Happy Reformation Day everybody! I saw this video on another blog and thought it would be fun to post here!

I’d like to write about the prophets of God. I’m thinking about writing a book called, “the God of prophets”…we shall see. I’d love your feedback!

No person is less liked than a prophet of God. They are strange, extreme, cutting and offensive. Many if not most end up killed by their contemporaries…yet adored by future generations. They are compulsive people who live with a bizarre tunnel vision. They come off as moody, aggravated and agitated. They often have tempers and little patience. They live in a strict world which is black or white, right or wrong, good or bad. They push and prod and are never satisfied…or they run away from their calling because of their complete frustration with the people God has sent them to warn.

The prophets of God are usually just about half crazy. They are men like John the Baptist whose voice would boom from the desert at the crowds gathering to hear him…compare this message with seeker sensitivity, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire!” Or men like Martin Luther who stood against the most powerful man in the world, the bishop of Rome…the Pope…and said, “I feel much freer now that I am certain the pope is the Antichrist.” Or men like Obadiah who cry out against the mighty descendants of Esau on behalf of God, “See, I will make you small among the nations; you will be utterly despised. The pride of your heart has deceived you, you who live in the clefts of the rocks and make your home on the heights, you who say to yourself, ‘Who can bring me down to the ground?’ Though you soar like the eagle and make your nest among the stars, from there I will bring you down,” declares the LORD!”

It would always be easy to blow off a prophet simply as a judgmental jerk who thinks he is better than everyone else and loves to proclaim it. The often times shocking reality of a prophet is his constant self loathing. No one is ever harder on the prophet than the man himself. Many people do not understand how a prophet can doubt his own salvation…but many if not most did and still do. The great Apostle Paul described himself as the “chief of sinners”, a “wretched” and “weak” man. Isaiah, when gaining a glimpse of the heavenly throne room of Almighty God began to fall apart, cursed himself by saying “woe to me” and declared himself a “man of unclean lips”, “I’m undone”. David said of himself, “I am a worm and not a man”. These men, throughout history, wrestled with God and hated themselves. The obsessive drive within them to continue their mission is therefore clear evidence of God’s divine call upon their lives. Jeremiah described the compulsion this way, “If I say, “I will not mention him or speak any more in his name,” his word is in my heart like a fire, a fire shut up in my bones. I am weary of holding it in; indeed, I cannot.” These self hating men, who today’s psycho-babblers would either try to medicate or would at least attempt to make them feel better about themselves, where amazingly motivated, single minded and compelled with an inner drive to preach God’s Word despite opposition, ridicule, violent threats and violent actions against them. It is hard to imagine such self hating people being so driven to continue their work apart from the driving unction and at times inspiration of the Holy Spirit. These men where by no stretch of the imagination judgmental, if by judgmental we mean someone views their spirituality as the standard by which they judge others. If that is what is meant by “judgmental” then the prophets were certainly last in that line…they basically hated themselves and yet where consumed with the proper worship, adoration and complete renown of the Almighty.

It is often casually remarked that it was a bad sign when you saw the prophet walk into town. Unlike the false prophets paraded around on “Christian” television, true prophets of God are usually thought of as the bearers of bad news. Depending on what we mean by “bad” and from whose perspective we are representing, maybe such a generalization is warranted. Certainly if you rejoice in wickedness and you learn that your wickedness is about to come to a swift and violent end…I suppose to you what the prophets had to say might be called “bad news”. These men warned people of terrible things that where about to fall upon their heads…the wicked do not exactly appreciate the interruption caused by this preaching. The prophets call out the hypocrites, rebuke kings and reprimand sinners, at the leading of and on behalf of God. But for the redeemed to relegate the prophets as simply the moody bearers of “bad news” truly unveils our hidden repulsion at the thought of righteous vengeance against wickedness, ungodliness and worldly lusts.

Do you ever find yourself, as you read through the Bible, wondering how a man such as the prophet Jeremiah could, without divine rebuke, pray, “But, O LORD Almighty, you who judge righteously and test the heart and mind, let me see your vengeance upon them, for to you I have committed my cause.” When John the Apostle saw the future utter destruction of Babylon the Great, a voice from heaven is heard telling the heavenly audience that “she” will be given back DOUBLE portion of the grief and torture she gave…that this double portion is to be mixed in her own cup! John sees all this grief and all this complete destruction and then hears this voice say to the heavenly audience, “Rejoice over her, O heaven! Rejoice, saints and apostles and prophets! God has judged her for the way she treated you.’ ” We are to rejoice over her? We are to rejoice in seeing this terrifying judgment? Does that seem strange to you? That we will rejoice? When you read the Psalms is it strange to your eyes to read David call on God to, “Arise, O LORD! Deliver me, O my God! Strike all my enemies on the jaw; break the teeth of the wicked!”

We do not want to live in a system without justice, without judgment and without vengeance. Any god who would passively watch evil manifest itself and not take decisive action not only to prevent its further abuse, but does not return the pain it has already caused…is a devil. Our God will right every wrong and make every crooked thing straight when and how He sees fit. We have within us a common sense in which we feel that a sinner ought to be paid back for their sin. Many times we assume such thoughts are not Christian and are fleshly. Perhaps they are. But perhaps some of the time such indignation and assumption of proper vengeance is a reflection of the image of God in us. We are never told that vengeance or judgment is wrong…we are simply told that it is not ours to take. No, vengeance is God’s to take…and we may rejoice in knowing that He will, like a thief in the night, swoop down and suddenly take it. In the mean time it is our business to love our enemies and to pray for those who despitefully use us. It is our business to forgive and work for good. To warn the wicked of their impending doom and pointing to their only hope of salvation…Christ Jesus. It is our business to not repay evil with evil but return good. Not only in our actions…but in our wishes, thoughts and desires as well. We are not God and lay no claim to such things as vengeance or retribution.

