Righteousness (2)

”…took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;”

2)            The Spirit of God no doubt led Paul into a future erroneous didacticism when he lashed at his converts with, “O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you? 2) This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? 3) Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh” [Galatians 3:1-3]?

Desiderius Erasmus

                Armed with the influence of Desiderius Erasmus (1469-1536) and Philipp Melanchthon (1497-1560) –Humanists, who were also church going teachers of Bible–, a man called Jacobus Arminius (1560-1609) taught ‘conditional predestination’ to lay the foundation for Arminianism, made global by his friends, called The Remonstrance, after his death. The Remonstrance issued a five doctrinal points known as Arminianism. The fifth teaches that having been “incorporated into Christ by true faith,” Christ “keeps them from falling” only if they continue to believe. Their cautious implication is that if a person does not continue to cooperate with Christ he will become “devoid of (saving) grace.” In scriptural honesty, I do not know of any verse that supports this fifth point of Arminianism. You can either be a Bible believing Christian or a follower of Arminianism. Selah!

                “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him” [2Corinthians 5:21]. Our righteousness is resident in Him, the Holy One of Israel. The word ‘righteousness’ is dikaiosunē (dik-ah-yos-oo’-nay). From Thayer Definition it is: ‘in a broad sense, state of him who is as he ought to be, righteousness, the condition acceptable to God.’ Strong’s Definition has this: ‘equity (of character or act); specifically (Christian) justification.’

                We have in Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Our sinful nature, because it happens to be what we are innately guilty of, attracts the ‘wage’ of ‘death.’ We get paid for our wrongdoings. When it comes to ‘righteousness,’ however, it is not of our toil. Jesus toiled for it, so we can only be a recipient of it through the Divine generosity of being a ‘gift.’ A gift is not an original ownership of the recipient. ‘Gift’ of the above verse is charisma (khar’-is-mah): ‘1. a (divine) gratuity, i.e. deliverance (from danger or passion) 2. (specially), a (spiritual) endowment 3. (subjectively) religious qualification 4. (objectively) miraculous faculty.’ The Greek charisma comes from charizomai (khar-id’-zom-ai) ‘to grant as a favor, i.e. gratuitously, in kindness, pardon or rescue.’ Grace, as we understand it, is an unmerited favour.

                The spiritual rebirth of our celestial regeneration that leads to our righteousness is brought to pellucid understanding in Ephesians 2:8-10 “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9) Not of works, lest any man should boast. 10) For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” The word ‘grace’ is charis (khar’-ece): ‘1. graciousness (as gratifying), of manner or act 2. (especially) the divine influence upon the heart, and its reflection in the life 3. (also) gratitude.’ A different ‘gift’ in verse 8 is the Greek doron (do`-ron), which means: ‘a present, specially, a sacrifice.’ In verse 9 there is ‘works’ which in Greek is ergon (er’-gon): ‘1. toil (as an effort or occupation) 2. (by implication) an act.’ Kauchaomai (kau-khah’-om-ai) is the Greek for ‘boast’ and means: ‘to vaunt {in a good or a bad sense}.’ Now, the word ‘walk’ of the 10^th verse is an interesting peripateo (per-ee-pat-eh’-o): ‘1. to tread all around, i.e. walk at large (especially as proof of ability) 2. (figuratively) to live, deport oneself, follow (as a companion or votary).’ Peripateo comes from peri (per-ee’) and pateo. Peri means ‘1. (properly) through (all over), i.e. around 2. (figuratively) with respect to’ and pateo (pat-eh’-o), ‘to trample {literally or figuratively},’ comes from a derivative meaning a “path.”

Righteousness is a gift from Jesus

                Not of pious toils of the believer’s faith, but by the graciousness of the Divine influence upon the heart of the believer is the submission of verse eight of the 2^nd chapter of Ephesians. There is not even any room for righteous boasting. Extravagant self-praise is what the scripture views of it. This ‘walk’ of the 10^th verse reminds me of Enoch’s. That walk and this one in this 10^th verse is nothing short of ‘a lifestyle.’ The Hebrew ‘walk,’ halak means ‘lifestyle.’ Our righteousness is, ergo, an interpretation of the righteousness of Christ, in which we are wrapped. A lifestyle that points at the Lord Jesus. Amen.  

                You can put on the righteousness of Jesus by getting born again. Say this simple prayer, meaning it from your heart:

“Dear heavenly Father, I come to You now in the name of Jesus Christ. I believe in my heart that Jesus is the Son of God. I believe that Jesus died on the cross for my sin. I believe that You raised Him from the dead. I confess with my mouth that Jesus is Lord and I receive Him now as my Lord and my Saviour. I give God all the glory. Amen!”      

