God and God Alone

He is the great I AM. He reigns over all of His creation and does whatever He pleases. Nothing escapes His notice and all is under His Sovereign control. Our enemies have no say or do against us without God’s plan and permission to make it work for good in Him.

2 Cor 4:16-18
Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.

As children of God we must keep our eyes on the eternal reality just a vapor ahead of this mortal existence in this physical earth. Diseases, disasters, difficulties, and even fiery trials coming from humans --who accept lies and work attacks on us in their deceptions-- are under the Sovereign and wise Hand of our God in Christ Jesus. For He makes even the wrath of man to praise Him. Ponder this poem I found…

The wrath of men shall praise Thee,
The rest shalt Thou restrain,
And out of earth’s disasters
Will bring eternal gain.
The purpose of man’s evil heart
Works out Thy sovereign will.
Our God is still upon the throne,
Therefore, believe, be still.
Be still and know that I am God,
This banishes our fears,
While passing through this scene of strife,
Of sorrow and of tears.
The One who rules the heavenly hosts
Holds all within His hand,
And none can say, “What doest Thou?”
Can His arm withstand.
—Author unknown

I couldn’t help but recall the recent news story of some believers who were brutally and mercilessly tortured by very young Muslim extremists for their faith in Christ Jesus. It sounded like a very hellish thing to endure and suffer through. Yet we all have to face the facts that this life can bring many difficulties in many ways. At the very least, most of us will likely have to endure the deterioration of our mortal flesh through our bodies failing and disease taking it’s toll as we age. And some of this may occur to younger members of the human race. Some of all ages will suffer the reality of our frail bodies as we suffer accidents. Some of us may suffer and/or die at the hands of sinful men as their evil hearts are revealed through violence. God has all of these things designed to ultimately bring great glory to Him as the only Sovereign and to prepare His children to know an eternal bliss and reward for the faith we have been given by grace to see us through these varying and various trials of this life. We must keep this faith in our hearts at all times and be ready always to give an answer for this great hope our Lord has given to us as believers in His Sovereign grace and power.

Please let this Word of Christ dwell richly in your hearts as believers in His Grace and never forget this under any circumstances…

Hebrews 12:1-11
Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls. You have not yet resisted to bloodshed, striving against sin. And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons:
“My son, do not despise the chastening of the LORD,
Nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him;
For whom the LORD loves He chastens,
And scourges every son whom He receives.”
If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten? But if you are without chastening, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and not sons. Furthermore, we have had human fathers who corrected us, and we paid them respect. Shall we not much more readily be in subjection to the Father of spirits and live? For they indeed for a few days chastened us as seemed best to them, but He for our profit, that we may be partakers of His holiness. Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.

And the Apostle Peters reveals this Word from our God…

1 Peter 3:13-22
And who is he who will harm you if you become followers of what is good? But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you are blessed. “And do not be afraid of their threats, nor be troubled.” But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear; having a good conscience, that when they defame you as evildoers, those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed. For it is better, if it is the will of God, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.
For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit, by whom also He went and preached to the spirits in prison, who formerly were disobedient, when once the Divine longsuffering waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight souls, were saved through water. There is also an antitype which now saves us—baptism (not the removal of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God), through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, angels and authorities and powers having been made subject to Him.

Only our Sovereign God knows our future, so continue to know Him through grace and He will prepare your heart for whatever is to come. Good days, bad days, or evil days, our Good Shepherd will see us through to the other side of this life. Praise Him forever for is unfailing love towards His people and for His Eternal Glory. AMEN!

Pure Calvinism vs. Carnal Calvinism

Pure Calvinism has the evidence of the true grace which is central to its own doctrine. If it is God’s grace alone which changes us --and this gives all of the glory entirely to God-- then this very grace will be evidenced in the life of one who professes to believe and live in Reformed Theology. I say “believe and live” because it is clear that some who teach and profess Calvinism or Reformed Theology as their basis in viewing God’s Word do not show the grace through their life and teaching as God’s Word declares it should be. In other words “you will know them by their fruit” NOT their fleshly mental assent or carnal parroting of the life giving doctrine of Calvinism or Reformed Theology as it is in its truest and purest form.

Some professing Calvinists and Reformers will say “God is Love” but give little evidence in their lives or teaching to this fact. If our eyes have been opened by God’s grace and mercy, how then can we look down upon or coldly judge those who are in dire need of this same grace and mercy or pardon coming from God through Christ? I believe it is reported that something like this (but said in my own words) has been said by John Newton (the author of Amazing Grace):

Some harshly and rashly expect that others should see --as they believe that they do-- the light of the truth of God’s Sovereign Word without considering how this occurred to them, if it really did. That would be as if Bartimaeus (Mk 10:46-52), after receiving his sight by the grace and mercy of God, then decided to go out and beat other blind men with a stick because they didn't see as he did. How foolish and heartless! Who caused him to see? Was it of his own works or the act of the Sovereign God alone? We should rather give all the glory to God for His grace and mercy and sincerely and fervently pray that God will open the minds of others to see this wondrous grace as we proclaim the Gospel of God in word and deed.

