Jesus Died for Me

By Justin Edwards

For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. - 1 Corinthians 1:18

Jesus died for me.  A wretched sinner.  I lived as an enemy of the cross.  I loved the world.  I loved my sin.  Though I loved God with my lips, I hated Him with my lifestyle.  My mind was set on earthly things.  I pursued the riches of this world.  I was proud.  I wanted to control my life.  I wanted to do things my way.  I was a hypocrite.  Compared to others, I was a good person.  Compared to God, I was hopeless.  "Moral values" were my god.  As long as I didn't hurt others, it was ok for me to hurt myself through a reckless lifestyle.  I was a professing Christian.  I trampled on the blood of Christ.  I took pleasure in the sin that nailed Him to the cross.  I was religious.  I was lost.  But Jesus died for me.  For me!

What did I do to receive this greatest act of love where Jesus laid His life down for me?  Nothing, absolutely nothing.  What could I do?  There was nothing good in me.  There was nothing in me that God looked upon me favorably to say, "Ah yes, this one deserves My grace."  No, I did not deserve God's grace.  No one does.  The only thing any of us deserve is His justice and wrath - the due punishment for our crimes against an infinitely holy and righteous God.

There was no amount of effort that could make me deserving of heaven.  There was no amount of good works to outweigh by bad works.  There was no amount of cleaning myself up that would warrant me worthy of salvation.  After all, it was actually impossible for me to clean myself up, and trust me, I tried many times.  The reality was that I was a slave to my sin.  I was in bondage to the works of the flesh, and the reckless and proud lifestyle I lived was merely an outward manifestation of the condition of my heart. And because I was "saved and baptized" when I was 8 years old and was taught "once saved always saved", it really didn't matter what kind of lifestyle I lived because I was forgiven and eternally secure.  Little did I know grace was not a license to sin, nor does a prayer or "decision for Christ" equal salvation.  Even so, my pride caused me to believe God would overlook my sin, even though my lifestyle was an abomination to Him.

So why did God save me 2 years ago?  I can tell you it had nothing to do with me, but everything to do with Him.  A secret only known to God, He chose me before the foundation of the world to lay His life down for me.  While I was dead in my sins and was an enemy of God, He chose to extend His mercy to me.  To bring glory to Himself, and for this reason alone, He chose to give me a new heart so that I could see exactly who I was, and more importantly, I could see Who He is.  I am nowhere in the equation, but solely for His glorious purposes, of which I know not, He chose to make me His son and a co-heir in the Kingdom of Christ.

That is grace, my friend.  There is no other way.

I deserved the punishment, but Christ took my punishment instead.  I deserved the wrath of God, but Christ bore this wrath for me.  Every single sin - whether thought, word, or deed - I deserved to recompense, but Christ paid my debt for me because I could not.  The perfect, spotless, Lamb of Almighty God took my hell, so that I could receive eternal life with Jesus in heaven.

That is love, my friend.  There is none greater.

It is for this reason I am able to love God.  If He had not loved me first, it would be impossible for me to love Him.  If He had not made me a new creation, it would be impossible for me to desire God.  If He had not given me a new heart, it would be impossible for me to serve and obey Him.  And if He had not shone His light through me, it would have been impossible for me to understand the Gospel.

But none of these things make any sense to those with hardened hearts.  As the Scripture at the top of this post indicates, the cross is utter foolishness to those who are perishing.  They think it folly that anyone can pay for their sin except for themselves.  They mock the blood of Christ and consider it disgusting to be covered by such a thing.  The god of this world, Satan, has blinded them so they cannot see the truth that is in the Gospel (2 Corinthians 4:4), and in their natural state as children of wrath,

The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. - 1 Corinthians 2:14

But when God saves sinners by His grace alone, He gives us eyes to see and a mind to discern the things of God.  Because of this, we are able to respond to Christ with a hunger and thirst for righteousness, and God enables us to pursue Him with a passion to love Him with all of our mind, heart, soul, and strength.  This causes us to depart from iniquity (2 Timothy 2:19), deny worldliness and ungodliness (Titus 2:12), to flee from idolatry and sexual immorality (1 Corinthians 10:14; 6:18), and to come out from under the influence of the world (2 Corinthians 6:14-18).

Believers understand just how costly it was for Christ to lay His life down for His sheep.  Jesus paid our fine so we would not receive our just and eternal punishment in hell, and for that we are eternally grateful.  It is now our reasonable service to offer our bodies to Him as living sacrifices, holy and acceptable to Him (Romans 12:1).  Out of love for Him and love for His beautiful yet gut-wrenching sacrifice, we have no greater desire than to obey Him and flee from the things that crucified Him.  We are compelled to lay our lives down for Christ because we have been the benefactors of the riches of His grace and mercy. 

Christ is our Savior.  Christ is our Lord.  Christ is our King.  And me, a wretched sinner, He laid His life down.

Christ died for me.  Did He die for you?

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

Husbands - Love Your Wives

By Justin Edwards

In looking at our wedding photo from 2006 as we gazed into each others' eyes on the beach of Pawley's Island, SC, I am reminded of the Apostle Paul's exhortation for husbands to love their wives like Christ loves His Church. It seems many professing Christian men have made mental note that wives are to submit to their husbands, but they do not heed the words of Paul after the initial exhortation. Paul begins with:

Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. 23 For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body. 24 Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything. - Ephesians 5:22-24

It is true that wives are to submit to their husbands because the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church. She is to be subject to the authority of her husband and respect his decisions as long as they do not place herself or her family in physical or emotional harm. But, and that is a very big but, the man is expected to be the spiritual leader of his home, which is to say he is to lead his family in the Word of God with gentleness and be the Christ-like example God has called him to be.

But there is more. The love we are to have for our wives, husbands, is a love that is sacrificial. The Lord Jesus Christ laid His very life down for His Bride, and that is what is expected of us - to lay our lives down for our bride. The welfare of our wives must be our priority, and we must value them more than our very life. We must consider her desires and feelings of greater worth than our own, and we should count it joy to place her well-being before our own needs.

Paul gives us these words in Ephesians 5:25-29:

Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, 26 that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, 27 that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish. 28 So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself. 29 For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church. 