(…to be continued…)

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Read part three here

I DON’T WANT TO MISS HEAVEN! (III)

The Church (most of its leadership) is not doing well by keeping the scriptural truism from the laity. So many scriptural anomalies got ingested in the unsuspecting laity during the millennia of the hegemony of Catholicism. James Arminius, whose teachings sired the Remonstrance and their five points, the fifth of which states thus: “believers are able to resist sin but are not beyond the possibility of falling from grace. The crux of Remonstrant Arminianism lay in the assertion that human dignity requires an unimpaired freedom of the will.” Over 90% of Christians believe this Arminianistic didacticism (unfortunately).

                1Corinthians 1:30 says, “But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:” where the ‘righteousness’ is, the Greek, dikaiosunē (dik-ah-yos-oo’-nay):‘equity (of character or act); specifically (Christian) justification.’ And 2Corinthians 5:21 has “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.” Dikaiosunē is the same Greek word for ‘righteousness’ here.

Matthew 16:18, “….and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” Katischuo (kat-is-khoo’-o), that is the Greek for ‘prevail against’ which means ‘to overpower.’ Jesus says so clearly that none of His saved can be overpowered to fall into sin that will make him or her to lose heaven. This is the Bible. This verse points to the fact that it is absolutely incumbent upon Him to ensure our eventual heavenly citizenry the moment we pray the prayer of salvation. Jesus takes over our lives from then on.

Anyone who gets born again is a stone that has just been fix, permanently, in the building called Church. No satanic shenanigan can remove him from the structure whose erection is brought into a ginomai (made –righteous, that is) by Him who is the Architect, Draughtsman and the Bricklayer of the Church, the mystical body of His own being. God will never use an element which will become ineffectual to build the Church! The gates of Satanism cannot overpower a true Christian. A true Christian is a person who has professed the Lordship of Jesus.

John 10:10 “The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.”  ‘Life’ is zoe (dzow-ay’) ‘1. life-above 2. epithet of Jesus (John 14).’ Zoe comes from zao (dzah’-o) ‘1. to live {literally or figuratively}.’ It is in contrast to another Greek word, bios (bee’-os) ‘1. natural, physical life 2. (literally) the present state of bodily existence 3. (by implication) the means of livelihood.’ ‘More abundant’ is the Greek perissos (per-is-sos’) ‘1. superabundant (in quantity) or superior (in quality) 2. (by implication) excessive.’

John 10:11 “I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.” To understand the unique profundity of this asseveration let us begin with ‘I am.’ When you read this verse from the Septuagint ‘I am’ will be ego eime. When Moses asked God for His name, the Septuagint rendition is ego eime. The life, zoe, that Jesus is giving abundantly in this verse is God’s kind of life. It does not come to extermination and absolutely nothing can bring it to extinction.

What is the connection between the ‘I am’ and the shepherd? Psalm 23 opens with “The LORD is my Shepherd” where the title ‘LORD’ is Yhovah (yeh-ho-vaw’) ‘1. (the) self-Existent or Eternal 2. Jehovah, Jewish national name of God.’ In Psalm 80 the first verse reads: “Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, thou that leadest Joseph like a flock; thou that dwellest between the cherubims, shine forth.” If the Shepherd of this verse is not Jehovah God, then Jesus never trod upon the surface of this terra firma. So, when Jesus declared, “I am the good shepherd” the definite article points in the direction of the One no Israelite would feign not to know: the Almighty LORD God of Israel! Amen!

Get born again by praying this prayer with all your heart and truthfully: Dear heavenly Father, I come to You now in the name of Jesus Christ. I believe in my heart that Jesus is the Son of God. I believe in my heart that Jesus died for my sins and You raised Him from the dead. I confess with my mouth that Jesus is Lord, and I receive Him as my Lord and my Saviour. I give God all the glory, Amen.        (…to be continued…)

Click here to read part II

Click here to read part IV

WHY GO ARMINIANISTIC SOTERIOLOGY (4TH PART)

