Living Among The Dead - Luke 24:5

Then, as they were afraid and bowed their faces to the earth, they said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead?”  - Luke 24:5

    The women came to Christ’s tomb seeking to dress His body with a spice mixture designed to anoint Him. They came seeking the ravaged body of the man they called “Lord.” What they encountered when they arrived at the tomb caused them great concern: they found the stone barricade rolled back and an empty tomb. Suddenly, two angels appeared to them and asked them a question; the answer to which became a fundamental doctrine of the Christian faith: Christ resurrected from the dead!
    The importance of the risen Christ can not be amplified enough. Theologian, R.C. Sproul wrote, “The resurrection of Jesus is the sine qua non of the Christian faith. Take away the resurrection and you take away Christianity.” (Sproul, R.C. , “Who Is Jesus”1983)
    The resurrection of Jesus give us the assurance of eternal life; a life without pain or fear; a life without sickness; a life everlasting. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” - John 3:16.
    Of course we must believe in Christ Jesus, but faith must accompany our belief in Him. “ . . . 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.” - Romans 10:9
    But the question posed in our title verse could possibly be seen from a more subtle and ominous place; one that should bear witness to the unbelieving masses. The final four words “. . . living among the dead.” Posed as a declarative sentence in the present tense, it speaks to the eternity of those who refuse to believe, to those without faith. They will forever live among the spiritually dead. Their existence will be one filled with the darkness and eternal misery of the absence of God. Is it any wonder that we who believe celebrate Christ’s resurrection? For us it means everlasting life, saved by Christ to “glorify God and enjoy him forever.” For us Christ’s resurrection means everything!
    Let us praise our Lord today, Resurrection Sunday, and let us share the Good News with those who have yet to enjoy the assurance of God’s rock solid promise to all who believe in His Son, our Lord and Savior - Jesus Christ!

The Perfect Sacrifice - Romans 5:9

Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. - Romans 5:9

    Justification and salvation: Two acts which man is ultimately unable to provide for himself. Two acts which had to come through the one mediator between God and men, Jesus Christ (1 Timothy 2:5). Just as surely as there could be no resurrection without crucifixion, there could be no salvation without justification. “For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul.” - Leviticus 17:11. Atonement for our sins demanded that blood be shed..
    Many will tirelessly argue that a merciful loving God would never make such a horrendous demand of His only begotten Son. And a less than holy god probably would not, but our God is a holy God and His holiness cannot bear the mere sight of sin. “You are of purer eyes than to behold evil, and cannot look on wickedness.” - Habakkuk 1:13(a). Our God demands atonement. And not just any atonement, but the perfect lamb of God. Enter Jesus Christ.
    The sacrifice always demanded a lamb that was spotless without blemish, a perfect lamb. And the perfect life of obedience that Jesus lived was evidence of His spotless life, a life without the blemish of sin. His was perfect obedience, and to this spotless and sinless life God Almighty would transfer our sins.
    “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” - 2 Corinthians 5:21. This was the effect of the crucifixion: Christ bore our sins and to us was imputed Christ’s righteousness. We are justified by His blood. God laid all the sins of mankind on Christ while God then attributed Christ’s righteous obedience to us. But this was just one aspect of our ultimate salvation.
    After the shedding of His holy blood, Christ Jesus died and was buried. If our story ended here there would be no honor, no glory, no eternal bliss in heaven, no salvation - just a Messiah . . . dead and buried.
     “Now it was not written for his sake alone that it was imputed to him, but also for us. It shall be imputed to us who believe in Him who raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead, who was delivered up because of our offenses, and was raised because of our justification.” Romans 4:23-25. We are forgiven our sins, justified by the blood of Jesus Christ, and saved from eternal condemnation. In Christ’s rising we find our eternal salvation by belief and faith in Christ alone! The cross was for our justification; the open grave was for our salvation. We simply could not have the latter without the former!
    This Resurrection Sunday, may we all give thanks to God Almighty for His unmerited grace to us - an undeserved grace that saves us from what we truly deserve; a grace that gives us eternal salvation through the cross and resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Obedience: The Face Of Faith - Hebrews 11:8

