The sovereignty of God and the sovereignty of Man - A second look.

This subject will always be full of tension. Unfortunately, the tension is usually negative. Why? Because of man's distorted worldview of both matters. That is why I want to analyze it again. You may recall that I wrote an article entitled, "The will of God vs. the will of Man" some time ago. This will be an addendum to that article. This matter is so crucial to the nature of God and man that it deserves more treatment. My goal is to get you closer to the nature of God and the nature of man through this article - to provide Biblical insight so the tension we feel can become a positive instead of a negative. 

Is that possible? Can tension become positive? With clear Biblical explanation, I believe it can.

So, let us start with man since that is who we are. 

God at the beginning of time created man and gave him dominion over everything He created. Man had the absolute power to do anything he wanted within the confines of God's will. In other words. man was the sovereign of the earth. A sovereign is one who has absolute rule, total control. Where man tragically fell was when his sovereignty clashed with Almighty God's authority. We must remember man's rule has limits - meaning we cannot do anything we want without penalty. Our problem is that we do not want limitations. We do not like law and order. Because man is a usurper, he was kicked out of the Garden of Eden. Adam wanted to be like God, in every way. That is the reason he took the devil's lying words over God's and ate the forbidden fruit (Genesis 3:6). The reality was Adam and Eve were already like God. I am not saying they were God or little gods, but they were like God in this sense: They had intelligence; they had a moral compass; they had emotions; they had the ability to make choices and reason; they had the gift of communication and relationship. These are some of the things that made them God-like.  

The scripture said, "let us make man in our image after our likeness (Genesis 1:26). So when we see and relate to one another, we are looking at the made-image of God. Here is our problem: because of sin, God's image - that is mankind is ruined and depraved. Man no longer has the perfect beauty and innocence  he once had. That is why there is an ongoing war between God's will and man's will -  God's rule versus man's rule. Man has forgotten that the earth is the Lord's and the fullness of it (Psalm 24:1). God left man as the manager of His world.  We see that has turned out tragically. 

Now, let us look at the sovereignty of God.

As I have mentioned in the past, God's rule is autonomous - meaning His rule is absolute, no limits. God can do whatever He wants to do. Psalm 115:3 says, "our God is in the heavens. He does whatever He pleases." When God created the heavens and earth, He did not ask for permission from anyone - no one was here! When He decided to create man, He did not need anyone's consent. God always fulfills His own will without apology. Unlike us, God has no authority He is accountable to. God is judgment proof - no one can ever successfully accuse God of evil. 

All the things that God is, man covets in an evil way: that complete dominion and total worship. And because he can never obtain "god-hood", he will forever be in conflict with his Maker, losing every time. 

So, how is the tension resolved between God and man? It starts with correctly recognizing the roles of each which I have explained above. See God is perfect so He does not have to adjust to us - we must submit to His Lordship. We are the offenders in the relationship so it is incumbent upon man to repent and humbly bow before the Lord of all the universe.

When one views the relationship of both the right way, then the tension dynamic is positive - Man understands his role, and he understands God's role. While we can never understand God fully, we can praise Him and trust that He is in control of the circumstances in our lives.

Concluding, our sovereignty is a gift and a trust God has granted. Since time began, man has continually abused that trust. We see that in our government and police forces. Since most men do not fear God, sin has run wild - it is the sovereign the world happily serves. This is an affront to God, and for His holiness' sake He must judge it. Like the devil said in Isaiah 14:14, "I will be like the Most High", man in his heart utters the same blasphemy to his own doom. 

The love God hates

”Love not the world neither the things that are in the world. Anyone that loves the world the love of the Father is not him.” 

                                                                                                                                     

                                                                                             - 2 John 2:15

As believers, it is absolutely imperative that we think as much like God as possible. In order for us to do that, we must know God’s word. As His children, it has to be our lifelong pursuit - the practical pursuit of holiness. Only then will we have the knowledge and awareness to conduct ourselves right in a world gone wrong. 

John commands us not to love the world. What does that mean? Does it mean we hate this current life? That we hate the planet and this creation? Are we to hate people? No. Rather we do not love this evil world system. As a matter of fact, the Bible says that to be friends with the world makes one an enemy of God (James 4:4). 

A terrible position for one to be in.

So, we all have to ask ourselves this question, do we want to be a friend of God or an enemy? Tragically there are many in this world who believe God is their friend when He is, in fact, their enemy.

We cannot be conformed to this world but we must be transformed the Bible tells us by the renewing of our minds so that we can prove what is good, acceptable and perfect will of God (Romans 12:2).  What it boils down to is that we have to get rid of the sin in our lives that is weighing us down like heavy baggage.

Sin is a master deceiver in that it tricks people (if they allow it) into thinking that what they are doing is not bad, but actually virtuous. Really? Absolutely. How do I know? Well, let's take homosexuality for example. There is now at least one commercial where a young girl is crying with joy that she is gay. Now, in the world's eyes that is a reason for celebration, but in the eyes of God that is reason for condemnation. Homosexuality is sin. It is part of this evil worldly system that He hates. People that celebrate the evil in this world loves the world's system. So guess what? You have made yourself an enemy of God. Only a lunatic wants to be an enemy of God Almighty!

In Isaiah 5:20 we read these words, "Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter."

And why are thoughts of the world totally upside down?

Jesus Christ speaking to Nicodemus declared these words, "And this is the judgment: light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than the light because their deeds were evil" (John 3:19).

This is why Jesus had to come, to bring the light of the gospel of truth so that He could expose the darkness of evil men's hearts, reveal to all their true sinful nature. Give them the ability to repent and believe the gospel truth and be saved.

So we all need to examine ourselves (2 Corinthians 13:5). Are we truly in the faith, or are we deceived? Do we love the world's system of evil? Because if we do, the love of the Father is not in us. Are we living just for the now, or are we laying up treasures in heaven (Matthew 6:19-21)? Hopefully, this article is a good litmus test for all of us to see where our affections lie.

Bottom line, we are NOT to love this world's system, but rather we should have compassion for it, pray for it, and share the truth of the gospel with it.

God's Steadfast Love

Podcast originally recorded April 13th, 2018


https://drive.google.com/file/d/1wpu8Jz0DfFacDTk5iSPaut28gGT3UElV/view?usp=sharing

The unfairness of God

The word unfair is an adjective. It means: not based on or behaving according to the principles of equality and justice.  Also means to be unkind, inconsiderate, or unreasonable. I would add that being disrespectful is also unfair - we can not expect to receive respect if we are unwilling to give it. 

The writer would be fair in saying many in this world believe God is unfair in His dealings with man.

Why is that so? Because in man's perception, when things go wrong in our lives or in the lives of others that we know and love, and even sometimes those we do not know, we make a judgment. In our minds, that person or that group of people did not deserve to have their house burn down. Or for the young child to die of cancer who never harmed anyone, or that family to end up homeless on the street - that honest hardworking man to lose his job, etc. 

So based on the definitions I mentioned above, is God, any one of those things: unkind, inconsiderate, unreasonable? For anyone to even hint of God being any of these is actually unfair, inconsiderate and most disrespectful. 

It is utter foolishness and irreverent to charge God with any wrongdoing. What one is saying is that God is no better than any sinner walking this earth. Why else would sinful man have the audacity to put God in a sinful tribunal and levy charges of injustice against Him. 

Man's view of God is too low at best, and non-existent at worst. What man has to remember is God is NEVER accountable to us! Rather, we are accountable to Him. Romans 9:20 says, "But who are you O man to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to the molder why have you made me like this?"

This is the problem with all of mankind: We do not understand the holiness of God, nor do we fully understand the depth of the wickedness of man. They are eternally mutually exclusive. What all men need to do is for the rest of our natural lives is to study both subjects in depth to at least get an inkling of both to an understandable degree. Once a person does that, then they are on the path to understanding the dynamics of the utter holiness of our Creator versus the utter depravity and the hopelessness of man. 