One thing I really like to ask is this. Is the new birth by grace or by works? If it is by grace then it is solely of the Holy Spirit. If it is by works then carnal fleshliness and its erroneous propensities are involved, Genesis 6:5. The flesh, harangued by traditions, philosophies, religions and personal experiences will definitely work against the will of God. If it is by grace then I congratulate you. Why? Grace is an unmerited favour. It means that you agree with the word of God that it is not by your good doing that you have been regenerated. If you agree, “It is by grace,” then you are behaving true to type of a one who did homologeo (confession) of Romans 10:9-10. Grace was first used in Genesis 6:8, “But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.” ‘Grace’ in the Hebrew is chen (khane): ‘favour, grace, charm, graciousness, that is, subjectively (kindness, favour) or objectively (beauty).’ This word comes from: chanan (khaw-nan): ‘to be gracious, show favour, pity, to bend or stoop in kindness to an inferior; to favour, bestow ; causatively to implore (that is, move to favour by petition).’ If it is by the grace of God then none, who is born again, has nothing, and cannot have anything to contribute to tereo (keep) this precious zoe (life).
Noah, an antediluvian saint of the Most High, was the first in scriptural documentation to be a recipient of grace. The importance of this is seen in the light of the fact that he led humanity from the second dispensation of conscience through the Deluge with eight (new beginning) souls. Noah’s name means ‘rest’ (a type of Sabbath); the grace of God brought rest from eternal death. In the book of Luke 2:40, Jesus is the first in the New Testament to receive grace. Jesus Christ, as the Lord of Sabbath, Matthew 12:8; Mark 2:28 & Luke 6:5, is our rest. ‘Grace’ in Greek is charis (khar’-ece): ‘graciousness (as gratifying), of manner or act (abstract or concrete; literal, figurative or spiritual; especially the divine influence upon the heart, and its reflection in the life; including gratitude).’ Charis comes from chairō (khah’-ee-ro): ‘to be full of “cheer”, that is, calmly happy or well off; impersonal especially as a salutation (on meeting or parting), be well.’ Now let us look at grace at work. Romans 4:16, “Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace …” Romans 11:6, “And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work.” 2Corinthians 1:12, “For our rejoicing is this, the testimony of our conscience, that in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom, but by the grace of God, we have had our conversation in the world, and more abundantly to you-ward.” 2Cor 12:9 “And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” It is wholly God’s work!
The prelude to Galatians 3:1 is the next one; Gal 1:6, “I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel:” (which teaches another, which does not support that which he had earlier taught). Gal 2:21, “I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.” Ephesians 2:5 “Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved);” Eph 2:8 “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:” The same faith must continue to lubricate it. 1Peter 5:5 “Likewise, ye …… for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.” Whether you like it or not a doer of good deeds tends to see himself as a big shot, leading to an attitude of puffing up. Of boasting read Romans 3:26-28; v.26, “To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.” v.27 “Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith.” v.28 “Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.”
Substitutionally, the great historian and prophet of God, Isaiah penned a most accurate prophecy of Him in, “…and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors;” Isaiah 53:12. The Hebraic word for ‘numbered’ is manah (maw-naw): ‘to weigh out; by implication to allot or constitute officially; also to enumerate or enroll;’ and implying also, according to this definition, that He who never knew sin was counted to be a sinner like us for the sole reason of becoming our gladiatorial champion in the fight out of the curse of the sinful nature. ‘Bare’ is naśa’ or nasah (naw-saw): ‘to lift, bear up, carry, take, to lift up, to bear, carry, support, sustain, endure.’ Why do we have sin in its singular as what He bore? It is the sin of mankind in aggregation, generically. He took all the iniquitous activities of man to the cross and entered the holy of holies, this time, not in the old priestly fashion (of using the blood of animal as the medium of salvific transaction), He went in with His own sin proof blood, the blood of the Eternal One. Now how do I know this? Simple. Revelation 1:13 reads, “And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle.” The word ‘paps’ in Greek is mastos (mas-tos): ‘the breasts (nipples) of a man; breasts of a woman.’ This revelation of Jesus is of His priesthood. Traditionally, when the Jewish high priest concludes his annual sacrificial atonement he pulls his girdle to his chest to inform Israelites that it is a success and Israel is assured that all her sins up till then have been forgiven. The golden girdle or sash which Jesus has to His paps is a proof of the fact that His gory experience on the cross had been accepted (making Him our heavenly High Priest), and that this salvation is for the entire people of the world. Intercession is paga (paw-gah): ‘to encounter, meet, reach, entreat, and make intercession.’ Do you now see the correlation between the ‘bare’ and the ‘intercession’ in the scriptural light of the revelatory ‘girdle girt about the paps’? Praise the Lord! He intercedes, seated on the right hand of the Majesty, a place of eternal stance. His role, in this wise, gives the substitutional death of Jesus an absolute eternal consequence. With this scriptural understanding of Christ’s substitution-role you will find it very rewarding going through 2Corinthians 5:21, Galatians 3:13 and 1Peter 2:24.
“For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him;” 2Corinthians 5:21. A divine switch of righteousness was deftly executed for the enablement of our acceptance before the thrice holy God. Our righteousness is of Him, Jesus, who has His dwelling in God, so that we will be, definitely, safe! O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out! Galatians 3:13 says, “Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:” Do you want to know what the law says? Read from Exodus chapter twenty to Deuteronomy. As long as Jesus cannot be placed under any judgment here and in heaven we, the Christians, are well secured (here and in heaven); which reminds one of 2Corinthians 5:17, where we have the word ‘new’ which in Greek is kainos (kahee-nos): ‘recently made, fresh, recent, unused, unworn.’ This is why it is the best thing to be born again! Then we have, in 1Peter 2:24, “Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.” Who are the ‘his’ and the ‘our’ in this verse? It is lucid clear that the pronoun ‘his’ is Jesus. The ones ‘our’ represents are found in the opening verses of 1Peter; they are the strangers, looking forward to a celestial abode, of verse one; who are also the elect of verse two; blessed in verse three; these are with the hope of an eternal inheritance in verse four, and they are the ones verse five declares to be, “Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.” From these opening verses God is the One at the work of ‘our’ salvation. Our only contribution is the exhibition of faith in the finished work of our Saviour. His stripes, not our good works, healed us. The word heal is iaomai (ee-ah’-om-ahee): ‘to cure, heal; to make whole; to free from errors and sins, to bring about (one’s) salvation.’
Logically, you cannot announce a gift of an eternal consequence to a person and as soon as this person runs into an error he just loses the eternity of it. If the gift is truly eternal and it happens to be given by a One as faithful as Jehovah, then I can categorically tell you to rest in perfect assurance that you have that zoe so intact, eternally. More importantly the scriptures, God’s express, infallible utterance seals the validity of it. James Arminius (1560-1609), the champion of, and whose teaching has become today’s Arminianism, was influenced by Erasmus and Melanchthon, both of whom were humanists, and herein lies the most probable piece that fits the missing chip of the jigsaw puzzle of Arminianism!

