I am excited to announce that me and my beautiful wife will be hosting a 2 hour internet radio show every Thursday from 6-8 eastern time. Each week we will be doing topics on theology/philosophy/apologetics. Here is this weeks show. They can be downloaded and saved!
Join Devin & Melissa Pellew as they discuss topics related to biblical theology, Christian apologetics and worldview issues. This week we will be discussing arguments for God's existence. We will have special guest, Michael Willenborg (M.A in Apologetics from Southern Evangelical Seminary) on the air during the second hour. All are welcome to tune in- whether you're a Christian, atheist, skeptic, etc. You don't want to miss this interesting and informative discussion as we look at how the scientific and philosophical evidence point to the scriptural view of a theistic God.
With so much emphasis these days on "evangelism" (which usually means a method that was adopted less than 200 years ago), it's amazing and freeing for many when they first hear the history of a method that we know today called "decisional regeneration" and it's founding father, Charles Grandison Finney. Maybe even more noteworthy is the fact that Finney, just before he died, renounced the very methods that he once founded and used and which many use today to gather unbelievers together in groups. If this video doesn't convince you of the dangers of decisional regeneration, I'm not sure if you truly do have a heart for the lost (as many of the proponents of this type of "evangelism" often self proclaim).
Here it is, folks. If you're looking for a good, concise way to present what is wrong with the modern approach to evangelism, look no further. With the gracious permission of Mark Kielar who's allowed me to use the videos in any way that will further the Kingdom, I've taken two of the previous clips that I've posted and added more to them from the original episode to give it context.
This is taken from the "How God Converts the Human Soul" series from CrossTV. You can get this series at http://www.crosstv.com or by calling 1-877-CROSSTV.
In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!” And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!”
Have you ever been in a Bible "study", and it became more of a pooling of "Well, this verse means to me... so forth and so forth..." This video by CrossTV shows the importance of keeping the Bible in context.
(Fact: The orginal documents were not numbered and chaptered. They were and have always been meant to be read in full context. The numbers and chapters came later.)
Dr. Macarthur makes a great point. I have been in NUMEROUS churches that do this. The Pastor will dim the lights, play some emotional song and sometimes they will plant people in the audience to come up to the altar to get things moving.
The funny thing is so many of the people that do this are the same ones that kick and scream against apologetics and accuse those who use it as not trusting in the Holy Spirit yet they resort to manipulation and emotional appeals to try and "talk" them into becoming a Christian.
The sovereignty of God over his creation in salvation, taken from the bible, not based on man feelings or opinions,The doctrine of Election,Predestination,comes from God himself, NOT john calvin , or John Macarthur etc. as if its man that invented it. so either you except the bible and submit to it, or you can reject God word, Remember its God who inspired it, as well as the one who placed Election,predestination in there, he is the one who has revealed this precious most grace centered teaching in the text.
this wonderful video series is called the Sovereignty of God, was created by Cross Tv. who has giving me permission to upload.
Children, it is the last hour, and as you have heard that antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have come. Therefore we know that it is the last hour. They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us.
Verse 18 first mention of the anti-Christ would be the one predicted in the scriptures who we see arise in the book of Revelation along with the false prophet and wreak havoc on earth
We could of course spend days on eschatology and the differing views, however I will allow you to go to the article I posted and you can spend time studying the different views out. I do want to tackle the second half of this verse.
Remember that John is writing to refute the Gnostics who believe matter is evil and only the spiritual is good. So they are denying that Jesus came in the flesh and also the Resurrection which was physical. The last hour is referring to the time before Christ's first coming and the time between then and His second coming. It can be rightly said that we are living in the last days and have been since Jesus ascended.
As of late I have run into numerous Christians who think we should never call another supposed Christian out publicly. For example on this blog you will notice there are times when I will call a person out. For example I have used Joel Osteen more than once for claiming Mormons are Christians. I call him out and bring attention to this because Joel has a massive following and will mislead millions into thinking Mormons are Christians when they are not.
Is it unloving to warn people against wolves in sheep's clothing?
It is our job as Christians to warn other believers and warn Mormons themselves that they are in a false system. To not warn them is to not really love these people but to stand back and watch them be led to Hell.
