He Said What?

Often this is my response to discussions between Paedobaptists and Credobaptists. I can hear myself say "what" as both sides not only talk past each other but seem to be clueless to what their opponent believes. I typically don't foray into the discussion because I would be spending more time correcting the straw-men arguments than I would presenting my case. So as I observe the, often, heated exchanges I can find myself thinking "what" as the Baptist says something like, "The Reformers couldn't fully break from Rome where infant baptism came from!" Sounds like someone has, either, ignored Church history or wasn't paying attention in class. Historically speaking, it can be traced explicitly back to the third century, which is before the institutional church at Rome (the Roman Catholic Church). Perhaps, if my fellow Credo's were sincere in the discussion, then this type of fallacious argument wouldn't surface.

When I hear the Paedobaptist argue- "We don't exclude our children from the fellowship of the saints and ignore them at church," I often hang my head and chuckle and then murmur "he said what!?" Sounds like someone has never stepped foot in a Reformed (or covenantal) Baptist church. Maybe you can ask one of the children what they have learned about Christ or if they feel "excluded" from the rest of the body? And just try asking us what, exactly, we believe about children in our churches rather than telling us what we believe. Dialogue is a must in this conversation.

Part of the problem is that both sides are far more concerned with attempting to prove the other wrong without first having listened to what the other believes. When this approach is taken (it usually is) the conversation doesn't get very far before it turns into a verbal slugfest and defeats the whole purpose. Often I can sense a bit of elitism coming from both sides. The Paedobaptists tend to make themselves "Truly Reformed" since the Reformers were for infant baptism. The Credobaptists, on the other hand, tend to swing their elitism in another direction. They- "stand upon the Word of God and not on the traditions of men." Sadly,  for the most part, neither camps have taken the time to demonstrate brotherly love by listening or reading what the other side believes and interact with that argument. The times when I have discussed the subject of baptism with Paedobaptists, it is as if they do not recognize that their is even a covenantal reason why Reformed Baptists do not embrace infant baptism. There are Credobaptists-far too many- that haven't a clue to the case from Paedobaptists on the continuity between circumcision in the O.T. and baptism in the N.T. Have we learned nothing from Proverbs 18:13: "If one gives an answer before he hears, it is his folly and shame."

Of course this argument is worth having. Absolutely. It is even good to have some wood thrown in to stoke the fire but we must never forget that we are brothers in Christ and must never lose sight of the goal-our growth and His glory. We should not make this into a discussion to feed and fuel our pride and to divide over, for that brings more shame and dishonor to Him than being wrong on the subject! 

While we stand as Reformed Baptists on this blog, we love and respect our Paedobaptist brothers. So much that we wrote two articles about it here and here. We reject much of what comes out of most modern day Baptist churches and, quite frankly, have more in common with our Paedobaptist brethren than we do contemporary Baptists. This is why we have no problem sitting at the feet of our infant baptizing brothers and learning from them and recommending their books and sermons. If one must look through the eyes of superior and inferior, then we readily acknowledge we are inferior but receive us, love us and teach us, as I have found no greater theologians in the history of the Church than Ursinus, Witsius and Owen- all Paedobaptists! Let both sides remember: "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. And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother" (1 Jn 4:20–21). Soli Deo Gloria!

For His Glory,

Fernando

A Reminder On The Purpose of This Blog

As of recent, I've been caught up with school and other responsibilities. Therefore, my writing on this blog has not been as consistent as I hoped it would be. Nonetheless, I have fellow contributors that dedicate time to writing their articles. For the record: We do not gather up a pieces of information and think we have every issue figured out, not at all. We understand that issues are much more complex than the modern evangelical would have us believe. I say this, so that you can see that we put time and effort to write these articles. I do not know much, but the little that I know, I am willing to share. I am no master theologian. I am simply a young reformed guy who desires to see Christ glorified in the lives of others. That is all. We seek no fame (hence the Pseudonym). We seek no money. Our joy is brought from seeing our fellow brothers and sisters "grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ" (2nd Peter 3:18). I encourage you to share the articles that you find helpful. There are two articles thus far in Spanish. I plan to begin to translate some classic theological articles into Spanish. Share them with those in Charismatic circles, and those that are ignorant of the reformed faith. As always, Soli Deo Gloria.

In Christ, Awretchsaved

Special verses General Revelation

Romans 1:16-32: For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, "BUT THE RIGHTEOUS man SHALL LIVE BY FAITH." 18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, 19 because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. 20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. 21 For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. 22 Professing to be wise, they became fools, 23 and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures. 24 Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, so that their bodies would be dishonored among them. 25 For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. 26 For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural, 27 and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error. 28 And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper, 29 being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice; they are gossips, 30 slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, 31 without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, unmerciful; 32 and although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also give hearty approval to those who practice them.

Starting with the special revelation of the gospel, Paul shows how it is this revelation of God, from faith to faith, by which believers are saved; he then goes onto the general revelation of God, and devastatingly shows how, with this general revelation alone, the end of these people is a perverse knowledge of God which they pervert all the further, according to their natural depraved manner of thought, and shows the final outcome: they not only do the things worthy of death, with an inherent knowledge that those who practice such things being worthy of death, but give hearty approval to others who practice them - in other words, they encourage them to practice that which they know will end in death; in fact, starting with vs. 28-31, we see what could easily be called a "list of death" which ends in the death knoll of v. 32. There is absolutely no hope for those limited to general revelation, as this section of Romans 1 shows.

Yet the course of church history, for centuries, has been set on fire of hell by those who insist on the limited portions of this discourse which speaks of the knowledge of God and His attributes from nature, and innately, which is no saving knowledge at all, followed through to the conclusion of the apostle's argument.

Such is the method of the natural man's mind seeking justification for false doctrine to allow for his irrational understanding of the Scriptures of God: The Creator has, indeed, been made over in the image of men - the men who suppose that this passage holds any hope at all for those who have not received faith to believe from God in the new heart and spirit (nature) He alone gives, and the communion with His Spirit necessary to holding to that intimate knowledge of Himself (fellowship [union] in the light - 1 John 1:5-7) that is apprehended by the faith He gifts us with, if we are truly His (Ezekiel 36:26; Ephesians 2:1-10; 1 John 4:13).

Thanks be to God for His free gift of grace in the eternal life which comes to us by His Spirit regenerating us, His drawing us to His Son, and His Son showing the Father to us (John 3:3-8: 6:37-44; Matthew 11:27).

To the glory of God and for the building up of His body - Bill Hier

The Value Of Creeds, Confessions And Catechisms

Have you ever examined contemporary Christianity with its watered down doctrine, embracing of unbiblical doctrine, it's love affair with Israel, man centered worship and its individualism (the list can go on and on)? It's not a pretty picture. Much of today's Christianity can be traced to all sorts of problems but one, a very big one in my opinion, that I wish to point out is the abandonment of the historic creeds, confessions and catechisms. Not just the abandonment of them either but the outright rejection and detestation of them. The attitude of "deeds not creeds" has wrecked much havoc in the Church. It's very tragic since this neglect of core biblical truths is precisely what the authors of the creeds, confessions and catechisms were trying to prevent.

