The transcendence of our assurance

---

"God loves each of us as if there were only one of us” ― Augustine  

---

Any theology worth its salt must combine a Christology from above (the Word-or eternal Logos) with a Christology from below (the Word-or eternal Logos).

To put this in practical terms, our friend is also our Savior. “He walks with us and He talks with us” is far more than just words from a song, it is a living reality. For sure, we on our own are not capable of achieving all the good things God has prepared for us but because He lives, we, too, shall live victoriously throughout all the ages that come. He conquered death, Hades, and the grave and because of Him so shall we.

For, in the final analysis, Christ is the unsurpassable, irrevocable, victorious presence of God’s grace who comes as a friend to walk alongside us throughout all of our life. This is to say that the crucified Christ and the risen Christ is the ground of our hope for eternal life because the incarnate Logos is one and the same as the Logos from above. We must not ever separate the two in our thinking for that Christ is as close as the air we breathe and we must not confuse that with our faulty imagination that at times sees Him as the Christ from afar.

Therefore, I say rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say—rejoice! (Phil. 4:4). Rejoice not in what we have achieved, but rather in what He has achieved through and for us. Only a loving God could and would do that. I am, indeed, thankful that God in His eternality made His “would” our “could” and thereby strengthened our will to accept such a lovingly and freely given salvation for us all.

This is really good news for us all—Jews, and Gentiles of every race and ethnicity; and as with the Twelve we are commissioned to “give as freely as we have received (Matt. 10:8).” Therefore, we can boldly declare to all the that eternal Logos still calls out as with Isaiah,

"Come, all of you who thirst, come to the waters; and you without money, come, buy, and eat! Come, buy wine and milk, without money and without cost (Isa. 55: 1)!”

For even if we have sold ourselves for nothing, we have been redeemed without money (Isa. 52:3). So, "Come, [He says] all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost (Isa. 55:1).” 

Now, friends, this is no ordinary banquet, it is one prepared by God himself and the invitation is to all (Rev. 19:7-10; Rev. 21:17).

Now, may we all feast on the assurance of His word,

JimR_/

Cockroaches and sanctification

---

" It's hard to imagine repenting fully of something that one does not understand fully.”— Brett Salkeld

---

Dear Friends,

God has not called us to be incremental Christians, nudging ahead one step at a time forever struggling in a mire of doubt, despair, and defeat. No, we are called to be conquers, in fact more than conquerors. We are called to be holy, Christlike—that is our destiny! His gifts and callings are without repentance, too (Romans 11:29). That’s good news.

Now, for the bad news. Far too few Christians get beyond the swamp. Their lives are a never-ending swirl of self-doubt, guilt feelings, and just a whole lot of “Oh, if only I had done it differently.” The truth of the matter is that fretting is the worst tool in our mental arsenal to defeat the enemy of our souls.

In earlier days we used to hear a lot about sanctification. Now, it seems to be all about justification. Justification declares us forgiven— sanctification keeps us that way, and since it is the purpose of both to transform us into the image of Christ ( Romans 12:2 ;Romans 8:28-29) both are of equal importance.

Mark declares that Jesus said we all shall be salted with fire—that is the imperfect is burned away with only that which is pure is preserved (1 Peter 1:7). Fire burns, destroys, salt preserves. Spiritually, this necessary process is for us all. It is something none of us can or should wish to escape (Job 23:10).

Salt however that has lost it properties is useless, and must be thrown out—along, presumably with the putrid food it was to preserve. This is to say that there are a lot of good men and women in the world, but goodness alone is not good enough for Heaven. That goodness must be salted and strengthened and made stronger with fire that purifies.

It is comforting to know that we are not left on our own to bring about this transformation for our God is a consuming fire—a consuming fire that purifies and burns away the doss gets rid of the imperfections and preserves us for all eternity (c.f. Ezekiel 43:22-24).

The tongues of Pentecost may be exhilarating, but it is when we are salted with fire that we are preserved for service. Tongues don’t make us proper witnesses, but the fire does. Oh, that the cloven tongues of Pentecost would fall on us all!

I won't get into all of the ins-and-outs of the doctrine of salt and fire, only to ask this. ‘What good is it to forgive a thief, release him from jail, only to allow him to go out a steal some more?’ He or she must be rehabilitated, remediated for past sin and declared fit for society again.

