By John MacArthur
We’ve reached the end of our series on spiritual formation and
sanctification, but before we close the discussion, I want to encourage
you with some practical ways to evaluate your own spiritual growth.
Yesterday we discussed the true, biblical nature of sanctification—that it’s the work of the Lord in the lives of His people.
However, each of us bears some responsibility for our own spiritual
growth, as well. I can’t tell you what percentage of the responsibility
falls on you, or exactly how your disciplined life cooperates with God’s
work in you (Isaiah 55:9).
But I can tell you that faithful Bible study, prayer, and
self-discipline play a vital role in your sanctification. As we’ve seen
over the last several weeks, we can’t manufacture spiritual growth on
our own, but we can certainly hinder it through unchecked sin and
spiritual laziness.
With that in mind, I want to help you take accurate, biblical stock
of where you are in your spiritual growth. Simply observing and
acknowledging where and how the Lord has transformed your life can be a
great encouragement. It can also alert you to areas of your spiritual
life that demand more focus and discipline.
Just as you might measure a child’s height on a wall or a doorpost,
use these biblical principles to gauge how much you’ve grown
spiritually, and how much more you still need to grow.
First of all, people who are being sanctified can clearly remember a time when they weren’t.
Look back at your life and the sinful patterns that used to dominate
it. What has changed, and why did it change? If you’re truly growing
spiritually, you ought to see a stark difference between your life now
and how you lived before you were saved.
Next, people who are being sanctified are indwelt by the Holy Spirit.
Is the Spirit living and working in you on a daily basis? That’s not a
mystical, subjective evaluation—is there practical evidence of God’s
Spirit at work in your life? Look over Paul’s description of the
Spirit-filled life in Ephesians 5:15–6:9. Can you find those characteristics, attitudes, and actions in your own life?
Third, people who are being sanctified have a strong antipathy toward sin.
Do you hate the sin in your life? What about the sin in the world
around you—is it attractive or repulsive to you? God is faithful to
grant His people a strong aversion to sin. Do you feel the same internal
tension Paul described in Romans 7:15?
Fourth, people who are being sanctified are motivated by a heart of love for God. In 2 Corinthians 5:14,
Paul says that his love for God controls his life—do you see that same
control at work in your life? Do you truly love the Lord, and does that
love guide and direct your decisions, your actions, your speech, and
your relationships?
Fifth, people who are being sanctified live disciplined lives. Peter commanded believers to reflect God’s holiness in their own lives (1 Peter 1:13-16).
To be holy means to be in control of your behavior, and not just in
areas of obvious, blatant sin. Are you lazy? Do you love gossip? Is your
speech filled with profanity and filthiness? Do you look a lot like the
rest of the world, or are you living a disciplined, holy life?
Sixth, people who are being sanctified have a strong desire to serve Christ.
Part of growing spiritually is presenting yourself as a living
sacrifice to the Lord. You’re not consumed with your own agendas,
interests, or desires. As Paul told Timothy, you’ve become “a vessel for
honor, sanctified, useful to the Master, prepared for every good work” (2 Timothy 2:21). Are you devoted to serving Christ?
Number seven on our spiritual growth checklist: people who are being sanctified love the Word of God.
Read Psalm 119, paying careful attention to all the times the psalmist
professes his love for God’s Word. Can you see that same love for
Scripture in your life? Are you hungry for the life-transforming truth
of God’s Word (1 Peter 2:2)?
Finally, people who are being sanctified associate with other people who are being sanctified.
Rather than wallowing in the world, they seek out and surround
themselves with other believers. We can’t totally separate ourselves
from the world—nor should we try to. But who you choose to spend your
time with says a lot about what you love and value, and what matters
most to you. People who are growing spiritually don’t intentionally open
themselves up to worldly, corrupting influences (1 Corinthians 15:33). Instead, they seek out productive, godly fellowship—the kind that “stimulate[s] one another to love and good deeds” (Hebrews 10:24). Who do you spend your time with, and what does it say about where your heart is?
