U in TULIP

THE U IN TULIP

            U stands for unconditional election.  The idea is that God has chosen individuals for salvation from before creation, and that He has chosen all others for condemnation, based on His choice, not our choice.  There is some basis for this argument in scripture, because several statements speak of God’s foreknowledge and plans from the beginning.  The apostle Paul wrote of God’s predestination of the elect both to the Romans and to those at Ephesus. 

            Rom 8:28-33 - “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.  For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.  Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.”

            “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?  He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?  Who shall bring a charge against God's elect?  It is God who justifies.”  (NKJ)

            Eph 1:3-6 - “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He has made us accepted in the Beloved.  (NKJ)

            God surely planned to save those whom He intends to save, and He knows the future.  God knows who will be saved, and who will be lost.  But God gave us a role to play in the eternal outcome of our lives.  God has hope that we will come to Him and have everlasting life.  He is not willing that any should perish.  When God hopes for something, it is evident that someone else’s will is involved, because God is able to work all things according to His will.  But when He created us, He gave us free will and made us subject to sin.  God is willing for us to make the choice for life or for death.  He wants only those who make the free will choice for life as His children.  The creation was for this purpose only, for the revealing of the children of God.

            As Paul said in Rom 8:18-21 - “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.  For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God.  For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.” (NKJ)

            As we study the scriptures in their completeness, it becomes apparent that God planned to save all who believe in Jesus Christ, understanding that belief to be a free will choice of obedient faith.  Jesus extends an invitation to whoever desires to come - Rev 22:16-19 - "I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things in the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the Bright and Morning Star."  And the Spirit and the bride say, "Come!" And let him who hears say, "Come!" And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely.”

            “For I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that 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 Book of Life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.”  (NKJ)

            This article written for the NJP illustrates how we are made in the image of God, and able to come to Him for eternal life.  The most remarkable thing about Jesus was His complete devotion to doing his Father’s will.  We need to be devoted like that.

IN HIS IMAGE

            God made mankind in His own image, and gave us dominion over His creation. (Genesis 1:26-27)  He made man a living being, and gave him the tree of life so that he could live forever.  (Genesis 2:9, 3:22) 

            But Adam and Eve rejected eternal life and chose death along with the right to do their own thing.  And so death passed to mankind, because we all have sinned and chosen to rebel against God sometime in our life.  (Romans 3:23)

            So Jesus came to live a perfect life and show us what it means to be made in the image of God.  Jesus perfectly demonstrated the likeness of God in His human life.  When we look at the life of Jesus, we see the life that God wants us to live.  Jesus is our example, and He makes it possible for us to realize what God created us to be. 

            Jesus' life is remarkable in how He totally dedicated Himself to doing his Father's will.  Although He was God, He left heaven, took the form of a servant, and humbled Himself by dying the agonizing death on the cross.  (Philippians 2:5-11)  He despised the shame of the cross because of His interest in bringing mankind to eternal glory, so that we could truly be in the image of God.  (Hebrews 2:9-12, 12:2)

            Paul said that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God.  (1 Corinthians 15:50) 

            Jesus said that a man must be born again of water and the Spirit in order to enter the Kingdom.  (John 3:3-7)

            Again Paul said Christians have a responsibility to live our lives for Jesus who died for us, no longer living for ourselves.  (2 Corinthians 5:15)

            To be Christlike means to dedicate our lives in service to God and to mankind.  If we are in Christ, we are a new creation in the image of God.  Old things have passed away and all things have become new.  ----  "For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him."  (2 Corinthians 5:17, 21  NKJ)

            We can be like Jesus in this life by submitting our will to the will of God as Jesus did, and by accepting the salvation that is in Jesus Christ.  God calls us by His gospel, the message of Jesus Christ, to come to Him in faith and to be born again through obedience to the message of God, being made complete in Jesus.  (Colossians 2:8-13)  Jesus gives eternal life to all who obey Him.  (Hebrews 5:9)  But He will destroy those who refuse to obey the gospel.  (2 Thessalonians 1:8)  Therefore we make the choice whether to be born again into God's family and have eternal life, or to reject God and suffer eternal damnation. 

            To be in the image of God means to be in Jesus Christ, who is the exact likeness of God the Father.  (Colossians 1:15-23)  This is possible because God loved us and made us in the beginning to be His children.  Although we have rejected His love and been separated from Him by sin, He is able to cleanse us and bring us back into His glorious presence.  "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."  (John 3:16, NKJ)

            Obeying the gospel is a Bible concept that the followers of TULIP seemingly never use.  Instead of saying we must obey the gospel, they say that we must confess that we are sinners and accept Christ as our personal savior by praying the sinners prayer.  But the Bible says in several places that individuals are responsible for faith and obedience.  Following is another of my articles that illustrates how we become Christians. 

OBEDIENCE

            A pillar of salt standing in the great rift valley south of the Dead Sea was all that remained of Lot's wife. She had failed to honor God and disobeyed His specific command.  She looked back to Sodom, a place so wicked that the men of the city had surrounded Lot's house earlier and demanded to have homosexual relations with his two visitors.  God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah because of the great wickedness of their people, and Lot's wife received the reward of disobedience which is destruction. (See Genesis 19)

            Many generations before, a man named Noah was saved with his family when the world was destroyed with water.  Noah obeyed God because he believed and honored Him. 

            Noah and his family worked for 120 years while the neighbors wondered.  What was this huge thing built of gopher wood, four hundred fifty feet long, seventy five feet wide, and forty five feet high?  Noah pleaded with them to repent and believe in God, but none outside his own family listened.  They were destroyed because of unbelief.  But Noah and his family were saved by God's grace through their faith and obedience. (Genesis 6-8)

            Abraham's devotion to God was tested when God ordered Abraham to offer his son Isaac as a sacrifice.  Abraham believed in God so much that he was willing to offer his son, trusting that God could even raise Isaac from death.  Abraham's faith was counted for righteousness because he obeyed God. (James 2:14-26) 

            The bible contains many examples of the importance of obedience and how it is a required demonstration of faith in God.  While we are unable to be perfected by our obedience because of our sins, yet God requires submission of our will to Him.  He requires simple acts of obedience motivated by faith in God and acceptance of His grace in Jesus Christ.  Believers must understand these simple acts of submission to God's will and be willing to obey if they are to be justified by their faith in Jesus Christ.  These requirements are easily understood and only require our submission to the Will of God in order to be accomplished.

