Calvinism – Devil Doesn’t Believe It!
The Devil thinks Calvinism is a great idea!
And why not? One of his tricks is to make people think they can’t get saved, so anything that encourages doubt works right into his hands.
Calvinism has proven to be a great tool in that regard.
But, even though he thinks Calvinism is a good idea he doesn’t believe it.
In case you’re not familiar with the tenets of Calvinism it is a philosophical concept – nothing theological about it, although some would argue otherwise – that says God selected certain people to be saved and consigned everyone else to hell. His choices were made in eternity past and are fixed. No appeals allowed.
Yes, if you are a thinking person the logical inference is any individual not chosen for salvation IS chosen for hell. Offensive thought, hey? Calvinists think so too and have responded with long drawn out discussions designed to camouflage the reality. They even came up with a term for it, “double election.”
Google it and read for yourself. One post admits to the offense and suggests ways to soften it, without admitting any error, of course. I won’t take time to explore it here.
But, getting back to my original thought, the Devil doesn’t buy it. Not only does he focus on EVERY person – not just the elect or non-elect – he also works to blind them all to the truth of the Gospel – a condition Calvinists suggest is already existing and is curable only by a special, mystical, enabling by God.
Instead, however, the Bible says the following: Read more
Does God Really Hate Divorce?
Although some troubled couples can avoid divorce, this post is written in support of those who can’t.
Does God really hate divorce? That’s a good question and the Bible accommodates us with what seems to be a very direct answer:
For the LORD, the God of Israel, says that he hates divorce… (Malachi 2:16)
But what does that really mean?
- How literally are we to take this statement?
- Does God hate divorce absolutely? Is it to be banned forever?
- Or does God hate divorce like we hate bad days? We don’t like them but accept them as inevitable.
There are several reasons to suggest “hating” divorce is not the same as “disallowing” it.
Translation Issues
Very little is said about it but it is worth noting that the translation of Malachi 2:16 is a point of contention among scholars.
The New International Version follows the standard approach:
“I hate divorce,” says the LORD God of Israel, “and I hate a man’s covering himself with violence as well as with his garment,” says the LORD Almighty.
But the English Standard Version changes the entire dynamic of the verse.
For the man who does not love his wife but divorces her, says the LORD, the God of Israel, covers his garment with violence, says the LORD of hosts.
Instead of God saying “I hate divorce” it is changed to “the man who does not love his wife.” In other words, the husband is doing the hating not God. Both translations agree that divorce can be acrimonious – violent.
Admittedly, most translations agree with the NIV but there is a reason for this other than pure academics.
The first English translation to be widely circulated was the King James Bible and it was translated in an era and by clerics dominated by anti-divorce sentiment. Consider the following facts:
- The first official printing was in 1611 which means most of the translation work was done within 50 years of the Church of England breaking with the Church of Rome.
- The break came because King Henry insisted on an annulment (Catholic divorce) of his marriage to Catharine of Argon in the hopes of siring a male heir.
- Many of the translators, though at the time of the translation were ministers in the new church of England, had previously been part of the Catholic Church in England and probably still favored Rome-ish sentiments toward marriage-divorce-remarriage.
It is no surprise, then, that they opted for a very anti-divorce reading of the text.
It is also no surprise that most English translations followed suit.
Ever since, protestant attitudes toward marriage have been heavily influenced, unwittingly, by Catholic teachings. So most of the new English translations have “kept the faith” so to speak. It always “feels” safe to stay with what you know.
But, even if the “God hates divorce” translation is accurate there are still reasons to reject extreme interpretations. Read more
Christian Condition VS Christian Living
This post answers the question, “Why are Christians sometimes more sinful than non-Christians?”
And the answer is found in understanding the difference between Christian Condition (salvation) and Christian Living (character). Or to put it more simply, salvation VS character.
I say “VS” because these two ideas don’t blend. And this really is the crux of the issue.
