Dr. David M. Berman

Let me start by saying that I am not a Calvinist. It is often said that it is Calvinists who have a problem with open theism. However I can assure you that open theism contains as its main point doctrine that is anathema to a proper theological understanding of God. Open theism is not only refuted by Calvinists, it is refuted by every Christian who holds his view of God in the biblical context. Open theists have a view of God that says he is inside of time, and cannot fully know the future. The open theist does not believe that God is Omniscient. They say they do, however, let us examine this claim.

Omniscient is defined: Having complete, unlimited knowledge, awareness, and understanding of all things.

Open theists simply do not believe that God has complete, unlimited knowledge. They say God does not know the future fully. It is quite interesting to hear their arguments. They sound more like what the philosophers the apostle Paul dealt with at Mars hill (Acts 17:22) were like rather than biblical theologians. In fact I have heard some of the most absurd, and twisted logic come out of open theists who cling to questions that the Apostle Paul warned us against:

2 Timothy 2:23 “But foolish and ignorant questionings refuse, knowing that they gender strifes.”

Using circular reasoning and circular questions they attempt to put in theological terms the simple heresy they proclaim. This has long been a tactic of Satan who often uses grand sounding explanations for his cunning attack on the character of God. No matter how an open theist explains that they “believe in God’s Omniscience” they do not.

God is:

All knowing of the heart of man:

Jeremiah 17:9-10 “The heart is deceitful above all things, and it is exceedingly corrupt: who can know it? I, Jehovah, search the mind, I try the heart, even to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his doings.”

All knowing on the motivations of each man:

John 6:64 “But there are some of you that believe not. For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not, and who it was that should betray him.”

All knowing of the thoughts of man:

Luke 6:8 “But he knew their thoughts; and he said to the man that had his hand withered, Rise up, and stand forth in the midst. And he arose and stood forth.”

All knowing of the past and the future:

Isaiah 46:9-10 “Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me; declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not yet done; saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure”

Psalms 147:4-5 “He counteth the number of the stars; He calleth them all by their names. Great is our Lord, and mighty in power; His understanding is infinite.”

Isaiah 48:3-5 “I have declared the former things from the beginning; and they went forth out of my mouth, and I shewed them; I did them suddenly, and they came to pass. Because I knew that thou art obstinate, and thy neck is an iron sinew, and thy brow brass;  I have even from the beginning declared it to thee; before it came to pass I shewed it thee: lest thou shouldest say, Mine idol hath done them, and my graven image, and my molten image, hath commanded them.”

All knowing of everything for nothing and no one teaches God anything:

Isaiah 40:12-14 “Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, and meted out heaven with the span, and comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance?  Who hath directed the Spirit of the LORD, or being his counsellor hath taught him?  With whom took he counsel, and who instructed him, and taught him in the path of judgment, and taught him knowledge, and shewed to him the way of understanding?”

God is Omnipotent (all powerful):

Revelation 16:7 “And I heard another out of the altar say, Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are thy judgments.”

God IS Omnipresent:

Proverbs 15:3 “The eyes of the LORD are in every place, beholding the evil and the good.”

God is Omniscient:

God is the creator of all creation including time. He is not restricted by time, space, or any law of physics. God is not natural. He is supernatural and can control anything he wishes, in any way he wishes:

Mark 4:39 “And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.”

Who is this God that the open theist worships? A god that does not know everything, a god that has limits, a god that is hampered by the thoughts, will and decisions of man? Is this the God of the bible? Is this the majestic, almighty creator of the heavens and earth? Is this he who defied death, rebuked the storm, multiplied the bread and fish, and is called “The Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end?” Who is this god the open theists proclaim?

To call yourself a Christian, a theologian, a respecter of the creator, and then attack the very nature and power of God is an abomination against he who is all and all; God almighty.

The attack against God’s Omniscience is an attack on his Omnipotence, and thus creates room to attack his omnipresence. Open Theism is a misnomer; it is not theism at all. It reduces God to that of one who lacks the power of knowledge. God lacks nothing:

Revelation 1:8  “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.”

Revelation 4:8  “And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come.”

Revelation 11:17  “Saying, We give thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come; because thou hast taken to thee thy great power, and hast reigned.”

Revelation 16:7 “And I heard another out of the altar say, Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are thy judgments.”

Revelation 19:15 “And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.”

Revelation 21:22 “And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it.”

I find myself wondering what part of “almighty” they do not understand. At first I wonder how people who seem to be sincere can be so deceived. Then I read this verse:

Galatians 1:6-7 “I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ.”

So soon they were removed from truth to another gospel due to their hearts allowing the deception of Satan. This is a recurring problem, but it is even worse now as we come closer to the end of the Church age. The bible warns us of those who depart from the faith and give heed to seducing spirits and “doctrines of devils” (1 Tim 4:1). Open theism is just that; a doctrine of devils that seeks to diminish the power of God. Sadly, many have given heed to this heretical teaching. Surely the bible is true in its warning to us of those who come as angels of light only to bring their contempt for the authority and character of God. Sadly those who bring these deceptions think they are doing the will of God. I end with this:

2 Corinthians 11:3 “But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.”

Beware of those who attempt to complicate with their vain philosophy the simple truth of the gospel, and the revelation of the greatness of almighty God.

For hundreds of years the theological argument between those who hold to the Arminian and Calvinist view of soteriology has been raging. I could mention great men of God on both sides of the argument that have served God with distinction. The purpose of this paper is to express why I believe as I do. There are two main illusions that I can state firmly that I am not under. I realize that this paper will not resolve the argument that has gone on for so long, nor do I believe that this alone will change the mind of most five point Calvinists. Having said that, I do think it’s important to state my view so that those whom I believe to be in error would at least consider that possibility. I do wish to make one thing clear. I do not deem Calvinists to not be Christian. I do however believe that Calvinism is a grave error and ignores the rules of proper hermeneutics.

Calvinism’s two very problematic doctrines are their view of atonement which they refer to as “limited atonement” and what they refer to as “total depravity.” In the course of discussing any theological controversy, it is imperative that the expositor be removed emotionally from the debate, and seeks to draw out from the Scriptures rather than look for out of context “proof texts.” This is the problem with so many arguments. Often (not always) an expositor will form an opinion based on human emotion and reasoning on a given subject, then look to prove that preconceived supposition.

As with all long term theological controversies, there are seemingly reasonable arguments on both sides that keep the debate going. For the Calvinist the debate is rooted in the tradition known as “Reformed Theology.” Since the Swiss reformer John Calvin was such a major figure in the reformation, his influence remains powerful to this day. Calvin viewed Soteriology as absolutely and totally by God’s grace. His position was that there is no way that mankind could in any way cooperate with God in salvation since in his view man suffers from “total depravity.” Calvin’s idea of total depravity was that man is so evil, so far removed from any possibility of seeking after God, so dead in sin that only by grace could he be saved. Those who do not believe in Calvin’s view also claim to believe in salvation by grace as well. The problem is that those with an Arminian view do not agree with Calvin’s definition of total depravity. The Calvinist would argue that if a man cooperates with God in any way the he is in some part self saving and salvation by grace is diminished. The Armenian would argue that God’s grace is not diminished by man cooperating with God. Let’s look at Calvinism’s Doctrine of “limited atonement” first and then we will look at Calvinism’s view of “total depravity.”