The writer also understands that a sinful man will never do that without divine intervention. Man is too proud to humble himself and admit he is a wretched sinner headed for hell.

You see, we all know that we are not perfect - we all do wrong. The problem is man sees himself as good as well which is a universal misdiagnosis. Because we do not see our wrong as sinful and an affront to God, we minimize it. For the natural man, our wrong does not fit the punishment God is giving us - God is too harsh. Jesus told the rich young ruler, no one is good but God alone (Matt 19:17; Luke18:19).  David said in Psalm 51:5, "Behold I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me." 

This is what that means. At the moment of conception, God sees the embryo as a living person. As a living person although not fully developed is a sinner. Why and how? The why is due to the fact we have a sin nature. The how is because of original sin. Scholars say original sin is not the first act of sin, but rather the result of the first act of sin by Adam and Eve. When they sinned they inherited a sin nature which has been passed down to each of their descendants right up to today. 

Man is a sinner not because he sins, but because of his nature - that is why we sin. In other words, man did not sin (with the exception of Adam and Eve), to become a sinner, rather man sins because he is a sinner. I hope the explanations are clear.

Due to the universal curse of sin, all of us will die for the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). That is an appointment none of us can escape (Hebrews 9:27). What bothers us I believe the most is we have no control over when and how we will die. That is a sovereign decision determined by God. What is our responsibility then? Repent of your sins and believe the gospel so that you can be saved. That way you will be adopted into the family of God and escape His wrath and enter into His eternal rest. 

So, is God unfair? No. Man's evil has blinded his perception so that instead of acknowledging his sin, he wants to shift the blame for this world's evil on the one he hates, God Almighty.  Not realizing that by accusing God of unfairness he is being unfair himself toward God. The universal curse of sin in the world is an unforgiving global judge on us all. Guess what? It's our fault. What would be unjust of God is if He never punished evil doers - God would be unfair unto Himself.

Did Jesus die for the sins of those who die in unbelief?

This is a most critical question. If Jesus died for the sins of those who die in unbelief, then Jesus' death for them was ineffective. Why? Because in the final analysis to die in unbelief is to perish, forever separated from God. If Jesus died for your sins, that means he paid your sin debt on the cross - He was punished for your sins. That means your sins can never be counted against you, ever! That is wonderful news.

The common belief is Jesus died for the sins of the whole world, without exception ( I John 2:2). Even those who go to hell. I have mentioned this before, what good is an atonement that does not save the sinner? It is only a potential or virtual atonement where the person is potentially savable if he or she has the willingness to believe.

God is not going to leave it up to us to determine if His plan of salvation is effective or not. In other words, He did not send Jesus to the earth to die the most horrible and tragic death ever and leave the final decision to man to cast the deciding vote - that is say yes to the call of gospel and actualize salvation. God is the one who ultimately determines who is saved and who is not. 

Those who God chose before the world was created according to Ephesians 1:4 are the ones who will be given the willingness by God to believe and be saved once they hear the gospel message.

Jesus did not die (in the same way or salvifically) for the sins of those who die in unbelief. A person who dies in unbelief did not have any of their sins forgiven. How do I know that? If you say that all their sins were forgiven except unbelief, then one has to admit that Jesus did not die for all sin. One would also have to say that unbelief is not a sin which is untrue. Why would Jesus leave the sin of unbelief out?  

Answer? He did not. For those who are His sheep, He died for every one of their sins including the sin of unbelief. This frees those whom God chose to believe. God gives them the right to believe in the name of Jesus (John 1:12-13). 

It is important to realize that not a drop of Jesus' blood was spilled in vain. In other words, Jesus did not die and shed His precious blood for those who would never believe. Jesus said this to the Pharisees, "The reason you do not believe in Me because you are not my sheep" (John 10:26).  Translation, those who do not believe in the Son do not belong to Him. When Jesus died it was a one hundred percent effective atonement. He did not just die for people and hoped they would believe. He literally saved His people from their sins (Matthew 1:21)

Who secures our Salvation?

Another way to phrase the title question is The preservation of the Saints. It should be obvious that God secures our salvation. Since that is true, then why do so many people believe and teach that man has to secure it? 

I have said this before in previous articles, but it bears repeating if God leaves it up to us to secure the salvation that he provided to us as a gift, then He might as well have thrown it in the trash. Why such harsh language? Because man cannot secure what God has already secured. The moment man was adopted into the family of God, that was a permanent adoption. We do not get in, and then get out when we choose to. 

Why?

Remember the Bible says we (the elect), were chosen before the foundation of the world (Ephesian 1:4). Meaning that God pre-determined that some of fallen mankind would be recipients of His saving grace. Why? Because it pleased the Lord to do so (Ephesians 1:5).  Those that know the wonders of God's grace in saving them and keeping them saved would not dare desire to leave the security of God's loving arms. It just doesn't make sense to believe that man's sin is greater than God's grace (Romans 5:20).

The absurdity of teaching the loss of salvation 

Think about it for a moment what benefit is there in believing and teaching that God's salvation can be lost or given up? There is nowhere in scripture that teaches this heresy.  I want to point out some problems this presents for believers who are young in the faith or struggling with their walk with Christ:

1. It destroys the grounds of a person's assurance

If someone believes that every time they sin that God is going to revoke His love toward them and kick them out of the kingdom, then they cannot live the Christian life with any confidence. They are in constant looking-over-their-shoulder-mode. In other words, they are in perpetual fear of losing what God promised them. It is important that we have a fear and awe of God in that we honor and worship Him. God does not want us to have a paralyzing fear of Him though. That paralyzing fear should be reserved for non-believers. 

2. Lack of assurance produces a joyless experience

This amounts to legalism. This is a false man-made religion. A Christianity that requires works to produce joy and appease God is not Biblical Christianity. This is modern day Pharisaism. True salvation is never based on works. How many works would it require to appease God? There aren't enough. That means that works can never be the means required to have joy in Christ. Remember, we do not perform good works to get saved, we perform good works because we are saved (Ephesians 2:10). 

3. Teaching the loss of salvation makes God out to be a liar

This is the most offensive indictment. Why? Because it assaults the Lord's holy and perfect character. The scripture tells us, "Let God be true and every man a liar" (Romans 3:4). God is not capricious - meaning that just because we sin after we are saved, God decides to revoke our salvation and decides that we are hell bound after He promised to save us. Remember, those of us who are God's children are punished when we sin (Hebrews 12:5-11). Any loving parent will discipline their wayward children to make sure they get back in line and on the right track. A good parent, of course, will never disown their children and neither will our Heavenly Father disown us. Remember what the writer of Hebrews said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you" (Hebrews 13:5b). 

To those of you who doubt your salvation you need to examine yourselves to see if you are truly in the faith (II Corinthians 13:5). You need to get back to the basics - immerse yourself in the Word. Trust the Word of God and not your feelings about it. What God said in His Word is always true no matter what our emotions are screaming at us. If you are in a Church where the preacher believes that you can lose or give up your salvation, then leave that Church. Pray earnestly that God will lead you to a Bible teaching Church. That is something that you can guarantee God will do for it honors Him.

Finally, I'll add this, salvation is of the Lord (Jonah 2:9). It is God's gift from heaven to man. We have to remember the pains and lengths the Father went through to deliver this precious gift to us. Before time began, the Triune Godhead devised the plan on how mankind would be saved from their sins.  The Father would send His only begotten Son the Lord Jesus Christ to come to earth as a man to die for those whom the Father identified to Him to save - these are His sheep. When Jesus was crucified according to the Father's will (Acts 2:23), and raised Him from the dead, all those who put their trust in Christ receive eternal life in time and space. Jesus gave us the Holy Spirit to dwell within our temples (our bodies). It is an invisible reality, but we know the Spirit is there because those of us who are saved are not the same. It is impossible for one to remain the same because we are new creations in Christ (II Corinthians 5:17). We can not serve sin anymore for we have been delivered from its mastery. This is where a lot of Christians miss it. Many believe they can continue to live the unholy lifestyle they lived even after professing Christ. Why would you want to frustrate God's grace like that? Remember what Paul said in Romans 6:1, "What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it?" 