John is warning that there are those who are anti-Christ. We read in John 14:6 that Jesus is the only way to Heaven. Those who do not submit to the Lordship of Jesus Christ and do not repent of their sins and put their trust in Christ alone are ant-Christ. Whether it is a Muslim, Mormon, JW, or Hindu and any other belief system that does not adhere to the teaching of sacred scripture.
Verse 19 says "Therefore we know that it is the last hour. They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us."
One question that is often asked is about eternal security. I was brought up in a Assemblies of God church which taught and still does that one can lose their salvation. I had a good friend who struggled badly with this doctrine. The common question was how can one be a Christian, pray a prayer and go live any way they want to. They can be alcoholics, drug addicts, watch porn all day and still be a Christian?
The question of course is framed in such a way it is like asking if God is all powerful can He make a married bachelor? The answer of course is not because married bachelors do not exist. They are logical impossibilities. In a sense the same thing is going on when people ask this question.
If you are a true Christian you may sin but you certainly wont make a practice of sinning. We have dealt with this in previous Bible studies in this book that we may sin but as chapter one tells us if we confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive us.
This gets to the heart of Justification and the doctrine of election. All denominations have to deal with the doctrine of election because the Bible teaches it. The Assemblies of God is a Arminian denomination and thus they see election as God choosing people based on His knowledge that they would choose Him and also believed that one could lose their salvation.
Times have changed and I am now a full fledged five point Calvinist and believe the Bible is clear that God elects us before the foundation of the world and it is NOT based on His foreseen knowledge but rather His good pleasure and Sovereign purposes
(Ephesians 1:3-6 ESV) "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved."
With the reformed view of election one could not lose their salvation because the fact you are saved is not your doing. God drew you (John 6:44,65) He saved you (Ephesians 2:8-9) and God will keep you (John 6:37-40).
Lets look at a few verses that talk about our eternal security in Christ.
Eternal Life is eternal. John 10:28
Everlasing Life is everlasting. John 5:24
It is never the will of God for a saved person to be lost. John 6:39
You have reservations in heaven. I Peter 1:4, Matthew 19:29
This salvation that you have inherited is incorruptible. I Peter 1:4
This salvation that you have cannot be defiled. I Peter 1:4
At salvation you were sealed by the Holy Spirit. Ephesians 1:13
This seal is set in place for a specific period of time. Ephesians 4:30
The Holy Spirit is promised to abide with you forever. John 14:16,17
You are preserved forever. Psalm 37:28, Jude 1
You have been born of God and cannot be unborn. John 1:12-13
You have been created by God and cannot be uncreated. II Corinthians 5:17, Ephesians 2:10
You are twice as safe as the government of the universe. Isaiah 9:6, Luke 15:5
You are preserved unto the heavenly kingdom. II Timothy 4:18
You are kept by the power of God. I Peter 1:5
You are secure because the Lord Jesus has prayed that you would be. John 17:11
Salvation is by grace and works cannot affect it. Romans 11:16, Romans 3:28
You have ceased from your own works. Hebrews 4:10
Nothing can separate you from the love of Christ. Romans 8:35-39
Salvation is of the Lord. Jonah 2:9, Ecclesiastes 3:14
We should meditate on these precious truths on our glorious God and the fact that your salvation is not dependent on how"good" you are but rather the eternal, immutable promise of God!
How is sinful man made right before a holy God? Highlights of previous shows with Dr James White & Dr Robert Fastiggi lead to a full debate presentation on the question at hand.
(1 John 2:15-17 ESV) "Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever."
These are verses that should be memorized and repeated DAILY! Man is depraved and wicked and do not have a problem at all making idols for ourselves:
"Every one of us is, even from his mother's womb, a master craftsman of idols." John Calvin
Verse 15 says "Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him."
The world hates truth, hates righteousness and hates God. When Adam sinned he ushered death and the fall into the world (Romans 5:12). We have talked before about the doctrine of total depravity and that all men by nature are children of wrath (Ephesians 2) and are hostile towards God (Romans 7).
