the Scriptures to know whether he has the Spirit to testify with his spirit that he is a child of God (Romans 8:15-17). Yet, those who hunger and thirst for righteousness (Matthew 5:6) and diligently seek God (Hebrews 11:6) through the Word of God do not have to worry about whether or not they are saved. This is because their hunger and thirst for the things of God through the application of the Living Word will manifest the fruit that gives evidence of one's salvation.

On "backsliding, Dr. Woods points out,

Because of the believer's potential for “backsliding,” the Christian can never really know until his dying day if he is a committed Christian. 

It is important to define terms here. If by "backsliding" Dr. Woods means one can remain "backslidden", then no, there is no such thing as a backslidden Christian. Such a person needs to be born again. But if by "backsliding" Dr. Woods means one can fall into sin and be restored unto fellowship with God by the discipline of the Father through the Holy Spirit, then yes, Christians can "backslide". Lordship salvation does not teach otherwise.

Assuming that Dr. Woods' definition is of the first definition, he sets up another false premise to suggest lordship salvation causes one to never know "until his dying day if he is a committed Christian." (On a side note - "committed Christian" is redundant as all Christians are committed followers of the Lord Jesus Christ). This is ludicrous as the born again believer, eg one who has surrendered to the Lordship of Christ, most certainly may have biblical assurance of salvation during the extent of their Christian walk. It is when the born again believer falls into sin that their assurance might be shaken, which is why we are called to make our calling and election sure to see that we are progressing in our sanctification (2 Peter 1:5-11; Philippians 2:12-13). Under the conviction of the Holy Spirit and the continued exposure to the Word and believers to hold us accountable, we will be brought to repentance and restoration of our assurance. This is all part of the loving discipline of the Father to assist His children to becoming more like Christ. If one never undergoes such discipline, God Himself says they are not His child:

But if you are without chastening, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and not sons. - Hebrews 12:7-11

Lastly, Dr. Woods concludes his argument stating,

Thus, Lordship Salvation steals the joy that accompanies the knowledge that one's eternal destiny is sealed. Far from such a guessing game, Christ gives all believers instantaneous assurance of salvation at the point of justification (John 5:24; 6:47).

The true Gospel, Dr. Woods, yes, the true Gospel according to so-called "lordship salvation", actually gives rest to the souls of men. By obtaining assurance of salvation through objective examination in the Bible, the souls of men and women can rest in the grace of God as they begin to see their reflection in the mirror of God's Word. This, of course, is quite different than giving mere lip service for the assurance of salvation. Do you suppose God gives instantaneous assurance of salvation to the rocky soil and the thorny soil hearers?  Of course He doesn't as they are not saved (Matthew 13:20-22).

The evidence of our salvation does not come from prayers or emotional experiences; rather, the evidence of our salvation comes through God's preservation of our souls as we continue in the faith and can see the progression of the work of grace in our lives (Titus 2:11-14; 2 Peter 1:5-9). And why is this case? Because salvation is of the Lord and it is He who is perfecting His work in us through the sanctifying power of the Holy Spirit.  If one can see no evidence of grace-bearing fruit in their life, then they have every reason to believe they may not be saved.

Whether one is truly born again or has surrendered to the Lordship of Christ can perhaps most easily be seen in asking this question:  have I entered into the yoke of Christ to be taught in the way of righteousness? (Matthew 11:29-30)

This is true rest for our souls. And what is the condition of our finding rest for our souls? To bow in humility and put on the yoke of Christ. To be lowly in heart and meek, which is to say to be submissive to the authority of one's master. Christ, our Master, has called us to a life of obedience, so when one confesses the Savior as Lord (Romans 10:9-10), he is confessing to God that he is willing to obey Him and trust that He will direct our paths.

Submitting to the Lordship of Christ means nothing more and nothing less. Out of love for the Sovereign King and Pierced Savior, we commit our lives to Jesus because this is our reasonable service (Romans 12:1). The evidence that we love Christ is whether we obey Him (John 14:15, 23; 1 John 5:3; 2 John 1:6). If one is not willing to obey Christ, then how could they possibly have assurance, much less be saved? Even more so, how can one claim to love authority when they do not obey them or have the desire to learn from them? That is as ridiculous as it is absurd.

Dr. Woods and those of his persuasion are the very cause of the false conversions and continuously carnal Christians who hold faulty fire insurance policies. They base the assurance of one's salvation solely on mere profession and attempt to make the narrow gate as wide as possible. The Word of God is clear, however, that those who are born again and love Christ have departed from wickedness (2 Timothy 2:19) and yield to the command to "Flee also youthful lusts; but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart" (2 Timothy 2:22). The blood-bought believer is committed to righteousness, holiness, and newness of life (Ephesians 4:24; 1 Thessalonians 3:13; Romans 6:4).  The believer desires to please the Lord in everything (Ephesians 5:10) and constantly seeks to understand what the will of the Lord is (Ephesians 5:17).

The believer is zealous for good works (Titus 2:14) and has a heart to see lost souls saved (Matthew 28:19-20; Mark 16:15). The believer loves the brethren (1 John 3:14) and does not forsake fellowship with believers (Hebrews 10:24-25). The believer increasingly manifests the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23; Ephesians 5:8-10) and puts off the old man and the works of darkness (Ephesians 4:17-24; Colossians 3:1-17).

These are just some of the evidences or marks of one who is now a slave to righteousness - a born again believer in the Lord Jesus Christ. These things will become realities in the life of the believer in increasing measure as God perfects His righteousness in the life of the Christian until the day of Redemption (Ephesians 1:14; 1 Thessalonians 5:23; Romans 8:29-30). It is because God has planted His seed in us that we can no longer live according to the flesh and remain lovers of our sin to live in it (1 John 3:9), but rather we will increasingly love the things that God loves (righteousness) and hate the things that God hates (evil). As Paul tells us in Colossians 3:1-4,

If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.

The only alternative to the person described above is found in Philippians 3:19-20,

For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame—who set their mind on earthly things.

Believers set their mind on heavenly things as a pattern of life, while nonbelievers set their minds on earthly things as a pattern of life. There is no middle ground, regardless of what Dr. Woods and others might teach.

That brings us to the end of Dr. Woods' arguments against lordship salvation. We have covered saving faith, repentance, carnal Christianity, sanctification, and biblical assurance of salvation. In an effort to tie up loose ends, I will hopefully conclude with Part 7 by the end of the week.