This is a great responsibility for husbands or future husbands. My desire, though a major work in progress, is to see to it that my wife is spiritually fed that God would sanctify her in His truth. However, having learned a lesson a couple of months ago, I must take care not to be overbearing but to do so with gentleness and respect. Though we may have the best intentions, we must be careful not to be legalistic and trust that God will sanctify our bride in His perfect timing. If there is an area of disagreement, sometimes it is best to back off, even if you might be correct on the issue (or think you are), and let God take care of it. In such a situation, pray that God would give you patience and ask Him to remove any pride in you and show you if it is you who may be at fault in the matter or handled the situation the wrong way. This was the case for me, and thanks to the frank advice of a dear brother, I did back off, God showed me my pride, and I asked my wife's forgiveness. We were then able to hash the situation out, and came to an agreement and a plan of action should a similar situation arise in the future.

So husbands, maybe you find yourself in a situation such as this right now. I challenge you to ask God to examine your heart and show you anything that is displeasing to Him, especially pride, and ask Him for the grace to repent should it be required so you may go before your wife in humility and reconcile your differences. At the end of the day, the purpose of marriage is to bring glory to God. Be resolved to do whatever is necessary to glorify Him in your marriage. Be the spiritual leader of your wife, but also be her humble servant. Love her like Christ loves His Church, and give your life to her each day.

I still have much to learn in this regard, but one thing I've gathered over these last two years is that the more I love God, the more I will love my wife. So make sure you yourself are remaining spiritually healthy through prayer and study, and let the application and the fruit of your diligence carry over and bless your marriage.  
 

Nevertheless let each one of you in particular so love his own wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband. - Ephesians 5:33

Are You Born Again?

By J.C. Ryle

This is one of the most important questions in religion. Jesus Christ says, "Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God"-John 3:3.

Are you born again? It is not enough to reply, "I belong to the church; and I suppose I am." Thousands of nominal Christians have none of the marks and signs of being born again which the Scripture has given us.

Would you like to know the marks and signs of being born again? Give me your attention, and I will show them to you out of the first epistle of John.

First of all, John says, "Whoever is born of God does not commit sin;" and again, "Whoever is born of God sins not."-I John 3:9; 5:18. A man born again, or regenerate, does not commit sin as a habit. He no longer sins with his heart and will and whole inclination, as an unregenerate man does. There was probably a time when he did not think whether his actions were sinful or not, and never felt grieved after doing evil. There was no quarrel between him and sin; they were friends. Now he hates sin, flees from it, fights against it, counts it his greatest plague, groans under the burden of its presence, mourns when he falls under its influence, and longs to be delivered from it altogether. In one word, sin no longer pleases him, nor is even a matter of indifference; it has become the abominable thing which he hates. He cannot prevent its dwelling within him. If he said he had no sin, there would be no truth in him (I John 1:8). But he can say that he cordially abhors it, and the great desire of his soul is not to commit sin at all. He cannot prevent bad thoughts arising within him, and short-comings, omissions, and defects appearing, both in his words and actions. He knew, as James says that "In many things we offend all" (James 3:2). But he can say truly, and as in the sight of God, that things are a daily grief and sorrow to him, and that his whole nature does not consent unto them.

I place this mark before you. What would the Apostle say about you? Are you born again?

Secondly, John says, "Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ, is born of God"-I John 5:1.

A man born again, or regenerate, then, believes that Jesus Christ is the only Savior by whom his soul can be pardoned; that He is the divine person appointed by God the Father for this very purpose, and that beside Him there is no Savior at all. In himself he sees nothing but unworthiness, but in Christ he sees ground for the fullest confidence, and trusting in Him he believes that his sins are all forgiven. He believes that for the sake of Christ's finished work and death upon the cross, he is reckoned righteous in God's sight, and may look forward to death and judgment without alarm. He may have his fears and doubts. He may sometimes tell you he feels as if he had not faith at all. But ask him whether he will rest his hopes of eternal life on his own goodness, his own amendments, his prayers, his minister, or his church, and see what he will reply. Ask him whether he will give up Christ, and place his confidence in any other way of religion. Depend upon it, he would say that though he does feel weak and bad, he would not give up Christ for all the world. Depend upon it, he would say he found preciousness in Christ, a suitableness to his own soul in Christ, that he found nowhere else, and that he must cling to him.

I place this mark before you. What would the Apostle say about you? Are you born again?

Thirdly, John says, "Every one that does righteousness is born of Him"-I John 2:29.

The man born again, or regenerate, then is, a holy man. He endeavors to live according to God's will, to do the things that please God, to avoid the things that God hates. His aim and desire is to love God with heart and soul and mind and strength, and to love his neighbor as himself. His wish is to be continually looking to Christ as his example as well as his Savior, and to show himself Christ's friend by doing whatever Christ commands. No doubt he is not perfect. None will tell you that sooner than himself. He groans under the burden of indwelling corruption cleaving to him. He finds an evil principle within him constantly warring against Grace, and trying to draw him away from God. But he does not consent to it, though he cannot prevent its presence. In spite of all shortcomings, the average bent and bias of his way is holy-his doings are holy, his tastes holy, and his habits holy. In spite of all this swerving and turning aside, like a ship beating up against a contrary wind, the general course of his life is in one direction-toward God and for God. And though he may sometimes fell so low that he questions whether he is a Christian at all, he will generally be able to say with old John Newton, "I am not what I ought to be, I am not what I want to be. I am not what I hope to be in another world, but still I am not what I once used to be, and by the Grace of God I am what I am."

I place this mark also before you. What would the Apostle say about you? Are you born again?

Fourthly, John says, "We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren"-I John 3:14.

A man born again, or regenerate, then, has a special love for all true disciples of Christ. Like his Father in heaven, he loves all men with a great general love, but he has a special love for those who are of one mind with himself. Like his Lord and Savior, he loves the worst of sinners, and could weep over them; but he has a peculiar love for those who are believers. He is never so much at home as when he is in their company. He is never so happy as when he is among the saints and the excellent of the earth. Others may value learning, or cleverness, or agreeableness, or riches or rank, in the society they choose. The regenerate man values Grace. Those who have most Grace, and are most like Christ, are those he most loves. He feels that they are members of the same family with himself. He feels that they are his fellow-soldiers, warring against the same enemy. He feels that they are his fellow-travelers, journeying along the same road. He understands them, and they understand him. He and they may be very different in many ways-in rank, in station, in wealth. What matter? They are Jesus Christ's people. They are his Father's sons and daughters. Then he cannot help loving them.

