GRACE, GRACE, WONDERFUL GRACE
(SEPTEMBER 2, 2003)
PREFACE
The most common definition of Grace is 'the unmerited or undeserved favor of God.' While this definition is true, there is a whole lot more to consider in understanding the unfathomable value of God's wonderful Grace. From the creation of our universe to the second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, God the Father has been dealing with His children in Grace. All of mankind is not the children of God. The modernistic liberal teaching of 'the Fatherhood of God and the brotherhood of man' is quickly dispelled when God's Grace is comprehended. The believer in Jesus Christ is a family member "But as many as received Him [Jesus Christ], to them gave He power [authority] to become the sons [children] of God, even to them that believe on His name"(John 1:12). Again in Galatians 4:4-7 we read, "But, when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth His Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. And because ye are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His son into your hearts, crying, Abba Father. Wherefore, thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ." To be an heir with Jesus Christ is a picture of God's Grace like no other. If you think about our heir-ship with our Savior, it can only make us praise God for His love for us. We are heirs with Christ and that includes the fact that God loves us with exactly the same love He has for His only-begotten Son. What a wonderful picture of positional truth. We are joint-heirs with the Savior and we are given every divine family right that the Son of God has. We are adopted sons and daughters into the family of God to spend eternity with Him as full-fledged family members. In Romans 8:14-17 Paul explains to us our position in Christ, now and forever, "For as many as are led by the Spirit of God (all believers), they are the sons of God. For you have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but you have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba Father. The Spirit [himself] bears witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God; And if children, then heirs - heirs of God, and joint heirs with Jesus Christ - if so be that we suffer with Him, that we may be also glorified together (with him).
Charles Haddon Spurgeon gives a beautiful illustration in his commentary on the Psalms that is quite profound in picturing our joint heir ship with Christ. The illustration is as follows: "a young man living with his family in the country had to move to another house because his family had outgrown the small house they were living in. He looked around for another house and found one in the city. It was a two-story house with plenty of rooms for his large expanding family. One afternoon he took his family to see the new house, and when they arrived he took his youngest son by the hand and led him through the house letting him inspect each room for himself. Upon seeing each room the little lad would shout to his dad, 'is this all ours?' His dad didn't take any exception to the son's word 'ours', and he answered, 'yes son, this is all ours.' So it will be when we see our heavenly Father and he will show us all the riches of heaven, we will be able to say to Him, 'this is all ours.'" Isn't the Grace of God beautiful? We don't deserve these rights, but we receive them, simply because we believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. I don't know about you, but to me I can't think of anything that describes the Grace of God better than this. Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ's atoning work on the cross plus nothing else equals salvation and joint heir-ship. Anyone that has not received Jesus Christ as Savior is a creation of God through Adam, but not a child of God through Christ, and only God's children are the direct recipients of His divine Grace ["For if through the offense of one (Adam) many are dead (all unbelievers), much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many (all believers)(Romans 5:15b)." The unbeliever is a recipient of This Grace indirectly through their daily contact with God's blessed family. This, by no means, is a reason to go out and socialize with the unbeliever, for the Bible is quite clear that we are to come out and be separate from them. We can be civil to the world, and still not be of the world. We should spend the maximum amount of our socializing time spent with family members, and all of our fellowshipping time with the family. It is, by the way, impossible to have fellowship with an unbeliever, because fellowship can only be had in the study of God's wonderful Word.
There is no way anyone can completely define the meaning of grace, for it takes in all of God's dealings with His children, in measures of blessings and correction. As we mature in God's family we see more and more that every one of God's actions toward us are tempered in His Grace, by means of blessings and correction. God will chasten the son whom He loves, but never in His wrath, only in His Grace to strengthen the child He punishes.
So Grace then is how God acts towards His beloved children. Remember this in all your studies on the Grace of God that God is the active agent and we all are the recipients of His actions. God acts, man responds. God's Grace was supremely manifested in every Christian's decision to accept Jesus Christ as personal savior. God convicted every one of us of our sins, and we responded by believing; result, a full-fledged family member. God convicted the unbeliever of his sin, and he continually responds by not believing Jesus Christ; result, a lost soul for eternity. God's Grace is wonderfully manifested in the believer's life everyday, and he should respond through the prayer of praise and thanksgiving, even if the manifestation of God's Grace came in the form of correction. No one enjoys being taken to the woodshed, but when it happens, and it will, praise the Father because he loves you so much he took you there; "For whom the Lord loves He chastens, and scourges every son whom He receives" (Hebrews 12:6).
