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Message to the Modernist Church

Isa 1:1 -31  The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah. Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth: for the LORD hath spoken, I have nourished and brought up children, and they have rebelled against me. 
The ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master's crib: but Israel doth not know, my people doth not consider. Ah sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a seed of evildoers, children that are corrupters: they have forsaken the LORD, they have provoked the Holy One of Israel unto anger, they are gone away backward. 
Why should ye be stricken any more? ye will revolt more and more: the whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint. 
From the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness in it; but wounds, and bruises, and putrifying sores: they have not been closed, neither bound up, neither mollified with ointment. Your country is desolate, your cities are burned with fire: your land, strangers devour it in your presence, and it is desolate, as overthrown by strangers. And the daughter of Zion is left as a cottage in a vineyard, as a lodge in a garden of cucumbers, as a besieged city. Except the LORD of hosts had left unto us a very small remnant, we should have been as Sodom, and we should have been like unto Gomorrah. Hear the word of the LORD, ye rulers of Sodom; give ear unto the law of our God, ye people of Gomorrah. To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me? saith the LORD: I am full of the burnt offerings of rams, and the fat of fed beasts; and I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or of he goats. When ye come to appear before me, who hath required this at your hand, to tread my courts? Bring no more vain oblations; incense is an abomination unto me; the new moons and sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I cannot away with; it is iniquity, even the solemn meeting. 
Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hateth: they are a trouble unto me; I am weary to bear them. And when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you: yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear: your hands are full of blood. Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil; Learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow. Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. 
If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land: But if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it. How is the faithful city become an harlot! it was full of judgment; righteousness lodged in it; but now murderers. Thy silver is become dross, thy wine mixed with water: Thy princes are rebellious, and companions of thieves: every one loveth gifts, and followeth after rewards: they judge not the fatherless, neither doth the cause of the widow come unto them. Therefore saith the Lord, the LORD of hosts, the mighty One of Israel, Ah, I will ease me of mine adversaries, and avenge me of mine enemies: And I will turn my hand upon thee, and purely purge away thy dross, and take away all thy tin: And I will restore thy judges as at the first, and thy counsellors as at the beginning: afterward thou shalt be called, The city of righteousness, the faithful city. Zion shall be redeemed with judgment, and her converts with righteousness. And the destruction of the transgressors and of the sinners shall be together, and they that forsake the LORD shall be consumed. For they shall be ashamed of the oaks which ye have desired, and ye shall be confounded for the gardens that ye have chosen. For ye shall be as an oak whose leaf fadeth, and as a garden that hath no water. And the strong shall be as tow, and the maker of it as a spark, and they shall both burn together, and none shall quench them.

McCauley in for divorce No 2

1Ti 3:2-11  A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach; Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous; One that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity; 
(For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?) Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil. Moreover he must have a good report of them which are without; lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil. Likewise must the deacons be grave, not doubletongued, not given to much wine, not greedy of filthy lucre; Holding the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience. And let these also first be proved; then let them use the office of a deacon, being found blameless. Even so must their wives be grave, not slanderers, sober, faithful in all things.
This is his second wife and he the third husband.
2010-01-28 22:57
Johannesburg - Pastor Ray McCauley's wife Zelda is going to divorce him, the Rhema Bible Church said on Thursday.
"The executive board of Rhema Bible Church and the International Federation of Christian Churches (IFCC) are sad to announce that Pastor Ray McCauley has received from Zelda notice of her intention to file for divorce," church administrator Giet Khoza said in a statement.
Ray McCauley was "devastated", but handling the matter "spiritually".
The McCauleys had been married for 10 years. It was the third marriage for Zelda, a former model.
"Both the leadership of the IFCC and Rhema Bible Church are of the firm belief that divorce is not desirable and should be the last resort. However, they would like to respect Mrs Zelda McCauley's decision to file for divorce."
McCauley, a former bodybuilder, would in the meantime take time off work.
The couple's marriage had been on the rocks before. But after lengthy mediation by church elders, the couple reconciled.
This is McCauley's second divorce.
His first wife Lyndie filed for divorce in 2000, after 21 years of marriage.
- SAPA
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Feminine Christian Graces

 

8/24/09 - 2nd Day - Morning. This will be the first of three blog posts over the next two days (Lord willing), so check back later today for a scattershooting post - because there is a lot in the news to talk about.

Our good friend Shannon asked me in the comments of the last post "What are the feminine Christian graces?", and I wanted to take the time here to answer her question, although I will not be able to do so exhaustively (I have too much other stuff to write today).

So, What are the Feminine Christian Graces?

Of course, the default "blueprint" of the virtuous woman is found in Proverbs the 31st chapter. I would not doubt that this exposition of a virtuous woman would make most modern women shrink away into a closet. The 31st of Proverbs is actual "typological" and is designed to represent the Church, and not particularly any one woman, although the representation made (the type) is evidently of those graces (gifts) that would be evident in a virtuous woman at the time this was written. But it is important for ALL of us to recognize, that this listing of virtues is principally designed to define the Body of Christ, and we all ought to be diligent about applying the lessons herein to ourselves.

But today we are talking about feminine Christian graces, so it does serve our purposes to peruse this section and mine it for valuable material, since God felt it necessary to use the virtuous woman as an example to the Church.

First, let's define Feminine Christian Graces:

Feminine: 1. Pertaining to a woman, or to women, or to females; as the female sex. 2. soft; tender; delicate. Her heavenly form angelic, but more soft and feminine. 3. Effeminate; destitute of manly qualities.

Christian: A real disciple of Christ; one who believes in the truth of the Christian religion, and studies to follow the example, and obey the precepts, of Christ; a believer in Christ who is characterized by real piety. One who is saved by Christ, born-again, and separated unto God for His purposes.

Graces: Gifts, favors, evidences of God's work wrought in the believer, excellencies of character, tendencies and proclivities that evidence regeneration and conversion.

In short, Feminine Christian Graces are gifts of God that evidence or expose a woman as a true Christian (and not a fake or a fraud); as having been the subject of the new birth, and of having a new heart and renovation of life. Feminine Christian Graces are symbols of God's miraculous and overwhelming work in the life of a woman.

It is often helpful to know what something ISN'T, in order to better identify what it IS

These are not Feminine Christian Graces:

False humility.
Immodesty.
Drawing attention to ones self, ones figure, or any (or all) physical attribute; nor is the false enhancement or amplification of any physical attribute.
False friendliness masking jealousy and envy.
Gossip.
Domination, Manipulation, or Manipulation by false or insincere submission.
Weakness, subterfuge, or trickery.
Emotion, Pride, Anger, Contrariness, Willfullness
Contentiousness
Laziness
Complaining, Whining, Griping, Nagging

I think you get the picture.

The problem is that modern society has portrayed an image of "femininity" which is not feminine at all. It is weak, tired, fake, manipulative, and whorish. Just picture in your mind the modern Charismatic woman, standing on Sunday morning in front of a mirror, plucking her eyebrows and teasing her hair, before squeezing into a tight skirt and putting on high-heels so she can go "worship Christ"; first in her singles class. She drops her children from her first marriage off and slinks into her class in the same way she used to slink into the bar or the night club. During the service she closes the eyes on her heavily made-up face (remember, "all clowns are liars") and sways to the music... and then she'll gush about how "the Holy Spirit really moved", etc. Remember, she is at the night club, not the true Church of Jesus Christ. THIS is what the world sells as Christian femininity. Like I said, sometimes we can find out what something is (or get a better feel for it), by seeing what it is not. Go to just about any street-corner "church" in America today. Write down how the women look, how they act, and examine how they work. When you are done, you should have a good idea of what Feminine Christian Graces ARE NOT.

Ok, so what are the Feminine Christian Graces?

Let us take a look at Chapter 31 of Proverbs. We'll start near the end, since in it we find a great distillation of what we should be looking for in our study: "Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the LORD, she shall be praised" (Prov. 31:30). Isn't that interesting? You see, what most women consider to be the most important (or one of the most important) things in life, the Bible calls "deceitful" - it evidences that the woman is not a Child of God, but is deceived about her condition. When a woman says "I want to do better, but I can't stop wearing makeup!", or "I just don't think covering my head makes me more spiritual", what she is really saying is, "You are trying to take from me the one thing I have that I value! I have no spiritual graces, so I cannot give up any physical ones!". When a woman says, "I want to wear pants or jeans because they are more comfortable!", she is saying, "My comfort comes before your honor, and I care not for how the Church of Jesus Christ is portrayed by me".

Unhappily, what I say is a fact, even if the woman wants to deny it.

In verse 11 of Chapter 31 of Proverbs we find that a virtuous woman is trustworthy, but not only that. She provides for the needs of her husband:

a) because it is her duty to do so, and
b) because if she does not, her husband is likely to look elsewhere

Unhappily, according to my experiences in counciling, many women are too ignorant to figure out what this means, but I won't spend any time explaining it. It's pretty obvious. In short, it is a woman's job to keep her husband home and happy. With 90%+ of the women who contact me complaining about their husbands (or their ex-husbands), I can trace their troubles to somewhere in this vicinity. To be really clear in Agrarian terms: If you do not provide feed for your cattle - do not be surprised or shocked to learn that they are in the neighbors pasture. And it IS your fault (1 Cor. 7:2-5).

Verse 12 exposes many professing "christian" women. A Godly woman's energies and her heart are to do her husband good and not evil; to make his life easier and not more difficult; to smooth his path and not disturb it. Her time ought to be spent thinking of ways to please her husband, and to make his life better. She will do Him good and not evil, all the days of his life.

Verses 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 21, 24 and 27 all point out that a virtuous woman is industrious, creative, thrifty, hard-working, intelligent, strong (and not like these weak modern women), tough, gritty, etc. Read these over and over, because there is a reason God mentioned these qualities so many times in such a short section.

Verse 20 commends a virtuous woman for being charitable. This means that she has care and love for others in her community, and that (rather than exhibiting vanity, vapidity, jealousy, and competition) she extends her heart and care towards those who have a need.

Verses 22 and 23 show that she is concerned for the reputation of her family, and for her husband. Hers is not a life of decorating just because she is vain and stupid. Hers is a life of outward work. She considers how her home looks, not because she is in love with spending her family's money on quilts, doilies, and aprons, but because she desires for her family to be considered clean and orderly. She dresses her family properly, not because she is in a competition with the neighbors, or because she can't stay out of the shops, but because the reputation of her husband is her care.