In the mean time, I highly recommend going through the following series from Paul Washer titled, Biblical Assurance of Salvation. It is a 5-part series that will help you understand further the contrast between the born again believer and a mere professor of the faith.

If any man be not sure that he is in Christ, he ought not to be easy one moment until he is so. Dear friend, without the fullest confidence as to your saved condition, you have no right to be at ease, and I pray you may never be so. This is a matter too important to be left undecided. - Charles Spurgeon

The Glory of God in Marriage

By Justin Edwards

You have been called of God to lay down your life for this daughter of his—period. - Paul Washer

My brother, are you glorifying God in your marriage? What evidence do you have this is so? Do you love her like Christ loves the Church? Let me ask this question another way: would you want Christ to love the Church like you love your wife? Would you want Christ to treat the Church like you treat your wife? Very poignant questions, yes? Before I continue, I hope you take a moment to read the January article, Husbands - Love Your Wives.

I had the privilege and blessing to listen again to Paul Washer's message, The Glory of God in Marriage. What an admonishment and exhortation to examine myself whether the love of Christ is evident in me through the love for my wife. I don't remember the last time I listened to this, perhaps a year ago, but listening to it this time seemed to have a greater effect on me. I do remember appreciating the message the first time, but looking back, it may have been more of a matter of soaking up knowledge rather than applying it. In any case, I can say there has been fruit over this past year in laying my life down for my wife, but today I am more resolved than ever to love her, please her, sanctify her, serve her, and sacrifice my life for her more and more each day. And with the grace of God and submission to the lordship of Christ, I will be able.

But what about you, dear friend? What is the condition of your marriage? Especially you who work in the ministry of God - how is your ministry to your wife? Does she come before the ministry of which you believe you have been called by God? Before getting into Brother Washer's sermon, I'd like to point out a critical passage of Scripture from 1 John 4:20-21:

If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. 21 And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother.

Let us dwell on this Scripture for a moment. Do you realize there are men who profess to know God and love God, yet they hate the brethren, their enemies, and/or their neighbor if not by their words then by their actions? They believe they are called and serving a ministry of God, but their ministry to those around them is of the devil. My dear friend, let me warn you - if you do not have a horizontal relationship of love, grace, kindness, mercy, forgiveness, and compassion for those around you, I can assure you that you do not have a vertical relationship with God, having been the benefactor of His love, grace, kindness, mercy, forgiveness, and compassion.

Love is not an option nor is forgiveness an option for the believer. The Scripture says you are a liar if a professing believer does not love his brother or sister, or enemy or neighbor, or your wife, dear friend. If you are proud, angry, lacking love and forgiveness, and hostile to your family while being committed to a so-called ministry, then you are a liar. You are a hypocrite, my friend. You are walking in darkness and do not practice the truth (1 John 1:6). Is this you, dear reader? Are you living a lie?  Yes, you?

This article is written for any reader, whether man or woman, husband or wife, single or married. But I want to hone in on married men, especially who consider themselves a teacher, a preacher, or are involved in some type of ministry. Whether this ministry is a church, a parachurch, evangelism, or a website or blog - is your wife and family your most prized possession on this earth, and are you submitted to this greatest ministry for which God has called you - your bride and children?

I want to draw out a few quotes from Washer's message to show how serious the business of marriage is with God. Let's get right into it:

Washer said as he opened his message:

...if you were my top employee and half the income of my company was because of you and yet you were also my son-in-law and you mistreated my daughter there wouldn’t be a place on the face of the earth that you could hide.

The point that I am trying to make with this is this. You are fearful about your ministries? You take great stock and great pride in the fact that you are a careful servant of the most high God? Don’t think that is a great thing. Beware how you treat his daughter. Beware how you treat his daughter because I want to assure you that although your ministry might mean more to you than his daughter, your ministry does not mean more to him than his daughter.

Do you understand that your bride is the daughter of God? And you will be held accountable for how you treat and love, or mistreat and hate, His daughter? The daughter of the Most High?

Washer continues:

The spirituality of a man can be determined by so many things and most of them are not wise. You want to know the spirituality of a man? Look at his wife. You want to know the spirituality of a man? See how he acts in her presence when no one else is around. There you will know the extent of this man’s profession.

This is most revealing. We should tremble at the thought of judgment before Almighty God if we should treat His daughter differently behind closed doors. Men may very well treat their wives with respect in public and put on a show before men, exalting themselves as servants of God for the world to see. But what about at home? God sees you. Does He see a true bondservant of Christ when no one else is looking? Does He see you pouring your life into your bride, loving her unconditionally, being a living sacrifice to her, and serving her as Christ humbly served His Church and laid His life down for her? Or does our omniscient God see you berating and belittling her? Does He see you beating her with Scripture, condemning her as unworthy, and abusing her with your religiosity and holier-than-thou facade? God sees you.

With respect to the perfect will and providence of God, Washer continues:

Now in light of that truth, let’s look at the boasts of some ministers.

“I had to put my family on the altar of sacrifice for the sake of the ministry. For the sake of the work of God I had to neglect my family. Couldn’t spend as much time with family as maybe I ought to have spent because I was busy doing the will of God.” 

You are making a declaration that God’s Word is not true. You are denying the very thing that God speaks forth in this passage. God’s will is perfect. That means, dear sir, you do not have to violate one aspect the will of God in order to fulfill another aspect of that same will. If in God’s good providence he has given you a wife and that is his will, then his will is perfect and you do not have to neglect that wife in order to carry out your vocation. And if you do you are either not understanding God or you are not really working for his kingdom, you are working to build your own, working to build your own.

What does this say about your ministry and family, dear reader? Have you sacrificed your wife and family for the sake of "ministry"? Do you not know that your ministry is a filthy rag to God if you have neglected your wife and family? You are without excuse, oh man, if you have sacrificed your wife on the altar of your kingdom! You will stand before the righteous judgment of God if you have sacrificed her, this precious jewel that God has given you!

It is true we must forsake everything to be the disciple of Christ (Luke 14:33). It is true that we must deny ourselves, take up our cross daily, and follow Him (Luke 9:23). And yes, it is indeed true that we must love Christ more than our friends and family, even more than our own lives if we are to be His disciples (Luke 14:26). But, my friend, there is balance and these must be understood in context of the whole counsel of God.

