A “Church of Christ” Member “asked” or rather stated: Does the Church have a name....what is it? I would be a shamed to say I was of any other Church, then the COC. Why? If you are in Christ, you have eternal life. Good Night!! Christ said, he was going to build his Church, did he..........Is it His Church? What name is it? On the day of Pentecost when Peter got up with the twelve, and the same day there were added unto them three thousand souls.....who's Church were these people added to.
Where in the bible does it name the church as the “Church of Christ”. It doesn’t. Rom 16:16 says “Churches (plural) of Christ” being demonstrative of the differing congregations through out the biblical area. And Paul mentioned this also.
1Co 1:12-13ow this I say, that every one of you saith, I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ. Is Christ divided? was Paul crucified for you? or were ye baptized in the name of Paul?
Paul said there was unity among those “churches (plural) of Christ” in that they are not of Paul, Apollo, or Cephas. No they where “IN” Jesus. Paul the notes that his Christ given mission is not to baptize but to preach the gospel least the cross be made un effective.
1Co 1:17 For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect. For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.
The bible says we are saved by grace so that no man may boast, even as David and Abraham and all of his seed by faith have nothing to boast about. In contrast we are told to glory in the Lord and glory being “In the Lord”. It does not say to glory about being in any denomination or sect of Paul, Apollos or Cephas. No, The bible says to glory “in the Lord” or Glory about “being in the Lord” not anyone’s else’s faction.
1Co 1:27-31 But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to naught things that are: That no flesh should glory in his presence. But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.
Although the Christian church is not called “the Church of Christ”, it is called the “Church of God” 8 times.
1Co 1:2 Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours:
1Co 10:32 Give none offense, neither to the Jews, nor to the Gentiles, nor to the church of God:
1Co 11:22 What? have ye not houses to eat and to drink in? or despise ye the church of God, and shame them that have not? What shall I say to you? shall I praise you in this? I praise you not.
1Co 15:9 For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.
2Co 1:1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, unto the church of God which is at Corinth, with all the saints which are in all Achaia:
Gal 1:13 For ye have heard of my conversation in time past in the Jews' religion, how that beyond measure I persecuted the church of God, and wasted it:
1Ti 3:5 (For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?)
This denominating (naming as different from others) of the church as the “Church of God” (as opposed to church of Baal) here in the bible is abused by another authoritarian/sectarian alledged one true church. The Churches of God denomination. Denominating is just naming. like a 5$ bill is "denominated" as as a five and not a one,.ECT. When one claims to be the one true sect they become sectarian. When one claims a name distinguishing oneself from another group, they have become a denomination. YES the COC is a denomination.
The “one true church” is not any sect/denomination or faction. No the “one true church” is those “found IN Jesus” through his death on the cross and resurrection from the grave. So does the bible call the church “The Church of Christ”. NO IT DOES NOT! I defy you to prove it.
Some questions that need answering by the COC members: When and How did Jesus become a member of the Church of Christ? When and How did the Apostles become members of the Church of Christ? Do you recognize people who call themselves the “CHURCH OF GOD” as a part of the church? Does wearing a Scriptural NAME alone mean that BODY is a Scriptural Body?
Upon what grounds do you refuse to recognize the “Holiness” people who call themselves by the name CHURCH OF GOD? Where the members of "Church of God at Corinth" LOST because Paul failed to call them CHURCH OF CHRIST? Is it possible for anyone to be a Believer who is a member of a church that is not called the “CHURCH OF CHRIST“? Where there any Churches in the New Testament -not called by the name- CHURCH OF CHRIST? Where their members saved or lost? Is the term “THE CHURCH OF CHRIST” found as a TITLE to any one CHURCH in the Bible anywhere? Where was your CHURCH OF CHRIST when Alexander Campbell was being baptized by a Baptist preacher?
Does it matter if you call your church the Church of God, Church of Christ, Church of Jesus Christ, Church of Jesus Christ later day saints,, etc.
It is safe to say that the “COC” is not the “One True Church” as their sectarian/authoritarian rhetoric proclaims! Paul also addresses this issue in I Corinthians 12:12-31.
1Co 12:12-31 For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ. For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit. For the body is not one member, but many. If the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body? And if the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body? If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling? But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him. And if they were all one member, where were the body? But now are they many members, yet but one body. And the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee: nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you. Nay, much more those members of the body, which seem to be more feeble, are necessary: And those members of the body, which we think to be less honorable, upon these we bestow more abundant honor; and our uncomely parts have more abundant comeliness. For our comely parts have no need: but God hath tempered the body neither, having given more abundant honor to that part which lacked: That there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another. And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honored, all the members rejoice with it. Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular. And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues. Are all apostles? are all prophets? are all teachers? are all workers of miracles? Have all the gifts of healing? do all speak with tongues? do all interpret? But covet earnestly the best gifts: and yet show I unto you a more excellent way.
NO “The Church of Christ” is an pseudo/Christian cult that has many unorthodox/aberrant and heretical doctrines! If you doubt that the “COC” is a cult, look into it’s teachings and spend some time interacting with some of it’s members. The attitude of the individuals and the denominational organization itself speaks volumes. They laughably imply perfect understanding of the word of God with their motto, “We speak where the bible speaks, and we are silent where the bible is silent.“ Their claim to NOT be a denomination, but “the one true Christian church’ is absurd and ridiculous. The “Church of Christ” is a cult!!!
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Universalist Paradox/Dilemma by Damon Whitsell
This was written in response to many post (which where basically just links to universalist site material) made in a MSN group by a Universalist named Rodger (associated with tentmakers.org).
If you will listen to what Universalist Rodger says, he says,, “Even though I was and am trusting for my salvation in what Jesus accomplished by His death and resurrection, through the power in the blood of His cross, I was, and still am unable to love a god who would let anyone suffer forever."
I could not find the quote but he also says that anyone who does not believe “as he does for pardon of sins” is of the hook anyway. So how can he trust in Jesus for his sins and dedicate his life, as he has, to telling others not to do the same because it matters not? He does not realize that when a person steps into the realm of biblical teaching he should so with great discernment because of the higher level of accountability and yes judgment for all teachers of religious or God’s truth.
And His dilemma is the bible itself. It speaks for itself and not many sit down for the first time to read it and walk away with the conclusion of universalism because the whole point of the bible is anti/ universal. Jesus is the only name by which we MUST be saved. He is the only savior and he settled the wrath of God by his propitiating atonement redemptive death on the cross.
Rodger wants everyone to believe that God sent his Son to die and incur our wrath and appease the righteous judgment of God through his death, but that anyone and everyone will be saved anyway.
Why does Rodger set his own criteria for the worthiness of God for our love? IE, "I cannot love a God that",,,, As finite created beings, are we worthy to say if our creator is worthy of love or not regardless of how he acts and what he chooses to do, and his criteria for us to be reconciled to him.
Mr. Universalist/Mr. Rodger. Why did Jesus die? Why did he have to die???????????
If you will listen to what Universalist Rodger says, he says,, “Even though I was and am trusting for my salvation in what Jesus accomplished by His death and resurrection, through the power in the blood of His cross, I was, and still am unable to love a god who would let anyone suffer forever."
I could not find the quote but he also says that anyone who does not believe “as he does for pardon of sins” is of the hook anyway. So how can he trust in Jesus for his sins and dedicate his life, as he has, to telling others not to do the same because it matters not? He does not realize that when a person steps into the realm of biblical teaching he should so with great discernment because of the higher level of accountability and yes judgment for all teachers of religious or God’s truth.
And His dilemma is the bible itself. It speaks for itself and not many sit down for the first time to read it and walk away with the conclusion of universalism because the whole point of the bible is anti/ universal. Jesus is the only name by which we MUST be saved. He is the only savior and he settled the wrath of God by his propitiating atonement redemptive death on the cross.
Rodger wants everyone to believe that God sent his Son to die and incur our wrath and appease the righteous judgment of God through his death, but that anyone and everyone will be saved anyway.
Why does Rodger set his own criteria for the worthiness of God for our love? IE, "I cannot love a God that",,,, As finite created beings, are we worthy to say if our creator is worthy of love or not regardless of how he acts and what he chooses to do, and his criteria for us to be reconciled to him.
Mr. Universalist/Mr. Rodger. Why did Jesus die? Why did he have to die???????????
Universalist Paradox/Dilemma by Damon Whitsell by Damon Whitsell is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported License. Based on a work at http://www.how2becomeachristian.info/index.htm. Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at http://wiki.creativecommons.org/Spectrumofrights_Comic1.
Monday, July 28, 2008
**ALERT** Saddleback "Apologist" Shuts Down Purpose Driven Critic
This past week, Lighthouse Trails learned that a Saddleback apologist contacted IPOWER, the web hosting company for Apprising Ministries (a Purpose Driven critic), threatening IPOWER with legal action. This resulted in IPOWER notifying Apprising Ministries that they would shut down the website if a request to remove certain material was not complied with in 48 hours (by Saturday night). IPOWER has a policy statement on their website, which states they will take "corrective action" against websites that post "controversial" material.
As a private company, IPOWER has the right to refuse service to anyone whom they wish; however, given the controversial nature of many websites and blogs and with a customer base of over 700,000 sites, IPOWER will need to shut down thousands of websites, if they treat all of them in the same manner as Apprising Ministries.
There is growing concern among many Christian believers that the time is soon coming, largely because of hate crime legislation, when websites and ministries that challenge and critique popular and non-biblical religious movements (e.g. Purpose Driven, the emerging church, the New Age movement) will be shut down. A prime example, which has warranted growing concern, is that of MacGregor Ministries in Canada, who was recently informed by the Canadian government that they were being stripped of their non-profit status because they violated Canadian regulations that state non-profits cannot say other religions are wrong (constituting this to be hateful behavior).
Because the long-term implications of IPOWER's actions could set a precedent with other hosting companies (a precedent that could ultimately affect many voices who stand for the truth and the Gospel), Lighthouse Trails considers this current action to be of a very serious nature. Lighthouse Trails wrote a letter on July 25th to IPOWER, expressing our concerns. (Click here to read.)
Update: On July 26th, Apprising Ministries website was shut down.
ARTICLE LINK HERE
______________________________________________________
Hello ya’ll,
I don’t want to be an alarmist or anything but you all know that new “hate speech” laws have recently went into effect in America and around the rest of the western world. We often here of Pastors being censored in America and Canada. It has been about a month since I listened to the Jay Sekulo (ACLJ) show but he was harping about new laws that may be used to shut him and similar radio ministries down. I assumed it would be while before this affected the WWW.
But because of new pressures to web hosting companies, an apologist for the Saddleback Church was able to levy this new law to silence and censor one it’s critiques. Saddleback is Rick Warrens Church. Ya’ll all know him as the author of the “Purpose Driven” series of Christian book. If you have not done any study about the purpose driven material, you may be surprised to find out it is not very Christian and that it’s doctrines are more NEW AGE than anything. This mussling of their critics proves the Spirit of the individual and the movement itself. You may also know that the “purpose driven” material is classified as part of the “OUTCOME BASED RELIGION” or the “EMERGING OR EMERGENT CHURCH MOVEMENT“.
The shutting down of this Christian apologetic site could just be an isolated incident or it could start a trend. The way in which this happened is very unchristian like. Read the following article to show the motives. Poof! Apprising Ministries Online is Now Dark
I spent about 6 hrs making a page for outcome based religion and gathering related articles, video and book links. I will be working a couple of more hours on it as I found many more articles that I need to sift through and put on the page. I will be putting a “send this page to a friend” hot link for you to forward to anyone, if you wish. There is more info here than you need so I will be put them in order from most important to least soon. You can visit the page @ http://www.how2becomeachristian.info/outcomebasedreligion.htm
If you don’t know about “outcome based religion”, please study some of these materials and tell others about the false doctrine and politically correctness aspect of this worldly ecumenical movement.
