Most people believe in “the free will of man.” Many evangelicals go further and adamantly say it’s found in Scripture. At first glance, “free will theology” gives the impression of being plausible for one main reason: the alternative, God’s sovereignty, seems mechanical. The logic goes something like this: if God made His creatures robotic (without free will and only able to do His predetermined bidding) then relationship with God isn’t relationship at all. It isn’t loving. It isn’t mutual. It’s just automated, impersonal, lifeless, perfunctory, and emotionless.

But as we will see, nothing could be further from the truth. A dynamic relationship with the Creator of the universe is only possible by God’s sovereign, saving grace through faith in Jesus Christ the Lord by the regenerating ministry of the Holy Spirit. IOW, God is sovereign; man’s will is not free; and only grace brings us into eternal relationship with God by the demonstration of His love for us through Jesus Christ’s atoning work on the cross (Romans 5:8, 8:28-39).

Is Man’s Will Free?

God made the first man, Adam (and his helpmate Eve), peccable – able not to sin. He was created in a state of innocence, yet still was capable of obedience and disobedience. Adam, for a brief time had a will that was free from the bondage of sin. God created man and called it “very good.” Our first parents were in perfect fellowship with God.

But then the great divorce occurred: Adam chose to disobey God. Not only did sin enter Adam’s life, but sin entered the whole world and it effected all of Adam’s posterity to this very day. The Apostle Paul says it this way, “Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned—” (Romans 5:12). “For the wages of sin is death…” (Romans 6:23a). All die, including babies, because all sin.

Adam was no longer innocent. Adam’s will was no longer free. He was now bound by sin and its effects. Adam was a prisoner and in a fleeting moment went from having unbroken fellowship with God to being at enmity with God.

Consider this:

“Sin strikes at God and says, ‘I don’t care what You said, I’ll do what I want.’ It is God’s would be murderer. Sin would un-God God if it could. Sin defiles the conscience. Sin is irrational and forfeits blessing. Sin is painful—it hurts. Sin is damning. Sin is degrading it mares the image of God and man. Like Samson, it cuts the locks of purity and leaves men morally weak. Sin poisons the springs of love and turns beauty in leprosy. Sin defeats the mind, the heart, the will, the affections and it has made a whole world of people—all of mankind—children wrath by nature; objects of God’s wrath. Sin brings man under the domination of Satan and his sick sin system, which he controls. Man and the world is a slave to sin, open rebellion and defiance to God and a slave to Satan.” (author unknown).

This became Adam’s legacy; and it became yours and mine as well.

Are You God’s Enemy?

Most unsaved people do not think of themselves as enemies of God. Because they have no conscious feelings of hatred for Him and do not actively oppose His work or contradict His Word, they consider themselves, at worst, to be “neutral” about God. But no such neutrality is possible. The mind of every unsaved person is at peace only with the things of the flesh, and therefore by definition is “hostile toward God” and cannot be otherwise (Rom. 8:7).

Not only are all unbelievers enemies of God,
but God is also the enemy of all unbelievers.

The Psalmist says that God is “angry with the wicked every day” (cf. Ps. 7:11). God is the enemy of the sinner, and that enmity cannot end unless and until the sinner places his trust in Jesus Christ by God’s sovereign grace (Eph 2:8-9). As Paul declared near the opening of his letter to the Romans, “the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness” (Rom. 1:18). “The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” (Genesis 6:5). As a result of Adam’s sin, all people are “conceived in sin” (Psalm 51:5) and will not, cannot obey God and keep His law. Jesus said, “And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil” (John 3:19).

Fallen man has lost all ability to be right before a holy God; to right the wrong of sin; and restore relationship with on his own terms. Redemption cannot occur through our obedience to God by offering to Him good works to earn or merit eternal life. That would require perfect obedience, perfect works, perfect love toward Him in everything we do. No matter how hard man tries, he can only, in the end, “fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). Isaiah says it this way, “We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment” (filthy rags) (Isaiah 64:6).

Who Gets the Glory?

All glory belongs to God and man may not share in that glory. All that we have in life and salvation is from His sovereign hand; He has accomplished all through Jesus Christ our Lord – not only the atonement on the Cross, but even granting the faith which allows sinful men to be saved. Every aspect of salvation is a grace-gift from God, and thus all praise belongs to Him alone and not to any man.

To those who foolishly think God is too loving to send anyone to hell, Paul declared, “Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things [the sins listed in v. 5] the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience” (Eph. 5:6); “and the Lord does hate all who do iniquity” (Psalm 5:5). Hell is not the absence of God, but the wrathful presence of God poured out for eternity upon Satan and all his minions, and all who have rejected the gospel of Jesus Christ, who do not confess Him as Lord and Savior of their lives in unmitigated fury and gall forever.

But on the cross, Christ took upon Himself all the fury of God’s wrath on behalf of the elect that sinful mankind deserves. And those who trust in Christ are no longer God’s enemies and no longer under His wrath, but are at peace with Him (Roms. 5:1).

Justification then is the heart and soul of the gospel. It is “the Atlas,” as J.I. Packer says, “which bears on its shoulders the weight of all other Christian doctrines.” To be justified means to be declared righteous by God. That the judge of the entire universe declares a man or a woman has right standing before Him. He is no longer under the judgment of God, no longer under the wrath of God, he is now the friend of God; more that that, he is the child of God; he is the son of God. God has fully and completely accepted him as righteous (2 Cor 5:21). That only happens by faith and faith alone – which is God’s gift to us. And that’s, of course, the great reformation truth. That God declares the sinner righteous on the basis of faith and faith alone.

So lets ask these clrifying questions: do we all have wills? Yes. And are we free to do as we want consistent with that will corrupted by sin? Yes. Is our will free to please God? No, it is bound by sin. Man by his very nature is a sinner, conceived in sin, dead in his trespasses and sins. By nature a child of wrath; depraved in his mind and deprived of the truth. He is a sinner, not because he commits acts of sin, but because he is born sinful – with a sin nature. And we will always act according to that nature. We all have PhD’s in sin and in rationalizing our sinful choices because of that sin nature.

God Saved Us

The entire Bible is an account of Paradise lost – Paradise found. The unfaithfulness of man to God and God’s loving patience and grace to man in redemption.

But the Bible is clear, man cannot come to God for salvation unless God first comes to the man. “We love Him, because He first loved us.” (1 John 4:19).

“No, not at all. For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin, as it is written:
“None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands;
no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.”” -Romans 3:9-12

How many people seek for God? Not one. How many people do good? Not one. Jesus says: “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day” (John 6:44).