Therefore, in our studies in the Scriptures we will see that Grace is the great deduction. If what we are studying fits grace we will understand the passage, if it doesn't fit grace, keep studying until it does. A misunderstanding of the Grace of God led to all the false sects, isms, and cults from the first century Church to the twenty first century. In studying Church History we see that the Grace of God is either ignored, or completely misunderstood. The one doctrine that is abused the most is Grace in salvation. Almost every one of the early so-called church fathers, the leaders of the early believers, did not have a firm grip on the importance of God's Grace. The one early Bible teacher and expositor that comes to mind is Augustine; he taught that there is no salvation outside of water baptism. Augustine is the most notable of the Roman Catholic fathers. He was so adamant of the value of water baptism, he even taught infant baptism. The final conclusion of Augustine's teachings was that there was no salvation outside the mother-church, that is, the Roman Catholic Church. How sad it is to read such brilliant leaders, and then see how, when it came to free-Grace in salvation, they would go off the deep end. Paul made it very clear in Ephesians and Galatians that salvation is free, and that it is simply by means of God's Grace, through the faith of the believer in simply believing on the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation. Once a believer believes in Christ as his or her savior they are eternally saved. Paul believed this simple Grace deduction in salvation that he said let anyone that teaches another gospel than the gospel of Grace. 'Let him be damned,' "But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached (the gospel of Grace Ephesians 2:8,9) unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye received, let him be accursed" (Galatians 1:8,9). The gospel of Grace is faith plus nothing equals salvation. No one can add to this gospel of Grace, and if he does he will be damned. Just as the first leaders of the church taught the value of water baptism were adding to the gospel of Grace, "Not by our works, lest any man could boast" (Ephesians 2:8,9). Water baptism was a sign for the first church, but is no longer a sign, since we have the complete Revelation of God's wonderful grace.
I am writing this paper at the request of a good friend and brother in the Lord. This brother is a general contractor I met some seven or eight years ago in San Juan Capistrano. I own a small plastering company and we were going to stucco the outside of a large house he was building off Ortega Canyon Road. We met in a small job site trailer to go over starting dates and scheduling details, and he and I hit it off right from the start. Our conversation lasted only a few minutes when we both sensed that we were talking to another believer, and from that day on, we have had some good fellowship discussing God's wonderful word. I thank God often to be able to fellowship with men I work with and for. Construction is rough and hard, and the men that work in construction are too.
I have decided to use a format for this paper that will be clear, brief, and to the point. Anyone else that might read this paper besides my own family, do so at your own risk. All of what I write I sincerely believe, and does fit the deduction of Grace. However, if anyone gets offended at what I write, don't say I didn't warn you.
The format referred to above will be based on some questions asked me in the past concerning God and His plan for the ages.
QUESTIONS
1. Who made God?
As intelligent human beings we have a choice to either accept the Bible account in Genesis chapter one that God created the universe, and as such, He is eternal, the only uncaused cause. We either accept God as creator and sustainer of this vast universe, and that He is eternal, or we accept the lie perpetrated by the first liar, Satan, that matter is eternal. I sincerely believe that everyone believes the Bible account, but for the sake of their own desire not to believe the truth, they have invented such silly trash as 'Darwin's Theory of Evolution,' and 'The Big Bang Theory.' Our universe is testimony enough to the fact that God exists now, and preexisted in eternity past, and that every one does in fact believe; the sad thing is not everyone will accept this truth. "For the invisible things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse; because when they knew God (and everyone did know Him), they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful, but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man, and birds, and four-footed beasts, and creeping things." (Romans 1:20-23) I don't want to spend a lot of time in apologetics proving the validity of God and His Word, but let this suffice, everyone has heard and will be held accountable for how they refused to believe in Christ, for they are without excuse. Rejecting the atoning work of Christ on the cross, is the only sin that was not paid for, it is the 'unpardonable sin.' You see, Christ died for the sins of the whole world, and therefore, unbelievers will not go to hell for sinning, only for rejecting the sin payment, that is, Christ's atoning work on the cross, "And He is the propitiation (propitiation means that Christ satisfied God's just demand for a sin sacrifice) for our sins (John says 'our sins' including himself and all believers in Christ), and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world (I John 2:2)." Christ has paid for sin, and so you see, an unbeliever will not go to hell for sin, only for rejecting the sin sacrifice of Christ. This is a very important work of Grace, because man cannot claim a good work to get them through the 'pearly gates', for the only good work that has ever been performed was performed by Christ on the cross. The Holy Spirit working in and through every believer performs all of our good works, and as such, we will never be able to take credit for them, however we will be rewarded for these works performed through obedient believers, another work of Grace. To involve oneself in trying to understand the infinity of God is an exercise in futility; you either believe God's Word, or you do not believe God's Word.
The Bible states very clearly that man was created in the spiritual image of God, and being so created, man has reason, sensibility, and will. Man does not by the nature of his creation choose to not believe in God, but only to ignore God. All men know there is a God; that only some choose to have God as Father, and some choose only to have God as their God is a mystery no one but God knows the answer. God is the God of all mankind, but He is only the Father of those who by believing in Jesus Christ as their personal Savior become God's children.
