You cannot be a faithful Christian without repenting 

 

“Christian” is one of those terms used so loosely today that we have people claiming to faithful Christians when they are anything but. This is not new. There were individuals in Sardis that called themselves something they were not (Rev. 3:1). The fact is, one cannot be a Christian and walk in sin. Repent means “to turn away from”. To help make things perfectly clear, a person is not a faithful Christian if they do any of these things:

 

1. Marry someone unlawfully (Matt. 14:4; 5:32; 19:9).

 

2. Are a female preacher (I Cor. 14:34-35; I Tim. 2:11-12).

 

3. Are a member of a man-made religious organization – i.e., a denomination (Matt. 16:18; Acts 2:47; Rom. 16:16).

 

4. Wear a special title as a religious leader (Matt. 23:7-10; I Cor. 1:12-13; Acts 10:25-26).

 

5. Refuse to belong to a local church that is Christ’s (I Pet. 5:1-2; I Cor. 11:17-18; Acts 9:26).

 

6. Try to follow the gospel and, at the same time, follow the law of Moses (Gal. 5:1-4; Heb. 8:7-8; 9:16-17). 

 

7. Worship God based on what they like rather than seeing what God has authorized/instructed (John 4:24; Matt. 15:1-9; Col. 3:17).

 

8. Conform to the world via immodest dress, corrupt speech and sexual immorality (I Tim. 2:9; Eph. 5:4; Gal. 5:19).

 

9. Keep returning to the passing pleasures of sin with drugs, gambling, drinking and the like (I Cor. 9:27; I Pet. 4:3; Gal. 5:21).

 

10. Go through life trying to serve two masters (Matt. 6:24; I John 2:15-16).

 

11. Put their earthly family ahead of the Lord (Matt. 10:37; 6:33).

 

12. Serve as an elder in a church when not married or not meeting other qualifications (I Tim. 3:1-7; Titus 1:5-9).

 

13. Claim to love the Lord yet hate their brother (I John 4:7-8, 20).

 

14. Get married but refused to leave their father and mother (Matt. 19:4-6; Eph. 5:22-33).

 

15. Act kindly toward some people but have prejudices toward others (Gal. 2:11-13; Gal. 3:27-28).

 

16.  One who has accepted the world’s standard for entertainment when it ungodly (Rom. 12:1-2).

 

Many people are fooling themselves by saying they are Christians when they do not live Christ-like lives (I Pet. 2:21). Christians may sin from time to time, but they are required to repent (I John 1:8-10).  Remember, repenting means “to turn away from”. We all need to think about that.

 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   Chuck

Do not kid yourself

 

We all like the ending to a good story. This is no more true than the story of the prodigal son, spoken by our Lord (Luke. 15:11-32). Jesus tells a parable about a son who went off and wasted his life with prodigal living, only to eventually home and tell his father he was sorry. A celebration was then held to rejoice over the return of the lost son.

 

It is dangerous to expect the same happy ending even if we change some of the facts around.  When you start modifying the story, you begin to miss the many lessons our Lord was trying to teach. For example, the story would be very different if Jesus did not describe how the son hit rock bottom. In Jesus’ parable, the son becomes so poor he hopes was willing to eat the pods fed to swine. How would the story change if the son’s father offered aid as soon as the son began to struggle? Would the father still have run to him, fallen on his neck, kissed him, put a robe on him and prepared the fatted calf? Do not kid yourself…

 

Like we pointed out in the first article,  you cannot do something different and expect the same result. Christ was clearly teaching that people need to repent and should not expect special favors (verses 18-19). What if his father did treat his returned son like one of his hired servants? The son said he wanted this. If he was treated this way and got angry, he would be guilty of lying. Would he apologize only for selfish reasons?  Without genuine remorse and change, the son would not want to be treated any differently than before he left. In short, the son’s remorse demonstrated that he had learned.

