The Gospel Of Repentance

As parents we are responsible for cleaning up our kid’s messes when they are small. Why? Because they are unable to do it on their own. We love our children more than our own lives. We will do whatever it takes to ensure their safety. In like manner, Jesus did whatever it took to secure the salvation of His children by dying in their place; becoming a substitutionary sacrifice for their sins. We can never cleanse our own sins. We must remember sin always requires death (Romans 6:23). In the Old Testament, countless animals were sacrificed on behalf of the people of Israel. The animal’s blood had to be shed because the life of the flesh is in the blood (Leviticus 17:11). The death of the innocent animal was substituted for the sinner. The daily sacrifices were a constant reminder of the nation’s sinfulness. These sacrifices were foreshadowing the once and for all sacrifice of Christ on the cross (Heb 9:28;1 Pet 3:18). Only Jesus can eradicate the world’s sin dis-ease. Sin is...

Verse 1 – The unrighteous because they are so accustomed to doing dirt are always watching their back as if someone is after them. Even if someone isn’t.   That is the definition of paranoia. Verse 2 : Land in Rebellion – I liken the U.S. like this with the current impeachment proceedings of Donald Trump.   It shows with all the partisan politics, no one can agree on anything. It also shows the rest of the world how divided our government is. I see this as very dangerous because it breeds distrust between our executive and legislative branches of government in particular. It also reveals to the rest of the nations of the world how unstable our “leaders” are. Verse 4: Haters of the law - Our laws were providentially given by God through men to protect the righteous and punish the wicked.   Those who break the law show their hatred for civil order and ultimately are enemies of God who instituted human law. Verse 5 - Wicked people do not understand or resp...

Therefore, I tell you every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven people, but the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven. And whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, not in this age nor in the age to come. `- Matthew 12:31-32 Why the strong language by Jesus? Those that blaspheme the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; why? The word blasphemy means to speak evil, to revile, to hold in contempt. Now, let us put context to Jesus’ statement. Jesus healed a demon-possessed man who was blind and mute. The people were amazed, but the Pharisees said that Jesus cast out demons by the power of Satan, and not by God’s power (Matthew 12:24). What a serious indictment to make! Why would someone be so foolish as to attribute the work of God to the devil? The reason has to be that the religious leaders hated Jesus and wanted Him dead. When one is led by the devil, they are not going to give ...

It would be safe to say that most people wonder why others are affected by someone else’s sins. The best way to answer that question I believe is to explain it parabolically. One can liken sin to a football game. When one player jumps offsides, is that one player penalized five yards, or is the whole team? We know it is the whole team. Why? Because although the team is made up of many players, they are still one unit. The team wins and loses together.   The point I am making is that sin not only affects the offender, but it also affects everyone around us. When Adam and Eve sinned, God cursed the entire earth because of them. The tragic result of their disobedience is that all of their descendants would be born with the same sinful nature. God imputed the original sin of Adam to all of us (Romans 5:12). The Bible declares we all, that is mankind sinned in Adam. How? Because we were in the loins of Adam when he committed the sin. That makes us guilty by imputation. The senten...

For years I thought the sin unto death in I John 5:16 was a specific solitary sin. What was most confusing, I did not know what that sin was. Others have regarded the sin unto death as the unpardonable sin. That is the sin that is discussed in Matthew 12:31-32. The blasphemy of the Holy Spirit. These are two separate matters. So, back to the original question, what is the sin unto death? Well, before I answer that question, let us read the text. “If anyone sees a fellow believer committing a sin that does not lead to death, he should ask, and God will give him life – to those that commit a sin that does lead to death. There is a sin that leads to death. I am not saying one should pray for that. All unrighteousness is sin, and there is a sin that does not lead to death” (1 John 5:16-17). How do we make the distinction between a sin unto death and a sin not unto death since the writer John does not provide an example of each in his letter? That is why it is very important to be...