So what say ye now? Does man have a free will? For salvation? The answer is a clear resounding no.

God is the Only One with Free Will

As we’ve seen so far, Adam disobeyed God. And that one act of sin effected the entire human race. Since then, every person who has ever lived is on the road to destruction – running as fast as they can straight to hell.

What hope do we have? We can’t save ourselves or even “will” to have salvation. We can’t do anything to merit eternal life. We don’t contribute one thing to redeem ourselves. Not one. When that great 18th century preacher, Jonathan Edwards, was asked, “does man contribute anything to his salvation?” He quipped by answering, “Yes, the sin that makes it necessary!”

Listen to this story of salvation told by Jesus to a great religious leader in His time.

Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.” Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, “You must be born again.” The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” (John 3:1-8)

What Jesus is explaining to Nicodemus is a simple, but profound truth: “salvation is of The Lord!” You can only be born again by a sovereign act of God’s Holy Spirit to awaken a dead man from sin to new life in Christ. The Bible calls this “regeneration.”

But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. (Titus 3:4-7)

God is a loving God, slow to anger, full of mercy and grace for a rebellious people. God sovereignly moves upon the men and women of His choice (Eph 1:3-6) by the riches of His grace to bring them to Himself.

Man’s captive will to sin only responds to the kindness of God’s free will to redeem us in Christ. Man is never the initiator in salvation by a free act of his own volition. Here is the end of the matter: “But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.” (John 1:12-13)

Prior to regeneration man is incapable of and unwilling to believe. But God, in His mercy, saves His chosen people. He changes their hearts and grants us the saving faith necessary to believe and obey His gospel.

“Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity and passing over transgression for the remnant of his inheritance? He does not retain his anger forever, because he delights in steadfast love. 19  He will again have compassion on us; he will tread our iniquities underfoot. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea,” (Micah 7:18-19)

Question: is your salvation conditioned upon your free will or God’s?

The post Is Salvation a Matter of Your Free Will… or God’s? first appeared on CrossChurch.net.

When we have done preaching Christ we had better have done preaching; when you have done teaching in your classes Jesus Christ himself, give up Sunday school work, for nothing else is worthy of your pains. Put out the sun, and light is gone, life is gone, all is gone. When Jesus is pushed into the background or left out of a minister’s teaching, the darkness is darkness that might be felt, and the people escape from it into gospel light as soon as they can. A sermon without Jesus in it is savourless, and worthless to God’s tried saints, and they soon seek other food. The more of Christ in our testimony the more of light and life and power to save.

From a sermon by Charles Haddon Spurgeon entitled “The Jesus Christ Himself,” delivered December 9, 1877. Image by Ruben Sihombing on Flickr under Creative Commons License.

The post EVANGELISM GOD’S WAY: The Sum of the Gospel by Charles Spurgeon first appeared on CrossChurch.net.

• The One Triune God
• The Word of God
• The Gospel of God
• The Worship and Glory of God

Our prayer is that this website and our local church’s ministry directly to you may encourage you daily in your walk with the Lord Jesus Christ. To live more holy, faithfully, boldly, truthfully in His gospel. That is why we’ve chosen for our core verse for ministry and life at The Cross Church (TCC) is Galatians 6:14, “But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me and I to the world.” There is our daily rejoicing, hope, confidence, and peace – the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ! He is our First Love; He i4s our Sovereign; He is our Sufficiency; and He is our Savior. On Sunday – we are the church gathered to worship and honor and praise and adore Him. But Monday through Saturday – we are the church scattered going into our community where we live to proclaim and exemplify the gospel in all walks of life. We call this missional living. I hope the following article sums up the heart of our church and ignites yours to keep Jesus and His cross central in everything you do. For us at TCC. it is why exist; why we love; why we labor for the Lord and His people.

Why We Love The Church

“The church is the community of all true believers for all time. This definition understands the church to be made of all those who are truly saved. Paul says, “Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her” (Eph 5:25). Here the term “the church” is used to apply to all those whom Christ died to redeem, all those who are saved by the death of Christ. But that must include all true believers for all time, both believers in the New Testament age and believers in the Old Testament age as well” -Wayne Grudem

The closest fellowship, as Christians, that we can ever enjoy on earth is within the body of Christ. “Brethren” is an endearing word for the intimacy of our union with Christ and, therefore, with each other. It was used by our Lord immediately following His bodily resurrection from the dead to portray His deep affection and love for those He came to save (John 20:17; cp, Heb. 2:11). There are close to fifty “one anothers” in the New Testament that describe in wonderful detail how our lives are to be woven and lived together within the body of Christ. The world may not know of Paul, Stephen, Luke, Peter, even Moses or David, etc.; but they do know you and me and they are watching. What a joy to give up all rights to self and serve without reservation each other in the body of Christ as a witness and testimony of His life-changing grace. We should not come to church seeking what we can get, but more importantly, asking how we can give (1 Peter 4:10). I have defined ministry as:

service to God and His creatures as we employ our Spirit-given giftedness, according to the instruction of Scripture as good stewards of the manifold grace of God for the advancement of His kingdom; that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. (cp, 1 Peter 4:10-12)

God has designed genuine ministry to be inseparable from the life, fellowship, and leadership of the local church. Any ministry that does not strengthen one’s commitment to the local church is inconsistent with the purposes of Christ (Acts 2:42-47; Hebrews 10:23-25).

Committed to the Lord of the Church

Firstly, Jesus Christ promised to build the Church-therefore, my commitment should be to it (Matthew 16:18; Acts 2:39-47). Committed to Love the Church

Secondly, He purchased the Church with His own precious blood-therefore, I love those for whom He died (1 Peter 1:19; 1 John 3:14-16). Committed to Labor and Serve with the Church

Thirdly, the Church is the predominate agency through which God’s will is manifested on earth-therefore, it is the community with whom I labor (Ephesians 1:9-10; Colossians 1:28-29). Committed to the Life of One Another in the Church

Fourthly, the Church is the only earthly expression of heaven-therefore, we must daily grow together in conformity to the fullness of Christ (2 Peter 3:10-14; Revelation 4:4-11; Ephesians 4:12-13). Committed to Lasting Victory for the Church

Fifthly, the gates of Hades will not prevail against the Church-therefore, in light of the assured victory through our Lord Jesus Christ, our worship and toil is not in vain (Matthew 16:18; 1 Corinthians 15:54-58).

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The post The Reason for Our Redemption (pt 1) “Sinners In The Hands of a Holy God” (Ephesians 2:1-3) first appeared on CrossChurch.net.

The post Wives and Husbands – The Mystery of Christ and the Church (pt 1) Ephesians 5:22-33 first appeared on CrossChurch.net.

