According to Christian News Network, Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) has filed a petition asking that the Court order all county clerks to uphold Proposition 8 and not continue issuing “marriage” licenses to homosexuals. ADF “has been one of the main legal entities defending Proposition 8 in the courts, including in the U.S. Supreme Court, which declined to rule on the matter last month. The court had stated that those defending Proposition 8 in Hollingsworth v. Perry did not have legal standing in the case, since California government officials decided not to appeal the lower court’s ruling, which found the state’s marriage amendment unconstitutional.”
Jesus Christ Is God
God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM”; and He said, “Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.'” Exodus 3:14, NASB
In our look at the Bible as the living Word of God and His communication to His people, we understand that it is not just a collection of writings or simply a history. No, the Holy Spirit not only indwells Christians he also indwells Sacred Scripture. When believers read and study the Word of God, The Holy Spirit works through it to accomplish spiritual, eternal work within them. God communicates with His people primarily through His Word. One of the main goals in this is His revelation of Himself to those who love Him.
Jesus Christ is the interpretive key to Sacred Scripture. Any other hermeneutic will lead people into various forms of heresy or unbelief. However, if we view all of scripture from this key, it enables us to see clearly the utter depravity of fallen man because it imparts this to us via God’s Word by the Holy Spirit working in our consciences and minds. We see that the Gospel is not what most of us have conceived of as we have listened to some preacher’s water-down version of it. No, we see that Christ is the center and purpose of all creation and that the Word of God clearly shows us God’s plan of redemption of those chosen before the foundation of the World.
Dying in Faith
Κατὰ πίστιν ἀπέθανον οὗτοι πάντες, μὴ λαβόντες τὰς ἐπαγγελίας ἀλλὰ πόρρωθεν αὐτὰς ἰδόντες καὶ ἀσπασάμενοι καὶ ὁμολογήσαντες ὅτι ξένοι καὶ παρεπίδημοί εἰσιν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς. Heb 11:13, NA28
According to faith, these all died not having received what was promised, but having seen and welcomed them from a distance and having confessed that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. Heb 11:13, translated from the NA28 Greek text
All truly in Christ are new creations (2 Corinthians 5:17). They were once spiritually dead in their sins, but are now alive, forgiven, and now strangers and exiles on the earth. Each day lived in this life by a child of God is one spent in enemy country. The world is not their friend. In fact, if the world is a person’s friend then he or she is not God’s friend. Why? Whoever is the friend of the world is the enemy of God. The Christians who deny self, take up their crosses and follow Christ each day will find enemies everywhere. Pressure will come to bear on them to conform to the world and become “relevant.” The Christian who does not give in to this pressure will be seen by all those not on this narrow path to be out of step, irrelevant, behind the times, and all other sorts of things that divide them from being identified with the world and its ways. Some call us “divisive.”
Judge Blocks Wisconsin’s New Abortion Law: Restrictions Will Cause ‘Irreparable Harm’ to Women–Garret Daily
Federal Appeals Court Rejects Christian University’s Request to Overturn ObamaCare
Fox News reports:
A federal appeals court in Virginia on Thursday rejected a Christian university’s bid to overturn the Obama administration’s health care law.
A three-judge panel of the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals unanimously affirmed a lower court ruling dismissing Liberty University’s lawsuit.
Liberty argued the employer health insurance mandate of the Affordable Care Act violates the school’s religious rights by requiring it to provide coverage for abortion inducing drugs. The appeals court found no merit in the claim.
The Christian’s Triumph in Christ
17 But thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were committed, 18 and having been freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness. Rom 6:17–18, NASB
I have a nephew, Travis, who has been battling brain cancer for the last several years. He and my daughter are about the same age and used to play together when they were little. They were close. He is married and has two young boys. He is a believer as is his wife, Jennifer. I received an email today from my brother-in-law, Travis’ dad, which stated that the doctors at M.D. Anderson had basically reached the end of what they could do medically for him. What they could do would not prolong his life by much, but most certainly would add a great deal to his suffering. After prayer and a long talk with his wife, Travis told the doctors and his family that if the treatment would not make him better then he would rather just die. So, my sister’s family is preparing for him to enter hospice care and for him to stop taking all cancer fighting drugs. The doctors have told them that he would probably have 5 to 6 months. Needless to say, our whole family is now looking at things from a much more eternal perspective.
