Your Life’s Story #5: Morality Matters

What once was black and white now has grayed lines, and blurry edges. I can hear you say, Matt, you’re over the hill and need to get your vision checked. Yes, you may be right. However, I am not speaking about my ability to see, but that of society’s ability to discern between right and wrong. You see, what once was very clear, has now developed some gray and blurry areas. For example, it was once believed that murder is wrong period. But 45 years ago, abortion (murder) was legalized, based on the definition of when human life begins. Thus, we can still wholeheartedly agree that murder is wrong, but some say that abortion is ok, others no.

How far will we allow the rules to be bent? In the past, slavery and atrocious acts to those individuals were accepted simply because they were considered sub-human. Likewise, Hitler convinced the German population that Jews and others sub-human to the degree that over 6 million were slaughtered. Hitler was angry, blamed the Jews for it and got away with murder. Literally.

The bottom line is that we are changing the rules for our benefit. But this change can bite. However, we may not realize the implications of this until we get bit. Several years ago when I worked as a foreman for a heating and cooling company, I was given the job of installing a gas fireplace in a new home. As an individual who has held a builder’s license, I quickly recognized that the fireplace chase was improperly built. There was about 4,000 lbs. of weight positioned directly above where I was to install the fireplace, and all of that weight was held by just a handful of nails. I recognized the gravity of the situation (pun intended). The builder was cutting corners to save time and money. It was situationally right for him, yet morally unethical. Would you have responded in the same way as the builder? Then again, what if you were on the other side of the coin? What if this was your house? Would you still say it was ok for the builder to cut corners?

Without a moral law-giving God, objective morality is not possible. Even atheist philosophers like J.L. Mackie have said that, “Moral properties were not likely to arise without a God to create them” (https://www.youtube. com/watch?=9txl6lA_z30).

While we may be ok with redefining basic moral issues like murder, rape, etc., when it becomes personal, things change. But at what point do we hit the point of no return? Instead of being lulled into the blurred edges and gray lines of subjective morality, I urge you to consider what Paul wrote in Romans 12:2 “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.” It is our responsibility to recognize when the objective black and white is becoming subjective gray and blurry and to take society to the eye doctor’s for a check-up.

In His service,

   Matt

Theology 201 #3: Pick the Brighter Tulip (Part E)

Jesus said, “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day” (John 6:44).

I don’t know about you, but the older I get, the more things that I realize that I no longer have the ability to do what I used to be able to. At the same time, there are things that I have never been able to do. When thinking in spiritual terms, there are also some things that a person is never able to do for themselves: we cannot save ourselves. Salvation is only something that God can do, for it is impossible with man (Matt. 19:26). However, are we able to respond by ourselves? Or do we need God to forcefully draw us to Himself before we can be saved. This is a topic of dispute related to the Calvinism vs. Arminianism debate.

As we saw a few months ago, “Calvinism and Arminianism are two systems of theology that attempt to explain the relationship between God’s sovereignty and man’s responsibility in the matter of salvation. Both systems can be summarized with five points” known as TULIP. This month we will examine the fourth point: Irresistible Grace (Calvinism) vs. Irrefutable Goodness (Arminianism). 

Irresistible grace refers to God supernaturally working through the Holy Spirit to draw people to Himself in such a way that will guarantee that they will respond in saving faith. This is sometimes known as “effectual calling” and “efficacious grace.” Simply put, irresistible grace refers to whatever God decrees to happen will inevitably come to pass, even the salvation of individuals (see https://www.gotquestions.org/irresistible-grace.html). This was John Calvin, the founder of Calvinism’s response as to why some people believe the Gospel and others do not.

Really, at the heart of this debate is the order of a person being born again (regeneration) and producing saving faith. Calvinist RC Sproul explains it in the following way. “Before a person can exercise saving faith, God must do something for them and in them, so that faith can be exercised.” Sproul also cited that the Greek word which gets translated as “draw” in John 6:44 refers to drawing water out of a well such as they would have done some 2,000 years ago. Thus, God’s drawing requires a mighty act of God on our hearts before we can be saved. He must draw us out before we can be saved (see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=loXh8PqrR3Y).