            Jesus promised that "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven." (Matthew 7:21, NKJ)  Jesus says that some who claim to be great miracle workers in His name will be cast out because He never knew them.  He taught that those who build on the firm foundation of faith in Jesus Christ will be saved. (Matthew 7:22-27)

            Faith in Jesus as the Son of God and obedient trust that causes us to follow the simple commands of Jesus will lead us to eternal life.  Jesus commanded repentance which involves a change of direction in our lives.  We must be willing to turn away from doing our own thing according to our own will, and be willing to follow Jesus.  Repentance is a choice of our own mind which is prompted by our faith in Jesus.  Repentance is necessary.  (See Luke 13:3,5; Acts 2:38)

            Jesus also requires a commitment from us to express our faith in Him openly before other people.  We cannot be secret Christians and be pleasing to Jesus.  Jesus said, "Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven." (Matthew 10:32)

            Baptism is also a simple command of Jesus which is a demonstration of our trust in the death of Jesus and His resurrection.  Paul explained it this way to the Roman Christians, "Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death?  Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just  as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we should walk in newness of life." (Romans 6:3-4, NKJ)

            Having obeyed these simple commands of Jesus, we know that God adds us to the body of Christ and that we have become children of God through faith in Jesus Christ. (Acts 2:38-47)  As children of God we are commanded to follow Jesus, to love God and keep His commandments, to love each other, and to trust God for continued cleansing from sin.  (1 John 1:9) 

            Our attitude toward God will determine where we spend eternity.  Attitude is something everyone has, and it can be good or bad.  While our attitude will not save us, it is necessary to have an attitude of trusting God for salvation if we are to have hope for eternity.  An attitude of trusting Jesus and of being loyal to Him are decisions we make with our human mind.  God does not force us to change our attitude from trusting the things of this world to trusting Him, but through the example of Jesus Christ, He teaches us to have the right attitude.  The following article will give some light on the importance of obedience.

TRUSTING GOD

            Pilots adjust their airplane's flight attitude so that the plane will fly most efficiently.  Thus attitude may describe the direction in which we tilt; the way that we approach life.

            People are called pessimistic or optimistic; describing our negative or positive approach to life.  So attitude may describe our mindset; our tendency to approach problems either negatively or positively. 

            Everyone has an attitude, and many of us have attitude problems.  We need to have our approach to life adjusted so that we can travel more efficiently. 

            Cain, first born son of Adam and Eve, had an attitude problem.  He thought that he should be able to do things his own way without recognizing God's supreme power.  Because of his rebellion, he became an outcast and  the father of an evil race of people who were all destroyed in the flood. (Genesis 6)

            Saul, first king of Israel, had an attitude of doing things his own way rather than respecting the commandments of God.  First he offered sacrifices which were the responsibility of Samuel, God's anointed High Priest.  Next he chose to partially obey God's command to destroy the Amalekites. 

            Then Samuel said to Saul, "Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord?  Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams.  For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry.  Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, He also has rejected you from being King." (1 Samuel 15:22-23)

            So David was made king in Saul's place.  David had a good attitude, and trusted God for protection and salvation all of his life.  Although David made terrible mistakes, he always repented and turned to God for deliverance. 

            David composed the words of this song: "The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; the God of my strength, in Him I will trust, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold and my refuge; my Savior, You save me from violence.  I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised; so shall I be saved from my enemies." (2 Samuel 22:2-4, NKJ)

            We need an attitude like David, and like Jesus who trusted His Father completely.  Peter described it this way: "For what credit is it if, when you are beaten for your faults, you take it patiently?  But when you do good and suffer, if you take it patiently, this is commendable before God.  For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps: "Who committed no sin, nor was deceit found in His mouth"; who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously; who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness-- by whose stripes you were healed." (1 Peter 2:20-24, NKJ)

            Paul expresses a powerful attitude of trust in his letter to the Philippians:  "But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ.  But indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead."  (Chapter 3:7-11, NKJ)

            Like Paul, we need the attitude of trusting God for salvation.  God's power will never fail us, and He is able to get us through this life.

            God calls everyone to come to Him for salvation.  Jesus died for the sins of all mankind.  God loves us so much that He gave Jesus to die on the cross so that whoever desires to may believe and have life in Jesus.  Yet not everyone will be saved, because salvation is conditional upon our choice to believe or disbelieve, based on the evidence given by Jesus Christ and the Bible.  We will be talking about faith as a gift of God in a later section, but the scriptures are clear in teaching that faith is the result of evidence God has revealed about Himself, especially through the gospel of Jesus the Christ.  As Paul said to the Romans, “faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”  The following article shows how God has chosen us through our obedience to the gospel. 

CALLED  OF  GOD?

            Recently I visited a friend I have known for fifty years, and he is now more than eighty years old.  Many times I have talked with him about following Jesus, and he told me several times that he was not ready yet. 

            Again I talked with him about Jesus, and asked if he believed that Jesus is the Son of God. 

            “I guess so,” he replied.  And then he changed the subject. 

            Later in the conversation I said that I would feel bad if he died unsaved.  “They way I see it,” he said, “it would not be your fault.”

            What about someone who sort of believes in Jesus, but is perhaps not completely convinced?  What is his hope?  The only hope he has, according to the Bible, is to believe in Jesus as the Son of God, and put his trust in Jesus for salvation.  (Hebrews 11:6)

            Paul said that faith in God comes from hearing God’s word. (Romans 10:17)  He also said that God chose the foolishness (from the human view) of preaching to save those who believe.  (1 Cor 1:18-25)

            The message to be preached and heard and believed is the gospel, the glorious message of God’s love that makes salvation available to everyone who believes in Him and is willing to follow Jesus.  Paul said he was not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, “For it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes.” (Rom 1:16)

            God has called everyone who is willing to come to Him in faith and be saved by the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ.  In the words of Jesus, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”  (Matthew 11:28, NKJ)

            As Jesus told Nicodemus, "And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up (the crucifixion, rg), that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.”

