The Reward of the Redeemed

For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming? For ye are our glory and joy. 1 Thessalonians 2:19, 20

The most beautiful picture of the literal reward of the redeemed I have ever read! 

The redeemed will meet and recognize those whose attention they have directed to the uplifted Saviour. What blessed converse they have with these souls! "I was a sinner," it will be said, "without God and without hope in the world, and you came to me, and drew my attention to the precious Saviour as my only hope. And I believed in Him. I repented of my sins, and was made to sit together with His saints in heavenly places in Christ Jesus." Others will say: "I was a heathen in heathen lands. You left your friends and comfortable home, and came to teach me how to find Jesus and believe in Him as the only true God. I demolished my idols and worshiped God, and now I see Him face to face. I am saved, eternally saved, ever to behold Him whom I love. I then saw Him only with the eye of faith, but now I see Him as He is. I can now express my gratitude for His redeeming mercy to Him who loved me and washed me from my sins in His own blood." 
     Others will express their gratitude to those who fed the hungry and clothed the naked. "When despair bound my soul in unbelief, the Lord sent you to me," they say, "to speak words of hope and comfort. You brought me food for my physical necessities, and you opened to me the word of God, awakening me to my spiritual needs. You treated me as a brother. You sympathized with me in my sorrows and restored my bruised and wounded soul so that I could grasp the hand of Christ that was reached out to save me. In my ignorance you taught me patiently that I had a Father in heaven who cared for me. You read to me the precious promises of God's word.
You inspired in me faith that He would save me. My heart was softened, subdued, broken, as I contemplated the sacrifice which Christ had made for me. I became hungry for the bread of life, and the truth was precious to my soul. I am here, saved, eternally saved, ever to live in His presence, and to praise Him who gave His life for me." (Volume 6, Testimonies to the Church, page 311)

India 2014

The privilege of wiping a tear from the eye of a child in India is worth more than the comfort of the American dream for a lifetime. 

I have finally received my visa for India (a ten year multi-entry visa). I will fly to India January 13th. For me, it is as Amy Carmichael, missionary to India, put it, "a chance to die." What greater privilege is there than sacrificial service? Most live a lifetime without ever discovering it's immortal pleasures. Be not a stranger to love, beloved. Give and live.

Righteousness By Grace Through Faith

Ephesians 6:10, 11 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. 11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

Do you remember the story of David and Goliath? The giant Philistine blasphemes the living God before the armies of Israel and requires that they send a man to fight with him and settle the feud between the two groups in a death match. David, intrepid by faith, approaches King Saul with his desire to vindicate the character of God and dispatch this uncircumcised Philistine. Saul consents, recognizing the unconquerable faith and purpose of the stripling but requires barebacked David to utilize his armor.

1 Samuel 17:38, 39 And Saul armed David with his armour, and he put an helmet of brass upon his head; also he armed him with a coat of mail. 39 And David girded his sword upon his armour, and he assayed to go; for he had not proved it. And David said unto Saul, I cannot go with these; for I have not proved them. And David put them off him.

Saul's armor was too big and dangerous for David to use in battle. The armor of God--The armor that God offers us--however, fits perfectly. His breastplate of righteousness was worn by His Son, "made under the law," (Gal. 4:4), "like unto his brethren" (Heb. 2:17), "in the likeness of sinful flesh," (Romans 8:3), "but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin," (Heb. 4:15). That breastplate has been proven. That breastplate is nothing less than righteousness by faith. David was clothed in it as he doffed Saul's imitation armor and left to stand up to the Philistine. David had a giant which accused the Israelites day and night. Sound familiar? We ourselves have a giant Lion to contend with (see 1 Peter 5:8), "the accuser of our brethren," (Rev. 12:10). David's death match with Goliath is a microcosm of the great controversy.    

2 Timothy 2:1  Thou therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.

In the context of the great controversy "strength" is righteousness.

• Psa 105:4  Seek the LORD, and his strength: seek his face evermore. 

• Mat 6:33  But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

If the strength of God is the righteousness of God supplied to us and salvation is of course nothing less than righteousness and right standing with God, then these thoughts logically follow:

1. Strong in grace
2. Righteousness by grace 
3. Saved by grace through faith
4. Righteousness by grace through faith.

Therefore, the source of our strength, our victory, our righteousness--our overcoming of the "sins which doth so easily beset us," (Heb. 12:1), is God's grace accessed through faith. Our righteousness is not our own, it is the gift of God, the gift of His grace. 

