There are No Prophets Today

The name of Christ is being mocked today because of modern "prophets".  These people are not hearing from God.  Not only these people in this particular video but anyone who tells you they are hearing personally from God.  They are not hearing from God.  God is not speaking personally today.  The canon is closed.  The Scripture is complete.  GOD IS NOT SPEAKING PERSONALLY TO PEOPLE TODAY.

Please take the time to watch this video.  It's almost a month old but I could not control myself any longer.  I had to post it.  THERE ARE NO PROPHETS TODAY.  In case you didn't catch that....THERE ARE NO PROPHETS TODAY.  

Chris Rosebrough...Fighting for the Faith 

"You keep using that verse..." Inigo Montoya on John 10:27

Today, we are undertaking our next installment in the "You keep using that verse...." series.  After the first post, it occurred to me that not every person who may read these posts will understand the reference to The Princess Bride and the particular play on words that I am using in the title of these posts. So, in the below link, is the scene from the movie....the source of the title for this series of posts: 

Inigo Montoya

My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me  (John 10:27)

The vast majority of those in the church today believe and teach that it should be the experience of every believer to "hear God speak" or "hear the voice of God".  The best selling devotional book, since the day Noah finished building the ark, has been "Jesus Calling" by Sarah Young.  That entire book is based on the premise that "Jesus" is talking to Sarah Young during her quiet time.  Ms. Young writes the book in the 1st person as if she were speaking for "Jesus".  "Jesus" talks to Beth Moore more than her husband talks to her.  At least that is the conclusion one would draw from the stories Beth Moore tells of how much "God" talks to her and tells her what to do, where to go, what He thinks.  The problem for both of these women is that what they are being told by "Jesus" is not biblical.  For the sake of time, I will provide one quick example from the Jesus Calling devotional and then ask you all to do a little research on your own about Ms. Young.  I will also provide a short video of Ms. Moore claiming that "God" gave her a vision of how he sees the church....and it includes unity with the RCC (Roman Catholic Church).  Again, do some research about Beth Moore on your own.

Ms. Young, for her August 1st entry, wrote these words that "Jesus" gave her:

Most of mankind's misery stems from feeling unloved.

Jesus Calling

2011 Hallmark Edition

August 1st

Page 224

The entire devotional sounds like this.....as if it was written by a middle aged woman, starved for attention from her boyfriend because, obviously, it's all about her.  This is man-centered psychobabble.  Mankind's biggest problem, the source of his misery, is SIN and the fact that he is separated from God because of his sin.  Read Psalm 51.  Is David crying out to God in misery because he felt unloved?  Hardly.  He is crying out to God because he is a sinner in need of forgiveness.  He is in misery because of the guilt he is feeling, the conviction of the Holy Spirit he is under, for being an adulterer and murderer.  Read Ephesians 2.  Were we dead in misery and loneliness, needing to be loved?  No.  We were dead in trespasses and sins...Ephesians 2:1....and were by nature children of wrath....Ephesians 2:3.  Our sin causes our misery, not being unloved.  The thought is absolutely ridiculous.  It makes my stomach turn.

Here is the video clip from Beth Moore.  It is about 4 1/2 minutes long or so:

Beth Moore's Vision

The RCC condemned the biblical gospel at the Council of Trent, which ran 25 different sessions from December 1545 to December 1563.  It was an ecumenical council called in response to the Protestant Reformation and could be called a counter reformation.  The RCC, in response to the Reformation, called the Council of Trent to pronounce anathemas (or curses) on the teachings of the Protestants and, at the same time, delineate the official teachings of the Catholic Church.  The findings and pronouncements, or canons, that were reached at Trent are still binding in the Catholic Church today.  These canons have never been overturned or revoked.  

During the sixth session, in the fourth canon, the Catholic church said, in essence, that if anybody affirms that man's free will does not cooperate with God in justification, let that person be accursed.  Basically, this is semi-Pelagianism.  Semi-Pelagianism has been condemned as heresy by the early church.  In the fifth canon, the church said that if anyone affirms since the fall of Adam that man's free will is lost or extinguished, let that person be accursed.  This is saying that the teaching of Original Sin is anathema.  In the eleventh canon, the church says that if anyone affirms the grace whereby we are justified is only the favor of God, let that person be anathema, or accursed.  This is saying that we are not saved by grace alone.  These canons fly in the face of Scripture.  These canons fly in the face of the teachings of Christ and the apostles.  