Far too many are  "talking the walk, but not walking the talk" these days, in my opinion. Declaring that sins have been forgiven is one thing, but it is quite another to stay that way. Imagine a woman walking into her kitchen late at night and watching the cockroaches scurry for cover. Now, imagine that same woman walking about the next morning with the bright sunlight flooding her kitchen floor and then announcing that her kitchen is free from those filthy critters. Why that's silly you say. Sure, it is. Yet this is precisely what just a whole lot of “born again” Christians do. The truth is; however, God wants to get rid of the cockroaches that loiter hidden in the dark places of our soul. Yes, we are justified, but the justified must be sanctified.

Quite frankly I see a lot of false security in teaching that once someone declares faith in Christ as their personal savior everything will be fine and dandy. That’s not what my Bible teaches me.

So, we must ask ourselves, is becoming a Christian a zap or a process? Now, do you need an answer? The answer is it is both. Standing alone neither is sufficient. We must declare outright war on the cockroaches, as it were. But, generally speaking, that takes time. 

Let me put it this way, if you don't feel you are making any spiritual progress in your life, you most probably are not. You see, God is not so interested in what you did, but who you are. That’s why He keeps nudging us along to do better, to become more Christlike, to get rid of the cockroaches that pollute our lives.

What you did has been forgiven, who you are is an entirely different matter. God is most interested in who you are, and nothing less than Christlikeness is enough.We can't scam God. He's 'unscramble.' So, we mustn’t play around with God like some child playing hide and seek, He knows precisely where we are when we visit the dark places in our lives where the cockroaches hide. There are no places hidden from God.

May God give us all the strength to persevere,

 JimR_/

What do you do when you run out of steam?

Dear Friends,

There’s not a preacher alive that has not gone through periods of dryness. Further, there is not one that does not dread such times. The heaven above seems to turn to brass. God seems nowhere around. Sunday is coming. It’s Saturday night. The urge to pull an old sermon out of the file is irresistible. So, come Sunday the congregation gets leftovers. No one enjoys tepid stale old leftovers. Yet, until the spiritual impulse returns the folks in the pew must put up with canned sermons, rituals are substituted for a real move of the Spirit, and, furthermore, the undernourished are left to famish. Need I remind you that this is a common occurrence? It’s human nature to go through periods of uncertainty. Spiritual doldrums are common to us all. It is at times like these, however, that we must remind ourselves that, as Paul reminds us, “we live by faith, not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7).”

What is this faith that we must live by? The quick answer is it is sound doctrine. True. But head knowledge that never reaches the heart is most often where the dryness comes in. Wesley faced such periods. He writes in his journal on Saturday, March 4. 1735—

I found my brother at Oxford, recovering from his pleurisy; and with him Peter Bohler; by whom, in the hand of the great God, I was, on Sunday, the fifth, clearly convinced of unbelief, of the want of that faith whereby alone we are saved.

Immediately it struck into my mind, “Leave off preaching. How can you preach to others, who have not faith yourself?” I asked Bohler whether he thought I should leave it off or not. He answered, “By no means.” I asked, “But what can I preach?” He said, “Preach faith till you have it; and then because you have it, you will preach faith.”

Perseverance was the answer then and it is now as well.

This goes for any relationship. Marriage is no exception. I don’t think the human body could tolerate or sustain the gushy feeling that one felt when they first fell head over heels in love with their spouse. That comes and goes. Further, it cannot be depended on to sustain any marriage, or for that matter any relationship. A resolute commitment can, however, get us through the tough spots in any relationship, even with God.

Keep in mind that faith is a fact, not a feeling.

Stay Safe, and remember God loves you and so do I,

Take care, and remember He cares for you!

 JimR_/

Forgiveness the old fashioned way ...

Forgiveness comes with undeserved grace.  God, the Father of all graces forgives, choose to forgive. We don’t deserve forgiveness, but He, nonetheless, chooses to forgive. For it is by grace that we have been saved through faith, and that not of ourselves; it is the gift of God (Ephesians 2:8). Grace is not a one-way street, however. We too must be full of grace—as a matter of fact, our eternal salvation depends on it (Matthew 6:14-15). So, in this sense grace is a two-way street. God forgive us conditionally. That being so we too must show grace in forgiving others. They may not deserve it, but we must forgive them, nonetheless.

No, this is not a doctrine of works, it’s the gospel of grace; a kind of Godly tit-for-tat grace, you might say. Now that’s pretty strong medicine—a bitter pill for some, but one that we must take if we want God to forgive us. 