This of course is a very hard pill to swallow in such a tolerant culture. It seems the culture has infected our churches in this regard. Our culture may tolerate wicked lifestyles, many religions may tolerate wicked lifestyles…but God has not, does not and will not ever tolerate anything that is not in accord with His will. We confuse His patience with tolerance and by doing so assist the ungodly in heaping more wrath upon themselves…shame on us.

In order to experience the humiliation God desires for us, in order to experience the depth of Spiritual worship God desires for us and in order to experience the depths of peace God desires for us we must appreciate and embrace the message of His prophets. Their messages blind our fallen eyes, infuriate our selfish sensibilities, debase our pride and expose our hypocrisies…but if embraced…will plunge us into riches beyond our imagination.

I'm about to start writing about God...about His power. I think it would be good to lighten up a bit and give the more controversial issue a rest...

I'm not always a meanie!

btw...the messengers of the 48th annual meeting of Summit Baptist Association unanimously adopted the resolution I offered last night...and even endured its reading without too much groaning...lol

praise God!

here is another stellar clip from Mark Driscoll...he was asked to produce a short video for a church planting training event and so the immediate context is church planting...but look...I believe that if our churches are going to reverse the backward slide and advance forward they must (and I do mean MUST) take the basic principles of church planting and lead their church into implementing them...post haste...

check out this clip and let me know what you think...

BONUS!

Mark Driscoll on relating to sinners...

Earlier this week, the 1962 Nobel Peace Prize winning man who basically discovered DNA, told the Sunday Times of London that he was "inherently gloomy about the prospect of Africa" because "all our social policies are based on the fact that their intelligence is the same as ours — whereas all the testing says not really." He recognized that the prevailing understanding is that all human groups are the same but then said, "people who have to deal with black employees find this not true." He told the interviewer that he had recently inaugurated a DNA learning center near Harlem, New York and would like to see more black researches at the lab…but…”there’s no one to recruit.”

Woah. This wasn’t David Duke or Senator Robert Byrd of West Virginia. This was not the spokesman for the Ku Klux Klan either. This was the esteemed James D. Watson, co-discoverer of the DNA helix! This man is a recognized genius!

And this man is also very logical…as harsh as that might sound. Slow down…I’m not suggesting that I agree with him because I certainly do not. But you must understand, James D. Watson has always been an avowed secular humanist. He is an atheist. He believes in evolution…survival of the fittest.

If atheism is truth then secular humanism is nothing more than cold, simple…logic. Think about it…if humanity is simply more highly evolved animals then why is it “wrong” for him to say that blacks, as a group, are less intelligent than other groups?

Is it wrong for us to say that cats are more intelligent than mice? That humans are more intelligent than monkeys? That dogs are more intelligent than sheep?

Is it wrong for us to go to the pet store and pick a black female Labrador to purchase just because we think female black Labs make better pets?

Is it wrong for us to exterminate animals we feel are pests?

Look my friend…you need to understand…the notion that humanity has special dignity is a uniquely “religious” notion. Period. The notion that all humanity has been created equal is a uniquely “religious” notion as well. There is no “creation” in evolution. There is no dignity in the animal kingdom.

In a documentary in 2003 Watson suggested that we should simply eliminate less intelligent people through gene therapy. "If you are really stupid, I would call that a disease. The lower 10 percent who really have difficulty, even in elementary school, what's the cause of it? A lot of people would like to say, 'Well, poverty, things like that.' It probably isn't," he added. "So I'd like to get rid of that, to help the lower 10 percent."

During that same documentary the man also said, "People say it would be terrible if we made all girls pretty, I think it would be great."

He wasn’t joking.

Is this man wrong?

How do you know?

Tell me, my friends, tell me how one can prove this man wrong without mentioning God? Take God out of the equation and then dispute this man.

Try it in your own head. Argue against these points without appealing to God. Articulate “right” and “wrong” in a atheistic universe. Prove that all men are equal without mentioning their creator.

You can’t. If there is no God then Dr. Watson is not wrong. We might not be able to say that he is right, of course…but we certainly would have no basis to say that he is wrong. The man is consistent, wrong, but consistent.

What is truly amazing is the outrage! How can people be so shocked with his logical conclusions? These same outraged people will turn around and continue to teach Darwin’s theory of evolution! It’s remarkable how the majority of Darwinists will not admit the logical conclusion of their own teaching! For someone to believe in atheistic evolution AND the “rights” or “dignity” of anybody is laughable. The concept of “right” is directly connected with God...God is the judge and determines for us, with true objectivity, what is right and what is wrong. Dignity is directly connected with God…mankind has dignity because God created us in His likeness…period! All people are equal because God created us that way…not because we randomly and coincidentally evolved equally…that is absurd!

Rich and poor have this in common: The LORD is the Maker of them all. Proverbs 22:2 niv

He said to them: “You are well aware that it is against our law for a Jew to associate with a Gentile or visit him. But God has shown me that I should not call any man impure or unclean. Acts 10:28 niv

"Is it ok to celebrate Halloween"? I get asked this every single year and every single year I say the same thing…no. It’s not ok. Let me make you aware of a few passages in Scripture that I believe apply:

When you enter the land the LORD your God is giving you, do not learn to imitate the detestable ways of the nations there. Let no one be found among you who sacrifices his son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead. Anyone who does these things is detestable to the LORD, and because of these detestable practices the LORD your God will drive out those nations before you. You must be blameless before the LORD your God. Deuteronomy 18:9-13 niv

The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. Galatians 5:19-21 niv

I could list more…but this is enough to make the point. I find it interesting that the Lord not only told the children of Israel to not “do” the detestable things the nations were doing…notice…He commanded them to not “learn to imitate” those things either. Stop and think about that.