I place this mark also before you. What would the Apostle say about you? Are you born again?

Fifthly, John says, "Whatever is born of God overcomes the world"-I John 5:4.

A man born again, or regenerate, does not make the world's opinion his rule of right and wrong. He does not mind going against the stream of the world's way, notions and customs. "What man will say?" is no longer a turning-point with him. He overcomes the love of the world. He finds no pleasure in things which most around him call happiness. He cannot enjoy their enjoyments: they weary him: they appear to him vain, unprofitable, and unworthy of an immortal being. He overcomes the fear of the world. He is content to do many things which all around him think unnecessary, to say the least. They blame him: it does not move him. They ridicule him: he does not give way. He loves the praise of God more than the praise of men. He fears offending Him more than giving offense to man. He has counted the cost. It is a small thing with him no whether he is blamed or praised. He is no longer the servant of fashion and custom. To please the world is quite a secondary consideration with him. His first aim is to please God.

I place this mark also before you. What would the Apostle say about you? Are you born again?

Sixthly, John says, "He that is begotten of God keeps himself"-I John 5:18.

A man born again, or regenerate, is very careful of his own soul. He endeavors not only to keep clear of sin, but also to keep clear of everything which may lead to it. He is careful about the company he keeps. He feels that evil communications corrupt the heart, and that evil is for more catching than good, just as disease is more infectious than health. He is careful about the employment of his time: his chief desire about it is to spend it profitably. He is careful about the friendships he forms: it is not enough for him that people are kind and amiable and good-natured; all this is very well; but will they do good to his soul? He is careful over his own daily habits and behavior: he tries to recollect that his own heart is deceitful, the world full of wickedness, and the devil always laboring to do him harm; and, therefore, he would sincerely be always on his guard. He desires to live like a solider in an enemy's country, to wear his armor continually, and to be prepared for temptation. He finds by experience that his soul is ever among enemies, and he studies to be watchful, humble, and prayerful man.

I place this mark also before you. What would the Apostle say about you? Are you born again?

Such are the six great marks of being born again. Let every one who has gone so far with me, read them over with attention, and lay them to heart.

I know there is a vast difference in the depth and distinctness of these marks in different people. In some they are faint, dim, feeble, and hardly to be discerned. In others they are bold, sharp, clear, plain, and unmistakable, so that any one may read them. Some of these marks are more visible in some, and others are more visible in others. It seldom happens that all are equally manifest in one and the same soul. All this I am quite ready to allow.

But still after every allowance, here we find boldly painted six marks of being born of God. Here is an inspired Apostle writing one of the last general epistles to the Church of Christ, telling us that a man born of God, Does not commit sin, Believes that Jesus is the Christ, Does righteousness, Loves the brethren, Overcomes the world, and Keeps himself. I ask the reader to observe all this.

Now what shall we say to these things? What they can say who hold that regeneration is only an admission to outward church privileges, I am sure I do not know. For myself I say boldly, I can only come to one conclusion. That conclusion is, that only those people are born again who have these six marks about them; and that all men and women who have not these marks, are not born again. And I firmly believe that this is the conclusion to which the Apostle wished us to come.

Reader, have you these marks? Are you born again?

(HT: O Christian Articles)

I Hate Green Beans

By Justin Edwards

I don't really hate green beans, but I sure don't like them. Have you ever considered the times you actually use the word "hate"? It's a word that is commonly trivialized to show one's dislike for something, yet how often do we truly hate the object of our disfavor?

Webster defines hate to mean "to express or feel extreme enmity or active hostility." Synonyms for hate include abhor, abominate, despise, detest, execrate, and loathe. As much as I don't like green beans (except french-cut in green bean casserole - yes, one of my peculiarities), I cannot honestly say I abhor or despise them. Linguistically-speaking, there would not necessarily be anything wrong with using these type of verbs, but does the weight of my distaste for green beans justify their usage?

We find the word "hate" throughout the Bible and it is often used by the Lord to reveal the detestation the wicked have for Him. And of those who hate God? This is what the Lord says of their fate in Deuteronomy 32:40-42:

For I raise My hand to heaven,
And say, “As I live forever,

41 If I whet My glittering sword,
And My hand takes hold on judgment,
I will render vengeance to My enemies,
And repay those who hate Me.

42 I will make My arrows drunk with blood,
And My sword shall devour flesh,
With the blood of the slain and the captives,
From the heads of the leaders of the enemy.”’

Quite the different sentiment than a "hatred" of green beans, yes? As we see in Scripture, to hate something is serious business. As born again believers, we are commanded to walk in love at all times. In fact, there is never an excuse under the sun to ever hate any person as Jesus says in Matthew 5:43-44,

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you...

To hate anyone or be angry with them without just cause is to commit murder in your heart (Matthew 5:21-22). In 1 John 4:20 we are told,

If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen?

Indeed, this person is said to be walking in darkness who hates his brother (1 John 2:9,11). Without righteous cause (Ephesians 4:26-27), we should never let anyone or anything drive us to hatred (Hebrews 12:15). And our hatred should never be directed towards another human being no matter what they might have done to offend us. Remember, we are to love all of our enemies.

Is there ever a time that we should hate? Most certainly, but this is not directed toward people. It is directed towards the very things that God hates, namely evil. Consider the following Scriptures:

Psalm 97:10a You who love the LORD, hate evil!

Psalm 101:3 I will set nothing wicked before my eyes;
         I hate the work of those who fall away;
         It shall not cling to me.

Psalm 119:104 Through Your precepts I get understanding;
         Therefore I hate every false way.

Psalm 119:113  I hate the double-minded,
         But I love Your law.
Psalm 119:128 Therefore all Your precepts concerning all things
         I consider to be right;
         I hate every false way.
Proverbs 8:13 The fear of the LORD is to hate evil;
      Pride and arrogance and the evil way
      And the perverse mouth I hate. 

Proverbs 13:5 A righteous man hates lying,
      But a wicked man is loathsome and comes to shame.