            "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.  For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.”

            "He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” (John 3:14-18, NKJ)

            God is calling everyone to faith and obedience through the gospel of Jesus Christ.  If you do not know the gospel, then read Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John from the Bible.  At the end of the gospel of Mark, Jesus gives the marching orders to His disciples, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.  He who believes and is baptized will be saved, but he who does not believe will be condemned.” (Mark 16:15-16, NKJ)

            So we see that everyone is called by the gospel to have faith in Jesus as the Christ (anointed), the Son of God.  But some are not sure they believe the gospel.  And some are waiting for a sign from God to convince them they are chosen for salvation. 

            By believing in Jesus is how we are chosen, and the gospel is God calling us for salvation.  If the message of Jesus dying on the cross will not touch one’s heart and let him or her see the love of God, then that person will stand condemned before Jesus in the great day of judgment.  Jesus is coming back to judge everyone.  (Acts 17:31)

            As Paul told the Thessalonians, “---- to give you who are troubled rest with us when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.

            These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power, when He comes, in that Day, to be glorified in His saints and to be admired among all those who believe, because our testimony among you was believed.” (2 Thes 1:7-10, NKJ)   (end of article)

            The Bible teaches that our calling is through a message preached, the gospel of Christ.  And it also teaches that our faith is a matter of choice, producing blessings to those who believe and curses upon those who choose not to believe.  Jesus said that we should preach the gospel to everyone, and those that believe will be saved, and those who do not believe will be condemned.  That would be strange language to use if the choice has already been determined by God in the beginning of time.  God calls us to be His children through the gospel.  It is a call that is conditional upon our faith and obedience.  This article looks at the concept.

UNCONDITIONAL ELECTION?

            Abraham was chosen by God to become father of the faithful.  Abraham’s faith was developed through years of walking with God and seeing demonstrations of God’s power.  Then God worked with Abraham until his faith became strong enough to offer his son Isaac as a sacrifice. 

            The apostle Paul was chosen by Jesus to be the apostle to the nations of Asia and Europe.  Paul’s faith was developed by the struggles he faced and by God delivering him from the stoning at Lystra.  Finally Paul could say:  “Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, ----- who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began, but has now been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, who has abolished death and brought life and immortality to light :through the gospel, to which I was appointed a preacher, an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles.”

            “For this reason I also suffer these things; nevertheless I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day.”  (2 Tim 1:8-12, NKJ)

            Paul warned Timothy to: “Hold fast the pattern of sound words which you have heard from me, in faith and love which are in Christ Jesus.” (2 Tim 1:13NKJ)  Again he wrote - “Therefore I endure all things for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.  This is a faithful saying: for if we died with Him, we shall also live with Him.  If we endure, we shall also reign with Him. If we deny Him, he also will deny us.  If we are faithless, he remains faithful; he cannot deny Himself.”  (2 Tim 2:10-13, NKJ)

            God is faithful, and He will keep His promises.  But he has promised salvation not only to a select few, but rather to all who come to Him through faith in Jesus Christ, and who are faithful to him when they die.  The conditions of election are faith in Jesus Christ as the Son of God, and faithfulness to Him in our lives.  God has elected to save all who believe in Jesus and are willing to follow Him. 

            God has chosen to save those who endure temptation and who love God:  “Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.”  (James 1:12, NKJ)  Those who love God keep His commandments.  (1 John 5:3)

            God has chosen those who are faithful to Him at death to receive salvation.  "Do not fear any of those things which you are about to suffer. Indeed, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.”   (Rev 2:10, NKJ)

            God has chosen to save those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life: “But there shall by no means enter it anything that defiles, or causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb's Book of Life.”   (Rev 21:27, NKJ)  But names can be blotted out of the Book of Life - “and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the Book of Life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.”   (Rev 22:19, NKJ)

            Jesus brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.  The gospel is God’s power to salvation for everyone who believes.  God has promised that He will save all who come to Him through believing the gospel message and following Jesus faithfully.  It is the message of the gospel that elects us for eternal salvation when we are willing to believe it. 

T in TULIP

THE  T  IN  TULIP

As we said earlier, the T in TULIP stands for total depravity.  This means that the nature of man was changed by the sin of Adam so that we became unable to make good decisions in our lives. 

Therefore, according to this concept, God has to give us the will to act before we can come to Him.  He has to give us the faith before we can come to Him.  He has to show us we are selected for salvation by some subjective experience so that we can know we are chosen for salvation.  This concept was developed by Augustine.  Here is part of his argument taken from: THE AGES DIGITAL LIBRARY COLLECTIONS; THE NICENE AND POST-NICENE FATHERS;FIRST SERIES, VOLUME 3;by Philip Schaff, editor; TRANSLATED BY PROFESSOR J F. SHAW, LONDONDERRY.

ST. AUGUSTIN: THE ENCHIRIDION

OR

ON FAITH, HOPE, AND LOVE

CHAPTER 26

THROUGH ADAM’S SIN HIS WHOLE POSTERITY WERE CORRUPTED, AND WERE BORN UNDER THE PENALTY OF DEATH, WHICH HE HAD INCURRED

Thence, after his sin, he was driven into exile, and by his sin the whole race of which he was the root was corrupted in him, and thereby subjected to the penalty of death. And so it happens that all descended from him, and from the woman who had led him into sin, and was condemned at the same time with him, — being the offspring of carnal lust on which the same punishment of disobedience was visited, — were tainted with the original sin, and were by it drawn through divers errors and sufferings into that last and endless punishment which they suffer in common with the fallen angels, their corrupters and masters, and the partakers of their doom. And thus “by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.” By “the world” the apostle, of course, means in this place the whole human race.