Sincerely, IJN, IHS
Damon Whitsell
How2BecomeAChristian.info
As a private company, IPOWER has the right to refuse service to anyone whom they wish; however, given the controversial nature of many websites and blogs and with a customer base of over 700,000 sites, IPOWER will need to shut down thousands of websites, if they treat all of them in the same manner as Apprising Ministries.
There is growing concern among many Christian believers that the time is soon coming, largely because of hate crime legislation, when websites and ministries that challenge and critique popular and non-biblical religious movements (e.g. Purpose Driven, the emerging church, the New Age movement) will be shut down. A prime example, which has warranted growing concern, is that of MacGregor Ministries in Canada, who was recently informed by the Canadian government that they were being stripped of their non-profit status because they violated Canadian regulations that state non-profits cannot say other religions are wrong (constituting this to be hateful behavior).
Because the long-term implications of IPOWER's actions could set a precedent with other hosting companies (a precedent that could ultimately affect many voices who stand for the truth and the Gospel), Lighthouse Trails considers this current action to be of a very serious nature. Lighthouse Trails wrote a letter on July 25th to IPOWER, expressing our concerns. (Click here to read.)
Update: On July 26th, Apprising Ministries website was shut down.
ARTICLE LINK HERE
______________________________________________________
Hello ya’ll,
I don’t want to be an alarmist or anything but you all know that new “hate speech” laws have recently went into effect in America and around the rest of the western world. We often here of Pastors being censored in America and Canada. It has been about a month since I listened to the Jay Sekulo (ACLJ) show but he was harping about new laws that may be used to shut him and similar radio ministries down. I assumed it would be while before this affected the WWW.
But because of new pressures to web hosting companies, an apologist for the Saddleback Church was able to levy this new law to silence and censor one it’s critiques. Saddleback is Rick Warrens Church. Ya’ll all know him as the author of the “Purpose Driven” series of Christian book. If you have not done any study about the purpose driven material, you may be surprised to find out it is not very Christian and that it’s doctrines are more NEW AGE than anything. This mussling of their critics proves the Spirit of the individual and the movement itself. You may also know that the “purpose driven” material is classified as part of the “OUTCOME BASED RELIGION” or the “EMERGING OR EMERGENT CHURCH MOVEMENT“.
The shutting down of this Christian apologetic site could just be an isolated incident or it could start a trend. The way in which this happened is very unchristian like. Read the following article to show the motives. Poof! Apprising Ministries Online is Now Dark
I spent about 6 hrs making a page for outcome based religion and gathering related articles, video and book links. I will be working a couple of more hours on it as I found many more articles that I need to sift through and put on the page. I will be putting a “send this page to a friend” hot link for you to forward to anyone, if you wish. There is more info here than you need so I will be put them in order from most important to least soon. You can visit the page @ http://www.how2becomeachristian.info/outcomebasedreligion.htm
If you don’t know about “outcome based religion”, please study some of these materials and tell others about the false doctrine and politically correctness aspect of this worldly ecumenical movement.
Sincerely, IJN, IHS
Damon Whitsell
How2BecomeAChristian.info
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Suicide and salvation. By Damon Whitsell
These questions where asked in a forum I visit. WHAT ABOUT SUICIDE? Can it be forgiven? Is it not written that blasphemy against the Holy Ghost, is the only unpardonable sin? The questionnaire has yet to answer the questions himself, but his questions prompted this response and I would like to share it so that other may share it freely if they so wish. The questionaire advocates salvation by works.
______________________________
It always saddens me to see those that advocate “self salvation” to bring up suicide. It is always served with a generous portion of apathy and contempt for those who do commit suicide, and even those who are depressed to the point of considering it. There will always be someone that defines suicide as murder and try to state that murderers cannot be forgiven and end up in God’s heaven. The reasoning goes if you can save yourself you can likewise condemn your self. But the bible says that "all" are condemned already. From that we must be rescued.
But what does the bible say about murderers? It says they shall not have a place in God’s heaven. But when the Spirit of the new law of Christ says that we are ALL murders if we get angry at our brothers for no reason, it kind of levels the playing field huh? Like it or not we are all murderers! Have you not heard that if you break one of Gods laws you have broken them all?
Do you think King David will be forgiven his adultery and murder? How can a murderer be a “man after gods own heart”? I submit to you YES and that it is because David realized that “in him” was no good thing and long before he had anyone physically murdered, he had said in his heart “RACCA” ( not deserving of forgiveness) in anger against his brothers and had already committed murder. Just like Abraham, David was justified in Gods site by faith and blessed is the man to whom God will not impute sin.
The “self salvation” folks show their spiritual maturity to be null and void when they take the line of reasoning that people who commit suicide cannot be saved. The see no value at all in the prefacing suffering. They would even ridicule ‘Christian suffering” and sport a bumper sticker that says “to blessed to be depressed”. They would look upon those that are not like wise “to blessed to be depressed” as beneath them and possibly not even real Christians. But the question is “what does the bible say about depression?”.
Some folks need to do a word study on suffer & suffering! Christ said we must share in his sufferings. Jesus is called the Suffering Servant in Isaiah 42:1-4. Isa 53:3 says of Jesus "He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not." Jesus said we like him shall suffer for his names sake. Paul shared in Christ sufferings. He often said he wished to be absent from the body and to die was gain and preferred. He only wished to hang around for the sake of those whom he had been given charge over (us gentiles and the churches he had planted).
Christ suffered and said my God my God why has though forsaken me? Remove this cup from me if possible. What was that cup? It was the cup of suffering! It is safe to say that in Jesus humanity he was depressed and not jumping for joy. But he went to that cross anyway because of the joy that would come from it afterwards. It was what he was sent to do!!! Do you partake of the cross and the cup of suffering?
Elijah spent three days under the juniper tree thinking about killing himself. Only a divinely sent visit from an angel with a good meal (from heaven) got him physically strong enough to get out from under that Juniper tree and want to live again. He did finally go and face the threat of murder but lets not forget that without divine intervention Elijah would have been finished under that juniper tree. And lets not forget Job who is counted among the numerous bible figures to say “it would have been better for me to not have been born !!!”
Imagine this !!!. You cannot grow if you only have one “mountain top” experience after another. You only grow in dependence on God and spiritual maturity in the valleys of despair and helplessness. We are clay and He is the potter. How quickly we forget that if clay had feelings, it would hurt the clay to be molded and formed into something. How quickly we become unsympathetic towards the clay.
Suffering will make us or break us. Wounds are ways to reveal us! The real us!!! Suffering, and the way we respond to it, will show us where we are at in our walk with God. Can a wild horse be tamed unless it is first broken? Can a servant of God make a good servant unless he is first broken and made into something else?
I realize that some do not have the temperament disposition to get depressed often. But even those less prone to depression will have valley experiences too. Life is not all fun and games ya know. Life is painful. More so to some than others. To live is Christ to die is gain. I'm so tired and so weary but I must go on. Till the Lord come and takes, takes me away. There will be no sadness , no sorrow, no trouble I see. There will be peace in the valley for me ! someday !!!
I believe that some that commit suicide are deranged and delusional and are not really aware of what they are doing. But I believe that most that commit suicide are just tired of living and hopeless. Kind of like when an 80 yr old man loses his companion and he just turns his will to live off and dies shortly afterwards. Is that suicide also???
But I hate to be the one to tell some of you, but suicide can be the biggest act of faith ever. I don’t buy into the idea that a Christian will commit suicide just because he is sick of living this life. If a Christian commits suicide, yes he is tired of living this life but he does not expect to just end it and life is over, he expects to fall into the loving arms of his savior and to be face to face immediately.
It is never Gods will for anyone to commit suicide. Yes Jesus told Judas to go do what he had to do but it was Judas’s will to die. Jesus did not hang him there. I don’t think Judas was in his right mind. After all he betrayed the one that loved him. That would be called “grieved to death” if you ask me.
It is really disparaging to interact with people who would have shunned Jesus in his moments of trail in the Garden of Gethsemane. People like to play with words and try to say killing is murder. Consider this, Jesus knew he was to be taken and crucified, he said so before Judas betrayed him. Since Jesus knew he was to be crucified, did he commit suicide or self murder because he did not flee but went willingly to the cross?
Can you really know how God feels unless you too have been scorned and utterly rejected by the ones you love? Ask Hosea!! Would it destroy your faith to know that God too gets depressed and is very empathetic to those who are depressed and broken ?
Blessed are the meek and the broken hearted. For theirs is the kingdom of God!!!
This article is created and copyrighted by Damon Whitsell 2008. All free duplicating is allowed provided this Commons copyright licensing requirments is kept intact and attached.
Suicide and Salvation by Damon Whitsell is licensed (FOUR YOUR FREE USE) under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 2.5 Australia License.Based on a work at how2becomeachristian.info.
This comment was a response to the posting of this article in a MSN discussion forum. It is added to encourage you to share this article with anyone whom you may know that is struggling with the suicide of a loved one. To forward this to someone, click on the BLOG article title link to go to the article webpage and click the “SHARE” button at the bottom right of the page.
Dear Damon, In the last 6 weeks I have heard of 3 suicides in our area....... I cannot tell you how this has blessed me. One of these persons have greatly broken up a co-worker since he is the Uncle of the one who killed himself. I was beside myself. This has really been helpful to me. I have wept and wept and wept over these lives. Two I believed with all my heart, were truly born again. One would travel extensively to third world countries and contracted some sort of mind disease. (I forget the name of it.) I had a cousin years ago (not in the last 6 weeks) but several years ago (5 to be exact) that actually gave all he had to the Lord. I often wondered about him. I pray that God deeply touches your heart as much as this post has touched mine. It brought me peace. Thank you so much. Anonymous ( The writer has not given me permission to divulge their name)
______________________________
It always saddens me to see those that advocate “self salvation” to bring up suicide. It is always served with a generous portion of apathy and contempt for those who do commit suicide, and even those who are depressed to the point of considering it. There will always be someone that defines suicide as murder and try to state that murderers cannot be forgiven and end up in God’s heaven. The reasoning goes if you can save yourself you can likewise condemn your self. But the bible says that "all" are condemned already. From that we must be rescued.
But what does the bible say about murderers? It says they shall not have a place in God’s heaven. But when the Spirit of the new law of Christ says that we are ALL murders if we get angry at our brothers for no reason, it kind of levels the playing field huh? Like it or not we are all murderers! Have you not heard that if you break one of Gods laws you have broken them all?
Do you think King David will be forgiven his adultery and murder? How can a murderer be a “man after gods own heart”? I submit to you YES and that it is because David realized that “in him” was no good thing and long before he had anyone physically murdered, he had said in his heart “RACCA” ( not deserving of forgiveness) in anger against his brothers and had already committed murder. Just like Abraham, David was justified in Gods site by faith and blessed is the man to whom God will not impute sin.
The “self salvation” folks show their spiritual maturity to be null and void when they take the line of reasoning that people who commit suicide cannot be saved. The see no value at all in the prefacing suffering. They would even ridicule ‘Christian suffering” and sport a bumper sticker that says “to blessed to be depressed”. They would look upon those that are not like wise “to blessed to be depressed” as beneath them and possibly not even real Christians. But the question is “what does the bible say about depression?”.
Some folks need to do a word study on suffer & suffering! Christ said we must share in his sufferings. Jesus is called the Suffering Servant in Isaiah 42:1-4. Isa 53:3 says of Jesus "He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not." Jesus said we like him shall suffer for his names sake. Paul shared in Christ sufferings. He often said he wished to be absent from the body and to die was gain and preferred. He only wished to hang around for the sake of those whom he had been given charge over (us gentiles and the churches he had planted).
Christ suffered and said my God my God why has though forsaken me? Remove this cup from me if possible. What was that cup? It was the cup of suffering! It is safe to say that in Jesus humanity he was depressed and not jumping for joy. But he went to that cross anyway because of the joy that would come from it afterwards. It was what he was sent to do!!! Do you partake of the cross and the cup of suffering?