In Verse 23 we see that the woman works diligently in the home and on the farm so that her husband can serve others. When he is "at the gates", he is serving as an Elder or a counselor. She works doubly hard inside to give him the ability to work outward evangelically. Every minute that her husband is spared for this valuable duty, is a credit to his wife.

Verse 25 - She is strong, and not just outwardly. She is strong in mind and faith. She stengthens herself in the inner man so that she is automatically rewarded for her endeavors by a knowledge that she is glorifying Christ. She knows she serves Christ, and does not doubt it one bit. If doubt creeps in, then she will seek herself, her comfort, her vanity, her silly pride - so she guards against that by reminding herself that she seeks to serve Christ and His Kingdom. She is honorable because she is the "type" that God has used to represent His Bride, and she knows that the picture the world gains of the true Church is directly related to the picture she portrays of a Godly woman. In short, if the woman is dressed like a whore, uncovered, vain, fatuous, competitive, and manipulative - then it is no wonder that the Church is seen in the same light.

In Verse 26 we see that the mouth and the tongue of the virtuous woman are guarded by wisdom and prudence. When she opens her mouth, it is in wisdom, not because there are vanities and vacuous thoughts that need to spill out of a diseased mind. Her tongue is used for kindness, not vitriol, and not manipulation. She is not fake or false. If she says it, she means it.

These understandings paint a picture of a virtuous and beautiful Christian woman. While the carnal person might say, "These are all works!", it is not true at all, and that thought exposes the wicked heart that cares not for Christ's glory. These are works, sure, but they are the RESULT of a spiritual work being done in the heart of the elect of God. They are works of God on a vessel of honor. The scary thing is this...

They are almost always (I'll leave a little room for some extenuating circumstances) INEVITABLE results of a woman being born again.

***crickets***

I would like to emphasize a point before I finish. Some people might think that what I have said applies only to married women. That is not true. Every woman is, and ought to be, under some masculine authority. If she is not, then I shudder for her future, both here and at the judgment seat of Christ. And since every woman is to be under authority, then these attitudes (because that is what they really are) are to be demonstrated to any and all spiritual authority.

Women, I want you to do a little "Twilight Zone" imagining with me. Imagine, if you will, that you are busy doing whatever it is you do during the day. Close your eyes and picture yourself doing some daily task. As you are working, a messenger directly from the throne of God shows up to speak to you. It is absolutely clear to you in your mind and in your spirit, that a prophet of God has come to you to speak to you directly on behalf of the One who made everything that exists; the One who holds all of creation together with His Word. This prophet enters the room... How do you respond? Is your heart in your chest... pounding? Do you have awe and reverence? Now... Did you know that the God of Creation considers your husband (or any spiritual authority God has placed over you) to be His prophet sent to you? Did you know that God has promised to judge individuals and the world based on how they have reverenced His prophets? The way that a woman refers to, defers to, and honors her spiritual authority is a Feminine Christian Grace.

What if God sent a special servant to intervene with Him on your behalf? In the old days we called these guys "priests", but, unhappily, false religion has destroyed the impact of the term. But what if God sent a special person, an intermediary, to intervene for you before Him? Sure, you are free to pray for yourself, and to go to God directly - this we do not deny; but wouldn't it be a special sign of love if God also sent a special priest just for you? How would you treat that special messenger? Well, the Bible says that your husband or your spiritual authority is the Priest of your family. He is sent to stand for you before God, and to intervene for your soul and your eternal safety.

I could go on, because God also sent your husband or authority to serve as King to you. But if someone will not honor her husband as "husband", how can she undestand what it is to serve and honor a King? Our society has overthrown the King, so it may be too difficult for me to relay to you what deference a King deserves.

In short, Feminine Christian Graces are those excellencies of character and of spirit that are evidence of God's power overwhelming a woman in a loving way. She is baptised in faith, so that she sees God and has the ability to know what His desire is for her. She looks on her family as a special care, delivered to her by God - and knows intimately that she will give an account for what she has done with what she has received. Feminine Christian Graces are representations (types) of the true Church. If you were to write down all of the excellent characteristics of the true Church throughout time, these characteristics are plain and evident in a truly Christian woman. If the Church was patient in tribulation, then so is a Godly woman. If the Church was beautiful and strong in persecution, then so is a Godly woman. If the Church was humble and meek under the rod of correction, or the scourge of chastisement, then so is a Godly woman. If the Church ever showed love and care and self-abandonment for others, then so does a Godly woman. If the Church ever exhibited charity and goodness, then so does a Godly woman. If the Church ever prostrated herself in honor and reverence before her Husband, then so does a Godly woman.

I hope I have been clear. Now, let us open our eyes and look at the state of the so-called "church" today. She is slutty and stiff-necked, manipulative and self-centered, vain and weak. She is in Proverbs, but not in chapter 31. She is found in chapter 7. If this is true of the mainsteam "church", then it is true of most women who call themselves "Christian". I know these things, because God has given me a vision of the true Church. Pray that He will do so for you.

After all, most of you won't even call your husband "sir".

I am your servant in Christ Jesus,

Michael Bunker

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A Word to PARENTS Taken from The Ten Commandments by AW Pink

One of the saddest and most tragic features of our twentieth-century "Civilization" is the awful prevalence of disobedience on the part of children to their parents during the days of childhood, and their lack of reverence and respect when they grow up. This is evidenced in many ways, and is general, alas, even in the families of professing Christians. In his extensive travels during the past thirty years the writer has sojourned in a great many homes. The piety and beauty of some of them remain as sacred and fragrant memories, but others of them have left the most painful impressions. Children who are self-willed or spoiled, not only bring themselves into perpetual unhappiness but also inflict discomfort upon all who come into contact with them, and auger, by their conduct, evil things for the days to come.

In the vast majority of cases the children are not nearly so much to be blamed as the parents. Failure to honor father and mother, wherever it is found, is in large measure due to parental departure from the Scriptural pattern. Nowadays the father thinks that he has fulfilled his obligations by providing food and raiment for his children, and by acting occasionally as a kind of moral policeman. Too often the mother is content to be a domestic drudge, making herself the slave of her children instead of training them to be useful. She performs many a task which her daughters should do in order to allow them freedom for the frivolities of a giddy set. The consequence has been that the home, which ought to be — for its orderliness, its sanctity, and its reign of love — a miniature heaven on earth, has degenerated into "a filling station for the day and a parking place for the night," as someone has tersely expressed it.

Before outlining the duties of parents toward their children, let it be pointed out that they cannot properly discipline their children unless they have first learned to govern themselves. How can they expect to subdue self-will in their little ones and check the rise of an angry temper if their own passions are allowed free reign? The character of parents is to a very large degree reproduced in their offspring: "And Adam lived a hundred and thirty years and begat a son in his own likeness, after his image" (Gen_5:3). The parent must himself or herself be in subjection to God if he would lawfully expect obedience from his little ones. This principle is enforced in Scripture again and again: "Thou therefore which teachest another, teachest thou not thyself?" (Rom_2:20). Of the bishop, that is, elder or pastor, it is written that he must be "one that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity. For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?" (1Ti_3:5-6). And if a man or woman knows not how to rule his own spirit (Pro_25:28), how shall he care for his offspring.

God has entrusted to parents a most solemn charge, and yet a most precious privilege. It is not too much to say that in their hands are deposited the hope and blessing, or else the curse and plague, of the next generation. Their families are the nurseries of both Church and State, and according to the cultivating of them now will be their fruitfulness hereafter. Oh, how prayerfully and carefully should you who are parents discharge your trust. Most assuredly God will require an account of the children from your hands, for they are His, and only lent to your care and keeping. The task assigned you is no easy one, especially in these superlatively evil days. Nevertheless, if trustfully and earnestly sought, the grace of God will be found sufficient in this responsibility as in others. The Scriptures supply us with rules to go by, with promises to lay hold of, and, we may add, with fearful warnings lest we treat the matter lightly.

Instruct Your Children

We have space to mention but four of the principal duties devolving on parents. First, it is your duty to instruct your children. "And these words which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: and thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up" (Deu_6:6-7). This work is far too important to allocate to others; parents, and not Sabbath School teachers, are Divinely required to educate their little ones. Nor is this to be an occasional or sporadic thing, but one that is to have constant attention. The glorious character of God, the requirements of His holy Law, the exceeding sinfulness of sin, the wondrous gift of His Son, and the fearful doom which is the certain portion of all who despise and reject Him are to be brought repeatedly before the minds of your little ones. "They are too young to understand such things" is the Devil’s argument to deter you from discharging your duty.

"And ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord" (Eph_6:4). It is to be noted that the "fathers" are here specifically addressed, and this for two reasons:

(1) because they are the heads of their families and their government is especially committed to them; and

(2) because they are prone to transfer this duty to their wives. This instruction is to be given by reading to them the Holy Scriptures and enlarging upon those things most agreeable to their age. This should be followed by catechizing them. A continued discourse to the young is not nearly so effective as when it is diversified by questions and answers. If they know they will be questioned on what you read, they will listen more closely, and the formulating of answers teaches them to think for themselves. Such a method is also found to make the memory more retentive, for answering definite questions fixes more specific ideas in the mind. Observe how often Christ asked His disciples questions.

Be a Good Example

Second, good instruction is to be accompanied by good example. That teaching which issues only from the lips is not at all likely to sink any deeper than the ears. Children are particularly quick to detect inconsistencies and to despise hypocrisy. It is at this point that parents need to be most on their faces before God, daily seeking from Him that grace that they so sorely need and that He alone can supply. What care you need to take, lest you say or do anything before your children that would tend to corrupt their minds or be of evil consequence for them to follow! How you need to be constantly on your guard against anything which might render you mean and contemptible in the eyes of those who should respect and revere you! The parent is not only to instruct his children in the ways of holiness, but is himself to walk before them in those ways, and show by his practice and demeanor what a pleasant and profitable thing it is to be regulated by the Divine Law.

In a Christian home the supreme aim should be household piety — the honoring of God at all times. Everything else must be subordinated to this high purpose. In the matter of family life, neither husband nor wife can throw on the other all the responsibility for the religious character of the home. The mother is most certainly required to supplement the efforts of the father, for the children enjoy far more of her company than they do of his. If there is a tendency in fathers to be too strict and severe, mothers are prone to be too lax and lenient; and they need to be much on their guard against anything which would weaken their husband’s authority. When he has forbidden a thing, she must not give her consent to it. It is striking to note that the exhortation of Eph_6:4 is preceded by instruction to "be filled with the Spirit" (Eph_5:18), while the parallel exhortation in Col_3:21 is preceded by the exhortation to "let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly" (Col_3:16), showing that parents cannot possibly discharge their duties unless they are filled with the Spirit and the Word.

