HeadTheology

II John 9 says; “Everyone who goes on ahead and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God. Whoever abides in the teaching has both the Father and the Son.”

I have wondered for the past couple of months ‘who is my brother and sister in Christ?’ and this verse stuck out to me in reading it the other day for it seems to mark a importance in abiding in the teaching of Christ. So I thought what exactly is the teaching of Christ as witnessed by the whole Bible.
For instance, a couple of days after the tsunami hit south Asia I was watching the news and they interviewed a Episcopal priest about God’s place in that disaster. He stated in no uncertain terms that God had nothing to do with the tsunami and had no control over it whatsoever. Immediately when he said that I thought to myself that that man was not my spiritual brother for in no way do we serve the same God though regretfully we might be both called ‘Christian’. So my mind began this unofficial quest for the unbendable doctrines of Christianity. Basically, how do I determine who is and is not my brother in Christ by what they beleive.

This happened early on in Christianity in what led to the Nicene Creed from the Arian controversy. Basically the Nicene Creed explains that Christ is fully divine on the same level with the Father and eternal whereas the Arians believed ‘when he [Christ] was not] and is a little lower than the Father but still worthy to be worshipped. To make a long story short the folks who followed Arianism were condemned as heretics and considered anathema (cursed). That is a traditional line in the sand that a Christian must believe to be Christian but I wondered what were some of the others.
I have come up with a few based on my Bible reading and creeds that I have learned my church history courses: (feel free to comment and add some or argue for the removal of others for obviously if God wants us to abide in the teaching of Christ be must first believe it)

1. The reality of Adam and Eve

2. The virgin birth

3. The full deity and humanity of Christ

4. The Trinity (one God in three persons) FYI – TD Jakes (the preacher) and Philips, Craig, and Dean (these ‘Christian’ singers do not believe in this) – they are Oneness Pentecostals

5. The death and bodily resurrection of Christ

6. Christ is the only way to heaven (sorry Joel Osteen fans, if you think I am kidding read his interview with Larry King, or at the very least he needs to be kicked out of the pulpit cause he doesn’t know what it takes to get to heaven)

7. Reality of heaven and hell

8. The depravity of humanity (that’s not hard to believe just look at a two year old)

…Right now I can’t think of anymore and it’s late but I’m sure open to more suggestions but no I am not willing to make that the Calvinism and Arminian debate one of those lines.

I have come to a day that I thought would never come and never wished would come but in being a little Luther I must say that ‘my conscience is held captive by the Word of God’ and these verses must be reckoned with. There are three verses that we must not gloss over. Actually it puts a few holes in the typical Calvinistic. This is not a light subject for I assume we all know people who used to profess Christ who now disavow him unapologetically or whose lives reek of unrepentant sin and prove they are no follower of Christ.

Perhaps Arminians are right with the thought that one may lose their salvation. But if that is true then according to Hebrews 6:4-6; 10:26-31; and John 15:6 there is absolutely no hope for those that were Christians then somehow lose their salvation. Ignoring all other scripture except these I will concede to the sovereignty of man over his soul if others will concede that believers who have turned from the faith are a waste to offer the gospel to for the biblical fact that ‘there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins’ and ‘it is impossible to restore again to repentance who have once been enlightened.’ All of the above verses make some sort of claim that the person who apostatizes was connected to the vine (Jesus), ‘once been enlightened’, ‘tasted the Holy Spirit’, and had received ‘knowledge of the truth.’

Of course if one may lose their salvation the next obvious question is, ‘what exactly is ‘falling away’ and ’sinning deliberately’?’ Is it one day, or a month, or a year in a particular sin? It would even be logical that one sin that is done deliberately/consciously would separate us from God, for sin in the slightest degree would be falling away from God and the standards he demands. If apostasy is easy then it would be best to wait to accept Christ on one’s ‘death bed’, in hope that one will have the consciousness and time to do so.

God is letting us feel how close the fire of hell is to burning our bottom if we even think that we are allowed to sin because we have grace. He quite literally is putting the fear of God in us by letting us know that; ‘It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.’ (Heb 10:31) This is a warning that all true Christians will take seriously knowing that if they continue in sin they will not make it to heaven so they better not chance it. Perhaps this is what the Puritan Thomas Watson was talking about when he said, “Because of mercy men presume and think they may go on in sin, but should a king’s clemency make his subjects rebel?…God will hardly show those mercy who sin because mercy abounds.”