We are to hate ungodliness, wickedness, idolatry, vanity, pride, deception, lying, perversion and all other sin. These are the things God hates; they are an abomination to Him. Anything that opposes the holiness and character of God we are to detest with all of our heart, mind, and soul. We are to hate anything that opposes the truth of God, which means we are to hate anything that seeks to replace the truth with a lie. We are to hate immorality, injustice, and everything that calls evil good. Yet, despite the things we are to hate, we must never make the immoral, corrupt, degenerate, ungodly, or proud person the object of this hatred. On the contrary, we must love them and speak the truth to them in love (Ephesians 4:15).

God is love (1 John 4:8-9), and it is the very fruit of His character that permeates the life of the Christian (Galatians 5:22). We are to love our neighbors (Luke 10:27), love our enemies (Luke 6:27-28), and love our brethren (John 13:34) all the same. This love is an unconditional, sacrificial love (agape love) that is impossible to emanate apart from abiding in the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Apostle Paul exhorts us in Ephesians 5:1-2,

Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. ² And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma. 

I believe one of the ways that may help us walk in love is to examine something as simple as our vocabulary and its usage. Personally-speaking, I have found the less I use the word "hate" in such trivial things as disliking green beans, the more removed hate will be from my heart and the more the word can be reserved for things that I should truly hate, abhor, and detest (evil). Maybe there's a sports team that you "hate", or an annoying TV show, or certain weather or seasons, or dogs, or eating habits, or exercise, or food, or job, or school work, or any number of things that repulse you. But do you really hate it? Even if you do, is it something worth hating?

In my walk I am realizing some many things are just not worth getting bent out of shape over. Even though my saying "I hate green beans" may seem to be a trivial matter to some, I try not to use "hate" for something so ridiculous.

Yes, "hate" is an ugly word as I'm sure we all heard growing up, but there is indeed a time when we should hate things. By looking into the perfect wisdom of God's Word, the things we should hate and not hate are clear. When I use the word hate, I want it to hold weight, and I want it to be reserved for the things I should genuinely hate - the very things that God hates. The less trivial things I "hate", the more I can walk honestly, uprightly, nobly, with integrity, and in good character. Let's be resolved to choose our words wisely, for:

    Death and life are in the power of the tongue,
      And those who love it will eat its fruit.- Proverbs 18:21

Now, Thanksgiving is just a few weeks away - who's bringing the casserole?

Speaking the Truth

By Mike Ratliff

There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift. Therefore it says, “When he ascended on high he led a host of captives, and he gave gifts to men.” (In saying, “He ascended,” what does it mean but that he had also descended into the lower regions, the earth? He who descended is the one who also ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things.) And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love. (Ephesians 4:4-16 ESV)

Biblical discernment is not legalism. It is not being a know-it-all who just rains on everyone’s parade, taking all the fun away from those exploring new ways of “experiencing God” or “expanding their faith.” No, it isn’t that at all. First and foremost it is done from the context of maintaining unity within one body and one Spirit through speaking of truth in love so that all truly in Christ will grow up in every way into Him who is their head. Those who exercise this discernment from this motive may at times appear to be focusing on the shortcomings of certain “Christian leaders” to the chagrin of those who follow them. Well, the reason we do that can be quite exasperating on our part I assure you. Why? Those who are deceived by these deceivers DO NOT LISTEN.

I read a comment thread the other day before I went on my short sabbatical in which people were discussing Rick Warren’s invitation to speak at John Piper’s conference this fall. Within the first 10 or so comments the reasons why he should never have been considered were plainly laid out by several of the commenters. It was in plain black and white. However, the more comments I read, the more I kept encountering those who obviously either refused to read those very well documented reasons or they either had no idea what real apostasy is or did not care. One kept saying that no one could come up with real reasons why Rick Warren should be disinvited when I had just read dozens of them in the same comment stream. I was amazed as I witnessed solid, discerning Christians get attacked by these people for speaking the truth. Truth was seen as an evil affront by these people because all that mattered to them about Rick Warren’s orthodoxy was that Rick Warren said he was orthodox so that meant he was orthodox.

From the passage I placed at the top of this post, here is Ephesians 4:15 from the ESV and the GNT:

Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, (Ephesians 4:15 ESV)

ἀληθεύοντες δὲ ἐν ἀγάπῃ αὐξήσωμεν εἰς αὐτὸν τὰ πάντα, ὅς ἐστιν ἡ κεφαλή, ὁ Χριστός,

Here, the word translated in the ESV as “speaking the truth,” ἀληθεύοντες is a nominative plural masculine present participle. This verb tense yields the idea of “continually speaking the truth.” Paul is telling all believers, especially those who are gifted by God to serve in roll in the Church with the speaking gifts to to speak the truth. This is why it is so tragic when Christian leaders compromise and speak that which is anything but. Also, and this speaks to why so many compromise here, speaking truth at all times can actually make enemies of some. The only other instance of a form of this word in the N.T. Is in Galatians 4:16 where Paul asks, “Am I therefore become your enemy, because I tell you the truth?” It is rhetorical. Yes, the answer is always yes to this. The truth is the only thing the Christian should speak, hence the big fuss about the Ergun Caner “crisis” at Liberty Seminary.

Yes, the truth is to be spoken. Why? Why is it imperative that we never include error or our own opinions in there with it? This is to keep error out of the Church and preserve others from error. However, we all know that this is not the norm and has not been for quite some time. The church’s vocabulary today is politically correct catch-phrases, sentimental expressions, and psychobabble. Instead of confronting false teachers with their error, we embrace them with such schmaltziness, as, “I’m going to ask him to speak and lay his cards on the table and find out what makes him tick.” Never mind that he is a heretic and the gospel he preaches is incomplete and false. “After all, our brother is entitled to his own ideas, and we should be open to it.” Uh, no, we are supposed to speak the truth.

A survey of the visible church in our day will reveal showy churches and glitzy ministries, but shunned is the preaching of truth. I find it amazing that when you hear some of these fellows talk and read some of what they write it becomes painfully obvious that they think they know more than God, more than the inspired Paul, more than many great leaders in church history. What will be the result? We are already seeing it. It’s called shipwrecks.

Soli Deo Gloria!

(HT: Possessing the Treasure)

Loving Christ

"This precious value, then, is for you who believe" (1 Pet. 2:7).

First Peter 2:7 speaks of the believer's affection for Christ as contrasted to an unbeliever's rejection of Him. The first part of that verse could be translated, "To you who believe, He is precious." "Precious" means "valuable," "costly," "without equal," or "irreplaceable." Christ is all that, but only believers recognize His supreme value and regard Him with affection.