Discipline Your Children

Third, instruction and example is to be enforced by correction and discipline. This means, first of all, the exercise of authority — the proper reign of Law. Of "the father of the faithful" God said, "For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the Lord to do justice and judgment; that the Lord may bring upon Abraham that which He hath spoken of him" (Gen_18:19). Ponder this carefully, Christian fathers. Abraham did more than proffer good advice; he enforced law and order in his household. The rules he administered had for their design the keeping of "the way of the Lord" — that which was right in His sight. And this duty was performed by the patriarch in order that the blessing of God might rest on his family. No family can be properly brought up without household laws, which include reward and punishment, and these are especially important in early childhood, when as yet moral character is unformed and moral motives are not understood or appreciated.

Rules should be simple, clear, reasonable, and inflexible like the Ten Commandments — a few great moral rules, instead of a multitude of petty restrictions. One way of needlessly provoking children to wrath is to hamper them with a thousand trifling restrictions and minute regulations that are capricious and are due to a fastidious temper in the parent. It is of vital importance for the child’s future good that he or she should be brought into subjection at an early age. An untrained child means a lawless adult. Our prisons are crowded with those who were allowed to have their own way during their minority. The least offense of a child against the rulers of the home ought not to pass without due correction, for if he finds leniency in one direction or toward one offense he will expect the same toward others. And then disobedience will become more frequent till the parent has no control save that of brute force.

The teaching of Scripture is crystal clear on this point. "Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child; but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him" (Pro_22:15; and cf. Pro_23:13-14). Therefore God has said, "He that spareth the rod hateth his son: but he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes (speedily)" (Pro_13:24). And again, "Chasten thy son while there is hope, and let not thy soul spare for his crying" (Pro_19:18). Let not a foolish fondness stay thee. Certainly God loves His children with a much deeper parental affection that you can love yours, yet He tells us, "As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten" (Rev_3:19; and cf. Heb_12:6). "The rod and reproof give wisdom: but a child left to himself bringeth his mother to shame" (Pro_29:15). Such severity must be used in his early years, before age and obstinacy have hardened the child against the fear and smart of correction. Spare the rod, and you spoil the child; use it not on him, and you lay up one for your own back.

It should hardly need pointing out that the above Scriptures are by no means teaching that a reign of terror is to mark the home life. Children can be governed and chastened in such a way that they lose not their respect and affection for their parents. Beware of souring their temper by unreasonable demands, or provoking their wrath by striking them to vent your own rage. The parent is to punish a disobedient child not because he is angry, but because it is right — because God requires it, and the welfare of the child demands it. Never make a threat which you have no intention of executing, nor a promise you do not mean to perform. Remember that for your children to be well informed is good, but for them to be well controlled is better.

Pay close attention to the unconscious influences of a child’s surroundings. Study how to make your home attractive, not by introducing carnal and worldly things, but by noble ideals, by the inculcating of a spirit of unselfishness, by genial and happy fellowship. Separate the little ones from evil associates. Watch carefully the periodicals and books which come into your home, the occasional guests which sit at your table, and the companionships that your children form. Parents often carelessly let others have free access to their children who undermine the parental authority, overturn the parental ideals, and sow seeds of frivolity and iniquity before they are aware. Never let your child spend a night among strangers. So train your children that your girls will be useful and helpful members of their generation and your boys industrious and self-supporting.

Pray for Your Children

Fourth, the last and most important duty, respecting both the temporal and spiritual good of your children, is fervent supplication to God for them; for without this all the rest will be ineffectual. Means are unavailing unless the Lord blesses them. The Throne of Grace is to be earnestly implored that your efforts to bring up your children for God may be crowned with success. True, there must be a humble submission to His sovereign will, a bowing before the truth of Election. On the other hand, it is the privilege of faith to lay hold of the Divine promises and to remember that the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. Of holy Job it is recorded concerning his sons and daughters that he rose up early in the morning and offered burnt offerings according to the number of them all" (Job_1:5). A prayerful atmosphere should pervade the home and be breathed by all who share it.

THE END

ARE YOU SURE YOU LIKE SPURGEON?

 

By Alan Maben

"The doctrine of justification itself, as preached by an Arminian, is nothing but the doctrine of salvation by works..." -- C.H. Spurgeon

Praised by many evangelicals as a great preacher, Charles H. Spurgeon is considered a successful and "safe" example of a "non-theological" ministry. His works are recommended as a means to lead many aspiring pastors into developing their own successful ministries. His Lectures to My Students are often used for this purpose, emphasizing the "practical" aspects of evangelism. But while the form of Spurgeon's successful preaching is often studied by would-be pastors, the content of this Christian giant's preaching and teaching is often ignored. Rather Spurgeon is popularly thought to have heartily approved of the same theology that is presently dominating American culture: Arminianism.

Many Christian leaders, for instance, like to point out Spurgeon as one who also had no formal college training. They ignore the fact that he had a personal library containing more that 10,000 books.1 It is further argued that the success of his ministry in the mid-to-late 19th century was due to his anti-intellectual piety, "his yieldedness to the Spirit," and his Arminianism. The fact is, Spurgeon was not anti-intellectual, nor did he entertain delusions of being so holy that he could allow God to work only if he was "yielded." Most importantly, he was not an Arminian. He was a staunch Calvinist who opposed the dominant religious view of his day (and of ours), Arminianism.2 Even toward the end of his life he could write, "From this doctrine I have not departed to this day." 3 He was grateful that he never wavered from his Calvinism.4 "There is no soul living who holds more firmly to the doctrine of grace than do I..."5 Reading Spurgeon's beliefs, one will see that this tremendously fruitful ministry was built upon the preaching of the biblical gospel.

In his work, "A Defence of Calvinism," he states unequivocally: [T]here is no such thing as preaching Christ and Him crucified, unless we preach what nowadays is called Calvinism. It is a nickname to call it Calvinism; Calvinism is the gospel, and nothing else. I do not believe we can preach the gospel, if we do not preach justification by faith, without works; nor unless we preach the sovereignty of God in His dispensation of grace; nor unless we exalt the electing, unchangeable, eternal, immutable, conquering love of Jehovah; nor do I think we can preach the gospel, unless we base it upon the special and particular redemption of His elect and chosen people which Christ wrought out upon the cross; nor can I comprehend a gospel which lets saints fall away after they are called, and suffers the children of God to be burned in the fires of damnation

Here Spurgeon affirms his agreement with what are usually called "The Five Points of Calvinism." Spurgeon's own summation was much shorter: A Calvinist believes that salvation is of the Lord.7 Selections from his sermons and writings on these subjects make his position clear.

Regarding Total Depravity and Irresistible Grace:
When you say, "Can God make me become a Christian?" I tell you yes, for herein rests the power of the gospel. It does not ask your consent; but it gets it. It does not say, "Will you have it?" but it makes you willing in the day of God's power....The gospel wants not your consent, it gets it. It knocks the enmity out of your heart. You say, I do not want to be saved; Christ says you shall be. He makes our will turn round, and then you cry,"'Lord save, or I perish!"8

Regarding Unconditional Election:
I do not hesitate to say, that next to the doctrine of the crucifixion and the resurrection of our blessed Lord--no doctrine had such prominence in the early Christian Church as the doctrine of the election of grace.9 And when confronted with the discomfort this doctrine would bring, he responded with little sympathy: "'I do not like it [divine election],' saith one. Well, I thought you would not; whoever dreamed you would?"10

Regarding Particular Atonement:
[I]f it was Christ's intention to save all men, how deplorably has he been disappointed, for we have His own testimony that there is a lake which burneth with fire and brimstone, and into that pit of woe have been cast some of the very persons who, according to the theory of universal redemption, were bought with His blood.11

He has punished Christ, why should He punish twice for one offence? Christ has died for all His people's sins, and if thou art in the covenant, thou art one of Christ's people. Damned thou canst not be. Suffer for thy sins thou canst not. Until God can be unjust, and demand two payments for one debt, He cannot destroy the soul for whom Jesus died.12

Regarding the Perseverance of the Saints:
I do not know how some people, who believe that a Christian can fall from grace, manage to be happy. It must be a very commendable thing in them to be able to get through a day without despair. If I did not believe in the doctrine of the final perseverance of the saints, I think I should be of all men most miserable, because I should lack any ground of comfort.13
The selections above indicate that C. H. Spurgeon was without a doubt an affirmed, self-professing Calvinist who made his ministry's success dependent upon truth, unwilling to consider the "Five Points of Calvinism" as separate, sterile categories to be memorized and believed in isolation from each other or Scripture. He often blended the truths represented by the Five Points, because they actually are mutually supportive parts of a whole, and not five little sections of faith added to one's collection of Christian beliefs. Spurgeon never presented them as independent oddities to be believed as the sum of Christianity. Rather, he preached a positive gospel, ever mindful that these beliefs were only part of the whole counsel of God and not the sum total. These points were helpful, defensive summaries, but they did not take the place of the vast theater of redemption within which God's complete and eternal plan was worked out in the Old and New Testaments.