This is a tremendous way to begin the Lord’s Day!

Pastor Steve is leading us on a very powerful study on The Names of God! The focus is on the faithfulness, holiness and the grace of God to His covenant people.

Hope you can join us!

The post Adult Sunday School at 9am first appeared on CrossChurch.net.

In Matthew five Jesus said, “the rain falls on the just and the unjust.” (compare Luke 6:27-36 as well). This is God’s providential, merciful benevolence to all people—not just the elect. Theologians have referred to this general act of kindness as “common grace.”

Common Grace is normally defined as:
“a theological concept in Protestant Christianity, primarily in Reformed and Calvinistic circles, referring to the grace of God that is common to all humankind. It is “common” because its benefits are experienced by the whole human race without distinction between one person and another. It is “grace” because it is undeserved and sovereignly bestowed by God. In this sense, it is distinguished from the Calvinistic understanding of “special” or “saving” grace, which extends only to those whom God has chosen to redeem.” -source obtained from Monergism.com

Scriptures used to defend this theological distinctive are: Matt. 5:44-45; Matt. 37-39; Luke 6:35-36, 16:25; Acts 14:15-17; Psalm 33:5; Psalm 145:8-9; 104; 1 Tim. 4:4; Gen. 39:5, etc. This “common grace” can be seen in nature, by believers loving their neighbor and blessing the unregenerate through the fruit of a life of good works that by grace has a right-standing before God. This is what is usually held to as the definition for the phrase “common grace” in summarizing the bounties of God’s providential benevolence and mercy upon all His creatures.

While I agree with the meaning behind the term of “common grace”, biblically grace is never used to describe this universal benevolence and kindness of God.

Grace is used some 124 times in the NT (ESV), and every mention speaks of redemption, salvation, Christ’s person or ministry, our sanctification, God’s provision for us in equipping and providing for ministry, the gospel, the bestowing of spiritual gifts, etc. But not one time is the word grace itself ever used to describe God’s universal benevolence to all of His creatures – specifically the unregenerate.

The Definition of Grace

Grace presupposes sin, guilt, and demerit; it addresses two facts: 1. we have not earned the favor of God; and 2. we have earned the curse of God.

Grace means we don’t get the curse we deserve AND that we get the blessings we don’t deserve. This is because Christ as our divine Substitute has acted fully in our place – imputing to us, by faith, the full merit of His righteousness (2 Cor. 5:21).

 The Gospel, therefore, is the message of the grace of God to undeserving, unworthy, sinful people like me and you.

The simple. historically accepted definition of grace is: ‘unmerited favor.’ Though this comes close to understanding grace, in and of itself is an inadequate definition. This is a definition more along the lines of kindness; but to really define grace–it needs to go further.

I was having dinner a while back with a friend of mine Jerry Bridges. He is one of the most profound Bible teachers of our day and his books reflect his deep love for the Lord and His Word. When we were discussing this issue of grace, he gave me a tremendous illustration to communicate the difference between providential benevolence and God’s grace.

He said,

A hungry hobo comes to your door asking for a meal. You give it to him freely, without him doing anything to earn it. This would be considered ‘kindness’, not ‘grace’.

Biblical correct definitions of grace would be: 
1. Grace – ‘God’s favor through Christ to those who deserve His disfavor.’ 
 This version is designed to compare/contrast the historically accepted inadequate definition of grace above.

 Or 2. Grace – ‘God’s blessings through Christ to those who deserve His curse.’ 

 This is the better of the two definitions.

To illustrate this Jerry went on in using his example of the hobo. He continued by saying,

The hobo robs you after eating your free meal. He then returns one month later. Instead of calling the police, you give him another meal.

Key components of the definition:
 1. Christ is the only basis for both our redemption from the curse and our attaining any of God’s blessings. 

2. We have assaulted the holiness of God, but yet have been His grace. Back to our hobo, this takes us from seeing ourselves as the hungry hobo to seeing ourselves as the robber.

IOW, grace is ‘God in action.’ Grace is not just a benevolent attitude on God’s part to all people. Grace is always ‘God in action’ for our good and for His glory. 
 Again, 
every time the Bible mentions ‘grace’ it is always associated with ‘God in action.’ He is: saving us, justifying us, empowering us, sustaining us, equipping us, etc. ‘by grace.’

Words have Meaning
One of the reasons I enjoy writing (and reading) is that to effectively communicate one must place a high value on words. 
 
Words mean something. Words in the Word of God mean profound eternal “somethings.” Grace, when used in the Bible, means something weighty, treasured, and valuable. And though the historical or traditional meaning of “common grace” has lent itself to represent a general mercy or benevolence by God for all people (which again I affirm), it seems there is a danger – even if ever so slightly – of weakening the high value and rich meaning of “grace” when we use it in a manner which the Scriptures do not.

By comparison, when we speak of general and special revelation, we clearly have Scripture to support that distinction. Psalm 19:1-6 describes God’s general revelation (the heavens declare His glory); and Psalm 19:7-9 describes His special revelation (the law of the Lord is just converting the soul). And this is done without having to alter the biblical meaning of the word “revelation” in making that distinction.

 To be consistent, the same principle should apply to grace… shouldn’t it?

I also understand the need to answer questions of faith and to look biblically for those answers. Dutch theologian, Louis Berkhof, gives us an example of the kinds of questions this issue of common grace may prompt. He asks:

• How can we explain the comparatively orderly life in the world, seeing that the whole world lies under the curse of sin?
• How is it that the earth yields precious fruit in rich abundance and does not simply bring forth thorns and thistles?
• How can we account for it that sinful man still “retains some knowledge of God, of natural things, and of the difference between good and evil, and shows some regard for virtue and for good outward behavior”?
• What explanation can be given of the special gifts and talents with which the natural man is endowed, and of the development of science and art by those who are entirely devoid of the new life that is in Christ Jesus?
• How can we explain the religious aspirations of men everywhere, even of those who did not come in touch with the Christian religion?
• How can the unregenerate still speak the truth, do good to others, and lead outwardly virtuous lives?

…then and to come to the text of God’s Word to answer them truthfully, correctly and biblically. 

I see the answers to the above questions contained in rightly understanding God’s universal providential benevolence–not in the phrase of “common grace.”

 May I say there is nothing “common” about grace; whether the word means a general community, universal application, or to display a pedestrian distinction.

To quote again the profound words of G.S. Bishop when speaking of grace he says,

 

“Grace is a provision for men who are so fallen that they cannot lift the ax of justice; so corrupt that they cannot change their own natures; so adverse to God that they cannot turn to Him; so blind that they cannot see Him; so deaf that they cannot hear Him; and so dead that He Himself must open their graves.”

