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People of The Living God |
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September 2018
WATCHMEN ON THE WALLS
A CHRISTLESS PENTECOST!
David Wilkerson
Is Christ Becoming A Stranger In Our Midst?
Frank Bartleman was an eyewitness to the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in 1907 at Azusa Street, Los Angeles. He has been characterized as the Reporter of the Azusa Street Revival. Over 100 years ago, during the outpouring, he wrote a tract warning of a Christless Pentecost.
He Warned:
“We may not hold a doctrine, or seek an experience, except in Christ. Many are willing to seek power in order to perform miracles, draw attention and adoration of the people to themselves, thus robbing Christ of His glory, and making a fair showing in the flesh. The greatest need would seem to be for true followers of the meek and lowly Jesus. Religious enthusiasm easily goes to seed. The human spirit so predominates the show-off, religious spirit. But we must stick to our text, Christ.
“Any work that exalts the Holy Ghost or 'gifts' above Jesus will finally end up in fanaticism. Whatever causes us to exalt and love Jesus is well and safe. The reverse will ruin all. The Holy Ghost is a great light, but focused on Jesus always, for His revealing.
“Where the Holy Ghost is actually in control, Jesus is proclaimed the Head – the Holy Ghost, His executive.”
In another place, Brother Bartleman warned: “The temptation seems to be toward empty manifestations. This does not require any particular cross, or death to the self-life. Hence it is always popular.
“We may not put the power, gifts, the Holy Ghost, or in fact anything ahead of Jesus. Any mission that exalts even the Holy Ghost above the Lord Jesus Christ is bound for the rocks of error and fanaticism.
“There seems to be a great danger of losing sight of the fact that Jesus was 'all in all'. The work of Calvary, the atonement, must be the center for our consideration. The Holy Ghost will never draw our attention from Christ to Himself, but rather reveal Christ in a fuller way. We are in danger of slighting Jesus – getting Him 'lost in the temple,' by the exaltation of the Holy Ghost and the gifts of the Spirit. Jesus must be the center of everything.”
I do not take Brother Bartleman's warning lightly. The danger of a Christless Pentecost is very real today. I say to you it is possible to gather Spirit-filled people in one place, praising and lifting up their hands – and still have Christ walking among them as a stranger!
It's true He said, “Where two or three gather together in my name, there am I in their midst”, but He can be in our midst as a stranger! Ignored, unrecognized – even by those who meet in His name! The Jews gathered every Sabbath in the synagogue to speak of His name and to prophesy of His coming. They praised the name of the Father who promised to send Him. They spoke the Messiah's name with awe and reverence. Then, when He came and walked among them – He was not recognized! He was a stranger to them!
Christ, a stranger in the midst of a Spirit-filled congregation? A stranger in the midst of those who speak His name – who worship the Father who sent Him? A stranger to those who sing His hosannas, who call Him “Lord, Lord”?
Yes! Absolutely yes! It is not only possible – it is happening among God's chosen people today!
Let me show you three ways in which we are making Christ a stranger in our midst! May the Holy Spirit take away our spiritual blindness so we can once again see Him (Christ) as He really is – Lord of all!
I. We make Christ a Stranger By Giving The Holy Spirit Preeminence Over Him!
Christ, and Christ alone, must be the center of life and worship! “And he is the head of the body, the church – who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead…that in all things he might have the preeminence. For it pleased the Father that in him all fullness dwell” (Col. 1:18,19).
“That in all things he might have the preeminence.” That is – distinguished and spoken of above all others. Having first place in all things. Not even the Holy Spirit is to be exalted above that name! The upper room must never overshadow the cross! The blessed Holy Spirit is not Lord – He reveals to us the Lord! We dare not think of Christ as simply the one who sent the Holy Spirit. In other words, “Thank you, Jesus, for sending someone better”. Christ sent the Holy Spirit to reveal His own fullness within us.
When the Holy Spirit becomes the center of our attention, the church gets out of focus! The Holy Spirit descended upon Christ as He came out of baptismal waters and said of Him: “This is God's beloved Son – in whom He is well pleased.”
The Spirit descended bodily like a dove, but the focus was on the Lamb of God – who taketh away the sins of the world! Not the dove, but the Lamb!
Christ told His disciples of a coming Pentecost, when the Spirit would be outpoured for a single purpose: It was to be a power given to lift up the name of Christ!
“But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost has come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me – to the uttermost parts of the world” (Acts 1:8).
Jesus made it clear that when the Spirit comes He will not draw attention to Himself, but will focus on Christ's words. He will exalt Christ.
“when he, the Spirit of truth, is come…he shall not speak of himself…He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and show it unto you. All things that the Father hath are mine: therefore said I…that he shall take of mine, and reveal it to you” (John 16:13-15).
Jesus said, “He will show you My glory, My power, My kingdom. He will remind you of all My words.”
The primary work of the Holy Spirit is not fellowship, although He does bring believers together as one in Christ. It is not ecstasy. It is not simply to teach us an unlearned tongue. The Spirit has come to exalt Christ! To guide all mankind to the truth that Christ is Lord! It is not enough to say the Spirit has brought us close to each other – He must bring us closer to Christ!
The fullness of the Spirit is the fullness of Christ. If you do not have a consuming love for Christ, you do not have a Holy Ghost baptism! Christ, the baptizer, sent the Holy Spirit to fire our souls over lost humanity, to get us out into the highways and hedges to reach the unsaved. To shake up our lazy lifestyles and get us to doing His work. The blessed Holy Spirit will be grieved, and finally withdraw, the moment men try to exalt Him above the Son of God! He will not permit His power to be abused by those who want only the gift and not Christ, the Giver!
What is a truly Holy Ghost meeting? Is it where people all speak with tongues? Or where people are being healed? Where saints jump for joy? Where saints are prophesying? More – much more than that! It is where Christ is being exalted, where His holiness pierces the soul, where men and women fall before His holy throne, broken, humbled – crying, “Holy, Holy”. The moving of the Holy Spirit is a moving closer to Christ, deeper in Christ, with a greater submission to His Lordship!
II. Christ Is Made A Stranger When People Praise Him, But Will Not Pray To Him!
We praise a Christ to whom we will not pray! We have become a praising people, but not a praying people. For many of God's people the prayer closet is a relic of the past. “Why ask God for what He has already promised? Just get hold of the promises and simply command deliverances!” We no longer want Christ as much as we want what He can do for us. We want an escape from pain and suffering. We want our troubles to vanish. And we are so caught up in our escape from pain, we lose the true meaning of the Cross. We refuse crosses, and losses – no Gethsemane for us! No nights of agony! We don't even know this suffering, bleeding, resurrected Christ!
We want His healing power. We want His promises of prosperity. We want His protection. We want more of this earth's goods. We want His happiness. But we really don't want Him alone!
The church once confessed its sins – now it confesses its rights.
How many of us would serve Him if He offered nothing but Himself? No healing. No success. No prosperity. No worldly blessings. No miracles, signs, or wonders. What if – once again we had to take joyfully the spoiling of our goods? What if – instead of clear sailing and problem-free living, we faced shipwreck, fears within and fightings without? What if – instead of painless living, we suffered cruel mockings, stoning, bloodshed – being sawn asunder? What if – instead of our beautiful homes and cars, we had to wander about in deserts in sheepskins, hiding in dens and caves? What if – instead of prosperity, we were destitute, afflicted, and tormented?And The Only Better Thing Provided For Us Was Christ?
Very few of God's people pray anymore! They are too busy working for Jesus to talk to Him! Ministers, especially, have become so busy doing Kingdom work, they have little or no time left to pray. There is time to visit, to build, to travel, time to vacation, to attend meetings, time for recreation, reading, counseling, visitation – but no time to pray!
Preachers who do not pray, become promoters. They become frustrated building contractors. When they lose touch with God, they lose touch with their people and their needs. Preachers who don't pray have egos that spin out of control. They want their own way. They substitute sweat for unction.
Evangelists who do not pray become stars, storytellers. They lack humility so they manipulate crowds through emotional gimmicks. The cry of many pastors is, “Oh, God, where can I find an evangelist who doesn't care about money, or who is not promoting something, one who can bring heaven down and make Christ real! Oh, God – give me a praying man to bring my congregation to its knees!”
The shame of this generation is that we have too many talented men of God and only a few who have touched God in prayer.
There is even less praying in the congregation! I'm 100% for getting prayer back in our public schools! But that's not God's real problem! His problem is to get prayer back in our homes! His problem is to get His own chosen people to pray! And you are a phony if you fight for school prayers and neglect secret-closet praying yourself!
Do we pray? Oh, yes! When we need something. We have the formula down pat – “in the name of Jesus.” All we need Him for is to countersign our petition checks before the Father.
I am weary of hearing people say, “This is such a busy age – I have no time to pray. I'd like to but I don't have time”. No! It's not lack of time; it is a lack of desire. We make time for what we really want to do. Look at our Christian young people! Wasting hours of time playing Pac-man, Galaxy War, goofing off, bored, restless, looking for some action! But no time to pray! No time for Jesus! Oh, God! Somehow! Some way! Get this generation on its knees. Not just the Lord's Prayer, but a daily communion with Christ.
Our Savior, who has the care and concern for multiplied universes, has the time to pray just for you! He takes the time to intercede for you before the throne of God, and you say you do not have time to pray to Him!
We work feverishly for a Christ we ignore. We will go anywhere, do anything, in His name. But we will not pray. We will sing in a choir. We will visit the sick and the prisoners. But we will not pray. We will counsel the hurt and needy; we will stay up all night to comfort a friend, but we will not pray. We will fight corruption! We will crusade for morality! We will stand up against nuclear weapons! But we will not pray!
Most of all, we don't pray because we really don't believe it works. Prayer is a bloody battleground! It is where victories are won! A place to die to self! A place where a holy God exposes secret sin! No wonder Satan tries to hinder prayer! A praying man sends a shudder through hell. That man or woman is marked because Satan knows prayer is the power that crushes his kingdom. Satan is not afraid of power-hungry saints, but he trembles at the sound of a praying saint!
III. Christ Is Made A Stranger In Our Midst When We Want His Power More Than His Purity!
Reader Harris, an Englishman and director of The Pentecostal League of Prayer, once challenged a congregation on this matter of power and purity. He said, “Those who want power, line up to my right. Those who want purity, line up to my left.” The congregation lined up 10 to 1 – for power!
In the book of Acts, Pentecost was synonymous with purity more than power. Peter told the council at Jerusalem what God did at the house of Cornelius: “God gave them the Holy Ghost – even as he did us…purifying their hearts by faith” (Acts 15:8,9).
Who is the man or woman of God who has power? Is it the one who can heal the sick and raise the dead? Is it the one who can best talk in tongues and prophesy? Is it the one who draws the most people and builds the greatest church? No! The one with the power – is the one with the purity! “The righteous are as bold as a lion” (Prov. 28:1).
The prophet Malachi prophesied of a supernatural purge coming to God's house. “the Lord whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple…and who can withstand the day of his coming?…who shall stand when he appeareth?
“For he is like a refiner's fire, and like fuller's soap
“And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as silver and gold – that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness” (Mal. 3:1-3).
This is a dual prophecy. He speaks of Christ's first coming, and also of His second! He will come again suddenly, as a thief in the night. But first, He will purify His church.
We are not ready for the coming of Christ! Is this the church triumphant? Covetous, divorcing, depressed, worldly-minded, grasping for materialism and success, competitive, lukewarm, adulterous, rich and increased with goods, unaware of spiritual blindness and poverty, pleasure-loving, recreation-minded, consumed with sports, politics, and power – is this the church Jesus is coming for? Simply coping, filled with fear and anxiety, satisfied only to have good health and happiness?
My Bible says He is coming back for an overcoming church! A church without spot or wrinkle! A people whose affections are on things above! A people with clean hands and pure hearts. A people who are looking for His coming! A people with a “new Jerusalem state of mind.”
The question is no longer, “What can my faith get me? What miracle will He perform for me?” The question now is – “How shall I stand before Him? How shall I make it at the judgment?”
“who shall stand when he appeareth?” (Mal. 3:2). The question is no longer, “How do I feel – how do I get happiness? How do I get the desire of my heart?” The question now is – “Can I withstand that moment when I stand before the judgment seat of Christ?” “How can I withstand when I've lived so carelessly, so selfishly, so neglectful of His great salvation?” The central issue now has nothing to do with this world at all. At issue is – “Have I neglected Christ in this midnight hour?”
The purge is going to begin in the pulpit! “he shall purify the sons of Levi” (Mal. 3:3). God is going to accomplish that by “turning up the heat.” God is going to make things so hot, so fiery, so intense, God's men will be driven to their knees! This is the fire of the Holy Ghost! It is the fire of persecution. It is the fire of tribulation. The fire of rebellion. The fire of unbelievable hardships, ridicule, gossip, financial problems. He is going to shake everything that can be shaken! He is going to shake, and scrub, and burn, and purge – and purify!
No man or woman of God will escape the purging! God is determined to get all the dross and filth out of us. The purge will spread from the pulpit to the pew! Get ready, saints! God is getting ready to expose all sin, all adultery, all foolishness! The Holy Ghost is going to reprove us of sin, and righteousness, and judgment! How can you play games when God puts you in His crucible and turns up the fire! Your Holy Ghost baptism is going to have some fire put to it now!
Malachi said – “The day cometh that shall burn as an oven: and all the proud, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up” (4:1).
God also promises to bring down the strongholds of the enemy! He is going to once and for all let the devil and the world know who has the power!
If God is about to do all that the prophets predicted He would – what a glorious future just ahead!
A purged, purified ministry!
A church that God is calling back to repentance and holiness.
A people washed, cleansed – offering praises in true righteousness.
A revival among our young people! Drug strongholds coming down! Alcohol and divorce no longer prevalent among God's people.
The sound of prayer – intercession!
A people of God who will discern between the holy and unholy!
Everywhere, God's people turning again to the Word.
A tested, tried people, once again devoted to the Person of Jesus Christ!
His Person being lifted up to draw all men to Him!
Christ no longer the stranger in our midst, but crowned – preeminent!
A Pentecost that truly exalts the name and power of Jesus Christ, the Lord of all.
THIS SAME JESUS
Dora Walton
“Jesus Christ the same yesterday, today, and forever” (Heb. 13:8).
This text is often quoted to give hope and consolation, but not often to instill the fear of God in the hearts of men. If men actually believed this scripture to mean exactly what it says, they would have a housecleaning in their lives. Often men forget that in ALL ways God remains the same. His truth, His patience, and His love are always the same; ALSO His hatred of evil and His judgment against sin. Often this scripture is used to imply that the Lord will always be patient and merciful with anyone and anything, regardless of conditions and circumstances. This is not the case. God never changes; neither do His standards change. Men forget that love is not condoning of sin, forgiveness is not compromising, and patience is not winking at disobedience.
Jesus Christ IS the same. His WORD is the same; it endureth forever. His LAW is the same: as from the beginning, “the law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul.” SIN is the same, as black as it ever was. “Sin is the transgression of the law.” And the PENALTY for sin is the same. “The soul that sinneth it shall die.” “Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap” (Gal. 6:7).
The unchangeableness of God is the reason for His justice. He set up a standard for His people that has ever been the same. He judges every man by that standard. Every creature is given the same opportunity, the same requirements.
Do most people rejoice in the sameness of the standard? No! In every age man has tried to change the standard, to lower it, to adjust it to his day and his ideas. The presumption of the carnal mind to imagine that any creation of God could be improved by creatures who can do nothing of themselves! Creatures which are dependent upon Him for their very breath!
Men are swayed in their judgment, by emotions, sentiments, and prejudices. Each generation establishes its own viewpoint about right and wrong. Each generation produces new religions and religious teachers who place their interpretations on the truths of God. God made the way so plain that the wayfaring man, though a fool, would not err therein. Men have tried to change it because they could not measure up to God’s standard without drastic changes in their ways of life.
Men like to think of Christ as always the same in some things – healing the sick, feeding the hungry, giving sight to the blind, etc., but reason away the existence of His commands, His severity, His judgments.
God gave law to His people to protect and guide and teach them. “Modernized” religion despises law and government, so has graciously given the law to the Jews and proclaimed this the age of grace. The rejected law shall judge them!
Christ declared, “Whosoever forsaketh not ALL that he hath cannot be my disciple.” Many of our 21st century theologians interpret this for their own gain. They stress tithes and heavy love offerings for the church, and ignore forsaking and consecrating “all.”
Worship must meet certain specifications to be acceptable to God. These requirements have never changed. God is pleased with those who serve Him in spirit and in truth, and is rightly displeased with those who endeavor to serve Him in the flesh and according to creeds of men. “In vain ye do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.” “Why call ye, me Lord, Lord and do not the things which I say?”
From the days of Cain and Abel there have always been those who want to be religious – have a form of godliness – in order to ease their consciences. They deceive only themselves. “God is not mocked.” These two men (Cain and Abel) were told to sacrifice certain things in a certain way. They both sacrificed, but one was just simple enough, humble enough, to follow God’s command to the letter. This man the Lord honored. The other was religious and didn’t want to completely ignore God, for he wanted the blessings of God. But his carnal mind reasoned away the details of God’s command and he sacrificed something different than what God had asked for. His sacrifice brought him a curse! When men ask for bread they know that because God remains the same, they will receive bread and not a stone. But when God asks certain things of men they try to palm off all sorts of substitutes on Him.
The people of Christ’s day were no different. They followed Him when they were receiving physical and material help, but when He preached the straight and narrow way they were offended and left Him. These were “hard sayings.”
This was the same Jesus who blessed the little children and who wept over Jerusalem, yet the multitudes turned from Him when He lashed out against hypocrisy, when He drove the money changers from the temple, when He called sin by its right name.
And this SAME Jesus will return again to “reward every man according as his work shall be.” This is the hope and assurance of those who are His obedient servants.
Those who receive the reward of life everlasting and those to whom are meted out everlasting punishment will be judged by the same standards – TRUTH and OBEDIENCE.
In that day “he that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still.
“Blessed are they that do His commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.
“If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book.
“And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the Holy City” (Rev. 22:11,14,18-20).
THE CART BEFORE THE HORSE
Alfred King
“For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God” (Rom 10:3). Israel, to whom the Gospel was preached, was not profited by the Gospel because of unbelief (Heb. 4:2). Most Israelite children could quote the Torah (the first five books of the Old Testament) by the time they were twelve. Those who were to become Rabbis were those chosen from among the best and faced even more rigorous challenges and intensive training. By the time they were fifteen, they would have memorized the complete Old Testament and by thirty, if they continued in their training and discipline, they reached the goal to become a Rabbi.
It is most interesting and yet puzzling that these, who had persevered and gained such knowledge of scripture, could yet miss the very truth contained in scripture. Such is the deceitfulness and pride of the human heart. Those laws and ordinances which were to bring them to the light seemed only to blind them, and those sacrifices which they offered year after year did not awaken their understanding or alert them to the realization that the blood of bulls and goats could not take away sin. Instead of those God-given laws, ordinances and sacrifices leading them to Christ, or to the understanding that a greater and more perfect sacrifice was needed, it served only to puff them up in much learning so their hearts were hardened. Instead of having that spiritual eyesight that Simeon and Anna received when the Christ child was taken to the temple, they rejected that perfect Sacrifice, that only one that could truly take away sin. Instead, they clung tenaciously to that which served to exalt themselves above the precious One, who was The Lamb, Who alone could take away the sin of the world.
How must that great Apostle to the Gentiles have felt as the Holy Spirit opened his blind eyes to see that all his righteousness were as filthy rags and that diligently disciplined self he had created served only to produce a religious ego, a Goliath that only the Spirit of God could slay. Oh, the wonderful mercies of God that He would loose the chains of such religious pride which drove Saul of Tarsus.
It is so easy to read the scriptures and see the faults and failings of the children of Israel or the hypocrisy of the Pharisees and religious leaders of Jesus’ day. It is comforting to think that we are not like they were: we are walking in a way pleasing to God, we go to church, attend Bible studies, pray over our meals, take our Bibles to church and even read them periodically. We may consider ourselves “Christian” because we believe intellectually in Jesus and acknowledge the cleansing power of the cross. We may have many “good works” which bring us security. We may be applying the lessons we have heard preached from the pulpit, but if one is not born again, made a new creation in and through Christ Jesus, one’s good works are to put the “cart before the horse.” Good works and man’s achievements in the natural, no matter how good and noble they appear to carnal man, are of no use in reconciling a soul to God. So often, we are taught those scriptures which inform us of the necessity of good works, of Godly traits, of those attributes of God’s kingdom and given the list of the “fruit of the Spirit” and we give ourselves to them to practice and see them produced in our lives. However, all too often men endeavor to apply God’s commands to their lives believing they can earn their way to heaven. This is a very deceptive path to take. No one can be reconciled to God except by the blood of Jesus Christ as it is applied to their hearts.
People of the Living God has always been very firm on upholding the law of God, strong on obedience, on living righteously in this present evil world, on resisting the evils of our deceptive hearts and on the fact that one day we will all stand before the judgment seat of Christ and be accountable for our deeds while in this life. I would not in any way take away from that admonition and council, but I fear that too many men and women today think that their good works are sufficient before a holy God to make heaven. Many, many have walked to the front of a church, quoted a “sinner’s prayer” and left being convinced they were saved when they had not been radically changed inside by a personal encounter with God. God has not called us to merely be good people or to have good works (although those are required); He has called us into a personal relationship with Him. The call of God to man today is not to get into heaven but to so love God that we serve Him out of a heart of love. Too many today are trying to obey God’s law so they can escape hell and get into heaven. The motive of the heart in these cases is deceptive, for their heart is selfish. To love the Lord our God with all our hearts, our souls, our minds, and our strengths only becomes possible when one is truly born again by the Holy Spirit sent down from heaven through that atoning sacrifice Jesus Christ offered approximately two thousand years ago. To attempt to serve God without a genuine and personal salvation is to get the “cart before the horse.”
In John 10, Jesus spoke a parable to the people that day about a shepherd and his sheep. In this parable we learn some very important lessons. We see that Jesus is the door and no man can enter the sheepfold except by going through Jesus Christ. He is referring to the entrance into God’s kingdom by being born again, or being saved through Jesus Christ, the Door. In this parable, Jesus speaks of some who try to “come up another way.” These, He says, are thieves and robbers. Those who attempt to earn their way to heaven by their own good works are trying to “come up another way” and, therefore, are thieves and robbers.
Saul of Tarsus had tried to climb up another way but all it produced was an egotistical, judgmental, persecutor of true Christianity and its followers. The path which many men take today is that of earning their righteousness and approval before God. This is absolutely impossible, for scripture states that “we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags” (Isa. 64:6). Before any of our works can be counted for righteousness, we must first be born again and then we obtain Christ’s righteousness, for it is imputed to us through saving faith. The blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from all sin (I John 1:7).
There are many churches today that teach one cannot be saved or born again until the Millennium. This is a most damning doctrine, for it teaches that we must live good lives now and try to obey the commandments and yet it does not teach nor require one to be born again. How can one be born again or saved if that experience is set for a future time? It is not possible. Therefore, this teaching leaves its members to put the “cart before the horse” and leaves them hopelessly lost. These attempt to please God through their good works, and most feel that God is watching them like a hawk, ready to bring judgment upon them at the first mess up. This is how the heathen perceived their gods. They were always attempting to please their self-created gods through various works, sacrifices, self-imposed rigorous activities, even self-mutilation or causing their children to walk through the coals of fire. This we call “Heathenism.” Yet, today, many pastors and Bible teachers present God in the same manner as the gods of the heathen.
God is a God of law and order. He is also a God of justice. But let us always present God in His most lovely and divine characteristic, that of love. A Christian’s God is not like the gods of the heathen. He is not only a God of law and justice, for He is above all else, a God of love. Jesus spoke of God’s love when He was speaking to Nicodemus, recorded in John 3. Jesus said, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but should have everlasting life” (John 3:16). John seem to perceive God’s love above many others, for he sprinkled it lavishly through his first epistle more than a dozen times. He wrote, “God is love” (I John 4:8 & 16). John’s focus in this epistle was God’s love, for he wrote: “love is of God,” “His love,” “the love that God hath to us,” “perfect love,” “love of God,” “the love of the Father,” and he also gives us that wonderful message, “We love him, because he first loved us” (I John 4:19) and “Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins” (I John 4:10). To get the horse and cart in their rightful places, we must first be born again and have God’s love shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit, then we will serve God in obedience because we love Him Who loved us first. May we all realize this great truth and find our hearts filled with love and devotion to our wonderful Savior, Jesus Christ.
A PERSONAL TESTIMONY
Gregory Brown
“Therefore, if any man be in Christ Jesus, he is a new creature; old things are passed away, behold, all things are become new” (II Cor. 5:17).
I would like to praise the Lord for being a new person in Christ Jesus, because the old person was heading straight to hell. Some of the things I was involved in were drinking, smoking pot, reading unclean books, shoplifting, etc. I was so much of the world and what it had to offer me.
I thought I was happy and had everything I wanted. I had a wife and was feeling good; that is, with the help of the marijuana and alcohol.
Then my wife left me and gave me a divorce. Depression set in and this only caused me to drink more and smoke more pot, but the depression only worsened. Finally, I tried to commit suicide, but couldn't force myself to go through with it. I was convinced that I was a total failure and that nobody loved me.
But, then, this couple came into my life and told me about Jesus Christ and how He loved me so much that He was nailed to a cross and died for me and for my sins. I thought, “Wow, somebody does love me, or He would not have died for me.” This couple then asked me if I would accept Jesus as my personal savior and let Him come into my life and my heart. “I'll have to go home and think about it,” I said, and that same night I accepted Jesus Christ as my savior and Lord.
Since that night in 1984 I have had such a peace that the world cannot understand. Only those who have received Christ as I have can understand. I have been delivered from my old sins of smoking pot and drinking alcohol.
I would like to challenge anyone who has not asked Jesus into his or her life to do so. You will never regret it. You will become a new person and receive all that is available to those who are in Christ Jesus.
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Desiring to include the editor’s response to this letter in “The Testimony of Truth,” I cannot include the complete article sent in this response but will quote from it in order that our readers may get the gist of its contents. Some of the material may be inappropriate for younger children, so parental guidance is advised. My intent is not to write of those things to embarrass or shock the reader but only to point out the error of the article sent. May we all learn to love all sinners and take an honest, yet scriptural look at the issue of homosexuality.
Editor
This is an article that appeared in our local newspaper 7/21/2018. I believe the Bible does say it is wrong. Can you give me all scriptures on this subject?
Thank you, B.J.
Dear B.J.
Thank you for your recent letter desiring scriptures which substantiate a truly sacred and Biblical marriage. This is a very important issue and one that destines a nation which rejects God’s ordained plan for the family. The article reveals very clearly how far the church has compromised with the world. The term used years ago that started this downward slide into false teachings in the church was “Situation Ethics.” It was a term that pushed aside specific moral laws and brought into our society the premise that every situation should determine its own moral conclusion. This philosophy disregarded God’s law and placed man in the position to determine what is right or wrong for him or her. This philosophy cast aside God’s eternal law, thereby fostering immorality and many other sins which are sending multitudes to an eternity of destruction. Since the issue of homosexuality is the topic of this article and that which concerns all of us as Christians, our focus will be primarily on sexual sins.
The article you sent, written by a pastor in Kentucky, begins by speaking about how he enjoys officiating weddings. It is such a happy time when friends and relatives come together to celebrate the marriage of a couple. He then brings up a wedding he recently officiated which was between two of the same sex. (He does not specify whether these were two men or two women.) I quote, “Recently, I have shared in the joy of the love between people who have chosen to marry now that they legally can. And I have to say, officiating same-sex marriages in a commonwealth and a country that once disallowed such is a gift beyond measure.” He goes on to say that this experience demonstrates “a love and support that moves me, humbles me, inspires me, and convicts me.”
Let us never forget Paul’s words in II Cor. 11:13-15, “For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.” Pastors who refuse to preach God’s word accurately fit into this group. The fact that many homosexuals and lesbians support good causes, give to charities, and are “just good people” does not remove this sin from their account any sooner than these same good works and charities saves a movie star or sports star who lies, curses, drinks and lives a life of sin. All his good deeds do not eliminate or excuse him from the guilt of his sins. We live in a world which refuses to face truth, and the truth is that sin is transgression of God’s law and condemns one to an eternal hell.
The author goes on to speak of how homosexuals have been mistreated over the years, have been hated, rejected, ostracized and suffered. This is true, even among church goers and ministers. Jesus came to save sinners, not to turn them away from salvation through hate, anger and condemnation. This is one of the main functions and purposes of our churches, leading sinners to Christ. But it is also imperative that we preach truth, for to teach that any type of fornication is okay is to dishonor God and His law and brings destruction to the soul Jesus desires to save. Continuing in the article, the author speaks of those who go to Google to find scriptures to refute and condemn homosexuality but rarely go there to search for scriptures related to “greed, economical justice, the distribution of wealth in aid of the poor, the unquestioned welcoming of strangers and immigrants, and divorce.” Again, his argument is true. That still does not justify homosexuality; it only states that there are other issues that we need to examine. To point out other faults and failures of the modern church does not justify homosexuality. The author attempts to condemn those who resist his position in an effort to make them to back off. He then brings up many of the Old Testament laws, given by Moses, which every Christian who has studied or been taught much at all about the Old Testament, realizes were done away, along with all the rituals and rites when the New Covenant was established by Jesus Christ. This is merely nonsense and a skirting of the issue that homosexuality is sin. The list of Mosaic laws he presents are ridiculous to the issue at hand. These laws do not apply under the New Covenant, and the author knows that just as much as I do. He is trying to take our focus off of the real issue.
He goes on to say that Jesus said nothing about homosexuality. While Jesus never mentioned homosexuality specifically, He did speak very emphatically against fornication. Consider Mark 7:20-23: “And he said, That which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man. For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.” (emphasis mine) Notice that “fornications” is plural. There are many types of fornications, one of which is homosexuality. Fornication is any type of illicit sexual activity. Illicit is that which is against moral law and common sense. Fornication can be committed even in a marriage. Bringing any illicit act into the marriage relationship is a form of fornication, even though the couple is married. All these types of fornication are found on pornographic sites, because those sites are designed to lure people into greater and greater depths of fornication.
The following words were read at my wedding over fifty years ago. But notice the word, “sacred”. “Marriage is a joyous occasion. It is connected in our thoughts with the magic charm of home, and with all that is pleasant and attractive in the tenderest and most sacred relations of life. It was sanctioned by our Lord Himself in Cana of Galilee.” Sacred has to do with that which is God ordained and that of which God approves. God does not approve nor sanction all sexual relationships. Fornication is sin and therefore far from sacred. Let me also quote from the late Reverend Wm. R. Williams, D.D. of New York City. “Divine Revelation has declared marriage to be honorable in all. It is an institution of God, ordained in the time of man’s innocency, before he had sinned against His maker, and been yet banished from Paradise. It was given in wisdom and in kindness, to repress irregular affection, to support social order, and to provide that, through well-ordered families, truth and holiness might be transmitted from one age to another. Earlier, therefore, than all laws of merely human origin, it lies at the basis of all human legislation and civil government, and the peace and well-being of the nation and land.” This man had a great understanding of the importance of marriage and the family.
In Eden, God’s first command to man was not relative to the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Let’s read God’s order in Genesis 1:27-28, “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.” (emphasis mine) God created man and woman and His very first command was, “Be fruitful and multiply.” Neither two women nor two men can do this because it is not God’s order. Man refuses to submit to God’s order and His commands. It is obvious to any honest person that homosexuality is wrong. However, they want to clear their own conscience by getting the world to say, “it’s okay.”
Back to the article in question: The author goes to the words of Jesus and brings up the sins Jesus mentions such as adultery, divorce, remarrying, many of our economical decisions, and then gives the statistics: that 54% of those who end their first marriage, dismiss Jesus’ words and 70% overlook it as their second marriage ends. Again, he is correct. But, again, he is attempting to skirt the issue and get our attention off of homosexuality and point to other sins which some may be guilty of, as though that discredits the fact that homosexuality is SIN. While those other things are sin, yet those sins, as great as they are, are not in the same category with homosexuality. Why? Because, that while scripture clearly teaches that all sins lead one to hell, it also teaches that some sins are greater than other sins. There are sins that are unto death and there are sins that are not unto death (I John 5:16-17). Jesus told Pilate that those who had delivered Him to Pilate had the greater sin (John 19:11). Being attracted to the opposite sex is normal and it is the way God created men and women; it is through that attraction that we begin to find the person we desire to spend our lives with, bear children and rear them. Because of that attraction, there is a natural drawing to the opposite sex, and that drawing must be governed by each individual. We must curb our lusts toward the opposite sex just as we must curb our lust for the riches and pleasures of this life. Lust for anything lead us down a path of bondage and eternal loss. However, attraction to the same sex is not normal nor is it reasonable. In the Old Testament, it was referred to as an abomination, whereas adultery and premarital sex was never considered in the same light.
The author continues by going to the issue of Sodom and Gomorrah: I quote, “And for those who want to cite Sodom, Gomorrah, and their sister cities, let me stop you right there. Those stories are about inhospitality. They have nothing to do with homosexuality. At the heart of the claim that the Bible is clear ‘that homosexuality is forbidden by God’ is, simply put, poor biblical scholarship and a pre-existing cultural bias read into the Bible. Truth be told, the Bible says nothing about ‘homosexuality’ as an innate part of personality. Sexual orientation was simply not understood in biblical times. There are references in the Bible to same-gender sexual behavior, and all of them are undeniably negative. But what is condemned there is the violence, idolatry, and exploitation related to the behavior, not the fact that those behaviors involved people of the same gender. There are references in the Bible to sexual behavior among men and women that are just as condemning for the same reasons. But no one claims that the condemnation is because the behavior was between a man and a woman. Behavior, not gender, is the issue.”
The only true statement in the above paragraph is, “Behavior, not gender, is the issue”. Gender is whether we are born male or female. It is true that behavior is the issue and our behavior concerning God’s moral and holy law is dishonored, violated, and broken when anyone commits homosexuality (or any other sexual sin). Does the Bible say nothing about “homosexuality” as an innate part of personality? Of course it does. Jesus spoke of fornication coming from the heart. It proceeds from one’s heart which is the center of man’s being. We are made spirit, soul, and body. The soul is the real you. The body is merely the vehicle in which the soul dwells, and the spirit is what gives us life. When the spirit leaves the body, the body dies but the soul lives on. All sin is a part of our personalities, for it proceeds from our hearts.
Scripture teaches us to rebuke such as bring forth damning doctrines, for they are doctrines of devils. They not only are themselves headed for destruction but they are taking many others with them. Our God is a holy God and He is looking for holy people, for without holiness no man shall see the Lord (Heb. 12:14).
But I cannot write an article or response to a question of this nature without writing about the power of Jesus Christ to deliver. There is no sin that the blood of Jesus cannot cover, and there is no person so deep in sin that Jesus cannot lift out of the pit of sin and degradation and free him from the grip of Satan and all other powers in hell or in this earth. No sin is too great for our God. Jesus has set many, many homosexuals free from their bondage. Do not believe or accept the teaching that you were born this way or that it’s just who you are. We all are born in sin, but Jesus came and died to set us free from sin’s stronghold. Millions can attest to this fact, for multitudes have come to know Jesus Christ and His power to set the captives free. These wolves in sheep’s clothing who attempt to make you feel that you are okay and actually encourage you to continue in sin are deceiving you and setting you on the path that ends in hell. Do not believe these evil men, but read the Bible for yourself and see what God can do for you if you will believe in Him, find His wonderful and delivering salvation, and trust Him for complete deliverance.
In closing, I would like to refer to a homosexual who was saved and delivered by God’s power and grace. This account is from a book written by Jim Cymbala entitled, Fresh Wind, Fresh Power. I cannot copy the whole account because of copywrite laws so will give most of it in my own words. Jim Cymbala has a church located in Brooklyn, N.Y. He has reached out to many of the homeless, drug addicts, and prostitutes, and through intercessory prayer, has seen many saved and delivered from their addictions. Those early souls who were saved had such a zeal and fervor for the Lord that they desired to invite some people from the gay side of Brooklyn to the services. Many came and as Pastor Jim was walking down the aisle one day before the service, he bumped into a very nice looking blond female. He excused himself and the woman turned and in a very low and heavy Spanish accent said, “That’s okay, man.” This shocked Pastor Jim, for she had painted fingernails, high shoes, nice black dress, black stockings, and shoulder-length blond hair. Later, Pastor Jim found that his name was Ricardo, but known on the streets as Sarah. The list of his sins was long and very grievous.
Ricardo sat in the service and as he heard testimonies of some who had been delivered from drugs, prostitution and all sorts of gross sins, he began to wonder if he could possibly be set free. He wondered if maybe his life could be different. Could this Jesus set him free from crack, from homosexuality, from this person who he had become but whom he hated so much? Was there truly hope for him? The fact that God could change him from the inside was something he never considered before but now it gave him some hope, for this Jesus Who was preached was declared stronger than the vices of Satan. He was a God Who loved sinners and desired to set them free. Ricardo went to the altar, repented, was born again, and began a walk of deliverance through the power of Jesus Christ. He cut his hair and let it return to its original color. He got rid of all the feminine clothing and began to dress as a man. He later moved to Texas and began attending a church there. He met a good Christian woman and, though he was already diagnosed with AID’s, they were married and taught how to protect her from contracting this disease. Several years later, Ricardo was on his death bed, dying from HIV. He called Jim Cymbala on the phone and he thanked him for telling him about Jesus Christ. He thanked him for loving him enough to tell him the truth about Jesus Christ and His power to set homosexuals free. Ricardo died from AID’s, but he was not afraid because he was going to see Jesus Christ, the One who loved him enough to die for him and save his soul. The One who brought him out of a horrible pit and gave him everlasting life.
This is just one of many accounts of how Jesus has delivered homosexuals and lesbians. How much better would it have been if the pastor who officiated this wicked relationship would have told them about Jesus’ power to save and to deliver. How much more glory would it have brought to our wonderful Savior if he had told them about God’s love, a love that would not condone their sin but would have delivered them from it. And how great it would have been if they had responded to the truth, humbled themselves, were born again and experienced God’s gracious freedom.
You asked for a list of scriptures showing the homosexuality is sin. Here are just a few that should be sufficient for any honest person who is seeking truth. It would be wise to read the complete chapters, but here is listed the specific verses relative to our topic.
Rom. 1:26-27: “For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.” (KJV)
Also, consider how the NIV translated these two verses: “Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion.” (NIV) 1 Cor. 6:9: “Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,” (KJV)
1 Tim. 1:9-10: “Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners, for unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers, For whoremongers, for them that defile themselves with mankind, for menstealers, for liars, for perjured persons, and if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine;” (KJV)
Rev 21:8: “But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.” (KJV) The word “whoremongers” used in this passage is translated by James Strong as “Male prostitutes”.
2 Peter 2:6: “And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, making them an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly;” (KJV)
Jude 7: “Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.” (KJV)
(emphasis mine on all the scriptures above)
Sodom and Gomorrah were, no doubt, destroyed for many sins, but homosexuality was certainly the issue most abominable, and it is very clear in Genesis that the men of Sodom pressed upon Lot, even to the point of breaking into his house, to get to those men. Scripture says they wanted to “know them.” This terminology used in the KJV is to have a sexual relationship with them. Consider a couple other versions on this portion of scripture.
NIV, Gen 19:5: “They called to Lot, "Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us so that we can have sex with them."
TLB, Gen 19:5: “and shouted to Lot, "Bring out those men to us so we can rape them."
(emphasis mine)
(While I don’t recommend these translations, they do convey more clearly the meaning of the original.)
May God give us a burden for souls, for Jesus came to save sinners, not righteous people. He also commissioned His church to follow in His footsteps. Jesus is still the same today as He was when He walked the shores of Galilee and still heals sicknesses and diseases and saves the worst of sinners. To God be glory both now and forever.
The Editor
ARMINIANISM OR CALVINISM
(Part 7)
Warren Berry
We have briefly covered the five articles of the Remonstrance and the five points of Calvinism in the previous articles but it is necessary that we address the heart or foundation of Calvinist theology, that being “The Sovereignty of God.” While this article will focus primarily on Calvinism rather than Arminianism, let me assure the reader that this author does not hold to all the tenants of Arminianism. The Bible is our authority and all doctrine must be founded upon God’s holy word and not on the teachings or opinions of men, whether those men be preachers, theologians, Bible scholars, or men who certain denominations exalt as their founders. Men such as Calvin, Arminius, Augustine, Wesley, Finney, or any other man are mere men who did not possess all truth. Jesus is the One we base our faith upon, and His words are paramount in our search for truth. I’m sure all of the men mentioned above felt they were basing their teachings upon the Bible alone, and yet they ended up with different interpretations, and some even went so far as to murder those who disagreed with their teachings. Augustine was a philosopher before he claimed Christianity and many of his pagan philosophies affected his views of scripture. He also joined the Catholic Church where he was eventually listed among the saints. This alone raises serious questions about his teachings. According to some historians, John Calvin, as well as Martin Luther, was responsible for the death of some who disagreed with them on doctrinal issues. To base one’s theology upon these men is, in my opinion, very dangerous. However, just because they committed some grievous sin, does not in itself condemn their teaching, for many who are in hell today have had some true doctrines. What we must do if we are going to spend any time reading or examining their teachings is to take the good and trash the rest. With that said, let us examine the teaching of “The Sovereignty of God.”
No honest Christian with any knowledge of scripture or God will refute God’s sovereignty, but how we define His sovereignty is where the issue rests. Sovereignty is defined as, “having supreme power or authority, supreme and independent power, supreme dominion.” (Dictionary.com) Therefore, when we speak of God’s sovereignty, we mean that He has complete power, control, dominion, and jurisdiction over His kingdom in heaven and over His creation, which includes the earth and the universe. Again, no Christian will dispute this definition nor attempt to minimize that known fact. However, Calvinists teach that God, in His divine sovereignty, determines who will be saved and who will be damned. This, then, takes away from men any freedom of choice, and this is where Arminius found serious problems with Calvin. Calvin taught that God predestined, elected or chose who would be saved and those who would be lost before the foundation of the world. Of course, they use certain scriptures to support this idea. Arminians cannot accept this doctrine for several reasons but, primarily, because it makes God a supreme tyrant. It destroys His character of being a God of justice, love, and mercy to all sinners, and rejects the idea that Jesus died for the sins of the whole world. The Calvinist’s teaching is that Jesus only died for the elect, or those predestined by God.
While Calvinists rests everything on their own definition of sovereignty, Arminians define sovereignty differently. Arminians believe God is sovereign and has complete authority but, with that authority, He has sovereignly determined to give man free will and allow man to choose whether he will believe in God or whether he will reject God. God offers all men the opportunity to be saved, and all men can be saved if they will but believe. However, with the doctrine of predestination, all men cannot believe, for if they are not God’s elect, they cannot be saved. No matter what they do in this life, no matter how much they desire to go to heaven, no matter how much they might seek God, they will not be saved, for God has sovereignly rejected them.
Let us examine some of the reasoning given in A.W. Pink’s book entitled, “The Sovereignty of God.” *“Is God governing this world of ours? Is He shaping the destinies of nations, controlling the course of empires, determining the limits of dynasties? Has He prescribed the limits of evil-doers, saying, Thus far shalt thou go and no further? Let us suppose the opposite for a moment. Let us assume that God has delivered over the helm into the hand of His creatures, and see where such a supposition leads us. For the sake of argument we will say that every man enters this world endowed with a will that is absolutely free, and that it is impossible to compel or even coerce him without destroying his freedom. Let us say that every man possesses a knowledge of right and wrong, that he has the power to choose between them, and that he is left entirely free to make his own choice and go his own way. Then what? Then it follows that man is sovereign, for he does as he pleases and is the architect of his own fortune.” (A.W. Pink: The Sovereignty of God, pg. 34) Pink goes on with his supposition to say that man may eventually choose evil over good and damn the whole human race. But let’s consider what he has written in the above paragraph.
If this is truly what Pink thinks Arminians believe about the sovereignty of God, he doesn’t understand their position at all. If he does understand what Arminians believe, he is using a supposition that has no meaning whatsoever. Just because God has given men free will does not mean that man rules the kingdoms of men. Arminians believe God is governing this world and that He sets up whomsoever He chooses, He limits how far evil can progress, etc. But God does allow men the freedom to make choices in this present environment. God uses men for His purposes, both for good and for evil. He chose to use Pharaoh for evil and He chose Moses for good, but His choice was based on the choices those two men made earlier in life. God did not force Moses nor did He force Pharaoh to be whom they were. Those men made choices that conditioned them to be used in God’s eternal plan in the way they were used. I am fully convinced that Pharaoh was convicted by the way the Israelites were treated, but he hardened his heart over the years, long before Moses returned to Egypt. Pharaoh made wrong choices in regard to what he knew was right or wrong. Moses, on the other hand, while he could have hardened his heart just as Pharaoh did, instead he acknowledged the wrong and was moved with compassion towards the Israelites. He wanted to see them relieved from such abuse and tyranny. Moses could have hardened his heart, been content with the fact that he was comfortable, respected and honored and looked away from Israel’s slavery, but it appears from Stephen’s account in Acts seven that he decided to act on his convictions. It seems he must have thought that he could deliver the Israelites because he was the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. “For he supposed his brethren would have understood how that God by his hand would deliver them: but they understood not” (Acts 7:25).
Moses seemed to realize that God had given him a special call and while Moses made an attempt to do it his way, God had a different way. Moses acted according to his free will and it failed, because it was not God’s timing nor God’s manner in which Israel was to be delivered. This is how the sovereignty of God works. God did not predestine either of these men to be what they were; they were chosen because of the choices they made. This does not in any way detract from God’s sovereignty; it is the way God chose to sovereignly work in delivering Israel from Egypt. Because Calvinists in order to support their teaching of Total Depravity, they are forced to define God’s sovereignty as they do. (There is a very important lesson here to learn. If we have one teaching which is incorrect, it easily means others will be incorrect because we build upon a false concept.)
God does control kingdoms and nations, but He chooses men and women who have made choices in their personal lives which fits them for God’s divine purpose. Take special note of the illustration that Pink uses to support his argument. “For the sake of argument we will say that every man enters this world endowed with a will that is absolutely free, and that it is impossible to compel or even coerce him without destroying his freedom.” (emphasis mine) Free will does not imply that one can never be coerced or compelled. God does not force them to make the decisions they make, although He does bring forth situations in which they are compelled to make a choice. God allows man to choose between good and bad. Man is not forced in his decision although he is coerced to make a choice. Every person on this globe is forced to make a choice, but no one is forced to choose good over bad or bad over good. God allows man the freedom to make the final choice.
When my wife and I go out to eat, we discuss the places where we would like to eat. I often tell her, “I’ll narrow it down to two places and then you make the final decision.” I have not taken her choice from her, I have only limited it. When it comes to Christianity, there are only two choices, heaven or hell. Which do you want? You choose. If I chose to serve myself and get all I can out from this world, that’s my choice and the results are that I will end up in hell. On the other hand, if I believe in God and His word, I call upon Him, repent and am saved, in that decision I gain eternal life in heaven. That’s free will.
Another quote from A.W. Pink’s book, “The Sovereignty of God”, page 84, “In the Westminster Confession it is said, ‘God from all eternity did by the most wise and holy counsel of His own will, freely and unchangeably fore-ordained whatsoever comes to pass.’ The late Mr. F.W. Grant – a most careful and cautious student and writer – commenting on these words said: ‘It is perfectly, divinely true that God hath ordained for His own glory whatsoever comes to pass.’ Now if these statements are true, is not the doctrine of Reprobation established by them?”
First of all, it matters not what the Westminster Confession determines nor what the late Mr. F.W. Grant has to say. What matters is what scripture teaches. Consider carefully the following scriptures. John 3:16-17: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved." (emphasis mine) Does “whosoever” mean only certain ones or does it mean whosoever? Also, since Jesus did not come to condemn the “world” but to save the world, does that mean only the elect are included in “the world”?
Let’s examine I Tim. 2:3-6, “For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.” (emphasis mine) Does this sound like the Apostle Paul taught Jesus died only for certain chosen ones? Does “all” only mean some?
There are many other scriptures that express the same thought, but the point we are considering here is whether God “fore-ordain whatsoever” happens to come to pass as the Westminster Confession declared. We are not puppets or robots that are controlled by God. We are free moral agents with responsibilities and obligations, and we reap what we sow. We will be judged by our works when we stand before God on judgment day, not by what God predestined us to be or do. If I am going to be judged, then I have to have been responsible for what I am judged about. And if I am responsible, then I must have had some obligations over which I had some control.
I was working for a man one time and he told me that I was to do exactly as I was told. I was operating a hydraulic crane lowering a water tower, and the boss told me to position the crane in a certain spot and to lower it in a certain direction. I asked him several times if there was any mud or dirt in the tank because I knew for a fact that this happens when tanks sit unused for a time, and I was fairly confident that it had mud in it. I told him a couple of times that if it had mud in the tank, it would turn the crane over because it would be too heavy. The boss was starting to get upset with me because I kept pressuring him on the issue of mud. So I considered the situation and I figured I could lower the tank and no one would get hurt, although I knew it would destroy the tank but I felt I could keep the crane from damage. Well, sure enough, the tank was about half way down to the ground when the crane started over. I had my hand on the boom lever and my foot on the throttle because that was the fastest way to lower the weight. I floored the throttle and pushed the boom down lever and managed to keep the crane from turning over, although it raised up quite high in the rear before the tank hit the ground and the crane started back down. I probably should have walked away from the job, but I was afraid someone else would try to lower the tank and someone would get hurt, so I decided to take the risk.
Who was responsible for the tank being damaged? I believe it was mostly the boss’s fault, for he should have checked the tank and been sure. Was I to blame? Yes, to some degree at least. But if God sends souls to hell who have no choice, then God is to blame for their destruction. How else can one look at this? To me, this is plain common sense. I have yet for a Calvinist to show me how the doctrine of Reprobation glorifies God. It does not and it cannot. I have been told, “You just don’t understand all about God.” Well, they’re right, I don’t understand all about God, but then, seriously: Who does? God’s ways are higher than our ways and His thoughts than our thoughts so who can understand God to any great degree? God is divine and we are earthly and human. God is infinite and we are finite. God created the universe and beyond and we don’t even know much about our solar system, much less beyond it, and how then can we comprehend God? God has given us enough in His word to believe and find salvation through His Son, Jesus Christ. He made the way by sending the Holy Spirit that we may begin to know Him and have fellowship with Him. And sending the Holy Spirit was enough for God to accomplish His divine plan of saving those that would believe and obey His commands. It is enough for man to find in God all that he desires and to have created within his heart a love that far transcends anything this world has to offer. It is a love that longs to spend eternity with Him in His glorious kingdom. God has provided sufficient understanding that sinners can be converted from the error of his ways, be born again into God’s family and obtain eternal life. This choice is given to all men. Praise God!
Final Thoughts
The Arminain/Calvinist debate has been around for centuries and has been a cause of division for just as long. It is sad that there are many good Christians on both sides of this issue, but they cannot work together, in many cases, because of these conflicting doctrines. Somewhere between these two, I believe the truth lies but neither camp seems to be willing to leave their entrenched fortress of false security to venture into unknown of Sola Scriptura, leaving behind all preconceived ideas and coming humbly and honestly to consider all scripture on these important issues. I am sure that I am not totally free from previously taught doctrines but I am fully convinced that the only way to come to the knowledge of the truth is to keep an open mind and question things which seem unscriptural. In conclusion, I would recommend for everyone who is interested in this topic to download a free book from the internet to your tablet, computer or smart phone and read David W. Cloud’s book entitled, The Calvinism Debate. It is found here: https://www.wayoflife.org/free_ebooks/downloads/CalvinismDebate.pdf I especially recommend that all Calvinists read this book, for the author has studied this for years and can shed light on some of the errors, yet does not hold back in commending those things which are Biblical. May God bless each reader with an understanding of His divine will for our lives.