The authors never intended these summaries of the Christian faith were to replace or supplant the Holy Scriptures but, to summarize what they teach on given subjects. They stood firmly on Sola Scriptura (the belief that the Bible is our sole authority for all faith and practice) while rejecting Solo Scriptura (the idea of the Bible and nothing else). It was a safeguard against the individualism and erroneous views that we all can come up with, when we read the Bible apart from other believers (see Harold Camping for an example). One may well object, "but they are the teaching of what men think the Bible says!" Fair enough. The answer to that is the creeds, confessions and catechisms were written by groups of men and tested. They collectively got together and compiled these writings. They relied upon others and what they taught about doctrines of the Bible all the way back to the Scriptures. In other words the Bible was their absolute foundation and other men helped guide their understanding of biblical truths.

One can and should test these historic summaries of the faith in light of Scripture. That is what these godly men desired-Sola Scriptura! Let's just take one example. What is one of the most common asked questions from man concerning his existence? "Why do I exist?" Well, the Westminster Shorter Catechism deals precisely with that issue in it's first question: Q. 1: What is the chief end of man?" A: Man's chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy Him forever." You can find this truth in passages like 1 Corinthians 10:31, Romans 11:36, Ps. 73:25-30 and Ecc. 12:13. Yet, just ask that very same question to Christians today and watch all the different and, sometimes, silly answers. I once had a conversation with an associate pastor (with strong Emergent tendencies) and asked him this very question. He stumbled and stammered around for an unbiblical answer (he came up with something like "community"). When I quoted the Westminster Shorter Catechism without telling him so, he responded "that's from John Piper!" He was ignorant of the Westminster Catechism and because Dr. Piper has strongly taught on this, this person thought that it was something Piper made up and because he thought Piper was "vile," he rejected it. But you see the authors of the Westminster Catechism (and the Creeds and Confessions) were trying to avoid this type of ignorance to very basic questions that only Christians have the answers to. While at the same time making it as simple as possible for new converts and our children to understand biblical teachings.

Let's take another example. Let us look at justification (to be declared righteous before God). Ask any believer (or even pastors), walking out of a church service, what justification is and observe the blank and confused looks. With justification being an absolutely essential and vital doctrine (without justification all you have is damnation ) to Christianity, there should be no reason for such confusion and ignorance on the part of those professing to being justified. The Heidelberg Catechism (my favorite) not only safeguards against any false teaching of it but beautifully explains it: Twenty-Third Lord's Day- Question 60.  "How art thou righteous before God?" Answer. "Only by a true faith in Jesus Christ; so that, though my conscience accuse me that I have grossly transgressed all the commands of God, and kept none of them, and am still inclined to all evil; notwithstanding God, without any merit of mine, but only of mere grace, grants and imputes to me the perfect satisfaction, righteousness, and holiness of Christ; even so, as if I never had had, nor committed any sin; yea, as if I had fully accomplished all that obedience which Christ hath accomplished for me; inasmuch as I embrace such benefit with a believing heart." I don't know if it can be explained any better! Why is there so much false teaching and ignorance on this issue? Largely because the creeds, confessions and catechisms have been ignored and rejected. Not only is the Bible clear on this matter but it has been explained to us. So there is no reason for such deceit and confusion in the body of Christ.

The use of these teachings are inferior and subordinate to the Bible. Make no mistake about that. But they are of such great aid and value that they cannot and should not be ignored. They are not much different from local church doctrinal statements. They are not much different (perhaps even better) than your pastor's preaching on topical subjects. We would be wise to use them. Again, one reason why I believe the Church is askew in its dctrine, is because of the rejection of them (among many other things). People say, "No creeds but Christ!" To which I respond with- "but what Christ?" The Emergent Christ? The Prosperity Christ? The Jehovas Witness Christ? The Mormon Christ? Which one?  The 1689 London Baptist Confession of Faith, chapter eight, teaches us which one: "The Son of God, the second person in the Holy Trinity, being very and eternal God, the brightness of the Father's glory, of one substance and equal with him who made the world, who upholdeth and governeth all things he hath made, did, when the fullness of time was come, take upon him man's nature, with all the essential properties and common infirmities thereof, yet without sin; being conceived by the Holy Spirit in the womb of the Virgin Mary, the Holy Spirit coming down upon her: and the power of the Most High overshadowing her; and so was made of a woman of the tribe of Judah, of the seed of Abraham and David according to the Scriptures; so that two whole, perfect, and distinct natures were inseparably joined together in one person, without conversion, composition, or confusion; which person is very God and very man, yet one Christ, the only mediator between God and man...This office the Lord Jesus did most willingly undertake, which that he might discharge he was made under the law, and did perfectly fulfil it, and underwent the punishment due to us, which we should have borne and suffered, being made sin and a curse for us; enduring most grievous sorrows in his soul, and most painful sufferings in his body; was crucified, and died, and remained in the state of the dead, yet saw no corruption: on the third day he arose from the dead with the same body in which he suffered, with which he also ascended into heaven, and there sitteth at the right hand of his Father making intercession, and shall return to judge men and angels at the end of the world." Soli Deo Gloria!

For His Glory,
Fernando

Must Christians Back The Modern Nation of Israel Or Fear God's Curse?

Many in contemporary Christianity would have us think so. To not support the modern nation of Israel in any way is to invite God's curses they say. Then Genesis 12:3 is often brought in for the heavy artillery: "I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” It is on this passage that many of today's Christians promote a backing of almost anything that the modern state of Israel does, especially in regards to the land. It is rather a peculiar and erroneous view since Israel, as it stands now, not only rejects Christ but also prevents the proclamation of His name and persecutes His Bride. There is much more, so much more, that I wish to speak on this issue and I will in the future but for now I simply defer to Jamin Hubner of RealApologetics.org and a contributor to Dr. James White's blog at aomin.org. Jamin's full article on this topic can be found here.

To wet your appetite here are a few quotes: "But, why should we be surprised at these facts? The Old Testament describes the New Covenant with the terms “house of Israel and the house of Judah” (Jeremiah 31:31), and this includes the whole church. Grudem correctly summarizes, 'it seems hard to avoid the conclusion that the author views the church as the true Israel of God in which the Old Testament promises to Israel find their fulfillment.'”


"So, what’s the point? The point is that there has, is, and always will be one chosen people of God. The covenantal administrations throughout redemptive history differ. That’s clear. But it is even more clear that there is continuity in God’s saving work. It is a serious stretch – the stretch of Darby that ignored centuries of church history – to assert an absolute dichotomy, let alone a stark contrast between the Jews and the New Covenant Christians. Since Christ has come, all believers are, as the Scriptures say, 'the offspring of Abraham, heirs according to the promise.'”


"Therefore, it is unfounded to suggest that God started a new program and people in isolation from Israel with the beginning of the New Covenant. God 'grafted in' a new branch into the existing tree, not planted a new tree altogether."