Therefore, we can see that grace is not used in the NT in a casual or ad-hoc manner to describe a universal benevolence or mercy given to all created beings. God is kind and benevolent to all people – reprobate and regenerate (Matt. 5:45). But grace is used in a more exalted way to describe God’s work of redemption toward sinful men in the gospel (Acts 20:24; Roms. 5:15; 1 Cor. 1:4; Titus 2:11); and the person and ministry of Jesus Christ our Lord (John 1:14, 17; Acts 15:11; Roms. 1:7; Eph. 2:8-9). Even the Holy Spirit is called “the Spirit of grace” (Heb. 10:29).

 This is a simple issue for me: when using biblical language, use it in the way that God has in describing the faith.

Some want to discredit this kind of thinking by labeling me a hyper-Calvinist (which I am most definitely not); or by saying this departs from agreed theological nomenclature (which again, I affirm the orthodox meaning behind the phrase).

Why Dumb-Down Grace?
But why dumb-down grace by calling it something biblically it is not. I am not arguing for using only biblical terms in any discussion. What I am contending for, however, is keeping terms that are stated and used in the biblical record true to their meaning and context… biblically. There is a difference. Grace is such a term that is part of the NT record and used in very specific ways over 120 times and carries with it a meaning that is lofty and profound.

 Let’s not alter that…

I.e. – The word “Trinity” is not a biblical term, but serves to concisely represent biblical truth. Terms such as ” the five solas”, “eschatology”, “soteriology” etc. are not biblical terms, but they do clearly represent biblical truth.
 We can use them to unfold categories of theological belief that are “commonly” understood when speaking of certain theological convictions and truths.

One caveat here: the heritage of the phrase “common grace” is well documented and foundational for this issue. But the historical sense of it means little and should not take precedence when the biblical record is so clear.

IOW, I wouldn’t point to the rich reformed historical heritage of paedo-baptism and favor it against the clear biblical record of credo-baptism just because paedo-baptism enjoys a n agreed historical tradition and practice among some of my reformed brothers (I mean, we are not Romanists). Though sadly, some in the reformed camp (no pun intended) stand more firmly on their historical practice over and against the biblical record to justify the baptizing of infants while at the same time deny the baptizing of adults who were once baptized as infants claiming that would be a “rebaptism.”

Some of you might remember, or were even there, when R.C. Sproul debated John MacArthur on this issue several years ago. R.C. conceded in his opening remarks that John had already won the debate because they had agreed to make their respective cases from the scope of God’s Word. Simply, John had the weight of Scripture behind him on this issue, R.C. did not. Both of these men are tremendous pastors, teachers and theologians whom I greatly appreciate, love and respect in my life and ministry. But I was so encouraged that R.C. paid homage to the truth of God’s Word over the historic tradition — even though he ultimately didn’t change his conviction on infant baptism. The biblical teaching should always trump the historic tradition. That same principle should govern our thinking when we are defining key and essentials aspects of Christianity.

Graciousness vs. Grace
In Jerry’s hobo illustration, I do see the response as being one of graciousness–but to me that’s not an act of grace, but an act of mercy and benevolence. IMHO, those two things are different. 

Gracious implies genial, affable, urbane, merciful, compassionate. But an act of God’s grace is redemptive, salvific. Maybe I’m splitting hairs here, but I don’t think it’s ta-MAY-toe, ta-MA-toe.

 Again, words mean something; and grace is too important of a word to concede to theological labeling.

Psalm 145:8-9 that some site in defense of the phrase “common grace” are some of my favorite verses on the benevolence of God.

“The LORD is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and great in lovingkindness. The LORD is good to all, and His mercies are over all His works.”

Spurgeon’s commentary on these verses is especially profound. He does mention “his plans and his poses all manifest his grace, or free favour”; but then he does clarify it more as his commentary unfolds on the whole of it pertaining to these verses by emphasizing God’s mercy, longsuffering, and compassion.

Consider these words:

“To all living men his aspect: he is gracious, or full of goodness and generosity. He treats creatures with kindness, his subjects with consideration, and his saints favour.”

“To the suffering, the weak, the despondent, he is very pitiful: he feels for them, he feels with them: he this heartily, and in a practical manner. Of this pitifulness he is full, so the compassionates freely, constantly, deeply, divinely, and effectually.”

“What an ocean of compassion there must be since the Infinite God is full of Slow to anger. Even those who refuse his grace yet share in long suffering. When men do not repent, but, on the contrary, go from bad to worse, averse to let his wrath flame forth against them. Greatly patient and anxious that the sinner may live, he “lets the lifted thunder drop”, and still bears. “Love suffereth long and is kind”, and God is love. And of great mercy. This is his attitude towards the guilty. When men at last repent, find pardon awaiting them. Great is their sin, and great is God’s mercy, need great help, and they have it though they deserve it not; for he is good to the greatly guilty.”

This discussion comes down to a simple recognition that grace, biblically defined, does have a meaning that doesn’t carry with it the idea of a universal or common benevolence or kindness. But something more powerful: redemption, salvation, conformity to Christ; justification; imputation; propitiation; and glorification.

Grace 
is also representative of God’s character (the grace of God) and of Jesus Christ (full of grace and truth; the word of His grace; as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you all.)

To be clear, I have never claimed that grace is only used in a soteriological sense (though that is the majority of its usage in the NT). I listed above that grace is used in matters of provision and equipping for ministry (2 Cor. 9:8; 2 Tim. 2:1) ; in our sanctification (Col. 4:6; Titus 2:12); for the use and purpose of spiritual gifts (1 Peter 4:10); and also in relation to the character of God, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit (cp, Col. 1:2; John 1:14-17; Heb. 10:29).

Grace Upon Grace
In closing, there is a wonderful phrase in the first chapter of John’s gospel where he says,

“For of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace.”

“Grace upon grace. Literally, as Dr. MacArthur referred to this in a sermon by saying, “we are graced with grace” (cf, Eph. 1:5-8; 2:7). This is speaking to the super-abounding grace given to us. “Where sin once abounded, grace super-abounded…” I am a great sinner; but He is a greater Savior.

This “grace upon grace” reality flows from the “fulness of Christ.” As Calvin says,

“He begins now to preach about the office of Christ, that it contains within itself an abundance of all blessings, so that no part of salvation must be sought anywhere else. True, indeed, the fountain of life, righteousness, virtue, and wisdom, is with God, but to us it is a hidden and inaccessible fountain. But an abundance of those things is exhibited to us in Christ,”

This is the language of sufficiency beloved.

