“The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,” that is, the message concerning faith that we proclaim: If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." (Romans 10:8-9) A small red rose speaks volumes. It is understood by both the giver and receiver to be a vivid token of love.
A symbol of affection encased in a fragrant package of petals, stem and thorns. It is exquisite in its simplicity. A rose when received, beholds both the visible beauty of the gift and unspoken intention of the giver. Lovers see in the red blossom the passion of the one whom they love. After the gift is received it must be put it on display: Maybe using a white porcelain long stemmed vase, or a simple glass cup. A lover's joy places the beauty of the gift somewhere prominent, a mantle, table or bathroom countertop? A standing reminder of another's love. Does more need to be done for the gift to be truly received? Do you need to know more about the gift for it's beauty to be fully apprehended? Do you dissect the blossom to see if it has a stigma, style, anther and filament? Do you research what genus of rose, analyzing the prickle size and density of the stem? Is it necessary to know where it comes from, how it has been bred? Or is it enough to simply receive it? I have been in a discussion with a friend who recently asked me, “When it comes to salvation, what must a person believe to fully receive it? What does someone "HAVE TO" believe in order to be considered a brother or sister in Christ? “ I find the answer to this question is more like receiving a gift than it is dissecting a plant. Like the rose, a person only needs to behold the beauty of the gift and see the intention of the giver through the gift. Salvation is an exchange of love between two parties -- it is not a thing to dissect. After salvation, you will want to display the gift, show others, and learn more and more about the gift you now possess. But like a rose, the gift can be completely received before the fullness of what it entails is understood. When it comes to salvation, what is the gift and how do you behold it’s beauty? Scripture makes it very plain:
The Son is the gift, God is the giver of the gift, and all who truly love the Giver will receive the gift. What more needs to be known for the gift to be truly received? Only that the Son has been sent to you as a gift, albeit a necessary gift, from the Father out of love. Faith is the response of love on your part; faith is how a person fully and freely receives the gift. If you try to pay the Giver for the gift, then it is no gift at all. And worse than that, when you think the love that you have been given has to somehow be earned, then that means you actually doubt both the character and intention of the Giver. And that is not a relationship based on love, but fear. Faith in the Son receives the gift fully. Sounds almost too simple? There are many who see the Son, understand why he came, but they see no beauty in him. To him he is not an expression of love from the Father, but a nuiscence. This is a heart that has no faith. Demons believe and tremble. They know who the Son is but they don't love the Son, so they refuse him. Others, like the stubborn Pharisee, see the Son as someone to analyze, and with folded arms and wrinkled brow, demand for him to perform. If he satisfies their wishes they then may decide to pay for his services with a dutiful bend of the knee -- paying for another's love is called prostitution. And God is no whore. He can't be bought; bacause love can't be bought. Other Pharisees theologically dissect the Son. They don't see the Father's beauty in him as much as they see an object to scrutinize, to judge and lord over. A critical heart has no room for love: “How can you say you are equal to the Father?” “He has a demon, he is insane, why listen to him?” "If you are the Son of God, come down off of that cross and save yourself?" The Son was not seen as a gift but an unwanted invader. Those who are critics often master theology and are experts at the law, but thy miss the beauty of the gift. "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. 4:4) In their blindness they are emotionally stubborn, hard hearted, and enemies to the giver of the gift. Those who recieve the gift welcome the Son with gladness. And when they welcome him, he comes to set up a home in thier heart. Then, and only then, will they finally begin to see, understand and appreciate the fullness of who the Christ is, what the atonement means, and how the Trinity is sovereign over all the affairs of men. "But the anointing that you received from him abides in you, and you have no need that anyone should teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about everything, and is true, and is no lie—just as it has taught you, abide in him." (1 John 2:27) True understanding of the gift is a result of abiding with the Son. Until you receive him, you wont really know him. The heart must first be awakend by love, resulting in active faith, embracing the Son as your own. Faith in the Son recieves the gift fully, completely, utterly. Like a rose, the beauty and fragrance of the Son draws me in, and causes me to trust the heart of the Father. As Paul said in Acts 16:31. . . "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved." What more needs to be added to such exquisite simplicity?