If you truly belong to the Lord, His ongoing work in you will be
evident. If you feel like your spiritual growth has stalled out, first
carefully examine your life for unchecked sin. Then look back over that
checklist and see where you might be falling short. Don’t let yourself
become spiritually complacent or lazy. Keep the goal of godliness in
front of you at all times, and trust the Lord to keep working through
His Word and His Spirit in your life (Philippians 1:6).
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Sunday, October 28, 2012
Religious Trojan Horse: When Being "Right" Is Wrong
The Social Gospel, Right And Left-Excerpts from Religious Trojan Horse by Brannon Howse
Should
Christians promote righteousness within our nation and be concerned
about the worldview our various levels of government and education
promote? Of course.
After
all, it is God Himself Who drew the borders of nations and chose the
very nation in which each man and woman would be born. God created
government. Because we are Christians, we must judge everything against
the Word of God, which is a reflection of God's character and nature.
Therefore, Christians should support legislation and initiatives that
reward the righteous and punish the wicked, purposes for which God
created government (Romans 13). The
two institutions are to complement one another, according to God's
plan, but the Church is not to become the government, and the government
is not to become the Church.
The
Religious Right of the 1970s and 1980s has drastically changed and is
now a New Religious Right, embracing and participating in many
unbiblical activities and projects as I noted in the Chapter 7.
Consistent with this misdirection, many within the NRR seem more
interested in being the civil government than in being the Church. I
contend the primary reason for this is that many within the New
Religious Right are not committed to the Gospel. Some NRR adherents are
seemingly so shallow in biblical knowledge and discernment that they
fail to recognize the error of their commitment to a social gospel.
Among other problems, the New Religious Right embraces ecumenicalism in
order to build political coalitions, increase revenues to their
organizations, and because they simply are not committed to biblical
theology and doctrine.
Most
pro-family organizations claim to be Christian and boast that they
embrace "Christian values" because the majority of their donors call
themselves "Christian." When it
comes to defining what it means to be a Christian, however, most of the
New Religious Right will not reflect biblical Christianity because they
don't want to offend their Catholic, Mormon, Word of Faith, or New
Apostolic Reformation donors. So, in the end, the New Religious Right
betrays the Gospel in deference to "another" gospel embraced by these
disparate groups. But is "another" gospel of the New Religious Right any
different than "another" gospel of the religious left? From whichever
side a social gospel originates, it is always man-centered. Its basic
claim says man needs to fix or improve his condition through social
activism, Christian activism, philanthropy, and good works. A social
gospel leaves out the preaching and teaching that sin is the primary
reason for the problems of our world.
Rick
Warren's social gospel, for instance, involves leaving out the biblical
Gospel so he can work with Muslims and other world religions to improve
education, address poverty, combat disease, and promote globalism. The
social gospel from the New Religious Right is primarily about lowering
taxes, decreasing the size of government, and giving people more
political and economic liberty. But accomplishing these goals-as
laudable as they may be-will not solve man's root problem of sin and
rebellion against God. Our problems will not be addressed by more
liberalism or more conservatism but only through the proclaiming of the
biblical Gospel.
If
80 percent of a society's problems and heartaches are directly related
to the demise of the family unit, one merely has to ask why the family
is in decline. The answer will quickly ring up "sin."
Unfortunately,
for many within the New Religious Right, it is too late. They have
already compromised the Gospel by their willingness to unite with false
teachers such as the New Apostolic Reformation and The Word of Faith
movements. Certain members of the New Religious Right have admonished me
and some of my friends not to expose the unbiblical theology of
Mormonism or Catholicism or Liberation Theology on the NRR airwaves.
Such biblical truth offends the unbeliever and causes these ministries
to lose donors.
What
the NRR does not seem to understand is that the culture war is really
only a symptom of the serious spiritual problem from which man suffers,
and only the preaching of the Gospel will cure this disease. Even if the
New Religious Right could implement every law it wants and turn America
into one great big town of Mayberry, the result would simply be a more
comfortable and moral America from which millions of people could enter
hell.