The debatable issue is not whether or not God’s chosen people can “imitate” or participate in Pagan worship. For crying out loud…I hope you do understand that. For example, this season on Survivor, a Christian named Leslie refused to bow her face to the ground in a Buddhist temple during some kind of mumbo-jumbo ceremony. The host informed her that it was simply a “welcome” ceremony and not worship…but what would he know about it? Leslie did the right thing and honored God by not participating in Pagan worship…be inspired by her testimony and watch the minute and a half clip right here.

The real issue is whether or not Halloween is a celebration of pagan worship. Look, if it is then Christians are absolutely forbidden to participate…period…and I don’t care if that hurts your feelings or not. BUT…if it is a sterilized and harmless bit of fun…if it is truly a hollow shell of what it was and if it is truly stripped of all it’s former Pagan roots (such as the Christmas Tree) then I don’t see how it could be sinful.

Click here to read a secular and very unbiased history (past and present) of Halloween.

“But it’s so much fun!”

This argument is very concerning…


Do you know what else is “so much fun”?

-sexual immorality
-impurity
-debauchery
-idolatry
-witchcraft
-selfish ambition
-drunkenness
-orgies
-and the like.

It’s no small wonder how many kids raised in “Christian” homes turn out so ungodly! For crying out loud! Don’t get me wrong, it’s not the “Halloween” per se that turns some out so rotten…not at all…I know many Christian families that went ahead and participated in Halloween…I did as a kid (something my parents now regret) without the kids leaving God. I’m referring to the attitude that if something is fun it must be ok! What kind of standard is “but it’s so much fun”? The fact that the “but it’s so much fun” portion of the equation ranks so high in these Christian homes absolutely FLOORS ME! What immaturity…both emotional and spiritual! The role God has placed you in as a parent is not the role of entertainer, loved one. Keeping your kids satisfied is not what God has called you to do! Keeping your child safe, educated, healthy and loved is what you are called to do…and it’s not always fun or entertaining! Fun and entertainment is wonderful…but becomes sin when it violates one of those four aspects of parenting.

Good grief I need some aspirin!

If I can say this with humility, "in my educated opinion", Halloween has not been sanitized. By that I mean that in the religion known as Paganism Halloween is still very much celebrated and the images commonly associated with Halloween are all Pagan and are all still religiously significant to modern day Paganism. Carving pumpkins, black cats, witches…demons…all of it. All those things are still symbols of CURRENT and CONTEMPORARY Pagan worship…they are not simply symbols of a bygone era. Pagans will gather on that night all over the world in Satanic worship using the same symbols many of you plan on dressing your little kids in this year.

Would you let your kids dress up like Buddhists and participate in Buddhist rituals? How about Islam? Would you let your little darlings dress up like Islamists and participate in Muslim rituals? My God…I hope the Christian parents reading this are answering these questions with, “well…no…”

Then why would you dress your kids up as Pagans and have them participate in Pagan worship? Paganism is a very real religion practiced by around a million people today who are just as serious, faithful and sincere as Buddhists or Islamists…there is no difference.

And beyond that…since I’m on a roll here. What exactly is appealing about death, blood, witchcraft, darkness, horror, evil, wickedness, filth, sorcery, murder, demons, devils, ghosts, vampires and terror to the born again, Spirit filled Christian? STOP AND THINK! STOP AND THINK! STOP AND THINK! What is so fun about those things? Why do you get a kick out of things that are UNHOLY? Are you not a Christian? Doesn’t that mean anything to you? Are we not told to come out from the world and “be ye separate”? (Pastor…when was the last time your fist passionately pounded your pulpit as you reminded the people God placed in your care to “come out from among them and be ye separate…and touch not the unclean thing”? Maybe our people are not aware of this command because we so infrequently remind them…)

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you. Philippians 4:8-9 niv

Naomi and I will not allow any children God places in our care to participate in anyway with Halloween. Including trick or treat. However…there does come a point where I believe this “black or white” issue does start to turn grey. Trick or treat does, I believe, turn grayish. My pastoral advice is after further educating yourself about these things to then pray about it. I do think that trick or treat is something that a Christian family might feel capable in sanitizing. By that…some Christian families feel comfortable letting their children dress up in non-Pagan related costumes and walk around the block to get candy. So long as the kids are football players or princesses, or things that like, I’ll not criticize or condemn it. I’m not that comfortable, personally, with ‘trick or treat’…but there does come a point where the issue becomes gray and I think that is the point. If you do feel comfortable I’d simply admonish you to be careful to not dress your children up as the Pagans do. It might be possible to take ‘trick or treat’ away from Halloween…so pray about it.

Finally…no matter how you feel about the issue of ‘trick or treat’…even if you are totally against it…I urge you to not turn that night over to the devil. Be a witness! Turn that porch light on and pass out candy…with a gospel track or an invitation to your church gathering! That is also something that puzzles me…if we’d pass out tracks outside an abortion clinic or if we’d pass out tracks to Mormons during their big annual events…why would we not pass out tracks during Halloween? You don’t have to deck your house out with ghouls or come to your door dressed as Satan for crying out loud! Just be yourself and open your door when your neighbors knock! Your neighbors do not understand your convictions…not passing out candy that night will be taken as a weird snub…and you are passing up a chance to hand out all kinds of tracks…from the comfort of your own home! Be a good and friendly neighbor and be a good witness! That is the best pastoral advice I can give you.