The Letter and the Spirit

The more I know of the Bible, the more I know how little I know. 

The letter is but the surface, the spirit is the infinite ocean. 

The letter speaks to the mind, the spirit thrills the heart.

 The letter is the pen, the spirit is the blood. 

The letter is the law, the spirit is the life. 

The letter is the voice, the spirit is the breath. 

The letter is seen and understood, the spirit is unseen but known. 

The letter is the letter and the spirit is the Spirit.

Hymn Harmonizing

                                                   My Fun Hymn Harmonizing Game
For my morning devotions this morning I found nine (9) texts in the last stanza of the hymn--It Is Well With My Soul.


"And Lord, haste the day"
Zep 1:14 The great day of the LORD is near, it is near, and hasteth greatly, even the voice of the day of the LORD: the mighty man shall cry there bitterly.

"When my faith shall be sight"
Heb 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
2Co 4:18 While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.
2Co 5:7 (For we walk by faith, not by sight:)

"The clouds be rolled back as a scroll"
Isa 34:4 And all the host of heaven shall be dissolved, and the heavens shall be rolled together as a scroll: and all their host shall fall down, as the leaf falleth off from the vine, and as a falling fig from the fig tree.

"The trump shall resound"
1Co 15:52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

"And the Lord shall descend"
1Th 4:16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:

""Even so""
Rev 22:20 He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.

"It is well with my soul"
Isa 25:9 And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us: this is the LORD; we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation.

The Judgment of Love 

 

In Matthew 25:31-46 Jesus describes the judgment revolving around acts of love to Himself in the person of the suffering, sick, and imprisoned. But the "love of God is shed abroad,"--(Rom. 5:5)--from the hearts of those who have the law of God written in them, (see Heb. 8:10), because the law is love as defined by Jesus (Matt. 22:37-39), and acts of love are the fulfilling of it (Rom. 13:10). It is impossible to love others without obeying and fulfilling the law of God.

Love to God through love to man may be exhibited yet if love to God through obeying His commandments is not demonstrated--"If ye love Me keep My commandments," (John 14:15)--(that is, keeping the first four commandments that relate to our love to God), then we are as those that give all their goods to feed the poor yet lack love and are really as nothing (see 1 Cor. 13:3).

  
With the two above thoughts in mind another perspective of the judgment given by Jesus in Matthew makes more sense.
"Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many Wonderful Works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. (Matt. 7:21-23)
 
"Iniquity," is wickedness or sin. "Sin is the transgression of the law." (1 John 3:4). "If thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments," (Matt. 19:17). This includes the one commandment which God calls us to "Remember," (Ex. 20:8).

1Jn 2:4 He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.
 Rev 22:14 Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.

John 13:34 A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.

In what sense are we to understand that this was a new commandment? Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself, was a positive precept of the law, Leviticus 19:18 "Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the LORD." "As I have loved you," (John 13:34), is the new, fresh distinction that Jesus makes. Jesus was to demonstrate a "greater love," (John 15:13), then man had yet beheld in that "while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us," (Romans 5:8).

Jesus life was to demonstrate how we, by His grace alone, are to "magnify the law, and make it honourable." (Isaiah 42:21).

If, "love is the fulfilling of the law," (Rom. 13:10), then love is righteousness. If "God is love," and, "love is of God," (1 John 4:8, 7), then only that which Christ accomplishes in the heart and life is acceptable with God. "All our righteousnesses are as filthy rags," (Isaiah 64:6). Love without selfish motive, love which "seeketh not her own," (1 Cor. 13:5), is found in the heart of God alone and supplied with His presence in the heart.

Mark 1:1 The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

All the words, "gospel," "Jesus," "Christ," have meanings.

The word gospel is not used in the Old Testament. The word, news (that is for "good new"), is used only once: 

• As cold waters to a thirsty soul, so is good news from a far country. (Proverbs 25:25)

The gospel quenches the thirst of the soul. It answers the questions of eternity, the questions of life.

• O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is; (Ps. 63:1).

Jesus is the living water to quench our burning thirst.

• John 4:14  But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.

• John 7:37  In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink.