Certain that the Cross was an offense and stumbling block, Spurgeon was unwilling to make the gospel more acceptable to the lost. "The old truth that Calvin preached, that Augustine preached, is the truth that I must preach today, or else be false to my conscience and to God. I cannot shape the truth; I know of no such thing as paring off the rough edges of a doctrine."14 Elsewhere he challenged "I cannot find in Scripture any other doctrine than this. It is the essence of the Bible....Tell me anything contrary to this truth, and it will be heresy..."15 Spurgeon believed that the price of ridicule and rejection was not counted so high that he should refuse to preach this gospel: "[W]e are reckoned the scum of creation; scarcely a minister looks on us or speaks favorable of us, because we hold strong vies upon the divine sovereignty of God, and his divine electings and special love towards His own people."16

Then, as now, the dominant objection to such preaching was that it would lead to licentious living. Since Christ "did it all," there was no need for them to obey the commands of Scripture. Aside from the fact that we should not let sinful people decide what kind of gospel we will preach, Spurgeon had his own rebuttals to this confusion:

[I]t is often said that the doctrines we believe have a tendency to lead us to sin....I ask the man who dares to say that Calvinism is a licentious religion, what he thinks of the character of Augustine, or Calvin, or Whitefield, who in successive ages were the great exponents of the systems of grace; or what will he say of the Puritans, whose works are full of them? Had a man been an Arminian in those days, he would have been accounted the vilest heretic breathing, but now we are looked upon as the heretics, and they as orthodox. We have gone back to the old school; we can trace our descent from the apostles....We can run a golden line up to Jesus Christ Himself, through a holy succession of mighty fathers, who all held these glorious truths; and we can ask concerning them, "Where will you find holier and better men in the world?"17

His attitude toward those who would distort the gospel for their own ideas of "holiness" is clear from the following: No doctrine is so calculated to preserve a man from sin as the doctrine of the grace of God. Those who have called it 'a licentious doctrine' did not know anything at all about it. Poor ignorant things, they little knew that their own vile stuff was the most licentious doctrine under Heaven.18

According to Spurgeon (and Scripture as well), the response of gratitude is the motive for holy living, not the uncertain status of the believer under the influence of Arminianism and its accompanying legalism. "The tendency of Arminianism is towards legality; it is nothing but legality which lays at the root of Arminianism."19 He was very clear on the dangerous relationship of Arminianism to legalism: "Do you not see at once that this is legality--that this is hanging our salvation upon our work--that this is making our eternal life to depend upon something we do? Nay, the doctrine of justification itself, as preached by an Arminianism, is nothing but the doctrine of salvation by works...."20

A status before God based upon how we "use" Christ and the Spirit to feign righteousness was a legalism hated by Spurgeon. As in our day, Spurgeon saw that one of the strongholds of Arminianism included the independent churches.21 Arminianism was a natural, God-rejecting, self-exalting religion and heresy.22 As Spurgeon believed, we are born Arminians by nature.23 He saw this natural aversion to God as encouraged by believing self-centered, self-exalting fancies. "If you believe that everything turns upon the free-will of man, you will naturally have man as its principal figure in your landscape."24 And again he affirms the remedy for this confusion to be true doctrine. "I believe that very much of current Arminianism is simply ignorance of gospel doctrine."25 Further, "I do not serve the god of the Arminians at all; I have nothing to do with him, and I do not bow down before the Baal they have set up; he is not my God, nor shall he ever be; I fear him not, nor tremble at his presence...The God that saith today and denieth tomorrow, that justifieth today and condemns the next...is no relation to my God in the least degree. He may be a relation of Ashtaroth or Baal, but Jehovah never was or can be his name."26 Refusing to compromise the gospel in any way, he soundly refuted and rejected common attempts to unite Calvinism and Arminianism into a synthesized belief. Nor would he downplay the importance of the differences between the two systems:

This may seem to you to be of little consequence, but it really is a matter of life and death. I would plead with every Christian--think it over, my dear brother. When some of us preach Calvinism, and some Arminianism, we cannot both be right; it is of not use trying to think we can be--'Yes,' and 'no,' cannot both be true.Truth does not vacillate like the pendulum which shakes backwards and forwards....One must be right; the other wrong.27

Alan Maben

Notes

1. Walter A. Elwell, ed. Evangelical Dictonary of Theology (Grand Rapids,
Michigan: Baker Book House, 1984), s.v. "Spurgeon, Charles Haddon," by J. E. Johnson. 2. From sermon cited in Iain Murray, The Forgotten Spurgeon, 2d ed., (Carlisle, PA: Banner of Truth, 1986), 52. 3. "A Defense of Calvinism," by C. H. Spurgeon, in C. H. Spurgeon Autobiography, eds. S. Spurgeon and J. Harrold, Rev ed., vol I, The Early Years 1834-1859 (Carlisle, PA: Banner of Truth, 1976: reprint), 165. 4. J. E. Johnson, 1051 5. Spurgeon, "A Defense of Calvinism," 173. 6. Ibid. 168. 7. Ibid., 168. 8. As cited in Murray, 93. 9. From a sermon cited in Murray, Ibid., 44. 10. Ibid., 60. 11. Spurgeon, 172. 12. From a sermon cited in Murray, 245. 13. Spurgeon, 169. 14. Ibid., 162. 15. Ibid., 168. 16. Murray, 168. 17. Spurgeon, 174. 18. Ibid. 19. Murray, 79. 20. Ibid., 81. 21. Murray, 53. 22. spurgeon, 168. 23. Ibid., 164. 24. Murray, 111. 25. Ibid., 68. 26. Spurgeon's Sermons, vol. 6 (Baker, 1989), p.241 27. Murray, op. cit., 57.

 

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Excerpt from the Life of Elijah by AW Pink

"Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil" (Eccl. 8:11). Since retribution does not promptly overtake evil doers, they harden their hearts still further, becoming increasingly reckless, supposing that judgment will never fall upon them. Therein they err, for they are but treasuring up unto themselves "wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God" (Rom. 2:5). Note well that word, "revelation." The "righteous judgment of God" is now more or less in abeyance, but there is a set time, an appointed "Day," when it shall be made fully manifest. The Divine vengeance comes slowly, yet it comes none the less surely. Nor has God left Himself without plain witness of this. Throughout the course of this world’s history He has, every now and then, given a clear and public proof of His "righteous judgment," by making an example of some notorious rebel and evidencing His abhorrence of him in the sight of men. He did so with Ahab, with Belshazzar, and with others since then, and though in the great majority of instances the heavens may be silent and apparently impervious, yet those exceptions are sufficient to show "the heavens do rule," and should enable the wronged to possess their souls in patience.

Excerpt from the Life of Elijah by AW Pink

Ahab approached Naboth, the owner of this vineyard, and offered to give him a better one for it or to purchase it for cash. Apparently that was an innocent proposal: in reality it was a subtle temptation. "The land shall not be sold forever (outright): for the land is Mine" (Lev. 25:23); "so shall not the inheritance of the children of Israel remove from tribe to tribe: for every one of the children of Israel shall keep himself to the inheritance of the tribe of his fathers" (Num. 36:7). Thus it lay not within the lawful power of Naboth to dispose of his vineyard. But for that, there could have been no harm in meeting the equitable offer of Ahab, nay it had been discourteous, even churlish, to refuse his sovereign. But however desirous Naboth might be of granting the king’s request, he could not do so without violating the Divine Law which expressly forbade a man’s alienating any part of the family inheritance. Thus a very real and severe test was now presented to Naboth: he had to choose between pleasing the king and displeasing the King of kings.

There are times when the believer may be forced to choose between compliance with human law and obedience to the Divine Law. The three Hebrews were faced with that alternative when it was demanded that they should bow down and worship an image set up by Nebuchadnezzar (Dan. 3:14, 15). Peter and John were confronted with a similar situation when the Sanhedrin for bade them preach any more in the name of Jesus (Acts 4:18). When the government orders any of God’s children to work seven days in the factories, they are being asked to disobey the Divine statute, "Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy." While rendering to Caesar the things which Caesar may justly require, under no circumstances must we fail to render unto God those which He demands of us, and if we should be bidden to rob God, our duty is plain and clear: the inferior law must yield to the higher—loyalty to God takes precedence over all other considerations. The examples of the three Hebrews and the apostles leave no room for doubt on this point. How thankful we should be that the laws of our country so rarely conflict with the Law of God.

"And Naboth said to Ahab, The Lord forbid it me, that I should give the inheritance of my fathers unto thee," 21. 3. He started back with horror from such a proposal, looking upon it with alarm as a temptation to commit a horrible sin. Naboth took his stand on the written Word of God and refused to act contrary thereto, even when solicited to do so by the king himself. He was one of the seven thousand whom the Lord had reserved unto Himself, a member of the "remnant according to the election of grace." Hereby do such identify themselves, standing out from the compromisers and temporizers. A "Thus saith the Lord" is final with them: neither monetary inducements nor threats of punishment can move them to disregard it. "Whether it be right in the sigh: of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye" (Acts 4:19), is their defence when browbeaten by the powers that be. Settle it in your mind, my reader, it is no sin, no wrong, to defy human authorities if they should require of you anything which manifestly clashes with the Law of the Lord. On the other hand, the Christian should be a pattern to others of a law-abiding citizen, so long as God’s claims upon him be not infringed.

Ahab was greatly displeased by Naboth’s refusal, for in the thwarting of his desire his pride was wounded, and so vexed was he to meet with this denial that he sulked like a spoiled child when his will is crossed. The king so took to heart his disappointment that he became miserable, took to his bed and refused nourishment. What a picture of the poor rich! Millionaires and those in high office are not to be envied, for neither material wealth nor worldly honours can bring contentment to the heart. Solomon proved that: he was permitted to possess everything the natural man craved, and then found it all to be nothing but "vanity and vexation of spirit." Is there not a solemn warning here for each of us? How we need to heed that word of Christ’s, "Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth" (Luke 12:15). Coveting is a being dissatisfied with the portion God has given me and lusting after something which belongs to my neighbour. Inordinate desires always lead to vexation, unfitting us to enjoy what is ours.

"But Jezebel his wife came to him, and said unto him, Why is thy spirit so sad that thou eatest no bread? And he said unto her, Because I spake unto Naboth the Jezreelite, and said unto him, Give me thy vineyard for money; or else, if it please thee, I will give thee another vineyard for it: and he answered, I will not give thee my vineyard" (vv. 5, 6). How easy it is to misrepresent the most upright. Ahab made no mention of Naboth’s conscientious grievance for not complying with his request, but speaks of him as though he had acted only with insubordination and obstinacy. On hearing that statement, Jezebel at once revealed her awful character: "Dost thou now govern the kingdom of Israel? arise, and eat bread, and let thine heart be merry: I will give thee the vineyard of Naboth" (v. 7). As Matthew Henry expressed it, "Under pretence of comforting her afflicted husband, she feeds his pride and passion, blowing the coals of his corruptions." She sympathized with his unlawful desire, strengthened his feeling of disappointment, tempted him to exercise an arbitrary power, and urged him to disregard the rights of another and defy the Law of God. Are you going to allow a subject to balk you? Be not so squeamish: use your royal power: instead of grieving over a repulse, revenge it.

The most diabolical stratagem was now planned by this infamous woman in order to wrest the inheritance of Naboth from him. First, she resorted to forgery, for we are told "she wrote letters in Ahab’s name, and sealed them with his seal, and sent the letters unto the elders and to the nobles that were in his city, dwelling with Naboth" (v. 8). Second, she was guilty of deliberate hypocrisy. "Proclaim a fast" (v. 9), so as to convey the impression that some horrible wickedness had been discovered, threatening the city with Divine judgment unless the crime were expiated—history contains ample proof that the vilest crimes have often been perpetrated under the cloak of religion. Third, she drew not the line at out-and-out perjury, suborning men to testify falsely: "set Naboth on high among the people (under color of giving him a fair trial by legal prosecution), and set two men, sons of Belial, before him, to bear witness against him, saying, Thou didst blaspheme God and the king" (v. 10)—thus even in "the place of judgment wickedness was there," Eccl. 3. 16.