Because of this the natural man does not receive the spiritual truths that Christians hold precious
(1 Corinthians 2:14). Because God has regenerated us we now have a love for the things of God.
Sadly there are many wolves in sheep's clothing that actually encourage their members to desire the things of the world. They believe Jesus died to make you financially wealthy and healthy. This is commonly known as "Word of Faith" theology and it is blasphemous and an enemy of the Gospel. (Please follow this link for more info on this theology (http://www.equip.org/category/word-faith-movement/)
Verse 16 "For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world"
Regenerate man has God the Holy Spirit in Him guiding him and directing him and the unregenerate man can not help but walk out the desires of the flesh
(Galatians 5:17-21 ESV) For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
We see the eyes and desires of the flesh love those things God hates. This is why one can not love the things of the world, because they are completly opposed to the things of God
James 4:4 says to be a friend of the world is to be an enemy of God. Being a Christian means you are giving up all material gains and wants to follow the Master. It means that the most precious possession you have is Jesus Christ, NOT worldly possessions.
(Matthew 10:34-39 ESV) “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. And a person's enemies will be those of his own household. Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
Verse 17 "And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever."
The world, the universe, everything is decaying. Everything you own now will one day be in the dump and junk. How foolish to love and make idols out of possessions and created things rather than the Creator who made you.
Possessions can not save you. One day we will all stand before Christ, and when asked why they should be allowed in Heaven their pocket book and possessions can not save them. The call to follow Jesus is to lose your life for His sake and not be a slave to selfish sinful desires.
This can be overcome through the power of God the Holy Spirit dwelling in us and when He does we see the fruits of the Spirit rather than those of the flesh.
(Galatians 5:22-25 ESV) "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit."
To overcome the love of worldly things we must live a life that is dominated by the Holy Spirit. We must be saturated in His word and obedient to His word. I know this is a struggle and I struggle everyday to not feed my sinful desires and I do fail. But when we do, we repent and yield to the Spirit of God.
Think on these truths friends. We all struggle with these issues friends and it is part of the sanctification process. God has not left us helpless but has left us the Holy Spirit whom in-dwells us.
because your sins are forgiven for his name's sake.
I am writing to you, fathers,
because you know him who is from the beginning.
I am writing to you, young men,
because you have overcome the evil one.
I write to you, children,
because you know the Father.
I write to you, fathers,
because you know him who is from the beginning.
I write to you, young men,
because you are strong,
and the word of God abides in you,
and you have overcome the evil one."
As we look at these scriptures we see some AMAZING truths that should blow our minds and stand in Awe of our Triune King!
Verse 12 "I am writing to you, little children, because your sins are forgiven for his name's sake."
When we stand before our Lord on judgement day (And everybody will) we will be judged on whether we have repented of our sin and trusted in Christ alone. When we trust in Christ alone then when God looks at us He will see the work of Christ on the cross applied to our account.
This of course cost Jesus his life. Lets look at Philippians:
(Philippians 2:5-11 ESV)
"Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."
This should remind us that salvation is not about us! When giving the gospel we should not be telling people to come to Christ because it will give them a better life, or make them happy, etc. We come to Christ to flee God's wrath. The reason God saved an elect people was to give his Son a love gift (The Church is the bride of Christ) that will glorify and worship Him for eternity.
Lets look at verses 12-14
We are told that we have overcome the Evil one. We are told that we have overcome the evil one because the word of God abides in us. What an awesome and amazing truth this is! It is because of the shed blood of Christ on the cross which has broken the chains of sin and death. We talked earlier how Christ is our intercessor and 1 Corinthians 6 talks about how we are the temple of the Holy Spirit.
In 1 john 4:4 we are told "Greater is He that is in you then he that is in the world"
We have God's Holy Spirit abiding in us and we should be saturated in the word of God which is the sword of the Spirit (Ephesians 6).
Meditate on these precious truths friends and how awesome it is that we are saved for HIS name sake!
I was recently sent an article by a friend who wanted me to read this article by Dustin Christensen on whether or not Christianity needs a better story. Here is the article and below is my response.
The author does not understand man's nature according to scripture.