"What is unbiblical is (a) equivocating modern Israel with Old Testament Israel, and (b) instructing the church to embrace (if not enforce) part of a covenant (e.g. promised blessings) without supporting the rest of the covenant (e.g. promised curses). The former (a) has largely been addressed in the first half of this work. The latter (b) needs further elaboration."


Concerning another proof-text of Dispensationalists in Gen. 48:3-4: "First, the question is not whether 'forever' means 'forever' or if 'everlasting' means 'everlasting.' The question is whether 'descendants' in these Old Testament texts mean 'ethnic Jews and them only.' Because, as it was already demonstrated, Paul (and countless other non-Zionist conservative scholars) teach that all believers since the work of Christ are “offspring of Abraham, heirs according to the promise.” Jew or not, all believers are members of one “household.” Indeed, “there is neither Jew nor Gentile…for you are all one in Jesus Christ.”


It is a very good article and I encourage you to read the whole thing here. Far be it from me to support the Christ rejecting nation of Israel in whatever she does. The land is not hers but the Lord's: “The land shall not be sold in perpetuity, for the land is mine. For you are strangers and sojourners with me" (Le 25:23). Soli Deo Gloria!

For His Glory,
Fernando

Advice To Young Men Desiring The Ministry

Prepare yourselves. Equip yourselves. The work of  "the man of God" is no easy task. It is a high calling that comes with great joy and great difficulties. Great joy because you get to open the Word of God and explain it to His people. This is done after you have studied it and have been humbled, moved, exhorted, rebuked, encouraged, comforted, equipped and drawn closer to Christ. As you are preparing to expound the Holy Writ, you are getting a glimpse at the majesty of the Living God. You are beholding His glory and it soothes your soul. And as you have been moved by Him, through His Word, you will be passionate (any pastor that is not passionate about heralding the Scriptures should perhaps re-consider his calling) in your preaching. Then comes the great joy of seeing God's people overtaken by His greatness as you are heralding His name to them. You get to observe their love and passion for Christ grow and even re-kindled. Oh the joys of this great calling of preaching His Word and shepherding His people! "The saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task" (1 Ti 3:1–2). 

Yes, prepare and equip yourselves for this. How so? By understanding that it is only one side of the ministry. Chances are that if you think that you are being called to enter the pulpit (you must meet the qualifications given in 1 Timothy and Titus) it is because as you study the Word of God it moves you to share and help explain it to others. It is like a burning pot of melting Gold in your heart that you cannot contain and you must turn to someone and say, "Here have some!" But you must prepare yourself that others you are attempting to share the gold with may not want it. On the contrary they may despise and dislike you for it. They do not share the same joy of God's pure and unaltered Word. Partly because others have been giving them fools gold and therefore they do not know how to recognize the real thing. They may think you are the impostor peddling rubbish. This is why you need to equip yourself. The joy you have may be frowned upon by others. How are you going to handle the discouragement? I suggest that you study the life of the apostle Paul and his son in the faith Timothy. Paul was often rejected and his authority often called into question. Even by those he led to Christ (see 1 and 2 Corinthians). Timothy was young and perhaps shy. His youth may have been looked down upon (see 1 and 2 Timothy). He needed to be encouraged by Paul. That is why it will be imperative that you keep Christ at the focal point of you ministry and read what other "men of God" have written about concerning the ministry. They share, warn and prepare you for the struggles that await.

Many young men go into the pulpit thinking that they are going to change the world. That their preaching will numerically grow the church that they have been called to pastor. Yet if they stay faithful to preaching the whole counsel of God (if they don't, they need to step down since that is not optional), which includes preaching the difficult truths of God's Word- the sovereignty of God, election, repentance, exposing sin, the depravity of man e.t.c.- they may decrease the size of the church. People not accustomed to hearing texts of Scripture expounded on will flee the church and even they, along with some that remain, will blame the pastor. He often gets tagged as "confrontational," "legalist," "hell fire and brimstone," "divisive" e.t.c. People will also mistake and question your motives. This all comes from the fact they he is only being faithful to what God has called and gifted him to do. It is the Holy Writ that is divisive: "For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the hear" (Heb 4:12). But since it is Christ's under-shepherd that is called to proclaim this Word of God, it is he that gets blamed. After all no one wants to blatantly call God into question. Thus, like the faithful men of God that have been called to proclaim God's Word, whether they be the prophets of old or apostles of the N.T., modern day minsters will be slandered, accused, and rejected. This is a painful thing since it typically comes from the ones that they are called to shepherd.

The ministry has its struggles. It is a very difficult thing.  You must prepare and equip yourselves for this. The failure to understand this particular difficulty in ministry has led many to abandon the authority of God's Word and go to some other human forms that are believed to be more effective. Fearing men rather than God is a real threat for the pastor. But please understand that the rejection from men is a part of you're calling. To love Christ means to love His sheep and to love Christ and His sheep is to proclaim the Word of God- all of it! Even if they hate you for it. Your responsibility as an under-shepherd is to lead and protect them. You cannot do this apart from giving them God's Word. Always keep Christ and His glory at the forefront of your ministry (Philippians 3:8-11). To take your eyes off of Him and exclusively place them on the congregation is to invite shipwreck to your ministry. Finally, remember that loving the sheep requires that you give them the Word of God no matter how much you may be disliked for it: "I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry" (2 Ti 4:1–5). Soli Deo Gloria!

For His Glory,
Fernando

Divine Adoption

All to often the biblical teaching of our adoption is overlooked and perhaps even neglected. I'm guilty- of emphasizing redemption over adoption. Yet, in the one of the four passages that speak of adoption, the text says that we were redeemed so that we could be adopted: "But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, 'Abba! Father!' So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God" (Ga 4:4–7). Our redemption and our adoption go hand in hand. God doesn't just save people from His righteous wrath. No, He makes rebellious sinners His children! Those that are in Christ now have a place at His table as a part of His family. We are not just forgiven sinners that are tolerated by God. No sir, we can now call the Father- Father. We are His children and He loves us so. He sent His very own Son-our Lord Jesus- to provide the grounds for our adoption. That's how much He loves His children. Divine adoption is a beautiful thing isn't it? While we were not only not looking for Him, we were His enemies and, He lovingly sought us out and brought us into His family.

We must never think that our adoption stems from some misplaced idea that we were orphans. We were not orphans we were rebel sinners and enemies of God. Orphans are usually children that have been rejected by their parents and deserve to be taken in by some family that will love them. And as you observe, when human adoption is accomplished the adopting family typically chooses the kids that are not as "bad" as the unruly others that tend to bring all sorts of problems with them. That is not a complaint by any means. It is the natural humans desire (or at least was) to protect the family and not divide it. Anytime some family takes a child that is not there's by genealogy, it is a noble thing. But divine adoption is vastly different. For the thrice holy God takes enemies and doesn't just make them His friends but His sons and daughters! And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind" (Eph 2:1–3). God takes those that hate, reject and blaspheme Him and are by nature His enemies under His wrath and makes them His. He loves them and has set His love and affection upon them before they were born, before they were even aware of their own existence. We did not and do not deserve to be a part of His family but since God is love He has marked out a family for Himself that are heirs of His promises found in Christ and secured and accomplished by Him. Contrary to human thought not everybody is God's child. Only those that are repentant and have believed in Christ can cry "Abba Father!"