The doctrine of limited atonement is that God, by his pre determined will purposefully created mankind with two separate eternal destinies for each of the two groups. He in his sovereignty created some to be sent to eternal damnation to suffer in Hell forever with no possible opportunity to be saved from it. He made the other group to be saved by “irresistible grace” and that they would go to heaven, a place of eternal life and love and happiness with no sorrow or pain to ever be in communion with God. This is the doctrine of limited atonement. It teaches that Christ’s work on the cross was limited only for those whom God pre ordained by His will would be saved, and therefore his work on the cross was not done to pay for the sins of every individual person, but rather only for a limited amount of people that he wanted to have in Heaven. The rest he created by his sovereign will to live forever in Hell.

John Calvin said ““Predestination we call the eternal decree of God, by which He hath determined in Himself what He would have to become of every individual of mankind. For they are not all created with a similar destiny; but eternal life is foreordained for some, and eternal damnation for others.”

From the above quote we see clearly what Calvin’s position was on this. There is no debate on what he believed and spread in his teachings concerning this question.

The main text that Calvinists use as a proof text is this:

Romans 8:29 “For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.”

Calvinists believe that this passage is clearly saying that God “predestinated” some to be conformed to His image so obviously not all are predestined for that purpose. Since there are only two places a person can end up in, the ones who are not predestined go to Hell. They will point to other verses that speak of being chosen as further proof texts for their doctrine of limited atonement.  So what is the controversy? This verse says he predestined some. The controversy is in the word “foreknew.” For whom he “foreknew” he also did “predestinate” to be “conformed.”    Let us look at these key words in this verse:

Foreknew (Greek – prog-in-oce’-ko) –   to know beforehand, to foresee.

Predestinate (Greek – pro-or-id’-zo) – determine before, ordain.

Conformed (Greek – soom-mor-fos)     fashioned like unto.

This passage is plainly speaking of God knowing beforehand who would receive him as Savior and then determining that they should be fashioned unto His image. This speaks of sanctification of the believer who he foreknew would be saved. A Calvinist would say that the Greek word for foreknew could also be translated as “ordained.” They would be right in saying that, however when interpretation of a single verse leads to a full doctrinal position, that is bad hermeneutics. The Bible interprets the Bible. One should never base any interpretation or teach a homily established on one verse or word in the sacred text. In order to interpret Romans 8:29 as the Calvinists do, one would have to dismiss numerous passages of the Bible. The following passages make it impossible to interpret Romans 8:29 as teaching the doctrine of limited atonement:

John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

This verse says God so loved the world, not some in the world.

1 John 2:2 “And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.”

Here we see the clear reference to unlimited atonement in “not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.

1 Timothy 2:4 “Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.”

2 Peter 3:9 “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.”

We see from these two verses that it is not God’s will that any perish so why would God purposely by an act of His will create some for the purpose of making them perish?

1 Timothy 4:10 “For therefore we both labour and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, specially of those that believe.”

Here we see beyond any shadow of doubt that Jesus is the Savior of all and it is effectual to those who receive the Savior.

2 Peter 2:1 “But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.”

Here the Bible obviously states that Jesus bought (paid the price for) those unbelievers who are described as false teachers. It says “denying the Lord that bought them.” So Jesus clearly bought those unbelievers who denied him. Atonement is provided not just for those who receive it.

I could go on but I believe these are sufficient to express that Romans 8:29 cannot be interpreted the way Calvinists do. Hermeneutical principles disallow that sort of selective elucidation.

The reason that Calvinists come to the conclusion that they must interpret Romans 8:29 the way they do is do to their understanding of two main points; first their idea of God’s sovereignty, and secondly their view of total depravity. Let’s look at their doctrine of total depravity.

Calvinists believe that man is completely unable to grasp their need for the Savior and have no ability to cooperate with God at all. There is a large Scriptural problem with that view as we will see in the following verses:

Romans 1:18-21  For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.  For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.”

You will notice that here the Bible is undoubtedly speaking of unrighteous men (depraved unbelievers). The Apostle Paul makes it clear what these unbelievers understand about God.

Look at the following points:

1. The wrath of God is revealed to unrighteous men
2. Those unrighteous men hold the truth
3. That which may be known of God is manifest in them
4. God showed it to them
5. The eternal power of the Godhead is clearly seen in the creation
6. Unbelievers are without excuse because it is clearly seen
7. Unbelievers “know” God (understand his existence due to creation evidence)
8. Instead of receiving God, the choice is made not to, and then their foolish heart is darkened.

These points are unambiguous concerning unsaved people being able to understand the truth; that the “eternal power of the Godhead” is made known by the creation evidence, and thus all men are without excuse. Here we see clearly that “they” meaning unbelievers, are without excuse because they can see by creation that God is. Also we see the words in verse twenty one “when they knew God.” This speaks of the ability for fallen man to know about God, and make a choice to seek him, and accept him or not. This is not to say that they were believers, or regenerated in any way. It simply expresses that unbelievers can know of God’s existence. The fact that mankind is depraved is not lessened by this is any way. Mankind is wretched, and full of sin, and self will. However God has revealed himself through the evidence of creation and so man can seek to know who the creator is. God has made a way for all to escape eternal damnation.

The Calvinists main objection to this is their idea of God’s sovereignty and grace. They state that if my view is right, then I am somehow saving myself and that diminishes God’s sovereign choices. Free will they argue would place work of salvation in the hands of man and thus subject the power of God to the power of man. The truth is that this is the presupposition that motivates all of Calvinist theology. This main point does not allow the hyper Calvinist to consider the whole of Scripture. Calvinism is a reaction to Pelagianism. The Catholic Church was full of Pelagian theology at the time of the reformation; indulgences, works salvation and on and on with self righteousness. Calvin reacted to this by forming a set of doctrines that were opposed to the errors of the papists. In doing so he set up a narrative that breathed error in the other direction.

Another problem is the Calvinist view of sovereignty. Calvinism is actually the teaching that limits the sovereignty of God. Let me explain:

Calvinism proclaims the sovereignty of God by proclaiming the only way God is allowed to be sovereign is according to their human limits of what sovereignty is. In other words, God is not allowed to desire his people to have free will. This position negates God’s Sovereignty. They say that if man has free will, God is not the sovereign because man is somehow contributing to his own salvation. The further say that if the atonement was not limited only to those that God made for the purpose of going to heaven, then God would be a failure due to the fact that all will not be saved. This reasoning is really quite illogical. Let us examine each of these points;

1. If man has free will, God is not sovereign.

   Free will is given by the sovereign God because he wants his created humans to have it. That itself is an act of God’s sovereign will. By analogy – If a King desires a bride and has his eye on a particular commoner (non-royal) woman, there is no diminishment in his sovereignty if it is his desire that she has a choice. Although he could force her to be his wife since he is all powerful in his kingdom, his own sovereign desire is to have a woman that would want him by her own free will. In this there is no diminishment of his power whatsoever since he is declaring his desire.

2. If atonement is not limited, God failed.

   (Continuing with this analogy) The king may desire a woman who rejects him and later find another who he wished to have as his wife who receives his offer of marriage. Did the King fail because one did not respond to his gracious offer of marriage which included all the benefits of his kingdom? Of course not. There is no failure on the king’s part since his will is that his bride would only be one who says yes because she wants to.

3. Man contributes to his own salvation if he has a choice.

   (Continuing with this analogy) Did the woman contribute to her opportunity to be married to the King? No, she did not since she had no sovereign ability to make the king want her, offer her, or communicate to her. She is a commoner, and could not even get the king’s ear. She has no power or influence. She is a commoner who the King chose to offer marriage. She did not participate in any way except to simply have faith in his offer and receive him as her husband.

Having faith in the gospel is not a work. It is a key. If I told my friend that I had placed ten million dollars in an account for him and gave him the account number, all he would have to do is choose (or choose not) to use the access code I gave him. He would not be earning it, working for it, or doing anything except taking my word by faith (trust what I offered) and using the access number. He can also choose to not to trust what I said and throw away the key. If he threw it away that would not diminish what I did, or my will that he would have the money since I am giving him what he needs to get it and he can choose not to receive my free gift.