2. If there is a God, why does He let little babies die?
In man's original state in the Garden of Eden he was perfect and would not have died. Adam and Eve would walk in the garden with the Lord Jesus Christ and have great fellowship, learning about God the Father, first hand. Man was not satisfied with his original state. The 'Fall of Man' is recorded in the third chapter of Genesis. Satan came to Eve and tempted her with his threefold basis of appeal, (1) the lust of the flesh, (2) the lust of the eyes, (3) and the pride of life, she did eat of the forbidden fruit; "And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food (the lust of the flesh), and that it was pleasant to the eyes (the lust of the eyes), and a tree to be desired to make one wise (the pride of life), she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat" (Genesis 3:6). Satan used this same threefold basis of appeal in the wilderness when he tempted our Lord Jesus Christ (Matthew 4:1-11; Mark 1:12, 13; Luke 4:1-13). Satan took Christ up on the top of a high mountain and showed Him the kingdoms of this world, and said, "All this I will give you if you will worship me" (the lust of eyes). Christ had fasted for forty days and was hungry. Satan said, "Cause these stones to be bread and you will be filled" (the lust of the flesh). Satan took Christ up on a high precipice and said, "Cast yourself down, for God will not let you perish" (the pride of life). Satan has used this same threefold basis of appeal throughout the ages. The result of the fall of man, Adam and Eve, is that man is cursed with death, and the earth groans under its curse. The answer to the question, 'why does God allow babies to die? Is that it is the result of sin. The Grace of God was also at work while man and woman were being disobedient, He made a Grace provision in Genesis 3:21, "For Adam also and for his wife did the Lord God make coats of skins, and clothed them." Adam and Eve sewed fig leaves together to hide their nakedness, and this represented self-effort. They tried to hide their nakedness by works of their own hands. In Ephesians 2:8,9 we read, "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves (self effort like sewing fig leaves together), it is a gift of God - Not of works, lest any man should boast." God's gift of Grace to Adam and Eve is recorded in Genesis 3:21 in the form of 'Robes of Righteousness' these coats of skin. You see, an animal had to die in order for man to live. The death of the animal, and most expositors will agree, is the death of a lamb, and this represents Christ death on the cross. The animal sacrifice in the Old Testament was looking towards the cross of Christ, and the person offering this sacrifice was saying, 'I believe Christ will come and die on the cross for my sins. They were saved looking to the cross, and we all in this age of grace are saved looking back at the finished work of Christ on the cross. It is all by Grace that they were saved, and by grace that we all are saved. Accepting the 'Coats of Skin' saved Adam and Eve. "Coats of skin are a type of Christ, made unto us righteousness (I Corinthians 1:30) - a divinely provided garment that the first sinners might be made fit for God's presence" (C.I. Scofield. D.D.).
As someone who has experienced the loss of a little baby, I can assure you that as difficult as it was to lose the little one, God's Grace was sufficient to see my wife and I through the loss, because the Grace of God turned the loss into gain. To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. Our baby was far better off than to have to spend any more time in this veil of tears. The Lord is far better equipped to raise the little one than we could ever be. So, you see, because of sin, man is cursed with death, but God did not leave us comfortless, He provided a way of escape, Christ's substitutionary death on the cross of Calvary, "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only-begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on Him, shall never perish, but have everlasting life" (John 3:16). We will experience sickness, trials, tribulations, sorrow and eventually death, but the grave will not win the victory, for the Bible describes death as 'sleep.' Every member of the human race will live forever, either in Heaven, or in Hell. It's all up to each individual where he or she wants to spend eternity; now tell me, is this Grace or what?
3. Is it true that all I have to do is believe in Christ to go to heaven?
Yes, that's exactly how the Bible words it. 'Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved (Acts 16:31).' In Titus 3:5 we read, "Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and the renewing of the Holy Spirit." By the way, this washing of regeneration is the Spirit baptism that occurs for every believer the moment he or she says yes to Christ, and is not a special anointing for a few holy rollers. This is not the second blessing that the Pentecostals claim they receive when they get 'Spirit baptized.' There is no such thing taught in the Word as a second blessing as taught by the 'Charismatics.' This is a topic for another paper.
The same person who asked the question, is it true that I only have to believe? Also asked, what if I killed someone? Am I still saved? I can only answer a hypothetical question like this with the Word, "And I give unto them eternal life; and they will never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand" (John 10:28). The emphasis in this verse is on the word 'never.' Again in Ephesians 2:8,9 Paul says, "For by Grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is a gift of God's, not a means of works, lest any man should boast." Let me try to explain. In the Old Testament David had Bath-Sheba's husband Uriah sent to the front lines to be killed by Israel's enemies. David the murderer is also David the Psalmist. David was a believer in God when He murdered Uriah, and I guarantee, you will see David in heaven, that is if you are a believer. David also committed adultery with Bath-Sheba, before he had her husband killed. All of this sinning was possible because David was King of Israel. Is it all right to do all things David did? Absolutely not! David paid a terrible price for his sins. He lost the baby that was born from his relations with Bath-Sheba, and David's son whom he loved dearly, Absalom, turned against him, and eventually Absalom was killed. David's life was no picnic, for he spent many years in hiding from King Saul. But in all this, because of David's faith, God called him 'A man after My own Heart.' Let us turn to another portion of Scripture and see what the apostle Paul says about sin and the provision of God's Grace. "What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound" God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer in it? Know ye not that, as many of us as were baptized (Spirit Baptism referred to above) into Jesus Christ were baptized into His death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death, that as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life" (Romans 6:1-4). The Death of Christ on the cross has paid for sin, and this death was propitious to the father, that is, it satisfied the Holy Father's just demand for sin. The apostle John puts the whole sin problem in its proper perspective in I John 2:1, 2, "My little children (all believers), these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin (and he will), we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; And He is the propitiation for our sins, and not ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world." So you see, the fact that the death of Christ was propitious proves that the Father was completely satisfied with the sacrifice of His only begotten Son. Now consider the last part of these verses, 'not ours only, but also for the entire world.' You see that from these verses John is saying that the world does not go to hell for sinning, for Christ has paid this debt of sin in full. Unbelievers will go to hell (as noted above) for rejecting the propitiation of Christ's death and not for sin, for sin is cancelled forever. The only sin that Christ could not pay for is rejection of His death on the cross, 'The unpardonable sin.'