One of the most common passages that Calvinists point to is Ephesians 2:1. There Scripture teaches that prior to coming to Christ they are dead spiritually, and thus cannot respond. Therefore, God must enable them to respond, by bringing them to life and placing saving faith in them. However, are the dead not actually able to respond? While logically we would think that a dead person could not respond, we must examine how the Greek word that gets translated as dead is used elsewhere. In Luke 15:24 the father of the prodigal son said, “For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' So they began to celebrate.” Here the prodigal was called dead, referring to him living in rebellion. He was lost, yet able to return home on his own when he came to his senses. Thus, in this case it does not represent a total moral inability to respond.

“Likewise, in Romans 6:11, Paul also teaches the believers to count themselves “dead to sin.” A consistent Calvinist would have to interpret this to mean that believers are morally unable to sin when tempted. Of course, that is not the case. Paul is teaching that we are to separate ourselves from sin, in much the same way we were once separated by our sin from God. “Deadness” here connotes the idea of being separated, like the son was from his father, not the incapacitation of the will to respond to God’s appeal to be reconciled from our separation” (Soteriology 101, available from https://soteriology101.com/2018/04/13/born-dead/).

Another example comes from Revelation 3:1. There Jesus tells the church in Sardis, “...you are dead.” So in verse 2, Jesus tells the church, aka the people to “Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die…” A careful examination of several other passages teach this idea as well, including the idea that God expects mankind to be able to respond by themselves. Not once in scripture does it teach that God is the one responsible for humbling us so that we would be “lifted up,” “raised up,” “exalted” or “made alive together with Him” (see Num. 21:8-9; Ps. 18:27; 147:6; Jer. 4:4; Ezek. 18:32; 33:11; Matt. 18:4; 23:12; Luke 18:14; John 6:40; 20:31; Rom. 7:9-10; 8:10; Eph. 1:13-14; Col. 2:11-13; James 1:14-15; 4:10; 1 Peter 1:5-6).

Even a careful examination of Lazarus’ death in John 11 reveals that the purpose for Jesus allowing him to die and then resurrecting him was to be a sign for those present that they may believe (John 11:14-15, 25-27, 40-42, 45). This proves that those who were present were able to have saving faith in Jesus by themselves to usher in God’s saving work on their hearts.

Scripture teaches that it was and is God’s will for all to be saved, and His invitation is given to all (Matt. 11:28; 23:37; John 12:32; Rom. 1:16; Titus 2:11; 1 Tim. 2:4; 2 Peter 3:9). In this we see God’s irrefutable goodness going out to all people. Yet why is it that some people respond to the Gospel while others do not? Simply put, some freely choose to and others do not. Many resist God’s will by their own freewill choice (Neh. 9:30; Pro 1:22-27; Isa. 63:9-10; Acts 6:10; 7:51-55; Eph. 4:30; 1 Thess. 5:19; Rev. 3:20). They desire their sins more than they desire the freedom from eternity in hell that the loving God continually offers to all people. (John 3:19-21; 12:43; Rom. 1:24-25). Meanwhile, others taste and see the Lord is good just as His Word says (Ps. 119:103; John 20:30-31; Acts 4:4; Rom. 10:17)

On a different note, the passages that Calvinists believe to be teaching irresistible grace, when examined in context, are actually teaching the opposite. A good example of this is John 5:21, “For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son gives life to whom He is pleased to give it.” Then down in verse 24, Jesus teaches who those are that He wishes and thereby receives eternal life. “I tell you the truth, whoever hears My word and believes Him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life.” And the passage that I began with in John 6 that speaks of no one coming to Jesus unless the Father draws them speaks of raising them up on the last day, aka, spending eternity in heaven (John 6:39-40, 44, 54). In other words, that passage is not speaking of the church age that we are currently in. So while we place our faith in Him, it is He who will lift us up on that Day.

Regardless of how people respond to God’s irrefutable goodness in offering salvation to all who will receive Him, it is amazing to consider His grace. In the meantime, “God’s grace has done for us what we could never have done for ourselves. We are saved by that grace. But it is not an irresistible grace…The covenant of grace demands two consenting parties—God and you. In His grace, God has covenanted to save any who are willing. Are you willing?” (Alger Fitch, Pick the Brighter Tulip, p. 58). 