Answer? We can't! 

The Holy Spirit abides within the believer so we MUST serve God and hate our sin. We can not be comfortable with it anymore. We must struggle and fight against temptation that often leads to sin. 

If you're truly saved you will be convicted if you continue in sin. Be glad you feel guilt and shame when you sin. That is the check and balance system (i.e. the Holy Spirit) to let us know we can humble ourselves and repent.

Salvation is eternal. It can never be lost.

What does it mean that we wrestle against Spiritual Wickedness in heavenly places?

Paul the Apostle is describing what happens when one engages in spiritual warfare. The verses that discuss this matter is Ephesians 6:12-18. The key word here wrestle comes from the Greek word pale. Pale (pronounced pal-lay) comes from another word Palaestra which was a Greek school to train wrestlers. The objective of the wrestler was to subdue his opponent by pinning his shoulders to the ground.  So now we see why Paul used the illustration of wrestling when dealing with evil spirits - it was so his audience, the Ephesians could relate to his message.

How are we to wrestle?

The answer is we are to wrestle in the Spirit through prayer. Once we put on all the armor of God, the Bible says, "Pray at all times in the Spirit with all prayer and entreaty. To that end keep alert and watch with strong purpose and perseverance, interceding on behalf of all the saints" (Eph 6:18) - Amplified Version. 

The McCabe part about our spiritual conflict is that we are battling enemies we cannot see. Unless the Lord allowed us to see into the spiritual world where the heavenly hosts and wicked spirits reside, we are fighting in an invisible war from the human side, by faith or trust in God that what we are doing is indeed effective. 

This is what it says regarding our struggle in 2 Corinthians 10:4, "For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal (or of the flesh) but are mighty through God for the overthrow of strongholds."

Thank God we have help!

Fortunately, we are not alone in this warfare. The Holy Spirit assists as well as Jesus Christ. Let me prove it. 

Romans 8:26-27 declares, "So too the Holy Spirit comes to our aid and bears us up in our weaknesses; for we do not know what prayer to offer nor how to offer it worthily as we ought, but the Spirit Himself goes to meet our supplication and pleads in our behalf with unspeakable yearnings and groanings too deep for utterance." 

"And He who searches the hearts of men knows what is in the mind of the Holy Spirit because the Spirit intercedes and pleads before God on behalf of the saints according to the will of God."

In verse thirty-four we read that Jesus is at the right hand of the Father interceding for us.

Holy Spirit led prayer will always result in victory - we absolutely cannot lose!! Why?

When we are praying according to the will of God, the Holy Trinity is involved. In verses 26 and 27 it says that the Spirit is praying, yearning and groaning to God the Father with an utterance to great for words. We can never know what it is, but you can rest assured it is perfect Holy communication to the Father who knows the mind of the Holy Spirit and will do what needs to be done according to His perfect will.

As an added loving benefit, the Lord Jesus also who sits at the place of authority and honor, the Father's right hand also is interceding on our behalf. 

All of these elements are engaged when we are in spiritual warfare. How do we battle? Through prayer in the Spirit. 

God has promised us eternal peace, but to obtain it we have to go to war for now, in the earth realm against spiritual wickedness in high and heavenly places.

To get a perfect illustration of spiritual warfare in action please read the entire ninth chapter of Daniel.

When God Repents

It is admittedly strange to think of using the word repent when relating to God. For us, repenting has to do with changing one's mind regarding sin - forsaking it and running to the Lord. Obviously, God does not repent in the same way we must repent; that is from sin.  We only hear of God repenting in the Old Testament, not the New. The word repent in Hebrew is the word naham which means to comfort, to relent. 

The word repent appears 40 times and the word comfort appears 65 times.  In Genesis 6:6 we read that God repented (as it says in the KJV) that He made man on the earth and that it grieved the Lord at His heart. Now, that seems like an odd thing for the Lord to say right? Why would God regret that he made man when He knew what man would do before He created him? Scholars say that the writer is describing God in what is called the anthropopathic mode. What that means is that human emotions and characteristics are being attached to God. It helps us as finite human beings understand God better if we describe Him with emotions.

What God actually regretted was man's evil, not the fact that He created man. God said everything He created was very good (Gen 1:31). So, there were no mistakes on God's part. The mistakes are all on us.

We also hear of God repenting when Moses intercedes on behalf of rebellious Israel. When Moses when up to Mt. Sinai to receive the Ten Commandments, the Israelites have Aaron build them a golden calf - an Egyptian deity so they can worship it and have an orgy. This is what the scripture says, and the Lord said to Moses, "Go down, for your people, whom you brought out of the land of Egypt have corrupted themselves. They have turned aside quickly out of the way I have commanded them, They have made for themselves a golden calf and have worshipped it and sacrificed to it...Now, therefore, let me alone that my wrath may burn hot against them and I may consume them in order that I may make a great nation out of you. But Moses implored the Lord his God and said, "O Lord why does your wrath burn hot against your people, whom you have brought up out of the Land of Egypt with great power and a mighty hand? Why should the Egyptians say, 'With evil intent did He bring them out, to kill them in the mountains and to consume them from the face of the earth? Turn from your burning anger and relent from this disaster against your people. Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel your servants to whom you swore by your own self, and said to them, 'I will multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven, and all this land I have promised I will give to your offspring, and they shall inherit forever.' "And the Lord repented (or relented) from the disaster that He had spoken of bringing on His people (Exodus 32:7-8, 10-14).

The reason God did not destroy His people is because Moses interceded for them to spare their lives. God was within His rights to wipe them out because they had violated the first commandment, "You shall have no other gods besides me (Exodus 20:3). Repentance in the form of mercy was extended to Israel due to the prayer of Moses.

Another account of God repenting is in the book of Jonah. We read that the city of Nineveh repented at the preaching of Jonah. Jonah preached only eight words, "Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!" (Jonah 3:4). The entire city sits in sackcloth and ashes, fasts and repents. Starting with the king to the least of them - even the animals. As a result of their humility and confession of sin, God spared the city (Jonah 3:5-10).

As a reminder, God does not repent because He is cable of wrong. He repents when we repent from our evil ways. When God is satisfied with our reaction toward His judgment upon us, He will relent from the harm that He would bring upon had we refused to obey His commands.  Even after judgment, God is willing to end his punishment if a person or nation is willing to repent as in the case when God through the Babylonians destroyed Judah, Jerusalem and the temple (Jeremiah 42:10).

Who was Darius the Mede?

Daniel 5:31 it mentions that Darius the Mede received the kingdom at age sixty-two. Some believe extrabiblical history supposedly never mentions Darius the Mede.  Not a whole lot is known about the Kingdom of the Medes. The name Darius is a title that means Lord and King.  Others have said Darius is actually a general by the name Gubaru who was with the Babylonians but left them to join the confederation of the Medes and Persians who defeated Belshazzar and his father Nabonidus when Babylon was conquered in 539 B.C.

It is important to determine who Darius is for our own knowledge and peace of mind. Also, it is important to be able to refute the critics who deny the historicity of the book of Daniel, and the actual existence of Daniel himself.

If one is totally captive to the truthfulness of the Word of God such as I am, then you have to believe that Darius the Mede was an actual historical figure just like Melchizedek was although he appears only once in Genesis 14:18, and is mentioned in the following verses: Psalm 110:4, and Hebrews 5:6, 10 6:20; 7:1,10,11,15,17. We cannot allow extrabiblical sources to validate the Bible.  We use scripture to determine if other sources are valid when dealing with Biblical matters and characters. The Word of God tells us that all scripture is theopneustos, that is God-breathed (2 Timothy 3:16). Meaning that Daniel recorded the Words of God, not his own. This makes the book of Daniel perfect in its presentation because it is not the word of man, but as 2 Peter 1:21 declares Daniel was carried along by the moving and power of the Holy Spirit. The book of Daniel is an original autograph with no propaganda. So what better person to validate who Darius was than an eyewitness? This is where Daniel comes in. When the Medes and Persians conquered Babylon in 539 B.C., the Bible tells us Darius the Mede received the kingdom when he was sixty-two years old (Dan 5:31).