To describe our salvation in a million words would not be enough. So what I would like to do is cover some of the wonderful features of our salvation and why we MUST praise God for it always. One can view our salvation as trinitarian. Why? Because it has three tiers or components to it. They are justification, sanctification, and glorification. Permit me to spend a little time on each. Justification - The act of pronouncing one righteous. To be acquitted. In salvific language, it means the sinner is absolved of all guilt of their sins forever when they believe in the substitutionary act of Jesus Christ who came to the world to take away our sins (Psalm 32:1-2; Matt 1:21; 9:2b; Luke 7:48; John 1:29; Eph 1:7; 1 John 2:2). God the Father punished His own Son for our sins which satisfied or propitiated God's wrath against sin. When one believes in what Christ did for them, they are given a declaration of righteousness. The sinner is not essentially righteous, they are still a sinn...

Yesterday I was watching a program where a girl found out she would not be able to have children because there was something wrong with part of her reproductive system. She was a teenage girl and was involved with the youth at her church. She became angry and blamed God saying He is not good. She told her mother that she was never going to attend church again.  It was her way of getting back at God for not loving and being there for her - in her mind. This young girl's resentment toward God is nothing new. People are yelling, screaming and cursing God every day when things go wrong in their lives. Once again the proverbial question is, "If God is so good and loving and He has all power, then why is this happening to me? I don't deserve it!"  This is the time when a person should do a very careful inventory of their lives. Because I see two possible scenarios. 1) The person is in sin and has refused to repent and ask for forgiveness so they are being puni...

For those readers who are not familiar with the doctrine of Predestination and election, it is the teaching where God before time began decided of His own initiative to chose those whom He wanted to be recipients of His saving grace for His own glory. Paul in Ephesians 1:4 said those who have been chosen were chosen before the foundation of the world.  Well, obviously if there are those who are chosen, then there are those who were not chosen. This is where the tension begins when dealing with this contentious yet Biblical doctrine. Those who militate against this doctrine will continue to cry out, "Why would God chose some and not all? That's not fair!" Since when do we believe we have the right to determine for God what is and what is not fair? God never needs our approval or denial to do anything. Romans 9:20-21 says, "But who are you O man to reply back to God? Will the thing formed say to Him that formed it why have you made me like this? Does not the po...

So, how do we harmonize the two ideas when they are apparently mutually opposed to one another and both are true at the same time? You see, in the mind of God, He can have perfect compassion for the lost, and perfect anger against the wicked simultaneously. When the Bible discusses the wicked, it is describing people in what they are actively doing versus who we essentially are. You see all men are wicked naturally speaking until that person recognizes they are sinful, lost and in need of a Savior then we become partakers of the divine nature (2 Peter 1:4). The overarching attribute of God is love. However, within His love the Lord does become and displeased and angry, It should be no great wonder about God. We do the same thing in our own relationships. When parents get upset with their children and become angry with them for something they have done wrong, it does not negate their love they have for them, they just have to resort to discipline to correct the bad behavior. I see...

The word prevenient is a Latin word that means something happening beforehand. So when we are talking about prevenient grace in theological circles, it is making reference to the grace that God grants to those who He will save in time. This grace is distinct from the common grace everyone receives every day in the form of the air we breathe, and the daily provision God provides.  Whenever God decides to save someone, He will use the instrument of the gospel message to inform the sinner why they must repent of their sins. Once the gospel has been effectively preached, God will open the heart and mind of the person so they understand and hear the truth, respond in faith and be saved (Acts 16:14; Luke 24:45). The grace, of course, has to be granted by God before the sinner can respond positively to the gospel message. This grace is the power or enablement that God must give to the sinner or else one can never believe unto salvation. There are many that believe that God's grace ...

This would be another of one of those age-old questions, wouldn't it? If someone has never been preached the gospel then obviously they cannot believe what they do not know. They can neither accept or reject the truth. So, what has to happen? God has to manifest Himself in some other way to them. When one refers to those who have never heard of Christ, often we are talking about people who live in the most remote parts of the world, far from what we regard as normal civilization.  God has left His handprint all over the place - on the earth and in the heavens. This is what is known as natural or general revelation. God made absolutely sure all mankind could know Him in the natural sense. The Bible says the heavens declare the glory of God and the firmament His handiwork (Psalm 19:1). God has also made Himself known through the conscience. Romans chapter one tells us the things that are made - that we see clearly tell us that the invisible God is real because without Him none o...