Desiderius Erasmus

James Arminius

Philipp Melanchthon

Read the fifth & concluding part here

WHY GO ARMINIANISTIC SOTERIOLOGY (2nd Part)

Once I saw the well renowned, global evangelist, Benny Hinn on television telling his audience, “If you do not remember anything at all about the loss of salvation, do not forget Matthew 24:13, “But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.” Do I care which great pastor is teaching what? As long as it is unscriptural I am against you, standing on the truth of the Word! You just cannot pull out a verse and treat it in isolation of the pictorial context. This verse is always used by Arminians to support their soteriological disposition. This verse, which forms part of Jesus’ teaching beginning from verse three to twenty-four is eschatologically dimensioned (verse 3); its Antichrist involvement (verse 15) is an attestation, because he will rule only after the rapture. The ones who must endure will be those who rejected the simple gospel of John 3:3 so, were left behind to pay with their own blood (2Thessalonians 2:3-11). Verse 22 speaks of ‘shortened’ and ‘elects’ meaning that the wicked antichrist, son of perdition will be allowed only 3 and a half years (Daniel 7:25 & 12:7; Revelation 11:2-3 & 12:14) out of his one week (i.e. seven years) in order to save the remnant elect from being tortured to, an eternal adokimos, submission; what a gracious God! This is about the last days hence eschatological, unless you will want to argue blindly that the rapture, which I am expecting, has already and erroneously, taken place! And for such scriptures as Matthew 5:27-30, our Lord is seriously warning against an inability to cast, with promptitude, a member of your very person that the Devil is always using against you, out. Many, for wanting to enjoy certain vices till a particular period, will resort to procrastination. Such are yet to enter the kingdom, in which when a soul gains an entrance becomes eternally a citizen therein; and so many scriptures support this scriptural reality.