Now let’s examine a few of the obvious conclusions one must come to if one believes in Calvinism.

1. If you are Calvinist you are saying that God created Adam and Eve, told them not to sin by eating of the tree, forced them to sin, and then punished them for what he made them do. But what does the Bible say?
   
   James 1:13 “Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man”
   
   God does not tempt with evil!
2. If you are a Calvinist you are saying that men are not really responsible for their sin because God made them for the express purpose of sinning. This would make the sinner a doer of God’s will.

   James 1:14 “But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.”
   

3. If you are a Calvinist you are saying that God created Hell for the purpose of having a place to send those whom he created by his will for the express purpose of sending them there.

   Matthew 25:41 “Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels”

   Hell was not even created for the purpose of sending people to it originally. So how can we conclude that God willed certain people to go there?

4. If you are a Calvinist you are saying that mankind is nothing more than a zombie robot with a predetermined programmed computer chip, and thus has no real will. This is a picture of an unconscious being…frankly that is absurd on its face.
5. If you are a Calvinist you do not believe that Man can choose since some are pre ordained to serve God and others are not.

   John 7:16-17 “Jesus answered them, and said, My doctrine is not mine, but his that sent me. If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself.”

   Matthew 23:37  O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!” (Not could not, WOULD NOT)

   Joshua 24:15  And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.

These are just a few of the passages of the Bible that make it beyond clear that God, by his sovereign will, gives people a choice. I think it is safe to say that this paper has hit on the main problem with Calvinism and I trust God will use it to unlock some from the hold that this bad doctrine has. That is if they choose to listen.

Dr. David M. Berman                                                                        

                       1 Peter 5:7 “Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.”

Here it is, a passage so desperately needed by all who are named in heaven as God’s children. Believers, disciples, followers of Christ…terms that speak of reliance on God’s grace as provided through the Cross and Resurrection. By Christ we learn our desperate need of grace. By Christ we sense our total dependence on His mercy, and so we must practice “Casting all of our cares upon Him.” The Greek word used here for “Care” has the idea of distractions. In other words, the passage is telling us that the cares of life so often can be a terrible distraction from placing our trust and peace in the hands of God.

As we continue in the context of this verse, we see something very important:

1 Peter 5:8 “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour”

As it often is with humans, we tend to take things out of context. We look at a verse of Scripture and focus on it as it is rather than looking at its context. Although verse seven clearly speaks of us casting our cares upon Christ, it must be taken in the context of the passage in which we see the ultimate point of the message found in it. We are told;

1. Be sober – Keep your mind clear and directed toward God’s word.
2. Be Vigilant – Be watchful, always on the lookout.
3. Your adversary the devil – The enemy of your body, soul, and spirit.
4. Seeking who he may devour – Seeks who he can totally swallow up (Greek).

You see often Christians look at a verse like ““Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.” And they misunderstand it to mean that we are simply to do nothing but relax and trust God. Often a subtle false peace comes upon believers who become complacent in their walk with Christ. We see this also in the following verse:

Isaiah 40:31 “But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.”

In over 20 years of ministry I have often heard believers quote this verse. Often I wonder why those who do nothing to support the work of God, and do nothing to further the expansion of the Kingdom of God would even quote this verse. The inference of this verse is renewal of strength after becoming weary. There are far too many Christians who do nothing in the spiritual war to become weary in the first place. This verse infers a renewal in order to continue a fight.

There is an epidemic of complacency and mediocrity in the Church in America. There is far too much “casting of cares” without being vigilant and “waiting” without becoming tired in the first place. There is a false sense of peace that comes over any congregation that has lost its passion to win the lost, love the Word of God, and serve each other. Churches often become about programs, and maintenance. The complacency of having everything that is needed set up to maintain the flock in the natural sense. Even bible studies and other “spiritual” things can become natural when they lose their impact and effectiveness in bringing believers into action. So many times believers can learn, and learn, and yet not have their learning translate into effective personal ministry. This happens because even learning the bible can become an academic exercise if it is not coupled with passion, action, and desire for excellence.

What does the same bible say about action? It says a lot indeed:

James 1:22 “But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.”

James puts it very directly here as he expresses the heart of God in wanting action from his disciples. A doer means one who puts actions to the word spoken to him.

James 1:23-24  For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.

The idea of this analogy is that once a man looks in a glass, sees himself, and walks away, although he remembers what he looked like in a sense, he does not have a fresh look. The idea is for us to be in constant view of the Word of God in our being, and thus it moves us to action.

James 1:25 “But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.”

Here we see again the words “Looketh into” which speaks of close examination in order to leave a lasting view that motivates.

Let us look further:

1 Timothy 1:18 “This charge I commit unto thee, son Timothy, according to the prophecies which went before on thee, that thou by them mightest war a good warfare”

In this verse, there are very direct and strong words comparing Pastor Timothy’s work with waging war. This is because we are in a spiritual war. We fight against the principalities of the enemy. Consider this:

“Ephesians 6:12 “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.”

The Apostle Paul makes it clear to Pastor Timothy that he is in a spititual war, and that he was to wage the war well.  This takes commitment to God, obedience to delegated authority, and dedication to the mission.

One must never be deceived into believing that trusting God means we do nothing. Sayings like “it’s all in God’s hands” sound nice but are not exactly accurate since God has put some things in our hands by way of expecting us to obey him in the mission:

Mark 16:15 “And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.”

This is a responsibility that is placed on us. The gospel is put in our hands.

Ephesians 4:11-12 “And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ”

Ministers are given to equip all believers for the work of the ministry. The work of the ministry is put in our hands. Yes it is true that God gives both the mandate and the instruction, but we are called to do it.

1 Peter 5:7 “Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.”

Casting our cares on Christ, yes. Placing our total dependence on His mercy and grace, yes. Understanding that all our knowledge, gifting, and authority comes only from Christ, yes. but let us understand that simple sayings like “It’s all in His hands” “God will do it” “Just trust God” and the like are only true in the context of the bible. They are not true in the context of human laziness, and mediocrity. Those type sayings, when used as a reason to be complacent, are nothing more than a false sense of peace that leads to inaction. Inaction leads not to effectiveness, but rather to weak, ineffective “Christianity.”

Before you use the excuse I hear so often; “I am waiting on the Lord.” Perhaps you should get tired and in need of renewing your strength due to your commitment to the mission. Before you get puffed up in your knowledge of the bible, maybe you should ask yourself if your knowledge has been translated into action. Before you get caught up in catch phrases that ease your conscience in your apathy, perhaps you should examine what those phrases mean in context of the bible.

Should we cast all our cares on Christ? Must we wait on God to renew our strength? Is it in God’s hands? You better believe it is, but context explains what that means. Thank God for his grace and mercy. Now be a doer!

Dr. David M. Berman

When dealing with the question of evil, it must be understood that evil is not only shown in actions, but also, it is a state of being. We are all tainted by it. We tend to look at evil actions as the work of a particular person rather than the work of evil’s leader; Satan, and the power of sin as a force that contaminates us. Jesus rebuked the self-righteous religious leaders in the following passage:

John 8:42-44 “Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me. Why do ye not understand my speech? even because ye cannot hear my word. Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.” (Underscore mine).

Here Jesus is making it clear where evil comes from and that it is based in murder, and it is the opposite of all that is true. Do not misunderstand me, each person who commits evil actions is personally responsible however the theological point I want to make clear is that evil has a source, and that source is Satan. That being said, there is a reoccurring question I have been asked for decades; “Why does God allow evil is he is so powerful?” This question is both understandable, and reasonable. Why would a loving God, who is all powerful, and all-knowing allow suffering which clearly comes from evil’s source; Satan himself? I will get to that but for now let us continue to see what the Scripture teaches about evil.