If you have forsaken the spiritual and physical well being of your wife and family, you have not forsaken everything for Christ because you still hold on to your pride and unrighteous rule over others. If you deny love, grace, mercy, and patience to your wife, then you have not denied yourself and your control, will, and fleshly desires and given these over to the lordship of Christ. If you hate your wife, or are hostile, or are unforgiving, or are seeking unbiblical divorce from your wife, then you do not love Christ more than yourself because loving Christ more than yourself would mean you love your wife more than yourself.

As Washer says in His sermon, God does not need you or your ministry. He is Lord over all, and nothing, absolutely nothing, can thwart His divine providence (Job 42:2). If you are married or intend to be married, Lord willing, then there is no greater calling on your life than the calling to be the minister of your wife. Do you understand that? Any ministry of God will never take precedent over the ministry of your wife and family according to the counsel of His divine will.

So I challenge you, dear reader. There is so much more I want to say, especially since this article did not get beyond the first 20 minutes of Paul Washer's message. I hope and pray it has served to cause you to examine yourself to see whether or not your wife is your most important ministry. Entering into the main body of his message, Washer says, "God has called, from heaven God has called me to lay down my life, to die for this daughter that he has appointed, that he has ordained."  Have you died to yourself and are you laying your life down for the daughter of Almighty God, dear reader?

Are you glorifying God in your marriage? If you are not, then I call you to repent from your wickedness and cry out to God to show you more mercy than you have shown His daughter. What is the state of your marriage? If it is in shambles, there is no better time than now for you to be a man and seek reconciliation in your marriage, whatever it takes. You are accountable before God, my friend. He sees you, remember? Humble yourself and slay your pride, calling on the Lord Jesus Christ to forgive your trespasses against your wife, and more importantly, your trespasses against God.

You may even believe you are not at fault for the condition of your marriage. God knows. See to it that you make every effort to restore your marriage as the very purpose of marriage is to glorify God. Forgive when forgiveness is not sought. Love when you are not loved in return. Be merciful when you have not been shown mercy. Cover with grace when grace has not been given you. Be patient when you are not shown patience. Be kind when you are persecuted. In doing these things, you will heap coals over the heads of those who have harmed you (Romans 12:14-21).

Are you glorifying God in your marriage? I pray you do glorify our great God and King, repent from any haughtiness, humble yourself before God, humble yourself to your wife, sacrifice your life to her, and be the godly man God has called you to be, no matter what.

So, my friend, there may be no more important message you may hear than this one given by Paul Washer. I challenge you to follow this transcript as you listen along. Listen to what he says, pay attention. Examine your marriage and your contribution to the glory of God in it. And know this, our lives purchase by the blood of Christ will cost us everything, but it will not cost our wives and families our love and duty to honor, cherish, protect, and guide them into the whole counsel of God.

Here's the audio: The Glory of God in Marriage - Paul Washer.

I always tell men this and it is so true. If after 10 years of marriage your wife is not any more pleasing to you than after the first year of marriage, it is you who have failed. You have been brought into the life of that woman in a sense to be her savior. - Paul Washer

Are You Living a Lie?

By Justin Edwards

When I come across brothers and sisters in Christ who have a similar testimony as me, I rejoice in the fact that God removed the scales from their eyes like He did mine, but I am made all the more aware that there are still so many people out there who cling to a false assurance of salvation. Carnal Christianity, as it is called, is a cancerous epidemic in the visible church today. It gives rise to a false security, which oftentimes comes in the form of trusting in a prayer someone once prayed at the altar, or perhaps even "rededicating" one's life to Christ. The reality is, however, such decisionism - determining out of one's flesh that they are "gonna get it right this time" or trusting in the once-said prayer prayed 20 years ago as the assurance of salvation - will only lead to death because the evidence of salvation is nowhere to be found in the life of this professing Christian. Please allow me to explain why that is the case.

Are you living a LIE?

The Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ is the power of God unto salvation for all who believe (Romans 1:16). We are not born again because of something we do, no, we are born again because God supernaturally transforms us. He does not make our old life better, no, He actually makes us a new creation. It is therefore futile and unbiblical to believe that man can simply just change the way he thinks, or as someone like Rick Warren teaches, to undergo behavior modification (Pelagianism). That is why so many people, though they profess to believe in God or Jesus, profess to know Him but they deny Him with their works (Titus 1:16) and walk as enemies of the cross because they have their minds set on earthly things (Philippians 3:18-19). Scripture, on the other hand, tells us the grace of God teaches us to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts and to live soberly, righteously, and godly lives today (Titus 2:11-14). In other words, being conformed to Jesus Christ is not an option for the believer, it is a necessary consequence. And it is not because of some methodical man-made plan, but because of the sanctifying power of the Holy Spirit to those who have been regenerated, or born again.

My dear friends, as I trust many of you know but some may have not come to grips with these biblical facts, there is no such thing as a continuously carnal Christian! Yes, Christians do sin, but the difference between the Christian who struggles or wrestles with their sin and their flesh and the carnal Christian - that is, the non-Christian or Christian in name only - is that the Christian is a slave to the righteousness of Christ whereas the non-Christian is a slave to their sin. The one is a slave to God, while the other is a slave to the god of this world. The one is a slave to obedience, while the other is a slave to disobedience. The one follows their Master every day, not just superficially on Sundays like carnal Christians who follow the devil Monday through Saturday. The one is a child of God, while the other is a child of wrath. The one has in store for him the riches of the Kingdom of God as a co-heir with Christ, while the other has stored up for him the fury of God's wrath for His unrepentant heart. While the one has crucified his flesh with its passions and desires, the one still continues to love the world, manifesting the works of the flesh and the pride of life, revealing that the love of God is not in him.

Do you see the difference? Merely believing the facts about Jesus does not save you. An emotional experience that urged you to "make a decision" for Christ or "ask Jesus into your heart" on a Sunday morning does not save you. Yes, there are no doubt born again believers who have done both of these things and are sealed by the Holy Spirit until the day of redemption, but they are not saved because of what they did. They are saved in spite of what they did because salvation is the work of God alone by His grace alone. However, it must be made clear, if one made such a decision, and their life reflects one that is in rebellion against God, that "decision" or superficial prayer did absolutely nothing but give you a false assurance of salvation.