The name Jesus means Savior. Jesus is come to save man from his sins. That is, to free him from the guilt and power of sin and finally from the presence of sin.

• Matthew 1:21 And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins. 

Christ means anointed one or "Messiah" . This is the first reference in this gospel to a messianic prophecy in the Old Testament. It refers to Daniel 9.

• Daniel 9:25  Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times.

The weeks referred to here in Daniel 9 are addressed specifically by Jesus in Mark 1:15. I'll leave comments to that point. Daniel 9 is, however, an outline of the dates for the baptism, ministry, and crucifixion of Jesus. It is one of the most stunning proofs for the authenticity of the Bible.

Love is the fulfilling of the law. (Romans 13:10).

This one text has had an immeasurable influence on my theology. It is the pickax that has led me to a thousand gems of truth.

When asked, "Master, which is the great commandment in the law?" Jesus responded, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets." (Matthew 22:36-40)

Supreme love to God composes the first four commandments and impartial love to our fellow men composes the latter six. Love becomes the expression of righteousness. Conformity to the law is the standard in the judgment (James 2:12). This is why Jesus employs the imagery of the loving sheep and the selfish goats in his illustration of the Judgment with the righteous and the wicked (Mat. 25:31-46).

We cannot benefit from grace until we have benefited from the law.

How can we acknowledge transgression where there is no law? How can we be brought to acknowledge our guilty condition where there is no right that we have wronged?

"The law of the Lord is perfect converting the soul." Ps. 19:7.
"By the law is the knowledge of sin." Rom. 3:20
 Law leads to Christ. Gal. 3:24.

The law acquaints us with our sinful condition, the condemnation of transgression, and point us to the Remedy.

We cannot be recipients of grace until we have been recipients of the law.

If the law isn't binding grace is meaningless.

 I attended a non-denominational prayer meeting last Friday. It was a wonderful prayer meeting at first. When they learned that I was an Adventist, however, the scene changed. They literally assumed that I was "a deceiver and an antichrist," (2 John 7), and they accused me of "infiltrating" their church.





How the scene changed from a warm, friendly environment to a hostile one! God helped me to remain calm and speak in a "soft voice," which "turneth away wrath," (Pr. 15:1). I was astonished and told them that I just saw their sign outside inviting anyone to join their prayer meeting and came! I hadn't shared anything. I simply craved prayer. Their reaction was outrageous. I try to understand--they are afraid of others that believe differently.


One man grilled me on his idea of "once-saved-always-saved," and when I softly answered with a simple Bible text (Mat. 24:13), and affirmed that we certainly have the choice to accept salvation or to reject it--though it be a free gift--he became incensed and began to argue his point with a raised voice. I did not come to have such a conversation and I didn't want to justify their accusation, so I answered passively.


He then brought up his idea of eternal burning hellfire and asked me about that, to which I simply responded with John 3:16--those that reject Christ will "perish,"--that is, cease to exist. Well, he wouldn't have that! When I realized that they would not accept my simple honesty that I simply came to pray, I stood up, walked to the door, thanked them for praying for me, and walked out.

I have thought a lot about this experience. It was pretty intense. There are many lessons. I was alarmed at how uncomfortable they were to have a Christian of another denomination in their midst.

The two doctrines the man shared are very concerning.

Once-saved-always-saved is the idea that once we accept salvation we cannot lose it. If we reject God we're still stuck with salvation. Already the logic begins to unravel.

The man emphasized two texts to support the idea--John 10:28, 29 (Nothing is able to pluck us out of God's hand), and Rom. 6:23 (The gift of God is eternal life).

These both may be answered in numerous ways.

Salvation is a daily choice and experience (Joshua 24:15). Our sins (transgressions of the law of God--1 John 3:4), separate us from our heavenly Father (Is. 59:2).

These points address the first text and relate that we may pluck ourselves out of God's hand. If we accept Christ and then reject Him later on in life, will God become a monster and clench us in a vice-grip, not giving us the freedom to lose salvation? No, He will permit us to choose what we will. The Great Controversy that we live in revolves around CHOICE. The power of choice polarizes the world into two groups in the last days--those that receive the seal of God and those that receive the mark of the beast.

The second point--that eternal life is a gift that cannot be rejected after accepted--is another point that is in itself illogical. A gift may be free but why can I not return it or dispose of it? If I cannot reject it, does it not become--not free--but forced?