4. Do you believe once saved always saved?
What this question was meant to say was, don't I have to be obedient to God once I am saved? The answer from the Word of God is most assuredly yes. There is one slight difference in being obedient to God for salvation, and being obedient to God for His approval. Let me explain. Salvation is a free gift from God, and if we could receive it by our obedience or good works, it would no longer be a free gift, it would be a wage paid for our effort. Let me make this perfectly clear; we should obey Christ and love God and love one another, that is, love our Christian brothers and sisters, for the approval of our Lord, and not to earn our salvation. Our salvation is already eternally secure in Christ Jesus, "For I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other [creation], shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus, our Lord"(Romans 8:38, 39). What God began by His Grace (our salvation Eph.2:8,9), He didn't leave it up to us to keep our salvation by our works.
5. What happens to a believer who sins after he or she is saved?
Some religions teach that it is possible for a Christian to lose their salvation after being saved by God's Grace. If there is anything that is more detrimental to a Christian's spiritual growth than to think they might lose their salvation, I have yet to learn what it might be. There is nothing in God's Word that teaches a Christian can lose their salvation. If it were possible for a Christian to lose salvation, I am sure, I for one, have already lost mine. It is not only dangerous to believe this lie it is too silly. Let me direct you to the first epistle of John, where the apostle teaches that we all will sin, and then teaches us what we are to do when we sin. In the first chapter the eighth verse John writes, "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us." Again in verse 10 he writes, "If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His Word is not in us." Now it is established that after we are saved we will sin. The problem now is, what happens when we do sin? Read verse nine. "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." Now a very important thing about verse nine is John's use of the pronoun 'we.' This is an inclusive 'we' that John is using, which includes himself with the ones to whom he is writing, which is the seven churches of Asia Minor directly, and then to you and I indirectly. If you have trouble with this use of 'we', check the first verse of chapter two how John begins by saying, "My little children." John could only address us as his little children, because we are the children of God. I believe I can safely say that it is established now that John is addressing God's family. This first chapter of First John is dealing with the fellowship of the believer with the Heavenly Father, "If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth; but if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ, His Son, cleanses (that is keeps on cleansing) us from all sin (even sin that we don't remember) [I John 1:6,7]. Let me illustrate this truth. When a person accepts Jesus Christ as Savior he or she is immediately placed into the eternal care of God the Father, or as John puts it in his Gospel, 'in the hands of God.' Now that we are eternally secure we are also placed in temporal fellowship with God. We can never lose our salvation, but we can fall out of fellowship with the Father. The split second we are saved we are placed in fellowship with the Father, and then one minute later we sin, bingo! We are out of fellowship. We certainly don't want to remain out of fellowship, so we go to the Father in prayer and confess the sin, verse nine of chapter one. The word confess in the Greek is 'homolegeo,' which means to use the same words describing our sins as God uses, 'homo'=same, 'logo'= word or to speak. So when we sin, in order to remain in fellowship, we must confess our sins to the Father in Heaven, and that is to say, we must speak about our sins the same way God speaks about our sins, and we all know God hates sin. Our attitude about our sins is not the condition upon which we are forgiven. We are forgiven on the basis of the faithfulness of our Lord Jesus Christ. Our attitude towards our sin is for growth and maturity. Each one of our sins cost Jesus Christ His life's Blood, so how can we be indifferent about them. When we confess our sins we should have a prayerful attitude about them and view them from God's Divine perspective and hate them. Being sorry for sin is great, but remember, it is not our sorrow that procures the forgiveness of God; it is the naming of the sin.
Now let us review: once we accept Christ Jesus as our savior, we are eternally secure, and we are also placed into the temporal fellowship with God. So once we are saved we will always be saved, praise God, but once we are in fellowship we will not always be in fellowship. The beautiful thing is that God has made this wonderful provision of 'rebounding by confession' to regain our lost fellowship. I would urge you all to spend the maximum time in fellowship with the Father. For some of us this means we are not going to have much time for anything else, because we will be spending so much time in confession. The last point to be made on this subject of confession is that our confession is to be to the Father and to him alone.