Affection for Christ is the bottom-line characteristic of true believers. Believing in Him and loving Him are inseparable. In John 16:27 Jesus says, "The Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me, and have believed." In Matthew 10:37 He says, "He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me." Believers have a compelling and surpassing love for Christ.

To His antagonists Jesus declared, "If God were your Father, you would love Me" (John 8:42). Anyone who truly loves God will love Christ. Those antagonists claimed to be children of God, but their deception was revealed when they tried to kill Jesus for preaching God's truth. They were in fact children of the devil (v. 44).


In John 14 Jesus adds, "If you love Me, you will keep My commandments. . . . He who has My commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves Me; and he who loves Me shall be loved by My Father, and I will love him. . . . If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him, and make Our abode with him. He who does not love Me does not keep My words" (vv. 15, 21, 23- 24).

Many people are confused about what it means to be a Christian. But you have the privilege of clarifying the issue as you esteem Christ highly, love Him deeply, and demonstrate your love by obeying His Word. May God bless you richly as you pursue that goal today.- John MacArthur

(HT: Drawing Near - gty)

Jesus Christ Is Everything, or He Is Nothing

By Justin Edwards

 

 “I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth. - Jesus in Revelation 3:15-16

For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age,  looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ,  who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works. - Titus 2:11-14

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.

Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. Because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience, in which you yourselves once walked when you lived in them.

But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth. Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds,  and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him, where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcised nor uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave nor free, but Christ is all and in all. - Colossians 3:1-11

“If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple. And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple...whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple. - Jesus in Luke 14:26-33

God is Love

By Mike Ratliff

So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. (1 John 4:16 ESV)

As the elect draw closer and closer to Christ in obedience and fellowship the more and more they will be seen to be identified with Him and will, therefore, be hated by the world, just as He was and just as He said would happen (John 15:18-25). If the visible church has invited the world in and has become so conformed to it that there is no difference, what will happen within these “churches” when the elect within become conformed to Christ as I shared above? It will be the same result. They will be seen as outsiders and troublemakers. They will be seen as people needing “sensitivity training” or as intolerable and close-minded. They will be seen uncompromising and will, therefore, have to be driven out or, at least, ostracized. Not every church is in this sad shape, thank the Lord, but the number is growing, and intolerance for true Christian exclusivity and doctrinal purity in our countries are starting to contaminate our churches.


How should we respond? We must remain in the mode of drawing closer and closer to Christ, becoming more and more like Him. Our obedience to our Lord is foremost. We are to reflect to all the love of God that has become manifest in us.

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us. (1 John 4:7-12 ESV)

This love for one another is a description of our Christian fellowship. It is a consequence of being truly born of God. Those who claim to be Christians, but exclude the brethren who are not ecumenical, political, or liberal enough fail this test. With whom do we fellowship here? Is it all professing believers? No, it is those who are born of the same spirit as us. We can discern the apostasy and the disingenuousness in those who refuse to repent when they are confronted. No, that is not who John is talking about. We are to love and fellowship with  God’s people, those born of the Spirit like us. They will reflect the same love as us and we will see it being manifest amongst us. Also, we will know those not born of this spirit who will have a huge problem with our walk on the narrow path of obedience rather than the broad way of tolerance and ecumenicalism. Those professing Christians who demand tolerance for the ways of the world and ecumenicalism we rebuke. We tell them the truth, but they prove through their worldliness and refusal to repent  that they are disingenuous so we do not call them “brethren.”

Some may say that to walk this way of obedience is not loving. Sorry, but those would say that have it backward. We who walk this way do so because we love God and this is  how He wills that we walk. In this walk we express His love to one another and to all those He calls to Himself through us. This is indeed loving. Here is C.H. Spurgeon’s take on this.

The distinguishing mark of a Christian is his confidence in the love of Christ, and the yielding of his affections to Christ in return.  First, faith sets her seal upon the man by enabling the soul to say with the apostle, “Christ loved me and gave Himself for me.” Then love gives the countersign, and stamps upon the heart gratitude and love to Jesus in return. “We love Him because He first loved us.” In those grand old ages, which are the heroic period of the Christian religion, this double mark was clearly to be seen in all believers in Jesus; they were men who knew the love of Christ, and rested upon it as a man leaneth upon a staff whose trustiness he has tried. The love which they felt towards the Lord was not a quiet emotion which they hid within themselves in the secret chamber of their souls, and which they only spake of in their private assemblies when they met on the first day of the week, and sang hymns in honour of Christ Jesus the crucified, but it was a passion with them of such a vehement and all-consuming energy, that it was visible in all their actions, spoke in their common talk, and looked out of their eyes even in their commonest glances. Love to Jesus was a flame which fed upon the core and heart of their being; and, therefore, from its own force burned its way into the outer man, and shone there. Zeal for the glory of King Jesus was the seal and mark of all genuine Christians. Because of their dependence upon Christ’s love they dared much, and because of their love to Christ they did much, and it is the same now. The children of God are ruled in their inmost powers by love-the love of Christ constraineth them; they rejoice that divine love is set upon them, they feel it shed abroad in their hearts by the Holy Ghost, which is given unto them, and then by force of gratitude they love the Saviour with a pure heart, fervently. My reader, do you love Him? Ere you sleep give an honest answer to a weighty question! – C.H Spurgeon from Spurgeon’s Evening by Evening for Jun 5^th.

Do you love Him or are you simply being religious? Are you truly regenerate and a new creation who has this love of God in you or are you just trying hard? These are important questions to ask oneself.

Soli Deo Gloria!

(HT: Possessing the Treasure)

Speaking the Truth in Love

- John MacArthur

The twelve apostles included "John" (Matt. 10:2).

Some people picture John as overly sentimental and egotistical, lying with his head on Jesus' shoulder and constantly referring to himself as the disciple whom Jesus loved. But that's not an accurate characterization of one of the "Son of thunder"! He loved Jesus deeply and was amazed that Jesus loved him--especially after he wanted to burn up the Samaritans and then secure a prominent place for himself in Christ's kingdom. Calling himself "the disciple whom Jesus loved" (e.g., John 21:20) was simply his way of marvelling over God's grace in his life.