What Would Jesus Have You Do?
The question all Christians must ask themselves in their decision-making process is not so much “What would Jesus do?” but “What would Jesus have you do?” The way in which Christians conduct their lives is to be based on solid biblical principles—what Jesus says—certainly not based on what our corrupt culture deems appropriate. Yet a large number of professing Christians live as if they’re excused from the moral example God has set forth for His people in Scripture.
In this piece Marsha West offers food for thought on the do’s and don’t’s of Christian living. She begins:
No question, we are a culture that loves to be entertained. Even churches have caught on to the public’s desire for 24/7 entertainment. As a consequence, a large number of evangelical churches are now driven by a need to fulfill this desire in their congregants. And what better way to pack the house in ginormous auditoriums than to offer a 90 minute stage show enhanced with state-of-the-art sound, lighting and video systems.
Lights, camera, action!
Amen Come Lord Jesus
ἔρχομαι ταχύ· κράτει ὃ ἔχεις, ἵνα μηδεὶς λάβῃ τὸν στέφανόν σου. Rev 3:11, NA28
I am coming quickly. Hold what you have that no one takes your crown. Rev 3:11, translated from the NA28 Greek text
3 τοῦτο πρῶτον γινώσκοντες ὅτι ἐλεύσονται ἐπʼ ἐσχάτων τῶν ἡμερῶν [ἐν] ἐμπαιγμονῇ ἐμπαῖκται κατὰ τὰς ἰδίας ἐπιθυμίας αὐτῶν πορευόμενοι 4 καὶ λέγοντες· ποῦ ἐστιν ἡ ἐπαγγελία τῆς παρουσίας αὐτοῦ; ἀφʼ ἧς γὰρ οἱ πατέρες ἐκοιμήθησαν, πάντα οὕτως διαμένει ἀπʼ ἀρχῆς κτίσεως. 2 Pet 3:3–4, NA28
3 knowing this first of all, that there will come during the last of days mockers with their mocking according to their own lusts; 4 saying, “Where is the promise of his coming? From the time the fathers fell asleep all things are so continuing as from the beginning of creation.” 2 Pet 3:3–4, translated from the NA28 Greek text
It is one thing to say, “Come soon Lord Jesus!” and quite another thing to live as if you mean it. There are even some today who are of the emergent or “emerging” or “seeker” mindset that teach we should live this life with our focus on the here and now rather than eternity. Why? This is to create a better world or make this world a better place. However, I also tire of those who treat eschatology much like the world handles conspiracy theories always looking for the right combination of “signs” that our Lord’s return is imminent. I used to do that myself, but I do not do that very much anymore. Why? My focus is on living this life for the glory of God and that means I focus on my relationship between my Lord and myself first and from that flows my relationships with everyone else. Yes, the sad shape of the visible Church grieves me and, to me, this is the most telling sign that our Lord’s return is imminent, that is, this age is coming to an end ushering in the age to come.
Gay couples to sue for the right to marry in Pennsylvania
Bush on Homosexuality: ‘I Shouldn’t Take Speck Out of Someone’s Eye When I Have Log in My Own’
Christian News Network reports:
During a recent trip to Africa to help renovate a cancer screening clinic in Zambia, former president George W. Bush used Scripture to outline his belief that the world should not be “overly critical” of homosexuality.
A Zambian reporter had asked Bush how he feels about the issue of same-sex “marriage,” and whether it is compatible with Christianity.
IVF Baby Born Using Revolutionary Genetic-Screening Process
In this piece, The Guardian reveals IVF’s slippery slope:
The first IVF baby to be screened using a procedure that can read every letter of the human genome has been born in the US. Connor Levy was born on 18 May after a Philadelphia couple had cells from their IVF embryos sent to specialists in Oxford, who checked them for genetic abnormalities. The process helped doctors at the couple’s fertility clinic in the US select embryos with the right number of chromosomes. These have a much higher chance of leading to a healthy baby.
Video: Medical Experts Confirm Unborn Children Feel Pain During Abortion
Life News reports on this disturbing story and shares a video from Texas Right to Life:
Three medical specialists discuss the science of preborn children experiencing pain during an abortion procedure. House Bill 2 and Senate Bill 1, currently considered in the Special Session of the Legislature, establish the state’s interest in protecting the lives of preborn children who feel pain.