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I’m really confused with this constant barrage of ‘feminist outrage.” It seems to be seeping out of every media crack and crevice these days and I don't quite understand why? Maybe my inability to sympathize with the cause comes from the fact that I am an ignorant brute beast of a man? Ladies, and sensitive gentlemen who are in touch with their feminine side, I need some help to see. I am confused in two areas….
I think I know the answer to both? Discussing this is clearly dangerous territory, so I will take each issue slowly, taking one dainty step at a time. 1- Who are women “really” mad at? I find two main sources that women seem to constantly rage about: Donald Trump & Deadbeat Husbands. But secretly I think all this fury is directed at God and his design for marriage. My intuition tells me that their hatred for Donald is rather rudimentary: he had the gall to stand in Hillary’s way. How dare he? The first woman president was in reach, moments away from glory, she should have had the White House all to herself. But no, Donald had to spoil the coronation. There it is, this single act is ground zero. Oh sure, we are told that he primarily is to be despised because he is obscenely rich; but let’s face it, feminist women love rich men. Case in point, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. (One study even reports, “Nearly 77 per cent of democrat female millionaires, and 82 per cent of female millionaires overall, said they 'would prefer to date a conservative man,' according MillionaireMatch.com.”) Another excuse they use to legitimize their hate for Donald is that he said extremely misogynistic and rude things about women that were captured on video. I think most people will agree he made terribly disgusting comments; but feminist heroes like Beyoncé, Rosie O'Donnell, Amy Schumer, Madonna, and male democratic icons like Bill Clinton, John F. Kennedy, and Jack Nicholson have said and done far worse things. There is never outrage when the right people on the left do wrong things. Take Chelsea Handler for instance, a very prominent feminist spokeswoman, she spews non stop vitriol and sewage on various progressive outlets daily. Her books are vile and she showers mockery and contempt on men and women alike...but feminists don't care, they celebrate her putrid audacity because she is on their side. So it isn't really his riches, rudeness or raunchy comments that earned him feminist ire; it is because he dethroned the liberal’s Queen. Poor Hillary, she stood by her man for eight excruciating years and look what it got her? Nothing! And it’s all Donald’s fault. He would not bow to the heir apparent like every other liberal lackey male did. When Bernie Sanders was campaigning against her, instead of going for the jugular, he gave her a pass. And the left loved him for it. The other target of the foaming-at-the-mouth feminist is the deadbeat dad...and for good reasons. When men take leave of their responsibilities: wives, sons and daughters suffer. Replacing fatherly care for testosterone fueled tyranny leaves terrible life-long scars on the souls of the vulnerable. To protect themselves, the hurting put on a false exterior of impenetrability and call it fierceness. But feminine fierceness is all a facade - deep down every woman longs for male strength. But when a person loses complete trust in the men in their life, the only option is to turn against the male gender in a bitter, senseless, rage. I understand why a person would be tempted to do this, but face-it, full-frontal assault on one gender is completely illogical: All men are not evil, as all women are not good. It is dangerous to allow your past hurts to blind you to truth and write one whole segment of society off. I think underneath the surface of all this rage is anger at God and the way he has designed life. The Bible is clear, men have been placed as the head of the home (1 Corinthians 11:3). But when the head lives selfishly, God’s design crumbles. When a man bails on his pregnant wife or abuses his daughter, they are helpless to defend themselves. And I think this is when the feminist arguments take hold -- if God is the one who designed this flimsy system, isn’t the pain the victim feels from the failure of this system ultimately his fault? How can women trust any male authority figures when so much potential damage can be done from failed leadership? They need to protect themselves, and I believe all this rage is their attempt to mask their vulnerability. One of my strongest convictions is that deadbeat dads, abusive husbands, and narcissistic tyrants are going to be punished the harshest by God because so much depends on them. This is what feminists loathe, they see male leadership as a flaw in the design, which lends contempt toward the designer. But