The Uncomfortable Reality of Hell

Francis Chan’s book Erasing Hell is a prophetic reminder that we can’t compromise the gospel.

California pastor Francis Chan is one of my heroes, partly because he has given most of his book royalites—reportedly $2 million—to charity. Another reason I admire him: He’s written a new book about hell at a time when many Christians are questioning the idea of eternal punishment. The guy has some chutzpah.

His new book Erasing Hell (David C. Cook) is a direct response to Love Wins, the controversial book by celebrity pastor Rob Bell of Michigan. While Bell’s book flirts with universalism and suggests that a loving God would never send anyone to hell, Chan’s message is blunt and biblical—yet without a hint of self-righteousness.

“Hell is not a popular doctrine. People don’t shout, dance or wave handkerchiefs when we preach about it. They don’t line up to come to conferences about it. Sermons about hell don’t make people feel good.”

Erasing Hell is an answer to prayer and a prophetic response to the spineless gospel many Americans have embraced in recent years. Chan does not wave a “TURN OR BURN” sign, nor does he dangle his readers over hot coals. Yet he forthrightly states that people who reject the merciful gift of salvation through Christ will get what all of us deserve—terrifying separation from God that lasts forever.

Chan read Bell’s book carefully and was willing to ask whether hell was, in Chan’s words, a “primitive myth left over from conservative tradition.” After much prayer (he says we must “weep, pray and fast over this issue”) he became convinced that we cannot remove hell from our message. Chan makes four arguments that poke holes in Bell’s theology:

1. Hell is real. In Love Wins, Bell discounts the biblical view of hell as eternal punishment and suggests that it might be a metaphor for the horrors of life on earth—poverty, genocide and injustice, for example. But Chan goes back to the words of Jesus, who spoke more about hell than anyone in the Bible, and clears up the confusion. He writes: “Hell is not considered to be the various ‘hells on earth’ that we face every day. It’s a horrific place of judgment where God punishes people for their sins.”

2. Hell is final. Universalists who blend Christianity with other religions teach that all sinners will get an extra chance to come clean with God after death. But Chan says that’s not what the Bible teaches: “There’s no single passage in the Bible that describes, hints at, hopes for, or suggests that someone who dies without following Jesus in this life will have an opportunity to do so after death,” he writes.

3. Hell is fair. People who question the doctrine of hell often ask, “How can a loving God send anyone to perish in eternal fire?” Chan says that’s a prideful, self-centered question. We can’t define God, or His perfect love, from a merely human perspective. We are the clay, and He is the potter. We must humble ourselves and view life from the perspective of God’s rightousness, justice and holiness. Chan also writes that the apostle Paul made reference to the fate of wicked people more times in his epistles than he mentioned God’s forgiveness, mercy and heaven combined. If hell doesn’t seem fair to us, we aren’t seeing it from God’s viewpoint.

4. Hell is escapable. Rob Bell’s flawed premise is that God will end up saving everyone regardless of how they acted or what they believed. Chan argues that the gospel is not good news unless there is a hell that sinners can escape from. He writes: “While hell can be a paralyzing doctrine, it can also be an energizing one, for it magnifies the beauty of the cross.”

Hell is not a popular doctrine. People don’t shout, dance or wave handkerchiefs when we preach about it. They don’t line up to come to conferences about it. Sermons about hell don’t make people feel good. But every revivalist in church history has kept the doctrine of hell at the core of his message, and we will see revival only if we reclaim it.

Charles Spurgeon advised aspiring ministers in the 1800s to constantly meditate on the sobering reality of hell in order to stay fervent in their faith. He wrote: “Meditate with deep solemnity upon the fate of the lost sinner, and, like Abraham, when you get up early to go to the place where you commune with God, cast an eye toward Sodom and see the smoke going up like the smoke of a furnace. Shun all views of future punishment that would make it appear less terrible.”

Do you see the smoke of Sodom? Are you constantly aware that people around you are going to hell? Or have you bought into the trendy philosophies of backslidden preachers who question hell and have no power to free people from it? I’m grateful that Francis Chan had the grace—and the guts—to point us back to this biblical truth.

J. Lee Grady is contributing editor of Charisma. You can follow him on Twitter at leegrady. His most recent book is 10 Lies Men Believe (Charisma House).


Related articles:
'A Massive Shift Coming in What it Means to Be a Christian?'
Is There Anything Wrong With Rob Bell’s Gospel?
Rob Bell: "You're Amending The Gospel So That It's Palatable!"
Counterfeit Gospels Author: Rob Bell Threw Grenade at Evangelicals
Endtime Apostasy: Is Hell Dead?

Theology of Heart

by Mothlight Creative


Theology of Heart from Mothlight Creative on Vimeo.

Christian - BIG ISSUES!

NOTE:  From a wife whose marriage has been damaged by these things...

BIG ISSUES - by Anon.

Dateline ran an episode regarding husbands who are addicted to video games which is causing about 48% of the divorce rate, even in the church.  50% is caused by P0-RN use.  The rest is financial or other issues.  Pastor Hagee's son preached on how many men in their church he has counseled because of the gaming addiction, leaving wives abandoned and children orphaned.  He suggested on TV that the wives should take a hammer to the PlayStations. When a husband protested, he said, "Brother you vowed to forsake all others for your wife and that includes Sony."

I myself have been guilty of throwing laptops in the pool or smashing them on the ground after finding P0-RN videos on my husband's computer. I got the DVD's "Helping Her Heal" by Douglas Weiss from a sex addiction program and my husband refused to watch it. Even him watching it would bring healing as it validates me and brings understanding to my behavior because of the damage he has done to my heart...

How do you address the issue of Christian husbands dabbling in the occult via these video games that involve divination, necromancy, spells, witchcraft, etc? I believe it opens the door to these demonic spirits. As I have had first hand experience in this matter and have seen manifestations of these demonic beings. This isn't something we want to bring into our homes or pass on to our kids. What about the excuse, "Oh it is only a game.  There is no sin in it."  Like going to a psychic or reading your horoscope.  Just fun and games, they say.  If it is so harmless or inocent, why are families being divorced over it?

How do you address people who recite a prayer confessing Jesus as being the son of God and the way, and never change?  Is this believing in their hearts, or are they giving mental accent to Jesus just as we would believe in "Abe Lincoln"?  I thought the baptism in water was to represent death to sin and self and living unto righteousness instead of a free hall pass to do as you please thinking you have purchased your fire insurance.  I was always taught that some receive the seed joyfully, but because of other things they fall away and never bear fruit. Are these the ones that get cut down because the axe is being laid to the root? Are these folks really saved even if they receive the word with joy and it never produces any fruit and they remain wallowing in the mud and eating their own vomit like a dog?  Real sheep don't do that.  Real Christianity is about death to self, picking up your cross and following Jesus in obedience... families and marriages are suffering because of this.

Dateline should not be the one leading the way in exposing these things.  The church should be.  If people could find help in these issues because it is being addressed, more would come to church. My biggest hurt, suffering and pain are coming from these issues and I need healing from the pain it brings, and you won't get that in a church that doesn't know about it or address it strongly.

Please help the women, children, marriages and families and wake these hypnotized men up.

-Please comment on these issues at the website below-
 http://www.johnthebaptisttv.com/

Living by faith

Dr Beng | Call It Grace
Sermon given on 20 Mar 2011.

Introduction

In the last few months, our focus has been on the theme of "Discipleship". The first thing that usually comes to mind whenever we hear this word is a list of how-to's: How to pray, how to grow spiritually, how to draw near to God and so on. In fact, when I was first given this topic to preach, that's the kind of list that went through my mind. As I thought and prayed about what I should say, I realized that it is critically important for us to understand the very foundation upon which we are called to be disciples.

Imagine if we went through our whole lives doing all the things which we thought disciples should be doing, and we thought we were doing a good job. And then on the last day, Jesus turns to us and says: "Depart from me, I never knew you, you workers of iniquity." What a shock that would be!  Yet Jesus warned us that we should build our foundation upon the rock and not upon sand. How do we make sure that we have done this?

Believing, not just doing

I would like to put to you that being a faithful disciple of Jesus Christ is more about having FAITH in what Christ has DONE for us, than about what we are to DO as disciples. To put it simply, it's more about BELIEVING, than it is about DOING.