Our adoption was not just some afterthought of God. When God created the world, it was not as if He made us a back up plan after man chose to rebel against Him. No, in love God predestined us to be His children and to receive His blessings. He willfully, purposefully, deliberately chose to set His affection on us and make us members of His family before He even spoke the world into existence: "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight  making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ  as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth" (Eph 1:3–10). God, in love, decided to adopt us before He even created the world. He made the choice to make us His. That is why a rejection of the biblical teaching about election is very tragic. When one teaches that God chose us because He looked down the tunnel of time to see who would accept Him and these He chose, it is not only a rejection of God's sovereignty but a minimizing of His love and our divine adoption. It is just another way of saying that everybody deserves to be adopted and is dependent on our own actions but if every one deserves to be adopted then God has an obligation to man which takes makes grace something owed to sinners. Yet, that is the exact opposite of what the adopted apostle Paul is stating in Eph. And even on a human level it is nonsensical since human adoption is not determined by the one being adopted but by the adopting parents!

Our adoption, as sons of the Living God, means that we are brought into a corporate family. God does not have children that do not fellowship with their brothers and sisters. The individualism that can be found in much of the Western Church flies in the face of adoption. We are a family and we worship, fellowship and socialize as such. We have an eternal family. Any genetic relationship is bound by time while the one that is bound by the blood of Christ will remain in eternity. Our family is huge and with it it has many, many blessings that are found in Christ our Savior. That is why a rejection of gathering to worship our God collectively and to fellowship with one another is a slap in the face of God because it is to call yourself a bastard (illegitimate). The Father did not send His Son to crush Him on the cross so that you can reject the rest of His family; because we are a family of believers we are told: "Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.  And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near"  (Heb 10:19–25). Notice the plural pronouns? We are children of God and therefore brothers and sisters in Christ and we function as such to the glory of the Father.

Divine adoption is truly something wonderful. I praise the Lord for my brothers and sisters in Christ. We love love Him because He first loved us: "We love because he first loved us. 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. And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother" (1 Jn 4:19–21). Soli Deo Gloria!

For His Glory,
Fernando

You Might Be A Calvinist If...

I posted this on the Puritanboard.com a while ago. I forget exactly where I got it from. Enjoy. =)


You might be a Calvinist if...


If you have a Martin Luther Jell-O mold, you just might be a Calvinist.


If your child’s first word was “Westminster”, you just might be a Calvinist.


Or, if you send your mother tulips on Mother’s Day,


… you might be a Calvinist.


If you still remember the 8 speakers in order from the recent T4G conference, or


If a free Bible has ever arrived in the mail to you from John McArthur, or


If you have ever purchased 100 or more copies of the same John Piper book to hand out to random people you meet,


…you just might be a Calvinist.


If you purchased an MP3 player with the sole purpose of downloading sermons, or


If you were shocked to just discover that some people download MP3 files that are not sermons, or


If you have adjusted the default passage setting at BibleGateway.com: A searchable online Bible in over 100 versions and 50 languages. from “NIV” to “ESV”


… you might be a Calvinist.




If your preacher says to turn to Obadiah and you do not use the index, or


If you think a 50-minute sermon is too short, or


If you’ve ever heard a wave of groans sweep through Sunday School when you refer to Romans 9,


…you just might be a Calvinist.




If you find yourself talking to the Lord Jesus more than to your family, and


If you find yourself wanting to read your Bible instead of watching television, and


If quotes from Pink, Spurgeon, Luther, Piper, and McArthur pop into your head at random times during the day


…you might be a Calvinist.




If you are confused when someone uses the term “my Bible” as if they only have one, and


If your Bibles must be replaced in less than a year due to pages separating from the spine, and


If you smile, nod and hold your tongue with your teeth after a lively church service when someone says, “God showed up today”


…you might be a Calvinist.




If you’ve ever shouted “YES!” when the pastor says to turn to 1st Thessalonians, and


If you see 6:37 on a digital clock and think of the Lord Jesus’ words in John, and


If you’ve muted a Thanksgiving football game because it’s interfering with your family discussion of Ephesians 1


…you might be a Calvinist.




If you have bookmarked three or more preachers’ scripture index webpages, and


If you’ve ever been banned from a Sunday School class for quoting scripture, and


If you have ever purposefully sung a different word in a hymn to conform to scripture,


… you might be a Calvinist.




If your kids own more Bibles than televisions, and


If your children never ask you “Where are we going?” on Sunday morning, Sunday night, and Wednesday night, and


If you’ve ever read parts of “The Bondage of the Will” to children under ten and prayed that it would change their lives


…you just might be a Calvinist.




If your child received detention at his Christian school after shouting, “But I am a Hedonist Pyromaniac!” or


If your children argue and you require them to listen to a Piper Sermon as punishment, or


If you visit pyromaniacs, tominthebox, spurgeon.org, desiringgod.org, and gty.org, more than once a day, yes…


You just might…. I say you just might…. Yes… you just might be a Calvinist

Your 4 year old and 2 year old would rather listen to The White Horse Inn instead of Adventures in Odyssey- (credit a brother on the puritanboard for this one)

Feel free to add anymore you can come up with or know.

Awretchsaved

Rejoicing At False Gospels?

We, as believers in Jesus Christ, do not rejoice that Harold Camping has been proven wrong, once again.

As many have rejoiced over this fact, this may seem a strange statement indeed, but let me explain:

Every day, there are programs on TBN and other alleged Christian stations that put forth another gospel; we do not rejoice at the fact that there are millions, perhaps even more, who follow these false gospels and are of those who heap up to themselves teachers who give them what they want to hear¹, which is damnation offered as salvation.

The name of our God and Lord is ridiculed by the myriads of false teachers and others who provide fodder for the already foolish humanistic materialists to spit on the sacred name of our Lord, and this is not cause to rejoice, except in the fact that He prophesied such would be the case, as did the prophets and apostles. That our time here comes nearer to the end with each proponent of a different gospel, with all proponents of such growing exponentially, is a cause to have joy, for our being with our Lord in glory is that much closer; that there are those who profane that blessed name and hope by which we are saved never is, and never should be.

It is the message of the cross that we hold up to the numberless multitudes that should be either folly or salvation to them², as it has always been, not the message of the false gospels, and certainly not the agreement that because these are foolish to the world at large, Christianity (for so the world consider all such under one umbrella) is foolishness.

Agreement with the world in this manner is to deny the glorious truth of God, and shoot this truth in the foot, advertising, by such agreement, a position we share with the world, for while we have one focus on the only truth, this is not the focus of such agreement with the world, though the messages themselves be false. Though proving that it is the last hour, of which we acknowledge the terminus is only in the Father’s knowledge and authority, we cannot agree with the world in it’s mass derision and hateful spite against even these false representations of Christianity, but as occasion allows, use such to point out the truth of God regarding men, Himself, and His Son as the only way of salvation, to those He graciously gives to hear with ears that are enabled of Him to do so³.