The only criterion that qualifies a man to receive the gift of eternal life in John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life;” is ‘believeth’ and the Greek word is, pisteuō (pist-yoo’-o) meaning: ‘to think to be true, to be persuaded of, to credit, place confidence in; to trust in Jesus or God as able to aid either in obtaining or in doing something: saving faith; entrust (especially one’s spiritual well being to Christ).’ The three ‘believe’ words in verse 18 have the same pisteuo. I hear our people say, “But you cannot …., without being righteous,” implying the impossibility of this life without outward perseverance of doing ‘good’ as well. There are scriptures to settle this (Colossians 3:3-4; 1John 5:11; Romans 4:6-7, 10:4; 2Corinthians 5:21; Philippians 3:9 & Titus 3:5) which prove that our righteousness is just not ours but is of Christ and hid in Him so that we will not by any omission or commission of the fallible flesh lose it again! Praise the LORD! It, our salvation, is well kept in the Eternal One. This is not to say that we should not be doing the good deeds expected of saved ones.

John 10:27-30 says that born again souls are doubly secured: in Jesus’ hand and the Father’s. They have eternal life because they hear His voice, how? The Holy Spirit is in them, and ‘no one can pluck them from His hand’ the word ‘pluck’ is harpazō (har-pad’-zo): ‘to seize, carry off by force; to seize on, claim for one’s self eagerly; to snatch out or away.’ Do note that these scriptures do not present any strings attached to salvation. Eternal life is what is always promised and it is by the One whose seat and pronouncements emanate from eternity. In John 17:9-12, Jesus is praying for the saved souls asking the Father to ‘keep’ them even as He had ‘kept’ them. Avowed Arminians will point out that Jesus was praying for His eleven disciples only, verse twenty says, “Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word;” therefore I, the author, am well kept! The word ‘keep’ is the Greek, tēreō (tay-reh’-o), meaning: ‘to attend to carefully, take care of; to guard; metaphorically to keep one in the state in which he is; a watch; to guard (from loss or injury, properly by keeping the eye upon).’ Read the famous Pauline Romans 8:35-39 and let us see someone sum up courage to tell us what can possibly separate sanctified ones from Christ. In 1Peter 1:3-5, the word ‘kept’ in verse 5 is: phroureō (froo-reh’-o): ‘to guard, protect by a military guard, either to prevent hostile invasion, or to keep the inhabitants of a besieged city from flight; metaphorically under the control of the Mosaic law, that he might not escape from its power; to protect by guarding, to keep by watching and guarding to preserve one for the attainment of something.’ If God be the Keeper, the kept have no hand in the safety of the kept object. You certainly cannot be another keeper so, God, in His infinite wisdom makes it His sole preserve to keep you safe. Amen!

“According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love;” Ephesians 1:4 is an intimation of God having chosen us in Christ. ‘Before the foundation of the world,’ points to Christ’s eternal nature (i.e. not being a product of creationism). The verb ‘be’ is: einai (i’-nahee) ‘to be, to exist, to happen, to be present.’ [Einai is a present infinitive from (eime – to exist – it is the same as ‘am’ in ‘I AM THAT I AM’)]. The existence of a born again Christian is a holy presence before God, in love, agape, in Greek, which one saint defined as “a love called out of the heart of a lover on account of the value the lover has placed on the object of his love.” Once you become God’s child, you are constantly holy, blameless and loved! HE ensures our state of being, by making it: (a) ‘holy’ [hagios (hag’-ee-os) ‘most holy thing, a saint; sacred (physically pure, morally blameless or religious, ceremonially consecrated),’ (b) ‘without blame’ [amōmos (am’-o-mos): ‘without blemish; as a sacrifice without spot or blemish; morally: without blemish, faultless, unblameable; unblemished (literally or figuratively): – without blame (blemish, fault, spot)]’. This is what we are in Christ, the phenomenal Person of the expression of His agape. And this is what the great Paul is telling the Church at Ephesus.

Why go the way of Arminian Remonstrant soteriologically and not of the pure scripture as it is written in Romans 5:8-11? Verse 8, “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” The adverb, ‘yet,’ is: eti (et’-ee): ‘yet, still: of time; of a thing which went on formerly, whereas now a different state of things exists or has begun to exist; of a thing which continues at present: even, now’. It was not because of the goodness of my deeds that made Jesus to come down and die for me, not at all! I was busily and systematically (and probably enjoying) living in my sins when He chose to do it! Rom. 5:9, “Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.” Justified is dikaioō (dik-ah-yo’-o) ‘to show, exhibit, evince, one to be righteous, such as he is and wishes himself to be considered; to declare, pronounce, one to be just, righteous, or such as he ought to be; to render (that is, show or regard as) just or innocent.’ Dikaioo says our justification in Christ presents us before God, just as if we never sinned. The next word is ‘saved,’ sozo (sode’-zo): ‘to save, i.e. deliver or protect {literally or figuratively}, rescue from danger.’ Every sinner should be expecting a certain anger from God. A saved soul, this verse tells us is saved from wrath: ‘orge (or-gay’) ‘desire; (by analogy) violent passion (ire or (justifiable) abhorrence); (by implication) punishment.’