when a man obeys his calling, it is a wonderful and life giving thing. This is why God implores people not to sin. It ruins everything. And when God’s design works right, which happens far more than feminists give it credit for, everyone thrives. The answer to their pain isn't to dismantle the system by hating on men, or saying roles and genders no longer matter, but to exalt and magnify marriages done right. This leads to question number two… 2 - Is this a new breed and generation of women who no longer want strong men around to lead? I have thought about this a lot because most of my best friends are women; and they seem to actually like, nay, love strong men in their lives. I grew up with three accomplished sisters: Stephanie does plumbing and drywall, Gina speaks in women's prisons in L.A., and Tammy runs her own business. They aren’t slackers or Stepford Wives, by a long shot. My mom is my hero. My two daughters are fighters and my wife is my strength. So needless to say, I am not anti-woman at all, and what I have learned from them is very enlightening. Simply put, they would rather have men as leaders in the home any day instead of women. Their words, not mine. My wife used to be on a women’s choir and 40 young ladies would travel around the world together singing in places like China, Singapore and Japan. She used to say that there is nothing more exasperating and claustrophobic than being on a bus with an army of women for two whole weeks - - too much drama. Her words, not mine. My mom was brilliant, but her greatest joy in life was to support my dad and care for her kids. I asked her if she felt like she lost her life from sacrificing so much? She laughed at the word “sacrifice” and said the more appropriate words were “satisfied and significant.” I then asked if she missed running a college newspaper where she was editor and the main writer? She said, “It was fun, but not as many people read your articles as you may think. I have a better audience at home sitting around the kitchen table talking to you kids.” My sisters who all spent time in the workforce agreed on one surprising issue, “9 times out of 10” they would rather have a male boss than a female. Again, their words, not mine. One of the reasons why my sister Tam likes being in business for herself, she’s a CPA, is so she can keep her own schedule and spend time living life with her husband. I will also say, I have a great relationship with my daughters - if I go walk the dog in the woods they would be the first to want to hang out with me. I think they like their dad? One last thing, and this will be the most controversial: I know each one of my sisters, wife and mom would rather have a man as their pastor. I asked my sister Gina why that was, and she said, “Often women who want to be pastors seem to do it more out of proving something, fighting for equality, wanting the title instead of feeling called.” Her words, so please, please, please don’t shoot the messenger. Can women do important things, can they lead? Have positions of power and authority? Absolutely. My goal is not to degrade women, just to declare, women really do need...and want... men around! And if they were allowed to be honest, without the social media peanut gallery judging their every move, every woman loves to bask in the strength of a good man by their side. Militant feminism lies. I guess what disturbs me most is when the very women who complain about male violence and show of strength resort to violence and show of strength to prove they don't need men. Silly logic. Society agrees men are rather vapid and stupid when they find their significance in fighting, shooting guns and making derogatory sexual comments. But why must we be impressed and consider women as fierce, cool, and liberated when they make the same sort of comments, threaten violence, and are impressed with actresses on movies who can shoot the same caliber guns as the heroes? “Wasn’t Beyoncé, the fierce feminist, so powerful when she wielded a baseball bat smashing a car on her lemonade video?” Honestly, it was nothing more than a silly display of adolescent arrogance. Maybe all liberal women really want is to be men? How does the saying go, “The highest form of flattery is imitation?” So ladies, if that is true, I want you to know, we’re flattered. But, I may be wrong, this is just one brute’s insignificant opinion. “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.” Romans 1:16 Evangelism is a loaded word. For many people, including me, whenever I hear that word spoken, a taste of bile rises up in my throat and I want to go run and hide. There really should not be any reason to fear this word, for evangelism merely means to “spread the good news of Jesus - - the gospel.” What can be so bad about that? As a Christian, is that not my calling? Well for me it brings up dark visions of a guy in a double-windsor knot, scarlet red tie, pointing at me saying, “Get busy winning souls for Jesus, you slacker! And you call yourself a Christian? What kind of yellow bellied pastor are you? You don’t go house to house on Saturday