This is what the Word of God says:

Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God. - 1 John 3:9

Can it be any more clear? Now, perhaps this might need to be hashed out a bit to avoid any confusion as to sinless perfection, the heretical doctrine that teaches that Christians do not sin. Let us then look at the words of the great 19th-century preacher, J.C. Ryle:

A person who has been born again, or regenerated, does not habitually commit sin. He no longer sins with his heart and will and whole inclination. There was probably a time when he did not think about whether his actions were sinful or not, and he did not always feel grieved after doing evil. There was no quarrel between him and sin; they were friends. But the true Christian hates sin, flees from it, fights against it, considers it his greatest plague, resents the burden of its presence, mourns when he falls under its influence, and longs to be completely delivered from it. Sin no longer pleases him, nor is it even a matter of indifference to him; it has become a horrible thing which he hates. However, he cannot eliminate its presence within him.

If he said that he had no sin, he would be lying (I John 1:8). But he can say that he hates sin and that the great desire of his soul is not to commit sin at all. He cannot prevent bad thoughts from entering his mind, or shortcomings, omissions, and defects from appealing in both his words and his actions. He knows that "in many things we offend all" (James 3:2). But he can truly say, in the sight of God, that these things cause him grief and sorrow and that his whole nature does not consent to them. What would the apostle say about you? Are you born again?

That is the question, professing Christian - are you born again? Are you solely and completely sold out to God? Have you forsaken everything as the Lord Jesus Christ commanded in Luke 14:33? Have you denied your will, control, and lusts of the flesh, taking up your cross as you slay the misdeeds of the body, and continuing to follow after the Lord Jesus Christ as He commands in Luke 9:23? Or, professing Christian, does your life give evidence that you continue to fulfill the pleasures of your flesh? Do you continue to ride the fence trusting that, although you know you're not living right, one day you will submit to Christ? That God is full of infinite chances and will allow you to continue to trample on the blood of His Son as if you hated Him?

The fact is, dear carnal Christian, you hate God. You are His enemy. Your lip service is only making your destination to hell more comfortable. Unless you cry out to God out of the brokenness of your soul for having offending His holiness and disregarding the grace He freely offers you, you will die in your sins. Jesus said in Luke 9:24-25,

For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it. 25 For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost?

Is your sin worth it, carnal Christian? Is your sin worth an eternity in hell? This is what Jesus commands in Matthew 5:29-30:

If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell. 30 And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell.

Please don't go to hell, dear carnal Christian! Repent from your sins and turn to the Lord Jesus Christ! For if you continue procrastinating, if you continue seeking the pleasures of life and the abominations of the flesh (1 Corinthians 6:9-10), the eternal destruction of your body and soul will be the pleasing aroma of a Holy, Holy, Holy God, and He will be glorified in the fury of His wrath against you. Do not be deceived. Do not justify your lifestyle. He knows your every thought and your secret sins, and demands for you to obey the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Out of Christ flows living water, my friend. Jesus did not command you to invite Him to come into your heart - He commanded you to follow Him! His yoke is easy and His burden is light and He will give you rest for your soul (Matthew 11:28-30). Take refuge in the grace of Almighty God. Run to Him with nothing in your hands. Turn your back on this world and the things of it. Neither your friends nor your sin is worth an eternity without the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Call on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, repent from your sins, and be saved!

Now, returning to the opening paragraph of this post, I'd like to direct you to the following video. My new friend, Jay Wingard, posted this on his wonderful blog, Soli Deo Gloria, and I want to share with you. Both Jay and Ryan Richie (from video) have seemingly identical testimonies to my testimony. As false converts for 20+ years, we trusted in a prayer, was deceived by the incomplete doctrine of "once saved always saved", and fooled into believing that there are two types of Christians - holy Christians and carnal Christians. Such false assurance permitted us to live the worldly lifestyle, and it's only by the grace and mercy of God that we now stand covered by the blood of Jesus Christ and eternally sealed by the Spirit through repentant faith. I pray Ryan's testimony, in addition to this post, will cause you to examine yourself to see if you are truly born again (2 Corinthians 13:5).

I'm always available to talk about your situation. All you have to do is ask.

Are You Obedient to the Great Commission?

By Justin Edwards

Having the knowledge of this:

Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. 12 And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. 13 The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. 14 Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. 15 And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire. - Revelation 20:11-15

Sharing the Gospel in Uptown Charlotte Today

Are you obeying this:

And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. - Mark 16:15

Knowing this:

...in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power, 10 when He comes, in that Day, to be glorified in His saints and to be admired among all those who believe, because our testimony among you was believed. - 2 Thessalonians 2:8-10

Are you obeying this:

Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen. - Matthew 28:19-20

And knowing this:

And the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever; and they have no rest day or night (Revelation 14:11a)...And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever (Revelation 20:10b).

Are you honestly subscribed to this:

For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. - Romans 1:16

What are some reasons you might not actively share your faith? Care to share these by commenting below? Let's talk about it...

Please also see Evangelism - Equip Youself and Great Commission

Last Days Desperation!

By Justin Edwards

For those of you who have been following my pastor's messages lately, you have witnessed and been a part of the urgency in his preaching. The hour is late, the day draws near - Jesus is coming for His Bride! But as Pastor Livingston has been proclaiming, Christ is only coming for those who are walking with Him in righteousness. Those who are eagerly awaiting His return, who hunger and thirst for righteousness, who love the Word of God and obey it, and who are watching and praying as Jesus commanded will be the ones who will escape the wrath to come.

Last Sunday evening, Pastor Livingston preached another must-hear message and then he called the church to pray together for those who are still dead in their sins and loving unrighteousness. As straightforward as possible, pastor preached from Galatians 5:24 and several Scriptures from John and 1 John:

Galatians 5:24 And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

John 8:31 Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed.

1 John 1:6 If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.

1 John 3:7  Little children, let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous. 8 He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil. 9 Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God.

1 John 3:10 In this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest: Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is he who does not love his brother.

Scripture cannot be more clear - those who do not practice righteousness, who are living a worldly lifestyle and who love not the truth and obey it, are not born again. There is so much deception in the church today in that people believe they can do everything that sinners do, acting like the world, engaging in activities and social events like the world, and if you ask them if they are going to heaven, they say yes because they are a good person. They might even say they believe in Jesus, but Scripture says they are not saved because they do not practice righteousness. They live in sin and they love their sin, and the Bible says they are of the devil.