Correct me if I am wrong in interpreting these verses for we all know of people who have left their snot and tears at the alter during a youth summer camp or revival only a few months later to return to there old habits without growth of any fruits of the Spirit. Either those people were genuinely saved at that time and are not now and never can be again or their decision for Christ was never real and even now their salvation may be secured by nothing more than their imagination. Is there no hope for these people who have left the faith who once professed it? Or was their faith not genuine in the first place and there is still hope for them now? According to these verses one may slip out of grace and walk out of God’s gracious hand but may never again walk back into it. What would be tougher, either saying that an apostate person never had saving faith in the first place but can still be rescued from God’s wrath or telling them that their faith was real but now they have no hope to escape from God’s wrath.

Verses:

Hebrews 10:26-31 (English Standard Version)

26For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, 27but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries. 28Anyone who has set aside the law of Moses dies without mercy on the evidence of two or three witnesses. 29How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one who has spurned the Son of God, and has profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has outraged the Spirit of grace? 30For we know him who said, “Vengeance is mine; I will repay.” And again, “The Lord will judge his people.” 31It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

Hebrews 6:4-8 (English Standard Version)

4For it is impossible to restore again to repentance those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have shared in the Holy Spirit, 5and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come, 6if they then fall away, since they are crucifying once again the Son of God to their own harm and holding him up to contempt. 7For land that has drunk the rain that often falls on it, and produces a crop useful to those for whose sake it is cultivated, receives a blessing from God. 8But if it bears thorns and thistles, it is worthless and near to being cursed, and its end is to be burned.

John 15:1-6 (English Standard Version)

1“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. 2Every branch of mine that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. 3Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. 4Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. 5I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. 6If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned.

I have had quite a few discussions with good Christians about a piece of doctrine called the perseverance of the saints and many of them have heartily disagreed with it stating that a Christian may take themselves out of God’s hand. But upon asking them where that line is between salvation and damnation they have been unable to answer, they just say it is possible. No one has been able to tell me which sins Christ did not atone for in a believers life. So I am left with these unanswered important questions. Which sins must I atone for? Which sins can separate from the love of Christ whose righteous life has been given to every Christian? Which sin will the Father bring against His children, since it is God who is the judge? (Romans 8:31-39)

If the loss of salvation is possible then I would think it would be a rare event that anyone would make it into heaven. Isn’t every action we make tinged with sin and would not that sin keep us from the Father since every sin betrays unbelief. If you think it is possible to let go of God and lose one’s salvation I would love to know what sin will separate a believer from God.

Check out some of the articles on Monergism’s site about Perseverance and the Atonement.

As promised from my other site here is what how I think one has to love another for it to be truly love.

Everyone wants to be loved. That comes as no surprise at all. But what the heck is love? What actions constitute loving actions? It cannot be merely giving someone what they want for if that was love then just about every kid would have rotten teeth from all the candy their parents let them eat by ‘loving’ them. Oftentimes loving someone can mean giving them medicine or information they do not want to take or hear but knowing giving them those things may make them a better person in the end.

I think that the Bible shows pretty explicitly what love is. It says twice in I John 4:8 and 16 that ‘God is love.’ That used to sound like a high brow philosophical idea until my friend mentioned that he could not love his wife unless he loved God. I don’t know why but it hit me that for me to love anyone in the truest sense I had to give them God. This fits right in with Wayne Grudem’s definition of God’s love from his Systematic Theology that “God’s love means that God eternally gives of himself to others.”

It would be arrogant for us to think we may improve upon that idea by giving anything that does not include the gospel or is God glorifying. The greatest act of love is the giving of God to someone. That may come in many different forms. It is sharing the gospel with them so that they may hear and believe but it may just be talking about God’s greatness, mercy, justice, or beauty in normal conversation.

Christ did this very same thing and we as Christians should be no different. By accomplishing the means by which men may be reconciled to the Father, Jesus Christ gives us God. Romans 5:6-8 says,

When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. Now, no one is likely to die for a good person, though someone might be willing to die for a person who is especially good. But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.

So it is the fact that our salvation is not based upon any love in us but it is all the love of God. We reeked of sin and hated God, naturally and willingly disobeying his commandment to love and honor Him. It is not that we loved the Lord but that the Lord loved us and has saved us.

So if love in its truest sense is giving God and showing his worth to someone else then would it not be true that those that are not Christians cannot truly love. But I think with that statement a problem arises that many professing Christians don’t want to talk about God even to other Christians unless they are forced to within the confines of church. So I want to encourage each of you to talk about God with everyone, talk about doctrine and His attributes so you glorify Him and be truly loving to others.