mornings, you aren’t standing in the street arguing, you rarely even have altar calls - - if I was Jesus I wouldn’t even let you into heaven!” I have known Jesus since 1989, and shame and guilt, like a dark creeping shadow, has been following me ever since. I love Jesus more than life itself, but I hate the idea of going up to complete strangers trying to get them to accept the gospel. “Hey if D. L. Moody could do it, so can you!” I remember early in my Christian walk I allowed that shame and guilt to rule me. I will never forget one dark and stormy night when I felt terrible because I never talked to one person about Jesus. So I went to the local gas station, and decided to buy a 3 Musketeers candy bar for the purpose of talking to the cashier about Christ: Cashier: “That will be .75 cents” Me: “Um, eh, well...did you know you are a sinner?” Cashier: “What?” Me: “Yep...you need Jesus?” Cashier: “No, I need .75 cents or you aren’t getting that candy bar!” Me: “Oops, sorry, here you go! And, have a nice day!” What a fiasco! I can remember taking 35 students to New York City to talk to bums on the street about Jesus. By that time in my life I got pretty good at knowing how to twist conversations to make people feel stupid. Well my students looked like deer in the headlights when I asked them to go “share the gospel" with people sitting on the side-walk talking to themselves. I can remember watching the poor students as one after another were being rejected and completely ignored. And when they would come back with heads hung low, and wanting to be anywhere than where they were, I gave the good pastoral response, “Hey, just remember, Jesus was misunderstood and persecuted too.” This is the evangelism I have been taught, and for many years it is all I knew. Overtime, instead of it being “Good News”, it has become for me and many people raised in the church, “Good News Gone Bad". Like selling a bag of rotten apples to people eating fresh strawberries. Why would anyone get excited about losing a debate with a complete stranger, or feel good about accepting a message just to get you off their back? Could our view of evangelism be wrong? Can I be honest with you, the longer I have been a pastor the more I rebel against the idea of having evangelistic crusades and outreaches. After doing alot of research, I have found our notion of evangelism has been shaped by an era that is long gone. We have adopted the tactics of the 19th century snake oil saleman who is trying to produce immediate sales fast. The gospel is not something to sell! Even Paul said in 2 Corinthians 2:17, "Unlike so many, we do not peddle the word of God for profit. On the contrary, in Christ we speak before God with sincerity, as those sent from God." In 1 Thessalonians 2:3-9 Paul even says we are not "trying to trick you" but giving you "our very lives." The gospel isn't a fancy game of sales gimmicks and formulas (Roman Road) or easy, no-obligation contracts given freely to help seal an eternal deal (The Sinner's Prayer). The gospel is entering into a new way of life. It is asking people to give their complete loyalty to a new King, and to invest everything they have now for a future they can not see. The gospel is a message that is built on trust, not heavy handed arguments or loud mouthed pastors (who are usually overweight) banging on pulpits to impress his congregation that he is a true “Champion for the Gospel.” Why do vainly confident men think they are more persuasive than the Holy Spirit of God? Why does playing music to draw a momentary tear hope to seal a deal that is eternal? Altar calls and worship concerts are like a Mary Poppins Pie-crust Promise, "Easily made, easily broken." So, if the old traditional methods of evangelism are not the answer, what is? First of all, I must admit, sometimes formulas and arguments do work - - but usually it is because other things have been done to bring a person to a point of decision. The problem with us is that we are impressed by numbers and people making emotional decisions on a powerful Sunday morning service. But we must never forget, God is always working (John 5:17), and yes, you are to be a continual part of his work, even on Tuesday afternoon at 2:00. Let me give you 4 other avenues to evangelism (spreading God's goodness) that you are more than equipped to do: (1) PROVIDENTIAL MOMENTS: If the Bible is right, then we can believe God the Holy Spirit is in the business of convicting and convincing people of his greatness and their sin, He is the best evangelist of all.: "And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer; concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged." (John 16:8-12) So if God is always at work around you, you must be ready to act when you see him working. Most Christians simply don't have eyes to see what he is doing. We are terrible listeners. When someone is broken and bruised from the difficulties in life, that is a chance for you to extend mercy. When someone is angry and bitter, that is a chance to extend grace. And no matter the conversation, there is always the opportunity to give