He says " There’s no connection. No connection between speaker and audience, between audience and message. There are no emotional bonds being formed and it comes down to this: the man’s not telling a story. He’s lecturing. He’s moralizing and reprimanding. His sermon is devoid of any narrative or storytelling qualities. His words are brash, one-dimensional and inflexible, with no room for interaction or interpretation. "
He makes it sound as though men are earnestly searching for God and if we change our method and not be so dogmatic (Many times those saying this mean do not take a hard stance on the essentials of the faith and allow people to have their own views on the Trinity,deity of Christ, existence of Hell, etc) then people will run to the Cross. However scripture says
(Romans 3:10-18 ESV) as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.” “Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive.” “The venom of asps is under their lips.” “Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.” “Their feet are swift to shed blood; in their paths are ruin and misery, and the way of peace they have not known.” “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”
It is the dogmatism that he does not like but scripture is dogmatic on the essentials. If one does not see their need to repent, they will go to Hell and be separated from God's goodness for eternity
He goes on to say"Without storytelling, there’s no way for him to meaningfully connect to the passersby, and there’s no way for them to truly internalize his words. There’s a one-way line of communication that falls flat before it can reach even the few receptive listeners making their way past. And at some time, somewhere, we’ve all seen this street corner."
These kind of statements demonstrate he does not understand what the Bible says about the nature of man. You can be as relevant as you want and do all the gimmicks you want but if you are preaching the true message of the cross then the unregenerate will find it foolishness.
What he is seeing is people preaching the true Gospel and nobody listening and thinking the guy preaching the true message is foolish. This is what the word of God says the natural man's response is going to be. The author of this article is saying that they are not responding to scripture so we need to tell stories instead. You can do that but if your goal is to see people saved then abandoning scriptures for stories is like cutting off your nose before you smell the rose.
(1 Corinthians 1:18 ESV) For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
Does not matter how you dress it up, if you are being faithful to the gospel then the unregenerate will think it is nonsense. It must be a supernatural act of God to open the eyes of the blind.
(1 Corinthians 2:14-15 ESV) The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one.
The idea that if we are just more"relevant" then people will flock to the Gospel is just non-sense. They can't because they are unable to because they are spiritually dead.
(Ephesians 2:1-3 ESV) And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience—among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.
By nature man is a child of wrath and as Romans 6 says man is a slave to sin and hostile towards God.
We also read that man does not come to God because he is "talked" into it but rather a supernatural act of God has opened the blind eyes.
John 6:44 says "No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him."
(John 1:12-13 ESV) "But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God." Salvation is based on God's choice not man manipulating people through psychological means to make them feel good.
It is very clear that this guy thinks those who take a hard stand on the authority of scripture are arrogant, pompous, un-loving etc. This is non-sense friends. We are to stand upon the scriptures and not change the message like a chameleon to suit the culture.
The Gospel is confronting man with their sin and the law of God (10 commandments) is like a mirror that reflects mans sin so they see the need to repent. If the Gospel being preached does not confront man with sin and warn them that God's wrath abides on them then they are not preaching any gospel at all.
I could go on but I will leave it there.
Secondly I want to address his view that if the way one preaches the Gospel does not produce numbers then it is wrong, is based on pragmatism meaning if it works then it must be the right method.
Joel Osteen has one of the largest church's in America and yet he does not consider Mormonism to be a false belief system. They do not do any type of Biblical teaching and they employ heretical "prosperity" teachings. The fact he has a huge church and a big following does not mean he is preaching the truth. Numbers do not determine truth.
We as slaves of Jesus Christ are told we are to preach the word
(2 Timothy 4:1-5 ESV) I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.
We are not told to tell stories but to preach the word of God (As the scripture above says) which is what God uses to draw His elect to Him
I have no problems using analogies but we can not replace the Scriptures with stories so we don't run people off. Let give an example of a "story" I use often with non-believers.
Imagine you are in a court of law and have been found guilty of a serious crime and it is either 50,000 or 20 years in prison. You do not have the money and as they take you off to jail someone stands up and pays your fine. You are now free because the debt has been payed.