While
many Christian news and public policy organizations are clueless about
the overall failure of modern-day evangelicalism and pro-family groups
due to their moralizing, the secular website of National Review
published an insightful article about this very issue. David French's
article "Evangelicals' Collapsing Cultural Influence" notes:
We
are more focused on meeting the material needs of the poor than their
spiritual needs. Spend much time in the evangelical community, and
you'll soon learn that the old-fashioned Gospel-focused mission trip is
largely a thing of the past. Now, you go build schools. Now, you go dig
water wells. Now, you repair houses. These are worthy goals, all, but
service projects by themselves don't change hearts and minds; they often
make (frequently) self-inflicted misery more bearable. Service must be
accompanied by intentional, vocal evangelism and discipling.
French
comes to the same conclusion I announced in the first five words of
Grave Influence: "We've lost the culture war." Mr. French explains why:
I
once heard it said that following the social and political disruptions
of the 1960s and early 1970s, religious conservatives decided that they
had to win elections, while secular leftists decided to win the culture -
and both groups succeeded. So now here we are, enjoying unprecedented
influence on presidential outcomes even as our cultural foundation rots
away beneath our feet. Not even the best presidential candidate will fix
the family, nor will our most generous service project save a soul.
In
Matthew 23, Jesus calls the religious leaders of His day "white-washed
tombs." They looked good on the outside. They thought they were
promoting morality, but they were dead spiritually. Jesus warned that
they would strain out a gnat but swallow a whole camel. And, indeed, the
New Religious Right is notorious for such activity. The Southern
Baptist Convention called for a boycott of the Disney Company, for
instance, but in 1993 refused to pass a resolution at their national
convention condemning the occultism of Free Masonry. Instead, the
denomination passed a resolution stating that there are aspects of Free
Masonry consistent with Christianity. (Compare this stance with Ezekiel
5:11-16; 8:5-18 to see the Old Testament attitude toward aberrant
systems such as Free Masonry.)
The
New Religious Right will boycott a company whose unsaved executives
promote the homosexual agenda but will themselves promote and give
credibility to false teachers who preach another Jesus and another
gospel. Both the executives and false teachers are wrong, but purchasing
a hammer from a hardware chain that supports immorality is not going to
result in someone going to hell. Promoting and giving credibility to a
false gospel will.
In
Matthew 23:13-29, Jesus uses the word "woe" eight times when speaking
to the scribes, Sadducees, and Pharisees. "Woe" means "judgment upon
you," and Jesus pronounced judgment on them because they were more
interested in moralizing and legislating morality than in understanding,
accepting, and preaching the life-changing Gospel of Jesus Christ. In
similar whitewashed-looking causes, the New Religious Right has chosen:
1. Family values over biblical doctrine. 2. Moralizing over
evangelizing. 3. Prosperity over sacrifice. 4. Christian activism over
biblical discipleship. 5. Compromise over commitment. 6. The flag over
the cross. 7. The White House over the Church
House. 8. The wolves over the sheep. 9. An earthly kingdom over the
Kingdom of God (1 Corinthians 9:16).
The
Southern Baptist Convention called for a boycott of the Disney Company,
for instance, but in 1993 refused to pass a resolution at their
national convention condemning the occultism of Free Masonry. Instead,
the denomination passed a resolution stating that there are aspects of
Free Masonry consistent with Christianity. (Compare this stance with
Ezekiel 5:11-16; 8:5-18 to see the Old Testament attitude toward
aberrant systems such as Free Masonry.)
The
New Religious Right will boycott a company whose unsaved executives
promote the homosexual agenda but will themselves promote and give
credibility to false teachers who preach another Jesus and another
gospel. Both the executives and false teachers are wrong, but purchasing
a hammer from a hardware chain that supports immorality is not going to
result in someone going to hell. Promoting and giving credibility to a
false gospel will.