In His service,

     Matt

Elder’s Corner: The Asterisk “*” at the Bottom of the Page

I was reading a Biblical passage the other day and ran across an asterisk in the text.  At the bottom of the page it gave more information about the word that had been used in the sentence.  It was to further define and give more understanding to the reader of what was meant.  It is a helpful tool to create a complete understanding of the text.  I got to thinking “this is what it says” and “this is what it really means.” 

I began wondering if my life really represents “who I am” or if there should be an asterisk attached to my life to indicate who I really am.  Am I who I say I am or someone different?  I was thinking of some Biblical characters and other descriptions given about their lives.  David - “a man after God's own heart” (1 Sam. 13:14) and yet in Matthew 1:6 we are reminded of David's sin with Bathsheba.  It is a footnote to his life that he let sin interrupt his walk with God.  So I started thinking what things have I let interfere with my walk with the Lord.  I wish I could say that it was a very short list, but in reality, it is easy to let things take us away from the One who loves us most.  I hope the footnote at the bottom of your life might say:  “He was a person of prayer,” “He was generous,” “He had time for others,” “He cared about people,” “He read God's word and lived it out in his life.”  Or simply “No footnotes needed—he lives like who he says he is!” 
--Alan

Theology 201 #3: Pick the Brighter Tulip (Part D)

“For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).

It is one of the most famous and most beloved verses in the entire Bible. It is the message of the entire Bible summarized into just one verse, John 3:16. Christians almost universally accept the following about this amazing verse: “For God, the greatest source; so loved, the greatest heart; the world, the greatest extent; that He gave, the greatest sacrifice; His only begotten Son, the greatest gift; that whoever, the greatest invitation; believes in Him, the greatest terms; should not perish, the greatest deliverance; but, the greatest difference; have everlasting life, the greatest promise.” However, it might surprise you to know that this is one of the most controversial verses in the Bible!

There are at least six controversial elements in this beloved verse. First, who does “world” refer to:  all people or only a portion? Second, who are the “Whosoever”: just the people whom God has chosen or does this offer apply to anyone who would freely choose to believe? Third, does God love people differently? Or put another way, does God love some people more than others? Fourth, what does the word “Believe” mean in this verse? Fifth, what does it mean to perish? And sixth, what does Scripture mean when it says that Jesus is God’s one and only Son?

At least half of the controversial elements in this verse relate to the theological debate between Calvinism and Arminianism. As we saw a few months ago, “Calvinism and Arminianism are two systems of theology that attempt to explain the relationship between God’s sovereignty and man’s responsibility in the matter of salvation. Both systems can be summarized with five points” known as TULIP (for an overview of this topic please see http://eugenechristianchurch.blogspot.com/2018/05/theology-201-3-pick-brighter-tulip-part.html).  

This month we will examine the third point: Limited Atonement (Calvinism) vs. Limitless Opportunity (Arminianism). Really, at the heart of this debated point is simply this: Did Jesus die for the entire world, meaning all the people who have ever and will ever live (Arminianism)? Or did He die only for the elect—those whom He chose to be saved (Calvinism)? When worded as such, the majority of people would agree with the Arminian view, as do I, and we at Eugene Christian Church. And I will go into length as to why we do with supporting passages. However, at the same time, we need to seek to understand things from the Calvinists’ perspective.

Several Scripture passages speak of the fact that Christ died specifically for His people (John 6:37-39; 10:11, 15; 17:9, 20; Acts 20:28; Rom. 5:8-10; 8:32-34; Eph. 5:25). Even still, there are tons of passages that speak of Jesus dying for the sins of every person, including non-believers (John 1:29; 3:16; 4:42; 10:9; 12:32; 17:12; Rom. 5:8; 14:15; 1 Cor. 15:22; 2 Cor. 5:14, 15, 19; 1 Tim. 2:4, 6; 4:10; Heb. 2:9; 10:29; 2 Peter 2:1; 1 John 4:14). Let’s consider 1 John 2:2 for example. Jesus “is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.”

Jack Cottrell said, “Now, a large part of the world’s population are good, decent, kind, well-meaning, obedient human beings. You can probably name a few that you know! And we can see why Jesus would want to save them, by turning God’s wrath away from them by taking it on Himself. But John says – ‘the WHOLE WORLD!’ Jesus gave Himself as a propitiation (an atoning sacrifice to pay for the sins of others) the meanest, vilest persons you know! He died for every criminal in every prison in the world; He took on Himself the punishment due to the sins of Adolf Hitler, Idi Amin, Jack the Ripper, Vladimir Putin, Kim Jong-Un, Sadam Hussein, Joseph Stalin, & Osama bin Laden to name a few.

