In John 6 v 70-71 we are told that Jesus chose the twelve disciples and that He knew Judas would betray Him. The inevitable question then arises - if Jesus knew that Judas would betray Him why did He choose him? After all, it may not seem wise, to our way of thinking, to choose someone who is going to let you down at a crucial moment. So, what is the answer?
As with all Bible questions the answer lies in the Bible itself; indeed, all queries about the Bible can be answered if we simply search the Word of God. We do not need to rely on man's so-called wisdom (which is folly, anyway) to find out the truths of the things of God - everything God wants us to know about Him are found in the pages of Holy Writ.
So, then, why did Jesus choose Judas? The answer is simple, to fulfil the scriptures. In John 13 v 18 we read that Jesus chose Judas so that the prophecy of Psalm 41 v 9 would be fulfilled. To put it simply, Christ's mission was to be a sacrifice for our sins, and, in order for Him to be arrested, tried, and murdered by wicked men, there had to be means to effect this. Judas would be one of those means. His betrayal led to the arrest of Jesus and the rest, as they say, is history.
The question then, often arises, how can this be fair? Does God really raise up people who then do wicked acts in order to fulfil God's purposes? Again, let the Bible speak for itself - Proverbs 16 v 4 states that God "has made all things for Himself, even the wicked for the day of evil". Moreover, we read in Romans 9 that God raised up Pharaoh in order to fulfil His purposes (v17) and that God has made "vessels of wrath, fitted to destruction" (v22).
Furthermore, we read in 1st Peter 2 v 8 that the unsaved, who reject Christ, have been appointed so to do. Does this mean that God makes people do wicked things, and reject Christ and His word? Again, the answer is simple. By nature we are all full of sin and vileness and we are all on the Broad Way that leads to judgement. However, God in His mercy chooses people and, through the preaching of the Gospel, and the work of the Holy Spirit, draws them to repentance and faith in Christ. They are moved from the Broad Way, to the Narrow Way that leads to life (Matthew 7 v 13-14). Those not so chosen, are left in their sins, to suffer the due penalty of their rebellion.
In other words, if it were not for God's grace and enabling, none of us would come to our senses and turn to Christ. Left to ourselves we would all do the most vile wicked things, including the betrayal of the Son of God, Himself. That brings us back to the question - is it fair? The Apostle Paul, gave short shrift to such a question in Romans 9 v 20 when he said "who are you, o man, to reply against God?"
Let us have complete confidence in both, the Word of God, the infallible Bible, and the sovereignty of God "who does all things well".
Saturday, 29 July 2017
Monday, 24 July 2017
The importance of a literal Genesis
As Christians we often state that we believe that the Bible is the inspired Word of God. However, I wonder if we truly appreciate that that means we have to accept a literal Genesis, for one very simple reason - the early chapters of Genesis provide the foundation for the rest of the Bible.
Jesus often quoted from Genesis, eg. He said that in the beginning God created male and female (Matthew 19) and also mentioned various events in history as accomplished facts. Moreover, because Genesis is the foundation for the rest of the Bible it is likely that if we don't hold to a literal Genesis we are likely to go astray in other parts of the Bible, and may end up falling away, altogether!
An example of this happening is as follows:
In the 1940s there was a preacher called Charles Templeton, he was a colleague of Billy Graham and they often shared a platform together. Mr Templeton's ministry was deeply appreciated and many souls were saved at meetings he addressed. However, as time went on he began to question the Genesis account of creation. Slowly, but surely, as he voiced his doubts about this foundational book, he began to move away from the great doctrines of the faith until, eventually, he fell so far away that he even wrote a book discounting the Bible. He passed into eternity in 2001 and, one hopes, he came to his senses before doing so - sadly, though, apostates rarely do.
Templeton's fall should be a lesson to all of us. Let us never, never think that we know better than the Bible - if Genesis says that God made the world in 6 days (and it does), then that is what happened! All the great miracles, and seemingly impossible events, recorded in God's word happened just as stated in Holy Writ. When we allow ourselves just a small, smidgen of doubt, then we are like the person standing on the edge of a cliff and hacking away the ground from beneath his feet.
Let us be sure to stand firm for the Bible as the inspired, inerrant and infallible word - absolutely correct and trustworthy in every detail.
"Every word of God is pure" - Proverbs 30 v 5
Jesus often quoted from Genesis, eg. He said that in the beginning God created male and female (Matthew 19) and also mentioned various events in history as accomplished facts. Moreover, because Genesis is the foundation for the rest of the Bible it is likely that if we don't hold to a literal Genesis we are likely to go astray in other parts of the Bible, and may end up falling away, altogether!