The bible declares to us that in the Garden of Eden Satan tempted Eve:

Genesis 3:4-7 “And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.  And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.”

Here we see that the temptation was primarily for mankind to question the truth (God himself) and become “as gods knowing good and evil.” Herein lays the real conflict. The idea of being a god is very appealing to the human condition. We may not walk around saying “I am a god” but we are challenged everyday with the question “Who is your God, you or Jesus?” Every single day we get to make that choice from the stand point of what we are submitted to, and who we ultimately listen to. If honest, we may realize that at times we act as though we are “as gods.”

This is the problem that most people simply do not understand because they look at things from a human perspective. One may look at a person they know who is not a Christian and see great things. In fact there are many wonderful people (by human standards) that are not Christians. People who care for others, give money and time to help those in need, and are generally great people to be around. Some would say: “Where is the evil in them?” This is a reasonable question however the question bears witness to a person’s lack of spiritual understanding. Let me explain it in the following example:

Imagine you have a glass of water that seems to be of the highest purity. If you look at that water and only see its clarity, and you drink it not knowing that 99% of it is truly pure but 1% of it has been tainted by a deadly poison, it will kill you. The 1% has tainted the 99% and it will have the same ultimate effect as if you had drunk 100% poison. We must understand that God is 100% pure. There is no unrighteousness in Him at all. The mistake is made when people think that they are mostly good, so God will accept them. Mostly good is still tainted, and tainted separates us from God who is pure. He will not have impurity infect His kingdom for eternity. Being infected with any amount of evil has the same eternal effect on the soul as the glass of water slightly tainted has on the body.

If this is true, and it is, what can we do to live in perfection? Can we be perfect and purge all possible sins and evil from ourselves? We can’t, and so it is Christ who did it for those who have accepted his atoning work on the cross, which paid for our sinful state. It is by grace through our faith in Jesus Christ as our Savior that is applied to us for righteousness.

Evil is constantly lurking and seeking a weakness. Evil is not simply a chosen action but rather it is also a spiritual force, and a state of being that all of us are born with. Theologically, evil is the spiritual power that opposes the power of God. The skeptic might ask; “If God is so powerful, how can any evil oppose Him?” Again this is a great question and I will get to answering it soon.

The apostle Paul said:

Hebrews 12:1 “Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us”

Paul clearly states sin “easily besets us.” Sin is part of the spiritual force of evil, and its power is constantly competing for our affections. It gnaws at us. It seeks to ruin us, and it asks us to be “as gods.” The study of evil is difficult for most to understand because wickedness seems to be increasing by the day, and we all cry out for it to stop.

Romans 8:22-23 “For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.  And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.”

The truth is that all of creation has been affected by the spiritual force of iniquity. Sin abounds and increases, and at the same time there is another force at work in the spiritual realm. It is the opposition to malevolence. Evil’s opposing force is truth and Christ is the source of all that is true.

Now let me answer a few of these pressing questions:

1) Why did God allow Satan to rebel, and why did God not simply destroy Satan before he tempted Eve?

The answer to this question is that God is a relational being. He is not simply a manufacturer of mechanical or organic products. He did not create Man as a robot with absolute programming of total obedience. If man was created without any choice or free will, then it would be impossible for there to be true relationship. In order for there to be relationship, Man had to be able to choose God, or the opposite of God. Satan is the opposite of God. Since God has given Mankind free will, the choices that each individual makes are not in a vacuum. The choices we make many times have an effect on those around us. If for example, a man chooses to drink too much and becomes addicted to alcohol, that choice does not only affect him, but also his family. What did his family do wrong? Maybe nothing, however they are still affected by the sin that the man commits. If a person chooses to rob a bank, the money he steals is lost by someone else who may have done nothing wrong concerning how they earned their money that was stolen from them. They are simply affected by the choice of the robber. No one is an island unto themselves. Sin perpetuates throughout the human race. That is not God’s fault but rather it is the consequence of Man’s actions, reactions, and rebellion against what is right.

People love to blame God for everything when the truth is that is us who perpetuate sin. It is us who have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory (Rom 2:23).  I am not saying that every bad thing we deal with is a direct result of our particular behavior, but rather it is a result of the force of sin’s perpetuation in the human condition. Sin brings dis-order and dis-order results in sickness, disease, pain, and on and on. There simply can’t be relationship without choice, and due to Mankind’s ever increasing propensity toward sinful choices, thinking, and behavior, evil grows. Stop blaming God for what humans have done. Every sin I commit is my fault. Every wrong thought, action, and reaction comes out of my sinful nature I was born with (Rom 7:15). Since Eve, then Adam chose to receive the lie about being “as gods,” they chose to follow evil and this set all Mankind under the curse.

2) Why would a loving God, who is all powerful, and all-knowing allow suffering which clearly comes from evil’s source; Satan himself?

“Why does God allow suffering?” is a question with an answer that will shock many. The answer I give you is sure to repel you at first. I trust you will contemplate what I am saying. Why does God allow evil? He allows it because of His Grace and Mercy. You say “How can God be showing mercy by allowing evil to continue?”…It is His grace and Mercy that allows evil and here is why; If God destroyed all evil He would have to destroy every person who is tainted by it, and so He would have to destroy all human beings. He would have to destroy me, and he would have to destroy you! You see, you and I were born in the state of sin. We were born sinners:

Ephesians 2:3 “Among whom also we all had our behavior in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.”

You see all of us were born tainted by evil. This next verse confirms what I am saying:

Ephesians 2:4-5 “But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love with which he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, has made us alive together with Christ, (by grace you are saved;)”

God’s mercy allows us even though we are tainted by evil at birth.

Romans 5:7-8 “For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet perhaps for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commends his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

Here we see that Christ died for our sins before we repented, and before we received him as Savior and Lord. Are you not glad that God did not kill you when you were an unbeliever? Do you want him to destroy evil now if that means your loved ones who are not yet Christians? You see, the reason God allows evil is because he gives men and women a choice, and time to decide. If we did not have a choice we would not have a relationship with God, but rather we would be organic pre-programed robots. If God was not exceeding in mercy and grace, we would have all been destroyed already. If you are reading this and you have not accepted Jesus personally as your Savior, you will in the end have the same fate as your Satan your leader, unless you turn from him and turn to Jesus Christ.

Ephesians 2:4 “But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love with which he loved us”

God is rich in mercy, and that mercy allows the continuation of evil and its consequences here on earth until the appointed time when God will end evil forever. There is coming a time when the wrath of God will be poured out on this world and Satan and his followers shall be cast into Hell fire forever.

2 Peter 3:9-10 “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.” (Underscore mine)

I do not like evil. I hate evil, and yet at the same time I understand that I am also tainted by it in my born human condition. The Apostle Paul said, when speaking in the present tense, the following passage:

Romans 7:23-24 “But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?”

Evil exists, pain exists, evil people exist, I do not like it any more than you do, but God allows it to a certain extent due to the reason I gave. This is hard for us to understand in this life however there will eventually be an end to it:

Revelation 21:4 “And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.”

May God grace us all with the hope of his promise deep in our hearts as we endure this present world, and may we look with faith toward the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen

Dr. David M. Berman

A “Preacher”…the term alone makes me shake with fear. When I think of the implications of being a man who is called a preacher, and charged with such a sacred responsibility, I tremble. On November 2 of 1991 I was ordained into the ministry. I went on from that time to establish many music teams, and to plant two churches (One assisting another Pastor, and one I planted by myself). Since that time I have won almost 1000 people to Christ that I know of and I have been on hundreds of radio stations, and well as TV. My ministry has also taken me to Mexico where I have both led ministry teams for children’s ministry, and preached and trained pastors in theology. After 20 years of ordained ministry, I thought I would take a moment to look back and give my perspective so that Christians may have a glimpse into what it is like to be a Preacher.

