"STUPID" PEOPLE IN THE CHURCH...and how not to be one

"Is God Short of Cash?"
I was on a famous Christian TV show several years ago before their demise. During a 'commercial' break, the host of the program told me if I would give $100 to his ministry the Lord would give me back $1,000... I asked him politely, "Sir, where does it say foolish written on me?" He was a bit shocked and asked me, "don't you believe that the Lord will bless you by giving your money to our ministry?" I told him, "No I don't." And that furthermore he didn't even believe such a thing. He was again a bit surprised by my response and said, "Yes I do." I answered, "No, you don't." He said, "YES, I do." I said, "NO... you don't." With a puzzled look on his face he frustratingly said, "Why do you keep telling me that I don't believe this?" I said, "Simple. If you really believe this, then why don't you give your $100 to God, He'll give you a $1,000 back, and you'll quite asking me for mine?" He looked at me with that dumbfounded kind of quasi pseudo-theological televangelist deer in the headlights don't bother me with doctrine look, and replied, "I never thought of that before." I quietly muttered, "I think that's the problem."

That encounter illustrates the picture perfectly, doesn't it? Some people in the body of Christ feel that the Lord will actually grant others prosperity if they give to their "ministries." This has sadly left many in the dust of dashed hopes. Naive believers have actually trusted these glory boys in their false and fallacious claims about increasing their mutual funds by Divine Design. They view God as some sort of "Celestial Monty Hall" granting them door #1, door #2, or door #3 to satisfy their fancy and material cravings as long as they have enough faith. This is so foolish and should not tolerated in the church.

Questions: What does the Bible say about prosperity; and if you are experiencing tough times financially does that mean you are out of the will of God?

Answers: Second part first... of course not. The Lord is sovereign working all things for our good and His glory. Even Paul considers himself in his service to the Lord, "...as having nothing, yet possessing all things" (2 Cor. 6:10b). As learning "to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry; both of having abundance and suffering need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" (Philippians 4:12-13).

The absence of money or wealth beloved is not the barometer by which we measure someone's spiritual richness. The Apostle Paul gives us profound insight when he says in 1 Timothy 6:5, "and constant friction between men of depraved mind and deprived of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of [financial] gain." Sound familiar?

Turn on most TBN shows or Christian TV broadcasts and that's precisely what you'll see... men and women "huckstering the Word of God for profit" (cp, 2 Cor. 2:17).

What is the N.T. formula for "success" or "prosperity?" Paul gives us the clear biblical answer in 1 Timothy 6:6, "...godliness, plus contentment is great gain." Are you living a godly life in accordance with the Word of God; are you content with what you have from the Lord--not seeking more or complaining of less? Then the Lord calls that, "great gain."

If you have nothing... don't be bitter; if you have great wealth... don't be prideful. Give to the Lord by faithfully giving your offerings first to the local church and secondly to biblical, credible ministries. Then ask yourself one question before you send another "love gift" to TBN or a TBN-like network: Is God really short of cash?

Remember, thinking can be beneficial for your spiritual health. Mind your faith.

this has been an encore presentation

THE NEED FOR BIBLICAL DISCERNMENT IN PERILOUS TIMES...by Pastor Lars Larson, PhD

The Present State of Evangelicalism
As was pointed out above, there is increasing alarm among a number of evangelical leaders about the current state of evangelicalism and the direction in which the movement is proceeding. In this section we wish to consider some of the forces which make the matter of discernment a pre-eminent concern.

We have been influenced by Society
Dockery, the first writer cited above, described postmodernism as it has emerged in secular society in order to awaken Christians of the difficult task which faces them to take the gospel to this kind of world. But he fails to point out that Christians themselves, being in the world, have bought into these ideas. In fact, evangelicalism has embraced this philosophy wholesale. There is a disinterest by most Christians, even an aversion by many, to think through matters of doctrine (teaching). Perhaps they make a little effort, struggle a bit, and then throw up their hands and respond, “it is irrelevant anyway, what is important is the heart.” Recently I received a letter from a lady and her husband with whom I had a discussion about the doctrines of grace when we were visiting in California. After I sent them some basic outline material and recommended some books which discussed the issues, here was her response: “Have attempted to wade through the material you sent, but it is all to confusing to my pea brain. We both just accept the gospel plain and simple, and will leave the intellectual stuff to you, Lars.” The problem is that the very things we were discussing concerned the nature and the content of the gospel. This husband and wife are dear friends, and they have been Christians faithfully serving for many years. But for many of those years they served in a church which had forsaken the gospel. Thankfully, they came out, but then they became a part of another church where they stayed for two years and suffered there because of the teaching. Again, they came out. They have since found a church where they are comfortable. But during this whole process they struggled with much difficulty to identify what was wrong with the churches to which they belonged. Had they done the work years ago struggling with the issues, which the Scriptures affirm we should do, they would have seen the issues much more clearly, and much sooner, moreover, they may have been able to assist others who were struggling along with them. The approach is typical of these days. You must not relegate your thinking to others. Why? Because very possibly they themselves are not thinking and they may be in error. You must learn to discern.

The beginnings of this trend date to the sixties. here is a description of evangelicals of that period:

A generation brought up on guitars, choruses, and home group discussions. Educated, as one of them put it to me, not to use words with precision because the image is dominant, not the word. Equipped not to handle doctrine but rather to 'share'. A compassionate, caring generation, suspicious of definition and labels, uneasy at, and sometimes incapable of, being asked to wrestle with sustained didactic exposition of theology. Excellent when it comes to providing religious music, drama, and art. Not so good when asked to preach and teach the Faith or to express it in writing.

Whenever we loose our ability to discern, when we become “uneasy at, and sometimes incapable of, being asked to wrestle” with issues of truth, we set ourselves up for a major fall. This mindset began in the world, and was carried over into the church. The results have been staggering. But since one aspect of discernment is recognizing error, few even realize a problem exists. And those who recognize a problem are considered alarmists, extremists, irrelevant, outdated, and out of touch.

We are all susceptible to being shaped by our environment. In fact, we will have our thinking formed by the world about us unless we take definite steps to prevent it from occurring. Paul wrote to the Christians at Rome, “Do not be conformed to this world” (Rom. 12:2). The verb is an imperative, a command. But it is important to note that it is written in the present tense. Paul does not warn against the commencing of action; rather, he forbids it’s continuing. Paraphrased, he says, “You are presently being conformed to this world, put a stop to it.” And how is that done? It is accomplished by “being transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what the will of God is.” Unless you make a definite, deliberate effort to stop the process already at work, you will be unable to know what is true or false, right or wrong, good or bad. You will “drift away”, a fearful condition of which the undiscerning babies in Hebrews were in danger. What is the preventive? “For this reason we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard (the teachings of the apostles) (Heb. 2:1).