 By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. - Hebrews 11:8

    We have seen faith defined - “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” - Hebrews 11:1. And we know what faith does - “Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law.” - Romans 3:28. But if it is evidence of things not seen and we are saved “sola fide” (by faith alone) then what does faith look like? What is the true face of faith?  How can we possibly recognize true saving faith?
    “And Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him.” - Genesis 5:24. We see from some of the earliest books of the Bible that God favors those who walk in His ways. Enoch was one of the first to illustrate saving faith. But examples of such true saving faith are numerous throughout holy scripture. “But Simon answered and said to Him, “Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net.” - Luke 5:5. Simon Peter, having spent his entire night fishing with no result went back out onto the water at Christ’s behest and at His command . . . at His word, Peter again let down his nets. This time the reward was manifest in a net so full of fish it could hardly be hoisted into the boat. That is another prime snapshot of faith.
    So in just a few examples of three great men of faith we see a pattern developing. These three men all did something which helped to illustrate their faith in God. Abraham “went out”; Enoch “walked” with God; Peter “let down the net.” They all obeyed God.
    Obedience isn’t simply something we add to our faith; it is the very picture of faith . . . according to Jesus Christ! “But He said, ‘More than that, blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it!’” - Luke 11:28. Obedience isn’t merely a command of Christ; it goes to the very heart of our faith. No, we aren’t saved by our works but our faith is exemplified by our obedience. “He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.” - 1 John 2:6. Here John is calling us all out in plain language to “walk the walk.” Obedience is the very face of faith!
    While many still argue that Paul and James differed on what it took to be saved: faith alone or works. The fact is, both agreed that it was by faith alone, but a faith the bore the fruit of righteous works: obedience. “ But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead? Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect? And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, 'Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.' And he was called the friend of God.” - James 2: 20-23.  Our Blessed Lord Himself illustrated the importance of walking the walk and not merely talking the talk - “Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.” - Matthew 7:17. Not some, Christ said, “every good tree . . .”. The great Prince of Preachers, Charles H. Spurgeon once said that “the first fruit of faith is obedience.” Obedience is the face of faith.
    And what were the compelling words of Jesus regarding those who fail to walk the walk?  “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’” - Matthew 7:21-23. Mind you, ours is not to sit back and judge the obedience of others. Once again, I quote Spurgeon - “It is not so much our business to be weeding other people’s gardens as to keep our own vineyard.”
    Holy scripture makes it abundently clear that faith is recognizable. Faith does indeed have a face. This is not to say that walking in “the way” is an easy walk. So may we all pray to the Holy Spirit for the strength to help us get up when we have fallen; the strength that will assist us in our endeavor to “walk the walk;” the strength to put on the face of true saving faith - obedience.

In the Beginning . . . - Genesis 1:1

In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. - Genesis 1:1

    Once again there has been a recent spate of astronomical and cosmological reports stating that the evidence for extraterrestrial life is “out there.” I’ll say it is. We are constantly being presented with images of the possibilities, from pictures of the lifeless and desolate landscapes of Mars to a pock-faced moon of Jupiter where, they claim, vast oceans roar about beneath it’s hammered crust.
    As for the Mars Rover’s pictures (literally hundreds of thousands which have been steadily streaming to us since 2012) none of them show the slightest shred of credible evidence of life on that dead planet either now or in the past. There isn’t even a single picture of anything that “could have been something that might have been some form of life!” In fact, the greatest amount of “evidence” for extraterrestrial life comes from . . . here,  right here on earth. Various meteorites, geological anomalies, radio signals, etc., found here on earth tend to bolster the imaginings of the purveyors of this nonsense more than does the actual evidence gleaned from space exploration. In the end the results continue to be the same - zero, nada, zip, nothing, no life anywhere but here on earth. So while the scientists and dreamers continue to exploit the natural world here and in space hoping to find life elsewhere, the bible reveals the truth to us. “The Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden, and there He put the man whom He had formed.” - Genesis 2:8.
    Scripture never mentions God creating any other from of life anywhere else in the universe. None! The rest of creation is merely a backdrop for God’s plan for mankind here on earth - “Then the Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it.” - Genesis 2:15.  It was God’s plan that mankind tend to issues here . . . on earth, not in the heavens.
    But then we witness the Fall. What then becomes important is the story of our redemption through the blood of Christ Jesus. The rest of the 66 books of holy scripture are decidedly focused on the Fall and subsequent salvation of mankind from perdition. It is man and man alone whom is saved. Neither horses, dogs, lions, or frogs will enjoy the benefits of salvation, primarily because animals cannot and do not sin. That is the exclusive purview of mankind.; therefore it is mankind which must be saved - mankind alone and no other life form.
    For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” - Romans 10:13. Notice the verse says, “whoever,” not “whatever.” Albeit, I have even heard it suggested that extraterrestrial life forms didn’t sin so they don’t need salvation. However scripture tells us most pointedly : “ . . .because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.  For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now.” - Romans 8:21-22. All of God’s creation was effected by the Fall yet only man requires and is capable of experiencing salvation. Since all of God’s creation was effected by the Fall everything within God’s glorious creation awaits renewal. Man is spoken of specifically because those whom are saved will reap the rewards of God’s grace. Invaders from Mars are not even alluded to . . . because they don’t exist! There is nothing out there . . . period
    From Genesis 3 to the end of Revelation the entire Bible focuses on Jesus Christ and His sacrifice for mankind. Referring back to our title verse it is clear that God made the heavens and the earth and all further references to creation involve geological and atmospheric development and the formation of life - plant, animal, and human.  
            Certainly we will hear from the “eccentrics” (the best euphemism I could come up with . . . trust me) about beings who fell from heaven, the Nephilim, “sons of God,” fallen angels,  etc. I would suggest that they spend a little more time on the concepts of soterology and theology rather than on briefly mentioned minor entities. Suffice to say, I will paraphrase Alexander Pope: the proper study of mankind is man . . . in relation to God, his Creator, Sustainer, and Savior.
    May we spend our time seeking God’s truth as it applies to mankind rather than wantonly spending that time (and financial resources better spent here on earth) seeking futile explorations into the fantastic.
                                          