your Christian worldview on the subject - - and people are desperate to hear well thought out answers for the problems of the world. We have an obligation to have answers for this broken world. We need to give reasons to people (1 Peter 3:15 - "but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect,") If you have solid, grace filled answers, you will "never" lack for an audience. (2) NATURAL MOMENTS: Just live like a Christian, that's it, and people will notice. Be the coach who doesn't swear and really cares about his players' lives. Be the co-worker that doesn't see how much he can get away with, but works hard to make a profit for the boss. Be the teacher who teaches well. Be the dentist who doesn't judge. If you are a Christian, and live like a Christian, people will want you around. Have you ever worn the cloak of humility? It is the greatest quality that few Christians wear. (3) INTENTIONAL MOMENTS: Listen to this verse, "The Lord God has given me the tongue of those who are taught, that I may know how to sustain with a word him who is weary. Morning by morning he awakens; he awakens my ear to hear as those who are taught." (Isaiah 50:4) Allow God to break your heart for the weary. Who is weary around you? Do someting about relieving their pain. Be intentional about meeting needs. If there is someone you know that has a specific need, meet it. If there is a person who is grieving, sit with them. Is there someone who needs help to fix their house, get some people together to help them. Is someone on the roadside needing help? Stop. Look. Help. Be salt, be light. Don't hide in your house so you can watch another Netflix series and ignore the rotten world that makes you mad. Enter into people's lives. That is evangelism! (4) BEAUTIFUL METHODS: Create something that draws the eye, makes people notice. Beautify the world with your talent, make Eden come to earth. Work on your garden, be a black-smith, draw, paint. I will admit that I am a very poor writer, but I want to at least try. I was at a conference that said, "What if Paul decided not to write letters to the churches because he thought he had no talent?" We would bereft of tremendous blessings forever. Some of you can create, I know it takes alot of time and effort, but never forget, you are going to die soon. Leave something beautiful behind. that points to the greatness of God! Why? Because God left so much beauty for you! I only offer these four ideas to change what evangelism means. I have seen God change our church through the Providential Method more than any other. When one broken person finds hope they will tell the world. And never forget this: God will bring people your way if he can trust you. If the answers you give are saturated in scripture and they pour forth beauty and life giving encouragement, paths will be beaten down to your door instead of you beating down other's doors just to try to get people to listen to you. Your wisdom will become a cherished commodity! Listen to this verse, it always amazes me - - and I have seen it come true!!!! Therefore this is what the Lord says: “If you repent, I will restore you that you may serve me; if you utter worthy, not worthless, words, you will be my spokesman. Let this people turn to you, but you must not turn to them! (Jeremiah 15:19) Silly games, stupid screens, stealing minds, sucking time... Oh to be human, desires discussed among the flowers; Anger tempered by a smirk, a smile softening rage, People turning human, hearts melting, images loosing power. Christopher Christopher (famous Russian poet) I know what the problem is. I have figured out how to stop all this trivial tribal nonsense; and by tribal I mean people forming sides politically, denominationally, racially and economically. Our obsession with nonsensical arguments, labeling and shaming is out of control. We need to change course. We need to turn everything off. Here is what we need. . . We need more fathers who lay down on the living room floor with their hands in their pockets, talking to their kids. I learned this from my dad. After dinner he would grab a toothpick, a large couch pillow and lie down on the living room floor carpet and talk. I don't know why, but when my dad would lie on the carpet, that meant we would probably get into strange and wonderful discussions about anything and everything. I remember my sisters just laughing while my dad told stories, and even our neighbors and my high school friends would sit on the couch and tell my dad about their day. Usually the tv would be off, and we would just talk. I can remember one time while my dad was lying on the floor, he looked at our fireplace and asked, “If you could paint a picture to put over the fireplace mantel, what would you paint?” I knew he asked it because he had an idea, so I asked him what he would paint, “Wouldn’t it be cool to paint a black Labrador Retriever standing next to a patch of cat-tails while lifting his leg to take a whiz?” I can remember him asking my sister Gina about her friend Sue Greaser and how she got so good at gymnastics. Or he had my brother-in-law