Dr. Paul Liu, Dr. Ingrid Skop, and Dr. Greg Bonnen all speak to the behavioral and physiological evidence confirming that preborn children feel pain.
‘Preachers of L.A.’ Brings the Prosperity Gospel to Reality TV
What Does the Westminster Confession Say About Marriage?
Chapter twenty-four of the Westminster Confession of Faith addresses one of the most controversial subjects at the present day. As various countries around the world consider the legality and morality of same-sex unions, the Confession speaks with refreshing and bracing clarity about marriage and divorce. While the Westminster divines could not have known about the debates concerning same-sex marriage that capture our attention today, their teaching could not be more relevant.
The New Testament Explains the Old Testament
44 “The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid again; and from joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. 45 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking fine pearls, 46 and upon finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it. Matt 13:44–46, NASB
The correct way to understand Sacred Scripture is that the Old Testament contains the “old” promises of the Messiah and the fulfillment of His Kingdom while the New Testament is the “new” revelation from Jesus and His Apostles, which reveal to us how the “old” promises are fulfilled in Him. The New Testament explains the Old Testament, not the other way around.
Here We Stand
In this article found at The Cripplegate, Mike Riccardi reflects on the Supreme Court’s rulings on the Defense of Marriage Act and California’s Proposition 8. Now, more than ever before, Christians are being pressed to soften their stance on the Word of God. Many Christians have caved to the pressure. Riccardi gives fair warning that we must not back down—not now, not ever. As good soldiers of Jesus Christ, we are to hold our ground. We have no choice but to stand firm! And when the spiritual forces of evil tempt us to soften on a particular doctrine of Scripture, “we must be ready to look that tempter in the face, to raise our copy of the Word of God, and say, “Here I stand!”
Why Trouble Followeth the Preaching of the Gospel
34 “Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. 35 “For I came to SET A MAN AGAINST HIS FATHER, AND A DAUGHTER AGAINST HER MOTHER, AND A DAUGHTER-IN-LAW AGAINST HER MOTHER-IN-LAW; 36 and A MAN’S ENEMIES WILL BE THE MEMBERS OF HIS HOUSEHOLD. 37 “He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. 38 “And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. 39 “He who has found his life will lose it, and he who has lost his life for My sake will find it. Matt 10:34–39, NASB
Cleansing the heart of man-made religiosity is not fun and games. In fact, it hurts. Many resist God’s truth even to the point of bitterly expressing their anger over what is taught or preached. God’s ways are not man’s ways. The way that seems right unto man is not God’s way. Even the regenerate can cling to a paradigm they have constructed in their hearts that represents God in a way that pleases them, but in fact, can be idolatrous. Their God would not do x,y, and z while the Word tells us that the God of the Bible most certainly does allow things to happen to His people in such a way that their idols comes under direct attack. Many of us have learned the hard way that in this age God sometimes allows His people to be oppressed by their governments, big business, false teachers, or social activists. This could very well be unjust treatment. How are we to react?
Creation Evangelist Mounts America’s First Atheist Monument at Unveiling, Preaches Gospel
Christian News Network reports:
An internationally recognized creation evangelist mounted the nation’s first-ever atheist monument on Saturday and began to preach the Gospel to the crowds gathered for the unveiling ceremony.
Eric Hovind of Creation Today and a number of other Christians attended the event, which was held at the Bradford County Courthouse in Starke, Florida. As previously reported, the monument is part of a settlement between officials in Bradford County and the organization American Atheists of Cranford, New Jersey. Last year, American Atheists sued the county for permitting the display of the Ten Commandments on the premises, which was placed by a group known as Community Men’s Fellowship.
UK May Approve Creating Babies with DNA from 3 People
According to Fox News:
Britain may allow a controversial technique to create babies using DNA from three people, a move that would help couples avoid passing on rare genetic diseases, the country’s top medical officer says.
The new techniques help women with faulty mitochondria, the energy source in a cell, from passing on to their babies defects that can result in such diseases as muscular dystrophy, epilepsy, heart problems and mental retardation. About one in 200 children is born every year in Britain with a mitochondrial disorder.
Justice Kennedy Denies Request to Halt Gay Marriages in California
Fox News reports:
Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy has denied an emergency request by opponents of same-sex marriage to halt gay weddings in California.