Many Christian people have no idea what it is like or what a minister battles with. The average Christian thinks it is a glorious position to be a Pastor. After all, Pastors only work “one day a week” (Any pastors wife would testify otherwise), and are respected members of their community (Pastors are no longer respected in America, certainly not in New England where I serve as Senior Pastor). There is a sense in the hearts of many Christians that their Pastor must be impervious to discouragement and therefore they can say anything about him, and do anything mean to him without being concerned since after all “it’s his calling.” Some things never change. In fact Moses felt quite discouraged in his ministry:

Numbers 11:10-15 “Then Moses heard the people weep throughout their families, every man in the door of his tent: and the anger of the LORD was kindled greatly; Moses also was displeased. And Moses said unto the LORD, Wherefore hast thou afflicted thy servant? and wherefore have I not found favour in thy sight, that thou layest the burden of all this people upon me? Have I conceived all this people? have I begotten them, that thou shouldest say unto me, Carry them in thy bosom, as a nursing father beareth the sucking child, unto the land which thou swarest unto their fathers? Whence should I have flesh to give unto all this people? for they weep unto me, saying, Give us flesh, that we may eat. I am not able to bear all this people alone, because it is too heavy for me. And if thou deal thus with me, kill me, I pray thee, out of hand, if I have found favour in thy sight; and let me not see my wretchedness. 

There is an interesting set of emotions that comes out of Moses in this passage. Let’s look closer at what he is saying. First he is weary of the complaining of the people God has called him to shepherd. He turns his attention to God and quite strongly speaks to God these words; “Wherefore hast thou afflicted thy servant?” Moses expresses his discontentment in having to be the Pastor of a rebellious people. He refers to his ministry not as a joy but rather as a “burden.” The Hebrew word used here for burden means “taxing, to pay a tribute.” He refers to his ministry as a “tax”. That ought to express what he was feeling clearly. Moses goes on to speak strong words in saying “Have I conceived all this people?” It seems clear to me that Moses is fed up with being a Pastor so much that he is basically saying to God “hey this was not my idea, and I did not make these rebellious people, they are your responsibility.” Thankfully God is gracious and does not exact judgment on Moses for such disrespectful words. Moses says. “I am not able to bear all this people alone, because it is too heavy for me.” Then after all this Moses comes to a place that every Pastor understands. Every minister has these same emotions, these same feelings of failure, and these same feelings of regret for not being what they hoped they could be. Look at what Moses says after his harsh words about the people, and his complaint to God; “kill me, I pray thee, out of hand, if I have found favour in thy sight; and let me not see my wretchedness.” The great Prophet Moses, The Pastor of the rebellious Jews for 40 years in the wilderness, comes to the place way before the end of those 40 years where he says “kill me.” Moses is saying if I have found any favor. If you think well of me at all Lord, kill me. The end of this statement is very telling when he says “let me not see my wretchedness.” Many commentators say that Moses was simply tired of the people and so he wanted to die rather than continue to hear their complaining. I do not see it that way at all. Although Moses was clearly tired of their complaining, and the burden of leading them, his last statement is not about them at all. His last statement is about himself when he says “my wretchedness.” I think it is clear that Moses was battling with his emotions and also what he perceived as his failure. You see on one hand he seems to be blaming the people, then God. Then at the end of his statement he expresses the real emotion of his weary pastoral heart is asking to be taken from this life because he is sick not only of the people but himself.  In fact, what he is actually saying is this; show me that I have found favor by taking my life so I may not see my own wretchedness any longer. Every Pastor feels this to some degree at some point in his ministry, every Senior Pastor especially.

Moses had a conflict. His conflict was that he knew he was called, the people were rebellious, his emotions brought him to a place of actually getting upset at God, and at the same time he saw his own failures and wretchedness. This mix of emotions, duty, calling, and experiences shows through in the above passage. What we learn from this is that the scripture is always true and the following passage is no exception:

Ecclesiastes 1:9-10 “The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun. Is there anything whereof it may be said, See, this is new? it hath been already of old time, which was before us.”

The struggles that Pastors have are not new. The life of a Preacher is a constant battle between his sinful flesh, and his call to ministry. He feels his duty to serve and yet his never ending feelings of not doing it well enough. He knows his passion to succeed and his feelings of failure. At every turn there is a problem to solve, a need to meet, someone who is convinced they know more than him, people who he has taught from a baby Christian who suddenly do not trust his teaching since they now feel their abilities are greater than their teacher, and often even betrayal by trusted people. This takes its toll on a man, even a great man like Moses. Over these twenty years I have seen much. Much that I have seen pains me. Many have come and gone who have felt it their right to stab at me and hurl fiery darts insinuating such insulting things that I find it hard to even repeat them.

What every minister must understand is that they are not alone. The great Apostle Paul experienced this as he states in this passage:

2 Timothy 4:10 “For Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world, and is departed unto Thessalonica; Crescens to Galatia, Titus unto Dalmatia.”

Demas is a man that Paul earlier mentioned in a positive light: Colossians 4:14 “Luke, the beloved physician, and Demas, greet you.” Now Paul says that Demas has forsaken him. Do you think that Paul did not feel hurt personally? Paul did not say Demas had forsaken the Lord. Paul said it in a personal way, “Demas hath forsaken me.” This is often how a preacher feels when he gives his time, emotion, and energy only to have the person he has sown into forsake him. I must confess I have often felt the way Paul did.

After reading thus far you may be thinking “get over it” no one is forcing you to be in this position, if you don’t like it do something else.” That is a fair enough point to the average position, but is fails to understand a minister. A Preacher has no choice. He must continue to obey the call:

1 Corinthians 9:16 “For though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory of: for necessity is laid upon me; yea, woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel!”

Paul makes it clear when he uses the most extreme term “woe unto me.” The term “woe unto” speaks of exceedingly painful grief. This is the call of a Preacher. A preacher with a true call must preach the gospel or woe unto him.

Am I writing this because I want to complain? Am I just emotionally spewing out pain? It is my desire to gain sympathy? The answer to these questions is NO. The reason I am writing this is twofold. 1) I hope young ministers read this and understand that even seasoned Preachers struggle as they do. I hope as they read this they understand that what really matters is being faithful to the one who called them. 2) I also hope that all church members will gain some understanding and hold up their Pastor in prayer and in actions that speak loyalty to him.

I am happy to end this article by saying that although over the first twenty years of my ministry, I have suffered the emotional scars left by certain experiences; I have also met some of the most wonderful believers. I have also experienced some of the most loving people and gestures of kindness. Thankfully, I can testify also as Paul did in the following passage:

Romans 16:3-4 “Greet Priscilla and Aquila my helpers in Christ Jesus: Who have for my life laid down their own necks: unto whom not only I give thanks, but also all the churches of the Gentiles.”

Paul speaks of these “who have for my life laid down their own necks.” What a way to put it! Their loyalty to him speaks volumes. I am so grateful to testify that I have people in my life like that. I titled this article “Confessions of a Preacher” because I believe it is important that Christian people understand that Preachers are ordinary people with extraordinary responsibilities and callings. We are no better than anyone else. We have the same struggles, emotions, dreams, and passions as everyone else, and yet “woe unto” us who are called if we do not preach the gospel.