We are presently drifting about because of “waves” and “winds” of error unless we have secured ourselves to our mooring in the Word of God. I see the same things Dockery set forth characterizing the postmodern mind, as now descriptive of contemporary evangelical Christians. Many today no longer see the Bible as a depository of absolute truth. Not that this would be overtly stated; rather, I am sure it would be denied! But when one examines the way the Bible is used, the conclusion may be drawn that it is no longer a source of absolute truth from which true, prescriptive statements may be discovered. Rather, the Bible is used as a foil by which people generate imagination and find expression for their own feelings, or for a source of personal consolation or feelings of well-being. The Bible is simply not used as a source book for truth; it is not used to that end by many, even most, Christians. We may demonstrate this by considering the way most Bible studies are conducted in these days. The intent and purpose is not to discern the truth of the message of the biblical passage itself. Examine most Bible study guides for small groups and see what kinds of questions are asked. The questions posed of the Scriptures are not: “What was the intent of the author?” “What was the setting and state of the audience to which it was written?” “What is the message that was conveyed through this passage and what normative lesson does it impose upon me?” Rather, the questions being asked are: “What does it mean to me?” and, “what does it mean to you?” And although the various meanings (or perhaps better described as “impressions”) of the various members of the group are perhaps incoherent, irrational, or even conflicting with what is said in the verse being discussed, it does not matter, all things may be regarded as true. There is no wrong. This is the epitome of the worldliness of the days in which we live.

What we have described here is common among Christians; in fact, I would say that it is now characteristic of evangelical Christianity. Moreover, it is among ourselves too, in our own church. I know, for example, that even though I am able to present a case from Scripture of a certain truth, and demonstrate that a text teaches something in a definite way, there are those in the congregation who will dismiss what I have said on the basis of the following “reasoning”: “Well, that may be true for him, but not for me.” Or, “it might have been true then, but things have changed.” Or, “he can’t be that dogmatic, no one can know, and he is rather arrogant to even suggest to us that he can know.” “I have my own understanding of what is true.” This is postmodern thinking. This is the spirit of the world in which we are all immersed, which has influenced us all to varying degrees.

But it gets worse.

Now we have movements within evangelicalism which advocate a complete setting aside of thinking rationally as the true means of coming to know and experience God. There are people who now claim that it is more spiritual to set aside the mind completely and thereby experience God directly with the heart. This is pure mysticism in Christian dress. A prime example of this type of thing is what characterizes the popular Toronto Blessing movement. Today we have many who clam to experience and know God apart from the teaching and preaching of the Word of God; in fact, they have disdain for preaching and teaching. They chaff at sitting and listening to biblical and doctrinal exposition. Although they may not say it is so, the study of the Scriptures to them is irrelevant and even deadening to true worship and true spiritual knowledge. Their claim is, “churches have too much head knowledge, what is needed is heart knowledge.” These people are easy prey for deceivers.

An excellent book is available which is a collection of case studies of persons who had been caught up into cult-like Christian churches. The book is titled Churches that Abuse, by Ronald Enroth. Over and over again, the same scenario is repeated of persons who were drawn into churches in which they were ravaged. One of the major causes of deviancy and unchecked error was the abandonment of the use of the Scriptures in exchange for ‘spiritual experience.’ People were first attracted by “the prospect of supernatural, extraordinary experiences” or the style of worship which were offered in these churches. Many of these people began attending church with little knowledge of the Scriptures. They had no frame of reference to discern. And because the churches did not use the Scriptures as the source of all authoritative revelation, there was never an objective rule employed by which the people could make spiritual assessments. And once Scripture, or objective analysis of Scripture is abandoned, there ceases to be a corrective to error. Subjectivism reigns. Instruction in doctrine is viewed as unspiritual and deadening to authentic spirituality and the work of the Spirit. What then occurs is that the leader(s) assumes the role of what the canon of Scripture is to be--the determiner of what was true and false, right and wrong, good and evil. “God’s will is something that they determine for you rather than something you individually seek to know.” There is a “subtle cutting off of any kind of critical thinking, any kind of analytical thinking”; “thinking accomplished nothing.” Slowly, teachings are introduced which contradict the Bible, but nobody recognizes them. What was described as having occurred in one church seemed typical: “the dramatic and ever-accelerating barrage of sensual and spiritual experience caused many people to have their discernment ability dulled to the point of no longer being shocked at anything. . . . Exposure to extremes of behavior and belief . . . had desensitized members to the point where conscience and morals were anesthetized.” One person remarked about her state while in the midst of one of these horrific church settings: “I was having lots of supernatural experiences; I assumed and was quite sure it was all of God.” The conclusion that is drawn by the author is the need for our people to be trained in the area of discernment. “One of the pressing needs of the Christian Church is to assist in the development of discernment skills among believers so that the likelihood of following an aberrant teacher or false doctrine is diminished.”

Unless Christians awaken to the situation which we face, and become a discerning people, we will subject ourselves increasingly to error and injury, trials and difficulties, deceivers and charlatans. We will be easily led about by unscrupulous men and unbiblical teaching, and the devil will devour us in droves. The way things appear to be moving, it is my opinion that unless God intervenes by bringing true biblical-based reform and revival there will emerge two distinct brands of evangelicalism: one large group of larger churches which shape their faith and practice by experience, and a smaller group of generally smaller churches which purpose to ground their faith and life on the historical faith as revealed in the Scriptures.

We have a desperate need for spiritual discernment. We must be able to stand back and assess things clearly, and then step forward and warn people by awakening them to what is occurring. But further, we must train ourselves and others to think and reason through matters so that we may all discern what is good, right, and true.

We have been influenced by our Theological Tradition
I have discovered that working through issues of which I am ignorant is not as difficult as studying matters of which I currently assume I understand. It is hard to learn; but it is harder to unlearn. It may be difficult to learn new things, but it is immensely difficult to correct currently held errant views if they are currently viewed by us as true. Herein lies a problem we all have of which we should all be aware: we have been influenced by what we have been taught, and not all that we have been taught has been true. We have all embraced a measure of teaching which is, unfortunately, not true to the Scriptures. And yet we tend to hold tenaciously our present understanding, often claiming to defend our views “biblically.” We are in need of discernment so that we might recognize and correct error that we currently believe is true. This is a very difficult task.

Shortly before the martyrdom of Paul, young Timothy received a letter from the apostle containing his final charge to his young friend:

I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus . . . preach the Word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance with their own desires; and will turn away their ears from the truth, and will turn aside to myths. (2 Tim. 4:1-4)

Paul told Timothy that he would encounter resistance and opposition from virtually everyone he would meet. It seems clear that Paul is not speaking of unbelievers, but rather people who heard truth, sat under teachers, and would be exposed to the preaching of Timothy. Timothy could expect to find resistance in the churches of God to the truth of God. Church members would not want to hear God's Word; rather, they would desire to be reinforced in their currently held doctrines, and would refuse to change or even listen to Timothy's instruction. Timothy would need to be resolute in his duty and faithful to his charge to preach the Word because of the peoples' preference for “myths.”

This is such a strange phenomenon. Why is it that we would choose myths (i.e. false doctrine) over truth? It can not be because we love myths more than truth, for every true Christian has received a love for truth so as to be saved (2 Thess. 2:10). Rather, we tend to prefer myths to truths simply because we perceive myths to be truth, and truth to be myths. Or put another way, our beliefs are assumed to be biblical, therefore, we are prone to reject actual Bible teaching if it is in conflict with our beliefs.