We also read of the famous true story of Daniel being rescued from the lion’s den in chapter 6. Darius is the king at that time who lifts Daniel out of the den and has Daniel’s accusers thrown in.

Although there are several sources that have written about this time in history, the two main historians are Herodotus (484-425 BC.) and Xenophon (430-354 BC). Herodotus’ work is entitled Histories and Xenophon’s work is the Cyropaedia which means “The education of Cyrus”.

Some the main differences between the two Greek historians are these: Herodotus claims that Cyrus defeated his maternal Grandfather Astyages/Ahasuerus in battle in 550 B.C. Herodotus also claims that Astyages had no heir to receive his throne. As a result, Cyrus’ became the sole ruler of the Medo-Persian Empire. Xenophon tells a different story. He never records that Astyages and his Grandson Cyrus battled. Rather Astyages’ son was a man by the name of Cyaxeres II as the Greeks would call him. We know him by his throne name, Darius. This view is shared by the historian Josephus (37-100 AD) although he never mentions Darius by the name Cyaxares.  An ancient text called the Behistun of Darius Hystaspes (Darius I or Darius the Great, 522-486 BC)[1] also supports the existence of Darius the Mede.[2] According to Herodotus Astyages did not have a son, but a daughter named Mandane who married Cyrus’s father Cambyses I. In Xenophon’s account, Cyaxares II/Darius the Mede is Cyrus’ maternal uncle. When Darius dies in 537 B.C., Cyrus becomes the ruler of both the Medes and Persians with the Persians becoming more powerful as evidenced by the prophecy/vision Daniel receives of the Ram in Daniel 8:3b.

From what I have researched, Herodotus has received praise from it seems many and much criticism from men like Diordorus who accused Herodotus of telling false stories. Strabo (c. 64 BC-AD 21) said Herodotus provided unreliable historical accounts regarding the Medes and Persians. Another harsh critic was a man named Plutarch (c. AD 50-120). He outright said Herodotus was a liar.  A man named Cicero apparently had mixed feelings regarding Herodotus. He called Herodotus “the father of history” which is definitely an overreach.  In the same sentence, he said that Herodotus was a man who’s works “contain numerous fabulous tales”. What a duplicitous statement! The running theme with Herodotus is that he could spin a story. It appears he perhaps wanted to romance the life of Cyrus rather than deliver the cold hard facts.  Herodotus said that out of the four stories regarding the accession and life of Cyrus, he picked the one that is most suitable to him – perhaps the one most dramatic. From the critics, it appears that Herodotus was more interested in presenting drama than historical fact. In reading Xenophon and briefly reviewing his life, I believe responsible researchers would lean toward him. Whether Xenophon knew or cared, his account supports the Biblical account of Daniel’s Darius the Mede. He personally traveled with the Persians and in particular with Cyrus the Younger’s entourage (Cyrus III) who was the Son of Darius II (423-404) who was the Son of Artaxerxes Longimanus or Artaxerxes I (465-424 BC).

It appears the biggest criticism Xenophon receives from modern critics is the person of Cyaxeres II/Darius the Mede. Postmodernists have pretty much abandoned the idea this person really existed. In doing so, they have discredited Daniel as a reliable historical eyewitness reporter guided by the Holy Spirit.  Even worse, they have discredited the Bible – a most serious charge.

One more major disagreement surrounds Cyrus’ death. Herodotus claims Cyrus dies in battle in 530 B.C. Xenophon declares he dies in peace at home. So, his death has been a matter of dispute for over 2500 years.  

Daniel also mentions Darius the Mede in 6:1,6,9, 25, 28; 9:1; 11:1. The name Darius is also mentioned in the Books of Ezra, Nehemiah, Haggai and Zechariah, but he is a different king; Darius I who is also Darius the Great and Darius Hystaspes (522-486 BC).

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[1] The years listed for the kings are the years of their reign.

[2] It is important for the reader to know that there were four kings named Darius in history: Darius the Mede (559-537 BC, Darius Hystaspes or Darius I (522-486 BC), Darius II (423-404 BC), Darius III (336-330 BC) who was defeated by Alexander the Great. Only the first two kings named Darius appear in the Bible

Speaking things into existence

There are many that believe we can create what we want with our words. Do human words have that kind of power?  The quick answer is no! Those that believe this lie are victims of the positive confession movement, name-it-and-claim-it which is prevalent in Word of Faith Churches. 

The idea is that if you positive confess something enough times and you believe in what you are confessing, then it will come to pass. Actually what this is, is new age mysticism, not faith. This is also called the Law of attraction. In this "law", like attracts like. For instance, if you are uttering negative words in the universe, that is what the universe will bring back to you. Also if you are speaking positive things, then you expect positive things from the universe. This has some similarities to karma that is practiced in the Hindu and Buddhist religions.

Those that believe humans can call things into existence by speaking words have not really taken the time to analyze the serious implications of their thought process. What one is saying without realizing it is that you're like God. Why do I say that? Because God is the only being that can create something out of nothing or what is called ex nihilo. God used the power of his words to create the universe and everything in it. In other words, he spoke it into existence. We do not have that power.

Preachers have misused Romans 4:17 as a proof text for this unbiblical practice. Let's read what it says, "As it is written, I have made you the father of many nations, before him whom he believed. even God, who quickens the dead and calls those things that be not as though they were (KJV)".

This text is used as a sort of magic incantation to confess financial prosperity, healing for one's body, success on the job, etc. The verse in context has nothing do with the name-it-and-claim-it heresy. The writer Paul is talking about the promise of God to Abraham to make him the father of many nations. At the time God made the promise, Abraham was old and so was Sarah his wife. They were past the age of bearing children. But God promised they would have Isaac and at the appointed time they did when Abraham was 100 years old (Gen 21:2-4). God is the one that calls things into existence that do not exist. That is God brought the promise he made to Abraham to manifestation through his faith in the Lord.  

Also, it is also important to bear in mind that when God initially made the promise to Abraham about making him a father of many nations, and when he had Isaac was 25 years. A testament to Abraham's great enduring faith in God (Gen 12:4; Gen 21:5).

Think about it for a moment, if we could create our own reality by the power of our words, we could heal the sick, raise the dead, get rid of crime, prevent all types of abuse, end corrupt politics, and cure world hunger. We could create our own utopia. And if all that were true, we would get rid of God also. 

The ancient people of the world already tried to make a name for themselves with the ancient city and tower of Babel in the land of Shinar. They attempted to build it so they could reach into the heavens. God seeing their evil pride confused their languages so they could not understand one another and the ungodly building project was halted by God as the people were dispersed throughout the earth (Gen 11:1-9).

I use that account to prove that just like those ancient people in Genesis 11 attempted to make a name for themselves and failed, those that believe they can create their own reality with their words will always fail. This positive confession phenomenon is nothing more than abra-cadabra, hocus-pocus!! It is not trusting in God at all. 

The Outward and Inward Call

These are doctrines that speak to the outward and inward call of God toward all of humanity. What I need to discuss are the differences between the two. 

The outward call of God is presented to all of humanity but can be resisted. When we talk about the call of God, we are talking about the gospel invitation and command for man to repent of his sins and believe in Christ. The scripture says. "He that has the Son has life. He that does not have the Son does not have life (i.e. eternal life), but the wrath of God abides on him (John 3:36)".  Many respond to the outward call of God and often become members of the visible Church only. I believe these type of people are described in Matthew 13:20-22, "The one to whom the seed (i.e. God's word) was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and at once receives it with joy; yet he has no root in himself but is only temporary, and when persecution comes because of the word, immediately he stumbles and falls away".