Jimmy explain his new monster snowblower that he called “The Unit.” Invariably after each discussion we would be laughing, singing or just listening to him tell us stories about growing up in Cleveland. This is the answer. Face to face human interaction. A modern day rarity. My sister Tam would have the strangest friends come over, many of them long-haired hippies and pot smokers. I'm sure some were liberal. I think some may have been gay? But he would invite them all to sit on the couch while he would lay on the carpet and ask them questions. Forget political talking points, he wanted to know the human story. My parents even had some friends that believed in Reincarnation come over - - Cleopatra herself sat on our couch talking to my dad! Why do we think we can make life better by offering up our take on politics on-line, or make the culture better by boycotting things that really don't matter like“Beauty and the Beast” or “Starbucks Coffee”? Who cares if Wikileaks has some more juicy info on the disgusting politician you will never meet in your life? We have more opinions about things we can't do a darn thing about, and few of us even know the family we are living in the same house with. We think we will change our world because we can out argue some strange keyboard warrior hundreds of miles away, while we ignore the forgotten people in our own home. Vote for your favorite politician, and then drop it. By following the news and hoping the FBI will find new evidence to cause the President to be impeached or the past President to be found guilty, you are doing nothing but chasing the wind. Who cares? Really, whoooooo cares? Go lay down on your living room carpet and talk. Talk about your day. Talk about your childhood. Talk about God. Talk about your favorite candy. Talk about what painting you would paint to put on your wall. I have found my penchant for political news has done virtually nothing for me. It has wasted a lot of my life while my kids have grown up like weeds around me. Last week our family watched some family videos. What happened to time? Seriously, where did it go? My daughter was dancing to cinderella and now she is married and gone. I thank God we had many talks while I laid on the carpet, or on her bedroom floor, or on the grass in the backyard. I would give anything to have a few of those days back. There will always be a chance to hate the next attorney general, but not many to talk to your son about how to stretch for track practice. Lie down and watch the clock tick just a bit slower. I think when you lie down it says, “I am not going anywhere and I am ready to listen.” Try it....you may like it? And Jesus said to him, “Recover your sight; your faith has made you well.” Luke 18:42 Imputation is a big word. And often big words scare people away. But don't run! This word really, really, really, really matters. I am convinced, if a person understands and embraces this concept it WILL change their eternity. Some words are like treasure chests hidden deep in the bowels of the ocean. If you are willing to swim the dangerous depths and do all you can to unlock the thick rusty chains that have been keeping the box shut, you will discover that inside are magnificent wonders beyond your wildest imagination (I stole that from Indian Jones). Imputation contains the treasure of heaven itself. This word by itself means a transfer of guilt or goodness. When it comes to Christian theology, imputation is the transfer of Christ’s righteousness, his life (zoe in the Greek), to the poor lost sinner. This transfer is not merely speculative or theoretical, it is the actual giving of Christ's pulsating life; the supreme treasure of all that is or will ever be (see 2 Corinthians 4:7). I have experienced it, and I bare witness to the life change I have personally tasted and touched. In all honestly, my joy has been made complete - - and I want the same for you!. So, how do we unlock a word that sounds so... academic and nebulous? (Do you know what nebulous means? That is the point.) Well, in this discussion I am going to use a visual model and a human story to illustrate imputation. I want you to get it, so I will do my best to make it easy. The Model: It is rather simple: On one side you have Jesus and on the other side you have a poor blind beggar, you and me. Blindness in biblical jargon means "lostness, alienation from God, a person under condemnation." John 3:19 is very clear about this, And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil." How does the life of Christ transfer to the poor blind man? Which comes first, seeing or believing? For thousands of years Christianity has always presented 2 choices to this question. In fact how this question has been answered has split people and created massive denominational divides. On one side, (A), teaches that imputation is the result of excercising faith in Christ alone. In other words, I receive God’s life simply because I believe. It is "instantaneous" - the moment I believe is the moment I experience new life. I don't have to wait until I die to see if it is really mine. Jesus