As much as he loved Jesus, John never allowed his love to deteriorate into mere sentimentalism. In fact, the proper balance between truth and love is the hallmark of his ministry. In his writings we find the word love more than eighty times and witness nearly seventy times. His profound love for Christ compelled him to be a teacher of love and a witness to the truth. To him, obedience to the truth was the highest expression of love. As 1 John 2:5 says, "Whoever keeps [God's] word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected."

John's greatest joy was to know that his spiritual children were walking in the truth (3 John 1:4). He firmly denounced anyone who attempted to divert them from that goal by denying or distorting God's Word. 

Today, media talk shows and other influences have blurred the lines between opinion and truth. One man's opinion is purported to be as good as the next, and there's little talk about what's right or wrong.

Truth suffers even within the church because many Christians are willing to compromise it to avoid upsetting people. They forget that true love flourishes only in the atmosphere of biblical truth (Phil. 1:9).

Amid such confusion, God calls you to speak the truth in love (Eph. 4:15). The world doesn't need another opinion--it needs God's absolute and authoritative Word!

(HT: Grace to You - Drawing Near Daily Readings)

Love One Another

. . . add to your . . . brotherly kindness love —2 Peter 1:5,7

Love is an indefinite thing to most of us; we don’t know what we mean when we talk about love. Love is the loftiest preference of one person for another, and spiritually Jesus demands that this sovereign preference be for Himself (see Luke 14:26 ). Initially, when “the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit” ( Romans 5:5 ), it is easy to put Jesus first. But then we must practice the things mentioned in 2 Peter 1 to see them worked out in our lives.

The first thing God does is forcibly remove any insincerity, pride, and vanity from my life. And the Holy Spirit reveals to me that God loved me not because I was lovable, but because it was His nature to do so. Now He commands me to show the same love to others by saying, “. . . love one another as I have loved you” ( John 15:12 ). He is saying, “I will bring a number of people around you whom you cannot respect, but you must exhibit My love to them, just as I have exhibited it to you.” This kind of love is not a patronizing love for the unlovable— it is His love, and it will not be evidenced in us overnight. Some of us may have tried to force it, but we were soon tired and frustrated.

“The Lord . . . is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish . . .” ( 2 Peter 3:9 ). I should look within and remember how wonderfully He has dealt with me. The knowledge that God has loved me beyond all limits will compel me to go into the world to love others in the same way. I may get irritated because I have to live with an unusually difficult person. But just think how disagreeable I have been with God! Am I prepared to be identified so closely with the Lord Jesus that His life and His sweetness will be continually poured out through Me? Neither natural love nor God’s divine love will remain and grow in me unless it is nurtured. Love is spontaneous, but it has to be maintained through discipline. - Oswald Chambers

(HT: My Utmost for His Hightest)

Judgment and the Love of God

Oswald Chambers

The Christian servant must never forget that salvation is God’s idea, not man’s; therefore, it has an unfathomable depth. Salvation is the great thought of God, not an experience. Experience is simply the door through which salvation comes into the conscious level of our life so that we are aware of what has taken place on a much deeper level. Never preach the experience— preach the great thought of God behind the experience. When we preach, we are not simply proclaiming how people can be saved from hell and be made moral and pure; we are conveying good news about God.

In the teachings of Jesus Christ the element of judgment is always brought out— it is the sign of the love of God. Never sympathize with someone who finds it difficult to get to God; God is not to blame. It is not for us to figure out the reason for the difficulty, but only to present the truth of God so that the Spirit of God will reveal what is wrong. The greatest test of the quality of our preaching is whether or not it brings everyone to judgment. When the truth is preached, the Spirit of God brings each person face to face with God Himself.

If Jesus ever commanded us to do something that He was unable to equip us to accomplish, He would be a liar. And if we make our own inability a stumbling block or an excuse not to be obedient, it means that we are telling God that there is something which He has not yet taken into account. Every element of our own self-reliance must be put to death by the power of God. The moment we recognize our complete weakness and our dependence upon Him will be the very moment that the Spirit of God will exhibit His power.

Are You Sharing the Gospel?

By pastorboy

Do We Really Love the Lost? 

But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd.(Matthew 9:36)

I just came back from my district conference, a time when the gathered churches in our district come together to talak about the ‘politics’ of overseeing some 90 churches. It differs from a business meeting in that we open and close with praise songs, we worship as we hear the Word presented, and we go about the mundane tasks of electing men and setting policy. The benefit surely is that it can be a time of encouragement and sharpening iron. I personally enjoy seeing so many of my friends that I know from the other churches. I enjoy speaking with the leadership ( I truly love our District Staff- great people of God from the Superintendent to the administrative professionals).I love my adopted denomination, indeed I love the people.

But I have a bone to pick, and this is not just with CM&A people, it is with all who name the name of Christ. We go to these conferences, yes, we go to church. We read and study the Bible, we are built up and equipped. I say for what?!

The theme of this conference was God’s heart for lost people. Indeed, it borrowed a line from our CM&A core values which says: Lost people matter to God, He wants them found. This is from the scripture, Luke 19:10:

For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.

Jesus came to seek and to save the Lost. This is the example that he left for the church to follow. It is why we are here on this earth. Unfortunately, I believe that many pastors and therefore many church-goers have that knowledge that lost people matter to God and He wants them found, but they do not live like they know it. Our speaker left the pulpit and went into an institutional chaplaincy because he found himself insulated from the outside world in the church. That is so true. I mean, we like church people. We love fellowship. It is easy to ‘preach to the choir’. It is easy to talk with one with whom you agree. In fact, the fellowship is sweet, it is enjoyable, and we are built up and equipped in our local church. Again, I ask, for what?

A core value is something that drives you, that motivates you, that is at the center (the CORE) of your life. I am afraid that as a denomination, in my admitedly small knowledge of the whole, it seems as though we need salt water in order to lead a missional life that is seeking to save the lost. I would say that many Pastors and church-goers hide the light of the world under a bushel basket called the church.

We are called to pray, and indeed we must. We are called to study the Word, and indeed we must. The soil needs work, indeed, we need to take the time to pick the rocks and prepare the ground. But there is a time to put the hand to the plow and get the work of planting done. If the seeds never get planted, there will never be a harvest.

