Assurance

"Every believer is saved but not every believer has the assurance of salvation. These doubts may arrest his spiritual growth, rob him of joy, and cripple his usefulness, but they do not alter the fact he is saved.". Curtis Vaughn
The puritans said assurance was like a three legged stool:
1. Objective - our grounding in Christ.
2. The internal witness of the Spirit.
3. A changed life.
Why do we need assurance? Doubt.
What causes doubt? Sin.

A Must See

I made a comment in class this past Sunday about YouTube. If you are on Facebook you will notice that there are postings constantly about a YouTube video that you "must see". Usually they range from a warm sappy story with a loose message to something funny but really they are not a "must see". Now don't get me wrong, I like most of those videos but my complaint is not the videos but how those videos have become the focus of what we do as Christians. The videos are a "must see" so the Bible is no longer a "must read". We have reduced Christianity to 2 or 3 or 5 or 10 minute videos. Most of these have a moralistic view of Christianity rather than a Gospel view.
I have a friend who posts a lot of music videos. I love them but I don't watch them all. I know that they can help with my worship but he knows (so he never says) that these are a "must see". I hope he keeps posting them. I know that even if I don't watch them all someone will be blessed by them.
So what about videos? Should Christians keep posting them? Yes, but Christians need to realise that these will never replace the Word of God or a devotional book.

Huckleberry Finn

When it comes to a definition of faith people have many different ideas. Today faith is used to refer to a belief system but that is not the Biblical view. Neither is Huckleberry Finn's view who said, "Faith is believing something you know ain't true."
Faith isn't believing the impossible but believing in a person, the Person Jesus Christ the Son. Remember the writer of Hebrews says that faith is believing the promises of God. We know that we do not live on facts but on promises.
John talks about a faith that overcomes the world. It isn't faith in faith, or just believing hard enough but believing that Jesus Christ came into the world to die upon the cross. At that point Satan was defeated forever and we became overcomers.

Are you adopted?

Love the Law

Once again John comes back to obedience, love and doctrine. In Chapter five he talks first about the doctrine of the belonging to the family and he immediately connects that to love. He then talks about test for knowing and he ties that to obedience.
Then he adds that love is obedience to the Lord's commandments. When was the last time you heard someone sing a song about loving the laws of the land? Maybe a song about the greatness of the traffic laws. Yet we know that these laws protect us and therefore we should be thankful for them.

Connections

It is interesting how John uses love as the connector of what he has been teaching. He first connects love and truth. He says that if anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God then God lives in him and he in God. And he adds that we know and rely on the love of God.
He then connects love and confidence. He talks about having no fear of the future because of God's love.
Finally he connects love and conduct. He reminds us that love is not something we talk about but it is something we do. We love because He loved us first.

To live above with saints we love
Oh that will be glory.
To live below with saints we know
Well, that's another story.

Smörgåsbord

I don't know about you but when I go to a buffet (or a smorgasbord as my Swedish friends call it) I do a lot of picking and choosing. I take a lot of one thing (too much I may add) because I like it and not much (probably nothing) of something I don't like.
People often treat the attributes of God that way. They like His goodness, mercy, grace and love so they overload on those but we will pass on the judgment, wrath, etc. The problem is that God is not part goodness, love, mercy, wrath, etc. You cannot say this much is love and this much is justice. God is all love, all mercy, all grace, all judgment, all wrath, all at the same time. That is what it means to be infinite. So to say that I like a loving God but not a judgmental God is to divide God up so that the God we want is not the God of the Bible.

OOPS!

I sometimes use my iPad with word recognition software. It has sometimes caused me grief when I did not look back over my email.

A Pastor couldn't attend a friend's wedding so he decided to send a very quick email to her. Instead of writing out the verse he just typed 1 John 4:18 which says "There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love." However, he forgot the 1 so the email contained the reference John 4:18 which says, "The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband."
OOPS

The Laptop Bible

God is love

John says that very clearly in 1 John 4:16. However, today many people want to turn it around and think that love is God. That is not true, especially when we define love the way that most of us do. Love is a feeling, love is something that happens but the translators of the King James Version of the Bible understood love differently when they translated the word "charity". Charity is something you do not something you feel.
So how should we understand that God is love. John 3:16 says it all. We think that God loves us because we are lovable. God loves in spite of the fact that we are unlovable. He didn't fall in love with us, He set His love upon us. How do we know that God loves us? 1 John 4:9 tells us, He sent His son to die for us.

Fundamentalism

Two days ago I wrote about fundamentalism and what they believed. However, you can give assent to these statements and still not be a Christian.
Initially fundamentalists said, "We believe these things." (see the blog on Nov 4) However, the next generation said, "This is how you become a fundamentalist. Believe these five tenants and you will be a fundamentalist." Then the following generation said, "Give mental assent to these doctrines and you will be saved." Let me tell you plainly, you can give mental assent to the doctrines, you can say yes to all the right questions and still not be a Christian. Let us go back for a moment. We believe these things because we are a Christian not to make us a Christian. We are saved by Christ alone.