Elijah spent three days under the juniper tree thinking about killing himself. Only a divinely sent visit from an angel with a good meal (from heaven) got him physically strong enough to get out from under that Juniper tree and want to live again. He did finally go and face the threat of murder but lets not forget that without divine intervention Elijah would have been finished under that juniper tree. And lets not forget Job who is counted among the numerous bible figures to say “it would have been better for me to not have been born !!!”
Imagine this !!!. You cannot grow if you only have one “mountain top” experience after another. You only grow in dependence on God and spiritual maturity in the valleys of despair and helplessness. We are clay and He is the potter. How quickly we forget that if clay had feelings, it would hurt the clay to be molded and formed into something. How quickly we become unsympathetic towards the clay.
Suffering will make us or break us. Wounds are ways to reveal us! The real us!!! Suffering, and the way we respond to it, will show us where we are at in our walk with God. Can a wild horse be tamed unless it is first broken? Can a servant of God make a good servant unless he is first broken and made into something else?
I realize that some do not have the temperament disposition to get depressed often. But even those less prone to depression will have valley experiences too. Life is not all fun and games ya know. Life is painful. More so to some than others. To live is Christ to die is gain. I'm so tired and so weary but I must go on. Till the Lord come and takes, takes me away. There will be no sadness , no sorrow, no trouble I see. There will be peace in the valley for me ! someday !!!
I believe that some that commit suicide are deranged and delusional and are not really aware of what they are doing. But I believe that most that commit suicide are just tired of living and hopeless. Kind of like when an 80 yr old man loses his companion and he just turns his will to live off and dies shortly afterwards. Is that suicide also???
But I hate to be the one to tell some of you, but suicide can be the biggest act of faith ever. I don’t buy into the idea that a Christian will commit suicide just because he is sick of living this life. If a Christian commits suicide, yes he is tired of living this life but he does not expect to just end it and life is over, he expects to fall into the loving arms of his savior and to be face to face immediately.
It is never Gods will for anyone to commit suicide. Yes Jesus told Judas to go do what he had to do but it was Judas’s will to die. Jesus did not hang him there. I don’t think Judas was in his right mind. After all he betrayed the one that loved him. That would be called “grieved to death” if you ask me.
It is really disparaging to interact with people who would have shunned Jesus in his moments of trail in the Garden of Gethsemane. People like to play with words and try to say killing is murder. Consider this, Jesus knew he was to be taken and crucified, he said so before Judas betrayed him. Since Jesus knew he was to be crucified, did he commit suicide or self murder because he did not flee but went willingly to the cross?
Can you really know how God feels unless you too have been scorned and utterly rejected by the ones you love? Ask Hosea!! Would it destroy your faith to know that God too gets depressed and is very empathetic to those who are depressed and broken ?
Blessed are the meek and the broken hearted. For theirs is the kingdom of God!!!
This article is created and copyrighted by Damon Whitsell 2008. All free duplicating is allowed provided this Commons copyright licensing requirments is kept intact and attached.
Suicide and Salvation by Damon Whitsell is licensed (FOUR YOUR FREE USE) under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 2.5 Australia License.Based on a work at how2becomeachristian.info.This comment was a response to the posting of this article in a MSN discussion forum. It is added to encourage you to share this article with anyone whom you may know that is struggling with the suicide of a loved one. To forward this to someone, click on the BLOG article title link to go to the article webpage and click the “SHARE” button at the bottom right of the page.
Dear Damon, In the last 6 weeks I have heard of 3 suicides in our area....... I cannot tell you how this has blessed me. One of these persons have greatly broken up a co-worker since he is the Uncle of the one who killed himself. I was beside myself. This has really been helpful to me. I have wept and wept and wept over these lives. Two I believed with all my heart, were truly born again. One would travel extensively to third world countries and contracted some sort of mind disease. (I forget the name of it.) I had a cousin years ago (not in the last 6 weeks) but several years ago (5 to be exact) that actually gave all he had to the Lord. I often wondered about him. I pray that God deeply touches your heart as much as this post has touched mine. It brought me peace. Thank you so much. Anonymous ( The writer has not given me permission to divulge their name)
34,000 differing denominations or Unity Within Diversity UNITY IN ESSENTIALS by Damon Whitsell
This question was asked of me, "there are 34,000+ different Christian denominations today. Who is to say which churches constitute the congregations of 'true Christians'?" My responce follows.
____________________________________________________________________
I seen someone else make a similar statement about two weeks ago and have not had time to comment but would like to do so. The post I am commenting on used 19,000+ as the number of Christian denoms.
I would like to postulate a question that I believe statements like this beg to ask! I believe this is what people mean when they make such comments,,, "With between 19 and 34 thousand different Christian denominations,,,is it not ludicrous to think there is anything but confusion among christians as to what christianity is? Why should I consider joining such a confused bunch? Is there really any logical reason to consider Jesus Christ?"
It is my belief that people who make such claims, as there being 19 - 34 thousand denominations of Christianity, in a sense that there are that many different versions are really saying "you guys are fools and can't even figure out ya'lls own religion". Some may actually believe that there are many different versions of Christianity but I believe that most prop up such bogus ideas in there head to justify their denial of Jesus Christ.
FALSE TEACHERS, PROPHETS, GOSPELS AND A DIFFERENT JESUS
Every New Testament book except Philemon contains warnings against false teachings, false prophets and false gospels that teach a different Jesus and Spirit. Paul said there where false teachers among the Corinthians and Jesus said beware for many come false teachers have come to lead you astray. We are told that there are men who secretly introduce destructive heresies and that Satan and his ministers masquerade as servants of righteousness. We are even told that there are doctrines of demons.
To the church at Galatia Paul said "you are being thrown into confusion by people trying to pervert the gospel of Jesus Christ, I am astonished that you so quickly turn from the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel". We are told to not accept any other gospels than the one preached by the apostles, even if they come from angels or the apostles themselves.
Satan is rightfully decrypted as adversary. Christianity is not dualistic ( there is not a bad god and a good god battling it out) and because God is sovereign ,Satan cannot be rightfully viewed as an adversary to God. He is just a created fallen angel. Satan opposes Gods plan of redemption. He does this by perverting the simple gospel of Grace and certain truths about the nature of God, Man, Angels and salvation.
ORTHODOXY VERSES HETERODOXY
The new testament and church history shows that Christianity has always made a valiant effort to keep the gospel from being perverted in the midst of constant attempts to redefine the essence of Christianity from both terrestrial and celestial sources. The book of Galatians notes that some where trying to lure the Christians in Galatia back into the legalistic systems of Judaism and the epistles of john tell us that Gnostic teachings where already on the rise.
Detractors always like to claim that Christianity was not a codified belief system until the creed producing church councils,, which they wrongfully say was the beginning of what we call the Church. Dan Brown claims that it was at these councils that Christianity was invented. But anyone who knows church history will tell you that these councils where required because false teachings came to attention and had to be dealt with. The church councils where not held to establish real or essential Christian doctrine but to refute false heretical teachings that had risen up in the church. Establishing essential doctrine was a by product of some of these councils and as Gnostic writings continued to appear on the scene these councils also established what is the (cannon) measure of or for inspired scripture. Christians have always struggled to keep out the heterodox beliefs and to the keeping in of the orthodox.
SOLA SCRIPTURA
History shows that Christianity was institutionalized as the state religion of the roman empire by Constantine. The Christians had been persecuted, even to death, for their beliefs about Jesus for many years and the reprieve was welcomed but wrought it's own problems. The major problem was that religious belief cannot be mandated by a state since religious belief is soulish in nature and law cannot dictate personal belief. You can make a pagan say he believes in Jesus but you can't make him actually believe in Jesus through force. In the generations after Constantine people where said to be Christian by virtue of the place of their birth (i.e. in Rome) not by virtue of their beliefs. All roman citizens where decreed to be Christians because of their birthplace but that did not make all Romans non pagans or actual Christians. Christianity was temporarily redefined by some.
I am not at home so I don't have the specifics handy, but at one point a Pope made a decree that church tradition would be given as much emphasis as scripture regarding Christian beliefs. By elevating church tradition to the level of scripture as the authority for defining and living the Christian faith, the catholic church perverted the gospel as it had never been perverted before. The deification and worship of Mary, salvation by penance and works and many other heretical beliefs arose which required the protesting of the protestant movement. Once perverted the catholic church remained apostate and Christians required a separation and reformation. It was a return to the essential doctrines of Jesus and the apostles themselves.
UNITY WITHIN DIVERSITY
A few months ago I was engaged in debates at factnet ( a cult watch ministry ) with followers of Arnold Murray and the Shepard’s Chapel. They can be called a Christian cult because they do not hold to essential doctrine. They cannot be called a denomination or a true church. They have nothing in common with others that call themselves Christian except for the name Christian. They hold an unorthodox view concerning the nature of God, man, sin and salvation. From non essentials such as the heresy of pre-existence to the heresy of anglo-isrealism, to the essentials of God, man and salvation by grace not works or genetics, they are unorthodox to the core. They are not unified within diversity as real Christians are. They are isolated and don't have unity with those who hold to essential doctrines. Let me explain what I mean by unity with in diversity.
My phone book list about 20 different local Christian churches. Among them are denominations and non denoms and Christian cults. I can go to most of those churches and have much unity in beliefs with them, especially concerning Jesus. In essentials unity, in non essentials liberty and in all things love. Some I could not attend at all because they are diametrically opposed to essential orthodox Christian beliefs, but we must remember that they are cults by virtue of their unorthodox teachings.
Christians churches and denominations enjoy a shared unity within diversity about beliefs concerning God, man, sin and salvation amongst all non cult denominations and non denominational churches. But a follower of Arnold Murray and the Shepard’s chapel cannot enjoy that same unity with other local churches. To fellowship they have to travel to Arkansas or do their fellowshipping online with other Shepard chapelers. They are isolated, exclusive and authoritarianistic because of their beliefs.
There are beliefs that are essential to orthodox Christianity. There are beliefs that are important but not essential. And there are beliefs that have no relevance at all concerning orthodoxy such as eschatology. Because most of these churches hold to essential doctrines they could be called essentially Christian but some would have to be called Christian cults because they are not Christian by virtue of the essence of their beliefs about Jesus Christ yet still apply the term Christian to themselves.
THE VISABLE AND INVISABLE CHURCH
Who is to say which churches constitute the congregations of 'true Christians'?
I think it is fair and right to say that there are two real churches of Jesus Christ. The visible and the invisible. The cooperate and the spiritual. We must realize that the church is personal and spiritual and it is not an institution. There is not one denomination that is totally doctrinally correct. Denominations arise out of non essential matters such as which day is the Sabbath (SDA) and should we be baptized by immersion (Baptist) or sprinkling. If a denomination arises out of a misconstrued essential doctrine, it is not a denomination but a Christian cult.
It is safe to say that no church organization has the corner on True Christianity. There are true Christians within all Christian denoms and non denoms. There are false Christians within all denoms and non denoms. But there is exactly zero false Christians in the invisible church.
CONCLUSION
My conclusion is that it is not appropriate to say there are many Christian denominations and try to link any and all proclaimed denominations with true Christianity. The bible is full of warnings about false teachings, prophets, gospels spirits and even false Jesus‘. The bible even claims that it is a fallen angels agenda to pervert the truths contained in the bible. History shows the fight to keep Christianity from being redefined. It is absurd to say I will not consider Jesus because there is no unity in his followers because there is unity within diversity among the people of Jesus.
There are many individuals and groups that call themselves Christians but you don't become a car by parking in a garage. You have to become a car to be a car by nature. A Christian is a Christian by virtue of what they believe about Jesus Christ. I have avoided defining what is essential Christian doctrine because I don't have time but I will say it is safe to say if you don't think Jesus is The Way, The Truth and The Light,,,, ,your not a real Christian. It is safe to say that not all, but close to all Christian churches listed in my phone book believe he IS The Way The Truth and The Light. It is safe to say that of 19 - 34 thousand alleged Christian denominations that there is only one true church and it is called the body of Christ of which Jesus is the head. The true church is not a denomination. The true church are people that hold to essential Christian doctrine.