I challenge the Pastors, Associate Pastors, Elders, Deacons, and other leaders to make a point of leading a lifestyle of evangelism, applying the attitude of seeking the lost. I challenge congregations to set aside hours of our leaders’ schedules so that they can intentionally go where lost people are and strike up a conversation. When the leaders get a taste of the gift and the blessing of Evangelism, the church members will follow. Believe me, I would love to sit and hear AMEN’s from a crowd of my friends whom I love. It is like sipping milk from a bottle, very comforting and relaxing. It can lull a baby to sleep, but it not for the adult who has grown out of it. Evangelism is like drinking water from a firehose. It will wake a Christian out of their sleep, make them rely on prayer and the study of the Word, indeed on the power of the Holy Spirit more and more. And it demonstrates that we love and reverence God more than we fear men. And it will show up on Sunday Morning and Wednesday Nights as well as your Pastors and Leaders are finding themselves leaning on God more for their ministry. They will also be swallowed up in a singular passion for lost people.

he challenge is this: If you believe that God wants lost people found, what are you doing about it? The Biblical method is NOT to make your church more attractive through programming, cool events, media, or music. The Biblical method is, and will always be, God’s people built up and equipped in the local church going out and seeking the lost and proclaiming the glorious Gospel. If you leaders do it, your people will surely follow. Even if they do not, indeed, even if they disapprove, as a Christian leader you are supposed to be doing all things for the glory of God anyway.

For you pew sitters: We are willing to give money, yes, and even until it hurts. But are we willing to share the Gospel with our co-workers? We go to missions conferences and are wowed by the stories of Missionaries, but do we have the guts to hand a stranger a gospel tract, or to start up a spiritual conversation? We pray for the lost to come to a knowledge of God, but do we open up our mouths and share that Gospel? You are the ones ‘in the world’ earning a living, going to school, raising the kids. Indeed you are the ones who support the work of the church and the work of the missionaries. But you are responsible to share the good news of the Gospel within your circles of influence. Don’t just be built up and equipped in the church; you are God’s workmanship created in Christ Jesus to do good works (Eph 2:10). Prayer is a good work, indeed, so is Bible Study. Whatever we do to the glory and magnification of God is worship, but in all things that we do, the best work is to share the Gospel with those all around you.

Each Christian has been given a command: Preach the Gospel to every creature (MK 16:15) It is not an option. Go out and share the Gospel today.

If any man serve Me…John 12:26

By Justin Edwards

This is a must read by pastorboy to understand what it means to truly follow and serve Jesus. It is the essence of my own blog, airō. It is the essence of a disciple. It is the essence of Jesus Christ, who is head of the Body. After reading this, do you find yourself detached from the Body, or very much a part of it being the hands and feet? If you are not in a surrendered state to your Lord, now is the time to get on your knees, die to yourself, and become alive in Christ the King. Your very soul may be hanging in the balance. If you love Him, you will live for Him in all that you do.


If any man serve Me...John 12:26
by pastorboy


The conversation that Jesus began with the Greeks in John 12 is a very fascinating one for me. It was not hi, nice to meet you, how are you doing? No, it was get to the point- The hour has come, unless a grain of wheat falls and dies it cannot produce, If a man loves his life he will lose it… It is clear in this passage that the shadow of the cross is weighing heavily on Jesus. He knows it is coming, He knows the approaching agony of the weight of sin and God’s wrath being poured out on Him. It becomes the focus of His mind and thoughts and teaching over these next several chapters and verses. In reality, he is preparing his followers for the cross that he must bear, but also the one they must bear. It is what makes this passage and these individual verses so very important to understand, for it is a clarion call to each of us about our life in Jesus Christ.

John 12:26 If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honor.

In this verse, Jesus is presenting a hypothetical situation. In this tense, the word If (Gr. ean) means perchance and indicates a hypothetical “any man” serving Jesus. Literally, this verse reads ean-if ego-I tis-any (person) diakoneo-serve/minister ego-I. So the call is to any man, to you and to I describing what it means (with the following words) to serve (diakoneo) or minister to Jesus. This Greek word indicates that the servant or the minister is in the presence of the one being served, in order for one to efficiently serve, they must be in close contact with the one being served. In this case, in order for us to serve Jesus, we must be a servant of Jesus.

To be a servant of Jesus, one must be born again to be in his effective service. Let me illustrate with another verse

Matthew 7:21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’

The Puritans prayed:

Every new duty calls for more grace than I now possess, but not more than is found in Thee, the divine treasury in whom all fullness dwells. To Thee I repair for grace upon grace, until every void made by sin be replenished and I am filled with all Thy fullness.

This idea of service is foreign to many in the modern church. They come to Jesus, like some of these Greeks likely did, looking for something out of simple curiosity or selfishness. Jesus did go directly to the point, and finishes the thought here. If you want to serve- not test, not check out, kick the tires, give a little test drive, no, serve. Minister unto, submit to the wishes of the one being served. Many people approach Jesus as above as some sort of curiosity, a moral example, a method of bringing good things into their life. Some even believe that they are serving Him and calling Him Lord. He was saying to the Greeks and to us that it is not enough to see Him, they must serve Him. Matthew 7:21 above- we did all these good things in Your name, didn’t we?

Yet, Jesus recognizes they were serving themselves and their ideas of what he wanted rather than serving Him.

To serve someone you must know that person, and that person’s needs. Jesus does not have needs as such, but He does have a will. His will for us is discovered in the pages of the Bible that He has left for us, and discerned by a true Christian illuminated by the Holy Spirit. As we read the scripture, we obey it as we apply it to our lives. It is like my wife when we have guests over, she asks what it is they would like to drink, giving them choices of what is available. Now she knows me so well and loves me so much that (for example) in the morning, she brings me a cup of coffee. But what if I wanted juice? She loves me so much that if I asked, she would bring juice instead. She is serving me, knowing what I like in the morning. If I changed my regular order, she would serve that to me, without a question because she loves me. It is the same way with Jesus; as His servants and His followers we ought to know what it is that He wants. He wants us to bear fruit in keeping with repentance. He wants us to share our faith. He wants us to love one another. But as we grow in Him and in His Word, we may notice an area where we have fallen short of His standard. A true Christian will repent, and not continue to give Jesus what he does not want. That is why it is important to keep a soft heart. We do not want Jesus to say, I never knew you- you never served me- depart!

follow-akolotheo this term is used specifically for soldiers and servants, and it means to go after or to attend. It indicates that one has to be close to the one being followed in order to hear or to follow the orders specifically.