I tell you all of this to tell you this:  these women have not heard from the Lord Jesus.  And, after having taken a very scenic route, we come back to the verse of Scripture that doesn't mean what everybody thinks it means:

My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me  (John 10:27)

This is the go to verse for those who affirm that God speaks to people today, people who profess to be Christian, outside of the confines of His Word.  The list of those who hold to this teaching is long.  I would be hard pressed to list them all but here are a few:

Priscilla Shirer

Sarah Young

Beth Moore

Robert Morris

Rick Warren

Charles Stanley

TD Jakes

Joyce Meyer

Paula White

Bill Johnson

Rod Parsley

Steven Furtick

Brian Houston 

Christine Caine

Louie Giglio

Francis Chan

Ken Copeland

Jesse Duplantis

Todd White

Ken Hagin

The reason why I have listed a few of the people who hold to this teaching is because they are extremely popular.  They are doing the Word of God a huge disservice by claiming John 10:27 definitively teaches that God speaks to us through mystical, subjective means outside of His Word.  That is a merciless torturing of the meaning of that verse.  They must rip it from the surrounding verses, taking it completely out of context, to make it say what they want.  If they do that, it shows a complete and utter inability to "accurately handle the word of truth"  (2 Timothy 2:15).  Why?  Because the meaning of this verse CANNOT BE MISSED if it is read properly.  It just can't.  The meaning is plain to see.  Not much explanation is needed when it is read in context:

The Jews then gathered around Him, and were saying to Him, "How long will You keep us in suspense?  If You are the Christ, tell us plainly."  Jesus answered them, "I told you, and you do not believe; the works that I do in My Father's name, these testify of Me.  But you do not believe because you are not of My sheep.  My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me;  and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand.  My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand.  I and the Father are one."  (John 10:24-30)

Christ proclaimed His deity throughout the entirety of John 10.  He made two of His "I AM" statements, which are unequivocal statements to His deity, in this chapter.  He said, "I am the good shepherd" and "I am the door."  In the context of chapter 10, these 2 "I AM" statements by Christ are salvation statements because, in context, chapter 10 is comparing and contrasting Jesus, the way the truth and the life, with the false teachers of the time. 

I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.  The thief (false teacher) comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came so that they would have life, and have it abundantly.  (John 10:9-10)

Jesus here is clearly speaking about salvation, showing that he is the "door" to salvation.  Jesus is drawing a stark contrast here between Himself and the false teachers of the day.

I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.  He who is a hired hand (false teacher), and not a shepherd, who is not the owner of the sheep, sees the wolf coming, and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them.  He flees because he is a hired hand and is not concerned about the sheep.  I am the good shepherd, and I know My own and My own know Me, even as the Father knows Me and I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep.  I have other sheep, which are not of this fold (Gentiles); I must bring them also, and they will hear My voice; and they will become one flock (with the Jews) with one shepherd.  (John 10:11-16)

Again, Jesus is clearly speaking about salvation here in these verses, contrasting Himself to the false teachers of the day.  We can go back even further in John 10 and it will do us good to do that because it will provide even more context:

Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter by the door into the fold of the sheep, but climbs up some other way, he is a thief and a robber (false teacher).  But he who enters by the door is a shepherd of the sheep.  To him (the shepherd) the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his (the shepherd's) voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.  When he puts forth all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice.  A stranger they simply will not follow but will flee from him, because they do not know the voice of strangers.  (John 10:1-5)

Jesus is using the very familiar story of a shepherd and sheep to his audience.  They would immediately know what He is talking about when He states that the shepherd calls his own sheep and they follow him.  Each shepherd has his own unique call for his flock.  Each flock knows the shepherd's voice and his call to them.  They will hear his voice and respond to him.  Back to John 10:27 and the surrounding verses.  Stay with me.  This will not take long at all because it is plain to see when put into context.

The Jews then gathered around Him, and were saying to Him, "How long will You keep us in suspense?  If You are the Christ, tell us plainly."  Jesus answered them, "I told you, and you do not believe; the works that I do in My Father's name, these testify of Me.  But you do not believe because you are not of My sheep.  My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me;  and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand.  My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand.  I and the Father are one."  (John 10:24-30)

In the book of John, when he uses the phrase "the Jews", he is talking about the leaders of the Jewish people....the Pharisees and Sadducees.  They asked Him how long was He going to keep them in suspense?  Tell us plainly if you are the Christ they said.  He told them that He had already told them and they did not believe.  Then He said this....please do not miss this:

But you do not believe because you are not of My sheep.  My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow me

Notice that Christ did not say that they weren't His sheep because they didn't believe.  He said they didn't believe because they weren't His sheep.  He said My sheep hear My voice and I KNOW THEM.  This is a very important distinction.  This important section of Scripture is teaching the effectual call of the Holy Spirit unto salvation.  When the gospel call goes forth, that is the general call to salvation.  When Christ says My sheep hear My voice, He is talking about the application of the gospel call to the sinful heart of His sheep.  "His sheep" are known by Him because "His sheep" are the ones that the Father "had given to Him".  We see that in John 10:29.  What a glorious truth and comfort to the sheep of the Shepherd.  He knows His sheep, they know His voice and they follow Him.....in salvation.  Also, please notice what else the Lord Jesus says.  He says My sheep hear My voice, I know them, they follow Me "and I give them eternal life, and they will never perish".  This is more context showing that John 10:27 is most clearly speaking about salvation and eternal life.  It cannot be missed.  To say differently shows one of two things:  You either have the intelligence quotient of a corn stalk or you are purposefully missing the point of the passage to make a point that is not there.  There's now way around it.

