Category Archives: Jesus Christ

Bad News, Good News?

Posted by Dan C. on

The Wrath of God and the Atonement

The bad news:

“For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth.” – Rom 1:18 

“And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience–among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.” – Eph 2:1-3

The good news:

“(Christ Jesus), whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith.  – Rom 3:25a

“For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures,” – 1 Cor 5:

“He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.” – 1 Jn 2:2

“In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” 1 Jn 4:10

The writer of Hebrews speaks of the priesthood of Christ, and compares Jesus’ sacrifice to the High Priest’s sacrifices in the OT:

“Therefore he (Christ)had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.” Heb 2:17

“But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation) he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption.” Heb 9:11-12

Propitiation, as defined in Easton’s Bible Dictionary, is that by which God is rendered propitious (favorably disposed as opposed to wrathful toward), i.e., by which it becomes consistent with his character and government to pardon and bless the sinner. The propitiation does not procure his love or make him loving; it only renders it consistent for him to execise his love towards sinners. Christ is “the propitiation,” because by his becoming our substitute and assuming our obligations he expiated our guilt, covered it, by the vicarious punishment which he endured.

It can be said that the ‘bad news’ (the wrath of God) is central to, and must precede, the message of the ‘good news’ (the atonement of Christ), when we who call ourselves ‘evangelical’ Christians present the gospel message to the lost and dying all around us.

How sad it is that many of us not only don’t precede the good news of the Atonement with the bad news of God’s wrath against sin, we don’t mention it at all!

My friends, to not address the issue of sin, God’s hatred of it, and wrath against it, is tantamount to standing at the foot of theCalvary’s Cross and grinding the  Savior’s blood into the dirt!

To the Praise of His Glorious Grace – D. A. Carson

Posted by Dan C. on

To the Praise of His Glorious Grace

What astonishing mercy and power:
In accord with his pleasure and will
He created each planet, each flower,
Every galaxy, microbe, and hill.
He suspended the planet in space
To the praise of his glorious grace.

With despicable self-love and rage,
We rebelled and fell under the curse.
Yet God did not rip out the page
And destroy all who love the perverse.
No, he chose us to make a new race,
To the praise of his glorious grace.

Providentially ruling all things
To conform to the end he designed,
He mysteriously governs, and brings
His eternal wise plans into time.
He works out every step, every trace,
To the praise of his glorious grace.

Long before the creation began,
He foreknew those he’d ransom in Christ;
Long before time’s cold hour-glass ran,
He ordained the supreme sacrifice.
In the cross he removed our disgrace,
To the praise of his glorious grace.

We were blessed in the heavenly realms
Long before being included in Christ.
Since we heard the good news, overwhelmed,
We reach forward to seize Paradise.
We shall see him ourselves, face to face,
To the praise of his glorious grace.

The Gospel According to Calvary

Posted by Dan C. on

One of the most amazing ‘pictures’ of the of the Gospel message in scripture is found in the last book of the Bible:

Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing in the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders. He had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. He came and took the scroll from the right hand of him who sat on the throne. And when he had taken it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. And they sang a new song:

“You are worthy to take the scroll
and to open its seals,
because you were slain,
 and with your blood you purchased men for God
from every tribe and language and people and nation.”

Revelation 5:6-9

With the currency of His own blood, the coin of the Heavenly Realm, Christ purchased men for God. Other translations use terms like ransomed, redeemed, or bought. Regardless of the specific term, what happened at Calvary was as firm a transaction as walking into a store, placing money on the counter and walking out with whatever you intended to buy. Only in terms of fallen men, the Father sent his Son to earth to ‘buy back for himself’ (Christ purchased men for God), out of the mass of fallen humanity, men and women from every ‘people group’ on the planet

The Apostle Paul, everywhere he went and to every audience, spoke a simple message of Christ and him crucified (1 Cor 2:2). Paul also very specifically defined the core of the gospel message – that Christ died for our sins (1 Cor 15:1-4).

The passage in Revelation and Paul’s gospel provide slightly different perspectives of the same message.  In Revelation we have the ‘big picture’. In Paul’s letter to the Corinthians, as well as in the entire body of his preaching, we have the gospel message that is to be the center of the ‘good news’ we are to declare to all men.

WHY does anyone choose Christ. . .

Posted by Dan C. on

. . .and why is it important as long as we choose?