This brings up a very necessary point which elicits a question: “Can a Christian keep score—that is hold a grudge?” According to God’s holy word, the answer is no. Yet, we all know that there are many that do. For sure, such are not walking in the light as they see the light for Godly light exposes such hypocrisy. And, hypocrisy it is. Be that what it may be— an alcoholic parent; or a double-crossing “friend” or an unfaithful spouse; the list could go on and on, but the bottom line is that they feel offended and will not forgive. No, they would rather nurse old wounds and muddle on, grumbling through life, and with all assumed piety recited the Lord’s Prayer faithfully each Sunday and sing with the best of them “All is well with my soul.” Nothing could be farther from the truth.

These are tough words, but true words, nonetheless. 

Now, may I go one step further and simply say that you or I cannot expect peace of mind until we are willing to accept God’s conditions for forgiveness. The truth is that nagging guilt complex that many carry around can easily be taken care of in an instance, if only they would give and then ask for forgiveness. For without giving forgiveness, forgiveness is not received. Now, friends, that God’s condition; not just something I pulled out of the thin blue air.

So, forgiveness is serious business, particularly in the Kingdom of Righteousness. Give and it shall be given to you is an eternal principle in all walks of life, and happy is the man whose sins are forgiven (Psalm 32:1; cf. Strong’s).  

Now, take care, and take time to forgive!

 JimR_/

Unless you can suggest a better alternative.

Christ does not come to us in bits and pieces. With Jesus we get we have the fullness of the Godhood. Nothing is left out. For in Him all the fullness of the Godhead dwells bodily (Colossians 2:9). The Greek word we translate as ‘dwells’ is κατοικεῖ which means to ‘dwell permanently.’ So, when we pray in Jesus’ name, we are not just addressing Jesus, but God in the fullness of His essence, which has taken up permanent residency in a human body. So, we are praying to a real person. Someone who has experienced the fullness of life, as well. He experienced it all, tempted as we are tempted, suffered as we suffer, hungered, became thirsty, wept, grew tired … name it, and if it is human, He experienced it.

Through it all, He came out victorious, even death could not hold Him down. For on the third day He rose again and shortly thereafter ascended into Heaven where He now resides with a glorified body at the right hand of the Father with one singular purpose—that is, to make intercessions as an advocate for us. Can you imagine anything more remarkable than for the very Son of God pleading our otherwise hopeless case for us—not on our merits, but on His? If you ask me, that’s a win-win situation, bar none.

Therefore, I can boldly approach the throne of grace fully confident that God is on my side, rooting for me.JimR_/

JimR_/

Wisdom and courage go hand in hand . . .

Wisdom and courage go hand in hand. Either one is worthless without the other. He that knows to do good and does not do it has sinned (James 4:17), according to Holy Writ. Here the emphasis is on doing good, just for the sake of good. It is selfless, generous, and without a hidden agenda. Such goodness, as with all goodness, is not passive. “Oh, he’s a good person,” you may hear someone say. “Sticks to himself. Would never harm a fly.” And, yet that same “good person” can sit right in the middle of misery all around them and never lift a finger. That being the case, I say, what rubbish! 

Goodness never straddles the fence nor is apathetic towards injustice. Yes, we Christians should be concerned with the refugees, Muslims, and others. Goodness is always willing to go the second mile. So, should we. Goodness is willing to take charge to work for the good of all mankind, as should we. And, as such, goodness is love in action. Therefore, we can safely say that goodness is proactive. Willing always to protect others. Harbor the homeless, care for the destitute. And, yes, to live clean and wholesome lives ((James 1:27). As such, goodness always produces good citizens, too. Further, goodness is a team player, also, knowing full well that three standing together are better than even two … (Ecclesiastes 4:12). Thereby, we know that it is more than just a popular adage to say that there is strength in numbers. It’s the truth! It’s Bible. 

I certainly hope that what I am about to say doesn’t offend some of you that old verbiage of “Once saved, always saved,” is blatantly false. Full of false security. Even dangerous. Scripture is full of cautions against backsliding. Why would God warn someone of an impossibility? Bad, sinful people are slated for destruction, baptized or not. Goodness is measured not in words or ritual, but in acts of kindness, charity, and purity. 

Isaiah said to Ahaz,  

"'If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all.’” (Isaiah 7:9) 

What more does a man need to warn them that steadfast proactive faith is required in any and all circumstances that life may throw at us? 

True, works cannot save us; but works can keep us save in the arms of Jesus (James 2:18). And, friends, that is precisely what an active faith does. Good solid Christian faith takes the guessing out of who we are and that for which we stand, too. Let us then strive for goodness, so that the world may know that we are children of the Most High.  

After all, Jesus did say,  

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13:34-35). 

Goodness reaches no greater heights than to love as Christ loved! 