A subject my wife and I discuss frequently is that if you're looking for flaws in people you're sure to find them - guaranteed! That is the view of the pessimist. They always look at life from a negative point of view. Think about it for a moment, if people criticize God 24/7 and He is absolutely perfect in every way, how much more do you think we will be criticized?  Just a thought. Back to the subject at hand, "If God is so good, then why"....everyone can fill in their own blank(s). This is an age-old question that for most has not been answered satisfactorily. I recently heard a person on social media raise this question from those who do not attend church because they do not see the need to worship a God who allows death and tragedy every day. Believe me, I understand the frustration and disenchantment people are experiencing. We want things to be better. We want the world at peace and harmony. We want to cure every sickness and disease and get rid of wo...

I realize this is a question that many are not familiar with so I will explain it. When someone dies and they are eulogized at their memorial service, what you often hear is "Well they are in a better place." Sometimes this is true, but it is not always true. In other words, if we believe that everyone goes to heaven when they die, we believe in a false doctrine called universalism, or justification by death. What this means is many believe that a person automatically goes to heaven because they are dead - their death justifies or makes them righteous in the sight of God. Why do so many people believe this? Because of their ignorance of Biblical truth. In the world's eyes, their loved one who was a loving, kind, giving soul who would not harm a fly is just the type of person God would (or perhaps in their eyes  should ) welcome into His kingdom. While this is a novel and heartwarming sentiment, it is a master deception by the enemy. Mankind continues to make the perpe...

In Daniel 12:1-2 we read this, “At that time Michael shall stand up, the great prince who stands watch over the sons of your people. And there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation, even to that time. And at that time your people shall be delivered, everyone who is found written in the book. And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, some to shame and everlasting contempt.” So, what does all of this mean? Daniel receives visions and records what is going to happen to his people in the future, the nation Israel. Michael is the archangel who watches over the nation. In the latter days, Israel will experience the worst time in its history. As a matter of fact, it will be the worst time in human history because the Lord will unleash His wrath upon mankind for their rebellion. Sin has a payday - death (Romans 6:23).  In verse two Daniel says that many of those who are in the dust of the earth shall awak...

There was a man who had a demon possessed son. He brought him to the disciples who could not cast the demon out. Jesus frustrated with His disciples lack of faith asked the father how long his son had been in that condition. The father replied that his son has been this way since childhood. The father requested that if Jesus could do anything, have pity on them and help the boy (Mark 9:23). This father is completely desperate and has nowhere else to turn but to Jesus. Jesus said to him, all things are possible to them that believe. To me, the following reply by the father is one of the most honest and prolific statements in all the Bible, "Lord I believe; help my unbelief" (Mark 9:24)! No doubt that man's faith was emboldened when he saw the demon cast out of his son. The man received two things he asked for; for his faith to be strengthed by Jesus which the Lord did when He cast the demon out of his son. Jesus gave the man a two for one deal. Sweet. For those...

Is this a true or "churchy" statement? it may surprise many that the Bible never makes the above statement. We in the church have popularized it. Does the word of God even imply the statement is true? Let's examine the word to find out. Psalm 5:5 says the Lord hates the workers of iniquity. Psalm 11:5 says the wicked and the one who loves violence His (the Lord) soul hates. The word wicked in Hebrew means someone who is intent on breaking God's law, His rules. They do not want to stop sinning. For them sinning is insatiable. We would call someone like that a menace to society. This is the type of person that God hates. Please hear me clearly as I write, God not only hates the sin, He hates the person who commits sin without remorse. Why? Because God cannot punish sin without punishing the sinner right? It would be just as illogical to say an oncologist will treat cancer but not treat the cancer patient. By getting rid of the cancer, they cure the patient ...

A common definition of hope is a wish. Someone has received some news like a potential job offer, a raise on a current job. News about a health prognosis. The outcome is not certain and unforeseen so usually, there is tremendous anxiety. Why? Because we do not know the outcome in advance. Many believe thinking positive can sway the outcome, but that does not work. I do not mean to sound negative, but our thoughts do not have any mental-bending-telepathic powers to determine the outcome of things. Putting "positive energy" in the universe is nothing more than New Age Mysticism. Oftentimes our hope is disappointed in this life - we do not get that job we wanted. Sometimes a person's surgery or therapy does not improve their health and their situation becomes terminal; they are going to die.  Ordinary hope is never a guarantee because it is based on those who do not always keep their word.  Sometimes things do go our way. What we hoped (wished) for does comes to pass a...