Paul echoes this in Colossians: Col. 1:18

“He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything. Col. 1:19 For it was the Father’s good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him, Col. 1:20 and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross; through Him, I say, whether things on earth or things in heaven.” 

AND, “that is, Christ Himself, Col. 2:3 in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. Col. 2:9 For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form, Col. 2:10 and in Him you have been made complete, and He is the head over all rule and authority;”

If we look at the flow of this section of Scripture (John 1:14-18) the outline unfolds according to Pink as follows:

1. Christ’s Incarnation—”The word became flesh”: John 1:14.
2.
2. Christ’s Earthly sojourn—”And tabernacled among us:” John 1:14.
3.
3. Christ’s Essential Glory—”As of the only Begotten:” John 1:14.
4.
4. Christ’s Supreme excellency—”Preferred before:” John 1:15.
5.
5. Christ’s Divine sufficiency—”His fulness:” John 1:16.
6.
6. Christ’s Moral perfections—”Grace and truth:” John 1:17.
7.
7. Christ’s Wondrous revelation—Made known “the Father:” John 1:18.



Therefore, I would conclude the “all” in verse 16 pertains to all believers; for no unbeliever is partakers of His fulness and recipients of “grace upon grace.” It could also be argued, I guess, that the all could mean: “John appeals to all his own contemporaries as participants with him in the fulness of the Logos.” (Robertson)

As to the example of Ezra: the context is not the general pagan world, but to the people of God. We know this to be certain for Ezra writes in 9:8: “that our God may enlighten our eyes and grant us a little reviving in our bondage.” Ezra’s address is a penitent confession of sin, the sin of his people. Let this be the comfort of true penitents, that though their sins reach to the heavens, God’s mercy is in the heavens. 

And part of that favor, as you say, is evidenced in releasing a remnant from captivity.

As some have rightly said, “there are so many things God has done for every single person in the world which we do not deserve.” Amen! His providential kindness and benevolence rests on all the sons of Adam.

I also like how John Gill approaches this phrase when he says,

“the meaning is, grace is for the sake of grace; for there is no other cause of electing, justifying, pardoning, adopting, and regenerating grace, and even eternal life, but the grace, or free favour of God;” “…I also think, the abundance of it, at first conversion, with all after supplies, is intended; and that grace for grace, is the same with grace upon grace, heaps of grace;”

The superabundance of grace that comes through Jesus. I’m certainly not married to the phrase “graced with grace” – but I thought it reflected well the “grace upon grace” plentifulness found in Christ Jesus our Lord. “Favor given to one who has already received favor” also says it well.

Grace not being static, but active. AT Robertson says,

“Hebrews 12:2 where “joy” and “cross” are balanced against each other. Here the picture is “grace” taking the place of “grace” like the manna fresh each morning, new grace for the new day and the new service.”

I know that Dan has an extensive knowledge of Greek and I would be interested on his thoughts as well. I’ll defer to his wisdom on this.

Grace-Focused Worship
But here’s the wonder and majesty of this issue for me in all this beloved. I awoke this morning worshipping the Lord and praising Him for His matchless, abounding, fathomless saving-sanctifying-glorifying grace. 

 This discussion about grace has caused me a fresh to reverence God today with joy. Why? Because He is a God of grace; and aren’t you glad? Instead of His wrath He has given me His grace; instead of His justice, He has given me His mercy; and instead of His enmity, He has given me His unfailing love. Amen?

What hope, what promise, what forgiveness, what life and victory is given to us through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Jesus Christ IS our all in all…

Further Study and Reading:
1. “The History and Theology of Calvinism” by Curt Daniel, Ph.D.
2. “Dogmatic Theology” by William G.T. Shedd
3. “Systematic Theology” by Wayne Grudem

The post There’s Nothing Common About Grace first appeared on CrossChurch.net.

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Oh to be a skilled workman, unashamed, approved unto God (2 Tim. 2:15) armed with the sword of the Spirit!

“For this reason we also thank God without ceasing, because when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which also effectively works in you who believe” 1 Thess. 2:13.

The most effective weapon we possess as Christians for the work of the ministry is not pragmatic methodology, our TV shows, book clubs, music concerts, radio programs, our celebrities, famous pastors, or even our social alliances with other cultural moral entities–as effective as some of those things may be. The most effective weapon that any church or Christian possesses is the Word of God and the life lived in obedience to its claims. The church’s responsibility before God as the “pillar and support of the truth” is to guard and proclaim the truths of Scripture. Consequently, the most severe crime against God is to mishandle His revelation, thus portraying a false, idolatrous image of Him to the world.

When our grip on the “sword of the Spirit” is loosened and our spiritual muscles have atrophied, the “once for all delivered to the saints faith” is hastily replaced by a saber of our own carnal invention. We cannot fight the good fight of faith with fleshly weaponry!

Measuring the Methods
There are five things that I use as a measuring rod when making a determination about the legitimacy of any ministry claiming to represent the Lord: the message, the motives, the methods, the messenger, and the money. In other words, does the message square with the Word of God; are the motives seemingly pure free from obvious false pretense; are the methods propitious and honorable; has the messenger demonstrated in the past and is currently exhibiting integrity of life and doctrine; and is money being touted as a prerequisite for ministry with an unnecessary emphasis in how it is being asked for or solicited?

The most difficult of these to evaluate is not the motives, but surprisingly the methods. Methods for most people are just the pragmatic means to get the message out more effectively to a broader audience. What could be wrong with that especially in our ever-changing pragmatic world? However, here is the problem; methods are not “a-moral.” They mean something; more than that, they reveal something. A wrong use of methods–or a wrong emphasis on methods is what Charles Spurgeon fought against at the end of his life in what came to be known as the Down-Grade Controversy. He warned his Baptist brothers that using a worldly methodology would give entrance to a skewed theology and thus corrupt the gospel and the ministry. He was right.

We see this in our own day. For example, the Trinity Broadcast Network (TBN) carries on its programming schedule some orthodox teachers (i.e. Charles Stanley, Adrian Rogers, James Kennedy, etc.), and features also those who are unorthodox: the word/faith movement (Kenneth Copeland, Crefflo Dollar, etc.); or those who deny the Godhead–the Trinity (T.D. Jakes; Phillips, Craig and Dean); and/or those who “huckster the Word of God for profit” in order to generate more money for themselves (most everyone else on their programming schedule). The danger is, when you constantly publicize a mix of the genuine with the counterfeit it blurs the lines of sound doctrine and tends to anaesthetise the listener of discernment. Even those orthodox teachers, as mentioned above, end up unwittingly supporting the very thing they all oppose biblically. The listener enjoying the program most likely sends the lion-share of their support money not to the Bible teacher of the individual program, but to TBN. And if they have been “ministered to” by that program, they may even call TBN (per their toll free number) for spiritual counsel, prayer and direction. You forfeit on both counts: pragmatically–most of the “love gift” goes to the network; and spiritually–you have placed the members of your listening audience under the spiritual counsel of a phone operator. What would brother Spurgeon be saying about now?