To point at what is false and agree with the world that such is crazy is doing just what the Lord would not have us to do; that is, agree with the world on any point of what passes as even false Christianity being subject to the ridicule of those who are under judgment already by He who is the only righteous Judge; in essence, this is giving those who do not believe license to call all among Christianity, and our Lord Jesus Christ, false⁴. This gives credence to the accusation that there is no unity within the church, and the holiness of God we should be living, by faith, is put aside by those who look for disharmony, in-fighting, and the lack of all things pertaining to God which exist in not only these false churches, but among the local congregations which show forth that which is true of the body of Christ; in other words, the world sees us as being like itself. Where such accusations are false, this is a glory and an honor; where they are true, we hold up a mirror that shows the world “they are no different that we are.”

Rather, such false teachings are to be met head on with a proclamation of the true gospel, which already is the smell of death unto death to those who are perishing, but to those who are being saved, the smell of life unto life, and it is only God who is sufficient for these things⁵ – the triune God of the Christian Scriptures, properly understood by His Spirit in union with the nature He caused to be regenerate in each of those who are truly His.

To judge those things that are false in the same vein as the world judges them is to join the world in ridiculing our Lord by their standards⁶, instead of subjecting them to the standard that only He provides as a proper means of judgment, which is His gospel.

Let us meet the false gospels head on, and refute them, with humility towards those who speak such, and those who accept such, and fear that we may fail to faithfully represent our God as His children and servants⁷, instead of joining in with that world we are not to be a part of in poking fun (or worse) at these false teachers, prophets, and those who follow them.

To we who have received grace undeserved, let us extend the gospel, that those who are intended of our Lord may hear it, and come out from among those false systems wrongly represented as Christianity. This is not a call to an ecumenical unity which is false, but the continued invitation to “come out from among them, and be holy, and touch not the unclean thing,” whereby our true adoption and inheritance in Christ is shown by His glory through the gracious faith which saved us⁸.

Anything else is using the world’s standards to judge the false teachers and their messages of death, and we are not to do such.

To God's glory alone - Bill Hier

^1. 2 Timothy 4:3-4   ^2. 1 Corinthians 1:18    ^3. Matthew 24:36; John 14:6; Acts 1:7; 1 John 2:15-19  

^4.  Romans 2:17-24   ^5.  2 Corinthians 2:15-17   ^6.  James 4:4   ^7.  1 Peter 3:15   ^8. 2 Corinthians 6:17-18

Defending Theologians

Of course not all theologians can be defended because some are full of quackery. However, some very godly theologians have come under fire from people that do not like their eschatological stance. I recently watched a Youtube video where an individual launched an assault on "theologians" (used pejoratively) because they do not dote on the nation of Israel the way he does. The verbal assault on these godly theologians, who were negatively and wrongly labeled as "replacement theologians," seemed to stem from this fellows passion for the nation of Israel. Well, actually, he kept repeating over and over how his authority is from the Bible. In fact that was his only defense. He kept asserting that "man," more specifically, "theologians" are not his authority. God's promises to Israel must be fulfilled with Israel no matter what any "theologian" says. We get it folks. We grant you beforehand that the Bible is your authority. We don't doubt that you think all your doctrinal positions come from the very Word of God! We ask that you grant us that same understanding. After all it was the Reformers, who were Covenant Theologians, that coined the phrase "Sola Scriptura" which is now being denied us by these Dispensational brothers.

Simply asserting that these "theologians" did not believe that Bible to be their final authority is not only laughable but it borders on outright slander. These men have spent large or even a majority of their lives proclaiming the Gospel of Christ and preaching, teaching and defending the Word of God. You owe your very freedom from the bondage to Rome -which includes your right to read the Holy Writ for yourself- to these men that God raised up to boldly proclaim the glorious life giving Gospel of the law keeping life, substitutionary death and sin & death defeating resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ! The very fact that you can now shout " My authority is the Bible not man" comes from these faithful men of God. Your arrogant claim of believing the Bible and not man, while you charge them and us with following men, should be turned into a praise of God and humble respect for these men. After all, without the Lord using them, you would still be listening to the Bible quoted in Latin and told what to believe.

Now I understand that you may have some disagreements with them over Israel and the Church and the Kingdom. That's fine. We can disagree but charging Covenant Theologians with not taking the Bible seriously and as our final authority is silly. Just silly! You can scream until you're blue in the face, emphatically, dogmatically and passionately that the Bible is your authority, while ours is from man. But at the end of the day, it is just an erroneous assertion. We too can turn around and launch the same vitriol. But that isn't fair nor is it the brotherly thing to do and it certainly doesn't help promote the conversation does it? I remind you that we go into the conversation believing you hold faithful to Sola Scriptura. That should not be the issue. The issue is a matter of hermeneutics and exegesis. Prove that these "theologians" are not teaching the Word of God while you're ultra biblicism is correct.  This, or course, is going to require you to deal with passages of Scripture from both the Old and New Testaments. Simply going on a tirade about how "my authority is the Bible and not man" will not suffice. Nor will plain assertions like "if God made promises to Israel then they must be fulfilled with Israel" (and then a simple quotation from Genesis 15) work. Explain what are these promises and how do the New Testament authors understand and explain these promises (Galatians and Romans)? These so called "Replacement Theologians" have written whole books and systematic theologies explaining and dealing with the passages of Scripture that pertain to these issues. Yet you claim that they somehow are less biblical than you simply because they just didn't quote Scripture (you don't either) and say nothing else. It is ironic that the tirades against Covenant Theology often lack interacting with the exegesis of these men. All I'm hearing is assertions from a large portion of Dispensationalists (there are some Dispensational brothers that aren't this silly in the discussion). We understand what your conclusions are but demonstrate for us how you got there. We want to see a hermeneutic that accounts for all of Scripture, not just some pockets that mention Israel. And we want to see a consistent hermeneutic, too. These "theologians" you attack have clearly showed us their conclusions and how they came to them. If only you will take the time to read them.

Now what is also ironic about the this accusation is that is it meant for "replacement theologians" however it also includes a verbal assault on their fellow Premillennialists! Historic Premillennialists are covenantal (or at least tend to be). These Dispensationalists love to fly under the banner of Premillennialism and use some of the early church fathers to show their position can be traced to the earliest parts of Church history after the New Testament era. But these premillennial church fathers reject the Dispensational distinction between Israel and the Church and a "pretribulational rapture." They do not make the mistake of thinking that "Kiss the Son Lest he be angry" (Psalm 2:12) to mean "Kiss the nation of Israel lest he be angry." They are not Zionists and have some strong and critical words for what is known today as Dispensationalism. And I have tremendous amount of respect for Historic Premillennialists. Although I have my disagreements with their view of the Kingdom, I can still learn from someone like George Eldon Ladd and even recommend a YouTube channel from a good, solid, Historic Premillennal, brother (he does a fantastic job of dealing with Atheism) found here (or theocratickingdom30).  This kind of Premillennialism is not to be mistaken for the Dispensational Premillennialism. The latter may want lead you to the idea that the former is on their side but that is playing loose with the facts. Nothing could be further from the truth, just read George Ladds book The Blessed Hope. Thus, to say that when any Christian doesn't hold to your love affair with the nation of Israel- they way you do -does not have the Bible as their authority but man's, is sheer arrogance and to attack the history of the church, at least up until the eighteen hundreds.