That is clearly the attitude of a Church attendee, but not a genuine believer. Once again, they are a member of the visible Church but not the invisible Church.

What is the invisible Church?

The invisible Church are those who have been adopted into God's family through the effective preaching of the gospel. The reason I say invisible is that we do not know everyone that is really in the Church but God does. We see physical bodies, but God knows who are actually his because he can see regenerate hearts - we can't (2 Tim 2:19b). Those whom God has chosen in eternity past for salvation respond to the outward call positively which is the preaching of the gospel by men to repent and believe. The inward call is only performed by God and cannot be resisted. Why? The inward call is what regenerates - brings men to saving faith and baptizes them into the body of Christ. Both the outward an inward call is essential for a spiritual harvest to occur.  

The inward call comes about because of the outward call - the planting of the holy seed, the word of God. In other words, God never saves someone without them first hearing the gospel. If they are good ground and produce a harvest, it was God's doing not ours. Our job is to sow the seed and let 

God do the rest in the heart of the sinner. Remember what Paul said, one plants, one waters, but  GOD gives the increase (1 Cor 3:6). 

The outward call of God is an essential, demanding yet loving call for all to repent and believe. Most reject this call. Some superficially respond to this call and join the visible Church. But due to not having any root or depth in the word, they fall away once persecution comes on account of it. The outward call alone will never produce salvation but is the cause that leads to it.  However, those whom God has predestined in eternity past to be saved in time, they will respond positively to the general call due to being chosen by God to respond to the inward calling.

The general call is performed by believers preaching the gospel and is necessary. The inward call is secret and performed only by God - causing the chosen sinner to become born again so that he/she responds to outward gospel call and be saved.

Did the Father forsake his Son at the cross?

The quick answer to this question is yes! God the Father did forsake his Son at the cross and I will explain why.

Believe it or not, that was the pre-determined plan of God (Acts 2:23). Also, when Jesus cried out "My God My God why have you forsaken me?", he was fulfilling Psalm 22:1. It is crucial to remember that Jesus was being made an offering for sin by the Father God on purpose. 2 Corinthians 5:21 says, "He who knew no sin was made sin so that we might become the righteousness of God in him (Christ)".  

Mankind's sins state was so hopeless that it required the advent of the perfect sinless Son of God to die ultimately by the hands of God the Father to deliver us from our sins which gave birth to our spiritual life (Eph 2:1; Col 2:13).

The Father punished his Son on the cross and it pleased him to do it (Isa 53:10). Why? Because God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son to save the world (John 3:16-17). In order for man to receive everlasting life, Jesus had to die to satisfy the Father's justice and wrath against sin. And since Jesus was made sin by transference, he became the object of the Father's perfect and holy wrath. God who is holy cannot look favorably upon sin because it is evil, and the antithesis of his nature.

That is why Jesus cried out "My God My God, why have you forsaken me?" He was realizing the monumental weight of the burden his Father placed on him - mankind's sins. This was the only time there was a breach in the Father and Son's relationship - at the cross. God had to forsake and turn his back on his Son due to him bearing our sins (Isa 53:5; 1 Peter 2:24). It is also ultimately the reason why he was sent to the earth. 

The human mind can never fully grasp the enormity of this perfect expression of love for undeserving sinners. We must never forget the price it took to purchase our freedom from sin - the precious blood of Jesus Christ. His death was accepted by God so that my life would be secured in him when I repented and believed in his completed work. 

Is Christianity a religion?

If a non-religious person were to ask a Christian the above question most would say "no Christianity isn't a religion, its a relationship!" Is that a cliche' or a true statement? Many Christians look at the word religion as a bad word. Why? The reason being is that most "religious" people only look at religion as a system of do's and dont's. Their religious activity is emotionless, a mechanistic tradition passed down often from their parents and grandparents. 

Often times people are involved in religious activity without even understanding why they are doing it, and what it all means. And in that case, one needs to examine themselves and their religion. There are also numerous others that are very impassioned about their religion because they are convinced it helps them, and they believe they are hopefully appeasing the god or ideology they worship.

Then there are others that feel that what they are doing centers them - keeps their mind and body in harmony so they practice yoga as their spiritual discipline. Lastly, there are those who try to improve themselves by attending self-help seminars and read self-help books.

According to Webster's online dictionary, the word religion has several meanings and synonyms.

1. The service and worship of God or the supernatural

2. Commitment or devotion to religious faith or observance

3. A personal set or institutionalized system of religious attitudes, beliefs or practices

Synonyms: faith, devotion, piety

Your belief system shapes your worldview which ultimately governs your thoughts, your behavior, and your life. This applies to the monotheist (those who worship one God), the polytheist (those who worship many gods), the pantheist (those who believe God is part of his creation rather than separate from it), and the atheist (the one that believes there is no God). 

I wrote the aforementioned paragraph because it is a spiritual principle. Jesus said what we speak out of our mouths comes from our hearts (Matt 15:18). These are the things that we believe and speak. 

Herein lies the marked difference between Christianity and other religions: the Lord Jesus Christ! There is no other faith on the planet other than Biblical Christ-centered Christianity that can guarantee to save the sinner's soul when they believe in the completed vicarious atonement of Christ. Only in Christ can one have their sins forgiven forever and receive eternal life. From this point, the saved has an ongoing love affair with the triune God. So absolutely yes!! Christianity is an intimate relationship between the Redeemer and his redeemed - it is most personal (Rom 8:15b;Eph 1:5)! We are adopted sons and daughters in the family of God. As a result, we live lives of obedience to God and we serve our neighbors. In the broad sense, Christianity is a religion in relation to the other religions of the world. The difference is it is a pure and undefiled religion according to James 1:27. 

It is not taboo to say that Christianity is a religion. Why? Because it is based on the faith that saves the soul. The founder of our faith was God Almighty in the flesh - the Lord Jesus. Once again, our religion is birthed out of the love of God for his sheep to come and become a substitutionary sacrifice for mankind's sins. True religion rescues the sinner since we can never rescue ourselves from our sins. No other religion or cult (a perversion of the Christian faith - LDS, Jehovah's Witnesses, Emerging Church), founder died for sin. Also, no other religion provided eternal salvation as a free gift to man. All false religions are man-centered and require that the adherent perform meritorious works to earn their salvation or their afterlife whether that be soul sleep, nirvana, a paradise earth, or a Muhammadan-heaven with unbridled sex with virgins (Islam).

Preaching the Gospel in conjunction with Election and Reprobation

This article is a sequel to the previous one: The doctrine of Reprobation. For those who militate against Divine Election and Reprobation because in the human mind they appear to make God a mean ogre, I want to attempt to prove how wonderful both of these doctrines are, and how neither is a hindrance to the gospel, but rather how the gospel is enhanced by them. 

I want to start with the negative view of what many say how preaching the gospel in light of divine election is pointless.

Those who do not like divine election and predestination say that preaching the gospel is pointless because the elect are going to believe no matter what and the non-elect are not going to believe no matter what So why preach the gospel at all?! That type of reasoning is called Hyper-Calvinism.

This is the fatalistic approach to the matter: Since God has already determined all things that will ever happen, why do anything at all? God has already made up his mind and nothing can change that! We are just a bunch of wind up toys with no will of our own doing the commands of our master.

The reason we are to preach the gospel is we are commanded to by the Lord Jesus Christ (Mark 16:15). Just because God has predetermined what he will ever do, does not mean that God or we are fatalists. We just don't throw caution to the wind and let the chips fall where they may. We have to be determinists just like God is. God has decided to use the foolishness of preaching to bring the elect to saving faith in Christ (1 Cor 1:21). Yes, God does guarantee the elect will be saved, but he will not save anyone until they respond positively to the gospel message in repentance and faith. The gospel is the means to meet the desired end of the chosen sinner - salvation. God lovingly choosing the elect before the foundation of the world by no means hinders evangelism, but rather guarantees the success of it! Praise God for his wisdom!