This beautiful verse, when taken in its context, absolutely does not teach "My sheep hear My voice", meaning that we hear God speaking to us in an audible voice, an inward impression, a sign in the clouds or some coincidental event.  It teaches that "My sheep hear My voice" when He calls us to repentance and faith through the grace He lavishes on us that we do not deserve. Please, please, please.....do not fall for this false teaching.  It belittles the greatness of our Lord and Savior by placing a ridiculous meaning to His words that He did not intend.  In closing, I am going to share a short video that demonstrates the beautiful meaning of this verse..."My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me".  May it bless you the way it did me.

My Sheep Hear My Voice

"You keep using that verse..." Inigo Montoya on 2 Peter 3:8-9

Today we are starting up a new series of posts dealing with verses that are, 9 times out of 10, misused and made to say things they were never meant to say.  We are going to title the posts after the line used by Inigo Montoya in the movie The Princess Bride.  When Inigo was talking with Vizzini, Vizzini kept using the word INCONCEIVABLE incorrectly.  Inigo told him, "You keep using that word.  I do not think it means what you think it means."  When verses are taken out of context, people think they mean things that are completely foreign to their actual meaning.  When these verses are ripped out of their proper context and made to say whatever people want them to say, God is dishonored and robbed of His rightful glory because His word is taken out of context and made to say what it does not.  Thus, the meaning of the title behind this series.  So, without further ado, let's get started..........

But do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day.  The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.  (2 Peter 3:8-9)

These verses, especially verse 9, are go to verses for those who want to prop up the belief and teaching Jesus Christ died for every single person, that He is being patient, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.  Is that not what these verses say?  It is true...those are the words of Scripture.  BUT, I do not think these verses mean what you think they mean.

If this interpretation of these verses is true, there is a problem.  This interpretation implies an impotent God, sitting around WISHING for something to happen.  This portrays a God, the creator of the universe, having no sway over His own creation.  That is not the God of the Bible.  He does not sit idly by, wringing His hands, WISHING that people won't perish and go to hell.  He is active in the saving of His own:

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has CAUSED us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead...(1 Peter 1:3)

When you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He MADE you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions...(Colossians 2:13)

For I am confident of this very thing, that He WHO BEGAN a good work in you WILL PERFECT IT until the day of Christ Jesus.  (Philippians 1:6)

But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, MADE us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved)  (Ephesians 2:4-5)

That is the testimony of the New Testament about the proactive nature of God in our regeneration and salvation.  Those are just a few of the verses.  The Old Testament bears witness to this fact too.  This is probably the best example:

Moreover, I WILL GIVE you a new heart and PUT a new spirit within you; and I WILL REMOVE the heart of stone from your flesh and GIVE you a heart of flesh.  I WILL PUT My Spirit within you and CAUSE you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances.  (Ezekiel 36:26-27)

The above Scripture is God speaking to the nation of Israel through the prophet Ezekiel.  But, even though this particular Scripture isn't necessarily for us, we can take application from it because it is a perfect description of the new birth in the life of an individual.  These verses, from the Old and New Testaments, are what God Himself says about His role in regeneration and salvation.  

As with any verse or verses of Scripture, one of the first major rules to be employed in the interpretation of said verse or verses is to look at the portion of Scripture in its CONTEXT.  That is to say, look at the verses surrounding the portion in question to get the larger picture of what was being said and to whom it was being said.

As we look at 2 Peter 3:8-9, the first word that stands out is the word "beloved".  Who are the "beloved"?  If we go back to the beginning of chapter 3, we get a clue as to who the "beloved" are:

This is now, beloved, the second letter I am writing to you...."  (2 Peter 3:1)

We can assume that Peter is talking about the 1st epistle in the Scripture that bears his name, 1st Peter.  If we go to the beginning of 1st Peter, we read this:

Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who reside as aliens, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia, who are chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with His blood:  May grace and peace be yours in the fullest measure."   (1 Peter 1:1-2)

In these verses, Peter spells out who his audience is.....those who are chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father.  He is providing instruction, encouragement and hope to believers.  He is not writing to every single human being.  He is writing to a specific group of people; the chosen.  The meaning of 2 Peter 3:8-9 hinges on this understanding of Peter's audience in his two epistles.  His audience is believers...Christians...those who are saved...not unbelievers.

With that in mind, let's go back to 2 Peter....specifically 3:8-9:

But do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day.  The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.  (2 Peter 3:8-9)

Ok, to make sure we are on the same page, Peter is talking to the "beloved".  Again, this means those who are saved.  His brethren in the Lord.  The chosen of God.  We know this by doing a little work to see who "beloved" refers to and we discover that by looking at 1 Peter 1:1.