A Puritan Prayer:

Keep me walking steadfastly towards the country of everlasting delights, that paradise-land which is my true inheritance. Support me by the strength of heaven that I may never turn back, or desire false pleasures that will disappear into nothing. As I pursue my heavenly journey by Thy grace let me be known as a man with no aim but that of a burning desire for Thee, and the good and salvation of my fellow men.

Following Jesus and serving him are part and parcel with one another. You cannot serve Jesus unless you are following Him, that is, you cannot serve Him unless you are step by step with Him where he is going. If you are apart from him, that is, in the spiritual, you cannot truly serve Him. Again, in order to know the direction He is going, you must be first and foremost a believer, in dwelt by the Holy Spirit, and follow the clear instructions He gives in His Word. Then you will know beyond a shadow of a doubt that you are in fact following Him. Remember, His sheep hear His voice, His sheep follow Him. A commentator said of this verse that it means that we are inseparable from Him. When we follow Him, we must walk the way that He walked. We must also go where he leads in the way that He leads. If you ever saw the movie “March of the Penguins” it is much like the baby penguins who spend months on the feet of their father inside the egg, so that they do not freeze instantly by touching the ground. When the baby penguins hatch, they walk as their father walks, because they have spent so much time walking with him in egg form. By reading the scripture, and seeking the face of Jesus We become so close to and so reliant upon Jesus that we walk where he walks and in the way that he walks.

Now to many this sounds very negative, that we ought to lay down our lives to serve and to follow Jesus. To many it sounds like a list of do’s and don’ts. And for those who do not love the Savior, it will be. Stop right there; hear the word. Love- we serve because we love. We follow because we love. This service is a response to the love of God- we love Him because He first loved us (1 John 4:19). These Greeks, we do not know their motive, but they wanted to see Jesus. Jesus explained to them clearly that it was not about seeing Him, indeed seeing Him is not enough. Knowing about Jesus is not enough. Remember, the very word believe mans more than just a head knowledge, it is an emotional response that leads to life change, and a volitional response that leads to a submission of the will. This means that we serve and follow Him because we believe. We believe because we love. We love because he first loved us.

Is Jesus Christ our first love? Is he higher and more significant than the love of our life, our spouse, our children, our job, our money? We are to love God first, with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and out of that love, we are able to properly love people. It is out of love that we serve and we follow Christ, and it is out of that motivation alone that keeping his commands will not be a burden to us, rather, a labor of love. Jesus, as Matthew Henry puts it, because he is calling us to serve and to follow sets both the work and the wages. He calls us to serve Him, as stated earlier, meaning that we must attend him, follow Him, and as stated, we must be where he is. Where was Christ going? he was going to the cross. As we walk about on this earth, we are called to the cross, we are called to

Matthew 16:24

Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.

In other words, we are to deny ourselves, our life, and hate it or deny it for the sake of Jesus Christ and the Gospel. Ultimately, the road Jesus was on was the road to the cross. It is there we lay down our own lives so that we can be risen with Him. So, in order to follow Him now, we must be risen with Him, and we must set our minds on Him, seeking first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness:

Colossians 3:1-2

If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. 2 Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.

If we have been born again, then we are no longer simply seeking Christ, we are serving and following Him. It follows that we are risen with Christ, therefore we need to seek and set our affection on the things that are above, and not of this world. We need Jesus Christ and his risen life to do a sanctified reset of our priorities. Our priorities become Kingdom Priorities, because we are serving the King!

When we read and apply the scripture as a result of being indwelt by the Holy Spirit after we have been Born Again, and we are serving the Lord Jesus Christ because He first loved us and we love Him in return to the glory of God the Father, doing the works that please Him and glorify Him, there is also a wage, but not in the traditional sense. We know that the wages or payment for sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. When we serve God, ultimately, He gets the glory, and He is our reward. When I was courting Wendy, I wanted to spend every waking hour with her. I wanted to be where she was. I was in love, and I would do anything to please her. I did not want to do anything that displeased her. I changed the kind of movies I liked, who I hung around with, even some of my bad habits. The reward was her heart, and I have never stopped seeking that reward (though my desire has waxed and waned at times). Are we in love with God this way? The reward is great, but the motive must be love or the difficulty with the life of a Christian will overwhelm us. How do we put to death the works of our flesh that want to over come us? Fall in love with Christ and seek to serve Him and the things of this earth will dim in comparison. If your love has waxed and waned, return to your first love, seek Him with all your heart, return to the things you did at first.

..where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honor. John 12:26b

..The wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord! Romans 6:23

So, in technical terms, there is judgment for works, and grace as a gift from God. If we stand before God on the merit of our works that we do to please God, our wages will be eternal punishment. Ultimately, when we do religious acts in order to please God outside of what he prescribes (that is a broken and contrite heart, PS. 51) we are in fact bribing the judge, and the scene reverts back to Matthew 7 ‘we did these works…and Jesus says ‘but I never knew you’.

1 Corinthians 3:13-14

“Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is. If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.”

The opposite is true, if we serve Jesus, remembering that outside of faith in Him alone, we cannot truly serve Him. So we must, as 1 Corinthians 3 teaches, be building on the foundation of Christ. (God will be the judge). This scripture seems to teach that Christians can do good works that are not of faith, not focused on Christ, receiving an earthly reward. These will be burned, and will not receive reward from God (Matthew 6). When we do work to the glory of God, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, building upon the foundation of faith that He has given us, and we do the good works that God has prepared us in advance to do (Ephesians 2:10) our reward, our wage, is Christ. We get to be where He is, and we will be made like Him, for we shall see him as he is. We do not get the temporary reward of man, we get the honor (GR: timao) of God, that is, God values us and deems us and holds us worthy (in Christ). As we serve, follow, and honor the Son, the Father honors us. And the ultimate honor, the ultimate reward for us is to be able to dwell forever with Him.

I think that as we fall more in love with Christ, as we get beyond wanting just to see, and move beyond to service and following Him, then the walk becomes more challenging, yet the burden is light. The rewards and accolades of men become less important when the reward is Christ. When the reward is Christ, our joy is made abundant and full despite the circumstances we face daily. We need to serve and follow, looking to Christ, the author and the finisher of our faith.