You see, in talking about discipleship, we always face the danger of losing sight of the Gospel. The Gospel isn't about learning how to be good or finding peace and happiness or being able to deal with the troubles we face in life. Our main problem is our SIN, and the Gospel is simply the proclamation that Christ has paid the penalty for the sins of those who believe in Him, and has given to them His perfect righteousness. Christianity is a "DONE" religion. God has done everything that is necessary to secure the salvation of those who belong to Him. All we need to do is to believe.

Work OUT your salvation, not work FOR your salvation

Yes, no doubt, as Christians, we are to PURSUE holiness and to DO the good works which the Father has prepared beforehand for us to do (Eph 2:10). But these come AFTER we have been saved – they are the FRUITS of our salvation. We must never confuse the FRUITS with the GROUND of our salvation, which is faith in Jesus Christ alone. Whatever we do as disciples - whether striving for holiness, preaching the Gospel or caring for the poor - we must remember that we do these things not in order to get to heaven, but because we are already going there. Discipleship is about working OUT our salvation. It is never about working FOR our salvation.

Please turn with me to Gal 2:19,20, which is our text for today. For through the law I died to the law, so that I might live to God. I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

The letter to the Galatians was written by Paul in response to a crisis being faced by the church there. A group of false teachers (the Judaizers) had come from Jerusalem, and they were teaching that it was necessary for the Gentile believers to be circumcised. Mind you - they were not saying that you didn't need to have faith in Christ. You had to have faith in Christ BUT you also had to obey the Law of Moses, which included circumcision. This was absolutely contrary to the core of the Gospel message - that we are justified by faith alone in Jesus Christ and not by obeying the works of the Law. In other words, all we need to be declared righteous in God's eyes is to believe in Jesus Christ, and nothing more.

Paul rebukes Peter

In Gal 2:11 we see Paul describing how another group of Judaizers had arrived in Antioch with their false teachings. Peter, who had until then been eating freely with the Gentile believers, stopped doing so, because he knew that according to the Law of Moses, Jews should not be eating with Gentiles, who were considered unclean. Don't forget - this was the same Peter who had been told by God in a vision three times not to call unclean what God has called clean. Yet he was somehow afraid of these Judaizing teachers, and wanted to please them. Peter's fear of man overcame him, just as it did when he denied Christ three times. His hypocrisy was so great that it began to affect the other Jewish believers, including Barnabas. They began to follow his example of not eating with the uncircumcised Gentile believers.

When Paul saw what was happening, he rebuked Peter in front of everyone, because what was at stake was no less than the integrity of the Gospel. The doctrine of justification by faith alone is laid out by Paul in Gal 2:16: We know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ. This is such a crucial doctrine that Martin Luther calls it "the article by which the church stands or falls", and it was the main reason for the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century.


For through the law I died to the law so that I might live to God. What does Paul mean by this statement?

Well, if anyone could have been justified by the works of the law, it would have been Paul. After all, he was "a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; as to righteousness under the law, blameless." Outwardly anyway. But Paul considered all of this as rubbish, compared to "the surpassing worth of knowing Jesus Christ as my Lord, and obtaining the righteousness that comes through faith in Christ."

Dying to the law as a means of justification. After trying all his life to become righteous before God by obeying the Law, Paul finally realized that he had failed miserably. The Law which said "Thou shalt not covet", convicted him of the covetousness within his heart - he knew he was guilty, and he knew God could see it, even if no one else could. And so he died to the Law in the sense that he gave up on it as a means of being justified before God. He knew it was impossible. It was the Law convicting him of his sin that led him to this conclusion. This is why he says it was THROUGH the Law that he died to the Law. And it was only in dying to the Law in this way that he could finally live to God.

Martin Luther

Martin Luther was very much like Paul. Trained as a lawyer, he saw very clearly that he was rightfully exposed to God's wrath. He knew that the greatest commandment was to love God with all his heart, soul mind and strength. Yet he confessed: "You ask me if I love God? I hate God!" This was because he only saw God as a strict and righteous judge out to condemn him, and he knew that he was rightfully condemned. His guilty conscience tortured him day and night, and he tried to soothe it by living a very strict lifestyle as a monk. Now, in those days, monks would whip themselves to show penance, and he is said to have whipped himself until he became unconscious. In fact, he declared that "if ever a man could have been saved by becoming a monk, it would have been I." But he knew deep in his heart that it was all in vain.

In the preface to his commentary on Romans, he writes: "It is one thing to do the works of the law and quite another to fulfill it. The works of the law are the things we try to do (in our own power) to obey the law. But because in doing such works the heart hates the law and yet is forced to obey it, the works become completely useless. The law is spiritual, which means that no one can satisfy it unless everything he does springs from the depths of the heart. To fulfill the law means to do its work eagerly, lovingly and freely, without the constraint of the law; it means to live well and in a manner pleasing to God, as though there were no law or punishment."

Martin Luther knew, as Paul did, that he could never truly fulfill the Law from the depths of his heart in the way that God demanded, because he couldn't help but rebel against the Law. That's why when God revealed to him the true meaning of Rom 1:17: "The righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith, as it is written, The righteous shall live by faith.", it was as though, in his own words, "he entered Paradise itself through open gates". He realized that this verse was describing not an active righteousness which God demands of man, but the passive righteousness which is given as a free gift to all those who have faith in Jesus Christ. All that's needed for us to receive this righteousness is to believe. When Martin Luther realized this, he, too, died to the Law, and he found that he could finally live to God.

I have been crucified with Christ

In verse 20, Paul says: "I have been crucified with Christ." What does he mean? Well, remember that he has just said that he has died to the Law. And so in this verse, Paul is explaining HOW he has died to the Law - by being crucified with Christ. In other words, he is saying that when Jesus Christ was being crucified on the cross, he, Paul, was hanging right there with Him on that cross - not literally, of course, but he was indeed there in a very real, spiritual sense, being united with Christ by faith.

And when God was pouring out His wrath on His Son who was hanging on that cross, it was as though He saw Paul hanging there. The wrath that was being poured out was rightfully meant for Paul (and for all of us), but it was poured out on Jesus.

And when Christ finally died on the cross - as far as God was concerned, Paul also died on the cross. And we, all of us who are united with Christ by faith, have also been crucified with Christ and died with Christ on that cross. The debt that we owe to God, the penalty due to us for our unspeakable sin against an infinitely good and holy God, the God who created us and blessed us with life – that debt has been paid in full by our Lord Jesus Christ. He suffered and died in our place.

It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me

Paul goes on to clarify that although he has been crucified with Christ, he still lives. And yet it is no longer the old Paul who continues to live, but Paul the new man, who is united with Christ. It is Christ Himself who now lives His life through Paul.

Now, Paul is not saying he's a zombie. He is still Paul of Tarsus, with his intellect, his personality and all of his faculties intact. The only difference is that he is now no longer in charge. He has been bought with a price - he is not his own. He has a new master. He is now being led by the Holy Spirit who is changing him into the image of Christ - to think and act like Christ in everything he does.

This is what Paul means when he says that Christ lives in him. And this is the characteristic of every single person who belongs to Jesus Christ - that the Holy Spirit lives in us, and leads us.

The life I now live in the flesh

The "flesh" refers to the corrupt desires within us that are at war with the desires of the Spirit (Gal 5:17). The fact is that as long as we live here on earth, we will continue to sin because of our fallen human nature. No doubt, in Christ we are new creatures, but the remnants of our old nature still remain to trouble us.

There is a striking illustration of this in the story of the resurrection of Lazarus. We are told that as he walked out of the tomb, he still had his hands and feet bound with linen strips. They probably still bore the stench of his rotting flesh. Although he had been given new life, the remnants of his old life, the reminders that he was once dead in his sins, still clung to him and bound him. They still had to be removed, layer by layer, before he was completely free.

It is the same with us after we have come to Christ. Although we have been born again, our old corruptions still cling to us, and the rest of our lives will be a continual process of eradicating the old man - of subduing the desires of the flesh and being made more and more like Christ.

As we grow in our Christian lives, God will reveal to us more and more how sinful we really are, and this will humble us, as we see ourselves for who we are. At the same time, as the Holy Spirit continues to work in us, we can expect to sin less, because we are no longer under the dominion of sin. But we will never, on this side of heaven, become completely sinless. Paul's struggle in Romans 7 testifies to this. The process of sanctification will not end until we are glorified - that is, until the day we die, or when Christ returns. But we can rest assured, as the Bible promises, that He who began this good work in us will bring it to completion.