CHAPTER 30

MEN ARE NOT SAVED BY GOOD WORKS, NOR BY THE FREE DETERMINATION OF THEIR OWN WILL, BUT BY THE GRACE OF GOD THROUGH FAITH

            But this part of the human race to which God has promised pardon and a share in His eternal kingdom, can they be restored through the merit of their own works? God forbid. For what good work can a lost man perform, except so far as he has been delivered from perdition? Can they do anything by the free determination of their own will? Again I say, God forbid. For it was by the evil use of his free-will that man destroyed both it and himself. For, as a man who kills himself must, of course, be alive when he kills himself, but after he has killed himself ceases to live, and cannot restore himself to life; so, when man by his own free-will sinned, then sin being victorious over him, the freedom of his will was lost. “For of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage.” This is the judgment of the Apostle Peter. And as it is certainly true, what kind of liberty, I ask, can the bond-slave possess, except when it pleases him to sin? For he is freely in bondage who does with pleasure the will of his master. Accordingly, he who is the servant of sin is free to sin. And hence he will not be free to do right, until, being freed from sin, he shall begin to be the servant of righteousness. And this is true liberty, for he has pleasure in the righteous deed; and it is at the same time a holy bondage, for he is obedient to the will of God. But whence comes this liberty to do right to the man who is in bondage and sold under sin, except he be redeemed by Him who has said, “If the Son shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed?” And before this redemption is wrought in a man, when he is not yet free to do what is right, how can he talk of the freedom of his will and his good works, except he be inflated by that foolish pride of boasting which the apostle restrains when he says, “By grace are ye saved, through faith.”

CHAPTER 31

FAITH ITSELF IS THE GIFT OF GOD; AND GOOD WORKS WILL NOT BE WANTING IN THOSE WHO BELIEVE

            And lest men should arrogate to themselves the merit of their own faith at least, not understanding that this too is the gift of God, this same apostle, who says in another place that he had “obtained mercy of the Lord to be faithful,” here also adds: “and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast.” And test it should be thought that good works will be wanting in those who believe, he adds further: “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” We shall be made truly free, then, when God fashions us, that is, forms and creases us anew, not as men — for He has done that already — but as good men, which His grace is now doing, that we may be a new creation in Christ Jesus, according as it is said: “Create in me a clean heart, O God.” For God had already created his heart, so far as the physical structure of the human heart is concerned; but the psalmist prays for the renewal of the life which was still lingering in his heart.

CHAPTER 32

THE FREEDOM OF THE WILL IS ALSO THE GIFT OF GOD, FOR GOD WORKETH IN US BOTH TO WILL AND TO DO

            And further, should any one be inclined to boast, not indeed of his works, but of the freedom of his will, as if the first merit belonged to him, this very liberty of good action being given to him as a reward he had earned, let him listen to this same preacher of grace, when he says: “For it is God which worketh in you, both to will and to do of His own good pleasure;” and in another place: “So, then, it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that showeth mercy.” Now as, undoubtedly, if a man is of the age to use his reason, he cannot believe, hope, love, unless he will to do so, nor obtain the prize of the high calling of God unless he voluntarily run for it; in what sense is it “not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that showeth mercy,” except that, as it is written, “the preparation of the heart is from the Lord?” Otherwise, if it is said, “It is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that showeth mercy,” because it is of both, that is, both of the will of man and of the mercy of God, so that we are to understand the saying, “It is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that showeth mercy,” as if it meant the will of man alone is not sufficient, if the mercy of God go not with it, — then it will follow that the mercy of God alone is not sufficient, if the will of man go not with it; and therefore, if we may rightly say, “it is not of man that willeth, but of God that showeth mercy,” because the will of man by itself is not enough, why may we not also rightly put it in the converse way: “It is not of God that showeth mercy, but of man that willeth,” because the mercy of God by itself does not suffice? Surely, if no Christian will dare to say this, “It is not of God that showeth mercy, but of man that willeth,” lest he should openly contradict the apostle, it follows that the true interpretation of the saying, “It is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that showeth mercy,” is that the whole work belongs to God, who both makes the will of man righteous, and thus prepares it for assistance, and assists it when it is prepared. For the man’s righteousness of will precedes many of God’s gifts, but not all; and it must itself be included among those which it does not precede. We read in Holy Scripture, both that God’s mercy “shall meet me,” and that His mercy “shall follow me.” It goes before the unwilling to make him willing; it follows the willing to make his will effectual. Why are we taught to pray for our enemies, who are plainly unwilling to lead a holy life, unless that God may work willingness in them? And why are we ourselves taught to ask that may receive, unless that He who has created in us the wish, may Himself satisfy the wish We pray, then, for our enemies, that the mercy of God may prevent them, as it has prevented us: we pray for ourselves that His mercy may follow us.

CHAPTER 33

MEN, BEING BY NATURE THE CHILDREN OF WRATH, NEEDED A MEDIATOR. IN WHAT SENSE GOD IS SAID TO BE ANGRY

            And so the human race was lying under a just condemnation, and all men were the children of wrath. Of which wrath it is written: “All our days are passed away in Thy wrath; we spend our years as a tale that is told.” Of which wrath also Job says: “Man that is born of a woman is of few days, and full of trouble.” Of which wrath also the Lord Jesus says: “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.” He does not say it will come, but it “abideth on him.” For every man is born with it; wherefore the apostle says: “We were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.” Now, as men were lying under this wrath by reason of their original sin, and as this original sin was the more heavy and deadly in proportion to the number and magnitude of the actual sins which were added to it, there was need for a Mediator, that is, for a reconciler, who, by the offering of one sacrifice, of which all the sacrifices of the law and the prophets were types, should take away this wrath. Wherefore the apostle says: “For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.” Now when God is said to be angry, we do not attribute to Him such a disturbed feeling as exists in the mind of an angry man; but we call His just displeasure against sin by the name “anger,” a word transferred by analogy from human emotions. But our being reconciled to God through a Mediator, and receiving the Holy Spirit, so that we who were enemies are made sons (“For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God”): this is the grace of God through Jesus Christ our Lord.

