Category: salvation

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church romans salvation

The Measure of Faith Revealed

God’s Gospel should result in radical action and in such a manner that it will keep Christians reexamining themselves and acknowledging God’s grace and mercy. For it is at this point, right at the hinge of the book (Rom 12:1,2) that Paul illustrates the  practical application of the Gospel.

Not one Christian is to think more highly of himself than he ought to think says the verse and I’ve often heard it said that it means that the individual has a proper understanding of where he or she stands. Such as: a gifted teacher is to understand where his gift is over that of other teachers yet below others so that he doesn’t think above his gift.

I’m sorry, that is way off base because it is open to a person judging themselves more highly than someone else which is completely contrary to what Paul is saying If we take it as a whole, understanding the mercies of God then we have to understand that Paul isn’t telling Christians who stand on that equal ground of mercy to up and decide who is higher and who is lower—especially of their own estimation!

The grace was given to Paul to allow him to say what he’s saying, and allows Christians to understand where they stand, with the understanding that God has given the equal measuring rule of faith to the saints.

This measure of faith is not a bit of faith here and a bit more faith there reflecting a group of people thinking “I have more faith than him” or “man, he definitely has more faith than me!” Rather it’s the Christians standing on the object of their faith and seeing how completely dependant on that object they are.

Understanding that allows a Christian to really respect his fellow believers and makes him or her completely given over to the preaching of the Gospel.

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apologetics salvation

Christian Blasphemy?

I hate that I’m embedding this video and I abhor how it’s defaming the name of Christ in what it’s doing but it has to be addressed: it’s wrong and a defamation of God’s Gospel. The video consists of a certain group of professing Christians who publicly protest funerals by raising banners and saying “This Person Has Gone To Hell” or the sort—even if the persons were professing believers like the case of the Amish girls who were killed in Lancaster County. This is the same group that raises signs like “God Hates Fags” and the sort but I think they’re actually making a blight of the Gospel and causing the name of Christ to be blasphemed.

For example, John would state that God loved the world in a specific manner. John doesn’t use world to mean the elect or even to mean the whole expansive planet and all the creatures on it but John uses world (very often) to mean the corrupt and immoral system. Yet these so-called Christians say God Hates The World because they are sinners: contrary to the words of John. Paul will add to John’s argument by showing that the sin in the world is actually God’s systematic judgment—not the cause for His supreme judgment. Then Paul will say that God demonstrated His love in the death of Jesus Christ which these professing Christians reserve solely for there elitist group.

In fact their wrong is akin to that of the Pharisee in Jesus’ illustration who prays in the public saying “Thank you God that I’m not like this filthy sinful tax collector” while the tax collector beats on his chest saying “God forgive me a sinner.” What’s so utterly wrong about this is that the Pharisee (and these professing Christians) are forgetting (or denying) that they are sinners just as bad as the Hitlers in the world and it was God’s love, mercy, and grace that offered a salvation to them as well as the Hitler’s in the world.

God’s righteous Gospel is glorious, is far-reaching, is patient, forbearing and for the worst of the worst sinners for whom Christ died. The fact that these Christians profess the exact opposite leaves me thinking that they don’t understand or really know who Christ is and what He is like. Video after the jump. Remember: I think it is evil.

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romans salvation study

What Are The Mercies of God?

What mercies of God is he holding up as the logical progression that he can hold a “therefore” next to?

Well, chapters 9 through 11 of Romans reflect God’s right to show mercy to whoever He wills—both to the believers and to the unbelievers alike. Paul concerned about the salvation of Israel shows how Israel has been set apart so that God could show them that they are not believers and thus show mercy to the whole lot of them. God’s incomprehensible yet awesome wisdom that he would show mercy to a people—who were not His people (namely us old Gentiles) so that He could show mercy to His actual people who were being stiff necked and disobedient.

And there’s God shouting out to stubborn Israel “All the day long I have stretched out my arms to a disobedient and obstinate people!” Can you see the picture? God like a Father stretching His arms out to His stubborn child waiting to show mercy and forgiveness!

Continue reading “What Are The Mercies of God?”
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acts church romans salvation

I Urge You

I beseech you says some Bibles. Others say I urge you. In Greek the word can be used to earnestly appeal, invite or even summon together: but in context it is an action word set in the present pointed at a person and demanding something.

Two things here; firstly you usually don’t ask (or urge) for something that isn’t happening. For example I no one has ever told me “Rey, I urge you; I beseech you. No, I beg you–please have some pizza!” You don’t need to ask; I will eat it.

I’ve spent many a superbowl Sunday with friends with no knowledge of the game but there in thanksgiving of God for enabling men to design. And I would happily cheer for both teams raising my pizza-greasy hands: touchdown!

So Paul is urging for something that isn’t being done.

Secondly, sometimes requests questions (especially the urging ones) sound as if they’re coming from a position of weakness. Like when I kept asking my wife if I could get an iPod–I urged, I beseeched but I had no power over the situation: she wouldn’t yield.

But Paul isn’t some poor Hebrew soul, begging esteemed Roman gentiles citizens who look down their classical noses . This is not the beggarly urgings of a weaker individual—this is the strong, demanded, request of the one set apart as an apostle, the servant of Jesus Christ (Head of Creation ), to carry the Gospel of the Eternal, Omnipotent, Righteous, Merciful and Living God. Snap to attention and listen!

So therefore, by the mercies of God Paul the apostle strongly demands for this thing to be done.

Romans Series

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israel salvation

Unsaved Israel: Why? (Part 4 of 5)

Paul in examining if the message of the Gospel has reached Israel, offered up four questions and we take up our notes now to examine the third: It’s not is it, that God has rejected His people? (Rom 11:1)

“Yes we heard and yes we understood but we couldn’t believe because God rejected us beforehand. We couldn’t believe even if we wanted to.”

Once again Paul’s answer demands the negative: of course the Jews have not been rejected. Here people are quick to point out that the seven thousand saved are the believing remnant of Israel and Paul being one of them shows that God has an Israel within Israel but Paul isn’t defending the Israel within Israel—he’s praying for the salvation of Unbelieving Israel.

Paul, speaking as a Jew shows himself as proof that the Jews have not been rejected for the gospel is available to them. God foreknew his people and just as in Elijah’s day when the man stood thinking that he was alone as he pled against Israel, God pointed out that there were seven thousand (a perfect remnant you can read it) of men who haven’t bowed the knee to Baal. Elijah wasn’t alone but there was a perfect counting of men who stood with Elijah and thus continuing to preserve the nation.

This remnant remains such by God’s grace and mercy—He has not wiped out the Jews but rather is preserving them for a specific, as of this point, unmentioned purpose. And this believing portion holds on and the rest were partially hardened so as to stumble.