He says to the "beloved" that "the Lord is not slow about His promise".  What promise?  The entirety of 2 Peter chapter 3 is about the 2nd coming of the Lord.  Peter is telling his brethren that there will be mockers and scoffers.  They will be belittling Christians, making fun of them for their belief in the return of Christ....for their belief in Christ, period.  "Where is He?" they will ask. Everything is the same as it always has been they will say.  Peter makes an important point here in verse 7.  Here it is in context:

But they deliberately forget that long ago by God’s word the heavens came into being and the earth was formed out of water and by water.  By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed.  By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly.

(2 Peter 3:5-7)

He says that these mockers deliberately malign God's word about creation, deliberately malign God's word about the flood that destroyed the world (you can read into this verse that the world was destroyed because of the wickedness of the ungodly) and that, by the same word, God's word, the word mockers malign, the world is reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgement and the destruction of the ungodly.  Remember this....we will come back to it.

Back to verse 9.  The Lord is not slow about His promise....what promise?....the promise of His coming and the destruction of the ungodly.  Then Peter says this, "is patient toward you".  Who is the you?  We have already determined that Peter is writing to the "beloved", correct?  So the "you" right here must be the beloved.  That IS to whom Peter is writing, correct?  So, therefore, it makes sense that the you is the beloved.  

An aside here....as God waits for His own, He endures an unimaginable amount of blasphemy and idiocy from people who hate Him, belittle Him, malign Him, speak untruths about Him.  That is how much God loves, and is patient on account of, "the sheep", for whom He laid down His life  (John 10:15).  

Peter continues, "not wishing for ANY to perish".  Who is the any in this sentence?  Logically, the any refers to whom Peter is writing..."beloved" or "chosen", as he referred to them in 1 Peter.  Go back to 2 Peter 3:5-7 from above.  What does Peter say in verse 7?  He says:

By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly.  

If the heavens and the earth are reserved for fire and are being kept for "the day of judgment and destruction of the UNGODLY", then how can His patience be directed at everyone?  His patience is not directed at everyone.  His patience is in staying His hand in the destruction of the ungodly as He waits to receive His own.  He is patient toward you, His chosen, His beloved, not WISHING for ANY of those to perish.  

And as a little extra bonus here, as we saw in several verses at the beginning of this post, God does not sit idly by WISHING for people to be saved.  He saves them.  That's what He does.  Matthew tells us:

You shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins  (Matthew 1:21)

Jesus has a people already.  What does this verse say?  It says He WILL save them.  Not maybe.  Not He wishes He could.  Not He sure does hope He can.  It says HE WILL SAVE HIS PEOPLE.  Who are His people?  We are told about them in the Scriptures repeatedly.  Here is just one example:

He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world  (Ephesians 1:4)

This does not depict a God who sits around, pacing the floor, wishing people would come to Him.  Contrary to popular belief, God doesn't need you or your acceptance of Him.  He needs nothing at all.  We need His acceptance, if you will.  Not the other way around.  This ends the extra little bonus.  We move on. 

Back to the next part of this verse..."but for ALL to come to repentance".  Who is the "all"?  Again, basic logic and grammar determines that the "all" is the same as the "any".....it is the "you" which refers to the "beloved" or "chosen'.  You can read the word "wishing" into this verse before the word "all" if you want.  It doesn't change the meaning.  He is "not WISHING" that any (of His chosen) should perish but He is "WISHING for all (of His chosen) to come to repentance."  Also, taking the entire context of the passage into consideration, it is talking about the judgment and destruction of the ungodly.  There will be no destruction of the ungodly if all are coming to repentance.  

That is the meaning of these verses.  I know that there will be some people who flat out deny that this is what these verses are teaching.  That's fine with me.  You can be mad at me or think I'm a dolt and buffoon who has no idea what I'm talking about.  That's fine.  You aren't disputing with me.  You are disputing with the Holy Spirit.  Take up your beef with Him.  He is the one who dictated these words to the apostle Peter.  All I have done here is take the verses apart using some context and logic to exegete (draw out) the meaning.

This is the first post in what will be many because there are so many Scriptures that are tortured and contorted as to make them all but ridiculous in what people want them to say.  I hope you all will come along with me as we go through these together, learning more about God and who He is along the way.    

 

The Gospel...A History Lesson Part 5

In our last post about the gospel, part 4, we ended talking about synergism within the church.  To review, the word "synergism" comes from the Greek prefix SYN, which means "together with; at the same time" and the Greek word ERGOS, which means "work".  Therefore, synergism is the belief that man and God are cooperating, or working together at the same time, to achieve man's salvation. In this system of belief, it is only logical that man get some of the credit for his salvation.  That is because, in the synergistic view, God has done all He can do by sending Jesus Christ to die on the cross...to make salvation possible for you.  Now, you have to make the decision to accept or reject this offer.  That is SYNERGISM.  God has done something; now, you do something.  That is the semi-Pelagian view of salvation and it dominates the landscape of Christianity today.  The problem with this view is that is completely unbiblical.  We will attempt to show why today.