When
Christians call on unbelievers to conform to a certain "religious
standard" without faith and repentance in Jesus Christ, we run the risk
of leading them to believe that becoming a Christian means simply living
a good life. No matter how many pieces of legislation become law and no
matter the number of laws to which the unsaved conform, they are still
lost in sin and need to hear the good news of salvation through Jesus
Christ.
When
the Church takes on the role of morality police to penalize with a loss
of sales, for example, the immoral actions of a company run by
unbelievers, we are only addressing the symptoms of their unsaved
condition. On the other hand, when Christians are spiritual lifeguards
who preach the Gospel instead of moralism, we address the root cause of
man's immoral actions. Getting to this root of the problem is the
world's only hope. How can people change their values and conduct unless
they change their worldviews? Jeremiah 13:23 echoes this impossibility:
"Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the leopard its spots? Then may
you also do good who are accustomed to do evil?"
How
can the unregenerate be anything less than they are? Their worldviews
are the foundation of their values, and their values are the foundation
of their conduct. Until their unbiblical worldviews are transformed into
a biblical view through faith and repentance in Jesus Christ, they are
slaves to sin.
Moralism is just as dangerous and deadly as outright liberalism. As John McArthur has said:
It
makes no difference if an unsaved person is for or against abortion, a
political liberal or a conservative, a prostitute or a police officer,
he will spend eternity apart from God unless he repents and believes the
gospel.
Thursday, October 25, 2012
40 reasons to be part of a local church
At the bare minimum, there are forty different commands in the New Testament to live life in some sense with other believers. While certainly it is possible to do some of these with Christians in general, the weight of this list should convince you of the necessity of having on going relationships with other believers.
And those relationships are only strengthened by the fellowship of the local church. In fact, I submit that some of this list is simply impossible to obey if you do not have the kind of ongoing and ever increasing fellowship with other believers that only comes through ministry in a local church:
- Stimulate one another to love and good deeds (Heb 10:24)
- Confess your sins to one another (James 5:16)
- Build up one another (1 Thess 5:11)
- Be of the same mind as one another (Romans 12:13, 15:5)
- Comfort one another in the face of death (1 Thess 4:18)
- Employ your spiritual gifts in serving one another (1 Peter 4:10)
- Pray for one another (James 5:16)
- Be devoted to one another (Romans 12:10)
- Be at peace with one another (Mark 9:50)
- Encourage one another (1 Thess 5:11)
- Greet one another (2 Cor 13:12)
- Don't become boastful in challenging one another (Gal 5:26)
- Be kind to one another (Eph 4:32)
- Abound in love for one another (1 Peter 1:22)
- Live in peace with one another (1 Thess 5:13)
- Love one another (2 John 5)
- Fervently love one another (1 Peter 1:22)
- Have fellowship with one another (1 John 1:7)
- Don't judge one another (Romans 14:13)
- Take communion (the Lord's Table) with one another (1 Cor 11:33)
- Accept one another (Romans 15:7)
- Regard one another as more important than yourself (Phil 2:3)
- Bear one another's burdens (Gal 6:2)
- Admonish one another (Rom 15:14)
- Serve one another (Gal 5:13)
- Do not lie to one another (Col 3:9)
- Bear with one another (Col 3:13)
- Forgive one another (Col 3:13)
- Teach and admonish one another (Rom 15:14)
- Care for one another (1 Cor 12:25)
- Cloth yourselves with humility toward one another (1 Peter 5:5)
- Be hospitable to one another (1 Peter 4:9)
- Do not complain against one another (James 5:9)
- Show forbearance to one another (Eph 4:2)
- Speak to one anther in psalms, hymns and spiritual songs (Eph 5:19)
- Give preference to one another (Rom 12:10)
- Don't bite and devour one another (Gal 5:15)
- Submit to one another (Ephesians 5:21
- Seek the good of one another (1 Thess 5:15)
- Don't forsake assembling with one another (Heb 10:25)
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
Counterfeit Sanctification
By John MacArthur
Sanctification isn’t easy—it takes faithfulness, hard work, and self-discipline. And even then, it’s not purely a function of your will, but the work of the Holy Spirit in you. It’s not manufactured overnight.