I will stick with the likes of Ursinus, Witsius, Owen, Bavinck, Vos, Berkhof e.t.c. over anyone that shouts "my authority is the Bible!" while failing to demonstrate that it is and even coming up with some strange teachings concerning the people of God and the Kingdom of God. At least those men stood upon the Word of God by rightly handling it.

If you can't bring anything substantial, like oh say, an exegesis of passages that deal with the covenants from both the Old and New Testaments, then I suggest your claim to "my authority is the Bible and not man" rings a bit hollow and you should look for someone else to slander that really is liberal and does not have the Holy Writ as their ultimate authority. Always remember that: "The one who states his case first seems right, until the other comes and examines him" (Pr 18:17). Soli Deo Gloria!

For His Glory,
Fernando

And Winner Of The Book Giveaway Is...

Eliezer Salazar. He has won a copy of Michael Horton's systematic theology. Hope you enjoy, brother. It is a great systematic theology. Many have claimed that it is better than Berhof's but I think it is one notch behind Berkhof's. Speaking of Berkhof, next month the giveaway will be Dr. Berkhof's systematic theology! Although we highly recommend reading the writings of these godly men nothing supersedes the Holy Writ! Soli Deo Gloria!

For His Glory,

Fernando

June 6th, Monday

June 6th, Monday will be the opening statements of the aforementioned debate.

Please be in prayer that God's glory is proclaimed and the gospel is presented to His glory.

Soli Deo Gloria! - Bill

Debate coming up!

Quick blip:

Debate regarding "The necessary structures of Divine revelation."

It will be a moderated debate conducted on Facebook, with strict guidelines to be followed (can that happen on Facebook?).

Gary Glunt, self-professing Deist (who proposed the topic), will give the opening statement; Bill Hier will respond, and the debate will move from there into a familiar format to those who do such or listen to such.

The moderator will be announced prior to the start date of the debate, which has yet to be determined.

Please keep this in prayer, dear brethren, that the glory of our Lord and God be displayed in all things occurring during this.

Further news, and any changes, will be posted as necessary.

To the solo glory of God - Bill

Leaders Are Readers

 I love to read. Reading is a habit that I developed while in prison. Of course I was reading all the wrong books then and it wasn't until the last three years of my incarceration that I spent my time reading the Word of God and Christian books. This is a discipline that I maintain today and I encourage all believers to read. Read the Word of God voraciously and faithfully, yes, and other Christian literature, too. Too often believers get caught up in the idea that they must be original and what they teach about Christ must be original and the end result is strange and confusing doctrine. However what we teach and believe about God does not originate with us. What we believe and teach about Christ comes from the Word of God and in the history of the Church has been explained more eloquently, articulately and effectively than we can. This is why I so ardently encourage reading the works of these godly men that God has given to His Church. When reading these folks you soon learn things that you have missed and were wrong about, concerning the Word of God, but also that these men learned from other followers of Christ before them. They learned things of the Word of God from them and explained further or they are simply explaining, in their own words, the same concept they learned from the Word of God and has been taught by others before them. In other words they were not attempting to be original but were stimulated by the writings of others to think about Scriptural truths and this resulted in them further communicating, in their own words, what they learned about God.

Reading stimulates the mind. It not only informs and educates but it also provokes, challenges, corrects and encourages the saints. One of the problems in the Church is that people do not like to think. They would rather be told what to believe without thinking it through for themselves or even be challenged. People just don't like to exercise their minds. If, perchance, they do, it is usually with all the wrong things. Hence, I am a firm believer in training young people to read solid Christian literature. Especially for men that will go on to enter the pulpit. They must be readers. They must have their minds stimulated and guided as they teach the Word of God. Better to develop this discipline before it is too late. Many a pastors have convinced themselves that their traditions are Scriptural. They simply will not allow themselves to be challenged on a given doctrine. For some it seems to be too late. No matter how un-biblical their position is they have been convinced and remain convinced what they believe is simply from a study of the Word of God alone and there is no reasoning with them to re-think their position. They just simply will not read what other godly men, indwelt with the same Spirit of God, have to say. This is what should be prevented in young men entering the ministry. The following are some quotes form Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, one of the best preachers in the history of the Church. These quotes come from his book: Preaching And Preachers (I don't think there is a better book on preaching).

"Time must be found for reading, and we turn now to the more intellectual type of reading. The first is theology. There is no greater mistake than to think that you finish with theology when you leave a seminary. The preacher should continue to read theology as long as he is alive. The more he reads the better and there are many authors and systems to be studied. I have known men in the ministry, and men in various other walks of life who stop reading when they finish their training. They think they have acquired all they need; they have their lecture notes, and nothing further is necessary. The result is that they vegetate and become quite useless. Keep on reading; and read the big works" (p.177).


"The preacher has thus to choose his reading judiciously, not only for his own soul but also that he may be able to help others, not only directly but also in their reading. Much harm is often done by advising people to read the wrong type of book-you can make them worse instead of better. If a man is already slightly melancholic, and tends to morbidity and introspection, and you give him a book to read that is mainly designed to produce conviction of sin and to awaken and alarm, you may well drive him mad. He does not need that, he needs encouragement and positive instruction at that point; and vice versa" (p. 176).


"Then I come back again to what I emphasised when considering the training of the preacher-the importance of reading Church history. That must never be regarded as just a subject to be studied for examination purposes; it is of much greater value to the preacher than to the student. And he needs to be reminded constantly of the great facts" (p. 177).


"Next in order I would put apologetic reading. I mean by that that there are fashions in theology and philosophy; they come and go. It is the business of the preacher to be acquainted with all this, so he will have to read some of these books. He cannot read them all because there are too many of them, far too many; but he will have to read some of them" (p. 178).


"All this is necessary to help the preacher to make an assessment of the people who are going to listen to him. He must know something about their background and their outlook, and what they are thinking, and what they are reading, and in the influences that are being brought to bear upon them. People in their innocence and ignorance are still ready to listen to plausible speakers and to believe anything they read in a newspaper or popular journal, and it is our business to help them and protect them. We are shepherds and we are pastors, and we look after and care for these people who have been committed to our charge. It is our business therefore to equip ourselves for that great task" (p. 178).

