"Chosen to Salvation" – Arthur W. Pink

Posted by Dan C. on

“But we are bound to give thanks always to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth”

2 Thessalonians 2:13

“There are three things here which deserve special attention. First, the fact that we are expressly told that God’s elect are “chosen to salvation”: Language could not be more explicit. How summarily do these words dispose of the sophistries and equivocations of all who would make election refer to nothing but external privileges or rank in service! It is to “salvation” itself that God has chosen us. Second, we are warned here that election unto salvation does not disregard the use of appropriate means: salvation is reached through “sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth” It is not true that because God has chosen a certain one to salvation that he will be saved willy-nilly, whether he believes or not: nowhere do the Scriptures so represent it. The same God who “chose unto salvation”, decreed that His purpose should be realized through the work of the spirit and belief of the truth. Third, that God has chosen us unto salvation is a profound cause for fervent praise. Note how strongly the apostle express this – “we are bound to give thanks always to God for you. brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation”, etc. Instead of shrinking back in horror from the doctrine of predestination, the believer, when he sees this blessed truth as it is unfolded in the Word, discovers a ground for gratitude and thanksgiving such as nothing else affords, save the unspeakable gift of the Redeemer Himself.”

The Heart of the Gospel – Sin and Repentance

Posted by Dan C. on

The Apostle Paul had some harsh words to the church in Galatia for those who would turn away from the Gospel of grace and return to trusting in human works for salvation: 

“But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed.” – Gal 1:8-9

Paul clearly defined the message of the gospel to the church in Corinth with these words:

“Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you–unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures.” – 1 Cor 15:1-4

Long before Paul was converted and began to preach the gospel and establish churches, John the Baptist laid the groundwork for the coming of Christ:

“In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” ” Matt 3:1-2

Jesus began his earthly ministry with these words:

“From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” ” – Matt 4:17

“Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.” “- Mark 1:14-15

When Jesus appeared to His disciples after the resurrection, he commissioned them with these words:

“Then he (Jesus) opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.” “- Luke 24:45-47

Well, so what?

Here’s ‘what’:

Who am I, who are we, who name the Name of Christ, to change the message, or omit what Scripture tells us is the core and heart of the gospel message?

How dare we presume that a ‘changed life’ is the Gospel?

How dare we presume that making Jesus ‘attractive’, as the one who merely solves all of life’s little problems, is spreading the gospel that saves a person from Hell?

How dare we presume that love, love, love, without including the issue of sin and repentance, IS even love at all?

Who am I if I presume any of the above? Who am I if I don’t hold as paramount, and address as of ‘first importance’, that Jesus died for our SIN, and if I don’t speak of the need to REPENT from SIN?

I’ll tell you who I am – I am a spiritual coward, a disgrace to evangelism, and a traitor to the One who saved me!

And at the end of the day, I am still a sinner – a sinner saved by the amazing grace of a sovereign God!

Is Mormonism Christian?

Posted by Dan C. on

The recent ‘Restoring Honor’ rally at the Lincoln Center brought mixed reactions across the entire demographic spectrum of America. Certainly the patriotic spirit of the event was laudable. America needs more than a little restoration.

Somewhat troubling however was the number of professing Christian evangelicals who spoke at the rally and seemed to embrace Mr. Beck’s leadership in restoring honor to America, as if Beck’s Mormon religion is ‘as Christian’ as theirs. While it is not surprising that many, if not most, average Christians might not find Mormonism ‘troubling’ as best, that evangelical leaders embrace it on equal ground is more than a little troubling!

The sole purpose of this post is to address the question of Mormonism as authentically ‘Christian’. the material below, provided by Michael Davis, Ph. D., a former Mormon, and is available on the Internet under the title ‘Is Mormonism Christian?’. This article is an introduction to the religion of Mormonism and addresses the issue from meticulously cited Mormon sources, fully cited and contains numerous links those reference sources. Here’s the article:

Is Mormonism Christian?

Michael Davis, Ph D

The question above actually can be phrased in several ways:

  1. ‘Is the Mormon church a Christian denomination?‘ NO. Mormonism is not Christian because it denies some of the essential doctrines of Christianity, including: 1) the deity of Christ, 2) salvation by grace, and 3) the bodily resurrection of Christ. Furthermore, Mormon doctrine contradicts the Christian teaching of monotheism and undermines the authority and reliability of the Bible. The evidence for these statements is documented in section 3 below.
  2. ‘Are Mormons Christians?‘ LIKELY NOT, if they believe the major doctrines of their church.
  3. ‘Can a Mormon be a Christian?‘. POSSIBLY. Only God knows what each person believes (and why) regarding His Son, Jesus Christ. But as a person stays in the Mormon church, absorbs and accepts Mormon teaching, doctrine and ‘latter-day revelation’, the chances of answering the question in the affirmative approach zero. The key question Mormons must answer is ‘WHO is the Jesus they believe in‘?