Here was a woman who sowed sin with both hands. She not only led Ahab deeper into iniquity, but she dragged the elders and nobles of the city into the mire of her Devil-inspired crime. She made the sons of Belial, the false witnesses, even worse than they were before. She became both a robber and a murderess, filching from Naboth both his good name and heritage. The elders and nobles of Israel were base enough to carry out her orders—sure sign was this that the kingdom was ripe for judgment: when those in high places are godless and conscienceless, it will not be long ere the wrath of the Lord falls on those over whom they preside. At the instigation of those nobles and elders, Naboth was "carried forth out of the city and stoned with stones that he died" (v. 13)—his sons also suffering a similar fate (2 Kings 9:26), that the entail might be cut off.

Let it be well attended to that this unprincipled woman, so full of limitless ambition and lust of power, is not only an historical personage, but the predictive symbol of a nefarious and apostate system. The letters to the seven churches in Revelation 2 and 3 supply a prophetic outline of the history of Christendom. That of Thyatira, which portrays Romanism, makes mention of "that woman Jezebel" (2:20), and striking are the parallels between this queen and the monstrous system which has its headquarters at the Vatican. Jezebel was not a Jewess, but a heathen princess, and Romanism is not a product of Christianity but of paganism. Scholars tell us her name has a double meaning (according to its Zidonian and Hebrew significations): "a chaste virgin"—which is what Rome professes to be: and "a dunghill"—what Rome is in God’s sight. She reigned in power as Israel’s queen, Ahab being merely her tool: kings are the puppets of Rome. She set up an idolatrous priesthood. She slew the Lord’s servants. She employed dishonest and fiendish methods to obtain her ends. She met with a terrible end.

As Jezebel was a prophetic symbol of that Satanic system known as the Papacy, Naboth was a blessed type of the Lord Jesus. First, he possessed a vineyard: so also did Christ (Matthew 21:33). Second, as Naboth’s vineyard was desired by one who had no respect for God’s Law so was Christ’s (Matthew 21:38). Third, each was tempted to disobey God and part with his inheritance (Matthew 4:9). Fourth, each refused to heed the voice of the Tempter. Fifth, each was falsely accused by those who sought his death. Sixth, each was charged with "blaspheming God and the king" (Matthew 26:65; Luke 23:1, 2). Seventh, each was put to death by violent hands. Eighth, each was slain "outside" the city (Heb. 13:12-14). Ninth, the murderers of each were charged with their crime (1 Kings 21:19; Acts 2:22, 23). Tenth, the murderers of each were destroyed by Divine judgment (1 Kings 21:19-23; Matthew 21:41; 22.7).

"And it came to pass, when Jezebel heard that Naboth was stoned, and was dead, that Jezebel said to Ahab, Arise, take possession of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreeite, which he refused to give thee for money: for Naboth is not alive, but dead. And it came to pass, when Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, that Ahab rose up to go down to the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, to take possession of it" (vv. 15, 16). Jezebel was permitted to carry out her vile scheme and Ahab to acquire the coveted vineyard. By his action he testified his approval of all that had been done, and thus became sharer of its guilt. There is a class of people who refuse personally to commit crime, yet scruple not to use their employees and hired agents to do so, and then take advantage of their villainies to enrich themselves. Let such conscienceless rascals and all who consider themselves shrewd in sharing unrighteous gains know that in God’s sight they are partakers of the sins of those who did the dirty work for them and will yet be punished accordingly. Many another since the days of Ahab and Jezebel has been allowed to reach the goal of his lusts even at the price of fraud, lying, dishonesty and cruel bloodshed. But in due course each shall discover that "The triumphing of the wicked is short, and the joy of the hypocrite but for a moment" (Job. 20:5).

Meanwhile the Lord God had been a silent spectator of the whole transaction with respect to Naboth. He knew its atrocity, however disguised by the impious semblance of religion and law. As He is infinitely superior to kings and dictators, so He is qualified to call them to account; and as He is infinitely righteous, He will execute judgment upon them without respect to persons. Scarcely had that horrible crime been committed than Ahab is reckoned with. "And the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, Arise, go down to meet Ahab king of Israel, which is in Samaria: behold, he is in the vineyard of Naboth, whither he is gone down to possess it. And thou shalt speak unto him, saying, Thus saith the Lord, Hast thou killed, and also taken possession? And thou shalt speak unto him, saying, Thus saith the Lord, In the place where dogs licked the blood of Naboth shall dogs lick thy blood, even thine" (vv. 17-19). Here was the prophet’s ordeal: to confront the king, charge him with his wickedness, and pronounce sentence upon him in God’s name.

Obama's Biblical Ignorance Shows

The James Hartline Report

- On The Frontlines Of The Culture War -

July 2, 2008

A Former Homosexual Confronts The Distorted Gay Theology Of Democratic Presidential Candidate Barak Obama

~ By Christian Activist and Former Homosexual James Hartline ~

     For thirty years I was trapped inside of the homosexual lifestyle.  In 2000, after years of struggling, I was completely set free and I have never gone back to the sin of homosexuality.  From being a captive to homosexuality to the full liberty that comes with the salvation granted me by Jesus Christ, I have indeed experienced the full parameters of the homosexual movement and the born-again Christian life.

     From the time that I started attending church as a young boy, I was taught that homosexuality is a sin.  Having spent many years of intense study in the Bible, I can safely conclude that the revelations of Jesus Christ in His word do convey that God considers homosexuality to be a grave and destructive sin.  Fortunately for me, God's word did not end with information about the depravity of homosexuality or the consequences for practicing such sin.  The Bible also taught me how to get free from homosexuality and to stay free.

     So, to me it was quite a stunning display of theological shallowness, when Democratic presidential candidate Barak Obama recently began to articulate an entirely new religious doctrine on the issue of homosexuality.  Had he discovered something left undiscovered on the matter, something that I had overlooked in my twenty-five years of Bible study?  How is it that a presidential candidate who claims to have attended a Christian church for twenty years is now declaring a new doctrine on homosexuality, a doctrine that I have never heard preached before by scholarly Evangelical ministers?  Barak Obama's publicly articulated religious platform attempts to invalidate my own personal beliefs and experiences regarding homosexuality by promoting a new doctrine that claims Jesus embraces homosexuality as does Barak Obama himself.

     According to the Cybercast News Service, Senator Obama told a crowd at Hocking College in Nelsonville, Ohio, on March 2, 2008, that he believes the Sermon on the Mount justifies his support for legal recognition of same-sex unions. He also told the crowd that his position in favor of legalized abortion does not make him "less Christian."

     Obama then proceeded to diminish other New Testament verses related to homosexuality to legitimize his embracement of government support for homosexual civil unions.  "I don't think it [a same-sex union] should be called marriage, but I think that it is a legal right that they should have that is recognized by the state," said Obama. "If people find that controversial then I would just refer them to the Sermon on the Mount, which I think is, in my mind, for my faith, more central than an obscure passage in Romans."

     It appears that Senator Obama is intent on politicizing religion as a matter of electoral convenience.  When speaking to homosexual activists, Obama regularly attempts to categorize the homosexual issue in the context of equality for sexuality via legislating the newly formed types of family as created by the gay, lesbian and transsexual agenda.  When speaking to the religious communities, Obama switches off his gay-friendly rhetoric for one that gives the appearance that he is theologically confident.  Picking and choosing Biblical scriptures that have little to do with proving God's true opinion of homosexuality, the Democratic presidential candidate demonstrates that he has little, if any, theological understanding of Christianity, much less something as significant as the eternal destinies of those who practice homosexuality and lesbianism.

     For all general purposes, Barak Obama is part of a new, liberal extremism, that places little value on true Biblical scholarship.  These new prophets of the religious left can often be heard saying that Jesus never said anything about the issue of homosexuality, thus they believe that they have Christ's blessing to encourage men to engage in the destructive act of sodomy and women to engage in the demeaning act of lesbianism.  Some homosexual activists have even taken the cross through such a guttural experience as to claim that God created them homosexual, thus causing them to erroneously conclude that their homosexuality is a gift from God.

     I thank God that the Holy Spirit actually encouraged me to read the Bible for myself rather than leaving my eternal destiny in the hands of some homosexual activist who is dawning religious garb while speaking from a polluted pulpit of their own creation.  I remember crying out to God when I was in my own depraved days of homosexuality.  I can remember in my many years of suffering through homosexuality that I attended some of the services at Metropolitan Community Church (MCC).  What a sad and depressing experience that was. The MCC minister teaches that homosexuality should be embraced, much like Barak Obama does.  I remember the MCC assistant pastor who spent Saturday nights at a San Diego bathhouse having sex with multiple partners before he went to church on Sunday morning.  I recall another MCC minister who allowed cocaine in his apartment, along with sexual orgies, as a warm up for the Sunday morning services where the "gay is okay" gospel would be introduced to the confused and unrepentant congregation.

     While Barak Obama and the advocates of the new religious left refuse to accept what the Bible actually says on the matter of homosexuality, my Bible studies have clearly concluded that a man or woman who engages in homosexuality and refuses to repent are doomed to eternal damnation.  It is the saddest of sad outcomes to contemplate any man or woman going to hell.  What makes Barak Obama's actions all the more abominable is that he is encouraging men and women to embrace that which will doom them to hell at the same time that he claims to be a "christian."  If Barak Obama had his way, I would still be on that same dark path that was sending me to hell.  Fortunately I found the real Christ, rather than the deceptive one that Democratic presidential candidate Barak Obama and his "it's hip to be horrible" pastor, Jeremiah Wright, advocate.

      While Jesus did not focus on the issue of homosexuality in his ministry, He did speak extensively on the issue as indicated in the Holy Bible.  Homosexuality was considered to be an abomination in the times of Jesus. Thus, as a Jewish leader in ancient Israel, He would not have been confronted with it in Jewish society.  Nevertheless, Christ did address the issue, contrary to these new false theologians of the religious left who claim that Jesus never spoke on the issue.