The Apostle Paul puts it like this: “Christ died for the ungodly! For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man, someone would dare even to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom. 5:6-8 NASB). And as 1 John 2:2 says, ‘for the sins of the whole world’” (available fromhttp://jackcottrell.com/uncategorized/five-communion-meditations-on-1-john-21-2-number-four-christ-the-propitiation-for-the-world/).

Calvinists take these passages to mean that Jesus paid for the sins of sinners in general without implying that every single individual in the world will be saved (Grudem, Systematic Theology, p. 597). However, Hebrews 2:9 states that Jesus “tasted death for everyone.” This speaks of the individuality of Jesus' death.  

At this point, Calvinists raise another objection. “If Jesus paid for the sins of the entire world, then what sins are non-believers going to be suffering eternally from?” (Grudem, Systematic Theology, p. 597) While yes, it is true that Jesus did pay the penalty for the sins of even those who will end up in hell, every person must still respond to the atonement that Jesus provided. Thus, the atonement is not limited by God's intentions, but by man's response to it. Therefore, the God of the Bible offers limitless opportunities for people to receive Jesus’ atoning sacrifice, yet unfortunately only a few respond to it.

Now, on a different note, if one was to offer someone something they did not have, it would make them dishonest. Yet that is exactly the path that limited atonement actually takes. Most assuredly, this does not mean that the Calvinists believe that God is being dishonest, yet that is the natural implication of offering something that one does not have to offer.

Therefore, the only way that Calvinism and limited atonement can survive is by eisegesis; that is by adding to, or changing God’s Word. For example, to them, all doesn’t mean all, whosever doesn’t mean whosever, etc. So a good question for Calvinists is how can you even preach the Gospel to someone, telling them that Jesus died for their sins, but you don’t know if they are the elect? In other words, you are not sure if Christ died for them. In that you would have to lie to them. Thus, Calvinism is really more of a philosophy of man, rather than Biblical doctrine. Colossians 2:8 says, “See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ.”

On the other hand, the Bible clearly teaches limitless opportunities to receive God’s mercy, forgiveness, and amazing grace. Alger Fitch rightly said, “In all covenants of God or man there are three entities: parties, terms, and promises. The New Covenant’s promises of forgiveness, justification, cleansing, pardon, etc., are God’s gracious offerings to those parties who will receive them. The opportunity is to be given to all—check the great commission—“all the world...all creation” (Mark 16:15). God loves all (John 3:16) and desires all to be saved (2 Peter 3:9; 1 Tim. 2:4). Jesus paid the price for all (1 Tim. 2:6; 1 John 2:2). All that is lacking is for each human party to sign in and become a recipient of God’s grace.

To the most remote corner of earth, over full extension of time, unto the chief of sinners among men, the invitation is heralded, “Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life (Rev. 22:17). Abundant mercy (1 Peter 1:3), abundant grace (Rom. 5:20), abundant life (John 10:10), and abundant peace (Ps. 72:7) await those who will receive Jesus as Lord and Savior. Abundant joy (Phil. 1:26), abundant strength (Eph. 3:20), and abundant pleasure (Ps. 36:8) are just inside the open door of Christ’s kingdom….As to the atonement, our opportunity to be reconciled to God through Christ is not limited but limitless” (Pick the Brighter Tulip, pgs. 46, 48). 

In all of this, I cannot help but remember the old hymn, Are You Washed in the Blood?. “Have you been to Jesus for the cleansing pow’r?...Are you fully trusting in His grace this hour? Are you walking daily by the Savior’s side?...Do you rest each moment in the Crucified?...When the Bridegroom cometh will your robes be white?... Will your soul be ready for the mansions bright…? Lay aside the garments that are stained with sin…There’s a fountain flowing for the soul unclean, Oh, be washed in the blood of the Lamb!”

God’s amazing love has provide the limitless opportunities of this life to receive what Jesus did for you some 2,000 years ago on a hill called Calvary. So are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?

In His service,

Matt