Now we have to talk about how God is glorified in those who do not believe the gospel. This will be admittedly very tough. Just as the elect are presented with the gospel, the non-elect are as well. The reality is with the non-elect is many believe the gospel, but the difference is they do not believe unto salvation. There are many people who believe in Jesus, his death, burial and perhaps his resurrection, but they also believe in the worship of Mary in Catholicism, Allah in Islam, the "jesus" of the Jehovah's Witnesses, and reincarnation, karma, horoscopes, etc. The nonbeliever wants a religious buffet so they become polytheistic or they adopt the other extreme, they become an atheist. Both worldviews are damnable. 

The result for the non-elect is they ultimately do not believe the only way to salvation through Jesus Christ (John 14:6;Acts 4:12).  Did the Word of God have its desired effect on those who are reprobate not resulting in their repentance their belief and salvation? Is that what God wanted to happen to them? One has to believe in some sense God wants the unbeliever to repent (Eze 33:11). That was clearly God's desire, but I do not believe it was his eternal decree. For if it were, everyone that will ever live would be saved, and hell would not exist. We have to remember just as God desires and is glorified in his mercy and grace, he also must and will be glorified in his justice and wrath. Man hates the latter, but that does not matter to God. God does whatever he pleases (Psalm 115:3).

Isaiah 55:11 tell us this, "So shall my Word go from my mouth. It shall not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it."

God is telling us that his Word always meets its desired end - it never fails.

The Word of God is a two-edged sword. For the elect, it will convict them of sin that will lead to their repentance, faith, and salvation. For the non-elect, the Word is successful also, albeit negatively. The Word will also convict, but because they refuse to believe and they love darkness, it will result in non-repentance, expose their unregenerate heart which will tragically bring about their eternal damnation and separation from God.

In the end, everyone gets what they want. God gets to save the chosen. The chosen are reconciled to God through Jesus Christ. The non-elect get to live the life of rebellion against God and man that their sinful nature desires.

Although the aforementioned is true, God is commanding all men to repent of their sins today and be reconciled to God in Jesus Christ. No one is preventing you from coming to God but you! Beg for God to have mercy on your soul, repent today of your sins, and trust Jesus Christ for the salvation of your soul! He is ready and willing to save right now. Escape the wrath of God so you can experience the grace of God in salvation.

What is the doctrine of Reprobation?

The doctrine of reprobation I believe is the absolute hardest doctrine in all of scripture. It is so painful that many scholars and theologians do not discuss it. It has been my experience that only those in the Reformed or Calvinistic camps discuss the matter.

So, what is the doctrine of reprobation and is it Biblical?

In order to understand this doctrine one has to place it in juxtaposition to the doctrine of sovereign election. The doctrine of election as I have explained several times before is defined is that God before time and creation decided to foreknow and chose some to be recipients of his saving grace in time when he determined. In other words, exactly when God wanted, he would save them through the preaching of the gospel message - guaranteeing their salvation when they believed (Eph 1:4).

The doctrine of reprobation is that God before time decides not to choose others before the foundation of the world - leaving them in their sins to be judged by God at the end of time and ultimately perish in hell.

Now one can understand why this teaching is the most offensive of all doctrines - it offends our sensibilities and it casts a shadow of apparent unfairness, unrighteous, and unloving views of our creator. It is our natural tendency to reject and ridicule things we do not understand, dislike or even hate them. And believe me, this doctrine is hated. That is why it is important that we examine it to see if it is Biblical or not.

The word reprobation comes from the word reprobate which means not standing the test and to be rejected in the original Greek. The Bible does talk about some having a reprobate mind in Romans 1:28. Titus 1:16 says some people are reprobate.

So in the doctrine of reprobation (assuming it is true), there are those whom God decides in eternity past to pass over. Now I realize to the human mind this has massive implications.

The billion dollar question is why would God do this?

Apparently, it must be God's will not to save everyone. This reasoning, of course, raises more questions than it answers I'm sure.

One of the main questions is, "If God decided in eternity past to pass by some sinners to ultimately perish in their sins why create them in the first place?" In other words what benefit does God get by creating those he never intended to save? I'll answer the question later in the article.

Here is another question I need to present to the reader: Since some people are non-elect can they still respond positively to the gospel and be saved? My question and answer to this question is if the non-elect can believe and be saved when they hear the gospel, then I would argue that their salvation was not a gift of grace by God, but rather a work of self-righteousness by the sinner. I will put it another way, man chooses God, so God chooses man once he believed. And yet another way to put it: the faith of man compelled God to choose him in time. Or the faith of man dictated election. This reasoning is unbiblical because it shows man being proactive in salvation and God reactive. Ephesians 1:4 tells us that we were chosen before (italics mine) the foundation of the world. No one is chosen after the foundation of the world.

So, back to the question of, "If God in eternity past decided to pass by some sinners, reserve them for judgment and wrath in time - that they ultimately perish in sin, then why create them in the first place?" My answer is even the wicked serve a purpose in this world. Proverbs 16:4 tells us, "God has created all things for himself even the wicked for the day of evil" As bizarre as it may sound, evil people serve God even in their rebellion and unbelief! No one is here by accident. Somehow God's sovereignty allows for the wicked to behave wickedly. God uses their evil to bring about good that will glorify himself. Does God desire that man rebels? No. That is why he punishes us when we sin. But, he allows it otherwise evil could never occur. God has given man the free will to choose good or evil. When man obeys God, all generally goes well with him. When he rebels, he should fear because God's wrath abides on him (John 3:36).

The archetypical person the Bible describes as one who God raised up to display his power so that his name could be made known throughout all the earth was Pharoah. This is what the Apostle Paul said in Romans 9:17-18, for the scripture says to Pharaoh, "For this very purpose I raised you up, to demonstrate my power in you, and that my name might be proclaimed throughout the whole Earth". So then he (i.e. God) has mercy on whom he desires (emphasis added), and he hardens whom he desires.

What does this mean? Pharaoh was an evil man who God reserved for divine judgment. He was not chosen to be a recipient of God's grace. Seem unfair? No, it is not. Pharaoh was a sinner who hated the true God and enslaved his people the Hebrews. God simply gave the man what he deserved, divine justice for his sins. God decided before time began not to elect Pharoah, but rather reserve him for judgment. In other words, the Lord hardened Pharoah.

Reprobation is God's just retribution on unredeemed sinners. Had God chose to do so, he could have elected every person that would ever live to be saved. In his perfect wisdom, he did not. Why? God will be glorified in his judgment and wrath on the unregenerate (Rom 9:22). Once again, this is his holy justice against evil mankind that hates their perfect creator. We punish criminals that break our laws in the earth realm. We even execute those who deserve to die for their crimes do we not? How much more will God destroy those who have committed crimes against heaven? Divine justice is not only fair, it is absolutely necessary! God would violate his own holiness if he did not punish evil men.

What is utterly amazing of our creator is that he willfully chose some, an innumerable mass of sinful, undeserving, wretched humanity to receive his kingdom because he delights in doing so. One of the most tender loving verses in the Bible comes from our Lord Jesus who said, "Do not be afraid little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the Kingdom" (Luke 12:32).

The writer believes sufficient evidence has been presented that proves that reprobation exists. To the natural human mind, it is a repulsive doctrine. Most Christians reject this doctrine alone with divine election. We have not been taught these precious truths in our Churches growing up until the present time so to most, they are offensive because they believe it casts a shadow on God's omnibenevolent nature.  What I will do in my next article is try to explain the complaints many bring up regarding preaching the gospel from a reformed perspective.

Did God really hate Esau?

Malachi 1:2-3 it says, "Jacob I have loved, but Esau I have hated". The Apostle Paul quotes this same passage in Romans 9:13. Why did God hate Esau? It's not that God had this seething malicious hatred toward Esau in as much that he preferred Jacob over Esau. Why? Because it served God's purpose. Keep in mind that God made the decision to choose Jacob and Esau's destinies before they were born (Rom 9:11).