It should be no surprise that there is unity within diversity within true Christianity. To be otherwise would be authoritarianism.
Had to get that off my chest, thanx.
_____________________________________________________________________
I am sorry for being so wordy in this post. I have been afk and been itching to express my opinion.
For anyone not taking the time to read all of this post I would like to ask how many Christian cults are there? And what doctrines are essential to "true" Christianity
34,000 differing denominations or Unity Within Diversity UNITY IN ESSENTIALS by Damon Whitsell is licensed (for your free use) under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported License. Based on a work at how2becomeachristian.info. Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at ABOUT CCL http://wiki.creativecommons.org/Spectrumofrights_Comic1.
http://www.how2becomeachristian.info/essentials.htm
____________________________________________________________________
I seen someone else make a similar statement about two weeks ago and have not had time to comment but would like to do so. The post I am commenting on used 19,000+ as the number of Christian denoms.
I would like to postulate a question that I believe statements like this beg to ask! I believe this is what people mean when they make such comments,,, "With between 19 and 34 thousand different Christian denominations,,,is it not ludicrous to think there is anything but confusion among christians as to what christianity is? Why should I consider joining such a confused bunch? Is there really any logical reason to consider Jesus Christ?"
It is my belief that people who make such claims, as there being 19 - 34 thousand denominations of Christianity, in a sense that there are that many different versions are really saying "you guys are fools and can't even figure out ya'lls own religion". Some may actually believe that there are many different versions of Christianity but I believe that most prop up such bogus ideas in there head to justify their denial of Jesus Christ.
FALSE TEACHERS, PROPHETS, GOSPELS AND A DIFFERENT JESUS
Every New Testament book except Philemon contains warnings against false teachings, false prophets and false gospels that teach a different Jesus and Spirit. Paul said there where false teachers among the Corinthians and Jesus said beware for many come false teachers have come to lead you astray. We are told that there are men who secretly introduce destructive heresies and that Satan and his ministers masquerade as servants of righteousness. We are even told that there are doctrines of demons.
To the church at Galatia Paul said "you are being thrown into confusion by people trying to pervert the gospel of Jesus Christ, I am astonished that you so quickly turn from the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel". We are told to not accept any other gospels than the one preached by the apostles, even if they come from angels or the apostles themselves.
Satan is rightfully decrypted as adversary. Christianity is not dualistic ( there is not a bad god and a good god battling it out) and because God is sovereign ,Satan cannot be rightfully viewed as an adversary to God. He is just a created fallen angel. Satan opposes Gods plan of redemption. He does this by perverting the simple gospel of Grace and certain truths about the nature of God, Man, Angels and salvation.
ORTHODOXY VERSES HETERODOXY
The new testament and church history shows that Christianity has always made a valiant effort to keep the gospel from being perverted in the midst of constant attempts to redefine the essence of Christianity from both terrestrial and celestial sources. The book of Galatians notes that some where trying to lure the Christians in Galatia back into the legalistic systems of Judaism and the epistles of john tell us that Gnostic teachings where already on the rise.
Detractors always like to claim that Christianity was not a codified belief system until the creed producing church councils,, which they wrongfully say was the beginning of what we call the Church. Dan Brown claims that it was at these councils that Christianity was invented. But anyone who knows church history will tell you that these councils where required because false teachings came to attention and had to be dealt with. The church councils where not held to establish real or essential Christian doctrine but to refute false heretical teachings that had risen up in the church. Establishing essential doctrine was a by product of some of these councils and as Gnostic writings continued to appear on the scene these councils also established what is the (cannon) measure of or for inspired scripture. Christians have always struggled to keep out the heterodox beliefs and to the keeping in of the orthodox.
SOLA SCRIPTURA
History shows that Christianity was institutionalized as the state religion of the roman empire by Constantine. The Christians had been persecuted, even to death, for their beliefs about Jesus for many years and the reprieve was welcomed but wrought it's own problems. The major problem was that religious belief cannot be mandated by a state since religious belief is soulish in nature and law cannot dictate personal belief. You can make a pagan say he believes in Jesus but you can't make him actually believe in Jesus through force. In the generations after Constantine people where said to be Christian by virtue of the place of their birth (i.e. in Rome) not by virtue of their beliefs. All roman citizens where decreed to be Christians because of their birthplace but that did not make all Romans non pagans or actual Christians. Christianity was temporarily redefined by some.
I am not at home so I don't have the specifics handy, but at one point a Pope made a decree that church tradition would be given as much emphasis as scripture regarding Christian beliefs. By elevating church tradition to the level of scripture as the authority for defining and living the Christian faith, the catholic church perverted the gospel as it had never been perverted before. The deification and worship of Mary, salvation by penance and works and many other heretical beliefs arose which required the protesting of the protestant movement. Once perverted the catholic church remained apostate and Christians required a separation and reformation. It was a return to the essential doctrines of Jesus and the apostles themselves.
UNITY WITHIN DIVERSITY
A few months ago I was engaged in debates at factnet ( a cult watch ministry ) with followers of Arnold Murray and the Shepard’s Chapel. They can be called a Christian cult because they do not hold to essential doctrine. They cannot be called a denomination or a true church. They have nothing in common with others that call themselves Christian except for the name Christian. They hold an unorthodox view concerning the nature of God, man, sin and salvation. From non essentials such as the heresy of pre-existence to the heresy of anglo-isrealism, to the essentials of God, man and salvation by grace not works or genetics, they are unorthodox to the core. They are not unified within diversity as real Christians are. They are isolated and don't have unity with those who hold to essential doctrines. Let me explain what I mean by unity with in diversity.
My phone book list about 20 different local Christian churches. Among them are denominations and non denoms and Christian cults. I can go to most of those churches and have much unity in beliefs with them, especially concerning Jesus. In essentials unity, in non essentials liberty and in all things love. Some I could not attend at all because they are diametrically opposed to essential orthodox Christian beliefs, but we must remember that they are cults by virtue of their unorthodox teachings.
Christians churches and denominations enjoy a shared unity within diversity about beliefs concerning God, man, sin and salvation amongst all non cult denominations and non denominational churches. But a follower of Arnold Murray and the Shepard’s chapel cannot enjoy that same unity with other local churches. To fellowship they have to travel to Arkansas or do their fellowshipping online with other Shepard chapelers. They are isolated, exclusive and authoritarianistic because of their beliefs.
There are beliefs that are essential to orthodox Christianity. There are beliefs that are important but not essential. And there are beliefs that have no relevance at all concerning orthodoxy such as eschatology. Because most of these churches hold to essential doctrines they could be called essentially Christian but some would have to be called Christian cults because they are not Christian by virtue of the essence of their beliefs about Jesus Christ yet still apply the term Christian to themselves.
THE VISABLE AND INVISABLE CHURCH
Who is to say which churches constitute the congregations of 'true Christians'?
I think it is fair and right to say that there are two real churches of Jesus Christ. The visible and the invisible. The cooperate and the spiritual. We must realize that the church is personal and spiritual and it is not an institution. There is not one denomination that is totally doctrinally correct. Denominations arise out of non essential matters such as which day is the Sabbath (SDA) and should we be baptized by immersion (Baptist) or sprinkling. If a denomination arises out of a misconstrued essential doctrine, it is not a denomination but a Christian cult.
It is safe to say that no church organization has the corner on True Christianity. There are true Christians within all Christian denoms and non denoms. There are false Christians within all denoms and non denoms. But there is exactly zero false Christians in the invisible church.
CONCLUSION
My conclusion is that it is not appropriate to say there are many Christian denominations and try to link any and all proclaimed denominations with true Christianity. The bible is full of warnings about false teachings, prophets, gospels spirits and even false Jesus‘. The bible even claims that it is a fallen angels agenda to pervert the truths contained in the bible. History shows the fight to keep Christianity from being redefined. It is absurd to say I will not consider Jesus because there is no unity in his followers because there is unity within diversity among the people of Jesus.
There are many individuals and groups that call themselves Christians but you don't become a car by parking in a garage. You have to become a car to be a car by nature. A Christian is a Christian by virtue of what they believe about Jesus Christ. I have avoided defining what is essential Christian doctrine because I don't have time but I will say it is safe to say if you don't think Jesus is The Way, The Truth and The Light,,,, ,your not a real Christian. It is safe to say that not all, but close to all Christian churches listed in my phone book believe he IS The Way The Truth and The Light. It is safe to say that of 19 - 34 thousand alleged Christian denominations that there is only one true church and it is called the body of Christ of which Jesus is the head. The true church is not a denomination. The true church are people that hold to essential Christian doctrine.
It should be no surprise that there is unity within diversity within true Christianity. To be otherwise would be authoritarianism.
Had to get that off my chest, thanx.
_____________________________________________________________________
I am sorry for being so wordy in this post. I have been afk and been itching to express my opinion.
For anyone not taking the time to read all of this post I would like to ask how many Christian cults are there? And what doctrines are essential to "true" Christianity
34,000 differing denominations or Unity Within Diversity UNITY IN ESSENTIALS by Damon Whitsell is licensed (for your free use) under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported License. Based on a work at how2becomeachristian.info. Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at ABOUT CCL http://wiki.creativecommons.org/Spectrumofrights_Comic1.http://www.how2becomeachristian.info/essentials.htm
CULT UNITY By Damon whitsell
The aberrant pseudo-Christian cults are united against grace and faith alone for justification/salvation.
Spend some time in a Christian debate or discussion community for awhile and you will learn a few things. First and foremost is that there are so many different ways that people believe and teach about certain biblical topics. For those who are NOT well studied and versed on what is and what is not orthodox Christianity can get confused easily. There are only two groups of Christians. Those who adhere to orthodox teachings and those that hold heterodox or aberrant heretical teachings. The difference is that between true Christianity and Pseudo-Christian cults.
While the vast and flagrant differences of the cults on various doctrines and teachings is the first and most obvious thing that a participant or a lurker in those type forums will learn, the most prominent theme and common denominator among them is their united assault against salvation by grace alone, through faith alone. While most cults claim to be the only true church and the only ecclesiastic outlet of salvation, all cults stand united in denying that salvation is by grace apart from works.
Most cults will add baptism as a work we must do to be saved. Some will add the doctrine of Christian sinless perfection saying one must become sinless to be saved. Some will add a certain Sabbath day observance, restrict the use of musical instruments in church or require certain rules for dress and entertainment. But they all pervert and unite against the truth of justification/salvation by faith alone in Jesus atoning life death and resurrection.
Other marks of a cult.
Pseudo-Christian cults Have many other doctrinal distinctives that differentiate them from mainstream Christianity. While different Cult apologetics groups have given different definitions as to what doctrines are essential and non essential to orthodox biblical Christianity, the variances are minor. All list generally contain the following.
1. The necessary affirmation of the virgin birth of Jesus.
2. The necessary affirmation of Jesus literal death burial and resurrection.
Both of these denote Jesus's divinity and the Triune nature of God.
3. The necessary affirmation of salvation/justification by grace through atonement.
All apologetics groups affirm these three as essentials. Below these “prime” essentials is a level of sub-prime essentials which would include doctrines on the nature of God, the nature of man, the nature of sin and the biblical precepts of heaven and hell and divine judgment, etc. etc.
Cult apologetics pioneer Walter Martin defined a cult as follows,, In his 1955 book The Rise of the Cults: An Introductory Guide to the Non-Christian Cults, Martin gave the following definition of a cult: "By cultism we mean the adherence to doctrines which are pointedly contradictory to orthodox Christianity and which yet claim the distinction of either tracing their origin to orthodox sources or of being in essential harmony with those sources. Cultism, in short, is any major deviation from orthodox Christianity relative to the cardinal doctrines of the Christian faith."
The glue and the sticking point that holds the cults apart from the real church is legalism. Legalism is mans efforts to appease God and justify himself through any kind of self effort. By far what the cults have most in common is legalism. In many cases that may be the only thing they have in common. Yet as you will learn they will all come together to say that salvation is not a gracious gift of God but must in some way be earned.