We gather to ourselves teachers and preachers who agree with us; we want our “ears tickled”, that is, we desire that our beliefs be reinforced. In essence, our belief system subtly usurps the authority of the Bible. We filter all teaching through what we already assume to be true, and yet we would vehemently claim that the Bible is our sole authority. And so, we tend to buy books which reinforce our positions. Our favorite preachers are those which agree with us in doctrine. We choose churches based on whether or not the preacher preaches what we think is truth. We tend to reject those out of hand who may preach contrary to what we already hold to be true. Whether or not they have scriptural warrant for their teaching becomes irrelevant. As soon as we hear something different to what we are accustomed, we immediately reject the message, and frequently the messenger as well.

This is not to say that we evangelicals are an erroneous group which has no truth. We advocate strongly that the Bible is our authority. Yet not one of us has all of the truth; only the Bible is objective truth. Everyone of us possesses a degree of flawed understanding regarding what the Bible teaches. We must ask the Holy Spirit to instruct us through His Word to reveal our present error and replace it with truth.

In conclusion, we could cite other reasons for the need of discernment in these days, but I believe what has been said is sufficient. Ultimately it comes to this: today’s Christians, generally speaking, do not know how to distinguish truth from error, and worse, they do not seem to be concerned about the matter. As a result they are being ravaged by error and seem to have little hope of recovery. May the Lord help each of us become better discerners of truth, not only so that we might bring glory to God and perhaps spare ourselves some grief, but that we might be able to serve others by directing them in the will of God.

this has been an encore presentation

I WANT TO BE A RED LETTER CALVINIST...let's make 2009 the year of spiritual discernment in the body of Christ

updated

the church needs to be the church again; 

preaching faithfully God's Word; proclaiming unashamedly the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ; and then loving our neighbor and helping those in need to His glory alone

You heard me right: I want to be a Red Letter Calvinist. Evangelical liberals have taken hostage the phrase "red letter Christian" to define a political agenda, not a biblical one. Their emphasis is a social gospel. IOW, truth does not govern their movement, but the cause you are fighting for. This is nothing new really. I have written on this for years here labeling such activity as evangelical co-belligerence. This ecumenical umbrella they have fashioned is wide in whom it includes. And that should not come as a surprise to any of us. For if you take away the centrality of the cross - the centrality of the gospel according to Jesus, you can attract all kinds of supporters to your cause. But proclaim the Lord Jesus Christ and Him crucified as the only way, the only truth, and the only life - and you will whittle down your constituency immediately, severely, and abruptly. 

That is why I did not call this article "Red Letter Christian"; for in the liberal world of apocryphal doctrine, Peter Pan theology, and political cultural correctness - Mormons, JW's, those that deny the Trinity, Word Faith, the Papacy, etc. all have a seat at the table under the banner of Christian. Some even wonder if President-Elect Obama's brand of faith could be considered "Red Letter Christian"? However (and though I don't like labels as a rule) the biblical truth contained in Calvinism as a whole represents the great truths of Scripture, the nature and character of the One Triune God, and the preeminence of the gospel of sola fide into focus more profoundly in today's vacillating evangelical climate than any other body of doctrine I know. 

And lets' not forget folks, it was the reformed camp that has led the way throughout redemptive history, beginning with the Apostles and then right through Spurgeon and beyond, in caring for the poor and championing mercy ministry efforts that were a practical witness of the gospel and loving their neighbor in their respective communities (i.e. Mueller, Edwards, Spurgeon, Newton, Calvin, Rutherford, etc.).

I cannot take credit for inventing this phrase. My dear friend, Dr. Tom Ascol of the Founders Ministry, coined it last week in the meta at his blog. 

But I really like what the term inherently says and here are a few of my reasons why:

1. Red Letter - it exalts the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ as being preeminent in the life of the believer and in ministry as well.

2. Calvinist - because it represents the doctrines of grace and the five solas of the Reformation over and against the heresy of the Remonstrants and affirms all that The Synod of Dort affirmed.

3. It stands in direction opposition to the red letter liberals who have hijacked the term trying to turn Jesus into nothing more than a social worker for the poor or a community organizer for cultural injustices (Ghandi with a grin); while diminishing Him as God incarnate and distorting the very nature of the atonement.

4. It also calls those of us in the Reformed Faith to not abandon our duty to our neighbor and those in need. While we are dedicated to upholding a high view of God; the authority of God's Word; salvation by grace alone, through faith alone, because of Christ alone, to the glory and praise of God alone, through the regenerating ministry of the Holy Spirit alone - we should also not forget what it means to be salt and light in this world as a witness of God's grace to our neighbor. We should be leading the charge in caring for the poor, ministering to those infected with HIV/AIDS, giving shelter to the homeless, championing life for the unborn, helping single parent families, etc. - but without His truth and the gospel being compromised.

5. And lastly, it means that we represent the whole counsel of God; not just those portions of Scripture that are politically correct by today's cultural definitions. But to proclaim faithfully the whole counsel of God - especially in representing the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. BTW, implicit in this affirmation is also all of the "black letters" as well (notice the dual tone of the logo above). The nonnegotiable belief of the veracity, sufficiency, and authority of God's Word for all matters of life and godliness is a watershed issue that separates the genuine from the counterfeit in evangelicalism today.

Will you be a Red Letter Calvinist with me this year? In capsule form it means two things: 1. to live out The Two Great Commandments; and 2. to fulfill The Great Commission.

Grace and peace,
Steve

2 Cor. 4:1-7

"The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one. “For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ."
-1 Corinthians 2:14-16

by John Calvin

The following selection by John Calvin was taken from book 2, chapter 2 parts 18-21 of The Institutes of The Christian Religion, translated by by Henry Beveridge, Esq. A must read for all Christians who aspire to better understand the Bible's teaching on man's spiritual impotence prior to the regeneration of the Holy Spirit.

18. The limits of our understanding
We must now explain what the power of human reason is, in regard to the kingdom of God, and spiritual discernments which consists chiefly of three things - the knowledge of God, the knowledge of his paternal favour towards us, which constitutes our salvation, and the method of regulating of our conduct in accordance with the Divine Law. With regard to the former two, but more properly the second, men otherwise the most ingenious are blinder than moles. I deny not, indeed, that in the writings of philosophers we meet occasionally with shrewd and apposite remarks on the nature of God, though they invariably savour somewhat of giddy imagination. As observed above, the Lord has bestowed on them some slight perception of his Godhead that they might not plead ignorance as an excuse for their impiety, and has, at times, instigated them to deliver some truths, the confession of which should be their own condemnation. Still, though seeing, they saw not. Their discernment was not such as to direct them to the truth, far less to enable them to attain it, but resembled that of the bewildered traveller, who sees the flash of lightning glance far and wide for a moment, and then vanish into the darkness of the night, before he can advance a single step. So far is such assistance from enabling him to find the right path. Besides, how many monstrous falsehoods intermingle with those minute particles of truth scattered up and down in their writings as if by chance. In short, not one of them even made the least approach to that assurance of the divine favour, without which the mind of man must ever remain a mere chaos of confusion. To the great truths, What God is in himself, and what he is in relation to us, human reason makes not the least approach. (See Book 3 c. 2 sec. 14, 15, 16.)