is really mine, now! "My beloved is mine and I am his!" (Song of Solomon 2:16) The other side, (B), teaches that imputation is the result of doing works of righteousness along with believing. In other words, I received God’s life because I helped earn it. One theologian who is for "progressive imputation", meaning that achieving true righteousness is a lifetime collaboration, writes: "The merit of man before God in the Christian life arises from the fact that God collaborates with man. The fatherly action of God is first on his own initiative, and then follows man's free acting through his meritorious work." In other words, I experience his life only as long as I choose to co-operate with God in procuriing it. My beloved is mine as long as I keep pursuing and willfully loving him. So which side is right? The Human Story: To help make it easier to understand, let's use the example of the blind man to bring light to this subject of imputation. In Luke 18:35-43 we find the story of Jesus healing the blind man. It is a rather simple story, we find a person sitting on the roadside begging. He is desperate, unable to earn a living because his lack of eyesight makes him unable to do anything. Blindness makes everything pitch dark. Along comes Jesus and the man cries out for mercy, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" God responds to the cries of the desperate. And in this case he pulled the man aside and asked, "What do you want me to do for you?" The man makes one simple plea, " Lord, let me recover my sight." And here is the most powerful statement in the whole story, "Your faith has made you well." There it is. Made "well" in this passage means, "fully, utterly, complete." The blind man in the same instant Jesus uttered the word well, can fully see. It isn't a partial healing. So let us apply this story to our salvation. I will use two phrases that express the two sides to the imputation debate, and ask yourself which one fits with the story of the blind man? Read the preceeding quotes closely: if you were to take the phrases concerning salvation and turn them into phrases concerning eyesight, which one makes the most sense?
The "instantaneous" side seems to be expressing exactly what happened to the blind man when he met Jesus: He instantly recieved sight the moment he admitted he couldn't see. The "progressive" side, on the other hand, takes some convoluted logic when held up to the story of the blind man. Salvation, or sight, is given to those who are already doing works, or are already seeing. Why would Jesus give sight to those who are able to see already? When a person attempts to earn merit through collaborative works of love, it is like saying a man is trying to cure blindness by seeing. How can a lost or condemned man collaborate with God in love before he has love to give? It is like saying a blind man is given sight because he is seeing. Once you see, you wont lose your sight; but when you are blind you can never hope to see by seeing. Do you see? Imputation must be instantaneous for two obvious reasons: (1) The bible, time and time and time again, confirms the truth of faith alone. "Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due. And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness." (Romans 4:4-5) (2) The teaching that a blind man needs to start seeing in order to recieve his sight is a logical impossibility. Sight from God is a miracle, not a work man can produce on his own. He is unable, hopeless, blind. Like a blind begger sitting on the roadside. The reason this is so important is because many people and Christian denominations actually think they can see by trying to see, so in their blind pride they will never cry out to God in mercy. Our false trust in our self keeps us stuck in our blindness. This is why I believe so many Christians are really not Christians at all. I want to end with one more verse to seal the deal, "It does not, therefore, depend on human desire or effort, but on God's mercy." (Romans 9:16) "It" refers to salvation, or spiritual sight. Religious people keep trying and trying and trying to see on their own, but they are blind. Are you? Nacho: Ok. Orphans! Listen to Ignacio. I know it is fun to wrestle. A nice piledriver to the face... or a punch to the face... but you cannot do it. Because, it is in the Bible not to wrestle your neighbour. Chancho: So you've never wrestled? Nacho: Me? No. Come on. Don't be crazy. A man punched me in the face. I went to hit him back and he said wagging his index finger, “Ah, ah, ah...you can’t hit me, you are a Christian.” Oh man, he’s right. I am. The man smiled a sinister smile, and gave me one more quick jab to the ribs as he walked away, laughing. I wanted to punch, unleash a good retaliatory piledriver on him, but my fellow Christian friends around me said, “You must let him go, he doesn’t know any better.” “He doesn’t know any better? He smiled at me, how can he not know? He's a sentient human being, isn’t he?” I wondered. My friends replied, “We can’t expect him to behave decent because he isn’t saved!” Silly story isn’t