Verse ten, “For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.” Paul has painted a most graphic and magnificent picture, in this tenth verse, concerning preservation of the saints. If you have ‘read’, truly, ‘out of’ the scripture and not the wrong way of reading ‘into it’ then you want to study some words: enemies and reconciled. Enemies, in the Greek is echthros (ech-thros): ‘hostile, hating, and opposing another; used of men as at enmity with God by their sin; opposing (God) in the mind; the devil who is the most bitter enemy of the divine government; (to hate); hateful (passively odious, or actively hostile) usually as a noun, an adversary (especially Satan).’ This is the spiritual position man was found before Jesus chose to die for mankind. ‘Reconciled’ is katallassō (kat-al-las’-so): ‘to change, exchange, as coins for others of equivalent value; to reconcile (those who are at variance); return to favour with, be reconciled to one; to receive one into favour; to change mutually, that is, (figuratively) to compound a difference’. This katallaso (mutual exchange) which was effected as a result of His death, Paul teaches, gives a better assurance of being saved (sozo) from the White Throne Judgment. What is sozo? It means: ‘to save, keep safe and sound, to rescue from danger or destruction; to save that is, deliver or protect (literally or figuratively).’ In verse eleven we have ‘atonement’, (which is taken from katallaso,) is katallagē (kat-al-lag-ay): ‘(in the NT), of the restoration of the favour of God to sinners that repent and put their trust in the expiatory death of Christ; exchange (figuratively, adjustment), that is, restoration to (the divine) favour.’ Looking at the meaning of ‘atonement,’ what is deciphered is, ‘at one ment’ (i.e. with God); this is what spiritual regeneration does for us.

         “For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance” Romans 11:29. Gift, in this verse is: charisma (khar’-is-mah) ‘a (divine) gratuity, i.e. deliverance (from danger or passion); (specially), a (spiritual) endowment; (subjectively) religious qualification; (objectively) miraculous faculty; (free) gift.’ What about ‘calling’? It is klesis (klay`-sis) ‘a calling; (specially) a divine calling; (figuratively) an invitation (by extension) a name.’ Two words, ‘without repentance’ (made up of ‘a’ –a negation, and metamellomai –to care afterwards, i.e. regret) is the Greek word ametameletos (am-et-am-el’-ay-tos): ‘irrevocable; not to be repented of. ‘ You see, God will not call you His child, a born again whose birth was midwifed my the Holy Spirit and then by a commission or an unforeseen omission say, afterwards, that you are no longer His bona fide son; the transaction of the gory cross is sacrosanct, irrefutable. Philippians 1:6, “Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:” Paul is ‘confident’ [peitho (̄pi’-tho): ‘to persuade, i.e. to induce one by words to believe; to convince (by argument, true or false); by analogy to pacify or conciliate (by other fair means); reflexively or passively to assent (to evidence or authority), to rely (by inward certainty’)] of this very thing i.e. ‘object of prayer’, that He that has begun [enarchomai (en-ar’-khom-ahee): ‘to begin, to commence on]’ a good work (i.e. fellowship of the saved) in you will perform [epiteleō (ep-ee-tel-eh’-o) ‘to bring to an end, accomplish, perfect, execute, complete] it up to the day of Jesus Christ (which ought to be every believer’s focus rather than everyone’s own death),’ read verse ten; 1Corinthians 1:8; Luke 1:74, 75; 1Thessalonians3:13, 5:23, 24; Colossians 1:21, 22 and for those entertainers of the fear of losing it, check 1John 3:20, 21. Paul wrote in 2Timothy 1:12, “…. for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.” ‘Keep’, in this verse is, phulasso: ‘to keep from being snatched away, preserve safe and unimpaired, to guard from being lost or perishing; it is probably from [phule (foo-lay): nation, tribe or people] through the idea of isolation; to watch, that is, be on guard (literally or figuratively); by implication to preserve.’ When we got born again we committed [parathēkē (par-ath-ay’-kay): ‘a deposit, a trust or thing consigned to one’s faithful keeping, a deposit, that is, (figuratively) trust]’ our spirit, soul and body into the hand of God unto the last day (of Christ’s coming). A very interesting one is in 1Peter 1:2-5, we read in verse 2, “Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit…,” in the 3rd verse, “….hath he begotten us again unto a lively hope…”, the 4th promises, “…reserved in heaven for you,” and the ‘kept’ of the fifth is phroureo, which I have explained earlier. John 6:27, “Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed.” They asked Jesus how they could work for God in the next verse and He told them in verse 29, “Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.” Faith in Him is the only prerequisite for the entrance into heaven. The word ‘work’ is ergon ‘(a primary but obsolete word; to work); toil (as an effort or occupation); by implication an act.’ So, our Christian toil is not a physical one, it is wholly spiritual. This is why I am always insisting that when a person is truly saved, a one who had said the sinners’ prayer, sincerely, from his heart and not doubting, he is definitely going to heaven. The ‘sealed’ in the 27th verse is sphragizō (sfrag-id’-zo): ‘to set a seal upon, mark with a seal; to stamp (with a signet or private mark) for security or preservation (literally or figuratively); by implication to keep secret, to attest.’

