This blog was created to warn the lost, edify the Body of Christ and bring glory to God.
[Luke 3:7, Luke 13:3, Psalm 7:11, Rev 21:8, Psalm 7:9-10, 1 John 3:4, Rom 3:23, Rom 6:23, John 3:16-18, Acts 4:12, Acts 20:21, Ezek 36:26]
I started reading a book simply called Heaven, by Randy Alcorn. I have only just begun reading it, but I'm very excited already. There is so much in just the introduction about the glories that await the Christian in eternity. If we're going to spend eternity somewhere, shouldn't we take a close look to learn all that Scripture says about it in order to learn everything that we can about what God has revealed to us about our eternal home?
Please do not confuse this book with other books on alleged experiences such as Don Piper's 90 Minutes in Heaven or Bill Wiese's 23 Minutes in Hell. Randy Alcorn simply uses sola Scriptura to describe the eternal home in which Christ is preparing for His bride, the Church. (John 14:2)
With my Grandpa's recent "promotion to Glory", this topic has never been more on my mind and knowing where he is, with Christ, I know I've not lost him... rather, I've simply lost contact with him for a time.
I'll try to keep posting comments as I read through this book... as I feel led to do so. I'm doing my best to not start reading new books until I finish the ones I've started, but I'm really challenged in this area as my friends well know. ;)
Below is a preview of the book Heaven... check it out.
“O Lord, make me know my end and what is the measure of my days; let me know how fleeting I am! Behold, you have made my days a few handbreadths, and my lifetime is as nothing before you. Surely all mankind stands as a mere breath! Selah (Psalm 39:4-5 ESV)
"In order that people may be brought to faith, God mercifully sends proclaimers of this very joyful message to the people he wishes and at the time he wishes. By this ministry people are called to repentance and faith in Christ crucified. For how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without someone preaching? And how shall they preach unless they have been sent? (see Rom. 10:14-15)" - from The Canons of Dordt, Article III
The cleverness of man is not the means by which God has chosen to save, it is by the PREACHING OF THE GOSPEL!
Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? 21 For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. (1 Corinthians 1:20-12 ESV)
When it comes to the matters of spiritual life and conduct and ministry, is the Bible sufficient or do we need psychology and human wisdom?
Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God (2 Corinthians 3:5 ESV)
And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual. (1 Corinthians 2:13 ESV)
The Bible is clear that we are reborn by the Word of God, not by man.
since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God (1 Peter 1:23 ESV)
When you resort to schemes in order to draw people to God, that reveals that you do not trust in the power of God's Word to convert the soul (Psalm 19:7) and that you think God needs your help.
At the young age of 39 years old, Jim Jackson became a Grandpa when I was born in September 1972… his very first Grandkid.As a child you only know what you see in the small world around you.For me, family was all I knew.I was blessed with 2 sets of Grandparents and many aunts, uncles and cousins.We were all very close, sharing most every birthday and holiday together.My Grandpa was always there.I have so many memories of him, it’s unbelievable.I can still hear his voice saying my name, “Hi Travvy” or “Trav!Get over here and give your Grandpa a hug.”If I dared try and shake his hand, he’d say, “attt… attt… you know better than that.You’re never too big to hug your Grandpa.”, he’d say.He’d always greet you with a hug as soon as you walked in the door.If he knew you were coming, you’d be getting that hug in the front yard as you walked up to the house.He loved his family so much, he would have and “did” do anything and everything he could in their time of want and need.