The decision means same-sex marriages can resume in the state. Gay marriage foes had filed the motion Saturday asking the high court to step in, less than 24 hours after the state started issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples in the wake of a Supreme Court ruling earlier in the week.
Those Who Are Saved Are Few
5 And He could do no miracle there except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them. 6 And He wondered at their unbelief. And He was going around the villages teaching. Mark 6:5–6, NASB
Some say that the number of true Christians is determined by how many are members of a certain religious group. Others say that this number is determined by how many have met a certain checklist of religious requirements. These and many other Christian apologists come up with their own requirements. Wouldn’t it make a lot more sense to go by what our Lord taught instead? The issue with all of these determining lists of requirements is that they are based on human merit in one way or another. However the Word of God tells us clearly that no one is saved according to this.
What is Penal Substitution?
6 Ἔτι γὰρ Χριστὸς ὄντων ἡμῶν ἀσθενῶν ἔτι κατὰ καιρὸν ὑπὲρ ἀσεβῶν ἀπέθανεν. 7 μόλις γὰρ ὑπὲρ δικαίου τις ἀποθανεῖται· ὑπὲρ γὰρ τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ τάχα τις καὶ τολμᾷ ἀποθανεῖν· 8 συνίστησιν δὲ τὴν ἑαυτοῦ ἀγάπην εἰς ἡμᾶς ὁ θεός, ὅτι ἔτι ἁμαρτωλῶν ὄντων ἡμῶν Χριστὸς ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν ἀπέθανεν. 9 πολλῷ οὖν μᾶλλον δικαιωθέντες νῦν ἐν τῷ αἵματι αὐτοῦ σωθησόμεθα δι’ αὐτοῦ ἀπὸ τῆς ὀργῆς. 10 εἰ γὰρ ἐχθροὶ ὄντες κατηλλάγημεν τῷ θεῷ διὰ τοῦ θανάτου τοῦ υἱοῦ αὐτοῦ, πολλῷ μᾶλλον καταλλαγέντες σωθησόμεθα ἐν τῇ ζωῇ αὐτοῦ· 11 οὐ μόνον δέ, ἀλλὰ καὶ καυχώμενοι ἐν τῷ θεῷ διὰ τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ δι’ οὗ νῦν τὴν καταλλαγὴν ἐλάβομεν. Rom 5:6–11, NA28
6 For while we were still weak, in due time, Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For one will scarcely die on behalf of a righteous man–though perhaps on behalf of for a good man someone would dare to die– 8 but God demonstrates his own love for us, that though we were still sinners, Christ died on our behalf. 9 Since, therefore, having now been justified by his blood, much more will we be saved from the wrath through him. 10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, much more, now having been reconciled, we will be saved by his life. 11 Not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ through whom we have now received reconciliation. Rom 5:6–11, translated from the NA28 Greek text
As I researched the doctrine of Penal Substitution for this article I was amazed at the lengths some people go to in order to obscure God’s truth through man-centered verbiage slanted away from Sacred Scripture towards human reasoning. Not one piece I read that decried Penal Substitution could attack it exegetically. In every case I read, the focus was on the barbarity of such a doctrine and how this shed a very negative light on the character of God. Before we go any further let us define Penal Substitution.
Is Our Justification According to Works of the Law or by the Grace of God?
For all of us have become like one who is unclean, And all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment; And all of us wither like a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, take us away. Isaiah 64:6, NASB
Since the inception of this ministry I have been approached by many concerned people who are convinced that they have sinned one too many times and have forfeited their salvation. They were being continually antagonized about their sin by a voice within. In every case, after some careful questioning, I learned that each of them have been part of a church or denomination whose doctrine of justification is a blend of grace and law, faith and works. Also, as I attempted to explain that justification is by faith alone according to the grace of God, each of them responded in disbelief and that usually ended the conversation. When I tried to share with them that the unregenerate are not troubled by their sin this way it fell on deaf ears.