As with anything that takes time, effort, and patience, people are prone to look for shortcuts. Some people substitute a mystical, subjective feeling of closeness to God for actual spiritual growth. Others cling to outward expressions of godliness while sin still makes a home in their hearts.
But that’s not true spiritual growth—it’s counterfeit. If you truly love the Lord, you can’t be willing to move the goalposts on biblical sanctification.
There are many varieties of counterfeit sanctification. Some are easier to spot than others, but all lead to the same kind of spiritual shipwreck. Here are a few to be on the lookout for in your own life.
Moral virtue can often pass for true spiritual growth. Some people, for varying reasons, are fair minded, loyal, kind, conscientious, hardworking, and generous. They can make it through life without scandals and outrageous immorality.
But morality alone isn’t an accurate measure of a person’s spiritual condition. Moral virtue can exist apart from sanctification—even apart from salvation. You’ve probably known nonbelievers who hold to a high moral standard, perhaps even higher than some believers. But their virtue isn’t a substitute for saving faith. Outward morality doesn’t always equate to inward transformation. True spiritual growth isn’t just about good exteriors.
Another counterfeit of spiritual growth is religious superstition. Some believers methodically go through the motions of their daily Scripture reading, prayer times, and other practical spiritual disciplines as if the actions themselves merited God’s favor and blessing. You even see this attitude in little things, like praying before a meal. It becomes a mindless, empty ritual instead of an opportunity to express real thanks and praise to God.
The Catholic faith is built on exactly those kinds of superstitious rituals. But just as lighting candles, sprinkling holy water, praying the rosary, and confessing your sins to a priest don’t earn salvation, going through the motions of your Christian life—even fastidiously—cannot substitute for true spiritual growth.
Restraint is another possible kind of counterfeit sanctification. People don’t always avoid sin in favor of righteousness—sometimes they’re simply afraid to face the consequences of sin. They don’t necessarily have a heart to obey God or His Word. They’re just afraid of pursuing temptation because of the results.
That fear could be the sign of a well-trained conscience. Maybe the person was raised in a Christian home and has built-in convictions about right and wrong. Maybe he grew up under the moral standard of God’s Word and can’t shake the nagging of his conscience. Rather than face a troubled conscience or the consequences of his sin, he’ll simply not do it.
Restraint from sin might eventually lead someone to true, saving faith. But on its own, it’s not an indication of God’s sanctifying work.
There’s one other category of counterfeit sanctification that we’ll call false profession. You’ve probably known people who parade their holiness and exhibit a kind of over-the-top, superficial religiosity. There are all kinds of ways to draw attention to yourself and your good behavior. But if you’re just putting on a show for others—if your outward holiness isn’t prompted by inward growth—then your holiness is phony.
Another example of false profession is the kind of subjective, mystical experience that’s emphasized by some in the spiritual formation movement. Feeling closer to God and more in tune with His Word is not an accurate measure of your sanctification. In fact, relying on those superficial emotions is a sure way to short-circuit the work of the Holy Spirit in your life, dulling your discernment and watering down your wisdom.
True sanctification isn’t about outward morality, religious observance, restraint from sin, superficial holiness, or your feelings (1 Samuel 16:7). It’s about growing in Christlikeness in all aspects of your life. Anything less is a counterfeit.
Sanctification isn’t easy—it takes faithfulness, hard work, and self-discipline. And even then, it’s not purely a function of your will, but the work of the Holy Spirit in you. It’s not manufactured overnight.
As with anything that takes time, effort, and patience, people are prone to look for shortcuts. Some people substitute a mystical, subjective feeling of closeness to God for actual spiritual growth. Others cling to outward expressions of godliness while sin still makes a home in their hearts.
But that’s not true spiritual growth—it’s counterfeit. If you truly love the Lord, you can’t be willing to move the goalposts on biblical sanctification.