He was a Godly man.My Grandpa loved the LORD and he served Him until his last breath.When I was born my Grandpa Jackson was a deacon and my Grandpa Foley was the pastor of Oak Grove Baptist church in Salem, MO where my Mom and Dad attended.Just a few years ago I attended a recognition service for my Grandpa at Oak Grove where he was given a plaque for 38 years of service as a deacon and yet still continued serving the LORD.Though I grew up in church and hearing the Gospel, it wasn’t until 2005 before I was saved.God drew me and opened my eyes to the sin in my life which sent me to the Cross in repentance and faith in Christ.I too, as did my Grandpa, serve the LORD.My Grandpa did not take recognition well for his service.He would always point up giving glory to God, which is most certainly appropriate.He told me a story just a few short months ago that he said he had never told anyone and didn’t want me to say anything.I suppose it’s OK to tell it now.This is just an example of the kind of man my Grandpa was.There is a half-way house off of West 5th Street in Salem, MO called “Agape House”.My Grandpa went by there one evening on the way home from work and visited with a couple of the men sitting on the front porch.He said he noticed they didn’t have much of anything to cover their feet.Grandpa kneeled down and unlaced his brand new leather work boots and kicked them off.He gave them to the man who’s feet they fit.One man put them on and said they fit.Grandpa said, lace ‘em up and walk around.The man was speechless.Grandpa asked him how they felt, he replied, “they feelgreat”.Grandpa said, “they’re yours”.My Grandpa turned and walked back to his car barefoot and drove off.That was my Grandpa.He didn’t want praise for what he did, he only wanted to minister to someone.He has shared the Gospel with me time and time again… with words and by his very life.He was just one of the means by which the LORD used to draw me to Himself.
A Workin’ Man Where do I even begin?My Grandpa was a farmer, a worker, a man of men.There are few like him.
My Grandpa loved to farm. I was blessed the early years of my life to spend time on their farm.There were few things that us Grandkids looked more forward to than going to the farm to see Grandma and Grandpa.He would let us drive the tractor, we’d ride with him on it across the pasture, we’d get to ride in the truck with him when he’d go out to feed, and we got to help him bail hay.There are so many memories; it’s hard to get them all out.He used to have this cow one time when I was probably 8 or 9 years old.This cow had horns that curved downward.I thought it was the oddest looking cow.Well, my Grandpa would help me up on that cow and let me ride on her back as he walked her around.I thought that was the greatest thing in the world!He knew how to handle her, she was so gentle.One thing that I’ll bet you don’t know about my Grandpa, unless you are one of his kids or Grandkids, is that my Grandpa Jackson was actually half Cowboy and half Indian.I later grew to realize that he may very well have been the only one in the world with this rare set of characteristics!He surely was a Grandpa like no other.
My Grandpa was a worker.Not only was he a farmer, but my Grandpa was an iron worker.There were times he would get up early in the morning, feed the cattle, drive all the way to St. Louis, put in a full day of iron work, drive home, tend to the farm, go to bed and do it all over again.Grandpa Jackson worked hard right up until the end of his life.He took pride in his work whether it was running an 800 acre farm with hundreds of head of cattle or it was shining the floors at the college.He took pride in his work because he knew he belonged to Christ and everything in his life was a reflection of that devotion.
One of the most talked about memories of all of us Grandkids was the “blood and sweat jelly”!There were several blackberry bushes on Grandma and Grandpa’s farm and all of us Grandkids would get out there with Grandma and Grandpa and our parents, a 5 gallon bucket in each hand, and start picking blackberries!We would pick bucket after bucket of these things in the dead heat of the summer.Bleeding from the stickers in the bushes and stinging when the sweat would wash over the cuts… but oh our sights were on what was to come.Grandma’s homemade blackberry jelly!It’s not hard to tell why Grandpa called this special jelly, “blood and sweat jelly”.We all enjoyed the fruit of our labor.That, as well as Grandma’s touch, made each and every jar something to cherish for years to come.