     Jesus warned His disciples that in the last days there would be a reappearance of the times of Sodom and Gomorrah on the earth.  In addition to those dark times, the earth would be reignited with the environment that led to the original flood.  Jesus said in Luke Chapter 17:

"And just as it happened in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man: they were eating, they were drinking, they were marrying, they were being given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the floodcame and destroyed them all."   "It was the same as happened in the days of Lot:

they were eating, they were drinking, they were buying, they were selling, they were planting, they were building; but on the day that Lot went out from Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all."

Luke 17:26-29

     Why did Jesus warn His disciples, and Barak Obama, and James Hartline about the destruction of Sodom and the times of Noah as a precursor to His return upon the earth? Jesus said in Luke 17:30, "Thus it will be in the last days when the Son of Man is revealed."

     Jesus emphasized a concluding passage to the reoccurrence of Sodom and the time of Noah prior to His return with this statement:  "Whoever seeks to keep his life will lose it, and whoever loses {his life} will preserve it."

      The answer to getting out of homosexuality is to repent as I did.  In order to overcome the sin of homosexuality a person must lose his or her life.  In other words, the man or woman in bondage to homosexuality must give away their life of bondage to that sin to gain the eternal life promised to the born-again believer. This concept of denying self runs counter to the advocacy of Barak Obama and his embracement of the homosexual lifestyle.

      Clearly, the words of Jesus on the matter of the return of Sodom in the last days has never been more true.  The entire mentality behind the homosexual movement is self-indulgence and self-worship.  That is why Jesus emphasized the solution to overcoming homosexuality is to lose one's life, one's self-centered obsession with sexual sin, in order to preserve one's life in accordance with God's eternal way of life.  The man who habitually engages in homosexuality cannot apprehend a life of denying himself because his focus is on self, self-fulfillment, self-pleasure, all dynamics which are at odds with the sacrificial life of Jesus Christ.

     Moses, under instruction from God Almighty, spoke to Israel about a nation and its leaders who are determined to rebel against the Word of the Lord.  Never have those words rung more true then today as Democratic presidential candidate Barak Obama and his followers attempt to force America to embrace the catastrophic ideology of sexual anarchy and the homosexualization of this nation.  Moses said:

"They have acted corruptly toward Him, {They are} not His children, because of their defect; they are a perverse and crooked generation...."

"For they are a nation lacking in counsel, And there is no understanding in them.

"For their vine is from the vine of Sodom, And from the fields of Gomorrah; Their grapes are grapes of poison, Their clusters, bitter.

"Their wine is the venom of serpents, And the deadly poison of cobras."

Deuteronomy 32:5,28,32-33

     Does Barak Obama now know more than Moses as he seeks to seduce a nation into accepting his new found religious doctrine on homosexuality?  Is he so daring in his self-described theological ideals to claim a better Christianity than the one introduced by Jesus Christ himself?

     Jesus spoke to the Apostle John about the consequences for homosexuality in the Book of Revelation.  In complete contradiction to the false teachings of the homosexual activist who claims Jesus never said anything about homosexuality, the Book of Revelation contains extensive insights on the matter.

     In defining the heaven to come for mankind, Jesus warned the Apostle John about those who would not be permitted to enter into the New Jerusalem.  Jesus said:

"Outside are the dogs and the sorcerers and the immoral persons and the murderers and the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices lying."

Revelation 22:15

     Not only did Jesus list various types of sinners who would not be in heaven, He gave a specific warning that those who love and practice lying would also be denied access to heaven. They will, in fact, be eternally doomed.  Barak Obama and his fellow advocates of homosexuality are clearly categorized as sinners who love to tell a lie and practice it. Those who encourage human beings to engage in homosexuality by telling them the lie that it is not a sin, are, according to Jesus Christ, acting out the worst kind of sin.

   To understand the language of Jesus as He spoke to the Apostle John, one must understand Old Testament language and laws.  When using the term dog, Jesus was not referring to animals, but to the Sodomite, the whoremonger and the male prostitute.  In Deuteronomy 23:17-18, the Lord said to Moses:

"There shall be no whore of the daughters of Israel, nor a sodomite of the sons of  Israel. "You shall not bring the hire of a harlot or the wages of a dog into the house of the LORD your God for any votive offering, for both of these are an abomination to the LORD your God."

     The same word used for dog is the same word used for Sodomite.  Jesus specifically warned that those who engaged in sodomy would not be permitted into heaven. 

     While false religious advocates of homosexuality claim that God destroyed Sodom because of their inhospitality, there is no scriptural basis for coming to that erroneous conclusion.  There are, however, ample examples in scripture which show that God destroyed Sodom because of the homosexuality which had become rampant and violent in that city.

The Prophet Isaiah wrote:

"The expression of their faces bears witness against them, And they display their sin like Sodom; They do not even conceal it. Woe to them! For they have brought evil on themselves."

The Prophet Jeremiah wrote:

"Also among the prophets of Jerusalem I have seen a horrible thing: The committing of adultery and walking in falsehood; And they strengthen the hands of evildoers, So that no one has turned back from his wickedness. All of them have become to Me like Sodom, And her inhabitants like Gomorrah."

The Prophet Amos stated:

" 'I overthrew you, as God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah, and you were like a firebrand snatched from a blaze; Yet you have not returned to Me,' declares the Lord."

The Prophet Zephaniah stated:

"Therefore, as I live," declares the LORD of hosts, The God of Israel, "Surely Moab will be like Sodom And the sons of Ammon like Gomorrah-- A place possessed by nettles and salt pits, And a perpetual desolation. The remnant of My people will plunder them, and the remainder of My nation will inherit them." Jesus said:

"But on the day that Lot went out from Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all."

The Apostle Peter wrote:

"And if God condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to destruction by reducing them to ashes, having made them an example to those who would live ungodly lives thereafter; and if He rescued righteous Lot, oppressed by the sensual conduct of unprincipled men (for by what Lot saw and heard while living among them, felt his righteous soul tormented day after day by their lawless deeds."

Jude wrote:

"Just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities around  them, since they in the same way as these indulged in gross immorality and went after strange flesh, are exhibited as an example in undergoing the punishment of eternal fire."

     While Barak Obama continues to promote homosexuality, he also claims that he is a Christian.  He recently told the press:

"In terms of my faith, there has been so much confusion that has been deliberately perpetrated through emails and so forth, so here are the simple facts," he said. "I am a Christian. I am a devout Christian. I have been a member of the same church for 20 years, pray to Jesus every night, and try to go to church as much as I can when they are not working me. Used to go quite often."

      There are real credibility issues regarding Barak Obama and his claims of Christianity. Claims that are rife with doubt and hypocrisy as he expresses his adoration for the homosexual movement.  Time after time,  Barak Obama has been caught with one hand on the Bible and his other hand holding the hands of close advisors who mock the Bible. In addition to the hatemongering of his friend and pastor Jeremiah Wright, candidate Obama has a campaign advisor who mocked Jesus by introducing a video of Christ appearing as a homosexual while wearing a diaper. 

     According to World Net Daily, Obama campaign advisor Larry Lessig is shown at a 2006 seminar for Google employees introducing a clip that depicts an effeminate Jesus singing Gloria Gaynor's "I Will Survive." The Jesus figure throws off his robe, revealing a diaper-like covering, and eventually is run over by a bus as he sashays through city streets.

     I wonder if Barak Obama will consider me from the "Christian side" of his pro-homosexuality or from the Larry Lessig anti-christian bigotry side, should he find out that I renounced my previous thirty years of involvement in homosexuality.  Will Barak Obama show me, a former homosexual, the same "Christian" respect that he shows to the drag queens, lesbians and gay activists via his current gay pride celebratory letter on his campaign website.

     I am so glad, eternally glad, in fact, that I actually took the time out of my life to read the Bible for myself rather than leave my eternal destiny in the hands of a false theologian like Barak Obama.  Obama clearly knows little, if anything, regarding what the Bible actually says about the issue of homosexuality.  And as a former homosexual of thirty years who has now followed the Lord Jesus Christ faithfully for nearly a decade free of homosexuality, I think I can identify someone who is trying to lead me astray on the issue.  And Barak Obama is definitely trying to lead me and the rest of America astray on the issues of being a Christian and homosexuality.

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Christian Fools

“Then He said unto them, O fools and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken.” Luke 24:25

Those of you who read the religious announcements in the newspapers of yesterday would see the subject for my sermon this evening is “Christian Fools.” Possibly some of you thought there was a printer’s error and that what I really meant to announce was “Professing Christian fools.” The paper gave it quite correctly. My subject tonight is “Christian Fools.” Probably some of you think that this is a most unsuitable title for a servant of God to give to his sermon, and yet I make no apology whatever for it. It fits exactly my subject for tonight: it expresses accurately what I am going to speak about: and—“what is far more to the point—it epitomizes our text: “Then He said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken.”

Those words were spoken by Christ on the day of His resurrection: spoken not to worldlings but to Christians. That which occasioned them was this. The disciples to whom He was speaking were lopsided in their theology: they believed a certain part of God’s truth and they refused to believe another part of the truth that did not suit them; they believed some Scriptures but they did not believe all that the prophets had spoken, and the reason they did not was because they were unable to harmonize the two different parts of God’s truth. They were like some people today: when it comes to their theology; they walk by reason and by logic rather than by faith.

In the Old Testament there were many prophecies concerning the coming Messiah that spoke of His glory. If there was one thing the Old Testament prediction made plain, it was that the Messiah of Israel should be glorious. It spoke of His power, His honor, His majesty, His dominion, His triumphs. But on the other hand, there were many prophecies in the Old Testament that spoke of a suffering Messiah, that portrayed His humiliation, His degradation, His rejection, His death at the hands of wicked men. And these disciples of Christ believed the former set of prophecies, but they would not believe in the second: they could not see how it was possible to harmonize the two. If the coming Messiah was to be a glorious Messiah, possessing power and majesty and dominion: if He would be triumphant, then how could He, at the same time, be a suffering Messiah, despised, humiliated, rejected of men? And because the disciples could not fit the two together, because they were unable to harmonize them, they refused to believe both, and Christ told them to their faces that they were fools. He says, “O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken.”