(end of excerpts from Augustine’s teaching)

While it is obvious that many of the conclusions that Augustine has drawn have a basis in scripture, it is important to notice that he makes God responsible for everything, even the operation of our human will.  This may take us away from what the scriptures teach us about personal responsibility and use of our free will.  Augustine says that even faith and the ability to exercise our free will are gifts from God.  In one sense this is true, because God created us in the beginning and gave us the capacity to make choices between good and evil.  But in making us able to choose between good and evil, God gave us personal responsibility for making the choices of life.  Here are three stories taken from my collection of articles for the NJP which illustrate this point.

SAINTS BY CHOICE

Cain, Adam's oldest son, killed his brother Abel.  Cain was angry  because God accepted Abel's sacrifice of the best of his lambs, but God rejected Cain's sacrifice of some grain from his field.

           

God asked Cain, "Why are you angry? -- If you do well, will you not be accepted?  And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door.  And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it."  (Genesis 4:6-7, NKJ)

           

But Cain ignored God's advice, and killed his brother.  Cain became the father of an ungodly line of people who were all destroyed in the flood.

           

The writer of Hebrews tells us that Abel offered to God a pleasing sacrifice by faith.  (Heb 11:4)  Since faith comes by hearing God's word, (Rom 10:17) we know that God had told Cain and Abel that He wanted a sacrifice of the first and best of the lambs.  But apparently Cain thought it was not fair for him to have to offer a lamb since he was a grain farmer.  He brought what he believed was a proper offering and became angry when God did not accept his sacrifice.

           

Cain became a murderer by choice, and Abel became a saint by choice.  Today we should respect the witness of Abel, and offer God our lives as a living sacrifice, just as He has requested.  (Rom 12:1)

           

Cain showed that we cannot become sanctified by our own plan or our own works of righteousness.  God only accepts what is according to His will and commandment.  We should not think that we can substitute our own ideas for what God has clearly told us.

           

Some people seem to think that God should conform to their desires and to their opinions.  This must have been how Cain was thinking.  He chose rebellion and his anger controlled his actions so that he murdered his brother and was exiled from his family.

           

Today every person who knows the difference between good and evil is faced with the choice of obeying God for justification or rebelling against God for condemnation.  We choose whether to be a saint or a sinner.

           

Jesus died on the cross at Calvary to pay the price for every one's sins.  He took our terrible sins upon Himself and offered Himself as a sacrifice pleasing to his Father. (Isaiah 53)  Whoever believes in Jesus can become sanctified.  (John 3:14-18)

           

But we have a choice.  Some men love evil and are not willing to submit to the will of God.  God calls us by the message about His Son Jesus Christ to obey the gospel and offer our lives as a living sacrifice in His service.  Jesus is the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him.  (Heb 5:9).

           

Jesus commanded that those who believed the gospel were to repent and be baptized for the remission of sins.  (Mark 16:16, Acts 2:38)  But some people believe that baptism is not needed for salvation, since salvation and sanctification is a gift of God through faith in Jesus Christ.  However a real faith is one that submits to the will of God. 

           

We need to remember that Jesus is the one who commanded baptism.  Baptism is God's work; a demonstration of our faith in the atoning death of Jesus, a sharing in His burial, and a trusting in His resurrection. (Rom 6:3-6).  The submission of our will to God by our choice makes baptism of value.  (Colossians 2:12, 1 Peter 3:21). 

           

We must be careful not to rebel against God as Cain did, but show our faith in God as Abel who respected the commandment of God.  Abel obeyed God and was justified; Cain rebelled against God and was condemned.  What is your choice?  Saint or sinner?

SINNERS BY CHOICE

God finished the creation in six days, looked it over, and said "It is very good." (Gen. 1:31)  He had made mankind in His own image, in the likeness of God.  Man was perfect in the day God created him.  God looked him over and said "It is very good."

           

But man did not remain good very long.  He chose to do as he pleased rather than obeying God who had made him. Adam and Eve were tempted by their human desires; things that looked good to them, things that appealed to their fleshly appetites, and the desire to exalt themselves. 

           

A little child born into the world today is like Adam and Eve in the beginning, perfect and innocent before God.  When that child becomes aware of good and evil and chooses to do evil, it is just like when Adam and Eve decided to eat the forbidden fruit.  Every person becomes a sinner by choice, and the bad choosing began with Adam and Eve.

           

Sin entered the world through one man, Adam, and all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.  (Rom. 3:23; 5:12)  But Jesus came to redeem or buy back sinners into a perfect relationship with God like Adam had in the beginning. 

           

When we say that Jesus came to redeem us we admit that we had a good relationship with God before we became sinners, that is, when we were innocent little children.  To redeem means to buy back or to pay the ransom price.  This shows that we once belonged to God before we became sinners.  (1 Peter 1:17-25)

           

Jesus told His disciples to allow little children to come to Him, because of such is the Kingdom of Heaven.  Obviously He would not have said this if little children are sinners. 

           

James, brother of our Lord Jesus, said this about sin; "Let no one say when he is tempted, 'I am tempted by God'; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone.  But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desire and enticed.  Then when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is fullgrown, brings forth death." (James 1:13-15, NKJ)

           

John, best friend and apostle of Jesus, said this, "Do not love the world or the things in the world.  If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.  For all that is in the world -- the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life -- is not of the Father but is of the world.  And the world is passing away, and the lusts of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever. (1 John 2:15-17, NKJ)

           

We became sinners by choice when we learned the knowledge of good and evil and chose to do evil.  We can become children of God when we choose to accept the redemption of the blood of Christ through the gospel. 

           

A sinner who hears the gospel is both able to believe it and obey it, because God never asks us to do anything impossible.  No man has to wait on God for his salvation, but he must accept the free gift of salvation that is in Jesus Christ. (Acts 2:38; Mark 16:15-16)

Augustine’s concept of total depravity expresses the idea that man can not make a choice to receive salvation.  But the Bible clearly teaches that Jesus died so that who ever believes may have salvation.  The gospel is to be preached to every person, and the one who believes will be saved.  God is not a respecter of persons, but is willing that everyone be saved.  The gospel is God’s power for salvation to everyone who believes.  God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. 