As Pastor Livingston says, we must start operating in a last days desperation! While there are countless false converts going to hell, there are many believers who give lost loved ones passes and excuses and pretend they are saved when their life shows otherwise. If they once said a prayer and "got saved" yet live as though they never knew God, some of us point back to that prayer as if it actually converted them. No it didn't, and we must stop pretending like it did. These loved ones need our urgent prayer and they need it now. They desperately need the mercy and grace of God to draw them to repentant faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

I invite you, no, I call upon you with great angst to watch this message so your soul will be stirred with an urgency of prayer and a zealousness to proclaim the name of Christ! This is a call to anguish! These are the last days, and we must fight like good soldiers and endure to the end, proclaiming the Gospel without shame until our King comes.  Let the Holy Spirit lead you as you watch the sermon, and if moved to join the congregation and pastor, intercede with them on behalf of your family and cry out to God to spark revival in the hearts of those nearest and dearest to you. As I drove home today from work listening to the message, it was one of the most powerful communions I've ever shared with God. I hope it stirs you in the same way.

Last Days Desperation mp3

 

Are You Ready?

By Justin Edwards

But take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that Day come on you unexpectedly. 35 For it will come as a snare on all those who dwell on the face of the whole earth. 36 Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man. - Luke 21:34-36

Are you ready? Don't just look over these words. Meditate on them. Are. You. Ready?

Is the life you are living one that is ready for the return of the Lord Jesus Christ? Should you die today, in the next few minutes, what would happen to you? Would you be embraced in the arms of Jesus, hearing the words "well done, faithful slave", or would you enter your destruction from the wrath of an angry God?

As is often proclaimed on this blog, Jesus is coming soon. This is not fantasy, nor conjecture. It is reality based on the sovereign truth of God's Word. God penned in Scripture thousands of years ago the very things we are witnessing today, yet most are not ready. Are you ready?

Yes, Jesus is coming. Soon. But He is only coming for those who are ready. He is only coming for those who love Him, who obey Him, and who live for Him. Is that your life? Can you honestly say you are a slave to the Master? Do you love His Word? Do you read it? Do you thirst for it? Are you submitted to His will? Are you surrendered to His Lordship? Do you long to see Him? Are you sick of this world? Do you anxiously await heaven? Do you hate sin?

Or do you merely give God lip service? Are you fearful of His return? You say you know Him, but does He know you? Do you hear His voice? Do you follow Him? Or do you follow the world? Do you follow your own will? Do you follow your flesh? Are you a slave to your sin? Do you love your sin? Do you love the world? Do you love yourself more than you love Jesus? How does your lifestyle answer that question?

Jesus is coming. Are you ready? Today is the day of salvation. There are no second chances. If you hear the pure Gospel truth now and disobey it, I don't believe it will be possible for you to be saved during the tribulation. God Himself will send you a strong delusion, and you will believe the lie of Satan. This will happen because you did not love the truth, you did not obey the Gospel, and because you took pleasure in your unrighteousness (2 Thessalonians 2:9-12).

Please watch the following video from Loran Livingston from 2/13/11. Ask yourself, and be honest, are you ready? Is your sin worth an eternity in hell? Are you eady?

To love God is to obey Him.

Are. You. Ready?

Are You Ready mp3

Christ vs. Moralism

By John Hyndrex

Death is the wages of sin (Rom 6:23) and Jesus Christ had none (Heb 4:15; 1 Pet 2:22; 1 John 3:5; 2 Cor 5:21). Death, therefore, had no rightful claim on Him thus Jesus died an unnatural death. This means that Jesus, the true remnant of Israel, alone fulfilled the covenant from our side, pleasing God. And all who are united to Him share in His distinction that death has no rightful claim on them (6:23b). So Jesus alone is our focus, our religion, our righteousness. Yet we still, as Christians often get caught up in our own spirituality. That is, we focus incessantly on how we are doing, whether reading the Word, praying, involving myself in a body of like-minded believers, being a witness,. etc. We often do this in a way where we expect to win God's approval and somehow become more spiritual. While all these things are all good and helpful when done in the right spirit, it is not exactly what is meant by giving oneself fully to the Lord, or being spiritual.

To give oneself to the Lord means that you begin align yourself with God and his redemptive plan for the world. It means to lose all confidence in oneself and recognize Jesus as the all in all. The gospel remains our only hope as a Christian. All of these other activities don't make you in any way more pleasing to God. He is already pleased with you in Christ and the covenant he has made with you in Him. When we realize this, these other activities are overflow, not duty driven acts to put on our spiritual resumé. Our delight is in the Lord and the story of His redemptive activity through history culminating in his finished work in Christ on the cross. It is not about our piety ... instead we work out of salvation in fear and trembling before the Lord. The more we look at Him the more we are transformed into His likeness (2 Cor 2:18). As long as we view the core of spirituality as some morbid self-introspection and practice of disciplines then we fall into the danger of taking our eyes off of Jesus.

Sinclair Ferguson aptly said,

from the New Testament's point of view, those who have almost forgotten about their own spirituality because their focus is so exclusively on their union with Jesus Christ and what He has accomplished are those who are growing and exhibiting fruitfulness. Historically speaking, whenever the piety of a particular group is focused on OUR spirituality that piety will eventually exhaust itself on its own resources. Only where our piety forgets about itself and focuses on Jesus Christ will our piety nourished by the ongoing resources the Spirit brings to us from the source of all true piety, our Lord Jesus Christ.

So the question often arises to me about how much spiritual activity is enough? The answer is the same every time: what Jesus has accomplished for you is already sufficient. God is as pleased as He can be with you and could not be more pleased with you because of Jesus. Preach this gospel to yourself every day and you will begin to see a new world open before you. You will rest in Christ's completed work and out of the overflow of the new life you have in Him, you will do all things filled with the Holy Spirit. He becomes greater while you become less. The most mundane, banal activity then becomes spiritual ... not simply when you are reading your Bible. You don't curry God's favor or earn more points in heaven by your activities. God has set his affection on you. You are his son - this is a reality to those who are in Christ. Recall in the parable of the prodigal son where the older brother is angry with God because he said, "I have worked all my life for you and never given me a slaughtered calf." He saw his relationship with his father as a servant rather than a son. First, you must know that you are worse than could ever be imagined and are impotent to do anything on your own. Such despairing in oneself is necessary to true spirituality. Yet God is more gracious than you imagined and adopts you as his very own son. When you know you are thus loved then all of what you do will reflect that. You will forgive others, and delight in good works not because God needs to be appeased, but because you are loved by him and that overflows in your life to others. Oh, but how easy it is to forget this and slip back into perfectionism. The Apostle Paul waned against this tendency in Galatians 3:3 when he said, "having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?" Here we clearly see Paul's frustration in persons who think that we start with grace in the gospel but then move on to perfection through other means.