"Salvation is from the Lord.”  (Jonah 2:9)

How is salvation of the LORD?  Well, salvation is of the LORD when it is the LORD who does it from start to finish.  That is what a MONERGISTIC view of salvation consists of...or, in another word, MONERGISM.  This is a view that regeneration and salvation are completely dependent upon the working of God upon a person.  What is a monergistic view of regeneration and salvation, or MONERGISM?  The word comes from a Greek prefix, "mono", meaning "one; alone" and the Greek word "ergos" meaning work.  Therefore, the word monergism means that God alone works the regeneration and salvation of a person through the rebirth of a dead spirit.  This is in direct contrast to synergism, which teaches that God and man work together to accomplish this task.

At the risk of being redundant, the synergistic view of regeneration and salvation holds that man is not dead in trespasses and sins...he is merely sick or wounded.  His nature is not in total and complete bondage to sin.  He is, thereby, able to help himself by helping God.  In this view, God gives grace to ALL men at some point in time.  When this happens, it is incumbent upon the individual to improve upon that grace by showing enough sense to accept this grace and get saved.  In other words, the regeneration and salvation of a person is dependent upon the person and their choice to accept or reject grace.  The credit and glory for this goes, in part, to the person for having enough wits about them to make the right choice.  It does not go to God for having worked a miracle in a dead spirit.

In the monergistic view, man is ruined and held in bondage by the sin nature.  Man is:

"Dead in trespasses and sins"  (Ephesians 2:1)

"By nature children of wrath"  (Ephesians 2:3)

"There is none who does good; not even one"  (Romans 3:12)

"All of us like sheep have gone astray,

"Each of us has turned to his own way"  (Isaiah 53:6)

And, because of this, Jesus tells Nicodemus:

"Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God."  (John 3:3)

The phrase "born again" here literally means "born from above" and is talking about the regeneration of the spirit of a man.  We are dead in our trespasses and sins.  Unless we are regenerated, or reborn, or born again or born from above, we cannot see the kingdom of God.  That is because our nature is inherently sinful and cannot be in the presence of a holy God.  As David said in the Psalms:

"Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity,
And in sin my mother conceived me."  (Psalm 51:5)

We are born with a sinful nature.  That sinful nature must be dealt with if we are to stand blameless in the presence of God.  This rebirth is an act of the Holy Spirit that happens TO US, not an act in which we take part or help God along.  We did not participate in our physical birth; neither do we participate in our spiritual birth.  How do we know this?  Here is the testimony of the Scriptures:

"But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved)"  (Ephesians 2:4-5)

These are some of the most glorious verses in all the Scriptures.  Look at what they say.  Verse 4 must be read in the context of verses 1-3.  Verse 1 says we were dead in trespasses and sins.  Verse 2 says that we formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air.  Verse 3 says that we were, by nature, children of wrath.  That is a dire sentence against us and the verdict is in.  We were, by nature, children of wrath, dead in trespasses and sins.  In that context, verse 4 breaks in and becomes most glorious.  "But God....".  I think those 2 words are my favorite in the Scriptures.  But God, because He is rich in mercy......But God, because He loved us with a great love......But God, even when we were dead in our transgressions......made us alive together with Christ.  Notice that this happened EVEN WHEN WE WERE DEAD IN OUR TRANSGRESSIONS.  He had to MAKE US ALIVE because we WERE DEAD.  He did not ask us if we wanted to be alive.  He did not give us a multiple choice option on life....A) I want to remain dead or B) I want to be made alive.  He did not kinda raise us up out of a deep slumber and then leave us to either roll over and go back to sleep, rejecting Him waking us up......or sitting up, jumping out of bed, attacking the day and accepting being risen out of bed.  That is not what the text says.  It says HE MADE US ALIVE WITH CHRIST (BY GRACE YOU HAVE BEEN SAVED).  That is what grace is.  It is favor and mercy from God that is neither expected nor deserved.  Notice this also.  In verse 8, Paul says:

For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;  (Ephesians 2:8)

Grace is in operation in more ways than one.  Grace raises you from deadness.  Grace also saves through faith because the faith to believe is ALSO given to you.  That is the gift spoken of here....your faith.  Your faith is not of yourselves.  Your faith is the gift of God.  Notice when you put all of these verses together that the first thing that happens is that God MADE YOU ALIVE WITH CHRIST because of the fact that YOU WERE DEAD IN TRESPASSES AND SINS.  That is being "born again" or regenerated.  After that, God gives you the faith to believe.  That is justification, or salvation.  They are both works that God does to you without needing you to help Him along.  He does it all.  