It is analogous to the gospel because man has sinned against God (Romans 3:23)and are by nature a child of wrath (Ephesians 2) and God's wrath abides on you (John 3:18). And so unless someone steps in you will be sentenced for your crimes against God. However Jesus steps in and His sacrifice on the Cross has payed your fine! Thus you are set free from sin (Ephesians 2:8, Romans 5:1) and now can spend eternity worshiping the Master.
If this is the kind of stories he is talking about then I would not have a problem because you are NOT replacing the scriptures but rather explaining them and telling them where the Bible teaches these things. The attitude I get from this is article is that we should not be dogmatic.
Sadly he does not differentiate between essentials and non-essentials
1-Essentials are those that MUST be believed such as the Trinity, Jesus is God, physical Resurrection, virgin birth, justification by faith alone, etc.
These are issues that are not negotiable. If one denies these then they are not a Christian
2-Non-essentials are things like, Are tongues for today?, mode of baptism, etc.
The context he is talking about with street preachers is dealing with essentials and they are dogmatic and not open for debate. These are truths that divide the kingdom of Christ from the kingdom of the cults.
We always need to go to scripture, preach scripture and stand on the essentials. We are told that it is scripture which is the instrument God uses to save man.
(Romans 10:14-17 ESV) How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?” So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ."
I have no problem with being relevant to the culture but not at the expense when we trade in our Bibles to learn stories instead of preaching the Word of God.
Let me also point out that when we have a proper view of soteriology we see that man does not need to come up with gimmicks to try and get people to come to Christ. We are to evangelize and preach the word and God will take care of the rest
(John 6:37-40 ESV) All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”
God from the beginning has elected a people for Himself and His purposes can not be thwarted and thus we just need to be faithful to evangelism and faithful to the word of God.
(Ephesians 1:3-5 ESV) Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will"
I would argue that this author does not have the Biblical view of man's nature and is operating under pragmatism (What he thinks works gets results) instead of the Biblical charge to preach the Gospel which is first and foremost repentance of sin and submission to our Lord and Master.
I am sure the author has good intentions and I am in no way trying to attack him personally but I think this method is dangerous, un-biblical and based on pragmatism. Please watch the videos below to get a in-depth teaching as to why we MUST NOT abandon the scriptures for stories.
This is an issue that is close to my heart and I have a passion to defend truth and Holy Scripture.
Here is a great series John Macarthur did on this very topic and why we must not be
Here is a list of scriptures that talk about the sovereignty of God:
Psa 33:6 By the word of the LORD were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth.
Psa 62:11 God hath spoken once; twice have I heard this; that power [belongeth] unto God.
Psa 65:6 ¶ Which by his strength setteth fast the mountains; [being] girded with power:
Psa 89:11 The heavens [are] thine, the earth also [is] thine: [as for] the world and the fulness thereof, thou hast founded them.
Psa 89:12 The north and the south thou hast created them: Tabor and Hermon shall rejoice in thy name.
Psa 103:19 ¶ The LORD hath prepared his throne in the heavens; and his kingdom ruleth over all.
Psa 104:5 [Who] laid the foundations of the earth, [that] it should not be removed for ever.
Psa 104:6 Thou coveredst it with the deep as [with] a garment: the waters stood above the mountains.
Psa 104:7 At thy rebuke they fled; at the voice of thy thunder they hasted away.
Psa 104:8 They go up by the mountains; they go down by the valleys unto the place which thou hast founded for them.
Psa 104:9 Thou hast set a bound that they may not pass over; that they turn not again to cover the earth.
Psa 104:13 He watereth the hills from his chambers: the earth is satisfied with the fruit of thy works.
Psa 104:14 He causeth the grass to grow for the cattle, and herb for the service of man: that he may bring forth food out of the earth;
Dan 4:35 And all the inhabitants of the earth [are] reputed as nothing: and he doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and [among] the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou?
Act 4:24 And when they heard that, they lifted up their voice to God with one accord, and said, Lord, thou [art] God, which hast made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all that in them is:
Act 17:24 God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands;
Col 1:16 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether [they be] thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:
Col 1:17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.