There are many varieties of counterfeit sanctification. Some are easier to spot than others, but all lead to the same kind of spiritual shipwreck. Here are a few to be on the lookout for in your own life.
Moral virtue can often pass for true spiritual growth. Some people, for varying reasons, are fair minded, loyal, kind, conscientious, hardworking, and generous. They can make it through life without scandals and outrageous immorality.
But morality alone isn’t an accurate measure of a person’s spiritual condition. Moral virtue can exist apart from sanctification—even apart from salvation. You’ve probably known nonbelievers who hold to a high moral standard, perhaps even higher than some believers. But their virtue isn’t a substitute for saving faith. Outward morality doesn’t always equate to inward transformation. True spiritual growth isn’t just about good exteriors.
Another counterfeit of spiritual growth is religious superstition. Some believers methodically go through the motions of their daily Scripture reading, prayer times, and other practical spiritual disciplines as if the actions themselves merited God’s favor and blessing. You even see this attitude in little things, like praying before a meal. It becomes a mindless, empty ritual instead of an opportunity to express real thanks and praise to God.
The Catholic faith is built on exactly those kinds of superstitious rituals. But just as lighting candles, sprinkling holy water, praying the rosary, and confessing your sins to a priest don’t earn salvation, going through the motions of your Christian life—even fastidiously—cannot substitute for true spiritual growth.
Restraint is another possible kind of counterfeit sanctification. People don’t always avoid sin in favor of righteousness—sometimes they’re simply afraid to face the consequences of sin. They don’t necessarily have a heart to obey God or His Word. They’re just afraid of pursuing temptation because of the results.
That fear could be the sign of a well-trained conscience. Maybe the person was raised in a Christian home and has built-in convictions about right and wrong. Maybe he grew up under the moral standard of God’s Word and can’t shake the nagging of his conscience. Rather than face a troubled conscience or the consequences of his sin, he’ll simply not do it.
Restraint from sin might eventually lead someone to true, saving faith. But on its own, it’s not an indication of God’s sanctifying work.
There’s one other category of counterfeit sanctification that we’ll call false profession. You’ve probably known people who parade their holiness and exhibit a kind of over-the-top, superficial religiosity. There are all kinds of ways to draw attention to yourself and your good behavior. But if you’re just putting on a show for others—if your outward holiness isn’t prompted by inward growth—then your holiness is phony.
Another example of false profession is the kind of subjective, mystical experience that’s emphasized by some in the spiritual formation movement. Feeling closer to God and more in tune with His Word is not an accurate measure of your sanctification. In fact, relying on those superficial emotions is a sure way to short-circuit the work of the Holy Spirit in your life, dulling your discernment and watering down your wisdom.
True sanctification isn’t about outward morality, religious observance, restraint from sin, superficial holiness, or your feelings (1 Samuel 16:7). It’s about growing in Christlikeness in all aspects of your life. Anything less is a counterfeit.
Monday, October 22, 2012
Friday, October 19, 2012
Is Faith a Power of the Mind?
Question: One of my favorite books has
been The Power of Positive Thinking. In it, the author says that
“positive thinking” is just another word for “faith.” I notice that his
chief disciple says much the same thing: that “faith” is what he calls
“possibility thinking.” He has called Jesus Christ “the greatest
possibility thinker of all time.” Something about that bothers me, but I
don’t know why. Can you explain?
Response: We have already noted that Jesus said, “Have faith in God” (Mark:11:22), and that faith can only be in God because He alone is worthy of complete trust. Yet an atheist can teach “Positive Thinking” seminars, and many atheists do so. Obviously, then, positive thinking has nothing to do with faith. It is, in fact, the exact opposite of faith.
The theory of positive thinking is that one’s thoughts, whether “positive” or “negative,” influence one’s own body and personality and thus health. Moreover, one’s thoughts are believed even to influence other people and the world around. Thus success or failure is allegedly created by the power of one’s mind. This is actually an ancient occult belief, which its modern proponents claim works through some mysterious psychic power that we all possess but have to learn to use.