That is monergism.....in a quick, over-simplified nutshell.  I honestly believe that it is the only view of our regeneration and salvation that puts the credit and glory where it belongs....on God and His grace.  Any view that states God has done all He can do and now it's up to you robs God of the credit and glory that belongs to Him and Him alone.  It really is that simple.  I would ask all who read this to prayerfully consider what has been said in this post and Part 4.  A proper view of God and His role is vitally important. A proper view of man and his lack of any roll is also vitally important.  Credit must go where credit is due.  To whom will you give your credit....yourself and your intelligence for choosing God or God and His grace in doing the choosing?

The "Church" is in Trouble...But There is an Answer

I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom:  preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction.  For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths.

2 Timothy 4:1-4

Every two years Ligonier Ministries, the legacy of the late R.C. Sproul, does a poll of a cross section of Americans about all things theology.  Some of those respondents claim to be Christian; some do not.  While the results, taken as a whole, are not all that surprising, they become much more disturbing when you analyze them from the standpoint of those who claim to be Christian.  That is the purpose of this post...to look at the poll results from the viewpoint of those who claim to be Christian.  The results show confusion and, in some cases, straight heresy.  All in all they show a "church" that has no clue what the Bible teaches, a "church" that does not know God and a "church" that has no idea what it believes or why.

Ligonier has been doing this poll since at least 2014.  You can find everything in this post pertaining to the poll at this website.  We will be looking at results from 2020 and years past.  Some questions are asked over the span of multiple years of the poll.  Some questions are unique to a specific year.  I will be clear when comparing various years as opposed to speaking about a specific poll year.  Also, to be clear, all of the questions are true / false questions, so the responses are agree / disagree responses.  Let's just dive in.

We are going to start with some poll questions concerning the members of the Godhead:

True or False

Jesus is the first and greatest being created by God.

If you are a Christian, if you claim to be saved then this statement is a no-brainer and is Christianity 101.  This is foundational.  Let's go to John 1:1-2:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was in the beginning with God.

There it is.  The Word, being Jesus, WAS God.  God didn't create Himself.  Therefore, He did not create Jesus.  Jesus WAS God.  The answer to this, if you are a Christian, is no...false...I disagree...that is straight heresy, plain and simple.  Sadly, among professing Christians, that is not the case.  11% were unsure about that statement.  56% agreed with it.  So, a total of 67% of "Christians" have no idea who Jesus is.  Amazingly, these numbers are actually a little better than they were in 2016, when 70% of professing "Christians" weren't sure or agreed with that statement.

Piggybacking on the above statement, a follow up statement was made only in the 2020 poll:

True or False

Jesus was a great teacher, but He was not God.

Here is the testimony of the Scripture:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was in the beginning with God.  (John 1:1-2)

I and the Father are one.  (John 10:30)

Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am."  (John 8:58)

For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form.  (Colossians 2:9)

The same 56% of "Christians" that agreed that Jesus was God the Father's greatest creation should also agree with this statement because if Jesus was created, He CANNOT be God.  Therefore, the percentage should be at least 56%, because 100% of the 56% should say Jesus wasn't God, if they follow their own line of thinking.  However, that is not the case.  Only 32% agree with that statement.  4% were not sure.  This shows clear confusion as to what they believe.  It also shows that they don't understand the implications of what they believe because if Jesus was not the God-man, He cannot be their Savior.

Another statement that should be a non-issue is this one:

True or False

The Holy Spirit is a force but is not a personal being.

This is saying that the Holy Spirit is not a person but exerts influence as some sort of mystical, Star Wars type of entity.  Again, this should be Christianity 101 because the Holy Spirit can speak:

Therefore, just as the Holy Spirit says....(Hebrews 3:7 and following)

And the Holy Spirit also testifies to us; for after saying....(Hebrews 10:15 and following)

The Holy Spirit can be grieved:

But they rebelled and grieved His Holy Spirit; Therefore He turned Himself to become their enemy, He fought against them.  (Isaiah 63:10)

Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.  (Ephesians 4:30)

The Holy Spirit can be lied to:

But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back some of the price of the land?  While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not under your control?  Why is it that you have conceived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God.”  (Acts 5:3-4)

A force doesn't speak.  A force doesn't become grieved and have feelings.  You can't lie to a force.  Only a person speaks, has feelings and can be lied to.  The Holy Spirit has and does these things.  It is the clear testimony of the Scripture.  Apparently, this is lost on a majority of those inside the church who call themselves Christian.  51% agree with the statement that the Holy Spirit is a force and not a personal being;  that is sad.  The results of this poll over the years regarding the person and character of the members of the Godhead are a clear indictment against the "church" and its "leaders".  There is no knowledge of God...at all.  It's terrible.

Let's look at some statements of what people think about themselves as humans.