1Ti 6:15 Which in his times he shall shew, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords;
Heb 1:1 ¶ God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,
Heb 1:2 Hath in these last days spoken unto us by [his] Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;
Heb 1:3 Who being the brightness of [his] glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;
John 6:37 All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.
John 6:38 For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me.
John 6:39 And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day.
John 6:65 And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father.
John 11:52 And not for that nation only, but that also he should gather together in one the children of God that were scattered abroad.
John 15:16 Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and [that] your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.
John 15:19 If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.
John 17:2 As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him.
Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to [his] purpose.
Romans 8:29 For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate [to be] conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.
Romans 8:30 Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.
Romans 8:31 What shall we then say to these things? If God [be] for us, who [can be] against us?
Romans 8:38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,
Romans 8:39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 9:22 [What] if God, willing to shew [his] wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction:
Romans 9:23 And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory,
Romans 9:24 Even us, whom he hath called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles?
Romans 11:4 But what saith the answer of God unto him? I have reserved to myself seven thousand men, who have not bowed the knee to [the image of] Baal.
Romans 11:5 Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace.
1 Corinthians 1:9 God [is] faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.
1 Corinthians 12:18 But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him.
1 Corinthians 15:57 But thanks [be] to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
2 Corinthians 2:14 Now thanks [be] unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place.
Ephesians 1:3 Blessed [be] the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly [places] in Christ:
Ephesians 1:4 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 1:5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,
Ephesians 1:6 To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.
Ephesians 1:7 In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;
(1 John 2:7-11 ESV) Beloved, I am writing you no new commandment, but an old commandment that you had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word that you have heard. At the same time, it is a new commandment that I am writing to you, which is true in him and in you, because the darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining. Whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in darkness. Whoever loves his brother abides in the light, and in him there is no cause for stumbling. But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.
We now will look at verses 7-11
Verse 7-8 "Beloved, I am writing you no new commandment, but an old commandment that you had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word that you have heard. At the same time, it is a new commandment that I am writing to you, which is true in him and in you, because the darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining."
As I have read a few commentaries on this verse the passage is talking about love. No doubt the readers would remember Jesus words in Johns earlier writing:
(John 13:34) ‘A new commandment I give to you, That you love one another; even as I have loved you, that you also love one another’
Now we are told in Leviticus 19:18 to "love our neighbor as ourselves". So in what way is this a new commandment. In the sense that Jesus took this commandment to a whole other level.
Jesus had given us an example as to how we were to love our fellow man (John 15:13).
We have a perfect example in Christ demonstrated his love for us:
(Romans 5:6)
"For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly."
"He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all--how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? "
Verse 9-10 "Whoever loves his brother abides in the light, and in him there is no cause for stumbling. Whoever loves his brother abides in the light, and in him there is no cause for stumbling."
The word hate in the Greek carries the idea of "practicing" or living a life characterized by hate. This of course is completely contrary to how a Christian should live and think. As a Christian we of ALL people should know God's grace and want to extend it to all. How can we who know the truth and know all of the sin we have done in our personal lives, refuse to forgive or choose to not love others? We have been forgiven so much and it was a free gift. We were not given what we are owed or we would all be damned in Hell. Christians should be dominated with the mind of Christ, and die to our selfish sinful evil desires.
Verse 11 "But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes."
One can not be a follower of Jesus Christ and hate his brother. If one is a Christian and hates his brother then he is failing to see the depth of his own depravity and he does not understand the depths of grace that God has bestowed to his own sinful life. To be a Christian is to have a sense of our depravity and our need for a savior.
Think about God's love as you go through your day and the incredible mercy he has bestowed upon us. If you are a Christian and you have hate in your heart towards someone, then friends REPENT of your sin and ask God to help you love the person you are angry with. Meditate what He did for you on the cross and the sacrifice and lengths he went to so you could be justified.
Americans are incurably “spiritual,” but this spirituality expresses itself in ways that are incompatible with biblical Christianity. It expresses itself in ways that are essentially Gnostic. The American church has not been immune to the influence of this American Gnosticism. In this message, Dr. Peter Jones compares this private, mystical, and inward religious mentality with the corporate, doctrinal, and visible faith of orthodox Christianity.
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