Our Last Talk
I just talked to him a few days ago right before he was to get surgery done on his heel.I called to tell him the good news, that I had been elected as one of the deacons at my church.I was just telling him at Easter that I had been nominated and this was the call to let him know I had been voted in by the congregation.He was so proud of me.He was so encouraging.When I asked him how he was feeling, he said, “oh, I’m feelin’ alright I guess Trav.”He said he was getting ready to go in and have a bone spur removed from his heel here in a couple of days.He was telling me that he was going to have to be on crutches for a couple of weeks and he wasn’t going to be able to work.He said, “well, if they have another graduation up at the school, I’ll have to tell them they’ll have to find someone else to get things ready, I just can’t do it Trav.”He always called me Trav or Travvy.He went on to say, “all my life I have been scared to death of ending up an old man just sitting in a rocking chair on my front porch, staring off in to space.I never wanted to be like that.”I said, “Grandpa, you have never and will never be like that.A man like that is a man who has lost his purpose in life, just sitting around waiting for his number to be pulled.You are not that man.You need to just do what the doctor tells you and just rest for once in your life.”I went on to ask him about his banjo.I remember as a kid he had gotten himself a banjo, but I never remembered him playing.I was recently given a banjo by my Father-in-Law and I’m just learning to play, so I thought I would ask him about it.He said that he was taking lessons for a little while, then he ended up smashing his fingers building a sandbox for the kids.(That would be me and my cousins – I never knew this)He said after that he missed some lessons, fell out of practice and figured he’d just sell it.He said he still loves to listen to the banjo though and was telling me about a channel that he watches all the time that is nothing but banjo playing.I told him that I’m going to learn how to play that thing really good and come down and play for him.He said he knows I’ll learn it well and will look forward to it.That day will never happen, but I promise I am going to learn to play that banjo like no one else in honor of my promise to my Grandpa Jackson.
There are volumes and volumes of experiences, memories, words of encouragement and lessons grounded in Godly wisdom that are missing from this glimpse back on Grandpa’s life.I could never fully and truly capture the essence of the man I called “Grandpa Jackson”.
What Now? My Grandpa Jackson was a man of God.Unwavering, he stood firm in his faith.I’m not talking about a man who was wishy washy in his style of life and I’m not talking about a man who was morally perfect either.I’m talking about a man who knew he was a sinner, who knew he deserved hell, but knew that by the grace of a sovereign and loving God, through faith in the shed blood of Jesus Christ alone that he was cleansed of his crimes against God and stood justified before the God of heaven and earth!He lived a life of faith in Christ.Over the course of my life I watched this man of God, most of the time through the eyes of a lost man… not a Christian, and I saw a man who honestly believed what he said he believed and his life was a testimony to that.After God saved me, I had some of the greatest conversations about the Bible with my Grandpa.For instance, the past couple of years or so we talked at great length about the Judgment House that Oak Grove Baptist Church held around Halloween time and how the Gospel was being preached to hundreds and hundreds of people.He and Grandma were so excited, as was I.He was a man that would stand fierce for what he believed and that came out in his service as deacon just as much as it did anywhere else in his life.If he knew something was brewing in the church that was unbiblical or contradicted Scripture in any way he was there to make sure it was stopped.He was not a man pleaser, he sought to please the God loved and served.He was a servant of the LORD.He has ministered to the lives of so many outside of our family over the course of his 77 years, I can’t even begin to imagine.He was a missionary in his own hometown.
Missionary, Nate Saint wrote this, “People who do not know the LORD ask why in the world we waste our lives as missionaries?They forget, they too are expending their lives… and when the bubble has burst, they will have nothing of eternal significance to show for the years they have wasted.”
Everybody’s bubble is going to burst.Everyone of us, at the end of our lives… pshhhh… it’s all gone.Then what?What do we spend our lives for?What do we pour ourselves out for?What do we give ourselves to?