Yes Moses struggled, yes Moses had emotions, but thankfully, and what should be an encouragement to all Preachers is this; Moses is mentioned in the following way in the New Testament:

Hebrews 11:24-26 “By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter; Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season; Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompence of the reward.”

“By faith Moses” What great words, and what encouraging words for every Pastor! So to my fellow ministers I say Preach on, don’t give up, and to Christians I say Just because people have always resisted Preachers, it does not mean it is the right thing to do. Examine yourself, and ask yourself this; Am I a blessing or a curse to the one God has placed over me in spiritual authority? The honest answer to that question may just change your life.

By God’s grace I shall continue.

Philippians 3:13-14 “Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”

Amen!

Ah…”truth” That most disturbing word, the declaration that makes the left recoil as though it was made up of four letters. Truth is that thing that threatens illogical foolery and so it is mocked, and twisted, and met with its opposing force of lies or worse yet; relativism. Relativism is a mindset that makes truth subjective to one’s personal feelings at the time. Relativism is this illogical world view that makes truth subject to feelings rather than what it is; objective.

Jesus said:

John 14:6 “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me”

Now there is a statement that would have made modern relativists take notice and stand against what Jesus dared to say; “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” The fact is that it is not just modern day relativists who think in these terms. Consider what Pilate said to Jesus after Jesus told of his mission to proclaim the truth;

John 18:38 “Pilate saith unto him, What is truth? And when he had said this, he went out again unto the Jews, and saith unto them, I find in him no fault at all”

What is truth? This is an excellent question. It is at least better than the supposition now in the minds of most Americans that all is relative and there is no truth at all. Truth is the foundation of life and it is a set of laws. God created the Heavens and the Earth. We have observable laws such as gravity. If you are one who thinks that gravity is something that is only my truth, try jumping out of the window with your relativistic view of truth and experience what happens. In the same way the Creator made natural laws, he also made spiritual ones. This however is the problem with relativism. It seeks to make the individual the creator of his/her own set of spiritual laws. This mindset only produces selfishness as the person becomes more deceived of his/her own importance of subjective feelings. This leads ultimately to a person believing in their own intellect and emotional feelings as they believe they alone are the adjudicators of what their “truth” is. A relativist is one who stands on nothing, stands for nothing (accept what they personally feel at a given time), and is motivated by short term thinking influenced by circular reasoning. It is not logic that dictates the relativist; it is corrupt emotion and deception that clouds the real reason for relativism. The reason, whether known by the relativist or not, is unbridled pantheistic licentiousness. It ultimately is the desire of an individual to be as a god. In the original temptation in the garden Satan tempted with the following words:

Genesis 3:4-5 “And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil”

Notice the temptation is to disobey God who told them truth. God said death would enter mankind, Satan said that God was not speaking the truth. Satan then says in his deception that the restriction placed on them by God was due to God not wanting them to be “as gods.” He tells them that if they listen to him they will be gods. Therein lays the constant temptation placed before all men and women. Will God be God or will we attempt to be our own god?

The reason people in modern day America do not like truth is because we have been sold a lie from the Devil by way of his prophets. The devils prophets are all those who preach against truth. They reject God’s Word, and seek to destroy the true prophets of God. Anyone who dares to stand for objective truth must be ready to be persecuted for it. Most American Christians worship their jobs, friendships, social positions, and desire to be accepted much more than they do Truth. True mature Christians worship He who is truth itself. Jesus said “I am the way” (the only road) “the truth” (emphatically absolute)“ the life (literally life itself). Jesus was clear here that he was not simply a person who spoke truth but rather he is truth. This is why so many in the world hate the Jesus of the Bible. They often like the Jesus they make up in their minds, but they hate the true Christ. Jesus is an absolutist. Why do people hate true Christians? It is simple really. Jesus explains it in the following passages:

John 3:17 “For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved”

We see from this that God did not send Jesus into the world to condemn it. Why? Because the world was condemned already! Jesus came to save us from the consequences of our sinful nature that desires to be a god. We tend to think we have the right to decide what is right or wrong based on our own intellect and human feelings. Jesus came to save us from that disposition and bring us to the understanding that He is truth, He is God, and He decides what is right and wrong. By His grace we are saved as we in our sinful state accept His grace (unmerited favor) by faith (trust) and are saved from the wrath to come. It does not mean we are perfect in ourselves since only God is perfect. It does however mean that we are saved from the wrath of God because we received Jesus as our Savior and he has provided His righteousness to all those who have been born again.

John 3:18 “He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God”

He goes on here to express the truth of the difference between the believers who are now saved, and the condemned that are on their way to Hell because they reject the truth (Jesus is the truth). It is not that any preacher is condemning a person who rejects Christ. I as a preacher simply explain that Jesus said without Christ a person is condemned already because they have ”not believed on the only begotten Son of God.”

John 3:19 “And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil”

Jesus tells us why here when he says “men love darkness rather than light.” This is the problem with a relativist; Relativists do not believe there is a difference between darkness and light. They do not believe there is wrong or right. Why? Jesus says because their “deeds were evil.” The truth is that the reason people are relativistic is because they do not want to place their deeds under the inspection of God’s truth.

John 3:20 “For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved”

People who continue in this mindset hate the light of Christ and therefore they refuse to come to it because they do not wish to be reproved for their actions.

John 3:21 “But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God”

The believer comes to the light because he/she knows the light (Jesus) has forgiven their sins. Again, it is not that any Christian is perfect in themselves. It is that God has made them perfect legally before God through the blood of Jesus by paying the price for their sins. Jesus paid the price for all mankind’s sins however in order to receive the benefits all must receive Christ personally as their Savior and Lord. Because the believer believes in He who is the truth, the believer walks in it. It is not perfection that the believer does in his/her own power. Sin is not simply an action of disobedience pertaining to a single evil deed. It is much more than that. Sin is a condition that every person is born into. It is the disposition that believers and unbelievers alike are tainted by. The difference between the believer and the unbeliever is a matter of spiritual legal standing, not a matter of personal perfection one over the other. The believer simply has been pardoned of the eternal penalty of sin by the act of Christ on the cross. It is the imputation of the perfection of Christ that changes the believer into a position of innocent spiritual legal standing. It is the unbeliever who is sadly left in the mire of his own sinful legal position due to his incredulous rejection of this pardon.

When Pilate asked the question “what is truth,” he was asking a profound question. At least he asked it. He, like so many, could not see the truth standing in front of him. In our culture we see tangible evidence of the negative results of our turn from objective truth to subjective relativism.

1. We have turned from family accountability and support to government support without accountability
2. We have moved toward an “anything goes” mindset and called it freedom when what that mindset really brings is an imprisoned heart.
3. We have turned from the financial principles of hard work, buy what you can afford, pull your own weight, and reward for risk to government bailouts, an entitlement way of thinking, and intense unsustainable government spending.
4. We have gone from a country that believed in free speech to a nation that has to walk on egg shells worrying about offending some group.
5. We have gone from a nation bound together by a set of absolute Judeo-Christian principles to a nation splintered by the insanity of multi culturist thinking.
6. We have left local control and have gone to the centralized power of Washington’s corruption.
7. We have gone from a nation that lauded the Constitution to a nation that spits on it.
8. We have gone from a nation that respected the Bible to a nation that mocks God and His Word.
9. We have gone from a nation that realized the importance of marriage to a nation that seeks to impose the vile works of homosexuality by forcing its acceptance through judicial activism.
10. We have gone from “mom, apple pie, and Chevrolet” to “transgender step mom” used to be a male, Chinese apples, and Chevrolet made in Mexico.
11. We have gone from a nation of on fire churches with Holy Ghost Bible preachers to a milk toast, emergent, tickle ears, fear of persecution churches in name only (thankfully some Churches are still faithful).