6. Do you believe in Spiritual Gifts?
I most certainly do believe in spiritual gifts, but not the same way that most Christians do. I believe that during the epoch of the apostolic church age, from the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost to the destruction of the temple in 70 a.d., ending Judaism, until the scriptures were completed, and in written form, that there were spiritual gifts (all gifts were supernatural sign gifts) given to the first church to spread the Gospel to the ends of the earth and establish churches. During this apostolic age every believer was given at least one spiritual gift which are listed in I Corinthians 12:1-11, "Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant. Ye know that ye were Gentiles, carried away unto these dumb idols, even as ye were led. Wherefore, I give you to understand that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed; and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Spirit. Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God who worketh all in all. But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit. For to one is given, by the Spirit, the word of wisdom; (1) to another, the word of knowledge (2) by the same Spirit; to another, faith (3) by the same Spirit; to another, the gifts of healing (4) by the same Spirit; to another, the working of miracles; (5) to another, prophecy; (6) to another, discerning of spirits; (7) to another, various kinds of tongues; (8) to another, the interpretation of tongues. (9) But all these worketh that one and the very same Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will. Also in verse 28-30, "And God hath set some in the church: First apostles, (10) second prophets, (11) third teachers; (12) after that miracles, (13) then gifts of healings, (14) helps, (15) governments, (16) diversities of tongues (17). Are all apostles? Are all teachers? Are all workers of miracles? Have all the gifts of healing? Do all interpret? But covet earnestly the best gifts; and yet show I unto you a more excellent way." I count 17 spiritual gifts in all. What I propose to prove with the Word is that these sign gifts are temporary, and that when the Bible was completed, and in written form, the sign gifts were done away, for there was no more benefit in them. The Word of God is all a believer needs in this age of Grace. The gifts were given by the Holy Spirit at a time between Pentecost and the completion of the Scriptures in order to get the gospel of Grace to the ends of the earth. This was accomplished in the first century by the apostles. Paul writes of this worldwide dissemination of the gospel of Grace by the apostles in his letter to the church at Rome saying, "But I say, Have they not heard? Yes, verily, their sound went unto all the earth, and their words unto the ends of the world" (Romans 10:18). After Paul and the other apostles had finished writing the Word of God, inspired by God Himself, God took away these supernatural gifts, for they were no longer necessary, for we now have the complete Word of God, and no more is needed. God does not communicate with man outside of His Divinely Inspired Word today. In the age of Grace we are shut up into the confines of this wonderful Word, for there is nothing that we need to know that cannot be found in the Word of God. I am amused at times, if it weren't so tragic, to watch TBN and see the different so-called preachers pretend to speak in tongues. I have never met a person that has claimed to have a spiritual gift, only those charlatans on TBN. Even when they claim to heal someone, it is so invisible that no one can refute them. I want to see them raise a dead man as Christ did Lazarus in the gospels, after the people around said, behold Lazarus stinks. Lazarus was dead long enough that his body began to decay, and Jesus said, 'Lazarus come forth', and Lazarus came out of the tomb. I would like to see Benny Hinn tackle this one.
I believe the Bible clearly teaches that during the age of Grace we believers have the Word of God as our Armour, and we need nothing else. The Word of God is 'sharper than a two-edged sword' Heb. 4:12; and greater is He that is in us, than he (Satan) that is in the world. The Holy Spirit indwells us believers by way of our Spiritual Baptism, and we have the Word of God as our daily guide, why would we need anything else? What I believe causes some confusion in the local church congregation is when a person hears a nice sermon, or hears a sweet song sung by a good soloist, or someone play a concerto on the piano, we think, this person is gifted. I would tend to agree that some people are gifted, but the difference is these are gifts that can be developed over time, they are really talents given by God, not Holy Spirit given gifts. A supernatural gift given by the Holy Spirit could never be improved upon, and developed. I hope you can see the difference. The Holy Spirit, before the Word of God was complete, gave every member of the first church, a gift. If these supernatural gifts are operative today I must ask you this question, 'what is your gift? Every member of the first church knew what there gifts were, so, what is yours?
The last point I will make on the subject of supernatural gifts is that they are supernaturally given and superintended by the Holy Spirit; therefore, whenever anyone is exercising his or her spiritual gift, they would be infallible, as the Holy Spirit never makes a mistake. Paul and the other apostles were infallible as they were exercising their particular Holy Spirit, given, guided, and superintended supernatural gifts. This certainly goes against what I was brought up to believe, but is quite frustrating to study the Word of God and to realize that I wasn't included when the gifts were handed out. This idea of the perpetuating the supernatural gifts beyond the purpose prescribed to the apostolic church is diametrically opposed to my understanding of God's wonderful grace. All we need has been provided in the Word of God. The sad thing that is happening today with those who claim to have the supernatural gift of pastor teacher is that they also claim to have authority over a local church, and this is very contrary to my understanding of the church being made up of fellow believers in the same Holy Family. We have men today who are dedicated to the study of the Word of God, and this is wonderful, however, when they share what they have learned, they are simply an elder brother sharing with the younger family members, no more, no less. When we start talking authority, it reminds me of the first church fathers that claimed apostolic succession in the sixth century and following to this very day in the church at the Vatican.
7. Do you believe in predestination?
The doctrine of predestination is taught in the Bible, so my answer is definitely yes, I do believe in predestination, but not as it is generally taught by those who teach 'an irresistible Grace.' Irresistible Grace is taught by some theologians that we who believe in Christ were chosen to believe in Christ, and that we had no other choice but to believe, and thus the term, 'irresistible Grace.' I certainly believe that Grace saves all Christians, but not that we had no other choice, for I believe in the free will of all men. John Calvin (1509-1564) is said to be the father of the doctrine of predestination. In the fifth century Augustine taught predestination a thousand years before Calvin.