Come to a man who is lying on his death-bed, or a prisoner that is to die tomorrow and try talking to him about wealth, or accomplishments and recognition, or temptations to lust, drunkenness or excess; and he will think you have lost your mind.Oh how serious we are when we’re staring death in the face, to turn from our former ways and desperately ask, “what must I do to be saved?”To a man in this position every verse of Scripture has life and power.Thoughts are directed wholly on, “what is to happen when I pass into eternity very shortly? Time is now precious and if you ask this man if his last hours would be better spent getting drunk, gambling, going shopping or any other needless recreation or would it be better spent in prayer and reading God’s Word?This man is more inclined at this point in time to choose the latter; prayer and the reading of God’s Word.Why?Because he has an expectation of the speedy approach of the soul into the presence of the eternal God and entering into an unchangeable, endless life of joy… or torment.This has so much of an impact to wake this man up to reality so that if ever he will be serious about his right standing before God, it will be now.It is for this reason it is a great mercy of God, that this life, which is so short, should be as uncertain as it is, and that frequent dangers and sicknesses call to us to look at ourselves and be ready for our change into eternity, this is why the sick or anyone facing death take these matters more seriously.Those in your youth and health to consider your frailty and the shortness and uncertainty of your lives and always live as those that wait for the coming of Christ.
The Bible says in Hebrews 9:27-28, “And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.”My Grandfather’s appointed day has come and as he stands before God to be judged, he will stand “in Christ” a righteous man and hear the words I know he longed to hear, “Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.” (Matt 25:23).Grandpa has been poured out as a drink offering, and the time of his departure has come.He has fought the good fight, he has finished the race, he has kept the faith and there is laid up for him the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to him on that Day, and not only to him but also to all who have loved the appearing of Christ.(2 Tim 4:6-9)
One of Grandpa’s favorite verses was Hebrews 11:1 which says, “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”He’d quote that verse, look at me, point to the Bible and say, “Trav, people sometimes ask me questions about the Bible… why such and such this and such and such that.I don’t know everything there is to know about the Bible, but what I don’t understand I take it by faith!I don’t have to understand it all, but I believe by faith that this is the Word of God.”I would just smile and say, “Amen Grandpa, amen.”
While I will miss those talks with my Grandpa, I have the blessed hope of seeing him again one day in heaven.Grandpa isn’t just“in a better place”, as he was not just my Grandpa; he was my brother in Christ.Today he is at the feet of the One Who died for him, the risen Christ, worshiping, rejoicing and shouting praises with all the brothers and sisters in Christ who have gone before him.
A Grandpa of Grandpas… called home, by the King of Kings and LORD of LORDs.
To God alone be the glory,
Travis Foley “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.”(Psalm 147:3 ESV)
This past week I had the privilege to join some friends on a trip to Louisville, KY to attend the Together for the Gospel conference, which is held every 2 years, this being only the second conference held.
The theme of the conference this year was one of absolute importance and extremely relevant to our day and age... The "Unadjustable" Gospel. While there is far from a shortage of churches in our country, it seems the majority of churches are no longer centered on God, rather they are centered on man. Anytime you take the focus of a church or a ministry off of God and place it on man and his "felt" needs, you are most certainly "adjusting" the Gospel to accomplish the end you seek. A church is to be centered on Christ, preaching the full counsel of God, proclaiming the uncompromisable, "unadjusted" Gospel of Jesus Christ! This is the means by which God has chosen to save all whom He gave His Son.
"For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe." (1 Cor 1:21 ESV)
When we attempt to "adjust" God's Gospel by trying to make it more "appealing" or "enticing" to sinful men and women, we in effect have a form of godliness, yet deny the power of God by changing the message.
"...having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people. For among them are those who creep into households and capture weak women, burdened with sins and led astray by various passions, always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth." (2 Tim 3:5-7 ESV)
We cannot change the message.
Please examine yourself in light of Scripture concerning how you proclaim the Gospel to the lost. Are you "adjusting' the Gospel? Would you present the same Gospel message to your successful neighbor who has "everything going for him" that you would to someone having only 3 minutes live?
If you said "No, I would would present a different message to my successful neighbor", then you're guilty of "adjusting" the Gospel. The Gospel message should NEVER change to accomodate man's circumstances. It's not our Gospel to change, it's God's Gospel and it's only His Gospel that saves fallen man from the justice and wrath of a holy God. It's only God's Gospel where mercy and forgiveness are found by grace through faith in Jesus Christ alone.