JimR_/

A fiat accompli. . .

Theology, all theology is simply the bridging of the times in that theology must always ask, “What meaning does the faith of yesterday, have for today, and today for tomorrow?” Thus, theology has an eternal meaning, or it has no meaning at all. Jesus spoke of The Kingdom of God as present, but yet to come. Nonetheless, the Kingdom is already completely established in God’s eye. Thus, we can say in the timeless language of Scripture: “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen (Hebrews 11:1).”

Not tomorrow, yet in tomorrow, suspended as it were in time and eternity. It is not as if time does not exist in God’s economy, it does. However, time is temporal, chronological, actually incomplete. Yet, on the other hand, we realize that in God all completeness resides (Colossians 2:10). Thus, we see the complexity, yet beauty of our faith which resides in none other than in God, the Lord Jesus Christ, our God who became flesh so that we may be made complete in His likeness (Romans 8:28-29).

This truth is more than just a twisting convoluted theological assortment of words, thoughts, and passages that is somehow morphed into some type of esoteric meaning. This truth is actual truth, for Christ is both the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:5-6), and He is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8). Christ gives meaning for the past, gives meaning for the present, as well as for all our tomorrows and is sustained throughout eternity. God has willed it so, and that will is ironclad. We can depend on it, indeed we must. It is in the essence of His very nature.

So, for some brazen theologian to proclaim some new twist on this ageless truth is utterly ridiculous. Call it process theology, trajectory hermeneutics, whatever, if it does not mesh with past, present, and future it is simply “wood, hay and stubble (1 Corinthians 3:11-13).” For it is in and through Christ that meaning has any meaning at all. “For in Him we move and live and have our being ((Acts 17:28).”

However, as C.S. Lewis once observed:

A painter is not a picture, and he does not die if his picture is destroyed. You may say, "He's put a lot of himself into it," but you only mean that all its beauty and interest has come out of his head. His skill is not in the picture in the same way that it is in his head, or even in his hands.… If you do not take the distinction between good and bad very seriously, then it is easy to say that anything you find in this world is a part of God. But, of course, if you think some things really bad, and God really good, then you cannot talk like that. You must believe that God is separate from the world and that some of the things we see in it are contrary to His will. Confronted with a cancer or a slum the Pantheist can say, "If you could only see it from the divine point of view, you would realize that this also is God." The Christian replies, "Don’t talk damned nonsense. “

Complex? I think not. This I say because God is all good and God is all powerful, and so we must conclude that God is on our side and in the ultimate sense of the word for our good (Matthew 12:22-28). To put this in simple terms we are totally and absolutely dependent upon Him, and without Him there is no basis for hope.  Evil may have a role, but not a deciding role, for evil cannot eradicate hope, it can only at the most suppress the free exercise thereof.  Nor can it thwart the favor or power of God. In the end, God has the final word, and we must all live as if the end has already been settled in God’s favor.

This in and of itself is enough for rejoicing because all things are working together for the good for us (Romans 8:28-29). Thus we must reiterate that "in Him we move and live and have our being ((Acts 17:28).”

JimR_/

For the willing heart—with God, to dream is to achieve.

For the willing heart—with God, to dream is to achieve. The problem with most of us is that our dreams are not big enough. We are satisfied with the mediocre, the mundane—willing to muddle our way through life choosing comfort rather than the cross. I am speaking about spiritual things here. In God's Kingdom, the cross trumps comfort on any and every occasion when a choice is given. 

To be Christlike is the ultimate sign of Kingdom success, and Christ was a man of the Cross for all seasons. Nothing cushy about His choices. He took the road less traveled—the one strewn with obstacles and battles to be fought all along the path; yet, He never faltered or gave up hope. Facing the cross, His prayer was: "Father, not my will, but thine be done." In doing so, He not only sealed His fate but that of ours also. Thus, we are compelled daily to take up our cross and follow Him. Not a cross that we have fashioned; mind you, but one that God the Father has constructed. That cross—both His and ours, was designed with us in mind. His for salvation, ours to work out His sanctification in us. Thus, we can say that,

Properly defined, sanctification is that process of being set apart for God's work to be conformed to the image of Christ.  This conforming to Christ involves the work of the person, but it is still God working in the believer to produce more of a godly character and life in the person who has already been justified (Phil. 2:13).  Sanctification is not instantaneous because it is not the work of God alone.  The justified person is actively involved in submitting to God's will, resisting sin, seeking holiness, and working to be more godly (Gal. 5:22-23). (Ref: CARM)

This is the work of the cross: His and ours. Therefore, we must not shun either; for both are ours to embrace. 