Christian Posers - 2 Timothy 3:2-5

For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,  having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away! -
 2 Timothy 3:2-5


    I have recently come under attack by “Christian Posers.” I call them that because the only indication that they are truly Christian is that they pose as Christians. To the point: they generally accost me with two charges - (1) God tell us to love everyone; and (2) we're all sinners too. Hard to argue with either of those two points of contention. Both are at the very root of New Testament doctrine; however, there is no divine command to love the sin of the sinner, and that is what they say I should do. Scripture denies this ill-conceived notion.“He who justifies the wicked, and he who condemns the just, both of them alike are an abomination to the Lord.”- Proverbs 17:15.
    I argue that we are, in fact, called upon to dissuade our brothers and sisters from the very act of sinning. Matthew 18:15-17. What the Bible charges us NOT TO DO is to encourage, advocate, suggest, support, endorse, assist in, sustain, maintain, bolster, abet, aid, favor, sponsor, promote, foster, nourish, feed, cultivate, nurse, further, advance, facilitate, accommodate, second, commission, authorize, cheer, elevate, or otherwise tolerate anyone’s sin. “And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting; being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful;  who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them.” Romans 1:28-32.
    Oh, believe me; I hear it as constantly as the pealing of a loud rancorous bell - “I just believe that we should love one another; we’re not supposed to judge others . . . blah, blah, blah!” And while the Biblical truth about loving one another is rock solid we are encouraged to
 “ . . . judge with righteous judgment.” - John 7:24.
    I am then informed that some sins are not truly sins at all. I am told that the Ten Commandments were written by men and that they are obviously outdated. Imagine my surprise! It then becomes apparent that these defenders of iniquity have convinced themselves (and are hoping to convince me) that their “designer god” has all the authority of the God of the Bible. The ridiculous positions espoused by those who claim to be people of faith are no more credible than those of people who proudly declare “there is no God.” And realistically, there isn’t a dime’s worth of difference between either of their views. Both are liars as they deny the existence of the one true God of Creation and the Holy Scriptures. “For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them.” - Romans 1:19.
    And while individuals may often represent the face of sin to us we are cautioned not to hate the face but to hate the sin itself. What God has shown us through His revealed will specifically commands us to hate the sin of sinners. “Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good.” - Romans 12:9. We are commanded by God to hate sin as He hates sin and no amount of cajolery or intimidation by these liars will ever replace the truth of God’s holy position on sin. God does not allow sin; He hates it! He hates it today as He hates it in the Old Testament and nothing that sin’s apologists can ever say will ever change that fact. God hates lies; He hates theft; He hates adultery; He hates murder. He hates anything that is a transgression against His holy standards. Many will feel I have overused the word “hate” in this post; however, I could use it a thousand times more and never approach the level of abhorrence God holds for sin. He has always hated sin and He will forever hate sin and that is the simple truth of the matter.
    May we always be strengthened by God Almighty to fear not the agents of political correctness but to carry the truth forward despite the world and its vile ways.
                                           

For This Reason - Genesis 2:24

 

Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. - Genesis 2:24

    With all the recent uproar over the insane concept of same-sex marriage I think it would be prudent to take another look at the very reason that marriage was originally intended to be between one man and one woman.
    God’s plan for man and woman was profoundly ordained from our very beginnings. Man and woman were specifically designed to complement one another as described in the Book of Genesis. It was, in fact, the first human institution.
    Now many opposing voices come forward and say, “Marriage isn’t a religious institution. If it were then why can a couple be married by a civil magistrate?” To those I would say that marriage held a uniquely religious status long before the civil magistrates were even thought of. In fact, it was John Calvin’s “Marriage Ordinance of Geneva” (1546) that first laid out the five requirements for marriage which included the state’s recognition of the marriage-
1.    Mutual Consent
2.    Parental Consent (when needed)
3.    Two Witnesses
4.    Civil Registration
5.    Church Consecration
    In England, “The Clandestine Marriage Act of 1753,” also known as Lord Hardwicke’s Act initiated statutory regulation in England and Wales, requiring a formal ceremony for marriage.
    So Calvin’s 16th Century and Lord Hardwicke’s 18th Century civil involvement in matrimony were the first forays of the State into the ordinance of marriage originally prescribed in Genesis 2. Prior to those initial “civil assaults,” marriage (for the most part) remained deeply rooted in religious observance. Even the apostle Paul reiterated - “For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.”
 - Ephesians 5:31. Christ, Himself, repeated the ordinance from Genesis in Matthew 19:5!
    In point of fact, the very reason for the creation of woman was to be, as God put it, “a helper fit for him (the man).” Genesis 2:20. It was “for this reason” that woman was created - to be a companion for man! There was no other reason according to Genesis. God had created the world and everything in it, including all the beasts of the air, earth, and seas. There were certainly plenty of other forms of life that Adam had in his world but none that was a helper fit for him . . . so God created woman! For this reason! God didn’t create another man; he created a woman to complement man; to complete him, that through marriage, God’s ideal union of man and woman and the children that union produced, they would become “one flesh.” Same-sex marriage doesn’t accomplish that. It doesn’t even offer the possibility.
    Even if the union of man and woman didn’t produce children it was still God’s plan that man and woman join together in an inseparable union. One man and one woman - that was and IS God’s plan. That was and is God’s proclaimed will   
    Insofar as whom one may leave an inheritance to or whom one might make their legal car-giver or whom one might assign power of attorney to or whom might choose to insure those are all legal assignations that can be and should be relegated to the State for approval. The definition of marriage does not need to be redefined to ensure civil rights for anyone. Nor should it be. Marriage is, from its inception, an ordinance of God and should not be besmirched by the notion that it can somehow be redefined to include sinful liaisons between members of the same sex. One man and one woman - May the will of God be preserved and defended here on earth as it is in heaven.

The City To Come - Hebrews 13:14

  For here we have no continuing city, but we seek the one to come. - Hebrews 13:14

    Watching the news these days is a form of terrorism all its own. How can a Christian not be intimidated by the various stories that permeate the media. From the lawlessness and riots in our own cities to the current push by government agencies, the schools and the media to endorse and support the homosexual agenda to the mass murder of innocent lives in the abortion clinics of hometown America to the ISIS-controlled towns and villages in the Middle East we see nothing that encourages us. Nothing gives us hope. It would seem that all is lost. Fatalism infects the singular heart as it does the entire world!
    This may be true for many people but we Christians do have hope. A hope that is guaranteed to us by the words of Holy Scripture. - “But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them.” - Hebrews 11:16.
    True to His word, God has prepared a place for us. We know this because He has told us as much. Jesus revealed His plan to his disciples - “In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.” - John 14:2.
    It is true: we have no continuing city here. All of life in the world is straw . . . stubble that will be burned away in the end. Nothing here will last. Neither the good here nor the bad. So why do we fret and worry over things we know will come to an end?
    Sin has always ruled this fallen world. As long as we live here we are forced to accept the tolerable and the intolerable. We have no choice. It is, as they say, “the way of the world.” The way of the world has made all of us merely “wanderers.” Like the Israelites who wandered the desert for forty years we too wander our own desert called “the world.” It is no true home to us; it is no true sanctuary for us. Our home, our sanctuary awaits us as promised us just as surely as the land of Canaan awaited the twelve tribes of Israel.
    We can look past the desert where we wander. We can look past the miseries that engulf us. We can look past the death and the terrible machinations of men to a better place; to a Godly place where such things will never occur. “But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect,” - Hebrews 12:22-23. And we will find ourselves in a place where “ . . .God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” - Revelation 21:4.
    May we all persevere by faith and by faith continue to rest in our hope for the city to come.