I live by faith in the Son of God

Paul says that the life he now lives in the flesh, with all its weaknesses and failings and sinfulness, he lives by faith in the Son of God. This is an echo of Habakkuk 2:4 - "The righteous shall live by faith." - a verse which is quoted at least three times in the New Testament.

What does Paul mean when he says he lives by faith? Remember the context of Galatians, and especially chapter 2, and the burning issue being discussed, which is that we are justified by faith alone and not by works of the Law. So, if we are to take this verse in its proper context, we must conclude that Paul here is talking about living by faith in Christ as opposed to living by the Law. In other words, instead of spending his life trying to live up to the Law in a vain attempt to be righteous before God, he lives the rest of his life by faith - simply trusting in the perfect and sufficient work of Christ to justify him.

True saving faith

We are to live by faith in the Son of God. But what IS faith? Faith is not simply believing that God exists and that a man named Jesus died on a cross two thousand years ago.

True saving faith is a gift from God, whereby we find ourselves believing the Gospel when we hear it being proclaimed, and personally trusting in it for our salvation. The Holy Spirit Himself will bear witness within our hearts that what we read in the Bible is true. It will lead us to abandon all hope in any other way of salvation, including and especially by our own works of righteousness.

Let me try to illustrate this. Have any of you ever had to be rescued from the top of a ski mountain? I have. I won't bore you with the details of how and why I needed to be rescued. But let me tell you how the rescue is done. They have this modified sled which functions as a stretcher. It looks like a shallow bathtub, and you're supposed to get into it, and lie down inside it. Then they make you put your arms by your side, and strap you in tightly so that you can't move around. It's kind of like being in a coffin. Then you're supposed to lie there without doing anything except to put your full trust in your rescuer while he safely brings the stretcher all the way down the ski slope to the base of the mountain.

To me, that's what true saving faith is. To commit myself entirely into the hands of Jesus Christ and refrain from my own works-righteousness, trusting that Christ and Christ alone will bring me safely home.

Who loved me and gave Himself for me

Paul knew Christ loved him, and that was the basis of his faith in Christ. Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. If you can't trust someone who lays down His life for you, then there's no one you can trust.

Notice also that Paul doesn't say "I live by faith in the Son of God who loved us and gave Himself for us." No. What does he say? He says: "I live by faith in the Son of God who loved ME and gave Himself for ME". Saving faith is an intensely personal thing.

APPLICATION

We now come to the application. You may ask, what has all this to do with discipleship? As I said at the very beginning, it has everything to do with discipleship. Since we are justified by faith and not by works, we should live by faith and not by our works.

Co-operating with God?

Some people have the mistaken idea that coming to Christ and becoming a Christian is only the entrance ticket into a life of discipleship. After that, we have to work really hard, cooperating with God to make sure we keep our faith and don't lose our salvation. Did you know that this is the official doctrine of the Roman Catholic Church - that you must have works as well as faith in order to be saved? That is exactly what the Judaizers were teaching! And that's why there was a Reformation - to redeem the original doctrine found in the Bible - that salvation is by faith alone and not by works. We may not be Roman Catholics, but sometimes we forget that and start to think that we must supplement our faith with works.

Discipleship is NOT about cooperating with God or partnering with God in order to be saved. Remember what I said right at the very beginning - Christianity is a "DONE" religion. The works of the flesh can add nothing more. Paul puts it this way in Gal 3:2-3:


Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?

Works-righteousness

The problem with us is that we so easily turn discipleship into a performance-based affair, and start to introduce KPI's for ourselves – key performance indicators. We make resolutions and set spiritual goals and try all sorts of man-made methods to achieve them in our own strength. We follow every spiritual fad that comes along (Promise-Keepers, Holy Laughter, the Purpose Driven Life), hoping that it will give us the secret of spiritual success, and allow us to live the so-called "Victorious Christian Life". And when we fail, we feel bad about ourselves and think that we have disappointed God, and (worst of all) that He somehow loves us a little less.

Have we forgotten what the good news of the Gospel is about? God showed His love for us in that while we were yet SINNERS, Christ died for us (Rom 5:8). God's love for us is eternal and does not change! It does not depend on our spiritual performance as disciples! It never has and it never will. It is by grace that we have been saved through faith!

Why are we so prone to fall into works-righteousness? It is because of the pride that exists in our fallen human nature. We would like to think that there is at least a little something we can contribute to our salvation, a spark of goodness in us. The problem is, we have too high a view of ourselves, and too low a view of God's perfect standard of righteousness. We refuse to acknowledge the fact that we are hopelessly fallen and utterly ruined in the presence of a holy God, and can do nothing to save ourselves.

Let's say you're standing before the Great White Throne on Judgment Day, and God asks you: "Why should I let you into My heaven?" - what would you say?

Do you know that in a survey, a large majority of those who identify themselves as Christians gave replies which pointed to some form of works-righteousness? "I've tried my best to be a good person. I've never hurt anyone. I've always loved my neighbour as myself. I've served God faithfully in the church all these years. I've been a faithful witness for God. I've led a Purpose-Driven life."

When we, as Christians, depend on works-righteousness to become acceptable to God, we are in effect "nullifying the grace of God", as Paul says in Gal 2:21. And we are insulting God, because if righteousness could come through works, then Christ died for no purpose.

The truth is (as it always has been) that we are only acceptable to God when we are covered by a righteousness that is not our own, the righteousness that comes through faith in Jesus Christ. To live by faith is simply to remember this truth throughout our lives.

The problem of sin in our lives - "simul justus et peccator"

We all struggle with sin in our lives. Anyone who claims to have reached a state of sinless perfection contradicts what the Bible says in 1 John 1:8:

If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

There is a certain "tension", as Pastor puts it in an earlier sermon, between the life lived "in the flesh", and the life lived by faith.

Martin Luther had a phrase to describe this state in which a Christian lives: "simul justus et peccator" - "Righteous, and at the same time, a sinner."

On the one hand, the fact is that we are miserable sinners – always being tempted by the devil and our own desires, and often falling into sin. On the other hand, because of our faith in Jesus Christ, we are justified - we are regarded as perfectly righteous in God's sight. Let me emphasize that we have no righteousness of our own. It is only because we are in Christ, and Christ is in us, that God regards us as having the perfect righteousness of Christ. I might add that we should be very bold, even boastful, about this righteousness we have in Christ, because it is a perfect righteousness that saves perfectly. We have no need to be modest about it.

And so this is what a Christian is - simul justus et peccator - a miserable sinner, yet at the same time, perfectly righteous in the sight of God through faith in Jesus Christ. To live by faith is to remember this, and rejoice in it.

But how does this translate into practice? Well, being in the flesh means that we sin a thousand times a day, whether we realize it or not. And when we sin, Satan (who is described as "the accuser of the brethren"), tries to destroy our faith (which is the most precious thing we have). He does this by accusing our conscience: "Are you sure God still loves you? Are you sure you're good enough for Him? You've disappointed him, you know. You've betrayed him, after all he's done for you. I know your dirty thoughts. I saw that nasty thing that you did just now."

To live by faith is to immediately confess our sins when we become aware of them, and to repent. It is to wholeheartedly agree, when Satan accuses us: "Yes, I am guilty. I'm a miserable sinner, and I know it!", and THEN turn to Christ by faith, trusting that He has already paid the price for all of our sins once for all - past, present and future – because, if you think about it, all of our sins were in the future when Christ died on the cross for them. By faith, we can boldly proclaim the promises in Rom 8:


If God is for us, who can be against us? Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. Who can condemn us? Christ Jesus is the one who died for us, who is at the right hand of God interceding for us.

Looking to Jesus

To live by faith is to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus Christ crucified. We must never forget the Gospel - we must preach the Gospel to ourselves every day and rejoice in it!

No doubt, we are to be ever mindful of our sins, and mourn them, that we may remain in a humble state of mind. But we are also to rejoice daily in the fact that God's mercy is greater than our sins!

Trusting in God's providence

To live by faith is also to trust implicitly in God's providence. The word "providence" does not merely mean that God provides for our physical needs such as food, clothing, shelter and so on. Indeed, He does supply all our needs - all the blessings we enjoy in our lives, for which we should daily give thanks.