A common religion of our time is one of moralism, and many evangelicals tend to moralism without even realizing they are. Moralism seeks to achieve perfection through behavior modification. It often accompanies the religion of "family values" that we hear about each day on the radio. This kind of religion risks self-righteously looking down on unbelievers by putting our supposed morality in a comparison with theirs. It is as if we believe our entrance into Christianity is by grace but that our lives in Christ are due to our maintained by some kind of moralism. Those who believe this fall into the trap of (at least subconsciously) believing that is not grace alone that make us to differ with others. But we must always remember that God's commands to us to be holy and love our neighbor etc. are not there to show our ability, but to reveal our inability (Rom 3:19, 20). So instead of spending our time gazing at our navels in the hope that we become more spiritual and can attain some kind of perfection, true Christianity recognizes and faces up to our sinful imperfection. We can never obey God's commands no matter how hard we try. Anyone who thinks that they could possibly live sinlessly for an hour or a day has not yet come face to face with God and his utter holiness. We flatter ourselves to think this way but the apostolic assertion is that if a man shall keep the whole law and yet offend at one point he is guilty of all.

The good news is that we do not need to ascend to God via human effort (an impossible supposition) because He has descended to us. The philosophy of the age, even among Christians who should know better, is to focus on what we human beings can do to be saved. True Christianity, I believe, teaches that there is nothing we can do... we must despair of ourselves, because what we could not do for ourselves, Christ has done for us. Unfortunately a large percentage of Christians think moralism, avoiding wrongdoing of every kind, is what Christianity is all about, (otherwise why so much effort to get our morals put into law) not realizing that we need to repent of trusting in our good deeds and bad ones. Paul, says to the Philippians that all his good works are but rubbish compared to Christ. But even though we know this, our remaining corruption still deceives us sometimes into thinking that God wants something from us other than Christ. It is easy to see that much of Christianity has slipped into this error because the barriers and differences with Roman Catholicism seem to be coming down everywhere I look. Even in Peter Jennings interview with member's of Ted Haggard's church people were saying that they don't see that much difference anymore. I am not saying that unity would not be a good thing, but this unity is not based on truth but on family values, political alliances and morality, all of which are not the gospel.

But none of us can live up to the high standards we impose upon ourselves and often hide it when we fail, thinking that we must put on a good face to other Christians. That is called hypocrisy. Our many attempts at perfection often lead to immoral behavior, especially when it makes us feel superior to others. Rather, we should lead with our weaknesses and admit our sinfulness which points each other and the world to Christ. The world would believe us much more if we simply stopped pretending and boasting about being so much more moral than we really are. Real humility would go a long way in opening eyes for the problem with humanity is not simply our committing various sins, but with our very natures which we desperately need to be delivered from, something only Christ can do, not only at the beginning of our salvation, but each day. There is nothing wrong with wanting to be good, it is God's command, but when we are honest, not one is able to even come close to achieving this goal.

All ways which consist of human effort to reach God, whether it be through the will, intellect or emotions, are futile. We have no hope to reach God this way, for not only do we utterly fail to live up to God's holy law, but we have no desire to do so, except by God's grace. True Christian piety begins with God's decent to us in Christ and our ascent to Him through Christ. This leaves zero room for human pride. It is all about what God does for us. Only Christ fulfilled the covenant and achieved the moral perfection that a holy God justly requires. And his death bore the punishment for our willful rebellion and sinful passions. The Scripture requires perfection of you, but you don't have the moral ability to do it. God commands us to be righteousness then turns around and says that we have none (Isaiah 64:6). All self-righteousness is, therefore, out the door. We are guilty of sin against a holy God and therefore, justly deserve God's wrath. Agreeing with this reveals that the Holy Spirit has begun doing a work of grace in you and is the first step in conversion. God law, therefore, must be preached to the proud but the gospel to the broken-hearted, as Martin Luther says. When the Law breaks our pride, autonomy, self-sufficiency and the belief in the utter impotence to save ourselves, then and only then does the gospel become good news (and understandable). Any pulpit or gospel presentation that leaves out God's wrath presents an incomplete and incomprehensible "gospel", but many are doing it. Only in Christ are God's holy demands toward us fully satisfied. The Scripture testifies that believing that this is accomplished, not by our will, but by the grace of God (Rom 9:16; John 6:65). The preachers job, therefore, is to continually place the law and the gospel before Christians.

May the Lord Jesus richly bless you.

(HT: Reformation Theology)

Obey God and Live

By Justin Edwards

     Your word is a lamp to my feet
         And a light to my path. - Psalm 119:105

The Cost of Becoming a Disciple

By Dane Gardow

Because of horrible evangelism, religious lies, and itching ears, a majority of people have been led to believe that becoming a Christian is as easy as praying a simple prayer and requires very little cost or no cost at all. However, the Lord Jesus Christ has declared very clearly in the Bible that it will indeed cost you—it will cost you everything…

You will have to turn away from all your sins

Being a Christian will cost you your sins; you cannot be a Christian if you’re unwilling to forsake them. This is called repentance, and Jesus declared that unless you repent, you will perish in Hell. We are called by God to repent of our sins and turn to Him because He has fixed a day on which He will judge the world. You don’t have to clean up your life before you come to Christ; no, my dear friend, come to Him now as you are. You just have to make up your mind about giving up your sins. You must stop, turn around from following after sinful lusts, and begin following after Christ, calling upon Him to help and He will remove sin from your life as you follow His lead and obey His word. James 2:19-20; Mark 1:15; Acts 2:38; 3:19; 17:30-31; 26:20; Luke 13:3;Psalm 7:12; Revelation 2:16