           

But the idea of total depravity denies man’s ability by his free will to understand that he is a sinner, to believe that Jesus is the Son of God, to repent of sins, and to decide that he wants to obey the gospel.  However, in recognition of the need for man to show in some way that God has chosen them for salvation, followers of Augustine have developed the sinner’s prayer response where a statement is made accepting Christ as savior. 

           

But Jesus said that repentance and remission of sins should be preached beginning at Jerusalem.  And Peter stood in Jerusalem and clearly stated that those who desire salvation should repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus for the remission of sins.  Acts 2:38 is in the Bible, along with Mark 16:15-16, Matthew 28:18-19, and many other scriptures teaching the importance of baptism as a decision of man’s free will to come to Christ and be united with Him by obeying the gospel.  Ridicule of those who refer to these passages as teachers of water regeneration is usually not justified.   

God put those scriptures in the Bible to be believed and obeyed.  But since Augustine and Calvin taught that a man who is totally depraved cannot make a good decision by his own human will, you will not hear a true Calvinist teaching that we accept Jesus as savior by repentance and baptism.  The Bible does teach that each person has the responsibility, when they hear the gospel, to believe and to come to Jesus for salvation.

             

TOTAL  DEPRAVITY?

           

Thousands attended the televised funeral in Paducah, Ky, Dec 5, 1997, of three Heath High School students who were gunned down by a classmate this week.  According to reports, Michael Cameal shot his fellow students as they finished praying in the school lobby.  Five others were wounded, including Missy Jenkins, who was left paralyzed from the waist down.

           

This is not the first time this year that a student has gone on a berserk rampage against his fellow students.  We must wonder what would possess someone to cause them to do such a terrible deed.  Is the individual responsible, or is society to blame?  A thoughtful study will lead to the conclusion that both the individual and society are to blame. 

           

When young people have been taught that it is not politically correct to pray in the school, and when a District Federal Judge orders that boards of education pass resolutions discouraging voluntary prayer, we should not be surprised when someone decides that attacking a prayer group would get them recognition.

           

And when the movies seen by our youth, and the video games they play, portray endless violence against people, we should not be surprised that we have those among us whose conscience does not work properly. 

           

Apostle Paul, writing to the Romans, warned about the result of rejecting God and trusting in human wisdom.  He says that “Professing to be wise, they became fools,”  --- “who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshipped and served the creature rather than the Creator.”

           

And then it reads like today’s newspapers and television shows:  “For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature.  Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due.”

“And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting; being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful;  who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them.”  (Romans 1:21-32, NKJ)

           

We conclude that these things happen because individuals have rejected the knowledge that is of God and from God, revealed in the Bible and the history of the world.  Rejecting God’s truth, they decided to promote humanism, which is nothing more than a modern form of idolatry, the worship of mankind.

           

When people grow up in such a wicked environment as exists in the USA today, the preceding generations have to bear some responsibility.  God is merciful, but He does not overlook sin and rebellion.  As He said to Moses: “The LORD, the LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and the children's children to the third and the fourth generation." Exod 34:6-7,  NKJ)

           

People are not wicked just because they have been born into a sinful world; they are wicked by their own choice.  But evil influence is passed from generation to generation, and it multiplies if the righteous do not take a stand against sin.  There is a battle going on, and all of us are on one side or the other, good or evil.  Thank God that the students at Heath High School are determined to continue their prayers at the beginning of the school day.  They can make a difference in our society.  Faith in God will deliver us from bondage to sin. 

           

Just as Michael Cameal made the choice to kill his fellow students, he could make the choice to turn to Christ and be forgiven.  God is willing for all who will to come to Him through faith in Jesus Christ.  No one is excluded from His invitation. 

The Bible has too much to say about personal responsibility before God for us to try to hide behind the sins of Adam.  We sin in the same way Adam sinned, and we were created in the beginning capable of sin and accountable before God.  God gave law to demonstrate the accountability of mankind, and God will not overlook evil.  But He has provided the perfect solution for sin through Jesus Christ.  We have to use our human will to turn to Jesus through faith.  God does not force His salvation upon anyone. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HC9mclGFxRE

tulip one

Calvin's Tulip

The doctrines represented by the TULIP acronym used to describe the five tenets of John Calvin’s teaching about salvation diverts attention away from the accountability of all men before God for decisions they make in this life. While a believer is saved by grace through faith, not by personal merit, faith is demonstrated in trust and action. The gospel is preached to sinners, and sinners have the free will to believe and obey the gospel, or to disbelieve and reject the gospel. God has chosen to save all those who are called by the gospel and who place their trust in Jesus by obeying the simple commands of Jesus that are directed to sinners.

The teachings of Augustine and Johan Calvin are based on sophist arguments, using proof texts out of context, to arrive at the TULIP acronym. T represents total depravity, the concept that man is so depraved that he cannot make any move on his own that affects his eternal salvation. U is for the concept of unconditional election, that individuals are chosen for salvation without consideration for their own responsibility. L is for limited atonement, the concept that Jesus only died to save the elect, who were personally selected by God before time began. I is for irresistible grace, that God has chosen the individuals who will be saved, and that He gives faith to them as a gift. P is for the perseverance of the saints, a concept that a once saved person (one chosen by God for salvation) can do nothing that will cause him to be lost.

Or, as an acquaintance said recently, “As far as salvation or ‘justification’ is concerned, I am pretty much of an Augustinian.  I pretty much follow the ‘TULIP:’"

                        
T=total depravity

U=unconditional election                        

L=limited atonement
I=Irresistible grace - This is how we come to faith, not that our belief starts things, but before we believed in God, he loved and believed in us.

P=perseverance of the saints - "once saved, always saved."

“Having said this, I may not be a strict Augustinian, but I think I am.”

This is a very common perspective supported by a majority of Evangelical believers (http://www.nae.net/church-and-faith-partners/what-is-an-evangelical.  The teaching of the sinner’s prayer conversion, accepting Christ as personal savior by praying a prayer of repentance and acceptance, comes directly from the TULIP.  The idea that man can do nothing that affects the outcome of his salvation removes the concept of personal responsibility before God from consideration.  TULIP diverts attention from our responsibility to seek Jesus and learn of him; then to believe in Him with our human capability, or to not believe in Him with our human capability.  TULIP removes evidence and reason from the salvation equation, and diverts us upon a path that blinds us to our own personal responsibility with regard to our faith in Jesus and our eternal salvation.