The right “condition” – salvation – should, in theory, produce better “character” but that doesn’t always happen, at least not so we can tell it, and it never works in reverse. Good character never produces salvation. They are two entirely separate issues. Both can and do happen apart from the other.
Nicodemus developed good character as an adult long before and apart from his salvation. Fortunately, he did eventually get saved but his salvation was not an outcome of his character and, sadly, there are many “good” people who don’t get saved. Nicodemus had many associates who missed their opportunity.
Christians have often justified marrying unbelievers because they were “very good.” It was the “good” part that made them attractive in spite of being lost. In some cases they get saved and in some they don’t but being “good” had no bearing on the outcome either way. Good character made them easy to marry and live with. It did nothing to change their “condition.”
The reverse is also true. It is possible to become a believer and never catch up entirely on the character scale. David with his polygamy and adultery is a good example.
This is an important discussion because you often find non-Christians – in some cases atheists – living on a higher moral plane than Christians. You also find varying degrees of integrity among believers. Some have great qualities and others have a lot to learn.
But, the truth is…
“Christian” is not synonymous with “good” any more than “unbeliever” is synonymous with “bad.”
And the Bible has many examples of people who were good before they became believers. Read more
“Tongues” Is A Sign, Part 6
Lesson 6: Comparing Different Gifts (1 Corinthians 12-14)
The New Testament teaches that every Christian is given spiritual gifts and these gifts determine the shape of our service to God.
1 Peter 4:10 says three things:
- Every person has received a gift.
- The gift is best used in ministering to the community – “one another.”
- Doing so makes the best use of the grace God extends to us.
That is easy to understand. The problem is there are two types of gifts.
- Some are “supernatural” and some are “natural.”
- Some are sensationally demonstrated and some are expressed through practical skills.
- Some display the power of God alone and some display God’s power working through the abilities of His people.
- Some gifts are very exciting and appealing while others are more mundane.
But all of them are “spiritual.”
Paul mentions both kinds in 1 Corinthians 12. In fact, he makes a very clear statement of his subject, “Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant,” (v. 1).
Before we go further let’s define our terms more specifically. What is a spiritual gift? What qualifies to be called a spiritual gift? There are several facts to consider. Read more
“Tongues” Are A Sign, Part 5
Lesson 5: Comparing The Principle To The Experience – Acts 18:24-19:7
It is very possible for a person to know they are wrong but not understand why or what to do about it. The Bible implies this psychological dilemma when it refers to non-Christians as “lost.”
Like getting sand in your eye – Jesus talked about a beam – you only have a vague sense of where you are and where you’re going.
The same thing is true when it comes to religious truth. A person can know that one thing is wrong without knowing what is right. This can be particularly frustrating if the tradition you follow has been historically true to God.
This was the case with the Jews in Jesus day. They knew that God had led them in the past but they also knew that God had done very little with them for several hundred years (approximately 400). They had been used to a regular diet of prophets, priests and miracles. Silence for so many years was a threatening state of affairs. They looked for and needed a fresh manifestation of God which Jesus was but unfortunately, when He came they were looking in the wrong direction.
There’s no excuse for that. The Scriptures are full of references giving details of his coming and even suggesting the timing but all of this information only got in the way of their religious agenda. Jesus was more of an inconvenience than an answer.
Israel had become obsessed with following a set of rules as if the rules were God. They were really just doing their own thing, changing and adding laws as they pleased. Once one set of rules became “easy” they stiffened things up by expanding the regulations. That was their way of feeling a sense of commitment.
That, of course, describes the nature of all religion. “Rules” make us feel “in.” The more aligned with the rules one is the more “in” they think they are.
This was why John Baptist’s message had such an impact. The Jewish leadership had become oppressive and the Jewish masses knew something was wrong but no one knew how to address the problem or had the courage to speak up.
To the greater populace John was fresh. To the religious establishment he was a challenge to the status quo. Read more
Tim Pepper - Beautiful Frustration