What does all this have to do with truth? Everything! Jesus gave us the foundation for blessings and we have squandered it with our self proclamations of greatness, human will, and intellect. Jesus said this:

Matthew 6:33 “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you”

Since our nation has turned its back on He who is the truth, since we have long since abandoned the principles found in the Scripture pertaining to life and godliness, since we no longer seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness, we are losing the “other things.” Truth is Christ and Christ is truth. He is the foundation of blessing. Without Him, we have what we see, a nation broken spiritually, emotionally, physically, and financially. Wake up and smell the truth. The only way to live in true liberty is to return to our Constitutional, Judeo-Christian roots.

By: Pastor Brian Cook

It seems very odd to me that someone who claims to be a Christian would ever choose to attack the Body of Christ. As I consider this thought, I have concluded that if one makes a claim to be a Christian and they claim to be part of the Body of Christ and yet they choose to attack other Christians or the Church which make up His Body, through strife and sowing division, there are really only 2 possibilities to consider about that person’s spiritual condition.

#1: That person is a self-destructive, carnal Christian and their behavior towards the Church (the Body of Christ) can be likened to a person who intentionally cuts themselves or chooses to harm themselves in order to spite others. At best that person is double-minded and at worst they are in danger of being cut off from the Body of Christ all together.

Or…

#2: That person is not an authentic Christian; no, instead they are a cancer, a gangrene, a disease which seeks to destroy the Body by attaching itself to the Body in order to kill it from within.

 That is what I think, but what does God think about the person who I have just described?

Proverbs 6:16 -19 says:  These six things does the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, An heart that devises wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, A false witness that speaks lies, and he that sows discord among brethren.

What does God think about someone sowing discord among believers? He hates it. He hates it. I ask you, is the sign of a true Christian doing what God hates without any remorse or is the sign of a true Christian trying to please God in the things that you do?

Now, I do understand that we all commit sin against ourselves and against others from time to time and need constant forgiveness, but I find it difficult to believe that a true Christian will choose to continue to wallow in sin as pig wallows in the sty without any conviction of the Holy Spirit or without any discipline from Our Father. The Bible says God chastens those whom He loves (Hebrews 12:6). If someone continues to live a life of sin without receiving any discipline from God then that person would be wise to examine their relationship with the Father to determine if they really are in the faith and whether they are a child of God at all. 

Jesus said “If God were your Father, all of you would love me” (John 8:42a). How can anyone say that they love Christ, but yet hate His Body? These two ideas are completely and totally at odds with one another. I can’t even imagine attacking a brother or sister in Christ because to do so would be the same as attacking myself or even worse, the same as attacking Christ! True Christians seek to be unified as the Body of Christ, not divided. The mere notion of sowing seeds of discord within the Church is utter foolishness to me! Christians are to love one another as Christ has loved us.

How ridiculous it is to even imagine Jesus Christ attacking and harming His own disciples! What’s more, how ridiculous it is to imagine Jesus’ followers attacking and harming Him, yet this is exactly what people do when they sow seeds of discord in the Church. It is an attack on Christ Himself and a very serious sin. God hates it! Causing disunity within the Body of Christ is not doing the works of our Father but it is doing the works of Satan.

Jesus prayed these words for His Church: “Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; That they all may be one; as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that you have sent me” (John 17:20-21). Jesus’ prayer was that the Christians would be unified not divided. To cause strife or division through our actions, words or attitudes is working in total opposition to Jesus and His prayer. This is not the sign of a true Christian.

Romans 16:17 Now I plead to you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which all of you have learned; and avoid them.

To willingly choose to expose yourself to a division-maker is a very dangerous thing. Not one of us would willingly expose ourselves to any deadly disease, yet if we continue in choose to be around someone who is sinning against Christ and His Body then we are in danger of catching their diseased spirit. If we eat the bad fruit they produce then we will become just as spiritually sick as they are. 

We must exhort the division-maker to repent of what they have done, to receive the forgiveness of Christ and to go and sin no more. Their refusal  to do so only adds to the evidence that they probably fall under the second possibility mentioned above and that they are not a true Christian at all no matter what they say. Their actions say different.

Guard the unity of the faith at all costs, Brothers and Sisters! Do not allow envy, strife and murder to ever enter into your hearts. If one has offended you, seek them out in humility, love and grace seeking to be restored back into to unity with them (Matthew 18). This is what true Christians do.

Romans 7:15 “For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I.”

This perhaps is the most intriguing passage of Scripture given concerning the dilemma of the human condition. Humans are a funny creation. Humans throughout history have been driven by ideals, ideals that become the most important provision of self worth. How many times have we gone to battle over a personal ideal that we see lacking in another? The list would go on for miles. Ours is a condition that seldom focuses on personal faults, but quite regularly converges on the areas in others lives that do not meet our ideals.

If there is one word that could be used to describe human motivation it would be “passion.” Passions in themselves are not always bad however the problem with passion in general is its ability to overcome our ideals. Sometimes our zeal is for our standards. That is helpful and yet, too many times our passions in areas of the carnal nature supersede the good fervor of our principles. In this we find that humans are a walking contradiction that know one thing and do another, that feel conviction but give into their desires, that believe something in the depths of their being and yet oft fail to accomplish dominance over their carnal passions. What an agony it can be to be human. What a pathetic problem we have, and so few will actually admit it.

The great Apostle Paul makes a statement that all can read, recorded in the eternal Word of God with reference to his own desperate war with sin. In order to truly understand the magnitude on the above passage, we must understand a few things;

1.) Paul is an incredibly intellectually brilliant man. He was a Pharisee who was of the tribe of Benjamin. He describes himself as a “Hebrew of thee Hebrews.”

Philippians 3:4 ”Though I might also have confidence in the flesh. If any other man thinketh that he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh, I more:”

Of all men of his day, he could stand with any in his ability to debate, reason, and to do so with perfect confidence in his personal abilities.

Philippians 3:5 “Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee”

He makes his case in this passage about just how righteous he was in the eyes of men. Paul knew what it was to watch every behavior as to be approved of by the religious of his day. Paul also knew what it was to sit at the feet of great teachers and glean intellectual power from their teaching.

2.) Paul was a man who loved God so much that he would give his entire life up including dying a martyr’s death for the gospel. He suffered for the kingdom like few others;

2 Corinthians 11:25-27 “Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep; In journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; In weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness.”

3.) Paul was a man with a passion for the lost.

Ephesians 3:1 “For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles”

Describing himself here as a “prisoner” for the gentiles, he makes it known where his heart is.

When we truly contemplate who Paul was, his intellect, what he gave up, how he suffered, and how he did all in his power to win the lost, we must come to a conclusion; there are few men in the history of God’s people who come close to this man in righteous living, and in pleasing our Lord. Yet we are left with a passage of Scripture that should make us take pause, contemplate, and conclude a truth. A truth so profound, that in one way it leaves us tortured and in another it leaves us sensing a freedom that can’t be adequately spoken in words. Here we have a man who throughout his Christian life served in a greater capacity that most men ever have. A man who God chose to write the bulk of the New Testament letters, a man who is a giant among men in ministry, and yet a flawed man who describes himself in this way;

Romans 7:24 “O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?”

The word used her for “wretched” in this context means miserable sinful man. It denotes a man who is come to the conclusion that with all his knowledge, good works, and service to God, he still recognizes that the passions of his human condition precludes him from always living up to his ideals.