True or False

Everyone sins a little, but most people are good by nature

Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.  (Genesis 6:5)

There is none righteous, not even one;

There is none who understands, there is none who seeks for God;

All have turned aside, together they have become useless;

There is none who does good, there is not even one.  (Romans 3:10-12)

And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience.  Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest.  (Ephesians 2:1-3)

The answer to this is false.  Man is born into sin.  Man is, by nature, a child of wrath thanks to Adam. Man is born dead in trespasses and sins.  Man is born with an evil, selfish bent.  That is the testimony of Scripture.  That is the testimony of life.  Sadly, those who claim to be Christian are unaware of this.  In 2020, 47% agree with the above statement.  This is slightly better than years gone by but, as a whole, the numbers show an incredible lack of knowledge about what the Scriptures clearly teach about humanity.

To go along in the same vein, the respondents to the poll were then asked this:

True or False

Even the smallest sin deserves eternal damnation

Any person that calls themselves a Christian should understand the implications of sin and say YES to this statement.  ANY sin deserves eternal damnation.  Why?  Because God is infinitely holy and has no part in sin.  He demands that we: 

are to be perfect, as your Heavenly Father is perfect. (Matthew 5:48)

For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all.  (James 2:10)

Failing to do what God has told us to do and doing what God has commanded us not to do is sin.  That is not perfection.  We cannot do what God has commanded us to do.  We just can't; it's impossible.  But that is beside the point; that is what God demands....perfection.  

Praise the Lord for Jesus, who came and lived that perfect life for me because I could not.  

One sin, no matter how small and insignificant in our eyes, demands infinite, eternal damnation because it is a sin against an infinitely, eternally holy God. 

The above statement should have a 100% agreement rate by all who call themselves Christians.  It doesn't.  Only 40% agree with it.  Put another way, 54% disagree with the understanding that sin is a big deal to God.  Simply put, people within the walls of the church, who call themselves Christian, have no idea who God is.  That is because those standing in the pulpit have no idea who God is.  These percentages stay fairly consistent from year to year and, frankly, it's mind numbing to me.

Here is one last statement to leave you pondering the state of the church and those who call themselves Christians:

True or False

Abortion is a sin

There is absolutely no way around this.  Anybody who calls themselves a Christian and does not agree with this statement is, in my opinion, to be frank, not saved, unregenerate and needs to stop calling themselves a Christian.  Abortion is murder, period.  

Rape is not a valid reason.  Incest is not a valid reason.  The child having a medical condition, such as Down's Syndrome, is not a valid reason.  Eliminating the consequence of your action through terminating the life of the unwanted pregnancy is not a valid reason.  Why?  Because abortion is murder.  There are THOUSANDS of families that would love to adopt your "problem" because they cannot have children.

I know that people love to shout that the health of the mother can be at danger and she needs to have this option to abort.  Granted, this happens very, very rarely.  I am not saying that this does not take place.  I am saying that it does not take place commonly.  That statement about the health of the mother is made in an effort to blur the facts.  And the fact is this:

Abortion is a matter of convenience.

People want to be able to do whatever they want and have no consequences for their actions.  A baby is the natural result of the act of sex.  Don't want a baby?  Don't have sex.  Simple, is it not?  But, in the instant gratification age of "I want what I want now and I don't want to have to answer for it", the baby pays the price.  It's just true.

The percentage of people who call themselves Christian and think abortion is a sin is somewhere between 76% and 80% over the years.  In 2020, 18% said they disagree.  6% were not sure.  So, 24% of "Christians" either disagree with the statement "Abortion is a sin" or are not sure about it.  This is, honestly, atrocious.  It should be 100%...end of discussion.  

Friends, behold the "church".  These are just a few of the statements put forth to the respondents in the polling since 2014.  But I chose these because they are telling.  They tell a story.  A story of people, people who are supposedly Christians, who have no idea who God is and no idea who they are.  They are ignorant of the most elementary doctrines about God and man. 

I place the blame squarely at the foot of the pulpit.  No, the pastors in the churches are not totally responsible for every aspect of their sheep's theology.  But they do set the tone.  They are to do what Paul told Timothy, using the Scriptures:

All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness...(2 Timothy 3:16)

How do they do this?  By doing what the Scripture at the beginning of this post says:

PREACH THE WORD

Pastors, teachers, elders, Sunday School teachers, Wednesday night Bible Study leaders:

PREACH THE WORD

That is the only thing that will lead us to a saving knowledge of Him.  Everything else is meaningless. 

Do Not Be Deceived

It is interesting, to say the least, that in biblical times miracles validated the messenger but in today's world, that is not necessarily the case.  Why?

In the book of Acts and the epistles, the vast majority of the miraculous signs and wonders were performed by THE apostles or those closely associated with them.  This is what 2 Corinthians 12:12 says:

Truly the signs of an apostle were wrought among you in all patience, in signs, and wonders, and mighty deeds.