           

ABOUT STAYING ON TRACK

We should stay in the middle of the road following Jesus, and not be diverted to the right or to the left.  There are many distractions that come along and try to take us off the path that leads to eternity with God.  Jesus is the only way to heaven, because He said that He is, and He cannot tell a lie.  To those who believe in the resurrection of Jesus Christ, the Holy Scriptures are a revelation of God’s way, a revelation of Jesus Christ - son of man, Son of God.

Following Jesus is a real commitment. Apostle Thomas carried the gospel to India in the first century, and was killed for his trouble, a Hindu lance taking his life.  God could have protected him, as He could have protected the other apostles, but they all died horrible deaths with the exception of John.  God showed through them that protection from physical harm is not the appeal of God’s invitation to come to Jesus and find rest.  But we are challenged to give up everything in order to follow Jesus, sometimes even our physical lives.  If following Jesus is worth risking everything, and it is, then we need to be careful to put our trust in Him in such a way that we will not be disappointed on the Judgment Day.  We need to know and follow the truth, and truth is revealed in Jesus Christ.

           

Right doctrine without right living is worthless.  Having the correct understanding of truth has no value unless it is put into practice.  Therefore I see no value in religious debates about doctrine if we are not going to put the most fundamental principles of Christian life into practice in our lives.  But many of us want to live genuinely committed lives.  And if we are willing to follow Jesus, then it does make a difference what we believe.  We are to contend earnestly for the faith once for all delivered through God’s prophets and the apostles of Jesus Christ.  But the way we contend earnestly is not by debating with a mean spirit, but by teaching the truth in love.   

Together, let us examine the way that leads to heaven in Jesus Christ, and discover the dangers that lie on either side of the road.  There is emotional appeal and self indulgence on the left, and there is rancor, hard feelings, and self-righteousness on the right.  Satan’s chief distraction is getting us to trust our own understanding through human philosophy, sophist arguments (arguments made from human wisdom). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sophism

What About BIBLE STUDY?

Trusting human philosophy is a problem that has been around since Adam and Eve were put in the Garden of Eden.  When we make decisions based on how things appeal to our human senses, we are destined to failure.  There is a way that seems right to us, based on our human nature, but that way leads us away from trusting God and into trusting ourselves or our own definitions of truth.  Human philosophy leads us away from the right path. 

The TULIP of Calvin and Augustine causes problems because it attempts to remove personal responsibility from being involved in receiving salvation, and places all the responsibility for salvation in God’s hands.  Instead of the message of the gospel being God’s power for salvation, Calvinism relegates the salvation offered freely in the gospel only to those who are individually chosen by God.  These principles (TULIP) have been heatedly debated in past generations, and positions have been harshly drawn so that discussion and open fellowship among professed believers is destroyed.  It does no good to debate these issues if we are not listening to each other.

Please  let us take a fresh look at the principles of salvation revealed in the Bible, and let us see how the teachings of the Bible agree or disagree with Augustine.  First, I will admit freely that there is much that is true in the teachings of Augustine and John Calvin, because they relied on the logical process of Aristotle to develop their thoughts from statements they found in the Bible.  So the first place we should look is to the Aristotelian logical process, and see if it is a Biblical approach to Bible study.

           

Basically, Aristotle said that a thing is what it is because it is what it is, and if it is what it is, it cannot be something that it is not.  Therefore one can take statements, and determine if they are true or false by examining whether their components are true or false.  If the basic components of an equation are true, then the answer is true, given that we use the rules of correct logic in the equation.  This form of logical process is very useful, because it recognizes that there is truth and reality, and that we can know if a thing is real or not.

           

However, this form of logic is limited in its application, as we must know if a statement is true in all circumstances, or just in the context within which it is given.  The usefulness of the Aristotelian logical process is limited by our ability to use statements within their context.  When one Biblical statement seems to contradict another Biblical statement, as examined by our logical process, we realize that one or the other of the statements has been taken out of context, because we believe that all the statements given by inspiration in the Holy Bible are true.  The Bible teaches by stories, illustrations, pictures, and themes that all come together in Jesus Christ, the Jewish Messiah.

           

So our success at understanding the Bible rests on our ability to keep Bible statements within the context as they are presented.  The Bible teaches by principles that build one upon another.  God never changes.  His nature is constant.  Genesis presents a look at God’s creation and His plans for that creation.  If we want to have understanding of any of the things taught in the Bible, we need to go back to the beginning.  If we isolate statements in the New Testament from their historical background, we will have trouble.  If we let the stories of the Old Testament amplify and clarify the statements found in the New Testament, we will be blessed. 

           

A useful way to study the Bible is to get the big picture together, and then see how all the pieces fit.  The scarlet cord that holds the scriptures together from Genesis to Revelation is the story of Jesus of Nazareth, son of David, and Son of God.  Following are two articles I wrote for the North Jackson Progress, our local newspaper, that illustrates this concept.

THE SCARLET CORD

           

A scarlet cord tied in a window designated a place of safety for Rahab and her father's family when the great city Jericho was completely destroyed by the Israelites under Joshua's command.  Families of the Israelites living in Egypt were protected from death in their houses where the blood of the Passover lamb had been sprinkled upon the door frames.  Today people are saved by their faith in God when they are in the house protected by the blood of Jesus.  Just as Rahab's people had to be in the house where the scarlet cord was tied in the window in order to be saved, (Joshua 2:17-21) we have to be in Jesus to have salvation.