The question is sometimes asked in these rooms why don’t we just give the room up to so and so or so and so group? Have you ever entertained the idea of what that would result in? If all the “faith aloners” pulled out what would happen?
The only mutual point that ALL Pseudo-Christian cults share is their alliance against grace and support of human effort to obtain salvation. Once the debate over Salvation by Grace or by works was removed IT WOULD GET VERY INTERESTING IN THESE ROOMS. Don’t you think?
We would get to see people argue over who is the most perfect and deserving to get to heaven, which baptism by which church saves, and of course lets not forget which church is the one and only true church.
You will never see Cults come together to argue which cult is correct and which are not, but you will find that they will rally together and to refuse salvation by grace.
So lets imagine that all the “faith aloners” left and it was just various groups that are united against grace but very much at odds with each other over other matters. What would happen and which cult would be preferred over the others if we all left or just conceded and said OK salvation is not by grace?
CULT UNITY? by Damon Whitsell is licensed (FOR YOUR FREE USE) under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported License. Based on a work at http://www.how2becomeachristian.info/. Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at ABOUT CCL http://wiki.creativecommons.org/Spectrumofrights_Comic1.
Spend some time in a Christian debate or discussion community for awhile and you will learn a few things. First and foremost is that there are so many different ways that people believe and teach about certain biblical topics. For those who are NOT well studied and versed on what is and what is not orthodox Christianity can get confused easily. There are only two groups of Christians. Those who adhere to orthodox teachings and those that hold heterodox or aberrant heretical teachings. The difference is that between true Christianity and Pseudo-Christian cults.
While the vast and flagrant differences of the cults on various doctrines and teachings is the first and most obvious thing that a participant or a lurker in those type forums will learn, the most prominent theme and common denominator among them is their united assault against salvation by grace alone, through faith alone. While most cults claim to be the only true church and the only ecclesiastic outlet of salvation, all cults stand united in denying that salvation is by grace apart from works.
Most cults will add baptism as a work we must do to be saved. Some will add the doctrine of Christian sinless perfection saying one must become sinless to be saved. Some will add a certain Sabbath day observance, restrict the use of musical instruments in church or require certain rules for dress and entertainment. But they all pervert and unite against the truth of justification/salvation by faith alone in Jesus atoning life death and resurrection.
Other marks of a cult.
Pseudo-Christian cults Have many other doctrinal distinctives that differentiate them from mainstream Christianity. While different Cult apologetics groups have given different definitions as to what doctrines are essential and non essential to orthodox biblical Christianity, the variances are minor. All list generally contain the following.
1. The necessary affirmation of the virgin birth of Jesus.
2. The necessary affirmation of Jesus literal death burial and resurrection.
Both of these denote Jesus's divinity and the Triune nature of God.
3. The necessary affirmation of salvation/justification by grace through atonement.
All apologetics groups affirm these three as essentials. Below these “prime” essentials is a level of sub-prime essentials which would include doctrines on the nature of God, the nature of man, the nature of sin and the biblical precepts of heaven and hell and divine judgment, etc. etc.
Cult apologetics pioneer Walter Martin defined a cult as follows,, In his 1955 book The Rise of the Cults: An Introductory Guide to the Non-Christian Cults, Martin gave the following definition of a cult: "By cultism we mean the adherence to doctrines which are pointedly contradictory to orthodox Christianity and which yet claim the distinction of either tracing their origin to orthodox sources or of being in essential harmony with those sources. Cultism, in short, is any major deviation from orthodox Christianity relative to the cardinal doctrines of the Christian faith."
The glue and the sticking point that holds the cults apart from the real church is legalism. Legalism is mans efforts to appease God and justify himself through any kind of self effort. By far what the cults have most in common is legalism. In many cases that may be the only thing they have in common. Yet as you will learn they will all come together to say that salvation is not a gracious gift of God but must in some way be earned.
The question is sometimes asked in these rooms why don’t we just give the room up to so and so or so and so group? Have you ever entertained the idea of what that would result in? If all the “faith aloners” pulled out what would happen?
The only mutual point that ALL Pseudo-Christian cults share is their alliance against grace and support of human effort to obtain salvation. Once the debate over Salvation by Grace or by works was removed IT WOULD GET VERY INTERESTING IN THESE ROOMS. Don’t you think?
We would get to see people argue over who is the most perfect and deserving to get to heaven, which baptism by which church saves, and of course lets not forget which church is the one and only true church.
You will never see Cults come together to argue which cult is correct and which are not, but you will find that they will rally together and to refuse salvation by grace.
So lets imagine that all the “faith aloners” left and it was just various groups that are united against grace but very much at odds with each other over other matters. What would happen and which cult would be preferred over the others if we all left or just conceded and said OK salvation is not by grace?
CULT UNITY? by Damon Whitsell is licensed (FOR YOUR FREE USE) under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported License. Based on a work at http://www.how2becomeachristian.info/. Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at ABOUT CCL http://wiki.creativecommons.org/Spectrumofrights_Comic1.
What is Justification? Is Justification Salvation? By Damon Whitsell
1. So “what is justification?”
First we must define salvation. I believe that salvation is best defined as a rescue operation. Salvation: Strong’s G4991 sōtēria Feminine of a derivative of G4990 as (properly abstract) noun; rescue or safety (physically or morally): - deliver, health, salvation, save, saving.
Job 25:4 How then can man be justified with God? or how can he be clean that is born of a woman?
Job 9:20 If I justify myself, mine own mouth shall condemn me: if I say, I am perfect, it shall also prove me perverse.
Let us notice that Job equates being justified with God as being perfect and clean (just, holy, righteous) and proposes a rhetorical question; “how can he be clean that is born of a woman?”. This shows that he IS NOT clean and CANNOT be cleaned or cleansed by his own self effort. “Born of a woman” here indicates both our sinful (fallen) nature which produces personal sin and the imputation of Adam’s sin to us. Rom 5:19 For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.
Justify ,justifier, justified and justification come from the root word just; which in its most common use means holy, righteous or innocent. Strong’s dictionary gives the following definitions for the following NT words.
JUST G1342 dikaios From G1349; equitable (in character or act); by implication innocent, holy (absolutely or relatively): - just, meet, right (-eous).
JUSTIFY, JUSTIFIED, JUSTIFIER G1344 dikaioo From G1342; to render (that is, show or regard as) just or innocent: - free, justify (-ier), be righteous.
JUSTIFICATION G1345 dikaio From G1344; an equitable deed; by implication a statute or decision: - judgment, justification, ordinance, righteousness. G1347 dikaio From G1344; acquittal (for Christ’s sake): - justification.
We can see from these definitions that to be just is to be holy righteous and innocent; and to be justified is to be rendered (shown, regarded) and declared to be just (holy, righteous and innocent). We also can see that justification is a decision that results in acquittal. Therefore Wayne Grudem in his book [Systematic Theology; an introduction to biblical doctrine], is correct in saying that “justification is an instantaneous legal act of God in which He (1) thinks of our sins as forgiven and Christ’s righteousness as belonging to us, and (2) declares us to be righteous in his sight. (pg722)” Justification is a right legal standing before God concerning our relationship to God‘s laws, stating that we are completely forgiven and no longer liable to punishment (wages of sin=spiritual death). Mr. Grudem notes, “A right understanding of justification is absolutely crucial to the whole of the Christian faith. Once Martin Luther realized the truth of justification by faith alone, he became a Christian and overflowed with the new found joy of the Gospel. The primary issue in the protestant reformation was a dispute with the Roman Catholic Church over justification. If we are to safeguard the truth of the gospel for future generations, we must understand the truth of justification. Even today, a true view of justification is the dividing line between the biblical gospel of salvation by faith alone and all false gospels of salvation based on good works (pg 723).”
Martin Luther declared, “The doctrine of justification is the article by which the church stands or falls.”
“[Justification is] the chief doctrine of Christianity and the chief point of difference separating Protestantism and Roman Catholicism.” [Jaroslav Pelikan, in “The Christian Tradition: A History of the Development of Doctrine.” Vol4 Pg 139]
The (free=without cost) Theology Program from Bible.org at www.thetheologyprogram.com gives the following definitions of the Roman Catholic and Protestant views of justification.
ROMAN CATHOLIC VIEW: “Justification is a process through which the limitless merits of Christ are appropriated by the church through people responding to God through faith and works.”
The Council of Trent (1545-1563) declared “this disposition or preparation [of faith] is followed by justification itself, which is not only a remission of sins but also the sanctification and renewal on the inward man through the voluntary reception of the grace and gifts whereby an unjust man becomes just and from being an enemy becomes a friend, that he may be the heir to the hope of eternal life.”
The Roman Catholic view of Justification was summed up by the Roman Catholic Church with the Latin term; “ex opere operato” = “By the work performed”. The authors of the theology program further define this term as “the belief accepted by Roman Catholics and rejected by Protestants that the sacraments administer grace to the recipient by virtue of the act itself through the power given to the church, regardless of the faith of the individual”
PROTESTANT VIEW: “Justification is a forensic declaration in which a sinner is declared righteous while still in a sinning state. It is a justification in standing, not in nature that occurs in an instantaneous event.”
Martin Luther said of Jesus, “He has made His righteousness my righteousness, and my sin His sin. If he has made my sin to be his sin, then I do not have it and am free. If he has made his righteousness my righteousness, then I am righteous now with the same righteousness as He. My sin cannot devour Him, but it is engulfed in the unfathomable depths of his righteousness for he himself is God, who is blessed forever.” (“Lectures on Romans” in Luther’s works; Hilton C. Oswald p.188)
The reformers (Protestant) view of justification was summed up with the Latin term; “simul iustus et peccator” = “same time just and sinner”. The authors of the theology program define this term as “Luther’s paradoxical dictum explaining that a Christian has a legal or forensic righteous standing before God according to the work of Christ, while at the same time lives as a sinner according to his own merits. This was adhered to by the reformers in rejection to the Roman Catholic concept of infused righteousness.”
The main difference between the Roman Catholic view of justification and the protestant view of justification is wrapped up in 2 terms. 1. “Infused righteousness” (a process of God and man by which man must become actually righteous before he is said to be justified) 2. “Imputed righteousness” (a one time event in which God justifies sinners by reckoning Christ’s righteousness to their account through a legal declaration). The biggest difference between the Roman Catholic view of justification and the Protestant view of justification is that one is by faith and works together and the other is by faith alone. The Catholics view justification as a work of both God and man together while Protestants view justification as a work of God alone. Wayne Grudem says of the Protestant Reformation “When the good news of the gospel truly became the good news of totally free salvation in Jesus Christ, then it spread like wildfire throughout the civilized world. It was simply a recovery of the original gospel which declares, “the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom 6:23) and insist that “there is therefore no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus. (Rom 8:1)” Pg. 729.
Does the bible say that justification is a process or an event? According to the bible, who does the justifying, God or man? Is justification by faith and works or by faith alone?
Rom 3:19-28 Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in His sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin. But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus. Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith. Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.
Rom 5:1 Therefore being justified (past tense) by faith, we have (present tense) peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:
Gal 2:16 Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.
Gal 5:4 Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace.
Paul says that God “justifies him who has faith in Jesus“(Rom 3:26) and that “a man is justified by faith apart from works of law” (Rom 3; 28) The word of God which was delivered to Paul by Jesus himself (1Cor 1:23, 15:3) says that “since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Rom5:1) Because “a man is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ” (Gal2:16)
Justification is solely a work of God that we must receive. We must answer God’s call.
Rom 8:30-34 Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified. He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth.
Act 13:39 And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses.
Joh 1:12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
Rom 5:11 And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.
ATONEMENT/RECONCILIATION: G2643 katallage From G2644; exchange (figuratively adjustment), that is, restoration to (the divine) favor: - atonement, reconciliation (-ing).