But He is the One who also sends trials and tribulations - to refine our faith. He inflicts pain on our physical bodies - to humble us and remind us that we are but dust. He takes away our possessions - to wean us from the love of this world. He allows our loved ones to disappoint us and to hurt us - in order to drive our souls to find fulfillment and satisfaction in Him alone. And yes, He sends earthquakes and tsunamis - to compel us to seek our safety in Christ alone, and to teach us to have compassion and to weep with those who weep. All these things are also part of God's providence.

The Bible tells us in Rom 8:28:

All things work together for good to them that love God.

The good that is spoken of here is our greatest good – being with Christ in heaven. Living by faith is to believe that whatever happens to us is planned by God for our own good. So whether I'm stuck in a traffic jam, or I've just lost my job, or I've just been diagnosed with cancer – whatever situation I find myself in – I can know with full assurance that this is exactly where my loving heavenly Father wants me to be, and that it will work out for my ultimate good.

Now, like many things in life, this is easier said than done. When the crunch comes, when our faith in God's providence is being tested: I can tell you - it will not be easy. That's why we have to cling by faith to God's promise in 1 Cor 10:13: There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

God's promises

To live by faith is to believe all the promises in the Bible concerning the perseverance of the saints: That no one can snatch us out of His hand, or separate us from His love. That He will finish the good work which He began in us, because He Himself is the author and finisher of our faith. That Christ is at the right hand of the throne of God interceding for us, and that He is able to keep what we've committed to Him against that day.

There is a wonderful assurance that comes when we trust in Christ alone for salvation, because we know that He will never fail us. If we were to depend on our own righteousness, we could never have that assurance. We could only hope that our pathetic best would be good enough for God – but that's only wishful thinking - and we know it.

Holiness

One last thing: Does this mean we can forget about seeking holiness and obeying the Law of God? After all, if Christianity is a "DONE" religion, why bother trying to be holy?

Well, what does the Bible say? It says: "You shall be holy, for I am holy."

Regeneration

As Christians, we are called to be holy. The wonderful reality of the Christian life is that God Himself puts in us a desire to become holy. He changes us so that the desire to fulfill the Law springs from the depths of our hearts eagerly, lovingly and freely, as Luther puts it. In Ezek 36:26-27 we read:

I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. I will remove your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. I will put my Spirit within you, and I will cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.

This change of heart - this "heart transplant" - is a work which God Himself does. It is not anything that we can achieve on our own.

When God has changed our hearts, our new hunger to fulfill the Law will not lead to instant holiness (there is no such thing as instant holiness), but it will energize us to press on to reach the goal. And as the Holy Spirit works in us, we will find ourselves slowly but surely being changed into the image of Christ. Again, this will not be an easy process, and we will experience many setbacks as we struggle to overcome our selfish, sinful desires. Without the Holy Spirit, it would be a hopeless endeavour. And that is why we need to live by faith - believing that God will keep His promise and will finish the good work He began in us.

Justified by faith alone

I hope that by now, you have come to a better understanding of this passage. If you remember nothing else, remember this: We are justified by faith alone and not by works, and therefore we are to live by faith. To live by faith is to keep our eyes on Jesus and preach the Gospel to ourselves every day. It is to place our souls entirely in the hands of Christ alone and to trust in God's providence for our lives.

As we strive to be faithful disciples, let us make sure that we have built our foundation upon the rock, which is faith in Jesus Christ, and not upon the sand of our own works. Let us live the rest of our lives by faith in the Son of God, who loved us and gave Himself for us.

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Evangelical Mysticism?

by by T.A. McMahon (Search the Scriptures Daily)

I find myself increasingly grieved these days by what I see taking place among those who profess to be evangelicals. I know the term "evangelical" has undergone radical changes regarding its meaning and practice. Yet when I use the term, I'm going by a very simple definition: I'm referring to those who claim to accept the Bible alone as their authority for knowing and receiving God's way of salvation and for living their lives in a way that is pleasing to Him.

Thirty years ago, it was young adult evangelicals who were used wonderfully by the Lord to help open my eyes to the fact that I was eternally separated from God and that the religious system I was depending on to get me to heaven was a false hope. That wasn't easy for me to accept at the time. Although my commitment to the Roman Catholic Church had weakened during my late twenties, the attitude "I was born a Catholic, I'll die a Catholic" was woven into the fabric of my mind.

As I think back on those days, I recognize that I was a young man in bondage. Certainly, I was in bondage to sin, as is everyone who is not born again. But there was another bondage that also gripped me: the bondage of Roman Catholic tradition, with its sacraments, liturgies, rituals, and sacramentals. Not only were such things unbiblical-they were works of the flesh and devices of demons. In my own life, as well as throughout the history of the Church of Rome, they were soul-gripping superstitions advanced under the guise of spirituality.

I trusted in relics of dead so-called Saints; holy water; making the sign of the cross; votive candles; baptism for salvation (infant or otherwise); a "transubstantiated" piece of bread alleged to be Christ; apparitions of Mary; a scapular; a "miraculous medal"; statues and images of Jesus, Mary, and the saints; endless Rosaries, Novenas, the Stations of the Cross; abstaining from meat on Friday; Lenten abstinences; the Last Rites to get me into Purgatory and indulgences to get me out of Purgatory; Mass cards; graces dispensed from Mary; the confessional, with absolution of my sins by a priest; penance and personal suffering to purify me of my sin; worshiping a piece of bread at the Eucharistic Holy Hour; the Holy Father as the Vicar of Christ on earth, etc., etc. Therein lies a bondage that few evangelicals understand.

Many brush these things aside as non-essentials of the Christian faith or minor theological aberrations unique to Catholicism. Not true. They are essential to the gospel that Rome declares-a gospel of meritorious works that the Bible condemns (see Galatians, Romans, Ephesians, et al.) as a rejection of the completed substitutionary atonement of Christ our Savior. Catholicism's Tradition, which is declared to be equal in authority to Scripture, is made up of those things (such as cited above) that are necessary for, or supportive of, a Catholic's entrance into heaven.

According to the Word of God, anything that is added to Christ's finished work on the cross is a denial of the gospel: that Christ paid the full penalty for the sins of humanity.

The Roman Catholic Church, which claims infallibility in its Councils and theological teachings, clearly and emphatically denies the biblical gospel. The Council of Trent declares:

6th Session, Canon 9: If anyone says that the sinner is justified by faith alone, meaning that nothing else is required to cooperate in order to obtain the grace of justification...let him be anathema.

6th Session, Canon 12: If anyone shall say that justifying faith is nothing else than confidence in the divine mercy which remits sins for Christ's sake, or that it is this confidence alone by which we are justified: let him be anathema.

6th Session, Canon 30: If anyone says that after the reception of the grace of justification the guilt is so remitted and the debt of eternal punishment so blotted out to every repentant sinner, that no debt of temporal punishment remains to be discharged either in this world or in purgatory before the gates of heaven can be opened, let him be anathema.

7th Session, Canon 4: If anyone says that the sacraments of the New Law [canons and decrees of the Church] are not necessary for salvation but...without them...men obtain from God through faith alone the grace of justification...let him be anathema.

"Anathema," in these decrees (which are still in force), damns to hell anyone who rejects the Roman Catholic Church's false gospel of works.

Starting with the Second Vatican Council in the 1960s, where only superficial changes were made (because infallible dogmas cannot be changed!), Rome launched an ecumenical program aimed at seducing Protestants worldwide and, specifically, evangelicals in the United States. The goal was and is to bring all of Christendom under the rule of the Roman Catholic Church with the pope as its spiritual head. Predictable progress has been made in Europe and the U.S. among liberal denominations that have long abandoned the Scriptures. Astonishing, however, is the success the scheme has had among American evangelicals.

Billy Graham was the first and most notable evangelical to support Catholicism's ecumenical efforts. Others followed, including Bill Bright, Pat Robertson, J. I. Packer, Timothy George, Robert Schuller, Hank Hanegraaff, Benny Hinn, and Jack Van Impe. Evangelicals and Catholics Together, under the leadership of Chuck Colson and Catholic priest Richard John Neuhaus, declared Catholics and evangelicals to be "brothers and sisters in Christ" and exhorted them to work together in spreading the gospel. Obviously, and conveniently, that gospel was never defined.