You will have to forsake your desires & affections

Being a Christian will cost you all desires and affections which oppose the will and word of God. You will have to continually be on guard to rid your life of all the things that God hates and declares to be wicked. If you are unwilling to give up these unrighteous desires, you cannot be a Christian. God commands His people to hate evil and love good; to abstain from every form or appearance of evil; to flee from immorality, lust, idolatry, and greed. We are commanded to pursue righteousness, justice, and godliness. And this means all the things we fill our lives with will be determined by God’s word—the movies or television we watch, music we listen to, clothes we wear, and everything else on which we may set our affections. Psalm 97:10; Amos 5:15; 1 Thessalonians 5:22; Ephesians 5:11; 1 Corinthians 6:18; 10:14; 1 Timothy 6:10-11; 2 Timothy 2:22; Philippians 1:10;4:8; Psalm 119:97, 128

You will have to surrender over your dreams & aspirations

Being a Christian will cost you all dreams and aspirations you may have that do not align with the will of God for your life. If you’re unwilling to completely shift the focus of your life away from yourself and your previous aspirations and toward Christ and doing His will, you cannot be a Christian. We are commanded to do absolutely everything—down to something as small as taking a drink of water—with the focus of bringing God glory. We are even called to take every thought captive and make them obedient to the will of Christ. That means if you’re worrying about becoming rich, well-off, famous, or whatever, you’re going to have to cast this behind you. Jesus declared that our primary and preeminent focus is to be on His kingdom above all else. We serve the Lord, not vice versa; and He calls His people to carry out His will, not theirs; we pray for His kingdom come, His will be done, not ours. He is Lord over our life, and His disciples must live their lives accordingly. 1 Corinthians 10:31; 2 Corinthians 10:5; Matthew 6:10, 33

You will have to give up all your finances & possessions

Being a Christian will cost you all your finances and possessions. If you’re not willing to transfer all ownership of your money and possessions over to Jesus Christ, you cannot be His disciple. He owns everything in your life—including your life—and as a Christian you must acknowledge and submit to this. All that you have, you no longer use it for yourself but for Him—for His sake, His glory, His kingdom. And the things which cannot be used for these things must go. The money you have, which itself comes from God, you no longer use to buy foolish things for yourself but for the things which He approves and is glorified in. Christ commands us not to store up treasures on earth, but to store up treasure in Heaven. Your treasure will reveal your heart. If you’re all about money or heaping up this world’s goods, then your heart is with this world which will pass away. What will it profit you if you gain the whole world but lose your soul? If you seek to keep this world’s goods, you will lose both them and your soul. You cannot serve both God and wealth. Luke 9:23-25; 14:33; Matthew 6:19-21, 24

You will have to leave behind your family & friends

If you love your parents, siblings, spouse, children, family, friends, or even your own life more than Christ, you cannot be His disciple. Your love for Christ must be so extreme and preeminent that it makes your love for everyone else, in comparison, look like hatred. Jesus declared that He had not come to bring peace and tolerance amongst one another on the earth…He came, rather, to bring a sword of division, to set a person against the members of his own household for the sake of obedience and loyalty to Him. If your family criticizes you in regard to following Christ, or pressures you to go on a route that opposes the will of God, you will have oppose them for Christ’s sake. If you have friends who love to sin and could care less about Christ, you’re going to have to leave them behind…but if you are true to the Lord and serious about following Him, they’ll end up hating you eventually anyway. However, Jesus promises that whoever has left houses or parents or siblings or friends or spouses or children for His name’s sake will receive many times as much and will inherit eternal life. Matthew 10:34-37; 19:27-29; Luke 14:26; 18:28-30; 1 Corinthians 5:11; 15:33

You will have to renounce your reputation & status

If you are unwilling to count as loss for Christ’s sake your reputation and status, and what people think of you, you cannot be a Christian. You must count all these things as rubbish in view of the surpassing value of knowing the Lord Jesus Christ. You must cast off any false notion that you are someone important, someone of worth, one with wisdom and strength, and realize you indeed are one who is broken, lowly, foolish, and weak. The message of the cross is foolishness to the world, and in coming to Christ, believing His word, and obeying His commands, you will also be esteemed utterly foolish by them. But you must embrace the reproach of Christ that will come your way. If you hold faithfully to Christ, you will be ridiculed, despised, mocked, and slandered. Philippians 3:7-8; 1 Corinthians 1:18, 21, 26-28; 3:18; 4:9-13; Luke 6:22-23

You will have to abandon your comforts & easy living

If you are unwilling to take on the demanding lifestyle of a disciple of Christ, you cannot be a Christian. Jesus declared that the vast majority of mankind will end up in Hell, and that there are many who desire to enter into eternal life but will not be able to. He exhorted His disciples to strive to enter into the kingdom of God, because only those who violently press into it will enter. The Christian life is not one of luxury or complacency, but one of self-denial and discipline, vigilance, always being on the alert, always taking heed and being careful, always striving, pursuing Christ, fighting the good fight of faith, and laying hold on eternal life. The Bible says we must enter the kingdom of God through many trials and tribulations, and all who desire to live godly in Christ will suffer persecution. You will be hated, excluded, insulted, scorned, slandered, and abused on account of Christ—you may even be killed—but be of good cheer, for these things you are blessed, and your reward will be great in Heaven. Luke 6:22-23; 13:23-24; Matthew 7:13-14; 11:12; John 15:19; 1 John 3:13;Acts 13:40; 14:22; 2 Timothy 3:12; 1 Peter 5:8; 1 Timothy 6:12; Mark 13:33; 1 Corinthians 9:27; 10:12

(Source: TruthSource)
(HT: Refocusing Our Eyes)

Dear "Carnal Christian"

By Justin Edwards

Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test! - 2 Corinthians 13:5

Note - if you are not willing to test yourself as Scripture commands of all professing Christians, then this article is not for you. Neither is this message for anyone who has need of nothing. There is no hope for either one of you as long as pride enslaves you. This article is, however, for every professing Christian who has a desire to make sure their faith is genuine. Most especially, if you profess Christ but your lifestyle indicates otherwise (Phil. 3:18-19), then this is for you. And please, know that I love you - it's the reason I'm telling you the truth.