In the New Testament book of 2 Corinthians, the apostle Paul warns of “another Jesus whom we have not preached… a different spirit which you have not received… a different gospel which you have not accepted” (2 Cor. 11:4).

In the New Testament book of Galatians, Paul again warns: “But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned!” (Gal. 1:8).

Ironically, this latter warning is a nearly exact description of how the Mormon church was founded:

  • In 1820, Joseph Smith Jr., age 14, went into the woods near Palmyra, New York to pray concerning the different denominations of Christianity. Allegedly, God the Father and Jesus appeared to him and told him not to join any of those churches. Three years later an angel named Moroni, the son of the leader of a people called the Nephites who had lived in the Americas around 400 AD, appeared to Smith and told him that Smith had been chosen to translate a book written on golden plates by Moroni’s father. Smith claimed to receive the plates along with instructions to begin the translation, which was published in 1830 as the Book of Mormon. The Book of Mormon is supposedly the account of an ancient people who came from the Middle-East to the Americas. Smith claimed that during the translation process, John the Baptist appeared to him and ordained him to accomplish the divine work of restoring the true church by preaching the true gospel which, allegedly, had been lost from the earth. From 1833-1835, a collection of additional ‘revelations from God’ to Joseph Smith were published by the LDS church as the ‘Doctrine and Covenants‘. In 1880 another work, the ‘Pearl of Great Price‘, was also added to the Mormon body of ‘scripture’.
  • The Mormon view of the Bible is summed up in a statement by the most famous Mormon apologist: “The Bible of the Old World has come to us from the manuscripts of antiquity – manuscripts which passed through the hands of uninspired men who changed many parts to suit their own doctrinal ideas. Deletions were common, and, as it now stands, many plain and precious portions and many covenants of the Lord have been lost. As a consequence, those who rely upon it alone [the Bible] stumble and are confused” (Bruce McConkie, in The Ensign, December 1985, p 55).

In the material below, I examine the major doctrines of the Mormon church and compare them to those taught by orthodox Christianity. The reader can judge whether or not Mormon teachings describe a “different Jesus” and a “different gospel”.

1. A Word to Mormons. If you are a Mormon, please read the material in section 1 before you proceed.

2. Claims Made by the Mormon Church. Section 2 gives background information on the LDS (Mormon) church, their statements regarding other churches, and their claims about what constitutes ‘scripture’.

3. Mormon Doctrine Compared to Biblical Doctrine. Section 3 is the largest section of the material (>50 pages). It is intended to focus on Mormon teaching about 4 essential subjects. The approach taken throughout is to simply quote original sources, both Biblical and Mormon, with minimal commentary. The reader can decide if there is a conflict between the two and is encouraged to look up the original materials. Each of the four sections is indexed to a summary table comparing Mormon with Biblical beliefs.

  • Mormon teachings about God
  • Mormon teachings about Jesus
  • Mormon teachings about salvation
  • Mormon teachings about man

4. Mormon Literature and Leaders. This reference section gives more information on source materials plus brief descriptions of the people and books quoted in sections 2 and 3. It is important to know the background because many of the Mormon authors spoke in an official capacity or claimed to have direct revelation from God. If Mormons argue that their prophets weren’t speaking authoritatively, they haven’t read the original quotations of their leaders.

5. Unique Mormon Definitions. Mormons, especially LDS missionaries, use many of the same Biblical terms familiar to Christians. Yet most of these terms carry different meanings, making it critically important to define those terms.

6. Other Serious Problems with Mormonism. Major doctrinal issues are covered above, but there are many other difficulties and inconsistencies with Mormonism. In this section, I’ve made a partial list of these and given some useful starting points for further investigation. The serious truth-seeker should examine each of these topics.

7. Topical Index to this site. A different way to access most of this material.

"It is Written."

Posted by Dan C. on

Depending on the translation you are reading, The phrase “It is written. . .” appears nearly 100 times in Scripture, almost 30 of which are in the Old Testament and the remainder in the New Testament.

It was spoken by prophets in the OT to remind God’s people of what was written in the Law of Moses, and served as a reminder of God’s complete sovereignty over His creation.

In the NT we find it used again as a reminder of what had been written in the Law, but even more to demonstrate that Jesus was the long awaited Messiah.