If you will indulge me a few moments I will explain what I believe to be the correct teaching of the Scriptures on this delicate subject. First off I do not believe predestination is a doctrine regarding salvation per-se. I believe whenever we read of predestination we will notice that our position in Christ is what is predetermined and not our accepting of Christ. In Ephesians 1:11-14 we read: "In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will, to the end that we who were the first to hope in Christ should be to the praise of His glory. In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation - having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God's own possession, to the praise of His glory (The New American Standard Bible)." The point is that we are predestined to a position in Christ once we are saved, and not predestined to be saved. Christ was predestined in eternity past to reconcile all who believe on Him; and all who will believe in Him are predestined to be conformed to His image. The doctrine of predestination is a doctrine of positional truth. We are not predestined from something, but unto something. To believe that God predestined some to heaven and some to hell is inconsistent with His grace and His justice.
What I have stated above is not a new position. In 1551 Bolsec challenged Calvin on His doctrine of predestination with these five points:
1. That faith depends not on election, but election depends on faith.
2. That it is an insult to God to say that He abandons some to blindness, because it is His pleasure to do so (That because of His sovereignty God can do whatever He pleases).
3. That God leads to Himself all rational creatures, and abandons only those who often resisted Him.
4. That God's grace is universal, and some are not more predestined to salvation than others.
5. That when St. Paul says (Eph. 1:5), that God has elected us through Christ, he does not mean election to salvation, but election to discipleship and apostleship.
Calvin's response to Bolsec: "At the same time Calvin and his colleagues addressed a circular letter to the Swiss Churches, which speak in offensive and contemptuous terms of Bolsec, and charges him with cheating, deception, and impudence."
(History of The Christian Church, Philip Schaff, Vol. 8 page 617)
8. Do you believe that human beings are the product of their environment?
In college I took a lot of courses in the behavioral sciences and this thought that everyone is a product of their environment was at the basis of all psychological teaching. Most all-modern psychology courses are rooted in evolution, and therefore, will invariably teach that we are all products of our environment. I believe that all unbelievers are, by choice, the products of their environment. When I say by choice, I mean, they exercise their free wills not to accept God's offer of Jesus Christ as their sin-payment. As soon as a person refuses to accept Christ, they accept the world as their god, and with the world comes the ruler of this world, 'the father of lies' Satan, the great deceiver of all time, from the 'garden of Eden' to the present. On the other hand, the moment a person accepts Jesus Christ as Savior, he or she becomes a new creature in Christ ("To wit, that God was in Christ reconciling the world unto Himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them, and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us; we [beg] you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God. For He (God) hath made Him (Christ), who knew no sin, to be sin for us, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him (Christ)." [II Corinthians 5:19-21] This is positional truth. By positional truth I mean that the moment a person believes in Christ he or she is immediately placed in a position of security in Christ, never to be removed. This is an eternal position that no one is able to remove you. When God makes a plan, this is a perfect plan, and no one can disturb a perfect plan. In the first part of these verses there is a word 'imputing'. This is the key to understanding positional truth. God first imputed to Christ all our sins, past, present, and future. Christ bore our sins on the cross, and God was satisfied with this sin sacrifice, so now God was able, after imputing our sins on Christ, to impute on each and every one of us His own perfect righteousness. This word 'impute' in New Testament Greek is 'logizomai,' and it means "to count, calculate, enumerate or to account." So you see, the meaning of these verses is simply this; God sent His perfect Son to die for each and every one in the world that he might reconcile the world to Himself. God placed our sins on Christ, or to His account, to pay for them, and by doing this he was able to not place them to our account. God does not enumerate our sins to us, not now, and not in eternity as the Church in Rome teaches. God, by accounting every one of our sins to Christ, sin is taken care of, and now he is able to impute, place in our account, His perfect righteousness. What a wonderful position we have in Christ. God now sees you and I perfect in Christ, and is able to love us as much as He loves His only-begotten Son.
So now that we are a family member "But as many as received Him (Christ), to them (all that believe on Christ) gave He power to become the [children-a full fledged family member] of God, even to them that believe on His name" (John 1:12), we are no longer slaves to this world and products of our environment. Now that we are family members we have the right to live as such. You see, the will is still our own to choose how we will live. We had free will before we were saved, and we have a free will after we are saved. We can choose to glorify the Father by our lives or choose to glorify ourselves in the flesh, that is, our carnal nature. Paul admonishes us in the twelfth chapter of Romans the first and second verse, "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God." We have the free will to choose whether or not we will live in conformity to the world. The word conform in the Greek is 'suschamatizo' which means 'to fashion one-self in accordance with the world or to assimilate one-self to the world.' This takes in a whole realm of things from our dressing habits to the people we hang out with. Notice I say hang out with and not fellowship with; this is because we can only fellowship with other believers, but we can have daily contact with the unbeliever, however, we should have an influence on them and not visa-versa. Conformity to the world takes in much more than these two things; it also considers how we talk, what kind of car we drive, the house we live in, how we spend our money (which is not ours, but is 100% God's, we are only stewards of what He allows us to have), how we spend our spare time, who we choose to fellowship with and to bring it all into a proper perspective, we should not live to impress others but to please God. Now I should explain that we have a choice in how we live, and it will not affect our eternal salvation, but it will affect our eternal rewards. To put it bluntly, we can either go to heaven a winner or a looser. The winners here on earth are the losers in heaven, and the losers here on earth will be the winners in heaven. It's impossible to be pleasing with God and pleasing with man at the same time. We can either serve God or the world, which belongs to Satan.
My answer to the question about being a product of the environment I will put into words of the social scientist. All believers are neurotic because they know they need a Savior and a guide (the Holy Spirit), and they believe in God the Father who loves them with an eternal love, and all unbelievers are psychotic because they also believe in God but refuse to accept Christ as their Savior, and therefore they ultimately self-destruct, because they choose hell over heaven.
9. God commanded all believers to love Him and all other believers. I know we are to love all believers, but what about the unbelievers?
The only way I know how to answer this question is to define the term love. Love as I understand it from the Scriptures is to recognize the object of our love as to the degree that the object of our love deserves our love. The love we are to have for our fellow believers is a divine love that we are given the ability to show the moment we accept Christ as our Savior. The Lord Jesus Christ indwells all believers at the very instant we accept Christ as Savior, "No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and His love is perfected (completed) in us. Hereby know we that we dwell in Him, and He in us, because He hath given us of His Spirit" (I John 4:12,13).
You see, God the Holy Spirit indwells every believer, and gives every believer the ability to love his or her fellow believer. I certainly understand that it is very difficult to love some believers, but we are commanded to do so, Again, a new commandment I write unto you, which thing is true in him and in you: because the darkness is past, and the true light now shineth. He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now. He that loveth his brother abideth (remains) in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in Him. But he that hateth his brother is in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knoweth not wither he goeth, because that darkness hath blinded his eyes" (I John 2:8-11). We now know that we are to love our fellow believer based on their relationship with Jesus Christ. We love Christ because He saved us and has baptized us with His Holy Spirit by indwelling us, and if He has done this for us, He has also done the same for every other believer, and we are now to love all believers based on Christ's substitutionary death on the cross. God the Father loves each and every believer as much as He loves His only begotten Son, and if he loves us all, we are to respond to Him by loving all believers also.
Now we come to a more difficult situation, that of loving the unbeliever. If I am to love all believers because of their eternal position in Christ, I must love the unbeliever based on my own personal relationship with Christ, "But as many as received Him, to them gave He the power (authority) to become the children of God, even to those who believe on his name" (John 1:12). As a child of God that is indwelled with the Holy Spirit (and all believers are), I am given the privilege to love all mankind. Now, the question arises, what kind of love do I show the unbeliever, as I can't love them with a divine love I have for all believers. Because God the Holy Spirit indwells us, we are to examine what kind of love God has for unbelievers. God loves the unbeliever as a member of His creation, and He loves the believer as a joint heir with Christ, "Beloved, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew Him not" (I John 3:1). From these Scriptures I conclude that God has separated mankind into two classes, 1) family members and 2) non-family members. So you see, we love believers as family members with an 'agape'
Love, God given love, and non-family with an 'philo' love, that is, with respect for them as potential believers, "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever (anyone who chooses to believe) believes in Him, shall never perish, but have everlasting life" (John 3:16). While the world is perishing in unbelief they need not perish: Christ died for the whole world in order to rescue the perishing. We all have had the same opportunity to either believe or reject God's Son, "And he (Christ) is the propitiation (satisfied God's demand for sin) for our sins, and not ours only, but for the sins of the whole world" (I John 2:2). So now we see that no one will go to hell for sinning, but only for rejecting Christ's propitiating work on the cross.
CONCLUSION
These are only a few of the question most commonly asked me. I will end this paper on God's grace with a wonderful article I read recently on the evidence that everyone is born with an innate knowledge of God, so you will understand why I say so often that every one believes there is a God, but not everyone will accept our Christ. The article is taken from 'Systematic Theology by Charles Hodge Vol. I.'
Designs in Single Organs.
1. No work of human art can compare with the nicety and completeness of the separate organs of organized bodies for the purpose for which they are designed. In the eye, for example, there is the most perfect optical instrument constructed in accordance with the hidden laws of light. We find there the only nerve in the body susceptible of the impressions of light and color. That nerve is spread out on the retina. The light is admitted through an orifice in the ball, which opening by the most delicate arrangement of muscles is enlarged or contracted, according to the degree of light which falls on the retina, which enlargement or contraction is not dependant on the will, but on the stimulus of the light itself. Light, however, merely passing through an orifice would make no image of the object from which it was reflected. It is, therefore, made to pass through lenses perfect in form so to refract the rays as to bring them to a proper focus on the retina. If the inner chamber of the eye were white, it would so reflect the rays entering the pupil at every angle as to render vision impossible. That chamber, and that alone, is lined with a black pigment. By a delicate muscular arrangement the eye is enabled to adapt itself to the distance of external objects so that the proper focus may be preserved. These are a small part of the wonders exhibited by this single organ of the body. This organ was fashioned in the darkness of the womb, with a self-evident reference to the nature and properties of light, of which the creature for whose use it was fashioned had neither knowledge or experience. If the eye, therefore, does not indicate the intelligent adaptation of means to an end, no such adaptation can be found in any work of human ingenuity.