It also very important to remember that God's purpose included not just the twins boys but their descendants as well. Esau was the father of the Edomites. Jacob whose name was changed to Israel in Genesis 32:28 became the father of the Israelites or Hebrews (or who we call Jews or Israelis today).

Jacob was chosen to be blessed in a way the Esau was not. Jacob was no better than his brother but was favored by God to receive benefits that Esau never received. The benefits, of course, have extended to the Hebrew race as they exist to this day. Edomites do not exist anymore. They were perpetual enemies of the Jews Their destruction was prophesied by the prophet Obadiah. The Edomites were also destroyed because of their refusal to help their relatives along with rejoicing in their demise (Num 20:20-21;Ezek 35:15).

Was God unfair in treating Jacob better than Esau? Absolutely not! Neither can lay claim to God's grace. God was exercising his sovereign elective choice to bless one son over the other. Both were sinners deserving of God's wrath. Jacob and his descendants received grace. Esau and his descendants received justice. Esau and his descendants were not treated unfairly by God.

Contrary to popular belief, God loves all people, but not equally. In the eyes of sinful humans, the realization that one person receives a benefit over another is unfair. I guess mankind will never learn that God is not subject to our definition of fairness. To believe one has the right to put the Almighty in a human tribunal and lay charges of unrighteousness against him is asinine, to say the least, and perhaps demonic at the worst. It is like Paul said in Romans 9:20, "Who are you O man to answer back to God?" In other words, who do you think you are talking to God that way? We need to watch our mouths. God has every right to treat every human being how he sees fit. He never needs our approval or disapproval to do anything regarding his creation. 

We would do well to remember that fact.

Who sins have been forgiven?

It is important I ask the question because there are many in the Church if not most that are convinced that everyone sins have been forgiven by Christ. Is that indeed true? Has Jesus forgiven every last person's sins?

If I could see the faces of everyone that will read this article, I could imagine you looking back at me perplexed saying, "Del are you kidding me? Of course, everyone's sins have been forgiven by Christ!" 

Okay then, we need to test that reasoning against scripture. To me, it is quite simple. If one dies in sin and perishes in hell were their sins forgiven? If one says yes then you believe in a sort of double jeopardy. Meaning that you have Christ paying for sins of the hell-bound, and the lost paying for their own sins. Does that seem logical and fair?

Of course, it is not.

It does not make sense nor is it fair for Christ to die for the sins of those who will eternally perish in hell and pay the penalty for their own sins. Some of you may be gasping in horror by my statement right now and branding me a heretic. It is important that you hear me out so that you understand my reasoning behind my argument. 

To believe that Christ forgave everyone's sins means that he paid the price for them on his cross. This also means he washed their sins away. Now listen and read very carefully: If Christ paid your sin debt in full, that means you cannot go to hell. Why? Because you have no debt to pay so, therefore, you cannot be responsible for your sins anymore - Jesus took care of them. Remember what the Prophet Isaiah declared, "He was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities, the chastisement of our peace was placed upon him. By his stripes, we are healed (Isa 53:5). 

The prophet clearly describes the punishment he suffered on our behalf - all those that have put their trust in Christ. So, if everyone in the world sins has been forgiven, then all will go to heaven - there would be no hell. We know that is not true. Most of the world will not believe and will perish in hell.

There is an absolute and necessary condition for one to have their sins forgiven and receive salvation, one must believe! The most well known and celebrated passage in all the Bible tells us that, "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Begotten Son. That whosoever should believe (necessary condition) on him should not perish but have everlasting life (John 3:16). 

It is quite elementary, one's sins are only forgiven if they repent and place their faith in the Lord Jesus for the remission of their sins (Heb 9:22). Often times when people are sharing the gospel they will tell someone that Jesus loves them and has forgiven their sins without sharing with them why they need to be forgiven of sin in the first place. How do you know if the person even knows what sin means? 

The person will not appreciate or want the cure unless they realize they are dead in their trespasses and sins and totally cut off from the life of God their creator (Eph 2:1; Col 2:13).  Do not offer the cure until you explain why the person needs the cure - they are spiritually dead and need to be made alive by the power of God's Holy Spirit. This is why Jesus told Nicodemus, "You must be born again" (i.e. new birth, born from above) - (John 3:3,5-8).

Concluding, those who have the joy of their sins forgiven are those that have placed their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ for the forgiveness and the washing away of their sins forever. It is tragic to tell someone Jesus has forgiven their sins when the person has not believed. The burden of their sins still remains with them. The provision is there and the price for all sin has been paid, but only for those who truly believe!!

I said this in the past, and I will repeat myself, Jesus has paid for all of your sins if you are in him, or he has paid for none of them if you are still in sin. The enemies of God do not get the same benefits as the children of God. Remember, all sins ever committed will be paid for, either by Jesus on the cross for the redeemed, or the sinner will pay for their own sins in hell.

In light of the Fall

My foundation passage for writing this article: Isaiah 46:10, "Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not yet done, saying, 'My counsel shall stand, and I do all my pleasure” (italics added for emphasis).

I often wonder why God created the universe in the light of the fall. What do I mean by this?  In other words, God created the earth knowing at the same time he would allow the fall of man into sin to happen and ruin his perfect creation. If you have ever pondered this reality like I do, then admittedly it brings tension to the mind.

However, this does not make me question God in an accusative way, but rather it makes me desire to get to know the mind of God more so I can love and appreciate his uniqueness and explain to those in my sphere of influence the wonders of our God who also ponder this difficult matter.

Let me say first off that I do not fully understand why God ordained the fall, but I do know that ordaining the fall of man I believe is good in the ultimate salvific sense. Why? Because God allowed it through the sin of Adam to occur. Certainly, God had the power to stop Adam and Eve from committing sin, but he did not. Why? That was not part of his plan. The results of the fall were and are tragic humanly because it has caused unbearable misery, pain, and death but in the mind of our infinite God, there is a silver lining. What is that silver lining I am sure the reader is asking right now?

 Before I attempt to answer that question, the reader MUST understand that the results of the fall of man although ordained and allowed by God are not his fault. God commanded Adam directly not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Gen 2:16-17). So, how do we reconcile this conundrum - God allowing the fall, and dealing with Adam's disobedience that brought about the fall that God ordained?  This definitely seems like a contradiction doesn't it?

It is not a contradiction but rather a paradox. When I say that God ordained the fall it does not mean he is the cause of it. Mankind is. God did not bait Adam to Eve to sin and then punish them for it. That would make God unjust. Satan (with God's permission) was the one that tempted Eve (not Adam) to eat the forbidden fruit. She and Adam had a free will to choose to obey or disobey God. We know they chose to disobey because that is what they wanted to do. Their desire at that moment to disobey and eat was greater than their desire to obey and not eat. That is the nature of all mankind. 

So we have two parallel dynamics going on here. It was God's preceptive will that they not eat - meaning they knew the will of God and willfully broke it. They disobeyed with their eyes wide open. At the same time, through their disobedience, God's plan was not stifled in any way. Adam and Eve's disobedience was interwoven in God's providential plan. It had to be otherwise it would have never happened. Once again, God allowed the sin because we have free will to choose what we do. He does not approve of it. That is why he cursed them both, forgave their sin by killing an innocent animal, shedding its blood as their sin substitute to make them coats of skin to cover their nakedness and kicked them out of the garden (Gen 3:16-17,21, 23-24). This was the first act of atoning forgiveness in history. It also foreshadowed the perfect sacrifice of Jesus Christ for sins on the cross.

Remember sin always results in death (Romans 6:23).

So that is how the writer believes we reconcile God ordaining and allowing the fall versus Adam's disobedience which he clearly forbade.