I believe in the deity of Jesus Christ

Many people today believe in Jesus but they believe in only a man called Jesus. They do not believe that Jesus is very God in the flesh. We must not only believe that Jesus is God, after all Satan himself believes that, but we must allow Christ to be supreme in all areas of our lives and the life of our church. Paul writes to the Colossians, “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the first born from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.” Colossians 1:15-20

In this passage the deity of Christ is clearly stated to us. His deity is describe as the image of the invisible God, the first born and later it states that in Christ dwells all the fullness of God.

Jesus is supreme over all things: He is supreme over creation, He is supreme over governments, He is supreme over the church, and He is supreme over our souls.

I think I may be one of those

What comes to your mind when someone says the word “fundamentalist”, especially someone in the media?

Do you think of a right wing bigot who is against change, democracy and pluralism? Do you think of someone who bombs abortion clinics, marches against homosexuality and votes for the most politically right winged candidate in the running? According to the press the religious right, or fundamentalism, is intolerant of women, immigrants, the poor, minorities, homosexuals, non-Christians and anyone else who doesn’t fit in – all in the name of Jesus.

If this is what is meant by a fundamentalist then we do not want to be associated with them. Over the past years Christians who at one time were known as fundamentalists now want to be called evangelicals instead.

But let me make a confession. I am a fundamentalist. Now before you begin to think that I am gone too far to the right let me remind you that I have never been involved in a protest against homosexuality or abortion clinics though I believe that they are wrong and we should pray against these forces of darkness. I am not a member of a right wing political party. According to the press I have right wing views regarding homosexuality and abortion. However, some may think that I am left wing when it comes to other issues, especially those who are most vulnerable in our society such as the poor and the immigrants.

If being a fundamentalist is a crime then I am guilty as charged. I stand for the truth of God’s word and its application to life today. Yes I believe that there is only one way to heaven and that is through Jesus Christ but I also stand for religious freedom and people do have the right to choose but we must make sure that we give them the choice.

What does it mean then to be a fundamentalist? I believe that there are at least five major areas of belief that makes me a fundamentalist.

The scripture says, “Stand by the ways and see and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is, and walk in it; and you shall find rest for your souls.” Jeremiah 6:16

1. I believe in the infallibility of Scripture.

2. I believe in the deity of Christ.

3. I believe in the Virgin Birth and the miracles of Christ.

4. I believe in Christ’s substitutionary death.

5. I believe in Christ’s physical resurrection and eventual return.

If believing in those tenants makes me a fundamentalist then as I said before, I am guilty as charged.

Know what you believe.

When I was a university student I read a couple of books by Paul Little; Know what you believe and Know why you believe. Both topics are important. Later I had the privilege of hearing him speak at Urbana Missionary Conference just before he died in a car accident.
Yesterday I mentioned discernment but it is hard to have discernment when we don't know what we believe. Are we clear on what we believe about God, Christ, the Holy Spirit, Satan, man, sin, salvation, the Church, Scripture, etc.? If we think that these topics are only for theologians then we are in danger of being mislead by false teachers.
John says, "Be skeptical."
Why? Because there are many false teachers and their tribe is increasing.
So you may ask how can you know everything. You cannot but there are things that will help you. Spend time in Scripture. Be part of a Bible study. If you are studying a topic make sure that the topic has Biblical basis and not just man's opinion.

Discernment

Yesterday I wrote about Christians fascination with manifestations of the Spirit but today I want to point out one place where Christians are lacking. It is the gift of discernment. John says, " Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world." 1 John 4:1
So how can you discern a false prophet. John gives us one test here and that is the truth test about Jesus Christ. Did Christ come in the flesh? Was He both God and man? Did He come as the only way to God?
Here are some truths about Jesus Christ that cannot be denied.
Jesus is God.
Jesus is the Creator.
He is the only way to the Father.
He died for our sins.
He rose again.
He is reigning.
He will return.

Remember, Jesus did not become God, He was always God and He will always be God.

So how do we discern false teachers? John tells us to use the Jesus test. It is not the only test but if they deny the divinity or the humanity of Jesus then no other test is needed. That would be false teaching.

Manifestations

Why are Christians so fascinated by manifestations but they have a fear of doctrine? Todd Bentley had a healing ministry in Florida that drew thousands of Christians but he could not stay married to his wife. He failed the moral test but Christians were still fascinated. They love the manifestations of the Spirit but they shy away from doctrine. The Toronto blessing; healings; tongues; barking like dogs; slaying in the Spirit. Now I don't want to down play the Spirit's ministry. After all He is a wild fire but He also does not draw attention to Himself but rather points to Christ. When we seek the manifestations for their own sake we are not bringing glory to Christ.
Christians should know the basic doctrines. Let us look at a few of those of the next few days.