In the Old Testament, we can see that the institution of the Passover points to atonement through a vicarious substitution. The sacrificial system (esp. the day of atonement) pointed to the perfect sacrifice that Christ would give on behalf of our sins (Lev, 16:9-10, 16, 29) Christ is later called the lamb of God which takes away the sins of the world. (John 1:29, Rev. 5:7) In addition, Isaiah 53 vividly describes atonement through a vicarious substitution.
2. So “Is justification salvation“?
I believe so. Obviously, there are many other biblical terms to describe salvation such as election, calling, regeneration (spiritual rebirth), conversion (moral revolution through faith and repentance), sanctification (growth in likeness of Christ), glorification (receiving a resurrected body), and others. But Justification embodies other biblical terms for salvation such as atonement (restoration to divine favor), reconciliation (restoration to divine favor), redemption (to purchase), propitiation (the act by where which God‘s righteous wrath is satisfied by the atonement of Christ) and deliverance (ransom) . The preceding definitions come from Strong’s dictionary, Systematic Theology by Wayne Grudem or The Theology Program.
Justification is the result of God applying the work of Christ to the believer though faith (trust) in Jesus Christ’s death in our place on the cross; resulting in the forgiveness of our sins and the imputation of Christ perfect righteousness to our account. Justification is the result of atonement, reconciliation, redemption, deliverance and propitiation rendered through Christ perfect life and substitutionary death. In my opinion, regeneration (being born again) is the only other biblical term for salvation that could possibly rival justification as an accurate synonym for salvation but regeneration is still not as fully a descriptive term for salvation. Regeneration causes conversion through faith and repentance. The result of justification is that we go from an unjust state to a totally justified position while still not being totally just in actual practice. (John 9:41, 1John 1:8)
Justification and salvation are terms that are used interchangeably in God’s word. We are “saved through faith“(Eph 2; 8), and “justified by faith” (Rom 5:1, Gal 2:16). We are saved not according to our works (2Tim1:9) and we are not justified by our works (Gal 2:16). We are saved by God’s grace. (Acts15:11, Eph2:8) We are justified by God’s grace. (Titus 3:7, Rom 3:24)
As noted above, if we are to have eternal life with God, mankind’s most basic problem that must be solved is that God is just, holy and righteous (PS 97:2, PS 119:142) and mankind is unjust, unholy and unrighteous. (Isa 53:6, Rom 3:10-18, 3:23, Gal 3:22, Eph 2:1, James 1:5) God is intrinsically by His nature just and he cannot even look upon sin (iniquity) Holiness is an immutable attribute of God’s character. Hab 1:13a Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity. Therefore, God must punish our sin. Rom 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Eze 18:20a The soul that sinneth, it shall die. Spiritual death (separation from God) has always been the wages of sin. (Gen2:17, 3:6,23,24, Eze 28:15,16) The solution to mans problem is the Lord Jesus Christ. Rom 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
I believe that salvation and justification are synonymous because the promise of eternal life is achieved by the shed blood of Jesus Christ resulting in our redemption and reconciliation to God through Christ’s atonement. That atonement needs to be applied to us, through faith in Jesus as our Savior, because of our sins and separation from God. But Jesus bridges the gap between God and us. He provides the way that we may be restored to right relationship with God both at the moment of faith and even more so in the moment of death. Salvation and justification is achieved for us, by Jesus Christ, by our sins being imputed to Him on the cross (thus making a propitiation towards God), and Jesus’s perfect righteousness being imputed to our account for us. (Gen 15:6, Rom 4:3-5, 8-11, 22-24, 5:13, Gal 3:6, James 2:23) Christ perfect sacrifice expiates our sin through propitiation (the act by where which God‘s righteous wrath is satisfied by the atonement of Christ) i.e. [Rom 3:25, 1John 2:2, 1John 4:10]` And the work of Jesus Christ results in our justification and salvation. God is just and the justifier of him that hath faith in Jesus. (Rom 3:26) Therefore, I would say, yes, “Justification is Salvation…Would you say that a person who God has justified is not saved?
Perhaps you have heard the popular and clever play on words for “justified” that says “just-as-if -I-had-never-sinned” or “just-as-if-I-had-lived-a-life-of-perfect-righteousness”. These sayings contain a portion of the truth about justification but not the whole of the truth of justification. Obviously we have not “lived lives of perfect righteousness” nor have we “never sinned” and we are in fact deserving of death as the wages of sin, because we are in reality sinners who have transgressed God‘s laws . Gal 3:10 For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, ‘Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them. Deu 27:26 Cursed be he that confirmeth not all the words of this law to do them. And all the people shall say, Amen. Jam 2:10 For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all. But JESUS LAYED DOWN HIS LIFE so,
Joh 3:15-18 That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
Joh 6:47 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.
Joh 20:31 But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ,
It was Jesus, 1Ti 2:6 Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time. It was Jesus Gal 1:4 Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father: It was Jesus Tit 2:14 Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.
Jesus not only saves us from the penalty of sin (spiritual death), but also from the power of sin so that sin should not have dominion over us. (Rom. 6:6,11) Because, Eph 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. 2Ti 3:17 That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.
It was because of justification by faith alone that Paul could say Gal 2:20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. John the Baptist said of Jesus Christ “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. (John 1:29)
Isa 64:6 But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.
Rom 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Rom 3:24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:
Rom 4:5 But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.
Rom 5:6 For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.
Rom 5:15-19 But not as the offense, so also is the free gift. For if through the offense of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many. And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offenses unto justification. For if by one man's offense death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ. Therefore as by the offense of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life. For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.
Act 20:28 Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.
2Co 5:21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
Heb 7:26-27 For such a high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens; Who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the people's: for this he did once, when he offered up himself.
Heb 7:19 For the law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better hope did; by the which we draw nigh unto God.
Heb 9:28 So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.
Heb 13:12 Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate.
Eph 1:5-7 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;
Eph 5:2 And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savor.
Gal 3:13 Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:
1Pe 2:24 Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.
1Jo 2:1-2 My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.
Rev 1:5 And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,
Gal 1:3-5 Grace be to you and peace from God the Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ, Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver (RESCUE) us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father: To whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.
There are only two ways to be saved. 1. Actually be totally and perfectly just, holy righteous and as innocent as God is. 2. Be justified by God as a free gift. When you stand before God on judgment day will you say I am just and deserve eternal life; or will you fall on your face and say “Lord have mercy on me a sinner“?
If you have been working for your salvation or justification, or if you have never known Jesus, will you receive God’s free gracious gift of salvation by faith (trust) alone in Jesus Christ as your savior at this moment?
This article is created and copyrighted © by Damon Whitsell 2007. Free duplicating is allowed provided this notice and these Commons Copyright © licensing requirments are abided, kept intact and attached.
What is Justification? Is Justification Salvation? by Damon Whitsell is licensed (FOR YOUR FREE USE) under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported License.Based on a work at how2becomeachristian.webs.com.
First we must define salvation. I believe that salvation is best defined as a rescue operation. Salvation: Strong’s G4991 sōtēria Feminine of a derivative of G4990 as (properly abstract) noun; rescue or safety (physically or morally): - deliver, health, salvation, save, saving.
Job 25:4 How then can man be justified with God? or how can he be clean that is born of a woman?
Job 9:20 If I justify myself, mine own mouth shall condemn me: if I say, I am perfect, it shall also prove me perverse.
Let us notice that Job equates being justified with God as being perfect and clean (just, holy, righteous) and proposes a rhetorical question; “how can he be clean that is born of a woman?”. This shows that he IS NOT clean and CANNOT be cleaned or cleansed by his own self effort. “Born of a woman” here indicates both our sinful (fallen) nature which produces personal sin and the imputation of Adam’s sin to us. Rom 5:19 For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.
Mankind’s basic problem that must be solved if we are to have eternal life with God is that God is just, holy and righteous (PS 97:2, PS 119:142, Math. 5:48) and we are unjust, unholy and unrighteous. (Isa 53:6, Jere. 13:23, 17:9, Rom 3:10-18, 3:23, 1Cor. 2:13, Gal.3:22, Eph 2:1-3, James 1:5) Our sin and God’s holiness separates us from God. But scripture says that God is just and the justifier of those who believe in Jesus. (Rom 3:26)
Justify ,justifier, justified and justification come from the root word just; which in its most common use means holy, righteous or innocent. Strong’s dictionary gives the following definitions for the following NT words.
JUST G1342 dikaios From G1349; equitable (in character or act); by implication innocent, holy (absolutely or relatively): - just, meet, right (-eous).
JUSTIFY, JUSTIFIED, JUSTIFIER G1344 dikaioo From G1342; to render (that is, show or regard as) just or innocent: - free, justify (-ier), be righteous.
JUSTIFICATION G1345 dikaio From G1344; an equitable deed; by implication a statute or decision: - judgment, justification, ordinance, righteousness. G1347 dikaio From G1344; acquittal (for Christ’s sake): - justification.
We can see from these definitions that to be just is to be holy righteous and innocent; and to be justified is to be rendered (shown, regarded) and declared to be just (holy, righteous and innocent). We also can see that justification is a decision that results in acquittal. Therefore Wayne Grudem in his book [Systematic Theology; an introduction to biblical doctrine], is correct in saying that “justification is an instantaneous legal act of God in which He (1) thinks of our sins as forgiven and Christ’s righteousness as belonging to us, and (2) declares us to be righteous in his sight. (pg722)” Justification is a right legal standing before God concerning our relationship to God‘s laws, stating that we are completely forgiven and no longer liable to punishment (wages of sin=spiritual death). Mr. Grudem notes, “A right understanding of justification is absolutely crucial to the whole of the Christian faith. Once Martin Luther realized the truth of justification by faith alone, he became a Christian and overflowed with the new found joy of the Gospel. The primary issue in the protestant reformation was a dispute with the Roman Catholic Church over justification. If we are to safeguard the truth of the gospel for future generations, we must understand the truth of justification. Even today, a true view of justification is the dividing line between the biblical gospel of salvation by faith alone and all false gospels of salvation based on good works (pg 723).”
Martin Luther declared, “The doctrine of justification is the article by which the church stands or falls.”
“[Justification is] the chief doctrine of Christianity and the chief point of difference separating Protestantism and Roman Catholicism.” [Jaroslav Pelikan, in “The Christian Tradition: A History of the Development of Doctrine.” Vol4 Pg 139]
The (free=without cost) Theology Program from Bible.org at www.thetheologyprogram.com gives the following definitions of the Roman Catholic and Protestant views of justification.
ROMAN CATHOLIC VIEW: “Justification is a process through which the limitless merits of Christ are appropriated by the church through people responding to God through faith and works.”
The Council of Trent (1545-1563) declared “this disposition or preparation [of faith] is followed by justification itself, which is not only a remission of sins but also the sanctification and renewal on the inward man through the voluntary reception of the grace and gifts whereby an unjust man becomes just and from being an enemy becomes a friend, that he may be the heir to the hope of eternal life.”
The Roman Catholic view of Justification was summed up by the Roman Catholic Church with the Latin term; “ex opere operato” = “By the work performed”. The authors of the theology program further define this term as “the belief accepted by Roman Catholics and rejected by Protestants that the sacraments administer grace to the recipient by virtue of the act itself through the power given to the church, regardless of the faith of the individual”
PROTESTANT VIEW: “Justification is a forensic declaration in which a sinner is declared righteous while still in a sinning state. It is a justification in standing, not in nature that occurs in an instantaneous event.”
Martin Luther said of Jesus, “He has made His righteousness my righteousness, and my sin His sin. If he has made my sin to be his sin, then I do not have it and am free. If he has made his righteousness my righteousness, then I am righteous now with the same righteousness as He. My sin cannot devour Him, but it is engulfed in the unfathomable depths of his righteousness for he himself is God, who is blessed forever.” (“Lectures on Romans” in Luther’s works; Hilton C. Oswald p.188)
The reformers (Protestant) view of justification was summed up with the Latin term; “simul iustus et peccator” = “same time just and sinner”. The authors of the theology program define this term as “Luther’s paradoxical dictum explaining that a Christian has a legal or forensic righteous standing before God according to the work of Christ, while at the same time lives as a sinner according to his own merits. This was adhered to by the reformers in rejection to the Roman Catholic concept of infused righteousness.”