It was used by Jewish leaders a few times to try and trap Christ, and by Satan to to tempt the Lord to sin, thereby ruining God’s perfect plan of redemption..

Jesus used the phrase close to 20 times, to emphasize that He fulfilled messianic prophesy, as well as to turn the tables on the Jewish religious leaders who tried to use the Law to trap Him! Additionally, the Son of God, who had power over Satan in His divinity, replied to Satan three times with ‘”it is written” when tempted in the desert, demonstrating the greatest weapon we mortals have against the enemy of our souls!

The importance of that which has been written, revealed to us by God Himself through divinely inspired writers, cannot be overstated. “It is written”, when used in scripture, equates to “thus saith the Lord’ and should be responded to with the same attitude and respect that would be afforded God Himself if he appeared and spoke face to face, and nothing less.

Then we have the Apostle Paul cautioning believers in Corinth not to exceed what is written:

“I have applied all these things to myself and Apollos for your benefit, brothers, that you may learn by us not to go beyond what is written, that none of you may be puffed up in favor of one against another.” – 1 Cor 4:6

The specific context concerns ‘personality cults’ that had developed in the young Corinthian church, but anyone paying minimal attention to today’s evangelical landscape can see a striking resemblance to current events.

Revelation, the last Book of the Bible begins with a blessing pronounced on those who read and heed the ‘words of the prophecy’ (Rev 1:3), and ends with stark warnings to those who would add to it or take anything away from it in the very last chapter. It has been debated whether the warning pertains to just the Revelation of John or the entire Bible. Nevertheless, for the wise Christian, the warning should apply to both contexts – to all that has been “written” to us.

What has already been written trumps every teaching or doctrine of mere men. If you want to find out if the preaching and teaching you are receiving is right and true, lay it alongside what has been written and you will soon find out, and no teacher or preacher should feel insulted if you do.

You can trace nearly every unorthodox teaching, ‘interesting’ but not quite right doctrine, ‘out there’ Christian cult, apostasy, or downright heresy in the entire history of the church, to the misuse of, adding to, or taking away, from ‘what is written’.

Food for thought. . .

Effectual Grace

Posted by Dan C. on

Jer. 31:18-19, “Turn thou me, and I shall be turned; Thou art the Lord my God. Surely after that I was turned, I repented; and after that I was instructed, I smote upon my thigh”

“You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit. As your fathers did, so do you – Acts 7:51 …This passage, which is often used in an attempt to refute the biblical doctrine of irresistible grace, actually supports it. Notice the condition of the persons who are doing the resisting: their hearts and ears are uncircumcised, which is the Bible’s way of saying they are unregenerate. A person in this condition will always resist the outward call of the gospel. The Holy Spirit may convict them of sin and work to show them their need to Christ, but as long as they remain unregenerate, their hearts will remain closed to Christ. Only the Spirit can circumcise their heart that we might be willing to believe and obey: “And the LORD your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your offspring, so that you will love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, that you may live. (Deut 30:6) Irresistible grace does not mean that whenever the Spirit works He is irresistible. Rather, it means that while His promtings are always resisted by the dead in sin, He can make the gospel irresistible when He opens their spiritually blind eyes, when he opens their deaf ears and turns their heart of stone to a heart of flesh. (Monergism.com)

Whosoever Will May Come

Posted by Dan C. on

 “And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely. – Rev 22:17 (KJV)

That must be one of the favorite verses of evangelical Christians. We use it a lot, with special emphasis on “whosoever”, as if anyone and everyone can or is able, to actually come to Christ. It’s a great thought, but it is it true according to what we are given in Scripture? Perhaps a separate question would be helpful here. “Just who CAN come Christ?

Who can hear? Who thirsts for Christ? Who desires Christ?

CANNOT/WILL NOT

 “No one understands; no one seeks for God.” – Rom 3:11 (Those who don’t seek.)

“For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot.” – Rom 8:7 (The carnally/fleshly minded.)

“And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled only to those who are perishing. In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” – 2 Cor 4:3-4 (The blind man wearing a veil.)

“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 dead man – deserving only of God’s wrath.)

“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 (The one not drawn to Christ by the Father.)

“And he said, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father.” – John 6:65 (The one not granted to come by the Father)

“Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father’s name bear witness about me, but you do not believe because you are not part of my flock.” – John 10:25-26 (Those who are not His sheep.)

CAN/WILL

 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.” – Matt 7:7 (The true seeker.)