19. Man's spiritual blindness shown from John 1:4-5
But since we are intoxicated with a false opinion of our own discernment, and can scarcely be persuaded that in divine things it is altogether stupid and blind, I believe the best course will be to establish the fact, not by argument, but by Scripture. Most admirable to this effect is the passage which I lately quoted from John, when he says, "In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not," (John 1: 4, 5.) He intimates that the human soul is indeed irradiated with a beam of divine light, so that it is never left utterly devoid of some small flame, or rather spark, though not such as to enable it to comprehend God. And why so? Because its acuteness is, in reference to the knowledge of God, mere blindness. When the Spirit describes men under the term "darkness" he declares them void of all power of spiritual intelligence. For this reason, it is said that believers, in embracing Christ, are "born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God," (John 1: 13;) in other words, that the flesh has no capacity for such sublime wisdom as to apprehend God, and the things of God, unless illumined by His Spirit. In like manner our Saviour, when he was acknowledged by Peter, declared that it was by special revelation from the Father, (Matth. 16: 17.)

20. Man's knowledge of God is God's own work
If we were persuaded of a truth which ought to be beyond dispute, viz., that human nature possesses none of the gifts which the elect receive from their heavenly Father through the Spirit of regeneration, there would be no room here for hesitation. For thus speaks the congregation of the faithful, by the mouth of the prophet: "With thee is the fountain of life: in thy light shall we see light," (Ps. 36: 9.) To the same effect is the testimony of the Apostle Paul, when he declares, that "no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost," (1 Cor. 12: 3.) And John Baptist, on seeing the dullness of his disciples, exclaims, "A man can receive nothing, unless it be given him from heaven," (John 3: 27.) That the gift to which he here refers must be understood not of ordinary natural gifts, but of special illumination, appears from this - that he was complaining how little his disciples had profited by all that he had said to them in commendation of Christ. "I see," says he, "that my words are of no effect in imbuing the minds of men with divine things, unless the Lord enlighten their understandings by His Spirit." Nay, Moses also, while upbraiding the people for their forgetfulness, at the same time observes, that they could not become wise in the mysteries of God without his assistance. "Ye have seen all that the Lord did before your eyes in the land of Egypt, unto Pharaoh, and unto all his servants, and unto all his land; the great temptations which thine eyes have seen, the signs, and these great miracles: yet the Lord has not given you an heart to perceive, and eyes to see, and ears to hear, unto this, day," (Deut. 29: 2, 3, 4.) Would the expression have been stronger had he called us mere blocks in regard to the contemplation of divine things? Hence the Lord, by the mouth of the Prophet, promises to the Israelites as a singular favour, "I will give them an heart to know me," (Jer. 24: 7;) intimating, that in spiritual things the human mind is wise only in so far as he enlightens it.

This was also clearly confirmed by our Saviour when he said, "No man can come to me, except the Father which has sent me draw him," (John 6: 44.) Nay, is not he himself the living image of his Father, in which the full brightness of his glory is manifested to us? Therefore, how far our faculty of knowing God extends could not be better shown than when it is declared, that though his image is so plainly exhibited, we have not eyes to perceive it. What? Did not Christ descend into the world that he might make the will of his Father manifest to men, and did he not faithfully perform the office? True! He did; but nothing is accomplished by his preaching unless the inner teacher, the Spirit, open the way into our minds. Only those, therefore, come to him who have heard and learned of the Father. And in what is the method of this hearing and learning? It is when the Spirit, with a wondrous and special energy, forms the ear to hear and the mind to understand. Lest this should seem new, our Saviour refers to the prophecy of Isaiah, which contains a promise of the renovation of the Church. "For a small moment have I forsaken thee; but with great mercies will I gather thee," (Is. 54: 7.) If the Lord here predicts some special blessing to his elect, it is plain that the teaching to which he refers is not that which is common to them with the ungodly and profane.

It thus appears that none can enter the kingdom of God save those whose minds have been renewed by the enlightening of the Holy Spirit. On this subject the clearest exposition is given by Paul, who, when expressly handling it, after condemning the whole wisdom of the world as foolishness and vanity, and thereby declaring man's utter destitution, thus concludes, "The natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, for they are spiritually discerned," (1 Cor. 2: 14.) Whom does he mean by the "natural man"? The man who trusts to the light of nature. Such a man has no understanding in the spiritual mysteries of God. Why so? Is it because through sloth he neglects them? Nay, though he exert himself, it is of no avail; they are "spiritually discerned." And what does this mean? That altogether hidden from human discernment, they are made known only by the revelation of the Spirit; so that they are accounted foolishness wherever the Spirit does not give light. The Apostle had previously declared, that "Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God has prepared for them that love him;" nay, that the wisdom of the world is a kind of veil by which the mind is prevented from beholding God, (1 Cor. 2: 9.) What would we more? The Apostle declares that God has "made foolish the wisdom of this world," (1 Cor. 1: 20;) and shall we attribute to it an acuteness capable of penetrating to God, and the hidden mysteries of his kingdom? Far from us be such presumption!

21. Without the light of the Spirit, all is darkness
What the Apostle here denies to man, he, in another place, ascribes to God alone, when he prays, "that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation," (Eph. 1: 17.) You now hear that all wisdom and revelation is the gift of God. What follows? "The eyes of your understanding being enlightened." Surely, if they require a new enlightening, they must in themselves be blind. The next words are, "that ye may know what is the hope of his calling," (Eph. 1: 18.) In other words, the minds of men have not capacity enough to know their calling.

Let no prating Pelagian here allege that God obviates this rudeness or stupidity, when, by the doctrine of his word, he directs us to a path which we could not have found without a guide. David had the law, comprehending in it all the wisdom that could be desired, and yet not contented with this, he prays, "Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law," (Ps. 119: 18.) By this expression, he certainly intimates, that it is like sunrise to the earth when the word of God shines forth; but that men do not derive much benefit from it until he himself, who is for this reason called the Father of lights (James 1: 17,) either gives eyes or opens them; because, whatever is not illuminated by his Spirit is wholly darkness. The Apostles had been duly and amply instructed by the best of teachers. Still, as they wanted the Spirit of truth to complete their education in the very doctrine which they had previously heard, they were ordered to wait for him, (John 14: 26.) If we confess that what we ask of God is lacking to us, and He by the very thing promised intimates our want, no man can hesitate to acknowledge that he is able to understand the mysteries of God, only in so far as illuminated by his grace. He who ascribes to himself more understanding than this, is the blinder for not acknowledging his blindness.

AMERICA HAS CHOSEN A PRESIDENTby Dr. Al Mohler

This is simply the best commentary I have read all day from any journalist or Christian leader. 

May I commend highly your heart and mind to the lucid and circumspect words of Dr. Al Mohler. Read it carefully, thoughtfully, thoroughly, and biblically.

Romans 13

Steve

by Dr. Al Mohler

The election of Sen. Barack Obama as the 44th President of the United States came as a bang, not a whimper. The tremors had been perceptible for days, maybe even weeks. On Tuesday, America experienced nothing less than a political and cultural earthquake.

The margin of victory for the Democratic ticket was clear. Americans voted in record numbers and with tangible enthusiasm. By the end of the day, it was clear that Barack Obama would be elected with a majority of the popular vote and a near landslide in the Electoral College. When President-Elect Obama greeted the throngs of his supporters in Chicago's Grant Park, he basked in the glory of electoral energy.

For many of us, the end of the night brought disappointment. In this case, the disappointment is compounded by the sense that the issues that did not allow us to support Sen. Obama are matters of life and death -- not just political issues of heated debate. Furthermore, the margin of victory and sense of a shift in the political landscape point to greater disappointments ahead. We all knew that so much was at stake.