"Read theology, As I say, but always balance it, not only with Church history but with biographies and the more devotional type of reading. Let me explain why this is so important. You are preparing yourself, remember, and the danger for the intellectual type of man, if he is only reading theology or philosophy, is to become puffed up. He persuades himself  that he has a perfect system; there is no problem, there is no difficulty. But he will soon discover that there are problems and difficulties; and if he wants to avoid shipwreck, the best thing he can do when he feels that he knows all, and is elated and tempted to intellectual pride, is to pick up say the Journals of George Whitefield" (p. 178-179).

"What is the purpose of reading? I reiterate that the object of all this reading is not primarily to get ideas for preaching... I maintain that  this is not the primary object of reading. What then is its main purpose and function? It is to provide information;but still more important, it is because it is the best general stimulus. What the preacher always needs is stimulus. In a sense one should not go to books for ideas; the business of books is to make one think" (p. 181).


By all means read! Soli Deo Gloria!

For His Glory,
Fernando




"

THE TRADITION OF MEN

THE TRADITION OF MEN

At any time, during the history of the church, when the traditions of men have reared their ugly heads, seeking to substitute as the doctrines of God, there have been those who have fought against such.

The first and foremost examples we have is from the record of the New Testament itself:

It is here we find those who sought to reintroduce the Law of Moses and circumcision as necessary to salvation, which prompted the apostle Paul to write Galatians, and the writer of the Hebrews to mention the true purpose of those things of the Old Covenant, which was a foreshadowing of the actuality of the New.

It is also in the New Testament that we find Paul writing against the heresy of the proto-Gnostics in Colossians, as well as the apostle John in his letters.

However, man is hard pressed to let go of that which identifies him, and quick to pervert it.

What identifies man is a simple two-part equation, one part of which was lost when the first man God made, Adam, gave into the temptation to be more than what he was; that is,  God’s Creation.

What was lost was the ability to be in communion with God – to walk in the light, as He is in the light. This is the true meaning of fellowship; a joining with one’s Creator that is perfect.

In order to make Adam capable of such fellowship, God created him with the capacity to choose, and placed him in the circumstances that led to the death of faith; that is, the other, necessary capacity of being in perfect harmony with his Creator.

No man could ever be like God, yet that is the greatest temptation of all men, and that was the greatest temptation that faced Adam, which he failed to conquer.

The fact of the matter is this: no man can conquer this temptation; he cannot conquer it because it is at the root of his very being. Man was created to be like God; not in infinite essence, but as representative of the perfections of his Creator. Every temptation that takes a man has this at its core, for every temptation is a lust to be one’s own creator, king, and emperor.

No matter how impossible such is, that is what drives men, from the meanest to those who appear most noble; from the most vile of sins to the one which appears to be good, which seems altruistic and philanthropic to others; however, the very terms define that rebellion to be servants of the only good and perfect Creator, for they mean humane and humanitarian, with the reward of hiding the inherent corruption of the creature.

After all, if something seems good, it must be good, man reasons. If a series of actions result in the well-being of others by one or more individuals, acting alone or in concert, the creature’s rationale, given by God, yet separated by the first effort of the first man to be equal to his Creator, is that it is good, though no thanks is directed towards the One who made him, or them, capable of such things, and the satisfaction is, at its very center, rotten, for man was created to serve and worship God in a harmony that is unknown in this fallen world, even among the church (and here, I mean the true, catholic church, not the various visible representations of that church that have lost and saved people within their various walls).

That which is corrupt by the desire to be equal to the only infinite, perfect, God, can never hope to represent Him in true fellowship, a service of love by the creation to its Creator, for without knowing God for what and who He IS, one can never adequately represent, in even the finite form (which note, God created to continue forever, in one state or another) of man, the flawless perfection that God always IS.

God knew this; He foreknew, actively, exactly that which He created, and how, making man is His image, man, by the very capacity He gave him to choose good or evil, when confronted with that choice, would choose evil; even the best motives of man, which result from the providence of God (often called “common grace”), hold this concept inherent: I can be like God.

In this way, even the worship of God has been perverted throughout the history of the church, as we said: It is true evil when men think that something they observe and enable from their own selfish power and desires is good, without crediting and thanking the God who made them, and sustains them, and when those who have been born again of God’s mercy do such, it is only that grace that can forgive them of their folly, for that grace is given by virtue of the unique God-Man, Jesus Christ, Himself very God of very God, consubstantial with the Father.

Unsaved man foolishly thinks himself capable of good without crediting it to his Creator: how much more heinous is it, in God’s sight, that those saved by His Son’s sacrifice think that they are keeping themselves in observance of righteousness – a righteousness that Luther rightly called “a foreign righteousness,” for it is the very righteousness of Christ our Lord – by thinking that duty-faith somehow obtains that which it can only receive, mirror, and emanate by that new nature in union with God’s Spirit, and so their Lord and Father, and this, without giving of thanks; without any recognition of the One who brought their very essence into being by His unlimited, perfect, infinitely good power.

This is not to say that duty-faith is not required; the very fundamental nature of man, regenerated, is made to be in fellowship with the One True God. This fellowship can only be partially realized while the regenerate spirit is yet housed in the carnal flesh we yet live in, for the reason of testing: obedience that is true partakes of abiding in Christ our Lord; partakes of the very grace He gave us, to perform its works – works hidden in Him and prepared in Him from beforehand (Ephesians 2:8-10; Colossians 3:1-3).

That which was born of Adam dead is brought to life in Christ, yet these bodies – and by this I mean the carnal flesh, in which the deadness of that which was has yet to be regenerated – cannot partake of that regenerated life, except by obedience from a pure heart of loving thankfulness to the Creator, who made such possible; not only that, but in a manner where the life to come will always be obedient, truly worshipping God, who created us, in the perfection He intended, by the only Person who could ever fulfill that obedience; His Son, our Lord, Jesus Christ.

This has not happened yet, but it is in the process of happening (Colossians 3:4-17).

However, we fail – which is to say sin – often, and this is why it is all of grace that we even have the faith to obey, for without abiding in Christ, duty-faith becomes carnal duty only, and we again are guilty of trying to be like God by our works, which could not save us, and most definitively cannot sanctify us, for as faith without works is dead, so works without faith partake of the same death that we were saved from.

Faith is defined as that which is unseen and yet true, partaking of the very righteousness of Christ our Lord by that faith which His Spirit engendered in us when He regenerated us; this is the solid foundation on which the apostles rested, and upon which we must rest (Ephesians 2:20-22; Hebrews 11:1); this is the faith that is of our Lord Jesus Christ, that sees those things of God that are beyond the sight of carnal flesh (Colossians 3:1-3), the faith that counts that flesh as crucified, and our Lord as living – this is the vital union which could not be provided by the most perfect man, but only the Perfect God-Man (Galatians 2:20-21).

When believers think that anything that they do – anything – has any power outside of Christ, at that point, they are living according to the old nature, even though it exists only in the flesh, for that nature which was carnal through spiritual inheritance from Adam was made alive in Christ, having also died with Him, by God’s working, not man’s (Romans 6; Ephesians 2:1-10).