These days, if you even ask the first part of that, you might be told that it’s not important or that you are just being divisive. The only thing that matters is that a ‘decision’ was made. Some of those who do not think it’s an important question might accuse you of being divisive and maybe even being ‘lost’ and not saved at all! You’re just all into theology and book learning, and since you didn’t provide a testimony with the ‘theology’, about how you went downtown to feed the homeless, you’re just not saved!

My friend, I am here to tell you this morning, as God is my witness, that the answer to that question is of critical importance, and has eternal consequences! It’s the difference between eternal life in the presence of God and an eternity in the everlasting torments of hell!

IF you came to Christ for any other reason than because you realized your desperate straights apart from the saving grace of Jesus Christ, that you are a spiritually dead and lost sinner; and realized that God sent His beloved son to die in your place – to suffer the just wrath due your sin; and based upon that realization, you believed in Christ, it is entirely possible that you believed in vain and are as destined for hell this morning  as before you walked an aisle, signed a decision card, or said a special prayer!

Many, if not most invitations to Christ that are offered these days from the stages of alleged ‘churches’ these days are all about having lives ‘fixed in’ one way or another, and never bring up the sin issue, the central and perhaps only issue of biblical evangelism! .

To omit the single most important issue of the gospel message, is to have NO gospel message! To leave out the issue of sin is to be a fraud and a charlatan – a spiritual ‘snake oil’ salesman. To save the sin issue for later (after they like you a lot) and invite people to Christ to have their lives ‘fixed’, is a spiritual ‘bait and switch’ con game.

So this old man is going to continue to ask the question. Eternal lives are at stake!

I am saved because GOD SAVED ME! He gave life to a dead man and opened his ears to hear the gospel and his eyes to see Christ. And when he saw Christ, he desired Him so strongly that there was no way he would not end up at the foot of the Cross. It was ALL God.

Friend, examine your heart this morning. WHY did you choose Christ? IF it was for some other reason, any other reason than for the forgiveness of your sin, you have cause to be concerned about your eternal destiny. Search your soul, search scripture, asking God why He sent His Son to die or you.

This is my plea.

 

‘

life and death

Justification – The Center of Religion

Posted by Dan C. on

It can reasonably be said that ‘justification’ before a ‘god’, or ‘higher being’ of some sort is the center of most, if not all ‘religion’. All we have to do is take a trip through what we know of the history of the human race to conclude, quite logically, that humans are born with a ‘religious bent’, and by nature will attribute to some sort of higher being their creation, and feel the need to satisfy/appease that supreme being. What satisfies the god of any religion, how humans are found righteous  before their god in essence defines their religion and the conduct of their very lives.  This principle applies even to persons who claim no god, because in truth, for those persons, they are their own gods and the conduct of their lives revolves around satisfying themselves – becoming ‘self-actualized’, to borrow a term from Maslow.

Professing atheists aside, we turn our attention to ‘religions’ containing god(s) outside of oneself. Of these, all of them except one are identical in their view of what satisfies their god(s) – what ‘justifies’ their adherents – what makes a person ‘worthy’ of attaining whatever ‘afterlife’ they espouse. Every religion on the face of the earth, except for Christianity, involves human effort, works of human hands, in order for adherents/followers to eventually find eternal happiness.

In fact, the Christian religion, is not a ‘religion’,  if religion is defined as man’s effort to please God! Christianity, as given to us in Holy Scripture is defined by, and revolves around the person for whom it is named, the man Christ Jesus. True Christianity is about what God accomplished in the sinless life and death of His own Son, not about what we humans do, or think we can do ourselves to please God. As we come from the womb, we can do absolutely nothing! (See Psalm 14 and Romans 11, for starters).  For the Christian then, what does it mean to be found righteous, to be considered ‘just’ before a Holy God? Here’s the definition you will find in any good dictionary of biblical terms

Justification — a forensic term, opposed to condemnation. As regards its nature, it is the judicial act of God, by which he pardons all the sins of those who believe in Christ, and accounts, accepts, and treats them as righteous in the eye of the law, i.e., as conformed to all its demands. In addition to the pardon (q.v.) of sin, justification declares that all the claims of the law are satisfied in respect of the justified. It is the act of a judge and not of a sovereign. The law is not relaxed or set aside, but is declared to be fulfilled in the strictest sense; and so the person justified is declared to be entitled to all the advantages and rewards arising from perfect obedience to the law (Rom. 5:1–10).

It proceeds on the imputing or crediting to the believer by God himself of the perfect righteousness, active and passive, of his Representative and Surety, Jesus Christ (Rom. 10:3–9). Justification is not the forgiveness of a man without righteousness, but a declaration that he possesses a righteousness which perfectly and for ever satisfies the law, namely, Christ’s righteousness (2 Cor. 5:21; Rom. 4:6–8).