I’m blessed to be a church planter in the Summit Baptist Association. Martin Jones is a real mentor for me and has kicked my rear end so many times that I’ve lost count. But what God has done through Martin in my life has been nothing short of a miracle!

This Sunday is our annual meeting. Part of the Baptist tradition is that we get together and conduct business…and pass resolutions. Perhaps you’ve heard about some of the Southern Baptist Conventions more “interesting” resolutions such as our boycott of Disney back in the late 1990’s.

Resolutions are not binding upon any church…remember…we believe in local church autonomy. No congregation or any “bishop” or “pastor” in any church or city has preeminence over any other. Each church has as much freedom as any non-denominational church. Nobody from any "headquarters" can call a church and force them to do anything...not even give $$$!!!So for example…the resolution to boycott Disney could not stop any pastor or church member for making their yearly trip to Disney Land…there could be no discipline…nothing…resolutions in some ways can be taken as a bunch of hot air.

It’s amazing then how much controversy they can stir. Last year all kinds Baptists were mad about the Southern Baptist resolution against the use of alcohol...and then all kinds of other Baptists were mad that the first bunch of Baptists were mad about the resolution!

The point of resolutions, I guess, is for us to leave behind a legacy. For future generations to be able to look back and see how “we” generally felt about certain cultural issues of the day. They, I suppose, could even be used to assist a doctrinal dispute within an Association or Convention if such a thing erupted. “Baptists have always believed this…why…look at these resolutions from this date, this date and this date…” And I do see the benefit of such things.

So anyway…I’m going to submit my first resolution this Sunday at the Summit Baptist Association Annual Meeting. I stole the majority of it from a resolution passed at the 1988 Southern Baptist Convention that met in San Antonio I think. As our Association grows and new churches with new church planters come in…I just personally feel that we should once again reaffirm our understanding of and proclamation of the gospel…and make a new church or a new pastor that comes into one of our churches aware of this resolution, if it is affirmed. For me…it is a non-negotiable test of fellowship. If you can’t affirm this (in my opinion) fellowship should either not be offered…or withdrawn. Again…that is MY opinion…and one that I will take in the future. BUT…it is up to the messengers to first review and affirm. This resolution is not itself binding...but could be used to assist in dealing with a heretical pastor or church in the future.

So here it is:

WHEREAS, A major contribution to the demise of many Protestant denominations has been their loss of a clear understanding of, and commitment to, the biblical doctrine of salvation; and

WHEREAS, Some believe that people can be saved apart from the atoning work of Jesus Christ, arguing rather for a plurality of mediators; and

WHEREAS, Some vacillate on the necessity of conversion for all people; and

WHEREAS, Some teach that Jesus Christ did not come to save us, but to let us know that we already live in the arms of God's grace, implying that all people are already saved; and

WHEREAS, Some believe that people will be saved because their good works outweigh their bad; and

WHEREAS, Some believe that hell is not a reality, and its corollary, that all people will eventually be saved; and

WHEREAS, Some believe that the content and mission of the church need no longer focus on missions and evangelism, having abandoned the belief in a conversion theology.

Be it therefore RESOLVED, That we, the messengers of the Summit Baptist Association meeting at Ridgewood Baptist church in Wadsworth, OH, October 21st, 2007, affirm our belief in the biblical truths, that, although we agree that every person possesses dignity and is worthy of respect and Christian love, we also believe all people are from birth under condemnation, that is, they are lost; and

Be it further RESOLVED, That we affirm Article IV (A) of the Baptist Faith and Message Statement which reads as follows: "Regeneration, or the new birth, is a work of God's grace whereby believers become new creatures in Christ Jesus. It is a change of heart wrought by the Holy Spirit through conviction of sin, to which the sinner responds in repentance toward God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Repentance and faith are inseparable experiences of grace. Repentance is a genuine turning from sin toward God. Faith is the acceptance of Jesus Christ and commitment of the entire personality to Him as Lord and Saviour.", and

Be it further RESOLVED, That we believe that salvation is not analogous to having a positive self image or possessing self-esteem as desirable as these may be; and

Be it further RESOLVED, That we affirm our belief in the biblical truth that salvation is offered freely to all who accept Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord; and

Be it further RESOLVED, That we affirm our belief in the biblical truth that all who are saved are sealed by the Holy Spirit and will never fall away from the state of grace; and

Be it further RESOLVED, That we affirm our belief in the biblical truth that those without a personal commitment to Jesus Christ will be consigned to a literal hell, the place of everlasting separation from God according to the Word of God; and

Be it RESOLVED, That because of the aforementioned convictions that all the churches in the Summit Baptist Association give renewed attention to the clarity of the message we proclaim in our communities; and

Be it therefore finally RESOLVED, That each church within the Summit Baptist Association prayerful consider how we may continue to increasingly cooperate and partner together in the planting of new gospel preaching, Bible centered and Christ exalting churches in our area

"Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a member of the Jewish ruling council. He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him.” In reply Jesus declared, “I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.’” “How can a man be born when he is old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb to be born!” Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.” “How can this be?” Nicodemus asked. “You are Israel’s teacher,” said Jesus, “and do you not understand these things? I tell you the truth, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man. Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life. John 3:1-15 niv

There used to be a day in evangelical circles, especially Baptist and Pentecostal circles, where the phrase “born again” was bounced around constantly. Maybe it’s the region of the country I’m living in…but I don’t hear that phrase like I did when I was a kid. I know most tv and radio preachers I hear rarely proclaim that people must be “born again”. Maybe that phrase just isn’t sexy anymore? Perhaps it comes off too hayseed, backwoods or fundamental.