What does all of this mean? It means that we may have great ideals and still not reach them. Hypocrisy is not really what so many think it is. Hypocrisy is not having ideals, and then not living up to them. Hypocrisy is condemning others for the sins that we also commit. Herein lies the problem with the Pharisees. It was not that they raised a moral standard as that which we all strive to reach. It was rather that they assumed they had reached it and others did not when they clearly had not.

Paul, in his humility, makes a shocking admission of his own continued struggle with the human passions. He says;

Romans 7:23 “But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.”

This is no passing statement, nor is it a light admission. Paul expresses that his mind is still at times brought into “Captivity” (Greek – led away captive), expressing that the law of sin causes him to not always be able to control himself.

The things we want to do are not always the things we do. Conversely, the things we don’t want to do are often the things that we do. This is a dilemma that has plagued man since the fall of Adam. Satan knows this. He knows it so well that he uses it. Satan is the accuser of the brethren (Rev. 12:10). Satan knows that condemnation hinders the believer, discourages the believer, and can bring a believer to a place of being ineffective for the cause of Christ.

We have to ask ourselves this: “If a great man like the Apostle Paul can come to the understanding and confession of his own captivity to his passions, should we not come to the same conclusion about ourselves?” The answer can only be yes. The fact is that we live, breath, serve, and love as imperfect people who walk in contradictions. On the one hand we have our God given ideals, and on the other hand we find that “For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I” – Romans 7:15

Paul sums up this by simply resting in a fact that every believer must try to come to;

Romans 7:24-25 “O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?  I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.”

Paul’s conclusion?…The facts is that our flesh will at times overcome our ideals but our rest is not in our human abilities to overcome passions, our rest is in the answer to Paul’s question; “Who shall save me from this body of death?” Paul’s answer?…”I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord.” This is the only answer. Christ’s sacrificial death on the cross, His taking our place, his granting our pardon paid for with his blood, is the only hope we have. So we will press on, we will continue to fight for the expansion of the Kingdom of God, we will go forward in our personal walk, but we will always be reminded as long as we live here that Christ paid the price totally…even for our contradictions.

The Tea Party movement is truly a powerful force. When this movement is compared to others such as the one under Ross Perot, it is clear that the Tea Party movement is much stronger. Both the Republican and Democrat establishments have been forced to acknowledge that the Tea Party has motivated, empowered, and given voice to Conservatives in this country. Primary election surprises have sent shockwaves and the shakeup continues……so what?

Does it really matter in the long run? Some may feel that the goal is to stop Obama and the liberals from continuing down the path to destruction of the Constitutional principles we were founded on. Others feel this is the start of real reform and restoration of The Constitution as supreme law of the land. I have been giving this movement a lot of thought in relation to our history as a nation and the cultural slide to entitlement, the destruction of the family, and the enslavement to government dependence.

Our history has experienced times of spiritual decline which were followed by great awakenings. The “First Great Awakening” happened in the 1730’s and 40’s. A renewal swept through the churches in the colonies and brought with it an intense fervor for the Bible which influenced every part of society. This awakening was so powerful that there is no doubt that its long term effects contributed to the fervor to fight for liberty with the cry of the American Revolution being “No king but King Jesus!” There was even a song written by the well known and notable New-England composer William Billings, called Independence. Here are the Lyrics:

“The states, O Lord, with songs of praise shall in Thy strength rejoice,
And blest with Thy salvation raise to Heav’n their cheerful voice.
To the King they shall sing Hallelujah.
Thy goodness and Thy tender care have all our fears destroy’d,
A covenant of peace Thou mad’st with us confirmed by Thy word,
A covenant Thou mad’st with us and seal’d it with Thy blood.
To the King they shall sing Hallelujah.
And all the continent shall sing: down with this earthly King,
No King but God.
To the King they shall sing Hallelujah.
And the continent shall sing: God is our rightful King, Hallelujah.
And the continent shall sing: God is our gracious King, Hallelujah.
They shall sing to the King, Hallelujah.
God is the King, Amen,
The Lord is His name, Amen.”

This song along with powerful sermons preached from the pulpits of awakened Churches moved the culture as the flames of liberty were held under the authority of “God given rights.”

The Declaration of Independence makes this clear as it states “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness” (emphasis mine).

The first great awakening was a spiritual awakening that led to a political realty. Due to a move in the hearts of the people to spiritual fervor, the result was a change manifested in the political realm.

The “Second Great Awakening” took place in the early 19^th century. This movement influenced every church denomination including the more liturgical type churches (Anglican etc). Upstate NY was called “the Burned Over District” due to the numerous revival meetings that happened there. Church attendance soared and this powerful move motivated the culture and brought a realization that God is watching us. This spawned the Holiness movement. The second great awakening spawned a powerful abolitionist movement which led to continued tension over the slavery issue.  It can be credibly argued that the second great awakening had a part in leading to the civil war in which the slaves were freed. It is also a fact that during the second great awakening many slaves became powerful Christians and the black church was birthed in America. Again spiritual awakening led to political reality.

Is the Tea Party movement the Third Great Awakening? This is an important historical question that we must look in the light of history. Is this movement a result of spiritual revival or political and economic anger? Is it that the Tea Party people realize that our nation has fallen away from God’s Word, or is it that they think that we are fine as a culture and the problem is only the politicians?

Let me be abundantly clear concerning my personal position. I am in total support of the major goals of the Tea Party movement. Their desire for small constitutionally limited government, low taxes, power back to the states and the people (Tenth Amendment), and all the principles of liberty as found in our original American documents I totally support. Having said that, I fear the movement has missed the most important part of reform that led to the establishment of these sacred principles: “endowed by our Creator.” If we attempt to return to the Constitution without returning to the Lord God almighty, the Creator of the heavens and the earth, we will only have a short term influence on things. Without revival in the Church bringing us back to respect for the Bible, the Tea Party movement will at best become another political party that loses its way as corruption and human pride take over. What we need is a revival back to the first great awakening, a fervor that motivates to fight for liberty and establish once again a nation under God.

Hear these words and contemplate them:

“A general dissolution of principles and manners will more surely overthrow the liberties of America than the whole force of the common enemy. While the people are virtuous they cannot be subdued; but when once they lose their virtue then will be ready to surrender their liberties to the first external or internal invader.” – Samuel Adams, 1779 (emphasis mine).

“They tell us Sir, that we are weak — unable to cope with so formidable an adversary. But when shall we be stronger? Will it be the next week, or the next year? Will it be when we are totally disarmed, and when a British guard shall be stationed in every house? Shall we gather strength by irresolution and inaction? Shall we acquire the means of effectual resistance by lying supinely on our backs, and hugging the delusive phantom of hope, until our enemies shall have bound us hand and foot? Sir, we are not weak, if we make a proper use of those means which the God of nature has placed in our power.” — Patrick Henry (emphasis mine).

“Three millions of people, armed in the holy cause of liberty, and in such a country as that which we possess, are invincible by any force which our enemy can send against us. Beside, sir, we shall not fight our battles alone. There is a just God who presides over the destinies of Nations, and who will raise up friends to fight our battles for us.” — Patrick Henry (emphasis mine).

These are but a few quotes of the many that make it clear that if we are to return to our foundation, that return must include God! I exhort all of you who identify with the Tea Party movement, do not forsake the Creator by which this great land was established! I beseech you by the mercies of God that you refuse to believe in a secular awakening. Let this not simply be a move of anger but rather a move of repentance toward God. If this movement is to have a lasting result to the restoration of liberty, it cannot be simply motivated by the economy, jobs, disgust over political corruption, or the national debt. If we are to seriously make a lasting change and return to the principles of liberty, the emphasis must not be politics and economics alone clothed in secular wisdom. If we truly desire a revival of the Constitution the cry must once again be “No king but King Jesus!!!!” May the Lord use this article to His glory!