Below are some great resources from the conference for your growth and edification.
T4G 2010 -- Session 1 -- Mark Dever The Church is the Gospel Made Visibl
I wanted to take some time to address the issue of the “free will” of man. Does man have a
free will? If not, are we just robots? As my Pastor always says, “who cares what you think,
who cares what I think, what does “the Book” say?
Questions
Is salvation a work of God and man, a cooperative effort?
Is it something that God “sets up” like a cosmic “multi-level marketing program” where we “work the numbers” and gain eternal life as the final prize?
Is it a grand and beautiful design that simply awaits man’s “turning of the key” so to speak, in order for it to work?
Is salvation of the LORD, of men, or a mixture of both?
What does the Book say?
“But I will sacrifice to You With the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay what I have vowed. Salvation is of the LORD” (Jonah 2:9)
“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.” (John 1:12-13)
“Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent. (John 6:28-29)
The ONLY reason we believe is BECAUSE of the work of God in us!
“Now a certain woman named Lydia heard us. She was a seller of purple from the city of Thyatira, who worshiped God. The Lord opened her heart to heed the things spoken by Paul.” (Acts 16:14)
“No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.” (John 6:44)
There is stubbornness within us all to resist and reject Jesus Christ and the surrender of our lives to Him. This is because we are wicked God-haters in our natural state. It's a nature problem. If it's a nature problem, then it's going to take something outside of ourselves, outside of our own nature to change us... and who can do that? God! “NO MAN can come to Me, except the Father which hath sent Me draw him”, says Christ in John 6.
Question
Does this simply mean that the plan comes from His hand, so that without Him, there would be
no salvation? Is that all this means?
What does the Book say?
The Apostle Paul did not view it that way:
"For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. And because of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, "Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord."' (1Co 1:26-31)
No man can boast before God. God has chosen the weak things, the base things, the foolish
things, so that He might destroy the wisdom of the wise. It is by “His doing” that any person is
in Christ.
It is not by His doing AND our doing, making it a "cooperative" effort, but by His doing alone!
Objection
How can you say by His alone? God only “starts it”, man still has to make the decision to
“accept” it!
What does the Book say?
Scripture explains that it is of God alone. Christ has become to us everything we need…
wisdom, righteousness, sanctification and redemption. None of this comes from ourselves.
None of this is dependent upon us. The result, Paul says, is that if anyone is to boast, he can
boast solely in the LORD.
The Christian heart is glad to confess, “Salvation is of the LORD.” All of it, from start to finish. In completeness. In perfection. Salvation is a divine act, a divine work. It is centered upon God, not upon man. It’s God’s glory, not man’s, that is at stake. The God-centerdness of the gospel is what makes the Biblical teaching so fundamentally different than all of the religions of men.
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, He has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.” (1 Pet 1:3-5)
“So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy.” (Rom 9:16)
“All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out.” (John 6:37)
“ No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day.” (John 6:44)
“And he said, ‘This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father.’” (John 6:65)
“All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that He will take what is mine and declare it to you.” (John 16:15)
“In Him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of His will…” (Eph 1:11)
“Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner, but share with me in the sufferings for the gospel according to the power of God, who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began, but has now been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, who has abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel…” (2 Tim 1:8-10)
John 6 and 10 show that God will bring all of His sheep into the fold and see also Romans 9:10-24 for more on the work of a Sovereign God.
Before we continue, let’s take a moment to define the term ad hominem argument:
Ad hominem argument - An ad hominem argument, also known as argumentum ad hominem (Latin: "argument to the man", "argument against the man") consists of replying to an argument or factual claim by attacking or appealing to a characteristic or belief of the person making the argument or claim, rather than by addressing the substance of the argument or producing evidence against the claim.
I’m a Biblicist!