Last week Ann Coulter got into all kinds of trouble, first for saying that Jews must be "perfected" and second for not taking it back! While saying they must be "perfected" does sound creepy and just weird...she was right. What she was trying to say was that Jews must be "born again". And that is exactly right. Jews must become true Christians by being born again. Of course it is not just Jews who need this...everybody needs "perfected" or "born again".

It really doesn’t matter how offensive the term is…Christ said that one “must” be born again or “born from above”. Notice He said, “I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again” and “I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit.”

No one means no one…remember...words mean things.

And what does He mean by “of water”? I think His next phrase sums it up “Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit”. It seems that the “of water” statement is referring to physical birth and “of…the Spirit” is of course referring to the born again experience.

Have you been born again?

Do you believe and teach that one must be born again? Or do you believe there “might be” hope for people who where never born again? After reading all these Scriptures would you still say, "I don't know"?

Nicodemus asked Jesus, “how can this be?” I have a pastor friend, one who reminds me of Joel Osteen a whole bunch, who does not know how to tell someone how to “get saved”. What a shame. Jesus gently rebukes Nicodemus and then explains “the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.”

Friends…if you have not been born again you will not see the kingdom of God. If your husband or wife or child is not born again they will not see the kingdom of God. If the heathen are not born again they will not see the kingdom of God.

How can Christ be so misunderstood by contemporary preachers? To suggest that the grace of God can be, or could be, applied without conversion, without regeneration…without being born again…is absolute and damnable heresy! To be honest with you, such a suggestion outrages me and I have little tolerance for it. I will not associate with any such teacher and no church I pastor will associate with another church that teaches such a thing or such a possibility. Mark my words. My tent is real big and I associate with far more Christians than just Baptists for crying out loud…Southside financially supports an Assemblies of God missionary family in Asia every month, in addition to tithing into SBC missions (local and CP). I’m no isolationist and nor will be any church I plant. But the gospel message is where I draw the line and if you don’t believe or if you are not sure one must be born again then you are a heretic and a false prophet!

The Scriptures are more than clear…Jesus in John 3 was abundantly clear…if you are not born again you will not see the kingdom of God. Period. End of story. Now, “go, tell it on the mountain, over the hills and everywhere…”

“Therefore say to the house of Israel, ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am going to do these things, but for the sake of my holy name, which you have profaned among the nations where you have gone. I will show the holiness of my great name, which has been profaned among the nations, the name you have profaned among them. Then the nations will know that I am the LORD, declares the Sovereign LORD, when I show myself holy through you before their eyes. “ ‘For I will take you out of the nations; I will gather you from all the countries and bring you back into your own land. I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. You will live in the land I gave your forefathers; you will be my people, and I will be your God. Ezekiel 36:22-28 niv

He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God. John 1:11-13 niv

Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers. Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created. James 1:16-18 niv

But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life. Titus 3:4-7 niv

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. 1 Peter 1:3-5 niv

The silence in our comment section was almost deafening. Even our usually assertive commentators like Ron and Tim waded into those murky waters cautiously. Rightly so! The question we left with last time almost sounded like a trick question…

If we say, “no”, one does not need to believe the Reformed doctrine of justification to be saved then we must embrace Roman Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy as brothers, period. All efforts to evangelize them are offensive and should immediately stop. Both are Trinitarian and will be saved only by grace through their faith in the Trinity as are we …even if they don’t believe it. They will wake up in heaven and with amazement confess something like, “huh…I guess Luther and Calvin were right all along…”

Wouldn’t that be nice and make us all feel better about ourselves and our loved ones?

Keep in mind padawan, this kind of logic can easily extend to Muslims, Buddhists and even Atheists. They deserve grace, mercy and forgiveness as much as we do, right? They could wake up in heaven and say something like, “huh…I guess the Christians were right all along…”

I’ve said it before and will say it again…anyone who is struggling with these issues MUST study the book of Galatians…period. Paul warns us by saying, “I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned! As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let him be eternally condemned! Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ.” Galatians 1:6-9 niv

If you preach another gospel you are going to hell. I do not know how much clearer Paul could have said it. “But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned!” Remember, “words mean things.”

What do we then do with 1,500 years of confusion regarding the process of salvation? For 1,500 years people believed that along with mental assent and trust in Christ one must also do works of faith such as baptism, confession, the receiving of Holy Communion and living a life of general faithfulness to Christ in order to “be saved”. This historical truth is the gorilla sitting in our Reformed living room…you know…the gorilla we never talk about? Do we really believe the Church did not make it out of the first century? That’s what Mormons believe…that they are the RESTORED Church (we believe we are the REFORMED Church…there is a big difference) Do we really believe that millions of pre-reformation Christians are all in hell today? Do we believe there were no Christians between the end of the first century all the way up to Luther? Did the gates of hell prevail against His Church all those years?

I don’t think so and let me to explain how I square all this up. I do not believe that you must understand all the details of the process of justification in order to be justified. I also do not believe you can reject and deny the doctrine of justification, once explained, and be saved. Do you see the difference?

