" Even one of their own prophets has said, Cretans are always liars, evil brutes, lazy gluttons. This testimony is true. Therefore rebuke them sharply, so that they will be sound in the faith and will pay no attention to Jewish myths or to the commands of those who reject the truth. " Titus 1: 12-14
That doesn't sound like you're suppose to play patty cake, with false teachers to me. There are some things true love will not permit. If you truly loved someone; would you sit by and watch them destroy their lives with crack cocaine - Or would you try everything in your power to make them stop. The word rebuke means: to express sharp disapproval or criticism of ( someone ) because of their behavior or actions. Sometimes; somebody has to do it. If they claim to know God, but by their actions deny Him then they are detestable to God and unfit for doing any good.
" Now the purpose of the commandment is love from a pure heart, from a good conscience, and from sincere faith, from which some, having strayed, have turned aside to idle talk, desiring to be teachers of the law, understanding neither what they say nor the things which they affirm. " 1 Tim. 1: 5-7
There are many want to be teachers here at BigChurch. Some want to be teachers of the law. Some want to be teachers of lawlessness. Some want to be teachers universalism, and deism. Some want to be teachers of health and wealth. Some don't have the slightest idea what it is they want to be teachers of, they just want to be teachers of something.
We have several warnings in scripture about false teachers and their doom, and the apostle James even warns Christians not to presume to be teachers; knowing that those who teach will be judged more strictly ( James 3:1 ). So, in light of the many warnings about false teachers, and what is in store for them. Why do so many continue to boldly teach; what they don't really comprehend ?
Well the apostle Paul tells us why, and I'll be covering that next time.
Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good !For His mercy endures forever Psalm 136:1
Some time ago I was a member of a " Church of God ", Holiness church, and I had a friend who was a member of a " Church of God in Christ ", Pentecostal church. We were both being taught the same thing ie; that Christians can lose their salvation. I however, by the grace of God, understood that teaching was not of God. My friend and I would often have discussions on the subject, and try as I may; he just couldn't see the fact that; God keeps those whom He saves. My friend rejected any notion; that a Christian can't back slide, doesn't fall away, can't lose their salvation etc.; until one night, while having his devotions ( at home alone ), with no one trying to convince him; that my friend saw the truth.
What was it that turned him around ? Not me ! The Spirit of God turned him around, so that he could understand what Scripture really teaches on the subject. The passage that God used to turn him was Psalm 136: 1-26, with the refrain of " His mercy endures forever " and after reading it my friend declared..... you can't lose it !Only God could do that, no man!
That is what it takes for any of us to come to recognize the truth of God's Word. Not I, nor anyone else here at BigChurch can convince you on any doctrinal truth ( issue ), if the Lord doesn't open your eyes you'll never see it. The refrain of God's mercy can be found in various places in Scripture, Here are a few:
Take the time for yourself to research the word mercy, and see what you can find about God's unending mercy. As a side note; if you believe you can lose your salvation .......... YOU WILL lose it ! There have always been those who want to misuse scripture to make it appear that the Bible presents two opposing views on this subject; but if that were true, then the Bible would be full of fierce contradictions. For example, when the Bible speaks of falling away some will use such verses and say, " see you can lose it ". Like I said above, if you believe you can lose it; you will. One verse that is often misused to teach that Christians can lose their salvation is Heb. 6:4-6
" For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, if they fall away, to renew them again to repentance, since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to an open shame. "
I once had a woman tell me that she had lost her salvation, and at a later point she had to reach back for the " Holy Ghost ", in order to be saved again ( she used the same text to prove her point ). I can't take the time ( as yet ) to explain how I refuted her argument here; but I will say this.......... whenever you use this text to prove a Christian can lose their salvation; keep in mind; you can't be saved over again because the text clearly says, it is impossible to be renewed if you should fall away. You can't be resaved..... over and over again.
The quickest way to refute this poor use of the text in the book of Heb. is with what John says in his epistle about the many Antichrists who dwell with us ( 1 John 2:19 ).
" They when out from us, but they were not of us for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us; but they went out that they may be made manifest, that none of them were of us. "
One thing is absolutely certain, it is that there are some among us ( who are in the physical church ) who are not true members of the body of Christ ( these are Antichrists ), who may come and go. However, when they go they prove they were fakes and not really born again Christians.
There is one other interesting point I'd like to make. How many of you who believes that a Christian can lose his ( or her ) salvation, know that there are three places in scripture where an unbeliever is referred to as sanctified ? I'll give you one; you'll have to look up the other two for yourself.
" For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband; otherwise your children would be unclean, but now they are holy." 1 Cor. 7:14
Here we see that even though the unbelieving spouse has been sanctified by being married to a believer, that does not make the unbeliever a Christian ( mean they are saved ).
Apparently a lot of people here....... at Bigchurch don't believe, what it means in scripture to receive eternal life. I know God is eternal; but can He cease to exist ? Can His eternal purpose for us as Christians change ? Help me out here.