Although the acceptance of things Roman Catholic among evangelicals grew steadily over the years after Vatican II, it increased exponentially with the popularity of ultra-conservative Catholic Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ. His dramatization of one of Catholicism's most sacred rituals, The Stations of the Cross, so captured the hearts of evangelicals that their eagerness to purchase mass quantities of tickets accounted for the movie's great financial success. Following that achievement, Inside the Vatican made this insightful observation: "For evangelicals, the film has given them a glimpse inside the Catholic soul, even the traditional Catholic soul. Many evangelicals, reflecting on what they saw in the movie, say they are beginning to 'get' the whole Catholic thing: Lent...the ashes on the forehead...no meat on Friday...the sorrowful mysteries...the Stations of the Cross...the emphasis on the Eucharist...the devotion to Mary...the enormous crucifix hanging above every Catholic altar. They may not be rushing out to buy rosaries, necessarily, but some of the things no longer seem so strange, so alien." [1]

What evangelicals also "got," which their leaders enthusiastically endorsed as "biblically accurate," were numerous scenes based upon the imagination of an 18th-century Catholic mystic, the portrayal of Mary as co-redemptrix in the salvation of mankind, and a very Catholic gospel that has Christ atoning for sin by suffering the unrelenting physical tortures of the Roman soldiers. [2]

The Passion of the Christ had a stunning effect on evangelical youth and youth pastors. Not only did "[Catholic] things no longer seem so strange, so alien," but they were showing up in the youth ministries of evangelical churches. The Stations of the Cross ritual became popular, although it needed to be downsized from 14 stations to 11, eliminating some stations that were too foreign to Scripture (such as Saint Veronica capturing the image of Christ's bloodied face on her veil). Prayer altars were erected, featuring icons illuminated by candles and fragranced by burning incense, and prayer labyrinths were painted on large tarps placed in church basements or cut into church lawns. For young evangelicals too often raised on empty, repetitive worship choruses little different from secular music, and religious instruction leaning heavily upon entertainment to keep them interested, the Catholic and Orthodox liturgies seemed far more spiritual.

This all became "spiritual" fodder for the Emerging Church Movement (ECM), much of it a reaction against the consumer-oriented marketing approach to church growth popularized by Robert Schuller, Bill Hybels, and Rick Warren. Many ECM leaders, most of whom have evangelical backgrounds, saw Catholic ritual and mysticism as a necessary spiritual ingredient that was lost for evangelicals at the Reformation. Sola Scriptura was a major rallying cry of the Reformers against the abuses stemming from Roman Catholic tradition; the Bible as one's only authority practically shut down the influence of the Catholic mystics known as the Desert Fathers.

Yet Catholic mysticism has returned with a vengeance. Its occult techniques can be found nearly everywhere, from Youth Specialities to Richard Foster's Renovaré organization to Rick Warren's Purpose Driven Life. "Many Christian leaders started searching for a new approach under the banner of 'spiritual formation.' This new search has led many of them back to Catholic contemplative practices and medieval monastic disciplines," Brian McLaren writes approvingly.

Tony Jones, co-editor of An Emergent Manifesto of Hope has written a manifesto of mysticism for emerging churches titled The Sacred Way: Spiritual Practices for Everyday Life. Jones's acknowledgement of those who supported his effort reads as a Who's Who of emergent leaders, not to mention the Catholic priests he thanks and the ancient Orthodox and Catholic mystics he quotes. What then is this mysticism they are promoting?

Catholic mysticism is thoroughly subjective and experiential. Like its parent, Eastern mysticism, it claims that God can neither be known nor understood through human reason but only experienced subjectively through various techniques. It is the antithesis of what the Bible teaches: "Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord" (Isaiah 1:18); "Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding" (Proverbs 4:7); "According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him" (2 Peter 1:3). Furthermore, the goal of mysticism is union with God, i.e., the merging of one's soul into God. This is an impossibility that reveals mysticism's pantheistic and panentheistic roots, that God is everything and is in everything. No. God is infinite and transcendent, absolutely separate from His finite creation.

The Sacred Way endorses numerous mystical techniques that are gaining acceptance among evangelicals today. An awareness and understanding of them is therefore critical for discernment. Centering Prayer utilizes a single word (e.g., "love" or "God") upon which one focuses to clear the mind of all other thoughts. The belief is that the so-called pray-er will hear directly from God in his silence before Him. Tony Campolo declares, "In my case intimacy with Christ has developed gradually over the years, primarily through what Catholic mystics call 'centering prayer.' Each morning, as soon as I wake up, I take time-sometimes as much as a half hour-to center myself on Jesus. I say his name over and over again to drive back the 101 things that begin to clutter up my ]mind the minute I open my eyes. Jesus is my mantra, as some would say." [3]

The Jesus Prayer has the pray-er repeat a sentence such as "Lord Jesus, have mercy on me" continuously, hundreds-even thousands-of times. The repetition supposedly fixates one's mind upon Jesus. Yet it blatantly rejects His command not to use vain repetition in prayer as the heathen do (Matthew 6:7). Moreover, its constant repetitions turn prayer as a form of communication with Jesus into an act of nonsense.

Lectio Divina, meaning "sacred reading," is a technique that is far removed from normal reading and studying of the Bible. Its methodology aims at going beyond the objective meaning of the words and the straightforward instructions to that which transcends normal awareness. Jones writes, "As you attend to those deeper meanings, begin to meditate on the feelings and emotions conjured up in your inner self." [4] He then summarizes this mystical contemplative technique: "True contemplation moves beyond words and intellect and into that 'thin space' where time and eternity almost touch. It's in moments like these that some of the greatest [Catholic] saints in the history of the [Catholic] church have had a 'mystical union' with Christ." [5] It's clear from God's Word that the spirit with which they had a "mystical union" in their contemplative altered state of consciousness was not Jesus.

Ignatian Examen is an occult visualization technique taught by Ignatius Loyola, who founded the Jesuits in the 16th century. His exercise teaches one to visualize oneself in the presence of Jesus and then interact with Him during his earthly events, e.g., "at the Last Supper and the Garden of Gethsemane, at the foot of the cross, and laying Jesus' body in the tomb." [6] This has one adding content to Scripture from his imagination and opens a person to demonic manipulation (2 Corinthians 11:4; Galatians 1:8).

Prayer Labyrinths are concentric paths created by the Catholic Church in the 13th century to experience in one's imagination Christ's Via Dolorosa, or "walk of sorrows," when He carried His cross to Calvary's hill. Rather than subject themselves to the dangers of a pilgrimage to Jerusalem during Holy Week, Roman Catholics in Europe could gain the same indulgences (to shorten their time in Purgatory) by walking labyrinths at certain cathedrals while prayerfully meditating upon Christ's crucifixion. Likewise, observing the "sacred" ritual of the Stations of the Cross became a substitute for a pilgrimage to the Holy Land.

As a former Catholic, it's hard for me to fathom the evangelical church buying into the religious occultism of Roman Catholicism. It makes no sense. Visit any country where that religion is taken seriously. What becomes obvious is a people who are in the bondage of superstition. On the other hand, I shouldn't be surprised. Apostasy is growing rapidly, the religion of the Antichrist is taking shape, and mysticism, whether it's the Catholic variety, the Sufism of Islam, yoga and the gurus of Eastern mysticism, the Shamanism of native religions, or otherwise, is a common yet powerful magnet that draws all religions together.

We need to be watchmen on the wall as we see this evil invading the church, warning especially-should our Lord delay His return-our next generation of believers. They are the clear targets of this mystical seduction.

Endnotes
1. Inside the Vatican, March/April 2004, 24.
2. See T. A. McMahon, Showtime for the Sheep? (The Berean Call, 2004).
3. Tony Campolo, Letters to a Young Evangelical (New York, NY: Perseus Books Group, 2006), 20.
4. Tony Jones, The Sacred Way (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2005), 53.
5. Ibid.
6. Ibid., 92.

Also, see 'A "Wonderful" Deception' book offer!

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Was Jesus ever tempted by the opposite sex?

by Perry Stone (Voice of Evangelism)

For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin." - Hebrews 4:15

When Christians visualize Christ's ministry, we see Him preaching to thousands, healing the sick, taking boat rides across the blue waters of Lake Tiberias, and eating dinner with His disciples. There are some images that never cross our mind. For example, can you image Jesus, in the middle of His message, winking at some single woman in the crowd? Or sitting down to eat in the home of a ministry partner, seeing a single daughter and, like a southern gentleman saying, "Hey there darling, what are you cooking tonight?"

Neither can we picture Christ sitting under a full moon overlooking the Sea of Galilee with His arm around a girlfriend He met in an evangelistic campaign, and suddenly kissing her. It just does not fit the mental images of anything we read about Christ in the Gospels. In fact, we assume He probably never even considered a woman in such a way.