The honest question has to be asked: can a unsound biblical vehicle like that one be spiritually profitable at all even if some of the time they get it right? Don’t be fooled; it’s not just another televsion network you can buy time on to promote your program. It is a well crafted “philosophy of ministry” with a very specific agenda that does not measure up with the Word of God. I agree with Dr. MacArthur when he has said on many occasions, “TBN has done more harm to the gospel than Jerry Springer. For a false representation of God is more damaging than a true display of sin.” I fully agree with his insigthful words. Methodology matters; and just as important, the “who” you partner with in the work of the gospel as well.

The motives, the methods, the messengers, the money and the message. That is why Scripture must be treated with reverence and care because it is the self-revelation of God. It is from Scripture alone that we know who our Lord is and the fullness of His worth and works. We study God’s Word to know our Lord. It is not so that we may have sermons to preach, songs to sing, testimonies to tell, but it is chiefly to know Him. And out of the depth of that knowing to make Him known.

Taking God Seriously
No one ever lives greater than their view of God and our view of God is determined, shaped, and formed by how He has revealed Himself through the pages of Scripture. (Cp. Psalm 50:16ff) Therefore, to fail to take God’s Word seriously, whether by careless interpretation or by careless living, is to fail to take God Himself seriously. And if the church fails to take God seriously, why should the world?

Listen to these powerful words on the authority and veracity of God’s Word:

“But as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, even so we speak, not as pleasing men, but God who tests our hearts” (1 Thess. 2:4).

“Therefore, brethren, stand fast and hold the traditions which you were taught, whether by word or our epistle” (2 Thess. 2:15).

“According to the glorious gospel of the blessed God which was committed to my trust” (1 Tim. 1:11).

“Fight the good fight of faith; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called, and you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who testified the good confession before Pontius Pilate, that you keep this commandment without spot, blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ’s appearing” (1 Tim. 6:12-14).

“O Timothy! Guard what was committed to your trust, avoiding the profane and idle babblings and contradictions of what is falsely called knowledge” (1 Tim. 6:20).

“But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them, and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Tim. 3:14-16).

“But has in due time manifested His word through preaching, which was committed to me according to the commandment of God our Savior” (Titus 1:3).

Post-Modern Procrustean Beds
In Greek mythology there is portrayed a villainous son named Procrustes, of his father Poseidon, who would arbitrarily prescribe ruthless, torturous phenomenon for patrons of his hostel. He would force his travelers to fit into his “procrustean bed” by stretching his victims or severing off their limbs. In much the same way today, there have been men throughout the ages that have tailored the truth of God’s Word, having laid it upon the “procrustean beds” of deceived, depraved minds stretching its truth or lopping it off to suit their itching ears.

Scripture is replete with warnings against perverting God’s Word, as well as exhortations to guard it. Deuteronomy 4:2 cautions, “You shall not add to the word which I am commanding you, nor take away from it, that you may keep the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you.” This same warning is echoed by the apostle John in Revelation 22:18-19, “I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God shall add to him the plagues which are written in this book; and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the tree of life and from the holy city, which are written in this book.”

Like today’s church, the believers in first century Ephesus also faced the temptation to compromise the truth of God’s Word. Ephesus was a fervently pagan city, site of the temple of the goddess Diana (Artemis), one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Having ministered there himself for three years (Acts 20:31), Paul was well aware of the pressures and temptations to compromise or abandon the truth facing the Ephesian church.

“As I urged you upon my departure for Macedonia, remain on at Ephesus, in order that you may instruct certain men not to teach strange doctrines, nor to pay attention to myths and endless genealogies, which give rise to mere speculation rather than furthering the administration of God which is by faith. But the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.” (1 Tim. 1:3-5)

“This command I entrust to you, Timothy, my son, in accordance with the prophecies previously made concerning you, that by them you may fight the good fight, keeping faith and a good conscience, which some have rejected and suffered shipwreck in regard to their faith.” (1 Tim. 1:18-19)

“But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons, by means of the hypocrisy of liars seared in their own conscience as with a branding iron, men who forbid marriage and advocate abstaining from foods, which God has created to be gratefully shared in by those who believe and know the truth. For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected, if it is received with gratitude; for it is sanctified by means of the word of God and prayer. In pointing out these things to the brethren, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, constantly nourished on the words of the faith and of the sound doctrine which you have been following. But have nothing to do with worldly fables fit only for old women. On the other hand, discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness.” (1 Tim. 4:1-7)

“Until I come, give attention to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation and teaching.” (1 Tim. 4:13)

“Teach and preach these principles. If anyone advocates a different doctrine, and does not agree with sound words, those of our Lord Jesus Christ, and with the doctrine conforming to godliness, he is conceited and understands nothing; but he has a morbid interest in controversial questions and disputes about words, out of which arise envy, strife, abusive language, evil suspicions, and constant friction between men of depraved mind and deprived of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain.” (1 Tim. 6:2-5)

“The things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, these entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also.” (2 Tim. 2:2)

“Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, handling accurately the word of truth. But avoid worldly and empty chatter, for it will lead to further ungodliness.” (2 Tim. 2:15-16)

“I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom: 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 to their own desires; and will turn away their ears from the truth, and will turn aside to myths. But you, be sober in all things, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith.” (2 Tim. 4:1-5,7)

This is an undeniable standard of truth that the Apostle Paul is contending for in his day. He affirms to timid Timothy by command this same standard at the end of his life as he is waiting execution by Nero in a Roman jail. He says, “Retain the standard of sound words which you have heard from me, in the faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. Guard, through the Holy Spirit who dwells in us, the treasure which has been entrusted to you” (2 Tim. 2:13-14). “Standard” here means that which was used of a writer’s outline or an artist’s rough sketch, which set the guidelines and standards for the finished work. The Christian’s standard is God’s Word, which encompasses the sound words which you have heard from me [Paul], an apostle of Jesus Christ. In Scripture we have God’s own truth and standards, all we need for life or godliness. It is the only divinely inspired, divinely revealed, absolute, perfect and sufficient truth. In it is found everything necessary for salvation and for living out the saved life (2 Peter 1:3-4).