it? But believe it or not, this is the world we live in. Christians and moral conservatives are expected to be the responsible ones. They must take the abuse, the slander, the general tomfoolery of a world gone mad; while the non-Christian progressive liberal insists they are not to be held accountable for anything. They are given a free pass to do as they please while demanding the Christian to act Christian. It’s absurd: the immoral clod appeals to morality to keep others in check while he galivants freely in his debauched libertine behavior. So grin and bear it when the culture at large punches you in the face. Take for instance the person who comes to church and says, “I hate church because I don’t like all the fake Christian hypocrites who do nothing but judge me.” Notice how judgmental and intolerant that statement is? Yeah, but we must allow the person who doesn’t hold to standards to get away with abusing the standards they expect from us to uphold. But what they logically don’t realize, is if you appeal to a standard, you are inferring that that standard has real merit. If you tell me I am not allowed to hit you in the face, why can you hit me in the face? That is called a double-standard. Well daily we see the double standard being used to keep those who live by standards under control. Take Chris Cuomo the CNN host for example. He thinks your daughter needs to show tolerance for the transgendered male peeing in the female bathroom. He actually said that we should teach our daughters tolerance by not being surprised when they see “male genitalia” in the locker room. But if we counter that we want to protect our daughters from possible predators and exhibitionists dressed as transgenders, Cuomo has no tolerance for showing tolerance to our daughters. We have to submit to his understanding of the word tolerant, while he just runs rough-shot over ours. A clear double-standard. And of course there is the woman’s movement as another example: They want us to respect and even validate their “feminine uniqueness” while at the same time they are violently advocating for the elimination of the uniqueness of the child in the womb. They want us to respect their complete disrespect for the unborn. A few months ago I pointed out on-line the clear double-standard when many of the Hollywood elite were protesting the presidency of Donald Trump by calling him an “immoral misogynist.” You can’t deny that he said some truly atrocious things about some of his female adversaries - - I hate it when he dabbles in disgusting rhetoric. But who is Hollywood to talk? Hollywood is one of the chief purveyors of material that objectifies women and promotes immorality. However if you point that out to them, they and their supporters, many Christians as well, will claim that they are only “doing their job.” The movie industry is only telling stories - - they are not meant to be taken serious. C’mon, if you call others out for something, you are appealing to a standard that you must honestly place yourself under, even in your line of work. People are not given a pass just because they claim they should be given a pass. In the book of Amos, the prophet Amos opens up by saying “The Lord roars from Zion and utters from Jerusalem; the pastures of the shepherds mourn, and the top of Carmel withers.” Uh oh, he is ready to unleash some condemnation and harsh judgment on the land. So you would assume, like all of the other minor prophets, he is going to go after God’s people. But wait...he first unleashes the heat of God's anger against the nations surrounding Israel. In other words, he is judging the heathen nations first. This is problematic for most people in our culture because even though they don’t claim to believe in God, they will still be held responsible by God for how they live. In Romans 2:14-15 God says he wrote his law in all people's hearts, including the non-believer's. Why does the non-Christian appeal to moral law when he demands that the Christian uphold that very law? Because he knows in the depth of his soul it is true. And not only that. . .he even faintly realizes that he will probably be judged by it. So my dear Christian friend, the reason we don’t retaliate when we are punched in the face is not because they don’t know any better, it is because of something far more terrifying. Romans 12:19-20 says this, and listen very closely, “Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.’ To the contrary, ‘if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.’” So when we are insulted we are to respond in kindness, not simply to be a nice guy, but to let God at them. In conclusion, as Americans we have been given a voice - - it is o.k. to speak up and argue your position. And as Christians we must use our voice to warn. Don't allow the faulty logic believing that people can avoid God's judgment simply by claiming they are not followers of him. We will all be held responsible, we will all face judgment. And if you think a human punch to the face is bad, you have yet to see God's right hook. |
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