“All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out.” – John 6:37 (Those the Father gives the Son)

“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 (The one drawn by the Father to the Son)

“And he said, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father.” – John 6:65 (The one to whom it is granted by the Father.)

“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.” John 27-28 (His sheep.)

“But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ–by grace you have been saved—Eph 2:4-5 (Those made alive by God)

“And when the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord, and as many as were appointed to eternal life believed.” – Acts 13:48 (Those appointed to eternal life.)

“One who heard us was a woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purple goods, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what was said by Paul.” – Act 16:14 (The one whose heart has been opened to hear and receive the gospel.)

“..even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, Eph 1:4-5 (Those chosen and predestined by God for adoption.)

“But we ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the firstfruits to be saved, through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth.” – 2Th 2:13 (Those chosen for salvation.)

“Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who are elect exiles of the dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, according to the foreknowledge of God the Father…” – 1 Pet 1:1-2a (The elect according to the foreknowledge of God.)

Those are but a few of the passages of scripture that address the question “Who CAN come to Christ.?” They say what they say, and ought to be solid food for thought for all of us who name The Name of Christ.. Perhaps we will be more urgent in praying that God will call men and women to Christ, and that He will open hearts; enabling those to whom we witness to Come!

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Except where noted, all Scripture passages are taken from the English Standard Version (ESV)

‘Doctrine’ – The Good News and the Bad News

Posted by Dan C. on

Over the past several years, there seems to have a been a decline in the attention do what is commonly termed ‘doctrine’. The term ‘doctrine’ has taken on a negative connotation even in our evangelical churches, as if it’s merely the invention of ‘religious’  men and the product of their imaginations. Well, the Bible tells us that there is good doctrine and bad doctrine.

Indeed, Jesus Christ frowned on commandments of men presenting as doctrine commandments of men in conversation with Pharisee in His day.

You hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy of you, when he said: “‘This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.'” – Matt 15:9

Jesus does not condemn doctrine, but commandments of men taught as ‘doctrine’. It is said of the early church that they:

“And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching (doctrine) and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.” –Acts 2:42

‘Teaching’ in that passage comes from the same Greek word as ‘doctrine’ and ‘teaching’ in the following verses:

Eph 4:14  …so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.

1Ti 4:6 If you put these things before the brothers, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, being trained in the words of the faith and of the good doctrine that you have followed.

1Ti 6:1 Let all who are under a yoke as slaves regard their own masters as worthy of all honor, so that the name of God and the teaching may not be reviled.

1Ti 6:3 If anyone teaches a different doctrine and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching that accords with godliness,

2Ti 4:3 For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions,

Tit 2:1 But as for you, teach what accords with sound doctrine.

Tit 2:7 Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity, dignity,

Tit 2:10 not pilfering, but showing all good faith, so that in everything they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior.

Clearly, there is “good sound” doctrine and “different” doctrine. Sound doctrine refers to the apostles’ teaching that originated in Christ. “Different” doctrines then are “commandments” or “teachings”.of men, not grounded in Jesus’ or the Apostles’ teaching.

Jesus is now at the right hand of God and the Apostles are all dead. How do we know if our ‘doctrine’ is good and sound? Is it rooted and grounded in the plain reading of the text of the Bible, inspired by God and laid down before us by the Apostles Jesus taught? Does the teaching (doctrine) seem to be ‘drawn from’ passages of scripture, either explicitly or inescapably implied, or does the ‘doctrine’ taught seem to be a questionable conclusion based on a ‘therefore’ based on passages/portions of scripture taken out of their original context?

Do we always get it right? No, but we really ought to receive gladly what is clear in scripture and discard what is ‘man made’ and not supported clearly by Scripture.

Evangelism: Gospel Implications

Posted by Dan C. on

“For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age.” –Titus 2:11-12

The fact is that the New Testament message embraces a great deal more than an offer of free pardon. It is a message of pardon, and for that may God be praised; but it is also a message of repentance. It is a message of atonement, but it is also a message of temperance and righteousness and godliness in this present world.

It tells us that we must accept a Savior, but it tells us also that we must deny ungodliness and worldly lusts. The gospel message includes the idea of amendment, of separation from the world, of cross-carrying and loyalty to the kingdom of God even unto death.

To be strictly technical, these latter truths are corollaries of the gospel, and not the gospel itself; but they are part and parcel of the total message which we are commissioned to declare….

To offer a sinner the gift of salvation based upon the work of Christ, while at the same time allowing him to retain the idea that the gift carries with it no moral implications, is to do him untold injury where it hurts him worst. – A.W. Tozer, The Set of the Sail, 19-20.