An example of this happening is as follows:
In the 1940s there was a preacher called Charles Templeton, he was a colleague of Billy Graham and they often shared a platform together. Mr Templeton's ministry was deeply appreciated and many souls were saved at meetings he addressed. However, as time went on he began to question the Genesis account of creation. Slowly, but surely, as he voiced his doubts about this foundational book, he began to move away from the great doctrines of the faith until, eventually, he fell so far away that he even wrote a book discounting the Bible. He passed into eternity in 2001 and, one hopes, he came to his senses before doing so - sadly, though, apostates rarely do.
Templeton's fall should be a lesson to all of us. Let us never, never think that we know better than the Bible - if Genesis says that God made the world in 6 days (and it does), then that is what happened! All the great miracles, and seemingly impossible events, recorded in God's word happened just as stated in Holy Writ. When we allow ourselves just a small, smidgen of doubt, then we are like the person standing on the edge of a cliff and hacking away the ground from beneath his feet.
Let us be sure to stand firm for the Bible as the inspired, inerrant and infallible word - absolutely correct and trustworthy in every detail.
"Every word of God is pure" - Proverbs 30 v 5
Monday, 10 July 2017
The C of E slides deeper into apostasty
In 1st Corinthians 6 v 9-11 we read a list of sinful acts that will lead to people being debarred from God's kingdom, this is followed by a positive statement about the power of the Gospel to change people, and cleanse them from their sins.
However, in a further sign of the deepening apostasy in the Church of England, their general synod has voted to cast aside this truth and state that such a position amounts to "spiritual abuse". This motion was moved by 2 people (Jayne Ozanne and Ed Cox) who are not prepared to repent of their unnatural perversions and they seek, by deceitful and sly behaviour, to promote the denial of God's infallible word - the Bible.
When people involved in some sinful pursuit are confronted by God's word about their wickedness they have a clear choice - they can come to their senses and truly repent of this, seeking God's grace and the power of the Holy Spirit, or they can walk away from God's word and continue to live in rebellion. However, there appears to be a third group - those who pay lip service to the Bible but seek to change its clear teaching in order to allow them to continue in their sin and still claim to be Christians - that is what Ozanne and Cox have opted to do.
The people who support this "third option" are deluding themselves. For them to claim to be Christians while re-writing God's word to fit it in with the dictates of political correctness, is a massive act, not only of self-delusion, but of self-harm. These poor creatures will not only have to account to God for their sin of unnatural perversions, and casting aside God's word, but also for leading other people astray.
It is bad enough when sinners refuse to repent, it is infinitely worse to lead others into the same sin; and why do they do this? The answer is simple, they want to hang on to their sin, instead of facing up to it, repenting of it, and seeking, by the power of the Holy Spirit to live lives pleasing to God.
The Bible is clear, the teachings of 1st Cor. 6 v 9-11 being a fundamental part of Christian teaching - and those who cast that aside do so at the peril of their eternal destiny.
It is truly to be hoped that Ozanne and Cox come to true repentance and get saved, however, experience has shown that apostates rarely do. Perhaps this is another example of the truths of Romans 1 v 24, 26 and 28, being vindicated viz. "God gave them up...to vile perversions". Once God gives people up to such, they rarely, if ever recover.
However, in a further sign of the deepening apostasy in the Church of England, their general synod has voted to cast aside this truth and state that such a position amounts to "spiritual abuse". This motion was moved by 2 people (Jayne Ozanne and Ed Cox) who are not prepared to repent of their unnatural perversions and they seek, by deceitful and sly behaviour, to promote the denial of God's infallible word - the Bible.
When people involved in some sinful pursuit are confronted by God's word about their wickedness they have a clear choice - they can come to their senses and truly repent of this, seeking God's grace and the power of the Holy Spirit, or they can walk away from God's word and continue to live in rebellion. However, there appears to be a third group - those who pay lip service to the Bible but seek to change its clear teaching in order to allow them to continue in their sin and still claim to be Christians - that is what Ozanne and Cox have opted to do.
The people who support this "third option" are deluding themselves. For them to claim to be Christians while re-writing God's word to fit it in with the dictates of political correctness, is a massive act, not only of self-delusion, but of self-harm. These poor creatures will not only have to account to God for their sin of unnatural perversions, and casting aside God's word, but also for leading other people astray.
It is bad enough when sinners refuse to repent, it is infinitely worse to lead others into the same sin; and why do they do this? The answer is simple, they want to hang on to their sin, instead of facing up to it, repenting of it, and seeking, by the power of the Holy Spirit to live lives pleasing to God.
The Bible is clear, the teachings of 1st Cor. 6 v 9-11 being a fundamental part of Christian teaching - and those who cast that aside do so at the peril of their eternal destiny.
It is truly to be hoped that Ozanne and Cox come to true repentance and get saved, however, experience has shown that apostates rarely do. Perhaps this is another example of the truths of Romans 1 v 24, 26 and 28, being vindicated viz. "God gave them up...to vile perversions". Once God gives people up to such, they rarely, if ever recover.
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