The sole condition on which this righteousness is imputed or credited to the believer is faith in or on the Lord Jesus Christ. Faith is called a “condition,” not because it possesses any merit, but only because it is the instrument, the only instrument by which the soul appropriates or apprehends Christ and his righteousness (Rom. 1:17; 3:25, 26; 4:20, 22; Phil. 3:8–11; Gal. 2:16).

The act of faith which thus secures our justification secures also at the same time our sanctification (q.v.); and thus the doctrine of justification by faith does not lead to licentiousness (Rom. 6:2–7). Good works, while not the ground, are the certain consequence of justification (6:14; 7:6).

Easton, M.G.: Easton’s Bible Dictionary. Oak Harbor, WA : Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1996, c1897

A person is declared justified before God’s court of judgment, once and for all, at the moment faith is placed in Christ as having satisfied the requirement of God’s law, nothing short of sinless perfection will do. No man can, or ever will achieve that state, due to inherent sin. We are by nature sinful, and that nature follows us to the grave, after which comes judgment (Hebrews 9:27).

In other words, even if a person lives a life without committing an ‘act’ of sin, even if that person has a ‘new nature’ in Christ, a taint of sin remains even at the moment of death, and eternal condemnation is still that person’s ‘just’ reward. It is only because of having placed saving faith in the finished work of Christ as having fulfilled the Law of God, that any person receives eternal salvation. And so that we would not boast in having place ‘our’ faith in Christ, the Apostle Paul tells us that even the faith necessary to save a soul is a gift from our Sovereign God! (Eph. 2:8-9)

To bring this full circle, what does this tell us of religion? Any and all religion that has in its teaching or doctrine, that humans effort can in any way make a person righteous (justify a person) before its god is false.

Any form of ‘Christianity’ that adds works to faith for justification before God is either at worst, entirely false, or at best, apostate Christianity.

That’s not one man’s opinion or personal interpretation of scripture, it’s Bible.

Once Saved, Always Saved?

Posted by Dan C. on

While that might be true, it might not be the best way to ask the question, or discuss the issue. Passages that support the position that once a person believes in the person and work of Jesus Christ as God’s Son (has been ‘saved’ from condemnation), that person will remain ‘saved’ are these:

“My sheep listen to my voice; I know them , and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand.” (John 10:27-29)

“For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38-39)

“We accept man’s testimony, but God’s testimony is greater because it is the testimony of God, which he has given about his Son. Anyone who believes in the Son of God has this testimony in his heart. Any one who does not believe God has made him out to be a liar, because he has not believed the testimony God has given about his Son. And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.” (I John 5:9-12)

“I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.” (I John 5:13)

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you. Through faith you are shielded by God’s power until the coming of salvation…” (1 Peter 1:3-5)

The above passages are often used to support the slightly broader subject of the ‘assurance’ of salvation, that we can know with certainty that, as believers, we are in fact children of God through Christ. They bring great comfort to us when the enemy brings doubt into our minds. Two passages specifically speak to what can be more properly termed the ‘perseverance’ of believers – that once a person belongs to God through Christ, he/she will always belong to God through Christ.

“My sheep listen to my voice; I know them , and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand.” (John 10:27-29)

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you. Through faith you are shielded by God’s power until the coming of salvation…” (1 Peter 1:3-5)

There is a subtle difference in saying “I was saved and I will always be saved.” or saying “The God who saved me can and will also keep me in His hand.” While both might be true, the focus of the former often becomes “I” and focus of the latter is God. The first often gives rise to boasting (or the appearance of boasting) while the second gives God all the credit.

The bottom line, no matter how we discuss the issue, Scripture simply rules the day!

Jesus Christ – Is He Your Savior or Your Judge?