You see even the evil that men do serves God. It's abhorrent to him. That is why he must punish it. But he uses the evil and turns it around for good (Romans 8:28). God knew what Adam and Eve would do before he created the universe. How? Because the Lord has foresight - meaning he knows and sees everything before it actually happens. It is what scholars call omniscience. It means God has all knowledge. That is why God could plan man's salvation in advance in conjunction of the fall. It is also how God revealed things to the prophets before they happened in time. Mankind is not that way. We only have hindsight - meaning we can only know things when and after they happen. And without divine revelation from God through his word, we will never understand why things happen in the manner that they do - good or bad.

Now, back to the question of "what is the silver lining in all of this?" The silver lining was the plan of God before the foundation of the world to send his perfect and only Begotten Son to come and die for the sins of his people (Matt 1:21). That way God could show the wonders of his grace toward underserving wretched sinners like you and I (Eph 1:6). 

Although the fall of man was tragic, God's grace is greater (Rom 5:20).  In other words, the tragedy of the fall of man pales in comparison to the love, power, and grace of God. 

The fall of man did not in any way defeat or delay God's plan of redemption. Everything God has ever done is right on his schedule despite Adam's sin which clearly God did NOT want him to do. The part that admittedly perplexes me is that God providentially uses sinful man to fulfill his will. What amazes me, even more, is the transcendent wisdom of God - how he can even allow the evil choices that are clearly against his revealed will and use them for good while at the same time punish us for those sinful choices. That is pure brilliance! Now you tell me, who should not fear and reverently worship a God like that? 

God's commands are frustrated by man every day and yet he will still fulfill his plans perfectly. God is victorious every time, while man is piling up sin against the day of God's wrath.

In conclusion, God does allow for sin to occur while at the same not being responsible for it.  Remember what James said, "Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: For God cannot be tempted with evil, neither does he tempt any man. But every man is tempted he when he is drawn away of his own lust (italics mine) and enticed. Then when lust has conceived, it brings forth sin, and sin, when it is finished, brings forth death (James 1:13-15).

This was the tragic scenario of Adam of Eve in the garden.

I wish you good luck!!

The above mentioned phrase is usually used in our society as a kind way of saying you wish someone well in whatever it is they are doing; whether it is a new job, their education, or perhaps a new business venture. But, what is luck? What does it mean to be lucky or unlucky? Is there actually a thing in our world called luck? And if so, where does it come from?

Permit me to be technical in this article. To some, I may even be annoying. I will accept that. I am going to attempt to break this idea down so we can see if luck really exists. 

A definition of luck: Success or failure brought by chance rather than through one's own actions.

Definition of chance: a force that causes good or bad things to happen.

When we say things happen by chance, we are saying things happen for no reason at all. That is impossible. Absolutely everything that happens in our lives is for a reason even when we do not understand why they happen good or bad. If we are depending on "the luck of the draw" as many count on when gambling, or on the ghost of a chance, then you are depending on false deities that obviously do not exist. This equates to idolatry.

Chance is a word used when dealing with mathematical probabilities. When one flips a coin, we say its a 50-50 chance that the coin will land on heads or tails. Actually, it's a 100-100 reality that the coin will land on heads or tails - think about it.  So, is it blind chance, fate or luck that causes the coin to land on heads or tails, or is it something else? If chance rules the day, then what we have is an effect without a cause. That, of course, is impossible. There is no such thing as a causeless event. And since we cannot have an effect without a cause, there can be no such thing as luck or chance happenings in our world.

To declare things happen by luck is to say that luck is an outside arbitrary force that invades our lives at random to make things happen against our will good or bad. We as humans have absolutely nothing to do with how our lives go because we have these "gods" of luck and or chance invading our lives whenever they feel like it. Our hard work and efforts take a back seat to how things unfold in our lives. because luck and chance decided to step in uninvited. For those of us who are sports fans watching the NBA playoffs, the Houston Rockets were "unlucky" because Chris Paul got hurt, and The Golden Warriors got "lucky" because Chris Paul got hurt. Did not the Rockets horrible 3 point shooting and poor second halves in games 6 and 7 when they had halftime leads in both games seal their doom along with the Warriors superior play in the second half of those games cause them to advance to the NBA finals? I will admit had Chris Paul played in those games, the Rockets may have advanced instead of Golden State since they had a 3-2 games lead in the series.  My point? Luck had nothing to do with the outcome, at all!! One team outplayed the other when it mattered the most. For Golden State execution was the cause, and victory was the effect. People say we have good or bad luck because there are so many unexplainable things in our lives with apparently no rhyme or reason. In other words, our ignorance of the anomalies in life is chalked up as luck and chance. 

What is so tragic about this mindset is that the world is depending upon fantasy than on the fact that all things are a result of a creator God. God ordains whatever comes to past - even the evil that is in the world. Before the reader gasps in horror that I said God ordains the evil that is in the world, I will carefully explain a little later as best as I can what I mean.

In Isaiah 46:10 we read, "Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things which have not been done. Saying my purpose will be established, and I will accomplish all my good pleasure".

The reality that God is in control of all things instead of lady luck, your lucky stars or some omen should provide all with relief, but sadly for most, it does not. If one does not believe in The Almighty who is in complete control of all things, then all one has is the apparitions of luck and chance. This means you have nothing. From that point of view, one's life is one cosmic accident - you are existing with no purpose. Your life is no more important than a slot machine or cards on a blackjack table in  Vegas. That is the tragic view of the Darwinian evolutionist, not that of one who believes in a benevolent creator.

I don't know about you, but I would rather leave my life in the hands of God than luck, chance or fate. 

Since God is the cause of all things in the universe and not luck and or chance how can he be good if evil exists?

I have mentioned this before, but it bears repeating. God is good always, and his mercy endures forever (Psalm 136). Remember evil exists because Adam and Eve way back in the garden of Eden chose to disobey God (Gen 3:6). That was the origin of human moral evil. Evil is the absence of good - of moral righteousness. Evil is not a force, but rather a disposition that is hostile toward God. As strange as it may sound to one's ears, God did ordain that evil exist.  Please understand that by ordaining it, he allowed it to pollute his creation through the willful disobedience of man. God can never be the author of evil in that he created it for everything God created was very good (Gen 1:31). Evil is not a result of bad luck infusing it as some wicked parasitical black ooze that possesses mankind. Evil is always connected to our cognizant willful choices. We do evil because we want to. No one can make us. Our choices are free. 

At this point, someone may ask the question,"Why would a good God allow evil to ruin his perfect world?" The best answer I can give is a long one. It's a mystery in part to me why God would allow evil to infiltrate his wonderful creation. But God who is all wise apparently decided his glory would be served best this way - meaning allowing evil to pervade this world, and casting it into ruin. Defeating and conquering sin by sending his only begotten Son the Lord Jesus Christ the perfect sacrifice for our sins. All those who believe will receive eternal life and forgiveness of their sins. This incomparable act of love puts God's power and glory on full display for the whole world to see. 

Please just remember this, the terrible things we experience in this life is mankind's fault at the root. The good that happens to us is because of the sheer grace and mercy of God. Let me prove that. 

James 1:17 says,"Every good thing and every perfect gift comes from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow."

God is good and blesses us with good all the time. When bad things happen, it never diminishes the goodness of God, but it should be a painful reminder of the wickedness of man. Evil looms so large that like a thick black cloud it appears to block out the good in our lives so the evil is all we see. We ourselves are indeed our worst enemy. The internal evil we toil with, along with the external evil we wrestle with is a result of our sinful nature - God help us!!

Good and bad are not arbitrary in our lives. All things happen for a reason. We do not know all the reasons nor are we supposed to know. If we did, there would be no need for faith in God. It is futile especially for the Christian to abandon things to luck and chance. It proves one is not trusting in God. Remember God will not share his throne or give his glory to someone or something (Isa 48:11) especially not to luck and chance. We are to trust in the Lord with all our heart and lean not to our own understanding. In all our ways acknowledge him, and he will direct our paths (Pro 3:5-6).