Yet notice: The faculty of choice was not eliminated by this divine union with our God and Creator, and it is exactly at this point where the desire to be like God again rears it’s ugly head, seeking to live to be justified, instead of living by faith granted of God because we are declared to be justified (Romans 5:1); and at this point, peace flees, carnality reigns over our members, and we fail to realize the fellowship, or union, with our Creator that He alone has placed us into. Knowledge of the things of God is divorced from the faith that such knowledge must be combined with, and we literally commit acts of treason against our King, who redeemed us from such a curse. There is no wisdom great enough to be counted as more than mere information imparted, much as a computer stores information, without faith, for the knowledge of God is only wisdom when trusting in Him by that power He gave us to do so, and that type of trust is faith, which, when combined with the knowledge of the things of God, will fear a wrong representation of Him to any others, saved or unsaved (Proverbs 3:5-7).

Honoring God on the Lord’s Day become a duty, an obligation, and so an abomination, for we do so in the way of those God abhorred for doing so (Isaiah 1:10-21); we make His commandments burdensome, instead of entering into that Sabbath rest which is not static (as He is not static in maintaining His creation), but lives by the very faith He gave to us, that we might truly honor Him (and it must be observed that some believers seem to think one day more holy than another, when the fact of entering His Sabbath rest is to not only observe the Sabbath, but to observe every day to proclaim and promote His glory).

If we add our own works, instead of ceasing from them, we behave in the abominable manner of those whom the Lord rebuked for performing the very sacrifices and convening the very assemblies that He Himself has commanded, because, like them, we are “working out our own salvation,” yet not with that fear and trembling that knows we do so by a faith given of God who works in us both to will and to do of His good pleasure, not our own sense of obligation and the power of our flesh, by which that grace of God is nullified. We therefore not only do not enter into His Sabbath rest on the Sabbath; we profane the Sabbath, and all other days in which we are to remain in that rest, and we are the reason the nations and their peoples speak ill of our God – these things ought not to be!

Notice, then, that duty-faith follows out of entering into that Sabbath rest, not secures it (Hebrews 4:9-16).

Let us not fall into the same trap as Adam, the fathers, and so many others have fallen into, which lead to sectarianism, despising one another, lack of peace, hate in place of love, esteeming ourselves better than others instead of the reverse, and all manner of the works of the flesh.

It is an abomination to God to see those whom He has redeemed so at war with one another, and I do not speak of apostates and heretics here, but those whom He has truly redeemed, by His promise, which He is faithful and just to carry out; therefore, let us walk in love that issues from a pure heart, which love is concurrent with loving the brethren, and manifests, by His power, that form of doctrine that is of true and sincere faith; let us regard the traditions of men that seek to replace the doctrines of God as what they are – abominations in His sight, for they deny both Him and the love He gives us to have towards one another (John 13:34-35; 1 Timothy 1:5-11).

To God's glory alone - Bill Hier

Book Giveaway

We here at the blog are firm believers in sitting at the feet of godly teachers gifted by God to glorify Him through teaching, in written form, what they have learned in there diligent study of the Word of God. We believe in that so  much that we will be giving away free books. Good books, too! This month we will be giving away Dr. Michael Horton's systematic theology: The Christian Faith. Good books, like Horton's, are of much value to serious students of the Word of God. Having a a sound theological library is a must for the man in ministry or seeking to be in the ministry. Reading those works (on top of Scripture of course) is also a necessity. When you examine all the great theologians, scholars, pastors and leaders in the Church, you will find they were all readers. Spurgeon read six books a week and John Owen read for 18-20 hours a day! So we want to help build up fellow believers libraries with great books.

Here are the rules to enter:

1. Must live in the U.S. or Canada.

2. Become a follower of this blog and make sure you leave your email address so that we can personally notify you, if you win, and get mailing directions. To sign up click on the "follow" button on the top or bottom of the blog and sign up. It should only take you a few minutes.

 3.Share this blog article on your Facebook or Twitter page (only if you have one). Of course we will not check on up on this. :-) We want to make this as easy as possible and give others a chance to win and get the blog some exposure.

Pretty simple isn't it? That's the way it should be. And  this Friday (20th of May) we will randomly draw a winner from the followers of this blog and notify you (be sure to leave an email address) and we will also announce it on Facebook. If you wish to be friends on Facebook, for those that aren't, our Facebook names are Fernando Cassie Ramirez (all one name) and A Wretch Saved. Soli Deo Gloria!

"Time must be found for reading, and we turn now to the more intellectual type of reading. The first is theology. There is no greater mistake than to think that you finish with theology when you leave a seminary. The preacher should continue to read theology as long as he is alive. The more he reads the better and there are many authors and systems to be studied. I have known men in the ministry, and men in various other walks of life who stop reading when they finish their training. They think they have acquired all they need; they have their lecture notes, and nothing further is necessary. The result is that they vegetate and become quite useless. Keep on reading; and read the big works." -Martyn Lloyd-Jones

For His Glory,
Fernando

God's Sovereignty: Our Comfort

Usually, theological concepts are seen as being impractical, and really bearing no effect on how we live our lives. Here at the blog- we do not believe this. We believe that theological concepts (or the way we look at God- who He is, what He does) has a real effect on how we will live our lives. 


The Sovereignty of God is my comfort. Aside from having its soteriological implications, it provides a profound security for the believer. Let me explain how. In the last year, I received a diagnosis from my doctor. I have been fighting that condition, and am glad to say, have been improving. Recently, It has been speculated that I can come down with another condition as I start to age. Do I begin to despair? Do I begin to question God's goodness? Certainly there are times when things get tough. But at the end of the day, I know that God is in control. Now, what exactly does that mean? We hear it often, but what does "God is in control" mean? Usually, preachers will distance a disease far away from God. They will say that God had no plans for you to have this disease but, somehow,  He has a beautiful plan to get you out of it. I couldn't believe in a god like that. In a god that had different plans for you, but the devil, or whatever it was, somehow got the upper hand. I believe that God is in complete sovereign control of all aspects that effect me (good and bad). Here is some scripture that displays the reality that God is in complete control of all aspects in our lives :  


Ephesians: 1:11: 


¹¹ In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of HIM WORKS OUT EVERYTHING in conformity with the purpose of HIS WILL" (caps mine)


Romans 8:28:

²⁸And we KNOW that for THOSE who love God ALL THINGS WORK TOGETHER FOR GOOD, for those who are called according to his purpose. (caps mine)


^{Matthew 10:29-31}

²⁹Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. ³⁰But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. ³¹Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.

Gen 50:20


²⁰As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.


 Shows God's providence in the life of Jospeh. Though he was sold into slavery by his brothers- God's hands was in the back round (working all to his good)- and so that "many people should be kept alive". It was God's plan that Joseph would be sold. This did not catch God by surprise, nor did He have to resort to plan B, in the life of Joseph. 


I would appreciate your prayers. Thank you for reading. 



In Christ, Awretchsaved


²⁰Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head and fell on the ground and worshiped. ²¹And he said, "Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD." ²² In all this Job did not sin or charge God with wrong. - Job 1:20-22