However, in recent years, liberal researchers and scholars have challenged the Christ we know and love by assuming that He had a secret love life and was married to Mary Magdalene. Attacks have always been leveled against Christ. Some teach that He was a mere man with no Divinity; others say He was a good teacher—nothing more and nothing less. Others, such as Muslims, accept Him as a great prophet but deny Him as the Son of God. Some say He was the Gentile Messiah, but not a Messiah for the Jewish people. However, the new attacks, as presented in books and movies, deal more with Christ's morality on earth than with the historical narratives of His earthly ministry.

...in recent years, liberal researchers and scholars have challenged the Christ we know and love by assuming that He had a secret love life

Several years ago, Dan Brown wrote a bestseller called, The DaVinci Code. The idea behind the book of fiction was based upon the famous Last Supper painting by Leonardo DaVinci. Allegedly, according to Brown, there was a "code" hidden within the painting, as one of the persons in the painting was allegedly a woman and not a man. The book claimed that Christ made no claims of divinity; that He had a secret lover named Mary Magdalene; and that it was Mary who was chosen to lead the church, as the church was originally goddess-oriented. Brown wrote that persecution from Peter sent Mary into exile in France, where she birthed a daughter that was of Christ's flesh and blood. He suggested that the Catholic Church knew the information but hid it to protect itself.

Brown's theory, which continues with the teaching of the Merovingian bloodline , the Knights Templar, and the Priory of Sion, have all been debunked by scholars years ago. Therefore I will not attempt to rehash what has already been refuted in past books and articles. However, the idea that Christ was married and had children is nowhere to be found in Scripture, and there is no indication of it in the earliest history of the church.

The reasons Christ would never marry

Could Christ have married a woman on earth? I believe that physically, the answer is yes; but spiritually, the answer is no. There were twelve men that Christ personally selected as His disciples (Matt. 10:1-5). Christ also had "secret followers;" namely Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus (John 19:38-39). There were women who supported His ministry; we read of Joanna the wife of Herod's steward and Suzanna (Luke 8:3). There were also many women who followed Christ's ministry, including four different women with the name Mary: Mary his mother; Mary the mother of James and John; Mary from Magdalena (Matt. 27:57); and Mary the sister of Martha (Luke 10:38-39). There was one family that Christ appears to have been very close to, and that was Mary, Martha and Lazarus, who were two sisters and a brother (John 11)

While the Bible does not necessarily give the reader the details of how many of these women had husbands and how many were unmarried, Christ did have many dedicated followers who were women. But there is no indication or implication that He ever became physically attracted to any woman linked with His ministry. I believe there is a significant reason why.

Jesus was to begin a new family

Christ knew His purpose for coming to the earth. He was to be crucified, buried, and raised on the third day (Matt. 17:23). His mission from the foundation of the world was to shed His blood and initiate a new covenant of redemption for all mankind who would believe upon His name (Eph. 1:7; Col 1:14). This new covenant would also create a family of God (Eph. 3:14). In fact, God is the father, Christ is His Son, and the church is Christ's bride. Paul wrote to the church and used a marriage term when he penned

"For I am jealous for you with godly jealousy. For I have betrothed you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ" (2 Cor. 11:2) NKJV

Presenting a chaste virgin to Christ was a phrase indicating that the church is a bride that will be presented to the bridegroom (Christ) in heaven, and Paul desired to present the church pure and faithful to its bridegroom. Even Christ called Himself the bridegroom (Matt. 9:15; Luke 5:35). John the Baptist even identified himself as a friend of the bridegroom, which was a person whom the bridegroom chose to stay in contact with the bride prior to the wedding supper (John 3:28-30). Paul spoke about the family of God in heaven and earth (Eph 3:15).

I am certain that Christ, knowing His destiny, never married for many reasons. First, it was not the will of His heavenly Father. Christ ascended to heaven at about the age of 33 to 34. If He were an earthly husband, He would be leaving His wife behind (Acts 1:3, 9). He knew that His "kingdom was not of this world" (John 18:36). If Christ would have married and had a child, can you image how the worship of Christ would have eventually been turned from Christ, to his wife, and His child, and eventually to anyone who descended from His bloodline? There would be great cathedrals and museums built to honor the family, and I am certain the children would have been viewed as part deity and part human by their followers.

Christ's "family" consisted of both men and women from every tribe and nation. This family will become the bride when they are presented at the Marriage Supper of the Lamb in heaven. The wedding gift will be the New Jerusalem:

"Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls filled with the seven last plagues came to me and talked with me, saying, "Come, I will show you the bride, the Lamb's wife." And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, having the glory of God. Her light was like a most precious stone, like a jasper stone, clear as crystal." (Rev. 21:9-12- NKJV

Some teach that the church is not the bride; the New Jerusalem is the bride. John said the New Jerusalem was prepared as a bride adorned for her husband (Rev. 21:2). We must remember that Christ's throne will be in the center of the city and this will be the home of the saints. Thus the bride is living within the city.

Christ and Temptation

This brings us to the original question: was Jesus tempted by the opposite sex? First we must understand what temptation is. The word temptation, as used in the New Testament 15 times, means to put something to the test by solicitation or by provoking and pressuring it. According to the Bible, it is Satan who is the tempter (Matt. 4:3). We are also told that "God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempts he any man" (James 1:13). I describe temptation as a pressure in the mind to draw you away from truth or into an action contrary to the will and the Word of God. The Bible indicates that no temptation can come to us unless it is common to man (1 Cor. 10:13). It is a fact that, because you live in a human body of flesh and blood, you will encounter some form of temptation.

All sin that is birthed out of temptation comes from either lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, or pride of life (1 John 2:16). After Christ was baptized in the Jordan River, the Holy Spirit led Him into the wilderness to experience a season of temptation from Satan (Matt. 4:1-11). Notice that Satan struck Christ in these three areas: lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, and pride of life:

The Statement of Satan in the temptation

Command the stones to be made bread - Lust of the flesh
Cast yourself down from the pinnacle of the temple - Pride of life
Worship me and you I will give you the world's kingdoms - Lust of the eyes

It is not a sin to be tempted, for if it were a sin simply to be tempted, then Christ would have sinned during this temptation. The Bible teaches us that action must be taken on the thought of temptation. As James 1:14-15 says "But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death."

Lust, when it is acted upon, causes a conception. It gives birth to sin. Christ conquered the temptation by resisting the adversary through the Word of God.

Could Jesus have Sinned

This theological question has been debated for some time. The answer is again, physically yes and spiritually no. Physically, Christ had the mind and the body of any normal man. He could have walked where His feet should not have walked, used His hands to do things that were forbidden by the law of God, and used His body to perform forbidden acts. Physically, Christ had the capability of sinning, and this explains why and how He can understand our infirmities and weakness. He walked in the same suit of flesh that we wear today. Christ had a body which could sin; but spiritually, Christ could not—or perhaps we should say, would not—have sinned.

Christ came not to do His will, but the will of the father (John 6:38). Christ's hatred for Satan's kingdom of darkness, and His resistance toward the powers of darkness, would have caused Him to resist the thought of sinning against God or against Himself. When Satan tempted Him, Christ began quoting Scripture that applied to that particular situation.

Satan's temptation - Christ's rebuttal - Scripture Christ used
Turn stones to bread -- Man lives only from the Word of God -- Deut 8:3
Cast yourself down -- You shall not tempt the Lord your God -- Deut 6:16
Bow and worship me -- You shall worship the Lord God only -- Deut 6:13

Christ's obedience to His heavenly Father can be seen in two major events in His life. The Old Testament prophets predicted that Messiah would be a king, setting up the headquarters of His global kingdom in Jerusalem (Psa. 47:2, 7; Zech 14:9, 16-17). On one occasion Christ's followers, along with a multitude of people, wanted to make him a king. Christ could have thought, "Since this is predicted by the prophets, why not follow through with it now?" However, He departed from the multitude to a private place, rejecting their offer. He knew that He would be King in the future, but He must first become the suffering Lamb and bring redemption (John 6:15). His kingship would be established at the end of the age (Rev. 19:11-16). Christ was more concerned about God's will than with His own popularity and potential as an earthly ruler.