Some have taken a stance against the view of God being completely sovereign while claiming to be a “Biblicist”. Sounds pretty spiritual doesn’t it? Nevertheless, the term Biblicist seems to have only limited usefulness in this debate. Which of us does not try to start with Scripture and to draw conclusions by studying the text? Which of us wishes to set aside any of the Bible in favor of a human system? No, we are all Biblicists here.
Now that we're all speaking as Biblicists, here are the questions that need to be answered.
Human Depravity
Question
Is the natural "human will" totally unable to respond rightly to God, or is it only partially unable?
What does the Book say?
It is TOTALLY unable to respond rightly to God. God liberates the wills only of the elect, passing over others. This liberation is an aspect of saving grace, and it is completely effective. The will, once freed, always turns toward God in saving faith. In terms of their moral freedom, the non-elect still cannot come because they will not come, because they remain dead in their trespasses and sin. Scripture says "dead" meaning "dead", not merely stranded at sea searching for someone to throw them a life saver.
“But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.” (1 Cor 2:14)
“And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins” (Eph 2:1)
“But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved)” (Eph 2:4)
Free Will
Question
What about man’s free will? Man does have a free will doesn’t he?
What does the Book say?
Yes, he does and man exercises that free will every moment of his life. Man will always “choose freely” according to his own nature. Eph 2:3 tells us that by “nature” we are “children of wrath” walking in accordance to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience… conducting ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind! In all of these things we are exercising the same “free will” from which so many claim comes the ability to make a "decision" to have a "love for God" and "saving faith in Christ". This not only contradicts plain common sense, but far worse, it contradicts Scripture.
Here’s an illustration
Take for instance a hungry fish. If you place in front of this hungry fish a worm and a fresh baked slice of pepperoni pizza, which of these will the fish eat? The answer is obvioius, the worm. Why is that? Because the fish will chose in accordance to his nature and his nature will draw him to the worm.
The point
Man’s freedom is limited to his nature. The “free will” of the natural man will never choose to bow down to a holy, just and righteous God. The natural man is an enemy of God in his mind through wicked works. (Col 1:21-22) Such a choice is diametrically opposed to his very nature. Without the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit, raising that spiritually dead man from the grave (Eph 2:1), man’s free will can only choose sin.
That makes us robots!
Does it? Man has a free will and man is a free agent. The free agency of man is illustrated in man’s physical ability to do something. I could ask you to pick up a hammer and kill an innocent baby kitten. You have the physical ability to do this. You have the strength in your arms, the coordination to swing at an object and hit it with force, but one thing is missing. You do not have the “will” to do so. Let’s now look at someone who is lost and does not know Christ. This person is nice to their friends, they don’t outwardly appear to hate God, but have no desire whatsoever for the things of God and really would rather keep Him out of their thoughts. They could perhaps be a member of a church because they do enjoy being around other "nice" people. Tell this person to fall on their knees and worship the risen Christ! Tell them to surrender their life to Him, because He is worthy of love and praise! This person is in fine physical shape. They can walk, sit, stand, they can scream, they even have the coordination to talk and tie their shoes at the same time, but there is one thing lacking. They do not have the "will" to do so. They “will not” because they do not “want” to.
“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” (2 Cor 5:17)
When God saves a man, He changes that man and gives Him (by His grace) a new nature… one that desires Him. It is the will of this new nature to surrender to Christ, to love the things of God, to love fellowship with other Christians, to love our enemies, to proclaim the Gospel, to study His Word, to bow our heads in prayer, to repent of our sin, to surrender it all to Christ, to seek Him earnestly all the days of our lives! Why? Because it is the unquenchable desire of the new nature to know Him and to draw closer to Him every day.