For others, the night was magical and momentous. Young and old cried tears of amazement and victory as America elected its first African-American President -- and elected him overwhelmingly. Just forty years after the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, an African-American stood to claim victory as President-Elect of the nation. As Sen. Obama assured the crowd in Chicago and the watching nation, "We will get there. We will get there." No one hearing those words could fail to hear the refrain of plaintive words spoken in Memphis four decades ago. President-Elect Obama would stand upon the mountaintop that Dr. King had foreseen.

That victory is a hallmark moment in history for all Americans -- not just for those who voted for Sen. Obama. As a nation, we will never think of ourselves the same way again. Americans rich and poor, black and white, old and young, will look to an African-American man and know him as President of the United States. The President. The only President. The elected President. Our President.

Every American should be moved by the sight of young African-Americans who -- for the first time -- now believe that they have a purchase in American democracy. Old men and old women, grandsons and granddaughters of slaves and slaveholders, will look to an African-American as President.

Regardless of politics, could anyone remain unmoved by the sight of Jesse Jackson crying alone amidst the crowd in Chicago? This dimension of Election Day transcends politics and touches the heart of the American people.

Yet, the issues and the politics remain. Given the scale of the Democratic victory, the political landscape will be completely reshaped. The fight for the dignity and sanctity of unborn human beings has been set back by a great loss, and by the election of a President who has announced his intention to sign the Freedom of Choice Act into law. The struggle to protect marriage against its destruction by redefinition is now complicated by the election of a President who has declared his aim to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act. On issue after issue, we face a longer, harder, and more protracted struggle than ever before.

Still, we must press on as advocates for the unborn, for the elderly, for the infirm, and for the vulnerable. We must redouble our efforts to defend marriage and the integrity of the family. We must be vigilant to protect religious liberty and the freedom of the pulpit. We face awesome battles ahead.

At the same time, we must be honest and recognize that the political maps are being redrawn before our eyes. Will the Republican Party decide that conservative Christians are just too troublesome for the party and see the pro-life movement as a liability? There is the real danger that the Republicans, stung by this defeat, will adopt a libertarian approach to divisive moral issues and show conservative Christians the door.

Others will declare these struggles over, arguing that the election of Sen. Obama means that Americans in general -- and many younger Evangelicals in particular -- are ready to "move on" to other issues. This is no time for surrender or the abandonment of our core principles. We face a much harder struggle ahead, but we have no right to abandon the struggle.

We should look for opportunities to work with the new President and his administration where we can. We must hope that he will lead and govern as the bridge-builder he claimed to be in his campaign. We must confront and oppose the Obama administration where conscience demands, but work together where conscience allows.

Evangelical Christians face another challenge with the election of Sen. Obama, and a failure to rise to this challenge will bring disrepute upon the Gospel, as well as upon ourselves. There must be absolutely no denial of the legitimacy of President-Elect Obama's election and no failure to accord this new President the respect and honor due to anyone elected to that high office. Failure in this responsibility is disobedience to a clear biblical command.

Beyond this, we must commit ourselves to pray for this new President, for his wife and family, for his administration, and for the nation. We are commanded to pray for rulers, and this new President faces challenges that are not only daunting but potentially disastrous. May God grant him wisdom. He and his family will face new challenges and the pressures of this office. May God protect them, give them joy in their family life, and hold them close together.

We must pray that God will protect this nation even as the new President settles into his role as Commander in Chief, and that God will grant peace as he leads the nation through times of trial and international conflict and tension.

We must pray that God would change President-Elect Obama's mind and heart on issues of our crucial concern. May God change his heart and open his eyes to see abortion as the murder of the innocent unborn, to see marriage as an institution to be defended, and to see a host of issues in a new light. We must pray this from this day until the day he leaves office. God is sovereign, after all.

Without doubt, we face hard days ahead. Realistically, we must expect to be frustrated and disappointed. We may find ourselves to be defeated and discouraged. We must keep ever in mind that it is God who raises up nations and pulls them down, and who judges both nations and rulers. We must not act or think as unbelievers, or as those who do not trust God.

America has chosen a President. President-Elect Barack Obama is that choice, and he faces a breathtaking array of challenges and choices in days ahead. This is the time for Christians to begin praying in earnest for our new President. There is no time to lose.

THE SHACK REVIEW...a call to discernment

“Discernment... 

is not simply a matter of telling the difference 

between what is right and wrong; 

rather it is the difference between 

right and almost right.” 

-Charles Spurgeon

by Wayne Elliott
At the encouragement of friends, I recently read The Shack by William P. Young. A national bestseller widely embraced by some churches and many professing Christians, The Shack is a work of fiction that embodies lengthy conversations between the main character, a man named Mack, and three persons who represent a version of the Trinity.

Frankly, I was dismayed at many messages conveyed by The Shack and have been surprised that many of my Christian friends have read the book uncritically, finding it a charming and heart-warming story. Some say that it is unfair to have theological expectations since the book is fiction. However, The Shack is marketed as a spiritually transforming book, and it being received that way by many.

It seems to me that a more critical reading is required of The Shack than a secular work of fiction because the author creates characters that purport to speak as God and to guide Mack on his spiritual journey. The fictional story becomes a device to have characters representing the Godhead explain a particular theology. As believers, our spiritual antennas should be fully deployed when we approach such a book.

In The Shack, God the Father appears to Mack as a large, jovial black woman whom Mack calls “Papa.” The Holy Spirit appears as a small Asian woman, and Jesus appears as a Jewish man. 

Putting aside gender confusion and the attempt to give human form and voice to the Father and Holy Spirit (“no man hath seen God at any time,” John 1:8), it is critical for the Christian reader to carefully consider the message author Young has those voices bring and to weigh their message in the light of the clear teaching of the Bible. That is to exercise discernment, a requirement – not an option – for Christians.

When we read The Shack with discernment, I submit that we find many distortions and untruths. Consider just a few of the words Young puts in the mouths of his created Trinity (my comments are within the parentheses):

Papa to Mack: “We [the Trinity] have limited ourselves out of respect for you.” (Isn’t this Open Theism – God choosing to limit Himself?)

Jesus: “God, who is the ground of all being, dwells in, around, and through all things . . .” (Isn’t this Pantheism – God in all things?)

Sarayu (Young’s Sanscrit name for the Holy Spirit): “We [the Trinity] carefully respect your choices, so we work within your systems even while we seek to free you from them.” (“Neither are your ways my ways . . . my ways are higher than your ways.” Isaiah 55:8-9. Does God respect man’s choices, or does His Word demand that we repent of our ways and that we enter His narrow way?)

Sarayu: “Both evil and darkness can only be understood in relation to Light and Good; they do not have any actual existence . . . Light and Good actually exist.” (Really? Does the Bible teach that evil has no actual existence? Was the biblical Jesus aware of that when He conversed with Satan in the desert temptation?)

Papa: “I don’t need to punish people for sin Sin is its own punishment, devouring you from the inside. It is not my purpose to punish it; it’s my joy to cure it.” (Certainly there are consequences of our sin which we realize in this life and which impact other people. And certainly God has provided the cure for sin. That “cure” is the penal substitutionary atonement of Christ on the cross. Most certainly there is punishment for sin. Christ suffered the punishment for us. However, the implication of Papa’s statement is that the only punishment for sin is sin’s own punishment in a person’s life. The Bible is clear that punishment for the unredeemed, those who refuse Christ’s atonement, is the sting of spiritual death and eternal separation from God. The Shack makes light work of the cross.)