The same remarks apply to the ear. In its cavity lies the auditory nerve. A tortuous passage is formed in the bony structure of the skull. The orifice of that passage is covered by a membrane to receive the vibrations of the air; on the center of that membrane rests the termination of a small bone so connected as to convey those vibrations to the only nerve capable of receiving or interpreting them, or of transmitting them to the brain. It is by this organ, constructed according to the recondite principles of acoustics, that our intercourse with our fellow-men is principally kept up; through which the marvels of speech, all the charms of music and eloquence become possible for man.
We cannot live without a constant supply of oxygen, which must every moment be brought to act upon the blood, to vitalize it, and by combining with the carbon it contains fit it for renewed use. The infant, therefore, comes into the world with an apparatus prepared for that purpose. In its formative state, it did not breathe. Yet it had lungs. They were given for a foreseen necessity. Nothing can exceed the intricacy, complication, or beauty of the organ or system of organs thus prepared, for the absolutely necessary and continuous purification of the blood, and for the distribution in an uninterrupted flux and reflux to every part of the body. This process goes on without our supervision. It is as regular during sleep as during our waking hours.
Food is as necessary for our support as air. The unborn infant needs no food. It is included in the circulation of the mother. In the state on which it is soon to enter, food will be necessary. Full provision is made beforehand for its reception and use. Teeth are embedded in the jaw for its mastication; salivary glands to furnish the fluid for its chemical preparation for the stomach; an esophagus to convey it to the stomach, where it meets with a fluid found nowhere else, capable of dissolving and digesting it. It then comes into contact with a set of absorbent vessels, which select from it the element suited for the wants of the body and reject all the rest. The valuable portion is poured into the blood by which it is distributed, each constituent going to its own place and answering its predestined purpose; carbon to be consumed to keep up the vital heat, lime to the bones, fibrin to the muscles, phosphorus to the brain and nerves.
The child before birth has no need of organs for locomotion or for apprehending objects. But it was foreseen that it would need them, and therefore they are prepared beforehand. The bones are grooved for the reception of muscles, and have projections for points of support; joints of all kinds, hinge and ball and socket, for the flexure of the limbs; the instruments for motion, the contractile fibers, arranged and attached, according to the strict laws of mechanics, so as best to secure the two ends of symmetry and power. Thus the body is a perfect marvel of mechanical contrivances. The several organs, therefore, of the animal frame, viewed separately, present the most incontestable evidence of foresight, intelligence, and wisdom. This, however, is only a small part of the evidences of design furnished even by the body.
Design in the Relation of one Organ to Another.
2. Every animal is a complete whole. Each part has a designed and predetermined reference to every other part. The organs of sight, hearing, breathing, nutrition, locomotion, etc., are so arranged and adjusted as to answer a common purpose to the best advantage. Besides, these organs, although common to all animals (at least to all above the lowest), are modified in each genus and species to meet its peculiar necessities. If the animal is to live on the land all its organs are adapted to that condition. If it is to live in the water or move through the air, all is prepared beforehand for that destination. And more than this, if one organ be designed for some special use, all the rest are modified in accordance with that purpose. If the stomach is suited for the digestion of flesh, then the teeth, limbs, the claws, are all adapted to secure and prepare the proper aliment. So complete is the adaptation that the anatomist can determine from a single bone the genus or species to which the animal belonged. Birds, which wade in the water, have long legs and long necks. Those, which float on the surface, have webfeet, and feathers impenetrable by water; two things which have causal relation, and which are united by a kind of intelligence external to the animal itself. Birds, which fly in the air, are fitted for their destiny by hollow bones, widespread wings, and great accumulation of muscles on the breast. Those which climb trees have feet and tail for that purpose, and, as in the case of the woodpecker, a sharp bill for boring the tree and a barbed tongue to seize its food. These modifications of animal structure are endless, all showing an external intelligence cognizant of the necessities of every distinct species.
These are only a few of the arguments presented by Charles Hodge, but they will suffice to bring this paper on God's wonderful Grace to its close. There is no way that anyone, believer or un-believer alike, that can deny that there is a Divine mind behind this wonderful universe. The world around us is testimony enough to testify of God's eternal power and Godhead, so all un-belief is deliberate rebellion, "so they are without excuse."
After considering all, we believers will have eternity to praise God's Son for our eternal salvation.
Amazing grace, how sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now am found-
Was blind, but now I see.
Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,
And grace my fears relieved;
How precious did that grace appear,
The hour I first believed!
Through many dangers, toils, and snares,
I have already come;
'Tis grace has brought me safe thus far,
And grace will lead me home.
The Lord has promised good to me,
His word my hope secures;
He will my shield and portion be,
As long as life endures.
And when this flesh and heart shall fail,
And mortal life shall cease;
I shall possess within the veil,
A life of joy and peace
When we've been there ten thousand years,
Bright shining as the sun,
We've no less days to sing God's praise,
Then when we first begun.
John Newton
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