Faith, on the other hand, is placed in God and His omnipotence, not in the alleged power of one’s own mind, whether conscious or unconscious. What a difference! For positive thinking, it doesn’t matter whether God is real or not; what matters is one’s belief . Thus, “God” is turned into a placebo that activates belief. One could believe in some cosmic energy source or anything else. All that matters is simply that one believes . It is the power of belief that supposedly causes the desired effect. What triggers this belief is unimportant. Clearly, then, whoever confuses positive/possibility thinking with faith has turned from God and His truth and power and has been badly deceived in both temporal and eternal issues.
An Inescapable and Vital Choice
Here is the choice we face: Either we trust in the power of a firmly held belief activating some mysterious psychic power of the mind, or else we trust in God and His infinite power, which is obviously demonstrated everywhere in the universe. Only a fool would choose the power of the mind over the power of God. True faith looks to God to do that which neither one’s mind (conscious or unconscious) nor talents nor efforts could accomplish.
An important element of faith, therefore, is submission to God’s will . Faith could hardly be expected to believe that God would do what is contrary to His will, nor would faith desire Him to do so. Faith trusts God to fulfill His Word and to effect His will in one’s life.
Here is another error: Many religious people try to use “faith” to cause God to put their will into effect. Many people think of prayer as a religious technique for getting their own way. They set their sights on what they want and then use prayer as a means of trying to talk God into making it work out for them. And if someone comes along offering a seminar on techniques for getting prayers “answered” (such as visualizing what one is praying for, or speaking forth with confidence that one has already obtained what one is praying for, etc.), people will sign up by the millions to learn how to get their own way.
By His example, Jesus made it clear that no one has even begun to pray until he can first say from his heart to God, “Not my will but thine be done” (Luke:22:42). Paul exemplified the same truth. He had an affliction that he referred to as his “thorn in the flesh” and from which he asked Christ to deliver him:
Source: http://www.thebereancall.org/content/october-2012-in-defense
Response: We have already noted that Jesus said, “Have faith in God” (Mark:11:22), and that faith can only be in God because He alone is worthy of complete trust. Yet an atheist can teach “Positive Thinking” seminars, and many atheists do so. Obviously, then, positive thinking has nothing to do with faith. It is, in fact, the exact opposite of faith.
The theory of positive thinking is that one’s thoughts, whether “positive” or “negative,” influence one’s own body and personality and thus health. Moreover, one’s thoughts are believed even to influence other people and the world around. Thus success or failure is allegedly created by the power of one’s mind. This is actually an ancient occult belief, which its modern proponents claim works through some mysterious psychic power that we all possess but have to learn to use.
Faith, on the other hand, is placed in God and His omnipotence, not in the alleged power of one’s own mind, whether conscious or unconscious. What a difference! For positive thinking, it doesn’t matter whether God is real or not; what matters is one’s belief . Thus, “God” is turned into a placebo that activates belief. One could believe in some cosmic energy source or anything else. All that matters is simply that one believes . It is the power of belief that supposedly causes the desired effect. What triggers this belief is unimportant. Clearly, then, whoever confuses positive/possibility thinking with faith has turned from God and His truth and power and has been badly deceived in both temporal and eternal issues.
An Inescapable and Vital Choice
Here is the choice we face: Either we trust in the power of a firmly held belief activating some mysterious psychic power of the mind, or else we trust in God and His infinite power, which is obviously demonstrated everywhere in the universe. Only a fool would choose the power of the mind over the power of God. True faith looks to God to do that which neither one’s mind (conscious or unconscious) nor talents nor efforts could accomplish.
An important element of faith, therefore, is submission to God’s will . Faith could hardly be expected to believe that God would do what is contrary to His will, nor would faith desire Him to do so. Faith trusts God to fulfill His Word and to effect His will in one’s life.