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Carnal "Christianity" is a cancer in the visible church. Millions have bought into the lie of the devil that as long as you once said a prayer, as long as you once professed Christ as Lord, as long as you go to church, or pay your tithes, or serve the poor, or any number of things to keep you in right standing with God, then you are saved and heaven-bound. If you attach your assurance of salvation to any of these things, then you are an idolater and have yet to be saved by the grace of God. A sinner's prayer does not save you, nor does a decision to "ask Jesus into your heart" save you, nor does fulfilling a list of religious duties save you - it is only by the unmerited favor of God, the grace that comes to those who repent and fully trust on the Person and work of Jesus Christ alone, that you may be saved. Eternal life is in a Person, not a decision or good works.

Yesterday morning, my pastor, Loran Livingston, preached one of the most powerful, Spirit-filled messages I have ever heard from him. Coming off the previous week's message where grace was emphasized, he balanced the doctrine of grace alone with the doctrine of Christ's lordship by defining, with Scripture, the marks of a genuine born again believer. In other words, the grace that saves us is the grace that changes us, without fail. Pastor Livingston began with the following passage from Romans 5:20-6:2,

Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, 21 so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

What a wonderful truth, knowing that the grace of God triumphs over the sin of His children. This means there is no sin or sinful lifestyle too great to be covered by the blood of Christ. However! Anticipating the argument from those who would suggest grace is a license to sin, Paul continues:

What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? 2 By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it?

"By no means!" That is the strongest language possible used by Paul to underscore that grace does not give the believer license to sin. On the contrary, Paul makes it clear the believer will not live in sin because they have, in fact, died to sin (Romans 6:3-4).

In this postmodern church age where sin is tolerated, church doors act as floodgates for the world's cesspool of sin and abominations. Fine-arts centers, mega-church businesses, and high-tech entertainment venues are replacing biblical churches preaching the pure Gospel and worshiping God in spirit and in truth. The church, collectively, is no longer conforming to Christ and is being conformed to the god of this world. The church is no longer for God's sheep, but for those with itchy ears who have turned away from the truth to myths (2 Timothy 4:3-4). The Gospel has been tossed to the wayside, easy-believism reigns, the liberal social gospel is hailed, holiness is branded legalism, and absolute truth has been exchanged for moral relativism. So what is the consequence for watering down the Gospel and embracing worldliness into the church? Answer - a countless number of false converts with counterfeit fire insurance policies.

The church is bursting at the seams with professing Christians believing they have a license to sin. They do not obey the Gospel, they bear no fruit in the sight of God, they walk according to the flesh, and they love the world and the things of the world. Is that you, professing Christian? If you suspect your lifestyle is not one chasing after the holiness of God, then please, listen up - born again people do not act like sinners! If you believe you can flirt with the world, enjoy its benefits, and still go to heaven, you are wrong. Dead wrong, and you are playing games with your eternity.

Let me be clear - those who practice the works of the flesh as a lifestyle are not saved and they will not inherit the Kingdom of God! (1 Cor. 6:9-10; Gal. 5:19-21; Eph. 5:5) You are storing up wrath for yourself due to your unrepentant heart (Romans 2:5), and because you continue to disobey the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, a day is coming when He will slay you with the sword from His mouth and sentence you with everlasting destruction! (2 Thessalonians 1:8-9).

The truth is, God's grace does not only cover His children from the multitude of sin in which they once lived, but it teaches them to desire and conform to holiness. Titus 2:11-14,

For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, 12 training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, 13 waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, 14 who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.

My dear friend, holiness is not an option for the believer. God tells us without holiness no one will see the Lord (Hebrews 12:14); therefore, the grace He saves us with will teach us to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts, and it will teach us to live self-controlled, righteous, and godly lives now.

Another test of Scripture we must look to is found in 1 John 2:3-6:

And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. 4 Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, 5 but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: 6 whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.

Do you see that? We may know! If our lifestyles are not ones that habitually obey the commandments of God out of love for God, then at best we can have no assurance of salvation, and at worst, we have no salvation. Every one born of God will indeed practice righteousness (1 John 2:29) and they will love the commandments of God (1 John 5:3), which means they will abide or continue in them. 1 John 3:6-10 could not be more clear:

No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him. 7 Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous. 8 Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. 9 No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God's  seed abides in him, and he cannot keep on sinning because he has been born of God. 10 By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother.

This does not mean the Christian will live a perfect and sinless life, but it does mean the Christian will strive for perfection and pursue the holiness of God because the seed of God has been planted in him (1 John 3:9). Practically speaking, this means the Christian is no longer a slave to sin, but a slave to obedience (Romans 6:17-18). It means sin no longer has dominion over the Christian (Romans 6:14) because the Christian has crucified the flesh with its passions and desires (Galatians 5:24). It means the desires and satisfactions of this world you used to have no longer appeal to you (Ephesians 5:8), in fact you grow sick and tired of the things you used to love. It means you grow to hate what God hates (sin), and you grow to love what God loves (purity, holiness). Sin becomes obnoxious and detestable to you. It stinks and you want nothing to do with it. You flee from it. You cut it off, including the people and the things that cause you to stumble.You no longer follow the ways of the world as you now follow the Lord Jesus Christ. One or the other, certainly not both. That is impossible (James 4:4).

There is no such thing as a continuously carnal Christian. There is no such thing as "backsliding". These are lies from the pit of hell bent on giving people false assurances of their salvation. You are either saved or you are not, and those who are saved habitually practice the things of God. Jesus said His sheep hear His voice, and they follow Him . They do not follow the voices of strangers, they obey the call of their Master (John 10:1-30). If you find yourself in a place where the joy of the world has consumed you and you realize your relationship with Jesus Christ is empty, today is the day of salvation!

The days are numbered for you, whether by death or by Christ's return. You must be born again. You must repent, or you will perish. Simply believing the facts about Jesus does not save you, you must follow Him as one of His sheep. You must put on the yoke of Christ and surrender to His rule and reign over your life. You must hunger and thirst for righteousness, and you must love His Word, obey His Word, and love His people - the Church.

I pray these words spurn you to examine your heart against the mirror of God's Word. There will, no doubt, be millions of professing Christians in hell one day because they refused to examine themselves. Please don't be one of them. I love you and I am so passionate about this because I was once a false convert myself. I don't want you to end up in hell with the false assurance you thought you would end up in heaven. If you do not desire holiness today, then you will be separated from the holiness of God for eternity. Listen to His voice. Repent and trust in Christ today.

I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep...My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.- John 10:11,27

I invite you now to watch this critical message from Pastor Livingston: