7/28/14

From Jim McGuiggan... God doesn't want to forgive!

God doesn't want to forgive!

Mark 4:10-12 has the apostles asking Jesus about his parables and he says, "The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on the outside everything is said in parables so that, 'They may be ever seeing but never perceiving, and ever hearing but never understanding; otherwise they might turn and be forgiven.' "

What are we to make of that? The surface and shallow reading of the text would say that Jesus didn't want them to repent because he didn't want them to be forgiven and that's why he taught in parables. There are those who take just that view and don't mind saying so. Their claim is that before he created humankind God determined that the entire human family (after Adam) would be born morally and spiritually blind and deaf and incapable of turning to God. Out of the entire human family, we're told, God decreed that he would work a moral miracle on a tiny minority and not only would they be able to turn to God they would be unable to resist turning to God. The rest would remain morally and spiritually incapable of wanting to repent and therefore incapable of wanting to be forgiven. This text is used to support that awful doctrine.

Whatever else we are to say about that doctrine and how it uses this text, at least we have a clear picture: God doesn't want these people to repent because he doesn't want to forgive them. Make up your mind to this: the doctrine insists that before he made them God ordained them to be sinners and didn't want them to turn from sin because he didn't want to forgive them!

But if the doctrine were true Jesus would be making no sense. On a sheerly surface reading Jesus thinks his teaching in parables is what disables these outsiders. If the above doctrine were true, even if Jesus had spelled out the truth in baby-language with full explanation for every phrase, these people still couldn't have heard him because God ordained them incapable of it even before he made them. Jesus might as well have been talking to a stone wall. Parables or no parables they were born incapable of receiving truth and they were born that way because God purposed before he created them that they would be born that way.

The OT text Jesus works with here is Isaiah 6:9-10 and it is addressed to a nation that has chosen its treachery and its wickedness and has no intention of turning from it. 6:9 is laced with irony and we know that because God is commanding them to sin! God is commanding them to sin! [The speech is in command form—J.A Alexander.] Jesus in Matthew 23:32 scathes the worst kind of Pharisees and says, "Fill up, then, the measure of the sin of your forefathers." On the surface we have Jesus ordering these men to sin (he uses an imperative) when it's clear that no such thing is happening. He knows what they will do because he knows them and though it saddens him without limit (23:37) he says to them, "Well, get on with it then!" God commands no man to sin! James won't even allow us to believe that God tempts men to sin (James 1:13) so you know Isaiah 6:9 is God speaking to a people bent on wickedness and he's saying something like, "Go ahead! Ruin yourself!"

When Zechariah sums up the past history of his people under the prophets before the fall of Jerusalem he says they stubbornly stopped their ears and hardened their hearts and wouldn't listen (Zechariah 7:7-11).

There is nothing in these texts (Mark 4 or Isaiah 6) about eternal reprobation and election for they are both dealing with people who have chosen to reject the word of God that called them to obedience. It's the case that when God sends a word to a sinner or a sinful people to repent or to obey in some matter that God knows how they will react and yet he sends the command. In sending the command God provokes a moral crisis in the one to whom the command is sent and for that reason the result is laid at God's feet. "Let my people go!" he said to Pharaoh even though he knew Pharaoh would refuse. But Pharaoh's refusal was Pharaoh's choice and not God's choice for Pharaoh. God has the sovereign and moral right to demand that Pharaoh obey even though he knows Pharaoh will refuse and that God will use his refusal to serves his own good purposes.

But no case of hardening in scripture refers to a pre-creation purpose of God. Hardening has nothing to do with eternal reprobation and election. God hardens only sinful nations or individuals that have freely chosen to be sinful.

Every good gift comes from the Holy Father and those who are blessed with faithful hearts have been blessed by him and all who those who hear the gospel of the kingdom and are "outside" are "outside" because they would have it so and not because God doesn't want to forgive them!

Notice in Mark 4:11 that Jesus said to those on the outside "everything is said in parables." The fact is that that wasn't literally the case—you only have to read the Gospels to see he wasn't speaking literally. He might well have been saying, "With hearts like theirs even plain speech isn't clear."

 ©2004 Jim McGuiggan. All materials are free to be copied and used as long as money is not being made.

Many thanks to Ed Healy, for allowing me to post from his website, theabidingword.com.

What Must I Know to Be Saved? by Eric Lyons, M.Min.

http://apologeticspress.org/APContent.aspx?category=11&article=895

What Must I Know to Be Saved?

by  Eric Lyons, M.Min.

The question frequently is asked by those who are contemplating becoming a child of God, “How much do I have to know in order to become a Christian?” Some feel like they have to know every detail in the Bible before taking action to get rid of sin in their lives. Others believe they need every question “under the Sun” answered before becoming a Christian. Some want to know about the origin of the races. Others want to know whether or not there is life on other planets. The Bible, however, never indicates that for one to become a Christian, he has to know every detail about every book in the Bible, or that a person has to be able to answer every question that arises. But what, if anything, is necessary for a person to know before becoming a disciple of Christ?
First, an individual contemplating his spiritual life must understand that the reason there is even something for him to do is because he has sinned. Everyone who has reached the level of mental maturity (sometimes referred to as “the age of accountability”) so that he or she understands what sin is (cf. 1 John 3:4; 5:17), has sinned (Romans 3:10,23; 1 John 1:8). [The one exception, of course, was Jesus—1 Peter 2:22.] Sin is that which separates man from God (Isaiah 59:1-2). For a person to be saved, he first must have knowledge that he is a sinner, and as such stands in a lost condition. One of the reasons Jesus condemned certain Jewish priests, elders, and sects was because they did not admit their sinfulness after hearing the preaching of John the baptizer (Matthew 21:31-32)—though the tax collectors and harlots (i.e., sinners) did acknowledge their sin, and believed.
Second, the one who aspires to become a Christian must know something about Jesus—the One Who came to save us from our sins (Luke 19:10; John 3:16; Romans 5:6-8). A person does not have to know every one of Jesus’ parables, or be able to quote the Sermon on the Mount, but he must know that Jesus is the Son of God Who died and was raised so that all men might have their sins forgiven and live eternally with Him in heaven (Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 2:9). In other words, before becoming a Christian, a person must have heard the Gospel (Good News) of Jesus Christ (cf. 1 Corinthians 15:1-4).
Finally, the individual who aspires to become a child of God must realize there is something for him to do (cf. Acts 2:38; 16:30; 8:36). If one understands that the Bible says he must believe that Jesus is the Son of God (John 8:24), repent of his sins (Luke 13:3,5), confess that Jesus is God’s Son (Romans 10:10), and be baptized for the remission of his sins (Acts 2:38), he or she then possesses enough knowledge to put on Christ in baptism (Galatians 3:27) and become a Christian, being added by God to the church that Christ established (Acts 2:47; Matthew 16:18; Romans 16:16).
Contrary to the belief of some, a person who desires to become a Christian does not have to know the whole Bible thoroughly before he takes action. Nor is there a need to have every question imaginable answered. The Ethiopian eunuch heard one Christ-centered lesson from Philip before asking, “What hinders me from being baptized” (Acts 8:35-36)? The three thousand on Pentecost heard only one Gospel sermon before accepting the grace of God and obeying the plan of salvation (Acts 2:41). They did not wait around for years, thinking they were not knowledgeable enough to be followers of Christ. Rather, they were convinced of their sins (Acts 2:37), heard the Gospel, believed it, and obeyed it. It is after one becomes a Christian that God commands us a person to “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18), and to continue to study the Word in order to teach others (Hebrews 5:12; 1 Peter 3:15).

From Mark Copeland... The Way Which They Call A Sect (Acts 24:14)

                          "THE BOOK OF ACTS"

                The Way Which They Call A Sect (24:14)

INTRODUCTION

1. We live in a religiously divided world...
   a. There are various world religions (Judaism, Islam, Christianity, 
      Hinduism, Buddhism)
   b. Each of those religions have many divisions within themselves
   c. Among so-called "Christianity" there are more than 38,000
      denominations

2. New Testament Christians are opposed to denominationalism...
   a. Because Jesus prayed for unity among believers - Jn 17:20-23
   b. Because Paul condemned religious division - 1Co 1:10-13

[Yet despite efforts to be simply Christians, non-denominational in any
sense of the word, the world in which we live wants to define and
categorize every group of Christians as a denomination.  

When we disdain denominationalism and yet are viewed as a denomination,
what can we do?  Perhaps we can learn from how the apostle Paul handled
a similar situation in his day...]

I. THE WAY WHICH THEY CALL A SECT

   A. THE SECT OF THE NAZARENES...
      1. Paul was accused of being "a ringleader of the sect of the
         Nazarenes" - Ac 24:5
      2. In the beginning, many Gentiles and Jews considered Christians a
         sect of Judaism
      3. They were called "Nazarenes" by enemies because they followed 
         Jesus of Nazareth
      4. It was not a label the Christians used to describe themselves
      5. They considered themselves the promised fulfillment of Judaism,
         not another branch of it

   B. DESIGNATIONS OF THE CHURCH...
      1. Collectively, followers of Jesus Christ were called by various
         terms
         a. The church of Christ, the church of God - Ro 16:16; 1Co 1:2
         b. The body of Christ, the kingdom of Christ - Ep 1:22,23; Col 1:13
         c. The temple of God, the bride of Christ - 1Co 3:16; Re 19:7-8
         -- Note that not one of these terms was used as some exclusive,
            official name   
      2. In the early days of the church, they were also known as people
         of "The Way"
         a. Saul of Tarsus persecuted those of "the Way" - Ac 9:2; 22:4
         b. Others spoke evil of "the Way" - Ac 19:9
         c. At Ephesus there was a riot about "the Way" - Ac 19:23
         d. Paul confessed to worship God according to "the Way" - Ac 24:14
         e. Felix the governor gained accurate knowledge about "the Way"
            - Ac 24:22
         -- Likely called "The Way" because they followed Jesus as the 
            Way - Jn 14:6

   C. PAUL'S RESPONSE TO THE CHARGE...
      1. It is interesting how Paul responded to being called a "sect" 
         - Ac 24:5
      2. He acknowledged that what his accusers called a sect was how he
         worshiped God - Ac 24:14
      3. Yet he did not feel it necessary to explain to those with a
         sectarian mindset how he was not a member of a sect
      4. Instead, he used the opportunity to confess his faith in the
         Scriptures and hope in God concerning the resurrection - Ac 24:14-16
      5. In other words, he focused his response on the gospel of Christ,
         rather than on their misconceptions about Christians being a 
         sect of Judaism

[Perhaps Paul's response can offer guidance on how Christians who are
non-denominational can respond to those who want to label us as a 
denomination...]     

II. THE WAY WHICH THEY CALL A DENOMINATION

   A. THE CHURCH OF CHRIST TODAY...
      1. There are thousand of churches of Christ around the world -
         Ro 16:16
      2. They are made up of disciples of Jesus, and are simply 
         Christians - Ac 11:26
      3. The congregations are autonomous and independent of one another
         - Ac 20:28; 1Pe 5:1-2
      4. They abide in the apostles' doctrine, using the New Testament as
         their guide in matters of worship, work, and organization - Ac 2:42
      5. Their goal is to abide in the doctrine of Christ, the faith once
         for all delivered to the saints - 2Jn 1:9; Jude 1:3
      6. Yet many in denominational churches view such churches as simply
         another denomination; e.g., the "Church of Christ" denomination
      7. This concerns many Christians, who do not want to be viewed as
         another denomination

   B. DESIGNATIONS OF THE CHURCH TODAY...
      1. As indicated above there, there are various terms, not one
         exclusive name
      2. The expression "Church of God" is scriptural, but not expedient
         a. Sadly, more than 200 denominations use the term "Church of 
            God"
         b. Churches that use this expression are more than likely
            denominational
      3. The expression "Church of Christ" has long been both scriptural
         and expedient
         a. It is often used by denominations to refer to the universal
            church
         b. Churches that use this expression are more than likely
            non-denominational
      4. But more and more, "Church of Christ" is used in a 
         denominational sense
         a. Certainly by those who are in a denomination themselves
         b. But also by churches of Christ who have adopted a 
            denominational mindset
      5. Thus today, many if not most say the "Church of Christ" is
         another denomination
  
   C. OUR RESPONSE TO THE CHARGE...
      1. Some suggest churches use other designations to avoid being
         misunderstood
         a. E.g., having the church sign say "Christians Meet Here"
         b. E.g., identifying ourselves simply as "The Church" (cf. The
            Church at Birmingham)
      2. Not that such would be unscriptural, but is it expedient?
         a. Like the sign of the fish in the first century, the term
            "Church of Christ" is still a more likely way to find New 
            Testament churches
         b. How long before people viewed us the "Christians Meet Here"
             denomination, or "The Church" denomination?
         c. In a world with a denominational mind-set, it is virtually 
            impossible not to be called or thought of as a denomination
      3. Why not consider the response of Paul in our text? - Ac 24:14
         a. He did not consider it necessary to explain how he was not a
            member of a sect
         b. Instead, he used the opportunity to proclaim his faith and 
            hope in God
         c. In fact, do we ever find Paul or others preaching about the 
            church in Acts?
         d. Instead, they proclaimed the gospel of Jesus Christ and the 
            proper response
         e. Once people obeyed the gospel, they received instructions as
            to what they were now as members of the body of Christ (i.e.,
            the church) - cf. Mt 28:20
         f. It is in the epistles that Christians learned about the
            identity, the work, the worship, and the organization of the
            church

CONCLUSION

1. Living in a world filled with people with a denominational mindset...
   a. We need not worry so much about them viewing us another 
      denomination
   b. Changing names (scriptural or otherwise) is not likely to make
      much difference

2. Our concern should be proclaiming the gospel of Christ and the kingdom
   of God...
   a. Calling people to respond to the gospel by submitting to the rule 
      of God in their lives
   b. Following up with apostolic teaching on the nature and design of 
      the Lord's church
   c. Making sure we understand that what others may call a denomination
      is truly the fulfillment of what Jesus meant when He said "I will 
      build My Church" - Mt 16:18

To paraphrase (actually, rephrase) the apostle Paul...

"But this I confess to you, that according to the Way which they call a
denomination, so I serve Jesus Christ, believing all things which are
written in the Old and New Testaments."

Executable Outlines, Copyright © Mark A. Copeland, 2013

From Gary... A little madness in the morning...


http://www.957kjr.com/onair/luciana-bosio-45943/they-called-them-crazy-but-then-they-started-playing-12603429/


Not since Victor Borge have I seen such showmanship (showwomanship; is that a word ?)!!!  And with mostly classical music, no less!!!  So, my morning was brightened by some comedy, some talent and some surprise.  Then I thought of Solomon and how his indulgences (in excess) ruined his relationship with God. How is foreign wives enticed him away from the God of Heaven. And then there are these verses...

Ecclesiastes 2:1-2 NASB
(1)  I said to myself, "Come now, I will test you with pleasure. So enjoy yourself." And behold, it too was futility.
(2)  I said of laughter, "It is madness," and of pleasure, "What does it accomplish?"
Take some time and view the link above, I did (twice)!!!  But, remember that pleasure is only one aspect of life and not its end; that is reserved for the Almighty!!!  And perhaps sometime you might just want to investigate the work of Victor Borge-- just don't laugh too much (because then you may just wonder if Solomon's madness has become yours)!!!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n3Xby6HFW7c
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2lH1xwtJCbI