Let me be careful…read what I just wrote closely…I wrote that one does not have to understand “all” the details of the process of justification…to be justified. I do not believe the heathen will be saved and I don’t want to be misread. I believe there are certain issues of justification…like JESUS IS THE SAVIOR AND JUSTIFIER for starters…that one must know and believe in order to be saved. That’s why I give so much of my income personally…and why I’ve lead our church to give by stretching her budget so much corporately…to world missions. If one does not know and believe that much they are “out”. Not for rejecting Jesus…how can one reject someone they’ve never heard of? No…they are out for rejecting the Father. (I’m off topic…)

So while both Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox generally teach the issue as people did before the Reformation, I do not believe they rest under the same umbrella as people did before the Reformation. Doctrine has been and still is a process. There can be no doubt that believers in the 12th century had a much clearer understanding of the doctrine of the Holy Trinity than did the believers at the end of the 1st. There is no doubt at all. We know in Acts 19 there were “some disciples” in Ephesus who had not even heard of the Holy Spirit until Paul straightened them out.

What happened when Paul taught them? Did they continue to not recognize the Holy Spirit? No! Once taught these “believers” continued in their theological education…as do all born again Christians.

I would suggest that the issues surrounding the technicalities where simply not at the top of the agenda for centuries. Other issues where being wrestled with and drew the most attention…the Trinity…Christology...these were the issues in the first five centuries of the Church. By the time all of that was ironed out…the Church, in an over reaction to the heresies that was fought from within…developed an “infallible” and "inerrant" doctrine of the Church…ending doctrinal development for a millennium.

Basically…our fathers lived with a tremendous inconsistency when it came to the details of this particular issue (other issues they had tremendous clarity, praise God). None of them would have said “we earn our salvation”, “God needs our help to save us” or “Jesus plus my good works equals my salvation”. Of course not…they would say “Jesus alone is the Savior and Justifier”…and then talk out of the other side of their mouth. They did not take (or have) the time to really think this issue through logically or Biblically. Once the ball of the infallible Church doctrine started to roll the emphasis upon doctrinal development all but evaporated…especially in the East. And so since they did, at the end of the day, believe that Jesus is their Savior, their Justifier and only hope for heaven…I do believe they were saved…despite their inconsistency. They did not reject the gospel…they simply did not understand it. Again, one must not understand all the details...heck...I was saved at the age of 5 or 6...I remember it clearly. Did I understand Christology as I do today? Heck no! I just knew I was a sinner and Jesus was my Savior...and I trusted Him. As I grew and learned more I accepted it because it was the truth of my Master. Not understanding the details of the gospel is not the same as rejecting it.

But I would not make the same assumption with modern Roman Catholic or Eastern Orthodox…because once explained they continue to resist the full gospel and are therefore, frankly, unveiling the condition of their heart...they hate the true gospel (as does every natural man). The fact that they do not love the truth of the gospel says it all…and with humility I go to them, telling them the way of salvation. I tell them that salvation is utterly apart from their merit or cooperation…it is in the born again experience…which is only by grace…only through faith…only in Christ Jesus. God grants the grace. God grants the faith (it is not a work or a decision…one can not choose to believe anything). God granted the means…Christ.

I ask God to give me grace to live the Christian life before them…to love them…to befriend them no matter what they believe…

I pray for their salvation…their quickening…

And I leave the converting to Him.

“Oh, my Savior, Grant that this difficult labor of my salvation May come to a blessed end! May the rain that lashes down, and the fierce torrents rushing from the mountains, and the violent storm not be able to shake the house I am building.

Please help me, Oh Lord, with Your triumphant hand! Come to my aid, preserve my soul, so that I may praise You: You, the Giver of all precious gifts, the Lord of mankind’s salvation.

Without You, Almighty Master, no good work, plan, idea, suggestion, or safety could even exist, nor anything that could help us to arrive at our final destination.

But You are the One Who created me; You are the one Who game me both my body and my soul. You are the One Who lifted me up when I had fallen; You are the One Who showed me the way back to heaven. Yes, and without any worthiness of my own, You are the One Who will bring me into Your house to dwell with You forever, where I will sing hymns to Your glory in the company of Your blessed ones!”

A hymn by Maximus the Confessor, who was martyred by the soldiers of emperor Constans for his constant criticism of the heresy known as Monotheletism . When asked during his trial if he was only right and he alone was saved he responded by saying, “May God grant that I do not condemn anyone, nor say that I alone am saved. But I prefer to die rather than violate my conscience by defecting from what I believe about God.” It has been said that Europe would not see such heroism again till the man named John Huss. Constans made his “preference” a reality. Soldiers ripped out Maximus’s tongue and chopped off his right hand so he could not longer speak or write against Monotheletism. He was then banished to Lazica where he died a few months later. That is how he earned the name Maxiumus “The Confessor”.

BONUS!

I just discovered Mark Driscoll this summer. Of course I knew of him but never really read much or heard him much at all. I just heard that he was the "cussing pastor". Don't know why I never looked him up...but...when I did give him a shot I almost fell over! He is my long lost brother! May preaching like this sound in our churches again!

WOW!

Our friend Zac just NAILED a great question on the door of Semper Reformanda! He did so in the previous comment section. Let me present his comment/question…and then add my spin to further aggravate us…and then turn you all loose in the comment section! I know many pastors, deacons and teachers read this blog and only a few leave comments (to my great irritation lol). I am making a straightforward request to everyone reading this…PLEASE…leave your 2 cents worth…this is a very interesting question.