Posted by Dan C. on

We evangelicals make a really bog deal about having a “personal relationship” with Christ, as if those who have not received/accepted Him as Savior have no relationship. Consider the following:

nWhoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not obelieved in the name of the only Son of God.  – John 3:18 (The Holy Bible : English Standard Version. Wheaton : Standard Bible Society, 2001)

The instrumental means of salvation is believing in the finished work of Jesus on the cross. But people who reject the light of the Logos are in the dark (1:5; 8:12) and are therefore already under God’s judgment. They stand condemned. They are like those sinful, dying Israelites who willfully rejected the divine remedy (Num. 21:4-9). A believer in Christ, on the other hand, is under “no condemnation” (Rom. 8:1); he “will not be condemned” (John 5:24). (Walvoord, John F. ; Zuck, Roy B. ; Dallas Theological Seminary: The Bible Knowledge Commentary : An Exposition of the Scriptures. Wheaton, IL : Victor Books, 1983-c1985, S. 2:282)

The above passage, words of Jesus in His dialogue with Nicodemus, speaks of two kinds of people, those who are not condemned (under judgment) because they believe in Christ, and those who are condemned already because they do not believe in Christ. The Apostle Peter, during his visit to the household of Cornelius, told his listeners:

And ahe commanded us [the Apostles]to preach to the people and to testify bthat he [Christ] is the one appointed by God to be judge cof the living and the dead.  Acts 10:42 (The Holy Bible : English Standard Version. Wheaton : Standard Bible Society, 2001

Is it a stretch to say, from these passages, that all men do in fact, at this very moment, have a ‘personal relationship’ with Christ?

Some would say that we missed the point here – that when we evangelize and talk about ‘personal relationship’ we are speaking about a ‘saving’ relationship. True, and that point was not missed. What we do often ‘miss’ in our evangelizing is the relationship of ‘already condemned’. We don’t like to mention it, or if we do, we talk about being ‘eternally separated’ or something ‘milder’ than condemnation, because that might cause people to feel badly about themselves, lose their self- esteem, and run away. 

We propose that the person with whom we share the whole truth about ‘relationships’ with Christ, who has been regenerated  by the Holy Spirit, will be more likely to run to the Cross of Calvary!

n ch. 5:24; [Mark 16:16]

o See 1 John 5:13

 a See ch. 1:2

b ch. 17:31; 24:25; John 5:22, 27; 2 Cor. 5:10; See Matt. 16:27

c 2 Tim. 4:1; 1 Pet. 4:5; [Rom. 14:9, 10; 1 Thess. 4:15, 17]

On the Atonement of Christ

Posted by Dan C. on

“The doctrine for which we contend is that Christ hath so perfectly satisfied divine justice for all our sins, by one offering of himself, and not only for our guilt but also for both temporal and eternal punishment, that henceforth there are no more propitiatory offerings to be made for sin, and that though, for the promotion of their penitence and sanctification, God often chastises his people, yet no satisfaction is to be made by them either in this or a future state of existence.”

 – Francis Turretin, The Atonement of Christ, page 68.

Evangelical Golden Calves

Posted by Dan C. on

There is a bit of a buzz in Blogland these days that seems to have begun over a post that took issue with discernment/apologetics Web sites. Amidst the discussion, Phil Johnson over at Pyromaniacs had this to say:

“The overwhelming majority of today’s evangelical sophisticates would clearly prefer it if no one ever criticized evangelical Golden Calves. Rampant error doesn’t unsettle them in the least. They are quite happy to live with it and even actively make peace with it.”

This post is not continuing that particular discussion, but it addresses “evangelical Golden Calves”, of which there are many. Be that as it may, on this day, celebrated as Good Friday, the day Christ died for our sins, of chief concern is the unscriptural notion that God “accepts” us “just as we are”.

The reason God sent His Son to earth with the specific mission to die for OUR sins is because a Holy, Perfect and Just God CANNOT and WILL NOT “accept” us “just as we are”! It’s the theme of the entire Canon of Scripture! If God could, or would, accept us “with” our sin, Christ died in vain!

Somewhere in the history of evangelicalism, the very scriptural idea that Christ bids us “come as you are” to the Cross of Calvary, believe in and receive Christ as Savior and confess Him as Lord, morphed into God “accepts” you just as you are.

The result of that notion might be auditoriums with stadium seats filled with the legions of the falsely converted (and thus unconverted), with a few scattered genuine believers who confronted the Cross of Christ and their sin, realized their desperate condition, and dealt with their sin by repenting and believing in the One God sentenced to death because He could NOT “accept” them WITH their sin.

We hate con-artists who prey on the unsuspecting, who offer false promises and steal their hard earned savings, yet many of us (evangelicals) flock to the spiritual con-artists “selling” a false gospel!

Yes, “come” as you are to the Cross of Calvary; and standing, kneeling, or prostrate at the foot of the Cross, face your sin, and heed the words of Your Savior: “The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!” (Mark 1:15)

In the words of the time honored hymn:

“Just as I am, without one plea
But that thy blood was shed for me
And that thou bidd’st me come to thee
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.”

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