Young’s Jesus character states that he, Papa, and Sarayu are “indeed submitted to one another and have always been so and always will be...

In fact, we [the Trinity] are submitted to you [Mack] in the same way.” (Why, then, did the biblical Jesus submit Himself to the will of His father? Does the Bible teach submission to authority in spiritual and family and secular environments? What do you make of the claim that the Trinity is submitted to us? I believe that Young’s anti-authoritarianism is risky in human terms and that it is blasphemous to attribute such egalitarian sentiments to God.)

When requested by Papa to forgive the murderer of his young daughter, Mack balks. Papa says, “Mack, for you to forgive this man is for you to release him to me and allow me to redeem him.” (So God can only redeem those whom humans have forgiven and have released to God for redemption? The effectiveness of redemption for the unrepentant murderer is to be accomplished with Mack’s participation? Find biblical support for that, my friends!)

Christian, what about this assertion by the Jesus of The Shack? “I am the best way any human can relate to Papa or Sarayu.” (This is a false Jesus. The Jesus Christ of the Bible does not say that He is the best way, He says, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father but by me.” John 14:16. He is not the best way – He is the only way.)

The Shack evidences a low regard for Scripture. 

When Mack mentions biblical events or concepts, Papa brushes them off and glibly explains how it really is, thus suggesting that the Bible is the work of man, not the divinely inspired work of God. Yet, some argue that The Shack has value in that it demonstrates a loving God of grace who invites man to a relationship. But it does so with grievous distortions about the nature of God, the nature of the Trinity, the authority of God’s Word, God’s hatred of sin, the requirement of repentance, and the nature of conversion and salvation.

My brothers and sisters, even in reading and discussing a work of fiction, we must be prepared to “contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 3), and to do so without apology to the world. The Shack may, from its human author’s viewpoint, be in all sincerity intended as an inviting look at a highly relational God, but would you place even a drop of poison in pure water and invite others to drink? As Dr. Albert Mohler, president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, said, The Shack “contains undiluted heresy.” Don’t you and I have a responsibility to be equipped to recognize heresy and to shine the light of truth so that we and others are not deceived?

HT: JohnMark

BIBLICAL QUOTE OF THE DAY...uncommon sense drawn from the well of God's Word

A Heavenly Escort
"And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest." -Genesis 28:15

By CH Spurgeon
Do we need journeying mercies? Here are choice ones—God's presence and preservation. In all places we need both of these, and in all places we shall have them if we go at the call of duty, and not merely according to our own fancy. Why should we look upon removal to another country as a sorrowful necessity when it is laid upon us by the divine will? In all lands the believer is equally a pilgrim and a stranger; and yet in every region the Lord is His dwelling place, even as He has been to His saints in all generations. We may miss the protection of an earthly monarch, but when God says, "I will keep thee," we are in no real danger. This is a blessed passport for a traveler and a heavenly escort for an emigrant.

Jacob had never left his father's room before; he had been a mother's boy and not an adventurer like his brother. Yet he went abroad, and God went with him. He had little luggage and no attendants; yet no prince ever journeyed with a nobler bodyguard. Even while he slept in the open field, angels watched over him, and the Lord God spoke to him. If the Lord bids us go, let us say with our Lord Jesus, "Arise, let us go hence." -source

PRAYER: THE CHURCH MARCHES ON HER KNEES...an exposition of Colossians 1:9-14

The beloved fourth century early church father, John Chrysostom of Antioch, wrote about the sweetness, beauty and majesty of true prayer near the end of his life after being exiled by the Empress Eudoxia for confronting her extreme materialistic and opulent lifestyle:

"A monarch vested in gorgeous habiliments is far less illustrious than a knelling supplicant enabled and adorned by communion with his God. Consider how august a privilege it is when angels are present and archangels' throng around. Where Cherubim and Seraphim encircle with their blaze the throne of God that a mortal may approach with unrestrained confidence and converse with Heaven's dread Sovereign. Oh, what honor was ever conferred like that? How inestimable is the privilege of entering into the throne room of God surrounded by the hosts of His heavenly angels to commune in simplicity and with rapt attention with the One who is devoted to us. If prayer were nothing more than that, it would be the highest honor to pray without ceasing."

The Apostle Paul in Colossians 1:9-14 gives us several precious and powerful principles on how to pray for other believers in the Lord Jesus Christ.

1. Fervent in Prayer - (v.9a)
"For this reason also, since the day we heard of it, we have not ceased to pray for you..."

Paul begins in verse three of this chapter of Colossians one with the same heartfelt encouragement for these young believers at Colosse when saying, "We give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you." The Apostle here begins with praise and ends in prayer; if verse nine he begins in prayer and by verse twelve ends in praise! The two are indivisible.

Prayer was the constant conversation of this "prisoner of the Lord." The prison drove him to pray and brought him into sweet communion with the Lord. Do our confines do the same? Do our trials and sufferings do the same? When was the last time we felt the pains of depleted resources that we had to truly pray, "Give us this day our daily bread?"

Prayer is the driving privilege and the very life-breath of every believer in Christ.
We read in Ephesians 6:18, "With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints." Paul writes in 1Timothy 2:1, "I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men." "The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much. (James 5:16b-18)

How are we to pray? We are to pray fervently beloved.

As we breathe without ceasing, so we must pray without ceasing. Never give up on praying not even though Satan should suggest to you that it is in vain for you to cry unto God. Pray in his teeth-pray fervently.

-Pray on, though devils attack you;

-pray on, though trials overwhelm you and flood your soul;

-pray on, when the heavens seem as brass to you;

-pray on, when you think your prayers go unanswered and have been miscarried continue on to draw near to God;

-pray on, though others you love may wound you, hurt you, gossip about you, and abandon you;

-pray on, though your heart be cold against spiritual things - pray until the Spirit of God warms it again;

-pray on when the philosopher tells you all in life is a matter of chance and natural law, do not be discouraged, for God has given you a wonderful opportunity to show grace to that one through prayer;

-pray on, when you are on the mountain top of blessing or in the ease of worldly graces;

-pray on, when all is taken from you and you are stripped of this earth's possessions and comforts;

-pray on, though you only see a cloud in the shape of a tiny hand in the distance-pray until the clouds are many--full, black and pregnant--ready to burst their showers upon you;

-pray on when you think you are too busy to pray--for this too is a great mistake for prayer is a saving of time. Remember the words of Luther when he said, "I have so much to do today, that I shall never get through it with less than three hours of prayer;"

-and lastly, pray on, for no other reason than it brings glory and honor to God for us to be dependant upon Him and bow the knee in worship to Him in all things.

Pray with contrition- brokenness before the Lord is never unfruitful;

Pray with confession- for if we cherish iniquity in our hearts, the Lord will not even hear our prayer;

Pray with commendation- for the Lord is worthy to be praised;

Pray by commandment- for when we pray with an open Bible we are delighting in the things that the Lord has sovereignly designed for us;

And pray with communion- for He is our God, our Lord, our Savior who is not ashamed to call us His brethren.