The main difference between the Roman Catholic view of justification and the protestant view of justification is wrapped up in 2 terms. 1. “Infused righteousness” (a process of God and man by which man must become actually righteous before he is said to be justified) 2. “Imputed righteousness” (a one time event in which God justifies sinners by reckoning Christ’s righteousness to their account through a legal declaration). The biggest difference between the Roman Catholic view of justification and the Protestant view of justification is that one is by faith and works together and the other is by faith alone. The Catholics view justification as a work of both God and man together while Protestants view justification as a work of God alone. Wayne Grudem says of the Protestant Reformation “When the good news of the gospel truly became the good news of totally free salvation in Jesus Christ, then it spread like wildfire throughout the civilized world. It was simply a recovery of the original gospel which declares, “the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom 6:23) and insist that “there is therefore no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus. (Rom 8:1)” Pg. 729.
Does the bible say that justification is a process or an event? According to the bible, who does the justifying, God or man? Is justification by faith and works or by faith alone?
Rom 3:19-28 Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in His sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin. But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus. Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith. Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.
Rom 4:1-5 What shall we say then that Abraham our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath found? For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God. For what saith the Scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness. Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.
Rom 5:1 Therefore being justified (past tense) by faith, we have (present tense) peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:
Gal 2:16 Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.
Gal 5:4 Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace.
Paul says that God “justifies him who has faith in Jesus“(Rom 3:26) and that “a man is justified by faith apart from works of law” (Rom 3; 28) The word of God which was delivered to Paul by Jesus himself (1Cor 1:23, 15:3) says that “since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Rom5:1) Because “a man is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ” (Gal2:16)
Justification is solely a work of God that we must receive. We must answer God’s call.
Rom 8:30-34 Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified. He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth.
Act 13:39 And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses.
Joh 1:12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
Rom 5:11 And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.
ATONEMENT/RECONCILIATION: G2643 katallage From G2644; exchange (figuratively adjustment), that is, restoration to (the divine) favor: - atonement, reconciliation (-ing).
In the Old Testament, we can see that the institution of the Passover points to atonement through a vicarious substitution. The sacrificial system (esp. the day of atonement) pointed to the perfect sacrifice that Christ would give on behalf of our sins (Lev, 16:9-10, 16, 29) Christ is later called the lamb of God which takes away the sins of the world. (John 1:29, Rev. 5:7) In addition, Isaiah 53 vividly describes atonement through a vicarious substitution.
2. So “Is justification salvation“?
I believe so. Obviously, there are many other biblical terms to describe salvation such as election, calling, regeneration (spiritual rebirth), conversion (moral revolution through faith and repentance), sanctification (growth in likeness of Christ), glorification (receiving a resurrected body), and others. But Justification embodies other biblical terms for salvation such as atonement (restoration to divine favor), reconciliation (restoration to divine favor), redemption (to purchase), propitiation (the act by where which God‘s righteous wrath is satisfied by the atonement of Christ) and deliverance (ransom) . The preceding definitions come from Strong’s dictionary, Systematic Theology by Wayne Grudem or The Theology Program.
Justification is the result of God applying the work of Christ to the believer though faith (trust) in Jesus Christ’s death in our place on the cross; resulting in the forgiveness of our sins and the imputation of Christ perfect righteousness to our account. Justification is the result of atonement, reconciliation, redemption, deliverance and propitiation rendered through Christ perfect life and substitutionary death. In my opinion, regeneration (being born again) is the only other biblical term for salvation that could possibly rival justification as an accurate synonym for salvation but regeneration is still not as fully a descriptive term for salvation. Regeneration causes conversion through faith and repentance. The result of justification is that we go from an unjust state to a totally justified position while still not being totally just in actual practice. (John 9:41, 1John 1:8)
Justification and salvation are terms that are used interchangeably in God’s word. We are “saved through faith“(Eph 2; 8), and “justified by faith” (Rom 5:1, Gal 2:16). We are saved not according to our works (2Tim1:9) and we are not justified by our works (Gal 2:16). We are saved by God’s grace. (Acts15:11, Eph2:8) We are justified by God’s grace. (Titus 3:7, Rom 3:24)
As noted above, if we are to have eternal life with God, mankind’s most basic problem that must be solved is that God is just, holy and righteous (PS 97:2, PS 119:142) and mankind is unjust, unholy and unrighteous. (Isa 53:6, Rom 3:10-18, 3:23, Gal 3:22, Eph 2:1, James 1:5) God is intrinsically by His nature just and he cannot even look upon sin (iniquity) Holiness is an immutable attribute of God’s character. Hab 1:13a Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity. Therefore, God must punish our sin. Rom 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Eze 18:20a The soul that sinneth, it shall die. Spiritual death (separation from God) has always been the wages of sin. (Gen2:17, 3:6,23,24, Eze 28:15,16) The solution to mans problem is the Lord Jesus Christ. Rom 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
I believe that salvation and justification are synonymous because the promise of eternal life is achieved by the shed blood of Jesus Christ resulting in our redemption and reconciliation to God through Christ’s atonement. That atonement needs to be applied to us, through faith in Jesus as our Savior, because of our sins and separation from God. But Jesus bridges the gap between God and us. He provides the way that we may be restored to right relationship with God both at the moment of faith and even more so in the moment of death. Salvation and justification is achieved for us, by Jesus Christ, by our sins being imputed to Him on the cross (thus making a propitiation towards God), and Jesus’s perfect righteousness being imputed to our account for us. (Gen 15:6, Rom 4:3-5, 8-11, 22-24, 5:13, Gal 3:6, James 2:23) Christ perfect sacrifice expiates our sin through propitiation (the act by where which God‘s righteous wrath is satisfied by the atonement of Christ) i.e. [Rom 3:25, 1John 2:2, 1John 4:10]` And the work of Jesus Christ results in our justification and salvation. God is just and the justifier of him that hath faith in Jesus. (Rom 3:26) Therefore, I would say, yes, “Justification is Salvation…Would you say that a person who God has justified is not saved?
Perhaps you have heard the popular and clever play on words for “justified” that says “just-as-if -I-had-never-sinned” or “just-as-if-I-had-lived-a-life-of-perfect-righteousness”. These sayings contain a portion of the truth about justification but not the whole of the truth of justification. Obviously we have not “lived lives of perfect righteousness” nor have we “never sinned” and we are in fact deserving of death as the wages of sin, because we are in reality sinners who have transgressed God‘s laws . Gal 3:10 For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, ‘Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them. Deu 27:26 Cursed be he that confirmeth not all the words of this law to do them. And all the people shall say, Amen. Jam 2:10 For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all. But JESUS LAYED DOWN HIS LIFE so,
Joh 3:15-18 That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
Joh 6:47 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.
Joh 20:31 But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ,
It was Jesus, 1Ti 2:6 Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time. It was Jesus Gal 1:4 Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father: It was Jesus Tit 2:14 Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.
Jesus not only saves us from the penalty of sin (spiritual death), but also from the power of sin so that sin should not have dominion over us. (Rom. 6:6,11) Because, Eph 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. 2Ti 3:17 That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.
It was because of justification by faith alone that Paul could say Gal 2:20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. John the Baptist said of Jesus Christ “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. (John 1:29)
Isa 64:6 But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.
Rom 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Rom 3:24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:
Rom 4:5 But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.
Rom 5:6 For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.
Rom 5:15-19 But not as the offense, so also is the free gift. For if through the offense of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many. And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offenses unto justification. For if by one man's offense death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ. Therefore as by the offense of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life. For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.
Act 20:28 Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.
2Co 5:21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
Heb 7:26-27 For such a high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens; Who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the people's: for this he did once, when he offered up himself.
Heb 7:19 For the law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better hope did; by the which we draw nigh unto God.
Heb 9:28 So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.
Heb 13:12 Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate.
Eph 1:5-7 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;
Eph 2:8-9 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.
Eph 5:2 And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savor.
Gal 3:13 Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:
1Pe 2:24 Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.
1Jo 2:1-2 My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.
Rev 1:5 And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,
Gal 1:3-5 Grace be to you and peace from God the Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ, Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver (RESCUE) us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father: To whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.
There are only two ways to be saved. 1. Actually be totally and perfectly just, holy righteous and as innocent as God is. 2. Be justified by God as a free gift. When you stand before God on judgment day will you say I am just and deserve eternal life; or will you fall on your face and say “Lord have mercy on me a sinner“?
If you have been working for your salvation or justification, or if you have never known Jesus, will you receive God’s free gracious gift of salvation by faith (trust) alone in Jesus Christ as your savior at this moment?
This article is created and copyrighted © by Damon Whitsell 2007. Free duplicating is allowed provided this notice and these Commons Copyright © licensing requirments are abided, kept intact and attached.
What is Justification? Is Justification Salvation? by Damon Whitsell is licensed (FOR YOUR FREE USE) under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported License.Based on a work at how2becomeachristian.webs.com.
Water salvation/baptismal regeneration reduced to absurdity BY Damon Whitsell
The Internet Encyclopedia of philosophy states: Reductio ad absurdum (or reduction to absurdity) is a mode of argumentation that seeks to establish a contention by deriving an absurdity from its denial, thus arguing that a thesis must be accepted because its rejection would be untenable. It is a style of reasoning that has been employed throughout the history of mathematics and philosophy from classical antiquity onwards.
Wikipedia states: In formal logic, reductio ad absurdum is used when a formal contradiction can be derived from a premise, allowing one to conclude that the premise is false.
There is a fairly common misconception that reductio ad absurdum simply denotes "a silly argument" and is itself a formal fallacy. However, this is not correct; a properly constructed reductio constitutes a correct argument. When reductio ad absurdum is in error, it is because of a fallacy in the reasoning used to arrive at the contradiction, not the act of reduction itself. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reductio_ad_absurdum
All ideas have inherent consequential inferences and necessary logical extensions whether they are stated or not. Have you ever talked to a baptismal regenerationsist and they said lets talk about Mark 16:16 or Acts 2: 38 and you thought, lets not, again. They will ignore part b of Mark 16:16 and try to wish it away. They will try to say baptism is for (not because of) remission of sins when Acts clearly states in later chapters that remission of sin come from belief in Jesus shed blood.
But have you ever asked yourself why your so repugnant and repulsed by their insistence to talk about a hand full of verses and call it gospel? It is because they have existentially asked you to believe that the bible cannot be understood without these hand full of verses.
http://www.deafmissions.com/tally/bkchptrvrs.html claims there is 1189 Chapters, 31,103 verses in the bible with 23,145 OT verses.
You are repaginated by the fact that baptismal regenerationist expect you to believe that over 3000 verses and 1100 chapters are no good by themselves and cannot be understood correctly without their interpretations of 6-15 verses. Even the most resourceful advocate of baptismal regeneration can only talk about 15 or so verses that they claim mandates salvation through water baptism. And they have to impose water baptism every time they see the word water or cleansing ETC to do that. The way they interpret these handful of verses are in stark contrast to the rest as far as salvation goes.
Never mind that no one in the OT was baptized for remission of sins but God had a program of salvation in effect and even the Father of that faith was saved by grace and faith and not baptism. Never mind that Jesus did not baptize and Paul was not sent to baptize but to preach the Gospel which is the preaching of the cross 1Co 1:17 which bewilders the unsaved and is foolishness to him in it’s simplicity.
Just remember that when they don’t want to talk about the 150+ verses that say salvation is by grace through faith, how anyone in the OT was saved, salvation as the gift of God, or salvation as by the blood of Jesus, they are asking you to disbelieve the rest of the bible and rest your faith on their interpretation of a handful of verses that if are true as they interpret them, they are in contradiction to the rest of the bible and claim by default that the rest of the scriptures are useless for your salvation.