You see, “no one” comes to Christ kicking and screaming under the control of some devious god. While we all deserve hell for our rebellion against a holy God, it is this same God, the God of all creation, our Creator, who by His love, grace and mercy, according to His own will and good pleasure (Eph 1:5-7), chose to save a people (the elect; Ie. anyone who turns from their sin and puts their faith in Jesus Christ) from His wrath and give them to His Son. It is they whom Christ prayed for in His High Priestly prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane (John 17:9) and it is they whom He purchased by His shed blood as He bore the cup of God’s wrath on the cross. Christ is risen, He is glorified and He sits at the right hand of the Father making intercession for all who will repent of their sin and put their faith in Jesus Christ alone!
"how I kept back nothing that was helpful, but proclaimed it to you, and taught you publicly and from house to house, testifying to Jews, and also to Greeks, repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ." (Acts 20:20-21)
“But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.” (Titus 3:4-7)
Due to the seemingly continued popularity of this book, I wanted to put yet another post out there exposing it for what it is... a blasphemous work of heresy! Should a Christian want to read a book like this? Should a Christian know so little about the Bible that books like "The Shack" seem completely harmless? Is it harmless? Let's take a look.
Why is the book so popular?
When god is created in “man's” image, he is more likable and easier to be accepted by carnal men. Why? Because he's just like them. The writer has created a false god who can be controlled and manipulated by his creation.
Why is this book so dangerous?
Because it's a work of heresy! We need to fill our minds with the Truth of Scripture, not with make believe books that falsely portray the Just and Holy God of Scripture. Anyone indwelt by the Spirit of God should find themselves outraged not only that the Godhead has been reduced to human form, but at the message this make-believe trinity has for the Reader in light of Holy Scripture.
· Papa to Mack: “We [the Trinity] have limited ourselves out of respect for you.”
Hey... isn’t this Open Theism – God choosing to limit Himself?
· Open Theism - makes the case for a personal God who is open to influence through the prayers, decisions, and actions of people. Although many specific outcomes of the future are unknowable, God's foreknowledge of the future includes that which is determined as time progresses often in light of free decisions that have been made and what has been sociologically determined. So God knows everything that has been determined as well as what has not yet been determined but remains open. As such, he is able to anticipate the future, yet remains fluid to respond and react to prayer and decisions made either contrary or advantageous to His plan or presuppositions.
· Jesus: “God, who is the ground of all being, dwells in, around, and through all things . . .”
Hey, isn’t this Pantheism – God in all things?
· Pantheism - the doctrine that God is the transcendent reality of which the material universe and human beings are only manifestations: it involves a denial of God's personality and expresses a tendency to identify God and nature.
"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." (2 Tim 4:3-4 ESV)
"Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints." (Jude 1:3 ESV)
Discernment, not an attack
“Discernment is not simply a matter of telling the difference between what is right and wrong; rather it is the difference between right and almost right.” -Charles Spurgeon
As Christians, we are required to read books like The Shack with discernment. We are to contend for our faith, which was once for all delivered to the saints! (Jude 1:3)
Work of fiction, relax
Wrong. It may be a work of fiction, but it is marketed as a spiritually transforming book and is taken that way by many. Since William Young has characters in his book that claim to be God, you cannot dismiss it as merely a “light hearted read”. You cannot turn a blind eye to the Writer's low view of God, his heretical portrayal of the Godhead and his gross manipulation of Scripture.
eg. “I am the best way any human can relate to Papa or Sarayu.”
This is a false Jesus! The Jesus Christ of Holy Scripture never claims to be “the best” way, He says He is the ONLY way!
"Jesus said to him, 'I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.'" (John 14:6 ESV)
As Believers we should exercise discretion when approaching this type of a book and should be careful not to dismiss it as a harmless work of fiction, because it is not. This book is dangerous and will deceive many. It is nothing more than another sign of the times that 2 Timothy 4 is in full effect. People will not endure sound doctrine, but they have itching ears and will gather to themselves teachers who will suit their own passions and they will turn away from listening to the truth.
I'll close this out with the words of Paul, inspired by the Holy Spirit.
"I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ." (Gal 1:6-7)