Does God hear the prayers of all people?
Listen to these revealing words:

-"For what is the hope of the godless when he is cut off, when God requires his life? Will God hear his cry, when distress comes upon him? Will he take delight in the Almighty; will he call on God at all times?" (Job 27:8-10).

-"The LORD is far from the wicked, but He hears the prayer of the righteous" (Proverbs 15:29).

-Jesus said, "We know that God does not hear sinners; but if anyone is God-fearing, and does His will, He hears him" (John 9:31).

Only the prayers of His own children will the Lord ever hear (except to hear the sinner crying out in prayer for mercy and repentance to be saved from sin).

2. Filled with His Word - (v.9b)
"and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding,"

Paul's petition is that the Colossians be filled with the knowledge of His will. "Filled" here means to be completely filled, or totally controlled. The disciples were filled with the Holy Spirit (Acts 4:31), while Stephen was full of faith (Acts 6:5). In each case they were totally under the control of what filled them. Paul wants the Colossians to be totally controlled by knowledge. The knowledge Paul wants the Colossians to have is a deep and thorough knowledge of God's Word.

In Colossians 2:3 we learn that all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden in Christ. Our new self "is being renewed to a true knowledge" (Col. 3:10). Paul commends Epaphras for his faithful, fervent prayers saying, "Epaphras, who is one of your number, a bondslave of Jesus Christ, sends you his greetings, always laboring earnestly for you in his prayers, that you may stand perfect and fully assured in all the will of God" (Col. 4:12).

In a moral pluralistic time where tragically every man is his own orthodoxy and all have become their own Bible - people have recreated God in their own image and have rejected the eternal truth of God's holy Word. But for the Christian the authoritative Word of God provides absolutes. Godly living is inseparable to Scripture knowledge. In other words: there is no spiritual growth apart from God's Word. As the prophet Hosea says in 6:3, "...let us press on to know the Lord."

The Bible warns of the danger of a lack of knowledge. God says in Hosea 4:6, "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge." Ephesians 4:13-14 tells us that lack of knowledge produces "children tossed here and there by waves, and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming."

Listen to what the Scriptures say about the ungodly who reject the truth of God. Romans 2:6-8, "who WILL RENDER TO EVERY MAN ACCORDING TO HIS DEEDS: 7 to those who by perseverance in doing good seek for glory and honor and immortality, eternal life; 8 but to those who are selfishly ambitious and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, wrath and indignation." 2 Thess. 2:10-12 again warns, "...and with all the deception of wickedness for those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved. And for this reason God will send upon them a deluding influence so that they might believe what is false, in order that they all may be judged who did not believe the truth, but took pleasure in wickedness."

But the genuine Christian always embraces God's Word as His Word. 1 Thess. 2:13, declares, "And for this reason we also constantly thank God that when you received from us the word of God's message, you accepted it not as the word of men, but for what it really is, the word of God, which also performs its work in you who believe."

Knowing God's Will
Paul prays that the knowledge we have would be of His will. God's will is not a secret; He has revealed it in His Word.

(The following adapted from John MacArthur and updated by Steve Camp)
1. Spirit-filled: Ephesians 5:17-18 says, "Do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit."

2. Sanctification: "For this is the will of God, your sanctification" (1 Thess. 4:3).

3. Submissive to authority: Peter writes, "Submit yourselves for the Lord's sake to every human institution . . . for such is the will of God" (1 Pet. 2:13, 15).

4. Suffering for the Lord: may also be God's will for the believer: "Let those also who suffer according to the will of God entrust their souls to a faithful Creator in doing what is right" (1 Pet. 4:19).

5. Sacrifices—Living and Transformed: "I urge you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect" (Romans 12:1-2).

6. Shepherd God's people: "Shepherd the flock of God among you, exercising oversight not under compulsion, but voluntarily, according to the will of God; and not for sordid gain, but with eagerness; nor yet as lording it over those allotted to your charge, but proving to be examples to the flock" (1 Pt. 5:2-3).

7. Steadfast in the Faith: "Therefore, do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God, you may receive what was promised" (Heb. 10:35-36).

8. Sovereignly Content: "Rejoice always. …for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus" (1 Thess. 5:16-17).

9. Supplication: "pray without ceasing; …for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus" (1 Thess. 5:17).

10. Saying Thanks in All Things: Paul writes, "In everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus" (1 Thess. 5:18).

When we pray according to God's will we are lining up our desires with His; we are not making a hopeful wish and then waiting to see if God will fulfill it. Knowledge of God's Word will lead to all spiritual wisdom and understanding. Wisdom refers to the ability to collect and concisely organize principles from Scripture. Understanding could be a more specialized term, referring to the application of those principles to everyday life.

3. Faithful to Walk Worthy - (v.10a)
"so that you may walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects,"

"Walk" is used in the Bible to refer to one's pattern of daily conduct; the habits of our lives. A mind controlled by knowledge, wisdom, and understanding produces a life worthy of the Lord. Paul desired the Thessalonians to "walk in a manner worthy of the God who calls you into His own kingdom and glory" (1 Thess. 2:12). He exhorted the Ephesians to "walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called" (Eph. 4:1). He told the Philippians to "conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ" (Phil. 1:27).

The Worthy Walk
We are to walk: in humility (Eph. 4:1-3); in purity (Rom. 13:13); in contentedness (1 Cor. 7:17); by faith (2 Cor. 5:7); in good works (Eph. 2:10); different from the world (Eph. 4:17-32); in love (Eph. 5:2); in light (Eph. 5:8); in wisdom (Eph. 5:15); in truth (3 John 3-4); and to not walk in darkness or after the flesh (Eph. 4:17-19). Such a walk will please Him in all respects.

There are four manifestations of the worthy

walk that Paul draws our attention to in this passage.

The first manifestation of walking worthy in the Lord is:
a. Fruit-bearing in every Good Work - (v.10b)
"bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God;"

Fruitfulness also results from knowledge. Fruit is the byproduct of righteousness. It is the mark of every redeemed individual-the evidence of the transformed life. "No fruit" is ever an option for a true believer in Jesus Christ. Jesus said in John 15:8, "By this is My Father glorified, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples" (cf. vv. 2, 5-6). Paul told the Romans, "You also were made to die to the Law through the body of Christ, that you might be joined to another, to Him who was raised from the dead, that we might bear fruit for God" (Rom. 7:4).

The Bible defines fruit in various ways. Here Paul speaks of bearing fruit in every good work. Converts are referred to as fruit. Hebrews 13:15 defines praise as fruit: "Through Him then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name." Giving money can also be fruit (Rom. 15:26-28). Godly living is fruit, as indicated when the writer of Hebrews tells us that God's discipline produces in us "the peaceful fruit of righteousness" (Heb. 12:11). Finally, the holy attitudes mentioned in Galatians 5:22-23 are referred to as "the fruit of the Spirit."

The second manifestation of walking worthy in the Lord is:
b. Fully Increasing in the Knowledge of God - (v.10b)
Spiritual growth is progressing in the knowledge of God. The knowledge of God revealed in His Word is crucial to spiritual growth. No one ever lives greater than his or hers view of God. Our knowledge of Him determines everything about the character of the Christian life we live.