Even though being correct ( orthodox ) won't save you; it is important for us who claim to know Christ, to be orthodox. Some here at Bigchurch are saying; that the traditional Christian churches are wrong. That could be true of some churches; but that is not reason in and, of itself, to reject the traditional churches. That today is more and more becoming the rationality behind a great falling away from the truth. People leaving sound Bible teaching churches in droves, because they no longer want to adhere to sound doctrine.
Even though you may not agree with what is being taught in traditional Christian churches. You can't escape what is taught in scripture. I'm sure many of you here at Bigchurch have recited or at least heard of; the so-called " Apostle's Creed " which was never intended to be a complete summary of Christian doctrine. It is rather a brief compilation dealing with the Trinity and person, and work of Christ.
From about 1910 to 1915 you had what was known as " The Fundamentals ", which were 12 small books that contained the fundamentals on which all ( orthodox ) Christian churches agreed. Every church no matter what denomination ( or non-denomination ) has a creed of some sort. Whenever I attend a church for the first time; I ask to see the churches doctrinal statement, if they don't have one; I don't attend services there.
So, lets take a brief look at the fundamental teachings of the Christian church. This is what we as Christians believe.
1. The Bible is the inspired absolutely inerrant Word of God, in the original manuscripts ( God-breathed ). Holding to a literal , grammatical , and historical interpretation.
2. There is but one true and living Holy God; Creator of the universe and all life. Who is Spirit, excising in three persons. God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent and immutable.
3. The virgin birth of Christ.
a. Christ is the incarnate ( God becoming man ) sinless Son of God. That He represents both humanity and deity in oneness.
b. Christ was crucified for the sins of the world; died and was buried and rose ( literally ) from the dead on the third day.
c. He ascended into heaven where he is now seated at the right hand of the Father.
d. He will return to gather His church which is His body , he will establish His millennial kingdom.
e. Christ is the is the one through whom God the Father will judge all mankind.........believers and unbelievers.
4. The bodily resurrection of the dead ( Both of the just and the unjust ).
I once heard an excellent sermon on the doctrine of justification. One of the points the pastor made was ......... " Orthodoxy can't save you; but if you are saved, you had better be orthodox ! "
In other words just because you believe in the deity of Christ, or in His bodily resurrection, for example; you could still be a devil. Many people believe the historical facts about Jesus, but have never really believed in Christ in the Biblical sense. Have you ever used Rom. 10: 9-10 to try and evangelize someone ?
" that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. "
There is more to this text; than just an intellectual accent to a perceived truth. In order to understand what the apostle is teaching here; we must understand the three aspects of our salvation ....... past, present and future.
1.Most Christians can point to a time ( past ) when they were saved ( conversion ). Acts 2:47 cf Eph 2:8,9
2.We are being saved by an ongoing growth in ( sanctification ). 1 Cor. 1:18
3.The still future salvation of our complete physical and spiritual person( glorification ). Rom. 5:9 cf 8: 23-24
Generally the only sense in which salvation is referred to is conversion ( past ). Which has lead to a gross misunderstanding of the doctrine of salvation. In Rom. 10:9-10 ; Paul is not telling us to make a confession to be saved ( converted ), he is rather talking about the confession believers make because they are saved; a confession of consequence. Which will lead to our future salvation ( glorification ). If we have to make a confession to be saved ( converted ), then the confession is the work we do in order to be converted. I hope that made sense.
So, what is meant by the term believe in the New Testament ?
The Philippian jailer asked:
" Sirs what must I do to be saved ? "
So, they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your house. " Acts 16:31
The word translated believe means ........ to have an absolute reliance upon, to place confidence in, to trust ....... not mere credence ( accepting something as true ). So, believing in Christ means; to have an absolute reliance on Him for every aspect of our salvation past, present and future.
When I ask questions on my blog; its not to intimidate anyone,(which I feel some think) but rather to stimulate a deeper study of the Word of God.
There is much confusion ( false doctrine ) here at Bigchurch; which is evident from some of the responses to my post. Not to mention some of the things that are being said on other post. My only concern is getting to the truth. So, if you are going to post a comment on my blog, don't be dogmatic about something you're not sure of ( it may come back to haunt you ), since I will not be deleting any comments that are made ( unless vulgar ). May God bless you in the study of His Word.
" My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my father's hand. I and the Father are one." John 10:27-30
I once heard a famous tel-evangelist refer to this text and say, " No one can snatch you out of Jesus' and the Father's hand ...... but you can jump out! "
I have to question the validity of his belief in what Jesus said. Surly the Son is mightier than us, and the Father is greater than all. So, in order for us to be able to " jump out of their hands ", we would have to be more powerful than God the Father and God the Son.
If God is an eternal God; having the eternal qualities of a timeless, unchanging existence, and He freely gives us eternal life; how then can we end it ? If we can end it; because the world has a stronger pull on us ( than Christ ), or because we have grown tired of trying to live the Christian life; then it's not eternal life - but only life until we decide end it.