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WHAT IS WRONG WITH THE CHURCH (3)

Zwingli taught infant baptism using 1Corinthians 7:12-14 and stating that children of Christians are equally God’s children. Really, Huldrych Zwingli, where did you get that beat? If you will recall that Adam who was called the son of God sired Cain. Cain chose to deviate and won for himself the pristine fatherhood of global Satanism. Judas Iscariot, who followed Jesus for forty-two months, and was covered by the covenant blood of the Jewish annual sacrifice, did die in perdition. The rich man yelled out to his father Abraham in hellish agony. Abraham was enjoying the comfort of his bosom while the erstwhile rich Jew was gnashing teeth! Therefore, Zwingli, you are wrong!
If Jesus, seated physically there among them, would use a physical dough to represent His body it then follows that the use of the bread is quite symbolical. He did not tear His flesh to distribute for cannibalism. He used the liquid of the vine for it symbolizes the Holy Spirit, the soon coming Comforter who had energized them anticipatorily in Genesis 1:2. Hear Jesus, “This cup is the new testament in my blood. The wine was used symbolically to append His signature to the new covenant. He did not share His blood in the fashion after the order of blood sucking religious maniacs. With the bread, and especially the wine, Jesus had transacted the salvific business. Any other sacrificial flesh or blood was thenceforth otiose (scripturally) i.e. Catholic mass and their belief in the doctrine of transubstantiation which teaches catholic adherents that the communion they take at their mass is something that the priest performed an abracadabra and the elements metamorphosed into Jesus’ very flesh and blood! Zwingli would never hear of transubstantiation using John 6:36, (please read from verse 34). “But I said unto you, That ye also have seen me, and believe not”, which is quite germane.
I agree with him because it is a matter of faith. The conflicting views of Luther and Zwingli run from 1525 to 1527. It culminated in the Marburg Colloquy which saw each sticking to his belief. Luther, the champion of Protestantism, like many others were tied to Catholic apron, unfortunately. Anytime I recall the pious mien on Catholics just after they had swallowed the mass wafer I just cannot help being amused. You will think each one of them had just encountered the Holy Ghost, Jesus and the Father as each one swallowed the communion in turns.
I, honestly, do not know how people who dumped Catholicism will also be guilty of scriptural misrepresentation. James Arminius attacked John Calvin’s soteriological unconditionalism. Arminianism gave a five-point article and Calvinism gave its five points with an acronym TULIP: i. Total Depravity ii. Unconditionalism iii. Limited atonement iv. Irresistible grace v. Perseverance of the saints. Arminianism has: i. Conditional predestination ii. Atonement iii. Prevenient grace iv. Resistible grace v. Perseverance.