           

That scarlet cord tied in that window 3400 years ago foretold the blood of Jesus that would be spilled at Calvary as atonement for the sins of all people who have faith in God.  Speaking to Christians, Peter said "Knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot." (1 Peter 1:18-19, NKJ)

           

These Christians Peter spoke to had purified their souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit, (1 Peter 1:22-25) having been born again through the word of God, the gospel which was preached to them by Peter.  Coming to Jesus, born again by the word of the gospel, they were being built up a spiritual house.  Christians are members of the household of God, Jesus being the cornerstone, and in Jesus Christians are built together for a habitation of God in the Spirit (Ephesians 2:18-22).

           

So, just as Rahab's family was saved in the house where the scarlet cord was tied in the window, we are saved in the household of God which is protected by the blood of Christ.  The protecting blood of Jesus was symbolized in the blood of the Passover lamb that was killed and whose blood was sprinkled on the door post and lintel so that those within the house were saved from death. (Exodus 12).  Jesus is our Passover, and His blood protects us from death when we are inside the house protected by His blood.  (1 Corinthians 5:7; Romans 8:1)  The house of God is the church of the living God, (1 Timothy 3:15) which is the body of Christ. (Ephesians 1:22-23)  For those who by one Spirit have been baptized into one body, the body of Christ, (1 Corinthians 12:13) are continually cleansed by the blood of Jesus. (1 John 1:7)

           

Therefore we can understand that we are saved by God's power through faith in Jesus Christ when we accept God's grace through obedience to the gospel. (Romans 6:17-18)  Rahab had no power to save herself from destruction at Jericho, but she was saved because she trusted in Jehovah, the Lord of heaven and earth.  She risked her life because of her faith, and she tied the scarlet cord in her window just as the men of Israel commanded her.  In a like way, we are saved from eternal death when we obey from the heart the teaching of the gospel.  Salvation is by faith in Jesus, a faith that causes us to put our trust in Jesus by obeying His commands to repent of sins and be baptized in the name of Jesus.  He then is able to keep us safe in His house, the church of the living God. (Read Acts chapters two and three)

FAITH

           

A whore living in the great city of Jericho about 3400 years ago heard about the Israelites and believed in the power of Yahweh, God of Israel.  She heard how God dried up the water of the Red Sea for them when they came out of Egypt, and about how the giant king Og and king Sihon of the Amorites had been completely destroyed.

           

Instead of trusting in her people and the strength of her great city Jericho, she decided to put her trust in the God of Israel.  Risking her life, she hid the two Israelite spies who had come to her house.  Pleading with the two spies for her deliverance, she said, "For the Lord your God, He is God in heaven above and earth beneath.  Now therefore, I beg you, swear to me by the Lord, since I have shown you kindness, that you also will show kindness to my father's house, and give me a true token, and spare my father, my mother, my brothers, my sisters, and all that they have, and deliver our lives from death." (Joshua 2:11-13, NKJ)

           

After she let them down from her window on the city wall, the men instructed her to tie a scarlet cord in that window and to bring all those she wanted saved into her home, for only those in the house identified by the scarlet cord would be saved.  Rahab was saved with her father's household when Israel destroyed all the other inhabitants of Jericho and burned the city with fire after God caused its great walls to fall down flat.  She became the mother of Boaz, ancestor of King David and of Jesus Christ.

           

God used a foreign woman of bad reputation to become ancestor of His Son because of her great faith in Him.  By her own words we know that her faith in Yahweh was because of the evidence of His great power demonstrated in the deliverance of His people Israel.  Paul, writing to the Roman Christians, reminded them that "Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." (Romans 10:17, NKJ)

           

Therefore we know that we are to have faith in God because of the evidence He has given us about His power, His love, and His faithfulness.  Sometimes we may think that God needs to give us a personal sign just for us so that we may believe on Him.  Jesus had just fed four thousand men plus women and children with seven loaves and a few fish, when the Pharisees and Sadducees came testing Jesus, asking Him to show them a sign from heaven.  Jesus told them the only sign they would be given was the sign of Jonah, referring to His own death, burial and resurrection.

           

Today many would like to believe in Jesus, but they are waiting for God to establish faith in their heart by some personal sign.  Once a paralyzed man in India told me that if Jesus would heal him, then he would believe and become a Christian.  Many want God to give them faith through some miraculous process.  Many pray for faith without accepting what Jesus has already done through His death, burial, and resurrection.

           

For those who are looking for a sign, look to the gospel message which is God's power for salvation to all who believe, (Romans 1:16)  Read the four gospels, learn about Jesus Christ, and be touched by His great love.  When His message has produced faith in your heart, you will want to obey Him as Rahab obeyed and was saved in the house where the scarlet cord was tied.  This story from long ago foretells the saving blood of Jesus Christ that saves all who truly have faith in Him when they obey His instructions given in the great commission, "Preach the gospel to every creature.  He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.”  (Mark 16:15-16, NKJ)

The Bible teaches this principle of study; that we should see the big picture, and fit the pieces within that reference.  The writer of Hebrews says that God speaks through His Son today (Hebrews 1:1-3).  Paul told Timothy that the Old Testament scriptures are able to make us wise for salvation through faith that is in Jesus Christ (2 Timothy 3:15).  And Paul told the Christians at Corinth that the things recorded in the Old Testament are examples for us today (1 Corinthians 10:6-11).  Also the author of Hebrews said that we should look to Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith (Hebrews 12:2).  Therefore I conclude that the proper way to approach the study of the scriptures is to see that Jesus is the big picture, and the pieces fit together in Him.

           

So we should look at Jesus, His life and example, to see what God expects of us.  Of course we are not perfect like Jesus, but with our human mind we can learn about Jesus and decide if we believe He is the Son of God.  After all, the four gospels and Acts are accurate historical documents written by three eye witnesses; Matthew, Mark, and John; with Luke being an inspired historian who was careful to give the record exactly as he received it from the apostles of Jesus, and by the Holy Spirit.  If we can understand any history at all by our human intellect, then surely we can comprehend this inspired story about the most extraordinary man who ever lived.  It is by looking to Jesus, seeing the framework of His life, His death, burial, and resurrection, that we can find our answers about our responsibility before God.  It is by looking at Jesus that we will find the truth about the TULIP.  Let us not follow any diversions, but keep right on the path that leads to salvation that is by grace through faith, and in Jesus Christ.