Take Courage in Ministry
Courage in Christian ministry, as well as in Christian living in general, is not possible apart from strong biblical convictions. Strong convictions are to be held and taught in the faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. When we defend God’s Word in a self righteous, unloving spirit, the resulting controversy and opposition are not caused wholly by the offense of the truth itself but also by the offensive and unspiritual way in which we proclaim it. We are to defend God’s Word in the faith, that is, with the right attitude of confidence toward God; and we are to defend it in love, with the right attitude of kindness and compassion.

The question still confronts us, why is biblical theology vital for the life of the church and the spiritual health of the believer? Why is it essential for the future survival of Christian music?

Answer: because sound doctrine clearly taught and obeyed will always produce godly living and bring glory to God; but unsound doctrine disseminated will be nothing more than gangrenous words to the body of Christ – producing nothing but poisoned, sinful lives. Even if expressed through the most gifted of orators or sung through the most stirring of melodies, in the end, it weakens the entire church!

Dumbed Down and Ineffective
We can see the effects of the dumbing-down of doctrine by the pervasive tolerance of another gospel which has resulted in redefining Biblical language. Sin is no longer called sin, but sickness; disobedience is now called disease; and adultery is simply referred to as addiction. This psychological sanctification has replaced the Scriptures and the work of the Holy Sprit in the predetermined work of God to conform us daily to Christ. “Sanctify them by Thy truth, [Jesus said,] Thy Word is truth.” Only the truth of God’s Word is sanctifying truth for all matters of life and godliness! “The sum of Thy Word is truth.” We are to be “handling accurately the word of truth.¨ We are to proclaim “The word of truth, the gospel.¨ Why? For God has “exalted His Word even above His name.”

When Ministers Forget the Scriptures
It is infinitely hazardous when the church embraces a Freudian anthropology justifying oneself for the purpose of abandoning personal responsibility (the abuse excuse) and allowing one to attach the blame outwardly to one’s environment, or on Mom and Dad, rather than finding solutions that come from only God Himself. Giving people a sense of becoming and belonging, addressing felt needs instead of real needs is the “theology¡” of the hour. Churches now hire full time psychological counselors fortuitously replacing faithful pastors and elders who are the ones called by God to shepherd His flock! “Preach the Word” is no longer the mandate of men of God but rather, “Go ye into all the world and relate!” In other words, I must increase – He must decrease!

The Great Sea Change: the Rise of the Self
Os Guinness is spot on in his analysis when saying, “This sea change is a particularly important precedent because it was not so much from Calvinism to Arminianism as from theology to experience, from truth to technique, from elitism to populism, and from an emphasis on serving God, to an emphasis on serving the self in serving God.”

He is devastatingly correct! Even at the seminary level that change is evident. Men are no longer being taught today to preach expositionally but experientially. The object of faith is no longer Christ but self-esteem; the goal of faith is no longer holiness, but happiness; the source of faith is no longer the Scriptures, but experience.

“A new religion has been initiated, which is no more Christianity than chalk is cheese; and this religion, being destitute of moral honesty, palms itself off as the old faith with slight improvements, and on this plea usurps pulpits which were erected for gospel preaching” (Spurgeon). “An aversion to doctrinal Christianity has been growing for several decades, along with an increasing intolerance for doctrinal and confessional accountability. Evangelicals have embraced the technologies of modernity, often without recognizing that these technologies have claimed the role of master rather that servant” (Mohler).

Church growth expert, George Barna, arguing for how the church must find new ways to reach a post-church generation with the gospel, says, “Busters do not believe in absolute truth. This means that they, for the most part, reject the Bible as having any real answers. Thus, proposing Jesus Christ as the solution to a person’s sin problem is not likely to make any significant impression.” Did you hear that? Dear people, the gospel never begins with man and his need but with God and His glory. Truth by definition is exclusive. When we declare the Scriptures to be the truth and Jesus Christ as the way, the truth, and the life, who is full of grace and truth, we are declaring that every other claim to the truth is false. Every other way is a dead end. Every other faith system asserting eternal life is a path leading to death. Crossover that! Make that seeker-friendly! Commercialism won’t tolerate a God-conceived, Christ-centered message. Why? There is an offense to the cross (1 Cor. 1:18-31).

Theological Ebonics
In a culture where absolute truth is considered obsolete it’s only inevitable that people will sink to the lowest common denominator to try to make sense of the extremes between depravity and salvation. Again, Barna gives evidence of this: “It is critical that we keep in mind a fundamental principle of Christian communication: the audience, not the message, is sovereign.” The evolution of his disconcerting ideology is significant. Even in Contemporary Christian Music began declaring Jesus Christ as Lord. Within a few years His name was replaced by the generic but proper title of God. Still too offensive for some, dilution occurred, filtering the name of God to He, Him, It, or to the non-specific cognomen, Love. Today, His name is reduced to a multitude of pseudonyms: The Man Upstairs; The Boss¡ The Big Guy; Chairman of the Board; My Higher Power; My Pal; and My Lover – ad nauseam¡ ad infinitum. This biblical illiteracy is theological Ebonics – biblical language diminished to cultural unintelligible chatter affirmed as profound, acceptable spiritual truth.

“Jesus is the Truth. We believe in Him, not merely in His words. He Himself is Doctor and Doctrine, Revealer and Revelation, the Illuminator and the Light of Men. He is exalted in every word of truth, because He is its sum and substance. He sits above the gospel, like a prince on His own throne. Doctrine is most precious when we see it distilling from His lips and embodied in His person. Sermons are valuable in proportion as they speak of Him and point to Him. A Christless gospel is no gospel and a Christless discourse is the cause of merriment to devils” (Spurgeon).

The Father of Lies…”
“False teachers are children of their father the devil, and … want to do the desires of [their] father.” Satan’s influence among false teachers is profound. They teach these hellish lies because their “doctrines of demons” have their unholy inspiration from the prince of darkness himself: “whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature; for he is a liar, and the father of lies” (John 8:44).

Paul reminded Timothy that such people in the spiritual leadership who had shipwrecked the faith had to be “delivered over to Satan, so that they may be taught not to blaspheme” (1 Tim. 1:20).

In the early days of the church, Elymas the magician opposed the preaching of Paul and Barnabas and in particular tried to keep the Roman proconsul Sergius Paulus away from the faith. “But Saul, who was also known as Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, fixed his gaze upon him, and said, “You who are full of all deceit and fraud, you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, will you not cease to make crooked the straight ways of the Lord?” (Acts 13:7-10). As Dr. MacArthur so pithily points out, “in that rebuke Paul exposes four characteristics of false teachers: they are deceitful, children of the devil, enemies of righteousness, and perverters of the gospel.”