John Calvin

Unconditionalism of Calvinism means ‘status or attainment of every individual is not as a result of whether he believed or not; it is totally an arbitrary election or choice of God long before individuals came into being’ . Arminian conditionalism means that ‘salvation and condemnation is conditioned by man’s free will to accept the enabling faith that God has placed in every individual.’ John 3:3 mentions ‘man’ which is the Greek word ’tis’, an indefinite pronoun meaning: ‘one, some, someone, something, anything, anyone’. In John 3:16 we have the word ‘whosoever’, pas (in the Greek) which means: ‘all, every (thing), whole, always’. This ‘pas’ is an adjective, qualifying the earthly object of the verse. Why would Jesus utter the words of verse eighteen if there is no predication on faith in the Son? Definitely Jesus would not ever have made the call, “come unto me all ye that labour…”, if election is arbitrary. Calvin, your unconditional didacticism is erratic; it makes God a sanguinary, whimsical despot. Calvin’s ‘limited atonement’ says that “the blood of Christ was shed for only the elect”. Arminian ‘ atonement’ teaches that “the blood was qualitatively adequate for all men, yet no one actually enjoys (experiences) this forgiveness of sins, except the believer…’ and this is limited to only those who trust in Christ.” To evaluate this I have John 1:29 where we have ‘sin’, harmatia, and meaning: ‘sin, wrongdoing, anything contrary to God’s will;’ and the word ‘world’, kosmos (earth, especially, system or arrangement of the world, where people live). Harmatia, here, is a singular word denoting the one wrongdoing of Adam and his Eden wife. This is the sin question, the bane of man’s harrowing earthly experience. The word ‘atonement’, as it comes out in Romans 5:11, has the same Greek word katallage, ‘reconciliation’ in 1 Corinthians 5:18, 19. As reconcilers, the apostles did not choose who to speak the word because God had reconciled, on the cross with mankind. If a person offers a friendly handshake we know it behooves the other party to allow the truce by lifting his own palm in a friendly contact. His refusal to shake hands is a rejection of a benign offer, and God expects us to do respond to His offer of salvation. Here again, Calvinism is faulty and James Arminius gets it right, scripturally.
Calvinism’s third point, Total Depravity means that mankind is too depraved of any goodness to respond to grace; ‘God does it all’, Calvin concludes, meaning that man has absolutely nothing to contribute in soteriology. Arminian take on this is: “That man has not saving grace in himself, nor of the energy of his free will” and unaided by the Holy Spirit, no man is able to respond to God’s will. John Wesley calls this Arminian third point ‘Prevenient Grace’ (anticipatory grace or the grace of God that precedes repentance and conversion). Did God not advice Cain to do the right thing, did Cain not reject God and went away to please himself? Did God not meet with Saul on his mission of persecution? Did Saul not heed God’s instruction? The prodigal son, did ‘come to himself’ and decided to do something about it. In the same spirit do we see the psalmist taking it upon himself to order his ‘soul to bless the LORD’, Psalm 103. Do you not hear, first, the word, believe it then open your mouth by your own volitional will to say, and believing every word of the prayer before salvation occurs? Calvin is philosophical than being scriptural on this point.
Irresistible Grace of Calvinism means: ‘If God has decided to save you He will do it regardless of what you do. You cannot resist His plan. His free will overpowers the free will of the elect’. That of Arminianism maintains: ‘The (Christian) grace of God is the beginning, the continuance and the accomplishment of any good, yet, man may resist the Holy Spirit.’ I cannot find any scripture to support Calvin’s point but there is a scripture, Matthew 12:31, “Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men,” implying that when you refuse to be born again after having heard the finished work of salvation, energized by the Holy Spirit, it is a straight hell for you if you die unregenerate. We know that many people still do not believe in Jesus and that is nothing short of resistance. Calvin, here places man in a straitjacket of regimentation.

Perseverance of the saints in Calvinism means: Anyone saved or elected can never fall away, ‘ once saved always saved’ is Calvin’s stand. To the Arminian is a counter perseverance; which says, “Believers are able to resist sin through the grace and Christ will keep them from falling, but whether they are beyond the possibility of ultimately forsaking God or ‘becoming devoid of grace’ must be more determined. This Arminian doctrine means that you can lose your salvation, and in evaluation I will have to point it out that the reason why God decides to save you is that He foreknew that one day you will accept Jesus as your Lord and Saviour so, He, as it is in Jude verse one, sanctify you. Sanctify, in Greek is hagiazo, meaning: ‘make holy, i.e. (ceremonially) purify or consecrate, (mentally) to venerate. In the same verse He also preserve you (the one who would one day be born again). The Greek word for preserve is tereo (tay-reh-o) meaning: ‘to guard (from loss or injury, especially, by keeping an eye upon). The third thing God did, in this same verse is to ‘call’ you. When? When John 3:3 and John 3:16 was preached to you and you said, “Yes” to Jesus. The word ‘called’ in the Greek is kletos (klay-tos), which is defined as ‘invited, i.e. appointed or divinely called (specially) a saint i.e. follower of Christ’. If your preservation is in the cold-room of Jesus Christ, and Jesus is eternal, then you are eternally preserved. You cannot lose your salvation. In this fifth point, Calvin, you have thrown the dart, and you have it “bulls’ eye”! In every regenerational scripture you will never find any conditionally attached string. If you know of any please post it to my site.

James Arminius

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