Pray, tell me, where is the lasting evidence of something you learned from pleasure? Now, ask yourself the same concerning the hard knocks of life, the crosses, the times of difficulty. Those are the seminal moment that mold and shape us in life for the better—is it not so? The good man, the wise man, realizes that and embraces those moments. This, bear in mind, is not spiritual masochism; it is spiritual realism—that is, it is the purpose of the cross; again, ours and His to be precise.

Thus, we read that— 

“When He was reviled, He did not revile in return; when He suffered He uttered no threats” (1 Peter 2:23).”

And that, when— 

“He was oppressed and He was afflicted, yet He did not open His mouth; like a lamb that is led to slaughter, and like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, so He did not open His mouth ( Is. 53:7).”

Why? The answer is simple yet loaded with spiritual insight. He embraced the Cross. He embraced his destiny. 

So, must we.

The problem, in my opinion, with much of Protestant and Evangelical theology, particularly that of the Charismatics is that they have not developed a sensible theology of the Cross. Theirs is a cushy cross; a cross cushioned with pads of comfort. Hard times are seen as Godly punishment, crosses to be avoided at all costs. They are a sign of the "lack of faith." Yet, biblical faith teaches just the opposite. That they fail to see; however, or embrace.

When difficult times come, they have shouted away in a torrent of fleshly exuberance which is passed off as worship. A shout here, and a shout there, with a few positive confessions, negates the purpose of the test— that is, the remedial effects of the cross . . . again both His and ours. Thereby, it strips life of its most valuable lessons. Romans 8:28-29 in which "all things work together for our good." Pray for healing? It does not come. Praise God anyway. Pray for financial acumen, it does not come. Praise God anyway. In any and all events He knows what is best for us. That which is temporary, keep in mind, is never in our best interest unless it serves His higher interest for us.

God's sovereignty reigns above all, including the Cross— both His and ours. God's will is supreme, cannot be altered, changed or modified. To oppose that Will is to invite ultimate shame and disaster. It is unalterable. Not because He is obstinate, but because He knows best.

Now, may God give us both the wisdom and the will to embrace these great truths.

Yours in the eternal bonds of Calvary,

JimR_/

You and me and my little church of three.

Often, especially the self-righteous leave the impression that they and they alone are the fountain of all holiness and truth. That is, it is either their way or the highway. Forgetting, of course, that Jesus once reproved the Pharisees in no uncertain terms with:

"I have other sheep that are not of this flock. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd (John 10:16)."

As if to say, "You may think you have a corner on God; however, think again, you do not."

Pharisaism is not dead, either. Some in the "evangelical flock" are quick to claim personal righteousness that far exceeds those, say for instance, in the Catholic or Orthodox churches, or Lutherans who don't theologize precisely enough to fit their fancy. The bottom line, however, is that Jesus is exclusively no one's; nor is He just the Lord of any particular little flock. He died for the whole world–not just for you and me and my little church of three. God, I am convinced, has a lot of surprises in store for us when we reach the other side. The real test is whether or not a believer is willing to put their trust in Christ as both Lord and Savior. That being the case, God the Holy Spirit, in my opinion, will work out the details and correct us all along the way. After all, it is His work to lead us into all truth, isn’t it (John 16:13)? 

In this regard, I don't know about you, but I am learning every day from those who are not of my flock, so to speak–the Catholic, the Orthodox, Lutherans, Baptists, and others that although I may not agree with them on some of the nuances of theology, I do, however, find fellowship. So, I refuse to believe that I have a corner on all truth—but I do insist that I have the essentials. And, in that regards, I know where to find that truth. It is in Christ and Him alone (John 14:6).

In turn, I think it is high time that we begin to reach across the lines that divide us and find common grounds on which we can stand (John 17:21). Recently, for instance, I attended a Catholic charismatic prayer and praise fellowship, and to be honest with you, I felt that I had stepped back 70 years or so when I was a boy and had gone to my first Pentecostal meeting. Oh, how I long for those days. Days in which people were slain in the spirit, spoke in tongues and praised God past the midnight hour, and all without any hype to rev up anyone emotional motor.

Success in the Kingdom is, after all is said and done, the work of the Spirit (Zechariah 4:6). This we must embrace in His fullness. The gifts of the Spirit, although, they may not be a true herald of our spiritual maturity, they are, none-the-less, an indication that we are empowered to pursue that Truth wherever it may lead us.

And, follow it we must.

In the Bonds of Calvary,

JimR_/