 

The party that the father threw was conditional on the repentance of his returned son. Having a feast without repentance would just reinforce the younger son’s behavior and encourage a repeat episode. Just as these lessons are true in our earthly lives, so they are also true in our spiritual ones. Let us remember the words of Paul: “God is not mocked,” (Gal. 6:7).  This is true because “What a man sows, that he will also reap.”   If you expect forgiveness without a change of heart, it is foolish to expect to be welcomed with open arms.

 

                                                                                                                                                                                                             Chuck

 

Let’s think this through

 

I do not know how many times over the past month I have heard people say, “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.” I like this statement, and it is thought provoking. From a Christian standpoint though, the opposite is also true. We could say “It is insane to do things differently and expect the same result.” Allow me to explain.

 

God’s people have been given a teaching that is unchanging (Rom. 6:17). This means we cannot add to it or take away from it (Gal. 1:6-9). Those who abide in the gospel are walking by faith (Rom. 10:17).  Now here is the clincher – without faith it is impossible to please God (Heb. 11:6). Therefore, it is insane to do things differently than what God has authorized and still expect the same results as those who follow His word.

 

Everyone needs to understand that a person “doing things for God” is not automatically approved by God. If God does not approve of these things, then who are they truly being done for? If you insist that God approves of something (or if you think He should approve of it) and are unwilling to confirm this in His word, then you are really doing it for yourself. The Bible is filled with examples of this behavior Consider Cain (Gen. 4), Nadab and Abihu (Lev. 10) and those Jesus called out (Matt. 15:7-9).

 

Read on to understand why some vainly do things differently than God’s word describe and yet expect the same outcomes as those who faithfully follow His word.
 

Is it the thought that counts?

If God does not care how we serve Him, then why give the gospel? Why warn of punishment for those who do not obey His word or abide in it (II Thess. 1:8; II John 9)? If all that counted was the thought, John 4:24 would have been written to say, “God is Spirit, they that worship Him, must worship Him in spirit.” But we all know it continues on to say, “and in truth.”

 

Do the differences matter?

Our Lord commands that we sing (Eph. 5:19). Someone says, “We sing and play instruments in worship – it’s the same!” This is not the same – God’s word did not mention instruments. Our Lord commands that we belong to the church Christ built (Matt. 16:18; Acts 2:47; 20:28; Rom. 16:16). Someone says, “We belong to a denomination – it’s the same!” This is not the same – Jesus founded His church, not the denomination. Our Lord commands we have authority for everything we do (Col. 3:17; II Tim. 3:16-17). Someone says, “We don’t have Biblical support for everything we do, but it is still the same!” No it’s not – without God’s word, you are establishing your own religion.

 

Should we focus on God’s love and not His wrath?

Most people are annoyed when someone tells us what should or should not bother us. Imagine how God feels when people insist that certain behaviors should not upset Him even though His word teaches on these subjects! God’s love and wrath co-exist. We know this because God loves everyone and does want anyone to perish (John 3:16; II Pet. 3:9). Does that mean love overlooks sin? Of course not, which is why many will be lost (Matt. 7:13-14).  For some reason, those who are in religious error always think the lost are somehow different from them. In reality, they themselves are lost.

 

Let us be rational thinks and not insane – if we do things differently than are described in God’s word, we should not expect the same outcomes as those who abide in His word.

 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                               Chuck

Does God appoint them?

 

The other day I Goggled, “How many countries are in the world?” Most parties agree that the answer is 196, but some counts were higher or lower depending on whether certain territories were recognized as their own countries. Does our heavenly Father control who governs each of those countries? If there are Christians in every one of those countries, can they use the Bible to say that whatever is happening where they live is a fulfillment of prophecy?

 

I raise this issue because many religious people mishandle the scriptures. Some contend that whatever is happening in America is a fulfillment of what you read about in the book of Revelation and in other parts of the Bible. Let’s look into this and clear some things up.

 

First, we need to make note of Romans 13:1-7. In this text, Paul mentions some important facts that would apply to anyone, anywhere, who was reading the passage.  He teaches that it is the responsibility of every saint to be subject to their governing authorities no matter the form of government – a democracy, a republic, a dictatorship, etc. (verse 1). This same verse reveals that all earthly authorities are appointed to rule by God. Christians who resist these earthly authorities are resisting the ordinance of God (verse 2).