The second example was in the Garden of Gethsemane. During a lonely time of intercession, Christ earnestly prayed until His sweat became as great drops of blood (Luke 22:44). When the arresting officers arrived to lead Christ to an illegal trial, Peter sliced an ear off the high priest's servant (Luke 22:50-51). Christ informed Peter to stop his aggression, and told him that He (Christ) had the power to call more than twelve legions of angels and stop the entire process if He chose to do so (Matt. 26:53). Christ had asked the Father that, if it were possible, to allow this cup of suffering to pass. But if not, Christ would proceed with His predicted death (Matt. 26:1-2). Christ once again demonstrated His desire to do God's will.

If we move from the agony in the garden to the suffering on the cross, another view emerges, often overlooked by the casual reader. At the beginning of Christ's ministry, Satan personally challenged His position with God and demanded a sign from Him to prove that He really is the Son of God. Twice Satan said, "If you are the Son of God..." (Matt. 4:3, 6). About forty-two months passed and Christ was hanging on the cross between heaven and earth. The voices of men surrounding Him demanded a sign from Him that He is the Son of God. "If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross" (Matt. 27:40). They mocked Him saying that, if God was with Him and He was God's Son, then surely God would save Him now (Matt. 27:43). Christ had the authority at that moment to call the angelic deliverers to His rescue, but He chose not to fall to the temptation to prove to the people what He Himself already knew—that He was the Son of God!

Christ had all human emotions

When a believer experiences severe testing or trials, some have commented, "God cannot understand what I am dealing with. How can He know what I am going through? He is God; He can't experience this." According to Hebrews chapter four, Christ is our heavenly High Priest who is "touched with the feeling of our infirmities" (Heb. 4:15). The Greek word infirmities is asthenia, and does not simply mean some form of physical sickness, but can allude to any moral, physical or spiritual weakness we experience. When the writer revealed that Christ was touched, this word is not the standard Greek word used in the New Testament for "touch" as found in 21 verses, which means "to attach to someone or to physically touch them." In Hebrews 4:15 the word touch is sumpatheo and it means "to have sympathy and compassion for someone!" The reason our heavenly High Priest, Jesus Christ, has sympathy for us is because He was also tempted in all points in the same manner as we are.

We know that Christ was despised and rejected of men, a man of sorrow and familiar with grief (Isa. 53:3). During His ministry, He became so angry at the abuse and merchandising at the temple, that He overthrew the money changers (Mark 11:15-17). When Christ arrived at the tomb of Lazarus, we read the shortest verse in the Bible that simply says, "Jesus wept" (John 11:35). Perhaps not because His friend had died, since Christ planned to resurrect him, but because there was such unbelief among His own friends, concerning Christ's ability to raise Lazarus from the dead (John 11). We also read where Jesus "rejoiced in spirit," thanking God for revealing such deep spiritual truths to babes, while hiding them from the wise men of the world (Luke 10:21). There are several possible Greek words for rejoice in the New Testament, meaning to be cheerful or to be in celebration with a person on behalf of their blessing (Luke 1:58). When Jesus rejoiced in spirit (Luke 10:21), the Greek word is agalliao, and it means to be exceeding joyful to the point of jumping for joy!

I realize the average Christian might have difficulty believing that Christ ever became so happy that He leaped for joy. Years ago one minister rebuked me for encouraging people to worship with their hands raised (1 Tim. 2:8) or by clapping their hands (Psa. 47:1), or for allowing them to rejoice by praising out loud and dancing for joy (Psa. 149:3). With a rather sour expression on his face, this rigid minister commented, "Son, all of this physical expression in worship is wrong. I've read the New Testament hundreds of times and nowhere did Jesus act like that!" I thought for a moment and replied, "Sir, you are right...but everyone He touched and healed acted that way!" I reminded him of the lame man at the gate who, after being supernaturally healed, began "running and leaping and praising God" (Acts 3:8). A man born blind who receives his healing is not going to simply nod his head and say thank you in a timid voice.

It is clear that Christ experienced every human emotion that we, too, experience. Considering that Christ had all human emotion and feeling, this would indicate that He, too, was tempted with all manner of temptation, yet without sinning. This should be of great comfort to all believers. It is one thing to say, "Christ knows what it is like to become angry, sad and even lonely." There is deeper appreciation of Christ taking on the form of flesh, when we understand that He, too, was tempted while in His earthy body. The Bible only gives us the temptation of Christ at the beginning of His ministry. Yet, we know that many events were not recorded—so many that John said that, if all the words and works of Christ had been recorded, the world could not hold all the books (John 21:25).

Jesus and the Opposite Sex

I realize some would disagree with this comment; however, if Christ was tempted with all manner of temptation, He must have occasionally been tempted by the opposite sex. This does not imply that Christ lusted after women, as He warned against such activity:

"You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not commit adultery.' But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart." - Matt. 5:27-28 (NKJV)

Every believer living on earth in this house of clay has an area of weakness that can be a trap door for the adversary to slip through. For some the struggle is with their attitude. Perhaps it is unforgiveness or bitterness, or greed, or fear. Any man can and will occasionally have a dart of temptation cross his mind. However, a thought is not a sin, as long as the thought is cast down before it is planted in the mind as a seed. Once the seeds are planted they will, under certain conditions, blossom into a plant and produce negative fruit.

The reason it becomes important for a believer to understand Christ's human nature and the fact that Satan sent fiery darts against Him, is because it causes us to know that Christ does understand the struggle of a flesh verses a spirit nature. Christ was the master over His flesh; He understands that the "spirit is indeed willing but the flesh is weak" (Matt. 26:41).

We should not get overly concerned with whether or not Christ was tempted with the opposite sex, because we know that He was "yet without sin." We should, however, rejoice that He does have compassion upon us when we are being tested and will make a way of escape, so that we can bear the test without falling.

WHY ALL THE HIGH RISE IN GOLD PRICES?

by Perry Stone (Voice of Evangelism)

I recall in 1999 that my dear friend and ministry partner Emmy Piper came to my office with her husband Bob and sat down across from my desk, with that huge purse she used to carry strapped over her shoulder. She leaned over like she had a secret to reveal.

She said, “I was praying last night and the Lord told me that gold was going over one thousand dollars an ounce in the future.” I was curious about her strange and “unlikely” prediction, (since gold was about $230 an ounce), so I asked her to accompany me to a local jeweler to see a Christian brother who is quite knowledgeable in stocks, bonds and gold.

The time will come that gold will become the cheapest commodity you can find, as you will walk on streets of gold in heaven!

I asked Emmy to explain to our friend what she heard the Lord tell her about gold. She did. He looked up the gold prices on the computer and smiled. He said that he did not doubt that the Lord had spoken to her, but he didn’t know what would occur in the future to bring gold prices to such a record level. I suggested he listen to her as she was quite a prayer warrior.

Just the other day, gold rose to $1,385.00 an ounce. If a person would have purchased a one ounce gold eagle coin about ten years ago, they would have profited about $1,100.00 a coin if they were to sell it right now. A few of the anti-gold and pro-stock specialists will tell you that with the rise in inflation, gold is only keeping up with the inflation ratio. I’ll let the investment “specialists” argue that. The point is, Emmy did hear a word and it has happened. I personally believe that the precious metal prices will fluctuate, but if there is a major economic hit or a future war that causes oil to rise, then it is possible that the price could rise even higher.

Recently, a former Federal Reserve banker warned that the Reserve was making a mistake by printing additional billions in dollars. He said that if a person were to invest in gold they should do so now, because as the foreign nations realize what is occurring they will buy up the gold, causing a gold shortage and a huge rise in the prices. As I write this I am reminded of the warnings of the prophets, that the time will come when food will become more valuable than gold, as men will “throw their gold in the streets.”

Thus, the greatest “investment” will be to invest in the eternal kingdom – the kingdom of God. When we place our financial gifts in a church or ministry that is providing for the poor, supplying missionaries for world evangelism, spreading the message of the gospel, and doing the work of the kingdom, then that is an investment that will never fluctuate and will gain a reward that will endure for the ages! The time will come that gold will become the cheapest commodity you can find, as you will walk on streets of gold in heaven!

The Church's Moment in the Unraveling of the West

Michael Craven

I do not think it too strong or sensational to say that we are witnessing the collapse of Western civilization. Across the Western world, the fruits of apostasy and secularism are manifesting themselves in overwhelmingly destructive ways.
 