Here are some general texts and points against the concept of OSAS.

Mt. 24:13--Declares that only those that "endure unto the end will be saved."

2 Peter 2:20-22--Is a direct question revealing that man, as a dog returns to his vomit, may return to his former sins and reject salvation. His latter end is worse because he is now more hardened to the convictions of sin brought on by the Holy Spirit.


Eternal burning hellfire is the most monstrous attack on the very character and nature of God the Devil has ever concocted. Let's call a spade a spade. It is the idea that sinners will literally burn for ever in the fires of hell.This doctrine is built on another false and dangerous doctrine--the immortality of the soul (I'll write another blog on this point).

However, the Bible speaks of the wicked shall be burned up and be "ashes" under the feet of the righteous (see Malachi 4:1, 3). This language is wonderfully plain. However, there are many, many more plain texts.


Psalm 37:9  For evildoers shall be cut off (literally: Utterly destroyed): but those that wait upon the LORD, they shall inherit the earth.
Psalm 37:10  For yet a little while (their time in hellfire), and the wicked shall not be: yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place, and it shall not be.

Psalm 37:20  But the wicked shall perish, and the enemies of the LORD shall be as the fat of lambs: they shall consume; into smoke shall they consume away.

I'll blog more on objection texts that are given  to support the idea of an eternally burning hell. The Bible wonderfully explains itself.

Gem #1

La Jardin De Eden

I was overwhelmingly overwhelmed with the tremendously tremendous beauty of Armenia, Colombia. I kept blurting out, "It's a remnant of the garden of Eden!" And sure enough such was it's name in the region--La Jardin de Eden.

Gem #1
Country living provides the richest opportunities for the restoration of the image of God in man. 

          There's a sweetness in the simplicity of country living that embraces the purest spirituality. I discovered the white noise of the distractions and complexities of life in the States vanish as a shadow in the sun. Of course, life and culture are very different in Colombia. I could see country living at its finest, at it's simplest.

Harvesting beans

          I saw that simplicity is the seed of the sweetest spirituality. In the quiet hush of the mountains the whispering leaves blowing in the wind are the tenderest inducement for prayer. The stillness inspires us to "be still," (Ps. 46:10), and in the stillness the "still small voice," (1 Kings 19:12), is not so small and not so still. The words of Jesus--the voice of Jesus to the soul--become more audible. The tone and tenor of His voice become clearer and His breathe is as the breeze on our cheeks. The sweet songs of the beautiful fluttering birds echo the psalms of praise. The reality of Jesus' promised presence, "Lo, I am with you alway," (Mat. 28:20), is known and felt and His presence is with us throughout the day. There is no greater sense of security than this.

          God is love. His chief attribute is love. It is a self-renouncing love and it is the very essence of the bliss of heaven. Christ came to demonstrate this love and to acquaint us with the character of our Father, the Creator of all. In His image He made us. Though selfishness has taken the place of love in the hearts of man and His image has been lost, He is a Creator still. There is nothing too hard for God. Through His own presence He will restore His image of love in the hearts of man.

Colombia Mission Trip

I had the wonderful privilege to make a trip to Armenia, Colombia for the month of December (2012). I worked at a medical missionary training school in the mountains of Armenia called Fundacion Las Delicias. I was visiting to see if it was a good internship site. It was wonderfully successful in that respect. After working with the people personally I was able to obtain a clearer conception of their needs than all the books I could have read about them in the States. I have been studying for the last four years preparing for missionary work and I was wonderfully thankful and happy to see that I may be of genuine practical use and help there as a Bible teacher. It's wonderful to be useful. It's a wonderful thing to discover a place where your skills have the potential for the greatest exercise and development. In ministry, development is proportionate to the extent one is involved in personal work--working with individuals for the Master. I learned many wonderful, wonderful lessons there. I came to understand the purpose of grace to perfect God's character of love within us much much better. Something wondrous happened as I prayerfully, cheerfully worked alongside my family there. Thoughts I had never pondered before entered my mind and heart. I knew that such gems of wisdom were not of my own fashioning but were the special gifts of Him who is "the light of men," (John 1:4). "Every gleam of thought, every flash of the intellect, is from the Light of the world." (Education, 14). I wrote them down and I will share them here. "