Among the chief characteristics of Satan and his followers is deception. Paul warns that in the end times the Antichrist will come in accord with the activity of Satan, “with all power and signs and false wonders, 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” (2 Thes. 2:9-10). John tells us of “the great dragon [who] was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world” (Rev. 12:9; cf. 13:14; 20:3, 10).

Satan’s number one objective is to infiltrate the church with error. He does not want to fight the church, he wants to join it!

Satan and his demon emissaries do their deceptive work usually through human beings and most often through religious leaders. Among such religious leaders are those who pose as Christians, whom Paul describes as “false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ” (2 Cor. 11:13). And no wonder, Paul goes on to explain, “for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. Therefore it is not surprising if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness” (v. 14-15).

God’s Word: The Full and Final Authority
“I will run in the way of Your commandments…” (Psalm 119:32).

Wycliffe once wrote concerning our duty to the Word of God: “The true Christian was intended by Christ to prove all things by the Word of God, all churches, all ministers, all teaching, all preaching, all doctrines, all sermons, all writings, all opinions, all practices. These are His marching orders. Prove all by the Word of God; measure all by the measure of the Bible; compare all with the standard of the Bible; weigh all in the balances of the Bible; examine all by the light of the Bible; test all in the crucible of the Bible. That which can abide the fire of the Bible, receive hold, believe, and obey. That which cannot abide the fire of the Bible, reject, refuse, repudiate, and cast away. This is the flag which He nailed to the mast. May it never be lowered!

A church which does not honor the Bible is as useless as a body without life, or a steam engine without fire. A minister who does not honor the Bible is as useless as a soldier without arms, a builder without tools, a pilot without compass, or a messenger without tidings. Stand fast on old principles. Do not forsake the old paths. Let nothing tempt you to believe that multiplication of forms and ceremonies, constant reading of liturgical services, or frequent communions, will ever do so much good to souls as the powerful, fiery, fervent preaching of God’s Word. If men want to do good to the multitude, if they want to reach their hearts and consciences, they must attack them through their ears; they must blow the trumpet of the everlasting Gospel loud and long; they must preach the Word.”

In the front of every Gideon Bible you will read these time-tested words:
“This book contains the mind of God, the state of man, the way of salvation, the doom of sinners, and the happiness of believers.

Its doctrine is holy, its precepts are binding, its histories are true, and its decisions are immutable. Read it to be wise, believe it to be saved, practice it to be holy.

It contains light to direct you, food to support you, and comfort to cheer you. It is the traveler’s map, the pilgrim’s staff, the pilot’s compass, the soldier’s sword, and the Christian’s charter. Here heaven is open, and the gates of hell are disclosed.

Christ is the grand subject, our good its design, and the glory of God its end. It should fill the memory, rule the heart, and guide the feet. Read it slowly, frequently, and prayerfully. It is a mine of wealth, health to the soul, and a river of pleasure. It is given to you here in this life, will be opened at the judgment, and is established forever.

It involves the highest responsibility, will reward the greatest labor, and condemn all who trifle with its contents.” –Author unknown

Faithful Stewards of God’s Word are to:

1. Crave the Word – 1 Peter 2:2
2. Believe the Word – John 2:22
3. Love the Word – Psalm 119:97, 127-128
4. Long for the Word – Psalm 119:20, 40, 131
5. Delight in the Word – Psalm 1:2, 119:35, 143
6. Rejoice in the Word – Jeremiah 15:16, Psalm 119:111,162
7. Treasure the Word – Job 23:12, Psalm 19:10-11
8. Esteem the Word – Psalm 138:2, 1 Thessalonians 2:13
9. Reverence the Word – Psalm 119:161
10. Honor the Word – 2 Thessalonians 3:1
11. Trust in the Word – Psalm 119:42
12. Sing the Word – Psalm 119:54,172, Colossians 3:16
13. Meditate on the Word – Psalm 1:2; Joshua 1:8
14. Memorize the Word – Psalm 119:11, 16, 61, 128-129, 176
15. Abide in the Word – John 15:7, 1 John 2:23-25
16. Obey the Word – Deuteronomy 17:19-20, Joshua 22:5, Psalm 119:67, Luke 8:21, John 14:15, 17:6, 1 John 2:3-5, 5:2-3
17. Be Conformed by the Word – Psalm 119: 133, 1 Timothy 6:3, Titus 1:1
18. Not to be ashamed of the Word – Romans 1:16, 2 Timothy 1:8
19. Contend for the Word – Jude 3, Titus 1:9
20. Defend the Word – Philippians 1:7
21. Suffer for the Word – 2 Timothy 1:8
22. Do not neglect the Word – 1 Corinthians 9:16
23. Be empowered with the Word – 1 Thessalonians 1:5
24. Hope in the Word – Romans 15:4
25. Live the Word – Ezra 7:10, Philippians 1:27, James 1:22-25
26. Take heed to the Word – 1 Timothy 4:16
27. Rightly divide the Word – 2 Timothy 2:15, Nehemiah 8:8
28. Retain the standard of the Word – 2 Timothy 2:13-14
29. Read the Word – 1 Timothy 4:13; Colossians 4:16
30. Share the Word – 1 Thessalonians 1:8, 2 Thessalonians 3:1
31. Teach the Word – 2 Timothy 4:1-5
32. Exhort with the Word – 1 Timothy 4:13
33. Preach the Word – 2 Timothy 4:2
34. Tremble at His Word – Isaiah 66:2

Compare that with the Ways of the Wicked. They willingly:
1. corrupt the Word, 2 Cor. 2:17;
2. reject the Word, Jer. 8:9;
3. disobey the Word, Psalm 119:158;
4. wrest the Word, 2 Pt. 3:16;
5. speak not its truth, Isaiah 8:20;
6. hate its instruction, Psalm 50:16-17;
7. cannot understand it, I Corinthians 2:14;
8. they lay aside the Word, Mark 7:6-9; 9. heed doctrines of demons, 1 Timothy 4:1-2;
10. promote destructive heresies, 2 Peter 2:1;
11. are factious, Titus 3:9-10;
12. and proclaim another gospel, Galatians 1:6-8.

May we all guard the truth, guard the trust and guard our testimony so that by God’s grace we can proclaim the power of the gospel of Jesus Christ our Lord to every generation until He returns!

His Unworthy Servant in His Unfailing Love,
Steve Camp
Psalm 119:54

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“And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy; giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” Colossians‬ ‭1:9-14‬

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