The third manifestation of walking worthy in the Lord is:
c. Fortified for Joyous Longsuffering - (v.11)
"strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for the attaining of all steadfastness and patience; joyously"

STRENGTH
"strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might," (1:11a)

Believers are continually strengthened with all power throughout their Christian lives. The measure of that power is according to His glorious might. "Glorious" refers to the manifestation of God's attributes. "Might" refers to strength in action. It refers to God eleven out of the twelve times it is used in the New Testament. The power available to us is the limitless power of God Himself.

To the Romans he wrote, "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit" (Rom. 15:13). That power is available to the believer who is filled with the knowledge of God's Word.

ENDURANCE
"for the attaining of all steadfastness and patience; joyously" (1:11b)

Paul gives one last result of true spiritual knowledge: joyous endurance of trials. Knowledge of God's promises and purposes revealed in Scripture gives the strength to endure trials and suffering. Steadfastness and patience are closely related. If there is a distinction, it is that steadfastness refers to being patient in circumstances, whereas patience?refers to patience with people. Both refer to the patient enduring of trials.

JOY
The strength provided by knowledge of God's Word allows the believer to endure trials joyously, literally "with joy." Knowledge of God's truth gives us the ability to endure trials joyously, as did Paul himself (cf. Acts 16:25). It was Paul's constant prayer for the Colossians that they be "filled with the knowledge of God's will." He knew that only when believers are controlled by that knowledge can they walk worthy of the Lord and please Him. Paul knew further that such knowledge was required for a fruitful life, spiritual growth, strength, and joyful endurance of trials.

And the fourth manifestation of walking worthy in the Lord is:
d. Forever Thankful to God - (v.12a)
"giving thanks to the Father,"

"Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father" (Col. 3:17). He told the Colossians to "devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving" (Col. 4:2). One indictment of unbelievers is that "even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God, or give thanks" (Rom. 1:21).

Scripture instructs us to thank God for many things:
-We are to thank Him for who He is. Psalm 30:4 says, "Sing praise to the Lord, you His godly ones, and give thanks to His holy name" (cf. Ps. 97:12).

-Paul gave thanks to God for his salvation and his opportunity to serve Him: "I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me, because He considered me faithful, putting me into service; even though I was formerly a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent aggressor. And yet I was shown mercy, because I acted ignorantly in unbelief" (1 Tim. 1:12-13).

-We are to give thanks for the spiritual growth of others: "We ought always to give thanks to God for you, brethren, as is only fitting, because your faith is greatly enlarged, and the love of each one of you toward one another grows ever greater" (2 Thess. 1:3).

-Even mundane things like food call for giving thanks (1 Tim. 4:3-4).

-In 2 Corinthians 9:15, Paul exclaims, "Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!"

4. Fit for the Inheritance - (v.12b)
"who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in light."

Paul sums up the doctrine of salvation in three great truths: inheritance, deliverance, and transference.

God has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. Qualified is from hikanooµ, a word used only here and in 2 Corinthians 3:6 in the New Testament. It means "to make sufficient, to empower, to authorize, to make fit." We are not qualified through our own efforts. God has qualified us through the finished work of Christ.

Before God saved us by His grace we were truly unqualified for our inheritance. Several passages in Ephesians describe our helpless condition:

"You were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest." (2:1-3)

"Remember that you were at that time separate from Christ, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world." (2:12)

"This I say therefore, and affirm together with the Lord, that you walk no longer just as the Gentiles also walk, in the futility of their mind, being darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness of their heart; and they, having become callous, have given themselves over to sensuality, for the practice of every kind of impurity with greediness." (4:17-19)

Dr. MacArthur so powerfully states,

"Before our salvation, we were Christless, stateless, covenantless, hopeless, godless. Our minds were given to futility; our understanding was darkened. We were cut off from the life of God, ignorant, hardhearted, callous, immoral, impure, and greedy. The only thing we were qualified to receive from God was His wrath. And that is what we would have received, if not for God's mercy toward us."

God has by grace qualified the unqualified to share in the inheritance. The Greek text literally reads, "for the portion of the lot." When do we receive our inheritance? The present tense participle "qualified" indicates we have it now (cf. Eph. 1:11). We have already been transferred from the domain of darkness into Christ's kingdom (Col. 1:13). Peter refers to it as "an inheritance, which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you" (1 Pet. 1:4).

Paul further defines our inheritance as that of the saints in light. Saints refers to those who have been separated from the world and set apart to God. The inheritance belongs to that group alone. Light represents two things biblically: it represents truth (Ps. 119:130); and, it represents purity (Eph. 5:8-14). The saints are those who have turned from sinful darkness to righteous by grace through faith in Christ alone.

5. Freedom from Sin - (v.13)
"For He delivered us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son,"

DELIVERANCE
"For He delivered us from the domain of darkness," (1:13a)

Delivered means "to draw to oneself," or "to rescue." God drew us out of Satan's kingdom to Himself. That event was the new birth. We are not gradually, progressively delivered from Satan's power. When we placed our faith in Christ, we were instantly delivered. "Therefore if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come" (2 Cor. 5:17). Believers do not need deliverance from the dominion of sin and Satan; they need to act as those who have been delivered (cf. Rom. 6:2, 7, 11).

Those who receive the Lord Jesus Christ have been rescued from the domain of darkness. "Domain" could be translated "power," "jurisdiction," or "authority." Our Lord used the phrase domain of darkness to refer to the supernatural forces of Satan marshaled against Him at His arrest (Luke 22:53). Through His death, Jesus crushed Satan and delivered us from his dark kingdom.

TRANSFERENCE
"and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son," (1:13b,)

Paul continues the litany of blessings that draw out his gratitude by describing our new domain. "Transferred" means to remove or change. The verb speaks here of our total removal from the domain of satanic darkness to the glorious light of the kingdom of Christ. "Kingdom" refers to a spiritual reality right now. Paul gives us a definition of it in Romans 14:17: "The kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit." Christians have acknowledged Christ as their King and are subjects in His kingdom.

They have been transferred . . . to the kingdom of His beloved Son. The Greek text literally reads, "the Son of His love." The Father gives the kingdom to the Son He loves, then to everyone who loves the Son (Luke 12:32). The writer of Hebrews reminds us, "Since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe" (Heb. 12:28).

6. Forgiveness of Sin - (v.14)
"in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. (1:12-14)

Before we could be fit subjects for Christ's kingdom we needed redemption, the forgiveness of sins. Redemption is one of the magnificent New Testament words expressing a blessed aspect of the work of Christ on our behalf. Alongside such terms as propitiation, justification, adoption, and reconciliation, it attempts to describe the riches of our salvation. It means, "to deliver by payment of a ransom," and was used to speak of freeing slaves from bondage-emancipation.

Paul writes, "In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace" (Eph. 1:7)

To the Corinthians he wrote, "By His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption" (1 Cor. 1:30).

Paul writes that we are "justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus" (Rom. 3:24).

Redemption results in the forgiveness of sins; and refers to pardon, or remission of penalty. Because Christ redeemed us, God has sent away our sins; they will never be found again.

"As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us" (Ps. 103:12).

"He will again have compassion on us; He will tread our iniquities under foot. Yes, Thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea" (Mic. 7:19).

So Christ's death on our behalf paid the price to redeem us. On that basis: God forgave our sins, granted us an inheritance, delivered us from the power of darkness, transferred into the kingdom of the Son of His love. Is there any other reason we need to pray be filled with the knowledge of His will?