I suppose some of us have wondered how it was possible for these disciples, these followers of Christ, who had been privileged to be with Him during His public ministry and those who had been so intimate with Him, had been instructed by Him, had witnessed His wonderful miracles; how it was possible for such men to err so grievously and to act so foolishly. And yet we need not be surprised; the same thing is happening all around us today. Christendom tonight is full of men and women who believe portions of God’s truth, but who do not believe all that the prophets have spoken. In other words, my friends, Christendom tonight is full of men and women that the Son of God says are “fools” because of their slowness of heart to believe.
Now very likely, the sermon tonight will make some of my hearers angry: probably they are the ones who most need the rebuke of the text. When a servant of God wields the sword of the Spirit, if he does his work faithfully and effectively, then some of his hearers are bound to get cut and wounded: and, my friends, that is always God’s way. God always wounds before He heals. And I want to remind you at the outset that this text is no invention of mine. These are the words of One who never wounded unnecessarily, but they are also the words of the True and Faithful Witness who never hesitated to preach the whole truth of God, whether men would receive it or whether they would reject it. I know it is not a pleasant thing to be called a fool, especially if we have a high regard for ourselves and rate our own wisdom and orthodoxy very highly—it wounds our pride. But we need to be wounded, all of us. We need to be humbled; we need to be rebuked; we need to have that word from the lips of Christ which is as a two-edged sword.

Now notice, dear friends, that Christ did not upbraid these disciples because they did not understand, but because of their lack of faith. The trouble with them was they reasoned too much. Very likely they prided themselves on their logical minds and said, Well, surely we are not asked to believe impossibilities and absurdities: both of these cannot be true; one is true and the other cannot be. Either the Messiah of Israel is going to be a glorious and a triumphant Messiah, or else He is going to be a rejected and a humiliated one: they cannot both be true. That is why Christ said to them—not because of their failure to understand, but because of their lack of faith—“O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken.”

I am afraid that today there are many who only believe what they can understand, and if there is something else that they cannot understand, they do not believe it. If they have devised to themselves a systematized theology (or more probably they have adopted someone else’s system of theology), and they hear a sermon (no matter how much Scripture there may be in it) which they cannot fit into their little system of theology, they won’t have it. They place a higher value on consistency than they do on fidelity. That is just what was the matter with these disciples: they could not see the consistency of the two things and therefore they were only prepared to believe the one.

The same thing, my friends, is true today with many preachers. There are multitudes of preachers in Australia tonight whose theology is narrower than the teaching of this Book. Then away to the winds with theology! —I mean human systems of theology which are narrower than Scripture. For example, there are men today who read God’s Word, and they see that the gospel is to be preached to every creature, and that God commands all who hear that gospel to believe in Christ; then they come across some texts on election, predestination:—“Many are called but few are chosen,” and they say, Well, I cannot harmonize this, I cannot see how it is possible to preach, unhampered, a gospel to every creature, and yet for election to be true. And because they cannot harmonize the two things, they neither believe the two nor will they preach both. They cannot harmonize election with a gospel that is to be preached to every creature, and so the Arminians preach the gospel but they leave out election.

Yes, but there are many Calvinists who equally come under the rebuke of our text. They believe in the sovereignty of God, but they refuse to believe in the responsibility of man. I read a book by a hyper-Calvinist only a few weeks ago, by a man whose shoe-latchet the present speaker in many things is not fit to stoop down and unloose—a man of God, a faithful servant of His, one from whom I have learned not a little—and yet he had the effrontery to say, that responsibility is the most awful word in the English language, and then went on to tirade against human responsibility. They cannot understand how that it is possible for God to fix the smallest and the greatest events, and yet not to infringe upon man’s accountability—men themselves choosing the evil and rejecting the good—and therefore because they cannot see both they will only believe in one.

Listen! If man were nothing more than clay in the hands of the Potter there would be no difficulty. Scripture affirms in Romans 9 that man is clay in the hands of the Potter, but that only gives you one aspect of the truth. That emphasizes the absoluteness of God’s control over all the works and creatures of His hands; but from other Scriptures we learn that man is something more than lifeless clay. Man has been endowed with understanding; man has been given a will. Yes, I freely admit that his understanding is darkened; I fully allow that his will is in bondage; but they are still there; they have not been destroyed. If man was nothing more than a block of wood or a block of stone, it would be easy to understand how that God could fix the place that he was to occupy and the purpose that he was to fulfil; but, my friends, it is very far from easy to understand how that God can shape and direct all history and yet leave man fully responsible and not infringe upon his accountability.

Now there are some who have devised a very simple but a most unsatisfactory method of getting rid of the difficulty, and that is to deny its existence. There are Arminians who have presented the “free-will” of man in such a way as to virtually dethrone God, and I have no sympathy whatever with their system. On the other hand, there have been some Calvinists who have presented a kind of fatalism (I know not what else to term it) reducing man to nothing more than a block of wood, exonerating him of all blame and excusing him for his unbelief. But they are both equally wrong, and I scarcely know which is the more mischievous of the two. When the Calvinist says, All things happen according to the predestination of God. I heartily say Amen, and I am willing to be called a Calvinist; but if the Arminian says that when a man sins the sin is his own, and that if he continues sinning he will surely perish, and that if he perishes his blood is on his own head, then I believe the Arminian speaks according to God’s truth; though I am not willing to be called an Arminian. The trouble is when we tie ourselves down to a theological system.

Now listen a little more closely still. When the Calvinist says that faith is the gift of God and that no sinner ever does or can believe until God gives him that faith, I heartily say Amen; but when the Arminian says that the gospel commands all who hear it to believe, and that it is the duty of every sinner to believe, I also say Amen. What? you say, You are going to stand up and preach faith-duty-duty-faith? I know that is jolting to some of you. Now bear with me patiently for a moment and I will try and not shock you too badly. Whose is the gospel? It is God’s. Whose voice is it that is heard speaking in the gospel? It is God’s. To whom has God commanded the gospel to be preached? To every creature. What does the gospel say to every creature? It says, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.” It says, “Whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” It says, “The gospel of Christ is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth.” God commands, not invites. God commands every man, woman and child that hears that gospel to believe it, for the gospel is true; therefore it is the duty of every man to believe what God has said. Let me give you the alternative. If it is not the duty of every sinner to believe the gospel, then it is his duty not to believe it—one or the other. Do you mean to tell me it is the duty of an unconverted sinner to reject the gospel? I am not talking now about his ability to believe it.

Some of you say, Well how can it be his duty to believe it, when he cannot do so? Is it his duty to do an impossibility? Well, listen! Is my duty, is my responsibility measured by my ability, by my power to perform? Here is a man who has ordered a hundred pounds’ worth of furniture; he receives it, and he is given thirty days’ credit in which to pay for it; but during the next thirty days he squanders his money, and at the end of the month he is practically bankrupt. When the firm presents their bill to him, he says, “I am sorry but I am unable to pay you.” He is speaking the truth. “I am unable, it does not lie within my power to pay you.” Would the head of that business house say, “All right, that ends the matter then: sorry to hear that you do not have the power, but evidently we cannot do anything.” No, my friend, ability does not measure our responsibility. Man is responsible to do many things that he is not able to do. You that are Christians are responsible to live a sinless life, for God says to you, “Awake to righteousness and sin not,” and in the first Epistle of John we read, “These things write I unto you, that ye sin not.” God sets before you and me a standard of holy perfection. There is not one of us that is capable of measuring up to it, but that is our responsibility, and that is what we are going to be measured by when we stand before the judgment-seat of Christ.

Now then there are many Arminian preachers who are afraid to preach sermons on certain texts of the Bible. They would be afraid to stand up and preach from John 6:44—“No man can come to Me, except the Father which hath sent Me draw him.” They would be afraid to stand up and preach from Romans 9:18—“Therefore hath He mercy on whom He will have mercy, and whom He will He hardeneth.” Yes, and it is also true that there are many Calvinist preachers who are equally afraid to preach from certain texts of the Scriptures lest their orthodoxy be challenged and lest they be called Freewillers. They are afraid to stand up and preach, for example, on the words of the Lord Jesus: —“How often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!” Or on such a verse as this: —“The kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force;” or “Strive (agonize) to enter in at the Strait Gate.” And to show you that I am not imagining things, I am just going to read you three lines. Listen! “At the meeting at... [I will leave out the name] on January 15th last, the question was asked to the effect: Had not some of our ministers for the sake of orthodoxy abstained from preaching from certain texts, and the answer was in the affirmative.” I am reading now from a Strict Baptist magazine! That was a meeting of Strict Baptist preachers and they were honest enough to admit, themselves, that because they were afraid of their orthodoxy being challenged, they were silent on certain texts of Scripture. O may God remove from all of us the fear of man.

Some of you perhaps are thinking right now in your own minds, Well, Brother Pink, I do not see how you are consistent with yourself. My friends, that does not trouble me one iota, and it won’t cause one hair in my head to go gray if I am inconsistent with any Calvinistic creed: the only thing that concerns me is to be consistent with the Holy Spirit, and to teach as the Holy Spirit shall enable, the whole counsel of God; to leave out nothing, to withhold nothing, and to give a proportionate presentation of God’s truth. Do you know, I believe that most of the theological errors of the past have grown out of, not so much a denial of God’s truth, as a disproportionate emphasis of it. Let me give you a simple illustration. The most comely countenance with the most beautiful features would soon become ugly if one feature were to grow while the others remained undeveloped. You can take the most beautiful baby there is in the world tonight and if that baby’s nose were to grow while its eyes and its cheeks and its mouth and its ears remained undeveloped, it would soon become unsightly. The same is true with every other member of its face.

Beauty is mainly a matter of proportion and this is true of God’s Word. It is only as truth is presented in its proper proportions that the beauty and blessedness to it are maintained in the hearts and lives of God’s people. The sad thing is that almost everywhere today there is just one feature of truth being disproportionately emphasized.

And listen again! If God’s truth is to be presented proportionately and effectively then each truth of God’s Word must be presented separately. If I am speaking upon the humanity of Christ, if I am seeking to emphasize the reality of His manhood, how that He was made like unto His brethren in all things, how that He was tempted in all points as they were—sin excepted—I would not bring into my sermon a reference to His Godhood; and if you were to hear me preach the next twelve Sunday nights on the manhood of Christ and never refer to His Deity in those sermons, I hope none of you brethren would be so foolish as to draw the conclusion, Oh dear me, Brother Pink no longer believes in the Godhood of our Savior.

Again, if I am preaching on the wrath of God, the holy hatred of God for sin and His vengeance upon it, I would be weakening my sermon to bring in at the close a reference to His tenderness, mercy and love, for in my judgment that would be to blunt the point of the special truth I was seeking to press on the unconverted. And, in the same way, if I am pressing on the unconverted their need, their duty and importance of seeking the Lord, calling upon, coming to and believing on Him for themselves, I would not bring in or explain the work of the Holy Spirit in conversion.