 

But does God ensure that certain people are elected and others are not? “God appointed” means “God has permitted”. For example, Pilate stated that he had power to crucify Christ or release Him. Jesus replied that, “You could have not power at all against Me unless it had been given you from above,” (John 19:11).  Yes, God no more put Pilate in office than He did make Him crucify Christ. Leaders have free will, yet it is also true that our Creator has ordained governments in order to support those who do good works (Rom. 13:3). As Paul told the Roman brethren, citizens who obey should generally not have fear of their governments.

 

What about immoral governments? Are Christians obligated to live under their rule? Paul taught that Christians are to be loyal subjects and therefore pay taxes. This is done both to avoid the wrath of the government and for the sake of conscience (Rom. 13:5-7). Keep in mind that he was telling this to Christians who lived under corrupts and often cruel Roman rulers. The Roman leaders were sinful, but these Christians were still supposed to respect their authority. This is true for modern Christians too - they should respect their government officials even if they do not agree with every decision they make.

 

The word of God is relevant for people living in the United States today, but it was not written just those living in the United States. Many people believe that Christianity is a western religion because Jesus was born as a Jew (Luke 1:30). We must remember, though, that Jesus lived as God before coming to the earth (John 1:1). It is also important to remember that all are one in Christ – there is neither Jew nor Greek, neither male nor female (Gal. 3:28).

 

Christ came and died for all of mankind, not just select groups. He reigns at the right hand of the Father (Acts 2:29-36) and has made eternal life available to those who obey Him. The fulfillment of Gen. 12:3 happens whenever anyone obeys the gospel (Gal. 3:29).  It is dangerous to force modern events to fulfill of Biblical prophecy, especially the figurative language found in Revelations. Those who do this are creating their own doctrine (discussed in the following article).

 

Saints know that doing anything against the will of God is sin, and God has called us to obey our earthly leaders. We may not love every decision our earthly governments make, but we should recognize God’s wisdom that having government is better than no government!

                                                                                     

   Chuck

 

Man helps misunderstand

 

History is filled with men who spread religious confusion but were convinced they were teaching truth. Is religious teaching futile then? Should all religious teachers, including me, simply stop teaching to avoid making things worse? Certainly not! Everyone can know when someone is creating their own doctrinal theories about prophecy (such as relating to our first article). Here are some simple rules.

 

When leaps are made without scripture

Far too often, people quote an Old Testament passage, associate it with a New Testament verse and claim that the ideas are directly connected to modern events. Recall Peter’s words – people twist the scriptures to their own destruction (II Pet. 3:16).  If a “teacher” is telling you to “trust his interpretation”, especially about passages coming from different testaments, there is an issue. Everybody is capable of understanding the scriptures, and we all know that no scripture is to be of any private interpretation (II Pet. 1:20).

 

When obscure, difficult passages explain the easy, clear ones

Most Bible verses are plain and direct. Some “teachers” will argue that a verse does not actually mean what it appears to because this verse does not fit with a complex doctrine they teach. This approach is completely backwards! For example, people created a doctrine that the earth will exist forever. They use Psalms 78:69 as evidence. Yet Peter stated that the earth and all its works will be burned up at the end of time (II Pet. 3:9-12). The claim about Psalms 78:69 cannot be reconciled with Peter’s teaching, yet the minds of these people are already made up. Many other things in the Old Testament were described as lasting forever too – animal sacrifices, circumcision, king David, the Passover and the priesthood (Gen. 17:13; Ex. 40:15; Lev. 16:29-34; Ex. 12:14; I Kings 1:31). The word “forever” means “continually; without interruption.” These things lasted “continually” within their context, but they are not eternal as some have decided.

 

Complex doctrines are not needed if we merely let God’s word speak for itself. Those who seek will find (Matt. 7:7). Let’s make sure we do not put more trust in man than we do in God and His word!

                                                                                

     Chuck