Here is Zac’s question/comment:

“…Here's a good question for another entry (of course, this is up to you). If faith in Jesus Christ is what saves us (and it is, of course), then does someone necessarily have to correctly believe in the mechanics of salvation to be saved?Here's what I mean. Let's say for example that some Roman Catholics believe that by their works they can somehow "merit" the Kingdom of God(this, btw, is heresy according to the Orthodox). Nevertheless, these people, striving to "earn" salvation, confess with their mouths the Lord Jesus and believe in their hearts that God has raised Him from the dead (Rom. 10:10). Is this enough, or must they also believe in the correct mechanics of salvation itself?For instance, in the Protestant version of the judgment, will they go to Hell because they didn't believe in "faith alone"? Is faith in "faith alone" the Gospel? Or perhaps is this also some kind of "addition to" the Gospel? Must they understand the "how" of their salvation (grace through faith) if they understand the "what" (that the Lord Jesus died for their sins and rose again from the dead)?I think this might be answered in different ways by different people, so I wanted to pose it to you to get your thoughts…”

Again…wow! To my Reformed family:

We do believe that it is by grace ALONE through faith ALONE in Jesus Christ ALONE that we are saved. That being understood...is it possible for one to misunderstand this formula…completely and utterly…yet be saved by the grace of God still…through their faith ALONE in Jesus Christ ALONE? Can some misguided person awake in heaven and suddenly have the truth dawn on them, “I guess it was all about grace through faith after all…now I understand…I had nothing to do with my salvation! How foolish was I to think I had to assist in my personal salvation!!! Glory to God!”

Are we saved by God’s grace alone through personal and real faith alone in the person and work of Jesus Christ alone…or are we also saved by our understanding and confession of this formula? What if someone hears this formula, has it clearly explained to them, has the Scriptures that teach this doctrine shown to them...and after proper explaination...they continue to deny and reject this clearly Biblical doctrine?

Hmmm…great question…and not an easy one to answer…tread softly…this stretch of land is chock full of mines! Because if the answer is “no”, one does not need to confess the process to be saved…well…then we should embrace both Roman Catholics and Eastern Orthodox as brothers and sisters in Christ. They indeed have faith in the Most Holy Triune Godhead! Never say otherwise, because that would be a lie!!! If the answer is “yes”, one must confess the process of salvation…well…then neither of those two groups are brothers or sisters in the Lord and are both outside of His Church…in that case both groups are apostates and need evangelized despite their confession, adoration and faith in the Most Holy Triune Godhead…because they both teach simple faith in the Triune Godhead is not enough for personal salvation (they deny the simple Reformed formula in other words).

Wow…Zac…wow…way to put us on the spot my friend! This is not comfortable...

At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life. Titus 3:3-7 niv

Think about your life right now and what you believe. Is there anything in your system of beliefs that you are willing and ready to die for? Is there anything in your theology that you are prepared to loose every friend you have over? Is there anything you believe that you would be willing to be imprisoned for…being separated from your wife and children for years or even decades at a time over? Are there any doctrines in your system that you will separate and divide with partners over?

If so…what are they? Why?

Is there any theology out there in the world that you would clearly, passionately and publicly condemn? Would you ever seek to openly discredit a teaching or a teacher if you were convinced that what they were teaching was heretical?

If so…what? Who? Why?

“Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven. But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven. “Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to turn “‘a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law— a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household.’ “Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” Matthew 10:32-39 niv

Not as thrilling as the prayer of Jabez, is it? Nor is it the wussy picture of Jesus most of us have either. Most “preachers” paint Jesus just about as masculine as Mother Theresa…except with a beard!

Christ, who He is…His nature…His mission…is…well…divisive. The amount of blood which has been shed over these things has yet to be told. Read of the martyrs throughout our Church history who have been tortured for their lack of openness to other idea’s, perspectives and viewpoints about God! About Jesus Christ! They died because of their open, uncompromising and public condemnation of other people’s view of Christ…because they (in one way or another) said, “if you believe THIS you are IN and if you do not believe it you are OUT”. Compromisers and open minded Christians are never pointed out and do not end up with the prize of martyrdom.

The family of God is a diverse bunch…it’s Catholic…it’s Universal. People from every tribe and tongue and from every race of man will stand before the throne of the Almighty in allegiance, unity and worship one day! This is already happening as you read today! There has always been a great deal of diversity within His Church regarding understandings of secondary doctrinal issues. The unity within Church history proclaimed by Roman Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy is certainly exaggerated and in some ways fabricated. You’d have to paint with a real broad brush and ignore or water down some significant issues in order to arrive a conclusion that the Church has always been in harmony regarding tertiary doctrinal issues. The Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Mormon and Watchtower view of “unity” is unnatural, unrealistic and is unnecessary. Of course that does not mean (dispite the four mentioned groups claim otherwise) Christianity is simply a “free for all” and that anybody who slaps the name “Christian” on themself does so authenticly. And the great and beautiful diversity within the Church does not disable our ability to objectively examine who is and is not authentic either. There is a core which the Church has maintained since Christ and His Apostles. There are certain things which are so unambiguous in Scripture that all true Christians will not only adopt and confess…but will not tolerate its contradiction either.

What is it? Well…it’s the gospel. The gospel is the true center of Christian union because it is what Christ Himself commissioned us to preach. He gave us a message, something specific and narrow…and He told us to preach it! We are furthermore told us to not even “welcome” anybody into our home that had something else to say about it!

Let me ask you…who is “IN” and who is “OUT”? Do you have the moral fabric, the strength of character and the power of the Holy Spirit to be so bold as to draw the line in the sand and say, “I will go no further…and neither will you.” Our fathers had this conviction…and we read Bibles in our own language today because of it. We now know of Christ and what He did because of it. Will we continue this tradition? Will we continue to be bold? Will our children and grandchildren admire our worship of the living Christ? Or will they embrace heterodoxy because they saw tolerance of it in us?