Each truth needs to be presented separately that it may have its clear outline presented to the heart and to the mind. And after all, my friends, we are not saved by believing in the Spirit, we are saved by believing in Christ. We are not saved by believing in the work of the Spirit within us (no man was ever saved by believing that); we are saved by trusting in the work of Christ outside of us. O may God help us to maintain the balance of truth. There is something more in this Book, brethren and sisters, beside election, particular redemption and the new birth. They are there, and I would not say one word to weaken or to repudiate them, but that is not all that is in this Book. There is a human side. There is man’s responsibility. There is the sinner’s repentance. There is the sinner’s believing in Christ. There is the pressing of the gospel upon the unsaved; and I want to tell you frankly that is a church does not evangelize it will fossilize: and, if I am not much mistaken, that is what happened to some of the Strict Baptist Churches in Australia. Numbers of them that once had a healthy existence are now no more; and some others are already dead but they are not yet buried; and I believe one of the main reasons for that is this—they failed at the vital point of evangelism. If a church does not evangelize it will fossilize. That is God’s method of perpetuating His work and of maintaining His churches. God uses means, and the means that the Holy Spirit uses in His work is the preaching of the gospel to the unconverted, to every creature. True, the preaching will avail nothing without the Spirit’s blessing and application. True, no sinner will or can believe until God has quickened him. Yet he ought to, and is commanded to.

Now I meant, if time had allowed me, to come back again to the text and give you a few striking examples of where many have failed in holding the balance of God’s truth. Take for example the Unitarians. I have met numbers of Unitarians who believe this Book is God’s word, and believe that they can prove their creed from this Book. They appeal to such Scriptures as Deuteronomy 6:4 —“The Lord our God is one Lord.” Their creed is the unity of God and they argue that if there be three divine persons there must be three Gods; they cannot harmonize them, they cannot reconcile three persons with one God; so what do they do? Well, they hold fast to the one and they let go the other. They say the two won’t mix—either God is one or else He is three; He cannot be both. When they come to the Person of Christ they emphasize such passages as—“He grew in wisdom.” Well, they say, if He was a divine person, how could He grow in wisdom? They emphasize such passages as “He prayed,” and they say it is an absurdity to think of God praying to God. They say, He died—how could God die? No, He cannot be divine: He is a good man; He is a holy man; He is a perfect man; and because they cannot reconcile the two classes of Scriptures they believe the one and reject the other. And Christ says to them, Ye are fools because ye are slow of heart to believe all.

Take the Universalists. I have met numbers of Universalists—several here in Sydney. I was going to say that I have less suspicion of the reality of their own salvation than I have of some of yours. At any rate they seem to give such evidence in their daily walk that they commune with Christ that it really makes one wonder where they are. Well now, the Universalists are staggered by the doctrine of eternal punishment. They say “God is love.” “The mercy of God endureth forever.” God is good: how can a merciful, loving God send any to eternal suffering? The Universalists say they cannot both be true: if there is such a thing as eternal punishment, then God can’t be love: if God is love, there cannot be such a thing as eternal punishment. You see what they are doing? They are reasoning: they are walking by logic: they have drawn up their own scheme and system of theology and that which they cannot fit exactly into that scheme, somewhere, well, away with it!

But the Unitarians and the Universalists and the Arminians are not the only ones who are guilty of that. I am sorry to say that it is equally true, in some respects, of many Calvinists. They are unsound when it comes to the gospel. They are all at sea when it comes to the matter of believing. I am not going to keep you very much longer, but listen closely now. There are many Calvinists who say, Believing is an evidence of our salvation, but it is not a condition or the cause of salvation. But, my friends, I make so bold as to say that those who so teach take issue with this Book. Now I want you to turn with me to four passages in the New Testament. I am not asking you to take my word for anything. You turn with me now to four passages in God’s own word. First of all Romans 1:16-17 —“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation.” The power of God unto salvation to whom? —“the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth.” Now I have no hesitation whatever in saying to every grown-up person in this room tonight, if you had read that verse just now for the first time in your life, and had never read a page of either Calvinistic or Arminian literature; if you read that verse without any bias one way or the other, it would only mean one thing to you.

Now turn to Romans 13:11—“And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep, for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed.” The salvation that is spoken of there is the salvation of the body, the glorification of the believer, the final consummation of our redemption: but what I want you to notice is where the Holy Spirit Himself puts the starting point. “Now is our salvation nearer than when we believed.” THAT is when it begins, so far as our actual experience is concerned.

Now turn to Hebrews 10:39 , and you have one there that is plainer still—that is outside the realm of debate—that has no ambiguity about it: “But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul.” You cannot get around that if you live to be a thousand years old. “Them that believe to the saving of the soul.” The sinner’s believing does have something to do with his salvation: God says so! If you deny it you are taking issue with God. “Believe to the saving of the soul.”

Now turn to Luke 7:50 —“And he said to the woman, Thy faith hath saved thee.” He did not say thy faith is an evidence that you have been saved. “Thy faith hath saved thee.” Now in the light of those last two verses I make this assertion, that believing in Christ is the cause of the sinner’s salvation. But listen closely to this qualification. It is neither the meritorious cause nor is it the effectual cause! You must put these three things together to get the complete thing. The blood of Christ is the meritorious cause of salvation; the regenerating work of the Spirit is the effective cause of salvation; but the sinner’s own believing is the instrumental cause of his salvation. We believe to the saving of the soul. I repeat that. The blood of Christ is the meritorious cause: without that all the believing in the world could not save a soul. The regenerating work of the Spirit is the effectual cause: without this, no sinner would come or will believe with the heart. But the believing of the sinner in Christ is the instrumental cause—that which extends the empty hand to receive the gift that the gospel presents to him—and where there is no personal trust in Christ there is no salvation—“I did not say “quickening.”
Now I want to make this very plain and I am going to weigh my words. If instead of you trusting in the sacrificial blood of Christ, you are trusting in something that you believe the Spirit has done in you, you are building your house upon the sand, which in time of testing will fall to the ground.

“On Christ the solid Rock I stand, All other ground is sinking sand.”

If you are building your hope for eternity on what you think or feel that the Spirit of God has done in you, instead of putting your trust in what Christ did for sinners, you are building your house on the sand. And that may apply to some church-members here tonight. O my friends, the gospel of God does not invite you to look inside and pin your faith to what you think the Holy Spirit has done in you; the gospel of God commands you to look outside of yourself, away from all your feelings and frames, to what the Lord Jesus Christ did on the cross for sinners as sinners.
Now my last word tonight is directed to the unconverted, for my text also applies directly to them. Last Sunday evening I said a good deal about the necessity of being quiet, of standing still, of waiting upon God; but I want to supplement those remarks in concluding tonight by saying that those are all admonitions that are given to the converted, and that the Holy Scriptures speak in very different terms to those of you who are unconverted. The Bible does not bid you to sit still, to wait and be quiet; the Bible commands you to flee from the wrath to come. It bids you to strive to enter in at the strait gate. I am quoting Scripture now. It bids you seek the Lord. It bids you come unto Him. It bids you believe in Him, and if you do not you will be damned, whoever you are.
I am very much afraid that there are some here tonight who entertain the notion that all they have to do is just to sit still and wait until God comes and saves you. My friends, I do not know of a single promise of God that He will do so. I do not know of a single line in this Book that encourages you to continue in your sinful inactivity. I am going to speak very plainly now. The devil will tell you there is no cause for you to be concerned: there is not a bit of need for you to worry: if your name is in the Lamb’s Book of Life you will be saved, whether you believe or no. That is the devil’s lie! It is not God’s truth. The devil will tell you that if you have been elected to salvation there is not a bit of need for you to be alarmed, disturbed or exercised; no need at all for you to seek and search after the Lord; that when God’s good time comes He is going to do it all for you: not a bit of good for you to read the Bible and cry out to Him: and if He has not elected you, well, there is no need for sure, for it’s useless.

Yes, the devil will speak in those tones and terms and he ill come quoting Scripture to you. But there is no salvation for the sinner apart from his believing in Christ. I close with this quotation—2 Thessalonians 2:13 , “God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through—Through what? “Sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth.” That is how God saves. That is how God carries out His purpose—by the sanctification of the Spirit and by your belief of the truth.

And my friends, I have not limited God. God could, if He so chose, make the fields to grow crops without the farmer plowing them and sowing the seed, but that is not His way; that is not the method He selects. God could keep us in health and strength without our taking any food at all or wasting time in sleeping if He so chose, but that is not His way. And God could save every sinner on earth tonight without them believing if He wanted to, but it is not His way! I am not limiting God, I am describing to you the plan and method that God Himself has set forth in His Word, and if you would be saved, sinner, you have got to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ for yourself. I say it reverently: the Holy Spirit won’t believe for you. The Holy Spirit may put it into your heart and give you the desire to believe. If you have the desire it is because He has put it there, but He won’t believe for you: believing is a human act. It is the sinner himself, in all his wretchedness and need, coming to Christ, as a drowning man clutches a straw, and as the old hymn says—“Just as I am without one plea, But that thy blood was shed for me.”

O sinner, Christ is saying to you tonight, “O fools and slow of heart to believe all.” You do believe much as you sit there. There are some of you who believe that Jesus is the Son of God. There are some of you who believe that He is the only Savior who can save any sinner. You believe that, then why not believe all? Why not believe in Him for yourself? Why not trust His precious blood for yourself; and why not tonight? God is ready to save you now if you believe on Him. The blood has been shed, the sacrifice has been offered, the atonement has been made, the feast has been spread. The call goes out to you tonight, “Come, for all things are now ready.” And I say again, the devil will tell you as you are sitting there, “There is no need for me to come tonight; I will just wait till God gets ready to come and save me.” How do you know that while you are waiting death may not come and smite you down. “Boast not thyself of tomorrow for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth.” The Holy Spirit saith, “Today if ye will hear His voice harden not your hearts.” Yes, man can “harden” his heart: God says so; and God calls to you: “Harden not your heart.” That is something you do yourself—not the devil—you do it. God is speaking to you through His Word tonight. O may His grace forbid that He shall say our text to any of you after you have left this room—O God forbid that you should be among those “fools” who believe not all. You do believe that Christ is God’s appointed Savior for sinners, why not your Savior? O may the Spirit draw you by the cords of love to that One who has said, “Him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out.”

Preached by Arthur W. Pink in Sydney, Australia—1927.

http://www.pbministries.org/books/pink/Miscellaneous/christian_fools.htm