It is my view that some who say they have “seen the light of the Sovereign hand of God” may not have truly seen this yet but instead have something worded similarly and have seen only by their puffed up fleshly imagination, or, they are very immature in their understanding of the true meaning of the wonderful sovereign grace of God. I also believe that many of those who say others are blinded are yet blinded themselves through taking a mental assent only to the doctrine of grace without truly knowing this in their hearts yet for themselves. My wife and I have witnessed this first hand with a former local pastor and one of his former Sunday school teachers. They seemed to have a somewhat parroted belief in the doctrine of Sovereign Grace, delighting in the idea of the word Sovereign but not truly grasping the complete meaning of the word Grace. Giving evidence of hard hearts as they seemed to think they had it all figured out and yet had little to no real compassion for the people for whom Christ died and now lives again. That is what I call Carnal Calvinism which may also be considered what others call Hyper-Calvinism. We witnessed many people get hurt in this particular situation we were in and therefore I can affirm that this has been happening and is likely happening in many other places as I hear it is so.

I’ll now offer some of God’s Word in this matter to ponder as we consider our lives with our words:

Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. (1Cor 13:1-2) -nkjv

And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient, in humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth, and that they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will. (2Tim 2:24-26) -nkjv

I must confess that I have often failed and fallen short on this for myself. And I have regrets about not loving others as Christ would have me. I pray I have and will amend this with God's help as much as possible. It is my desire to let God change me by grace and continue to transform me into His Son’s likeness. I wish for God’s glory to be seen in my life and words as I submit to Him and the power that raised Christ from the dead. As I decrease --by grace through faith-- putting to death on His cross my carnal nature, the glory of Christ must increase as His light breaks though for others to see His resurrection power in my mortal being. This will prove to be so when others see and exalt Him alone and see me as simply a vessel being made fit for the Masters use. The vessel should never have the glory but rather the Master who has prepared the vessel and happens to have chosen to use it for any particular purpose of His own. God can use me as He wishes for He is my Potter and I am His clay.

May we who have accepted and received the doctrine of the Sovereign Grace of God pay more attention to the meaning of the word Grace as we come to see the awesome Hand of God over all His Creation. May we pray that others may see and know this Grace and Mercy from God. And may we obey the words of God and do our part in yielding to this work of Grace considering whether or not we have the gentleness, patience, humility, and preparation to teach this grace to others. We must balance this with tough truth from the Word of God as we correct, rebuke, and instruct others and speak this truth in love. Never forgetting that this God has mercifully brought us out of darkness into His marvelous Light and will do the same for others as He shines His Light through us according to the Gospel.

Not knowing the goodness of God...

There are promises in Scripture which we may feel good about and there are those which we must realize and take very seriously in these last days. Here is one which we need to be aware of today…

“But evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived.” 2Tim 3:13

After coming to know the real truth regarding some people who have a presence online and are seen by some others as being either involved in some “discernment” ministry or that they are of the “true Body” of Christ, it has occurred to me that some seem to like the idea of defying God to His face by knowing they can resist conviction with their hardened hearts. It would seem that their pride is puffed up each time they can pull the wool over another’s eyes as they masquerade as being righteous. Not knowing the goodness of God, they are storing up for themselves wrath for the Day of wrath. Deceivers, liars, hypocrites, and fools! All of these seem to get some thrill or sense of power by being able to deny the conviction of Truth which God has so clearly set against them in His Word.

Therefore you are inexcusable, O man, whoever you are who judge, for in whatever you judge another you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things. But we know that the judgment of God is according to truth against those who practice such things. And do you think this, O man, you who judge those practicing such things, and doing the same, that you will escape the judgment of God? Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance? But in accordance with your hardness and your impenitent heart you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, who “will render to each one according to his deeds”: eternal life to those who by patient continuance in doing good seek for glory, honor, and immortality; but to those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness—indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish, on every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek; but glory, honor, and peace to everyone who works what is good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For there is no partiality with God. Rom 2:1-11

The worst of them are those who say they are so serious with God for the Church and Christ’s word of discernment but are themselves deceivers, liars, hypocrites, and fools. Of these 4 words which describe them, there is one which they realize the least in themselves as they go on enjoying the fact that they can fool other humans by their deceptions and lies with the masks they wear. And that is that they themselves are the FOOLS! For God is not mocked and they will reap exactly as they sow. They are storing up for themselves --through their impenitence of heart-- much wrath for their souls if they go on without repentance. Shame will fall on them with the same measure at which they have used God’s Words to mislead, control, and harm others. And this is a very serious measure for some. On that Day the Light will shine on their works of darkness --without them being able to lie and connive their way out before the eyes of man-- according to the Word of God. For when Christ appears their knees will bow and their tongues confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father, and their self-glory will cease. They will have to confess that they have grieved and offended God, His Son, and His Church severely by their white washed ways made pretty for the eyes of men so as to gain a following. God's mercy may not strive with them much longer if they turn not from this grave error.

Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord comes, who will both bring to light the hidden things of darkness and reveal the counsels of the hearts. Then each one’s praise will come from God. 1Cor 4:5

There shall be no more trickery, deception, or hiding on that Day! Your days of harming Christ’s Church will be over then unless perhaps our Lord will put an end to your ways sooner.

I will love Christ and His Church with each individual member, and by God's grace I wish to be used of God to help uphold and defend the Truth. And as God wills, I will uncover the lies and the liars hidden within the Church as I become aware of them.

May God's Grace and Truth always prevail as this is seen through the Person and work of Christ Jesus!