Here is another error: Many religious people try to use “faith” to cause God to put their will into effect. Many people think of prayer as a religious technique for getting their own way. They set their sights on what they want and then use prayer as a means of trying to talk God into making it work out for them. And if someone comes along offering a seminar on techniques for getting prayers “answered” (such as visualizing what one is praying for, or speaking forth with confidence that one has already obtained what one is praying for, etc.), people will sign up by the millions to learn how to get their own way.
By His example, Jesus made it clear that no one has even begun to pray until he can first say from his heart to God, “Not my will but thine be done” (Luke:22:42). Paul exemplified the same truth. He had an affliction that he referred to as his “thorn in the flesh” and from which he asked Christ to deliver him:
For this thing I besought the Lord
thrice that it might depart from me. And he said unto me, My grace is
sufficient for thee, for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most
gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities [weaknesses],
that the power of Christ may rest upon me. (2 Corinthians:12:8–9)
No one can have faith in God—that is, absolute and total trust in
Him—without knowing Him. And if one truly knows God, then one sincerely
wants God’s will rather than one’s own will. Obviously, God is wiser
than any mere human. Furthermore, He has proved that He loves us. Then
doesn’t it make sense, rather than trying to get one’s own finite and
fallible will to be done, to trust God’s infinite wisdom and love to
effect what is best in one’s life? That is true “faith in God.” Nothing
else makes sense.Source: http://www.thebereancall.org/content/october-2012-in-defense
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
Sunday, October 14, 2012
Friday, October 12, 2012
Jesus Is the Only Cure for Our Disease
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"Christians often say that anyone can get
forgiven if they believe in Jesus, but if they don't believe in Jesus they're
not forgiven at all. When this issue
comes up, the question of forgiveness isn't discussed too much. The notion of
forgiveness is collapsed into another kind of statement that I think Christians
are guilty of saying by itself, and it creates confusion as a result."
Read entire article here: http://www.str.org/site/PageServer?pagename=PL_article_jesus_the_only_cure
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Sunday, October 7, 2012
The Debt We Can't Pay
With all the talk about the huge debt we are in financially in this country on an economic scale, there is a debt that every person in this world should know about. This debt is far more serious than any financially debt we could be in. This debt effects our eternal destiny!
It is simply the debt of sin. Each one of us has amassed a huge debt of sin against God. Every time we sin, we keep adding to this debt. It has become so big, that there is no way any person can pay it off!
But there is a person who has done it for us: Jesus Christ. God is holy and righteous, and cannot simply wipe away our sin debt without a true payment. But the payment that was required by his justice was made on the cross 2,000 years ago. Jesus Christ being completely sinless as God's Son, died a death you and I deserved. He took on the full payment of sin's debt on himself by enduring God's wrath. In John 19:30 before Jesus died, He said it is finished or "Paid in Full." Jesus paid our debt in full and so fulfilling the righteous demands of God against sin. "having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross." (Colossians 2:14)
We can't pay back this debt we owe to God for sinning against Him, but God himself in the person of Jesus Christ has stepped in and paid it for us! Repent from your sinful lifestyle and trust in Christ today to remove your debt of sin! "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8)
In Christ -Dustin
Thursday, October 4, 2012
The Campaign for Immorality
If you've followed John MacArthur's teaching for any length of time, you know he rarely says much about politics, culture, or society.
It's not that he's uninformed on those topics. It's that they're often an intrusion upon the teaching of God's Word. Evangelical Christians are already too easily distracted from the Great Commission in order to engage in partisan politics. Our corrupt culture will not be transformed for the better by political movements or pop culture anyway. That is the work of God's Word-the gospel in particular. That's what our ministry is devoted to (cf. 1 Corinthians 2:1-5).
In this current campaign season, however, politicians have stepped-overstepped-into spiritual and moral areas, promoting horrific wickedness and blasphemous immorality.
As John MacArthur made clear on a recent Sunday morning, these are not areas where God's Word is silent or ambiguous. Here's an excerpt:
Listen to this 4-minute clip by clicking here:
http://www.gty.org/blog/B121001
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