This clearly shows that one of the signs of a true apostle was signs and wonders.  When I say true apostle, I am talking about an original apostle...one of the 11, after Judas had gone to do what he was going to do.  And Paul...he can be thrown into this mix because he was an eyewitness of the Lord Jesus according to Acts 9.  Does this mean that ordinary people cannot perform miraculous things with the help of the Holy Spirit?  No, I am not saying that at all.  I am saying that those occurrences are the exception, not the norm.  These things are not something that need to be, or should be, sought out.  God can do what He wants to do whenever He feels like He wants to do it.  But, according to His recorded Word, the miraculous signs and wonders were something that followed the apostles, not Joe Smith on Main Street.

According to the Scripture, in Acts 2:22, Jesus was a man "approved of God" by miraculous things:

“Men of Israel, listen to these words: Jesus the Nazarene, a man attested to you by God with miracles and wonders and signs which God performed through Him in your midst, just as you yourselves know

I will say no more about this.  I don't need to say anything further.  It speaks for itself.  Jesus was "approved of God" because of the "miracles and wonders and signs" which God did through Him.  Further along in Acts, chapter 14 and verse 3, Paul and Barnabas were confirmed as genuine messengers of God.....because of the signs they did:

Therefore they spent a long time there, speaking boldly with reliance upon the Lord, who was testifying to the word of His grace, granting that signs and wonders be done by their hands.

Now, again, these verses DO NOT prove that God doesn’t give His miraculous gifts to just anybody.  He can do what He feels like doing when He feels like doing it.  But, these verses also DO NOT say that miraculous signs are for just any believer.  If anybody outside of those people had these miraculous gifts, it was the exception, not the norm.  All of these verses speak to God's apostles....or to Jesus Himself.  Therefore, we can conclude that miraculous signs were given to the apostles, and Christ, at this time to CONFIRM the message of God and the Gospel. 

Also, another thing to keep in mind is this:

At this time, there was no Word of God.  There was no Bible.  We could not look to what God had to say to us.  He was speaking new revelation to people because He needed to do this.  He was doing miraculous things because He needed to do these things.  Now, we don't need this.  We have His word.  He has given to us all we need.  Here is how I know this:

God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world.  (Hebrews 1:1-2)

Notice the tense....this is in past tense.  "after He spoke long ago....".  "...last days has spoken....".  These verbs are in the past tense.  It's been done.  It's not something that He is doing.  He has done it.  He HAS SPOKEN to His people.  Also, 2 Peter 1:19:

So we have the prophetic word made more sure, to which you do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place

Peter, James and John had a legitimate experience on the mount of Transfiguration.  They saw the Lord Jesus in all His glory.  They saw Moses and Elijah.  They asked if they should put up a tent for them, for heaven's sake.  They saw these men.  It was a legitimate thing that happened to them.  But, Peter pointed his audience to God's Word.  That is our anchor.  Let me tell you why this needs to be our anchor...2 Corinthians 11:13-14:

For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ.  No wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light

This passage is talking about false teachers, in context.  But, it also can be applied to false spirits, masquerading as messengers of Jesus, leading people astray because that's what they want...miraculous signs and wonders.  Pauls goes on, verse 15:

Therefore it is not surprising if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness, whose end will be according to their deeds.

He is saying not to be surprised when demons and devils disguise themselves as angels of light.  Why?  Because it is their job.  They are here to betray.  They are here to mislead.  They are here to deceive.  In Matthew, chapter 24, our Lord himself said this:

Many false prophets will arise and will mislead many.  (Matthew 24:11)

For false Christs and false prophets will arise and will show great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect.  (Matthew 24:24)

These signs and wonders, AND PROPHETIC UTTERANCES, will be so convincing so as to even deceive those that are elect of the Father, if that were possible to do.  That, of course, is not possible.  But to those who fall into this category, who rely on these things; to those, this is going to happen....and it is the most terrifying passage in all of Scripture, I think.  Matthew 7:21-23 says this......take heed:

“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter.  Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many [n]miracles?’   And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’

There are a ton of things that are done in the "name of Jesus".  There are a ton of good works that are done in the "name of Jesus".  That does not necessarily mean it is of Jesus.

There are a lot of videos floating around on the internet of prophecies and dreams of political things and raptures.  There are people who literally post something new everyday.  They mean no harm.  They think they are speaking for God.  They think they have received a "word" from the Lord.  Maybe, maybe not.  They may be 100%, absolutely correct in everything they "say" they have received from God.  So what?  That does not, and I mean DOES NOT, mean it is from the Lord Jesus, God the Father or the Holy Spirit.  Satan is ready to deceive.  We cannot place any hope in these things.  As we have read, Satan is more than ready to lead astray those who place their hope in miraculous signs and wonders....because they are placing their hope and trust in miraculous signs and wonders....not Jesus Himself.  I know that sounds harsh.  It's just true.  

There's one place to place your hope.  It's in His word.  Period.  Look to the Word.  And nowhere else.  Your soul depends on it.