The Effectual Call Comes from God’s Everlasting Love
1 After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision, saying, “Do not fear, Abram, I am a shield to you; Your reward shall be very great.” 2 Abram said, “O Lord GOD, what will You give me, since I am childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” 3 And Abram said, “Since You have given no offspring to me, one born in my house is my heir.” 4 Then behold, the word of the LORD came to him, saying, “This man will not be your heir; but one who will come forth from your own body, he shall be your heir.” 5 And He took him outside and said, “Now look toward the heavens, and count the stars, if you are able to count them.” And He said to him, “So shall your descendants be.” 6 Then he believed in the LORD; and He reckoned it to him as righteousness. Gen 15:1–6, NASB
In Genesis 15:1-6 (above), God gives us through His prophet Moses probably one of the most important truths found in His Word. This truth is all wrapped up in God’s Sovereignty. In v1 we read that through a vision given to him by God, Abram learns that God is his shield and that he will receive a great reward. In vv2-3 we witness Abram’s fear and his plea for an heir from his own loins. His focus is temporal, but he recognizes that unless God ordains it, there will be no child of his own. Here we see that Abram is no different than us. When he is in control then he is dominated by fear and unbelief. However, in vv4-5 God gently deals with Abram’s unbelief and fear by assuring him that he would indeed have a son and that his descendants would be innumerable. From this we learn that God’s promises are eternally focused even if they have temporal elements. We are called to believe based on His character not our circumstances. In these two verses, we have God’s effectual call of Abram. In v6 we read that Abram believed the Lord, and God counted it to him as righteousness. As a result of every effectual call by God, the one called by God believes Him and as a result He justifies them. They are saved by grace through the saving faith that accompanies every effectual call.
A Warning to All Professing Christians
6 ἡ δὲ ἐκ πίστεως δικαιοσύνη οὕτως λέγει· μὴ εἴπῃς ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ σου· τίς ἀναβήσεται εἰς τὸν οὐρανόν; τοῦτ’ ἔστιν Χριστὸν καταγαγεῖν· 7 ἤ· τίς καταβήσεται εἰς τὴν ἄβυσσον; τοῦτ’ ἔστιν Χριστὸν ἐκ νεκρῶν ἀναγαγεῖν. 8 ἀλλὰ τί λέγει; ἐγγύς σου τὸ ῥῆμά ἐστιν ἐν τῷ στόματί σου καὶ ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ σου, τοῦτ’ ἔστιν τὸ ῥῆμα τῆς πίστεως ὃ κηρύσσομεν. 9 ὅτι ἐὰν ὁμολογήσῃς ἐν τῷ στόματί σου κύριον Ἰησοῦν καὶ πιστεύσῃς ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ σου ὅτι ὁ θεὸς αὐτὸν ἤγειρεν ἐκ νεκρῶν, σωθήσῃ· 10 καρδίᾳ γὰρ πιστεύεται εἰς δικαιοσύνην, στόματι δὲ ὁμολογεῖται εἰς σωτηρίαν. 11 λέγει γὰρ ἡ γραφή· πᾶς ὁ πιστεύων ἐπ’ αὐτῷ οὐ καταισχυνθήσεται. Rom 10:6–11, NA28
6 But the righteousness of faith says, ‘Do not say in your heart , ‘Who will ascend into heaven?'” (that is, to bring Christ down) 7 or “‘Who will descend into the abyss?'” (that is, to bring Christ Christ up from the dead). 8 But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith, which we preach); 9 because if you confess Jesus as Lord with your mouth and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes resulting in righteousness and with the mouth one confesses resulting in salvation. 11 For the Scripture says, “Everyone believing on him will not be put to shame.” Rom 10:6–11, translated from the NA28 Greek text
The Truth War is an ugly thing. Those attempting to dismantle Biblical truth and reform it to their own philosophies use tactics that could best be termed as deceitful. They accuse without any substance to their attacks. Their entire focus seems to be to muddy the waters and cast doubt using verbiage designed to discourage the warriors of the truth while confusing everyone else. Now I ask you, who does that sound like? Of course, it is our enemy who is behind this. He is a liar and a murderer. Those who serve him are spiritually blind and have been deceived. Our enemy is quite clever in that he attacks the truth from every conceivable angle and platform. Some of his minions are atheists. Others are pagans. Others are professing Christians, but they are not the genuine article. There are hundreds of different forms of Christianity, but there is only one true faith. The religion of genuine Christianity teaches that Christians are saved by God as he justifies them by his grace through faith alone. However, there are hundreds of false prophets who have invaded the visible Church who teach vastly different false doctrines. However, there is one common denominator in them all. They teach in one form or another that salvation belongs to them because they have done something that has earned them recognition as Christians or as the emergents say these days, “followers of Jesus.”