Just remember, I honestly believe that the argument for baptismal regeneration cannot be logically reduced further to absurdity than this.
The truth = over 31,000 verses.
The lie= private interpretations of less than 15 verses.
This article is created and copyrighted by Damon Whitsell 2008. All free duplicating is allowed provided this Commons copyright licensing requirments is kept intact and attached.
Water salvation/baptismal regeneration reduced to absurdity! By Damon Whitsell by Damon Whitsell is licensed (FOR YOUR FREE USE) under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.5 Australia License.Based on a work at how2becomeachristian.webs.com.
Wikipedia states: In formal logic, reductio ad absurdum is used when a formal contradiction can be derived from a premise, allowing one to conclude that the premise is false.
There is a fairly common misconception that reductio ad absurdum simply denotes "a silly argument" and is itself a formal fallacy. However, this is not correct; a properly constructed reductio constitutes a correct argument. When reductio ad absurdum is in error, it is because of a fallacy in the reasoning used to arrive at the contradiction, not the act of reduction itself. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reductio_ad_absurdum
All ideas have inherent consequential inferences and necessary logical extensions whether they are stated or not. Have you ever talked to a baptismal regenerationsist and they said lets talk about Mark 16:16 or Acts 2: 38 and you thought, lets not, again. They will ignore part b of Mark 16:16 and try to wish it away. They will try to say baptism is for (not because of) remission of sins when Acts clearly states in later chapters that remission of sin come from belief in Jesus shed blood.
But have you ever asked yourself why your so repugnant and repulsed by their insistence to talk about a hand full of verses and call it gospel? It is because they have existentially asked you to believe that the bible cannot be understood without these hand full of verses.
http://www.deafmissions.com/tally/bkchptrvrs.html claims there is 1189 Chapters, 31,103 verses in the bible with 23,145 OT verses.
You are repaginated by the fact that baptismal regenerationist expect you to believe that over 3000 verses and 1100 chapters are no good by themselves and cannot be understood correctly without their interpretations of 6-15 verses. Even the most resourceful advocate of baptismal regeneration can only talk about 15 or so verses that they claim mandates salvation through water baptism. And they have to impose water baptism every time they see the word water or cleansing ETC to do that. The way they interpret these handful of verses are in stark contrast to the rest as far as salvation goes.
Never mind that no one in the OT was baptized for remission of sins but God had a program of salvation in effect and even the Father of that faith was saved by grace and faith and not baptism. Never mind that Jesus did not baptize and Paul was not sent to baptize but to preach the Gospel which is the preaching of the cross 1Co 1:17 which bewilders the unsaved and is foolishness to him in it’s simplicity.
Just remember that when they don’t want to talk about the 150+ verses that say salvation is by grace through faith, how anyone in the OT was saved, salvation as the gift of God, or salvation as by the blood of Jesus, they are asking you to disbelieve the rest of the bible and rest your faith on their interpretation of a handful of verses that if are true as they interpret them, they are in contradiction to the rest of the bible and claim by default that the rest of the scriptures are useless for your salvation.
Just remember, I honestly believe that the argument for baptismal regeneration cannot be logically reduced further to absurdity than this.
The truth = over 31,000 verses.
The lie= private interpretations of less than 15 verses.
This article is created and copyrighted by Damon Whitsell 2008. All free duplicating is allowed provided this Commons copyright licensing requirments is kept intact and attached.
Water salvation/baptismal regeneration reduced to absurdity! By Damon Whitsell by Damon Whitsell is licensed (FOR YOUR FREE USE) under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.5 Australia License.Based on a work at how2becomeachristian.webs.com.
Universalism and the pagan/occult connection by Damon Whitsell
In case you have not noticed I would like to point out to you that universalism is not Christian at all. But rather the one world religion of the coming anti-Christ/pantheist and new age system of religion. And universalism as with all the above stated, is really anti Christian. No matter how much someone may tout tolerance to and for all.
Pantheism is a religious belief in MONISM and the divinity of all things. It seeks to absorb all other religious systems besides biblical Christianity because the two are incompatible. The new age is really a revival of pantheistic paganism from way back to Egypt and Babylon. The NWO is a religious, political and financial system that is currently in place to offer it’s power thrones to the antichrist when he gets here. ( Spare me any debate on the antichrist right now to make this point). They all have the same conclusions and the only real difference is that the one world order religion will replace all these absorbed into universalism and replace it with a luciferian religion of luciferian worship and sacrifice towards the unholy one.. Do yourself a favor and Google “David Spangler, luciferian initiation” and see for yourself that ALL of our governments all the way up to the qausi government of the United nations has waiting for all humans and for us biblical Christians who will not take such and initiation or oath.
If you will notice that the universalist claim tolerance to all and for all but if you study them closely you will find that they have no tolerance of biblical Christianity and the biblical precepts of Hell and divine judgment or anyone who teaches or believes such things. If you study the New age Movement you will find they believe in evolution and believe that it is biblical Christians that are holding to the old ways of exlusivism and saying there is only one God and we are prohibiting then next spiritual step in evolution of men becoming literal gods. And again with pantheism, It seeks to absorb all other religious systems besides biblical Christianity because the two are incompatible so by necessary default the ones of the “wrong way of exclusivism ( saying Jesus or anything or anyone else is the only way)” must be extinguished and eliminated for its goal to become reality.
Go to any NAM bookstore and you will see it shelves are filled with books that say the world (mother earth or Gia) will kill the deadly infection that exclusivist have put on it. The mystical mother God will either kill us all or we will be “evacuated” from the planet by aliens to facilitate this leap into godhood. But if you study the occult, it clearly says that all Christians will be sacrificed to it’s Lord which they willing call Lucifer. Look into theosophy, other cultic groups and the Lucifer’s Trust, the publication arm of the UN that was started by luciferian Helen Blavotsky.
I have written all of this to hopefully convince you that the religion of universalism is not universal but rather anti-biblical Christianity. It joins in forces and ideology with the NAM/pantheism/occultic end times one world luciferian religion and world wide system.
The is a lotta groups and folks that cry tolerance but really seek in the end to destroy biblical Christianity and all who practice it. They can all be grouped under the umbrella or cloak of universalism without the bible as we know it today.
Pantheism is a religious belief in MONISM and the divinity of all things. It seeks to absorb all other religious systems besides biblical Christianity because the two are incompatible. The new age is really a revival of pantheistic paganism from way back to Egypt and Babylon. The NWO is a religious, political and financial system that is currently in place to offer it’s power thrones to the antichrist when he gets here. ( Spare me any debate on the antichrist right now to make this point). They all have the same conclusions and the only real difference is that the one world order religion will replace all these absorbed into universalism and replace it with a luciferian religion of luciferian worship and sacrifice towards the unholy one.. Do yourself a favor and Google “David Spangler, luciferian initiation” and see for yourself that ALL of our governments all the way up to the qausi government of the United nations has waiting for all humans and for us biblical Christians who will not take such and initiation or oath.
If you will notice that the universalist claim tolerance to all and for all but if you study them closely you will find that they have no tolerance of biblical Christianity and the biblical precepts of Hell and divine judgment or anyone who teaches or believes such things. If you study the New age Movement you will find they believe in evolution and believe that it is biblical Christians that are holding to the old ways of exlusivism and saying there is only one God and we are prohibiting then next spiritual step in evolution of men becoming literal gods. And again with pantheism, It seeks to absorb all other religious systems besides biblical Christianity because the two are incompatible so by necessary default the ones of the “wrong way of exclusivism ( saying Jesus or anything or anyone else is the only way)” must be extinguished and eliminated for its goal to become reality.
Go to any NAM bookstore and you will see it shelves are filled with books that say the world (mother earth or Gia) will kill the deadly infection that exclusivist have put on it. The mystical mother God will either kill us all or we will be “evacuated” from the planet by aliens to facilitate this leap into godhood. But if you study the occult, it clearly says that all Christians will be sacrificed to it’s Lord which they willing call Lucifer. Look into theosophy, other cultic groups and the Lucifer’s Trust, the publication arm of the UN that was started by luciferian Helen Blavotsky.
I have written all of this to hopefully convince you that the religion of universalism is not universal but rather anti-biblical Christianity. It joins in forces and ideology with the NAM/pantheism/occultic end times one world luciferian religion and world wide system.
The is a lotta groups and folks that cry tolerance but really seek in the end to destroy biblical Christianity and all who practice it. They can all be grouped under the umbrella or cloak of universalism without the bible as we know it today.
This article is created and copyrighted by Damon Whitsell 2008. All free duplicating is allowed provided this Commons copyright licensing requirments is kept intact and attached. 
Universalism and the Pagan/ occultic connection by Damon Whitsell is licensed (FOR YOUR FREE USE) under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported License.Based on a work at how2becomeachristian.webs.com.
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Site and stat update July 15, 08. LAST 30 DAYS
Site and stat update July 15, 08.
LAST 30 DAYS
1 online now Visitors
13
−11%
Actions
89
+100%
Average actions/visit
6.8
+119%
Total time spent
2h 13m
+190%
Average time/visit
10m 12s
+234%
THINGS ARE ALWAYS SLOW AND/ OR FULL GO AROUND HERE.
The most important improvement was the creation of an article for How2BecomeAChristian.info at aboutus.org Here is the link http://www.aboutus.org/How2BecomeAChristian.info This will be a great traffic generator as aboutus.org has about 5 million monthly unique viewers looking for sites. It also goes a long way towards getting the site ranked in search engines. Cross connecting and promoting sites is always good. Every time someone links to the site it’s rank goes up. Every time someone post a site link and it is linked it raises the sites ranking.
I did a site analysis and it got a 93% overall effectiveness rating. There are a few areas that need much work and there is a whole list of improvements to take to get the site towards it’s goal of from page ranking for various keyword searches. It is also planned for all original works to hit front page in their respective categorical keywords. I am considering reworking the whole site in “dream weaver” This will make the article links and search engines ratings less complicated and more effective.
Some of my articles from CD&D where licensed and uploaded for anyone to use.
I have a new forum coming called the fellowship corner. Pending Dave Panteleas final approval, the forum will be private and linked to CD&D and this site. Please see the ‘FELLOWSHIP CORNER” link in the nav bar.
That is it for now. I have been spending all day at CD&D lately but will be working more on the site this coming month. I will be finishing the flagship article soon.
God Bless and TY all for visiting and everything else.
Damon Whitsell
How2BecomeAChristian.info
LAST 30 DAYS
1 online now Visitors
13
−11%
Actions
89
+100%
Average actions/visit
6.8
+119%
Total time spent
2h 13m
+190%
Average time/visit
10m 12s
+234%
THINGS ARE ALWAYS SLOW AND/ OR FULL GO AROUND HERE.
The most important improvement was the creation of an article for How2BecomeAChristian.info at aboutus.org Here is the link http://www.aboutus.org/How2BecomeAChristian.info This will be a great traffic generator as aboutus.org has about 5 million monthly unique viewers looking for sites. It also goes a long way towards getting the site ranked in search engines. Cross connecting and promoting sites is always good. Every time someone links to the site it’s rank goes up. Every time someone post a site link and it is linked it raises the sites ranking.
I did a site analysis and it got a 93% overall effectiveness rating. There are a few areas that need much work and there is a whole list of improvements to take to get the site towards it’s goal of from page ranking for various keyword searches. It is also planned for all original works to hit front page in their respective categorical keywords. I am considering reworking the whole site in “dream weaver” This will make the article links and search engines ratings less complicated and more effective.
Some of my articles from CD&D where licensed and uploaded for anyone to use.
I have a new forum coming called the fellowship corner. Pending Dave Panteleas final approval, the forum will be private and linked to CD&D and this site. Please see the ‘FELLOWSHIP CORNER” link in the nav bar.
That is it for now. I have been spending all day at CD&D lately but will be working more on the site this coming month. I will be finishing the flagship article soon.
God Bless and TY all for visiting and everything else.
Damon Whitsell
How2BecomeAChristian.info
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