Warn a divisive person once, and then warn him a second time. After that, have nothing to do with him. You may be sure that such a man is warped and sinful; he is self-condemned. Titus 3:10-11 niv

How big is your tent? We’ve been bouncing this idea around and last time we saw the Bible is very clear about how narrow His tent is. If you have not reviewed the last post then make sure you do before reading this one…because it must first be shown that the Bible can not be clearer regarding the fate of the unsaved, non-Christian.

There was a day when it was commonly understood within Biblical Christianity that man was very, very bad and God was very, very mad. Let me ask you…is that the gist you get from your pastor while he preaches? Is that the gist you get while singing contemporary “Jesus love song” after “Jesus love song” on Sunday? Is that the gist you get when reading the hottest selling Christian book? Is that the gist you get while watching TBN? While you sit in your home Bible study has anybody ever taught you that all people…everyone…is very, very bad and that God is very, very mad? No, of course that is not the gist most of us are given! No…in today’s sexy Churchianity man isn’t so bad after all and God isn’t so mad either. No…God is up in heaven with His fingers crossed hoping that these little darlings…these little cutie pies called humans…will choose to accept Him.

Beyond a simple mistrust of the Bible lies a very old doctrine which has re-emerged within some (large) circles of evangelicalism. It is the oldest doctrine of all and the one most adhered to by all cultures and all world religions. It is the doctrine of the scales…if your good desires outweigh your bad desires you should be just fine on judgment day. Bottom line. After all, it is said, God judges our heart and knows if we are a good person.

Surely God would not send an innocent, good yet ignorant pagan to hell simply because he or she never heard the details of the gospel!

Right?

Hear me as clearly as you have ever heard me before…that IS EXACTLY right! How could a just and Holy God send an innocent and good person to hell simply because nobody came shared with them “the Romans Road”, John 3:16 or anything about Christ? What kind of “God” would be so picky, so intolerant and so fickle as to toss decent people into hell simply because they never called on a name (Jesus) that they never heard? The God of Islam would do something like that…but not the God of the Bible! The God of the Bible is righteous, fair, just and will judge with equity…not inequity!

Here is the problem…there are no innocent and good people walking the earth (pagan or otherwise). Since the fall of Adam and excluding Christ…there never has been and there will never be good people running around here till He returns.

“Never again will I curse the ground because of man, even though every inclination of his heart is evil from childhood.” Genesis 8:21 niv

“What is man, that he could be pure, or one born of woman, that he could be righteous? If God places no trust in his holy ones, if even the heavens are not pure in his eyes, how much less man, who is vile and corrupt, who drinks up evil like water!” Job 15:14-16 niv

“Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me.” Psalm 51:5 niv

"The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned." 1 Corinthians 2:14 niv

With all the talk about the dangers of “hyper” Calvinism (btw…five point Calvinism is not hyper Calvinism) I’d like to suggest that the real cancer within evangelicalism is hyper Arminianism. You see, most people in our churches walk around having been taught that they are saved because they “accepted” Jesus. Is that what you think? Do you think that you are a Christian by your choice? Do you actually think you made a choice to believe the gospel? Let me ask you to explain how you choose to believe something? You either believe it or you do not…there seems little room for choosing in the equation.

When two and three generations of evangelicals have been inundated with this notion that people “accept” Jesus and that is why they are saved it is no wonder that today’s generation is grappling with the obvious problem regarding those who have never even heard of Jesus! If people are sent to hell for not “accepting” Jesus then how can someone be cast away who has never had the chance to “accept” Him?

Do not get me wrong…faith in Christ, repentance towards Christ and the acknowledgement of the Lordship of Christ is never, EVER, absent from salvation…something both Joel Osteen and our friend Tony have recklessly suggested as actually possible.

Yes, as a "five point Calvinist" I do believe that people…all people actually…are forgiven prior to repentance…BUT…there is never a person who has ever been forgiven and not born again! There has never been a forgiven person that did not repent and follow Jesus Christ the rest of their life! THAT is the gulf that stands between myself and my friend Tony.

CORRECTION: I DID NOT STATE THIS PROPERLY. I DO NOT BELIEVE "ALL PEOPLE" ARE FORGIVEN...WHAT I MEANT TO SAY WAS THAT ALL FORGIVEN OR SAVED PEOPLE ARE FORGIVEN PRIOR TO THEIR REPENTANCE. NOBODY QUESTIONED ME ABOUT THE WAY I WORDED THIS...BUT...I JUST CAUGHT IT AND NEEDED TO CLARIFY WHAT I WAS SAYING.

The Bible can not be clearer. There is no need to question it…people who are not born again, people without personal faith in Jesus Christ are doomed and rightly so! But for the grace of God I’d be as justly doomed as they! Apart from the preaching of the gospel and God quickening their depraved souls, mankind is hopelessly lost! There is no person walking around who is innocent and good! There is no seeker of God! There is no one with a natural desire for God! No one who stands a chance on judgment day unless they are a born again Christian! Only born again Christians enter heaven! Not because I have it all figured out…but because God has already told us in advance what His judgment is! I am not surprised that the world recoils at this statement…but people within evangelical churches who recoil and hiss does surprise me…but then again…on second thought…I go back to my first statement…I’m not surprised that the world recoils…

Born again Christians are "in". Everybody else is "out". That is what the Bible teaches...believe it or not.

For the love of God...we must go out and warn these people and ask God to take their hearts of stone and give them hearts of flesh! It is this conviction that will get us off our lazy and fat asses to live right and love right, to speak the truth respectfully and in love...and to pull our checkbooks out and support missions around the world! Most of you are more shocked that I used such uncooth langauge than you are shocked by the coming judgment of God!