 In my lifetime I have seen the rapid demise of the family. For the first time in American history, nonmarried households now outnumber married households (52 percent vs. 48 percent respectively). Today, only one-fifth of American households represent “traditional families—married couples with children” (New York Times, “Married Couples Are No Longer a Majority, Census Finds,” May 28, 2011). Out-of-wedlock birthrates in the US have reached 40 percent following a similar trend throughout Western European countries, some of which are as high as 66 percent (New York Times).
 
 While out-of-wedlock births continue to rise, more and more people are simply not having children at all, leading to depopulation of the West on a scale unprecedented. Add to this the radical redefinition of marriage and family to include same-sex couples and the future of the natural family—an institution essential to a healthy society—only promises to worsen.
 
 Our academic institutions have shifted from teaching virtues and the pursuit of truth to intolerant platforms for secularized political values and godless indoctrination. Students are taught—with self-assumed authority—that God does not exist, your life is your own, sin is an archaic myth, and morality is a matter of individual preference.
 
 The fine arts have descended into prurience, voyeurism, gratuitous violence, godlessness, and mindless amusements. Revenue from the consumption of pornography exceeds that generated by all professional sports combined and the media, which was once governed by a modicum of journalistic integrity, has become another powerful force for indoctrination into socialistic progressivism and humanistic schemes.
 
 Our political leaders have abandoned statesmanship and true public service for personal power gains and government-driven social and economic engineering. Corruption has replaced integrity and the virtue of stewardship is almost nowhere to be found. America finds itself entrenched in prolonged wars with an enemy that it refuses to call evil, pursuing unrealistic aims of democratization in a culture that has no interest in democracy. Our governments have become oligarchies of competing political interests with little regard for the good of the people.
 
 Recently, Europeans (and some Americans) have descended into barbarism and anarchy, as the State proves incapable of serving as savior and provider. In the wake of supplanting God with the State, personal responsibility has been replaced by selfishness, dependency, and entitlement.
 
 In the absence of any absolute moral and ethical foundations, our economic system is collapsing around our ears. Business is increasingly driven by personal greed and shareholder returns rather than hard work, creative excellence, love of neighbor, and service to mankind. The Western world has lived far beyond its means—both personally and nationally—to the extent that families and some countries find themselves on the brink of financial collapse. Fear and uncertainty have become the overarching features of our day.
 
 Finally, the church—which was once the moral authority in the West—has rendered itself irrelevant and marginalized in the public square. Denominationalism and division are rampant. Theological vacuity, consumerism, and compromise dominate the spiritual landscape in America. So much so, that Christianity is the only religion in America in decline while every other false religion and new-age construct is spreading like wildfire.
 
 In the wake of all that is happening, countless pundits and politicians have emerged to offer their man-centered analysis and prescriptions as to the cause and solution, none of which come close to the truth of our dilemma.
 
 At the heart of all that ails us is our rejection of the Most High God! The Western world has rejected the biblical revelation as the source of truth in every area of public life—the very foundation of its historic rise and prosperity. Therefore all of our social and cultural institutions, which now rest on a false interpretation of reality, are coming apart. Should we be surprised?
 
 As for the church, we alone bear the responsibility for our own demise. The culture did not render us irrelevant—we did! We have been entrusted with the truth, the message of hope, and we have neglected this responsibility in exchange for security and comfort. We have tried, unsuccessfully, to build our lives in a way that seeks to comfortably balance the demands of following Christ with our own quest for personal peace and affluence. It doesn’t work! You either love Christ or you love your own life.
 
 In essence, we in the West are reaping precisely what we have sown. Mankind cannot construct a world devoid of subservience to God and hope to prosper. So in a seemingly sudden turn of events, the house of cards is folding. This should serve as the wake-up call—first to the church: repent and obey, and then to the world: man is not the measure of all things. This may be our generation’s moment to be found faithful.
 
 Let me just say that the solution is not to be found in the modernistic impulse of the institutional church; we can’t just “craft a program.” Rather, the solution is far simpler than that. It is found in Jesus’s command to “go and make disciples.” This can never be reduced to a program of the church but is instead a product of the organic church—individuals acting in obedience to Christ.
 
 Practically speaking, this means each of us should endeavor to be in relationship with the community of God’s people. We must place ourselves under the authority of the body of Christ, being discipled by those who are mature in the faith. Then we must form relationships with others whom we disciple. This is not a short-term enterprise but a lifelong effort. And then, we go forth into the world loving our neighbors. That may be just one or two people God has brought into your sphere of contact. It is with these that we share the love of Christ, bearing witness to his power in our lives, teaching them the truth of reality as revealed by God (making disciples) so that he may build his church (see Matt. 16:18).
 
 Our present circumstances offer a bleak picture, to be sure, but our situation is only hopeless insofar as we continue to trust in the structures and schemes of godless men, rather than the eternal promises of God through obedience to Christ.
 
© 2011 by S. Michael Craven Permission granted for non-commercial use.

Christians Get Depressed Too

by Tim Challies

One of my favorite Christian leadership conference moments to date is an interaction I once saw between John MacArthur and John Piper. The details are a bit hazy, but if memory serves me correct, they were participating in a panel discussion and the moderator asked them about depression. Piper described some of the darkest hours of his life and ministry, saying that for a long period of time—months or years—he wept every day. Then it was MacArthur’s turn to speak and he said, “I’ve never been depressed for a day in my life.” It was a practical statement, I think, devoid of any kind of judgment. It was simply the truth. I may not remember it perfectly, but it happened something like that. And it set in stark contrast how two men, both used mightily by the Lord, can have such different experiences and such different dispositions.

Christians get depressed too. This statement may seem a wee bit trite, but it’s an important message and one Christians need to hear. Too many people have been taught that Christians—true Christians, good Christians, real Christians—don’t get depressed or that depression is always the outworking of serious sin. This heaps guilt and anguish upon those who are already suffering mental or emotional pain. Is my depression a result of a sin I’ve committed against God? Is there a sin I need to confess to make it all go away? Am I even a Christian? With the anguish comes stigma so that those who suffer so often suffer in silence, afraid and ashamed to admit what they are going through. Many Christians sympathize with physical pain but roll their eyes at emotional pain.

The message at the heart of David Murray’s little book about depression is all in the title—Christians Get Depressed Too. This message is remarkably liberating. Immediately it clears away so many of the dangerous and unhelpful misconceptions. We wouldn’t want this to give license to wallow in depression, but we would want it to allow us to see and believe and understand that for many people depression is to the fallen mind what illness is to the fallen body. The book follows a simple six-chapter structure:

The Crisis - A list of eight reasons that we ought to study this topic.

The Complexity - The attitude and the spirit Christians should maintain when they study this topic. Here Murray asks Christians to avoid extremes and to pursue balance while also avoiding dogmatism and seeking humility.

The Condition - In this chapter Murray defines depression and offers a list of ways in which it may work itself out in life.

The Causes - In what may be the most important chapter in the book, Murray discusses the varying causes of depression.

The Cures - There are many ways to cure depression. To answer the question everyone is asking, Murray recommends the careful and measured use of medication in some circumstances.

The Caregivers - How friends and family members and pastors are to care for those who are depressed.

I believe this book’s greatest strength is its liberating message that depression does not need to be a source of shame and that it should not carry a taboo that causes those who suffer from it to hide away in shame. At the same time, it should not cause other people to respond with shock or scolding or judgment. Murray does a good job of aligning depression—mental or emotion suffering—with the physical suffering we all encounter in life. Though it may be caused by sin or aggravated by sin, we must not allow ourselves to assume that this is always the case.

Another strength is the book’s measured, pastoral tone. Too much writing on this subject falls prey to broad strokes and sweeping judgments. Murray makes it clear that he is no stranger to depression; he has faced it in his ministry and “among friends and some of those I love most in this world.” This leads him to speak carefully, to speak sensitively, and to use nuance where nuance is warranted. The person who is dealing with depression, with anxiety or with panic attacks will find sympathy and hope in the words of this book and in the gospel message it depends upon.

Weighing in at just 100 pages, Christians Get Depressed Too is short enough that it can be read by those who are suffering; where a 200 or 300 page book may be too much, this one is short and accessible and urgent. It is also a valuable read for those who are trying to help friends or family members who are dealing with depression. It’s just the kind of book that is the right size and the right price to purchase a few to keep on hand, ready to give away—and I pretty much guarantee the opportunity will present itself before long. It will prove a valuable resource for the pastor or counselor or pretty much everyone else. I highly recommend it.