Efficiency of Christ's Death!

In the Bible, there are scriptures that speak of the efficiency of Christ's death.

For example, John 10:11, the Lord Jesus Christ said, I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. It is very clear that Christ gave His life for the sheep. The sheep are everyone who will believe (the believing ones), because in John 10:26, Jesus said to unbelievers, But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto you. 

Another scripture would be Romans 8:32, When in the context of these verses, God speaks of believers (elect), when He says, He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things.

Even in John 3:16, it is the whosoever (the believing ones) who will be saved.

Christ's death is efficient only for the believing ones. Christ secured the salvation for all the believing ones on the cross, because the believing ones are the only ones who will receive salvation by God's grace through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, and trust in Him to save them by His death, burial and resurrection.

The Inspiration of God

In 2Timothy 3:16, we see the words "inspiration of God". In the Greek text, it is the word "Theopnestos" and means literally "Divinely breathed". Theo is the word for God, and pneo is the word for breathe, or breathed out. The word pneo is used 7 times in the New Testament and is used in connection with the wind physically, which breathes i.e. blows like one who breathes outwardly.

Interestingly, the word for the Spirit in the NT is pneuma, the same word used for the wind. Even in the OT, the Hebrew word "rucha" is the word for Spirit and for the wind.

Even the Lord Jesus speaks to Nicodemus about the Spirit in connection with the wind in John 3:8. The Lord Jesus said, 'The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit'. (KJV) Jesus speaks of the operations of the Holy Spirit compared to the wind.

Jesus did that on many occasions. He used the physical to explain the spiritual, like we see with the parables. A parable is an earthly story with a heavenly meaning. So just as the wind moves physically to do and accomplish its work, the Spirit moves in a spiritual way to accomplish His Work, and the Bible tells us that the Holy Spirit moved on men to write down the Word of God.

In 2Peter 1:20-21 (KJV), it speaks that 'Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost'.

We see the same in John 14:26 when Jesus promised the Holy Spirit when He went to be with the Father after His resurrection, Jesus said, 'But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and brings all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said to you'. (KJV) The author of scripture is the Holy Spirit; it originated from God and not from man.

The word "moved" in 2Peter 1:21 is a sea-faring term that describes the effects of the wind upon a ship as it blows against its sails and moves it through the water. In the same way, the Holy Spirit moved on the Biblical writers to produce the Word of God in the language of man. The pen men of whom the Spirit of God moved upon understood they were penning God's Word and did with assurance and with authority. In 2Peter 3:15-16 Peter recognised that Paul's epistles were scripture. The reason Paul confidently wrote, 'All scripture is given by inspiration of God'.  The OT and NT (the Bible) is the literal breathe of God.

Definite Sanctification

Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, to them that are sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ, and called: (Jude 1KJV)

The word 'sanctified' here in Jude 1 is in the perfect participle in the Greek, which means that it is a completed action in the past, with present effects. It refers to definite (complete) sanctification and not progressive sanctification. When a person believes in the Lord Jesus Christ, they are set apart for God's exclusive use and unique service.

Let me give some examples from the Bible to clearly show what the word 'sanctified' means in this verse. In the Book of Genesis 2:3, when God created in six days, and He rested on the seventh. The seventh day was sanctified (set apart) from the other days because God has rested from His Work. Then we see in the book of Exodus, when God gave the Ten Commandments to the children of Israel, God gave a commandment to keep the Sabbath Day holy, which means to sanctify the Sabbath Day, to set apart from the other six days. They were to do their work on six days, but set apart the Sabbath Day, and do no work. It was to be set apart from the other days.

Another example would be the Tabernacle and the furniture. God's Tabernacle and its furniture in the Old Testament was sanctified, set apart as the place of God's presence and for worship. The Tabernacle and its furniture were set apart for God, not like other tabernacles and furniture.

When we come to our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, He was sanctified by God the Father as the Christ, the Anointed One. Jesus was set apart for the Father's exclusive use and purposes. The Book of Isaiah calls Him, 'The Suffering Servant'. Christ came to do His Father's will. He was set apart to be the Saviour of the World.

So just like the Sabbath Day was sanctified, the tabernacle and its furniture, and the Lord Jesus Christ was sanctified, believers have been sanctified for God's exclusive use and unique service, not just for one day (the Lord's Day) but for every day. Believers have been set apart by God for Him.

Now understand that Jude is not speaking about sinless perfection, or having complete sanctification, in the sense of no longer able to sin, but Jude speaks here about our position that God has placed us in, positionally set apart in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Every true believer has been born again in Christ Jesus, born from above, has been sanctified by God the Father. Every believer has moved from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of light; from the kingdom of the devil to the everlasting kingdom of Christ. The Bible says a true believer is a new creation in Christ (2Cor. 5:17). This is the reason that all true believers can say, 'I am sanctified in Christ', which speaks of passed sanctification, positionally set apart.

Here is one more example- When a man and a woman get married and become husband and wife, they are set apart for his or her exclusive use and purpose as a husband or as a wife, completely, wholly and totally. The same with our Lord, believers have been set apart for Him, and not for this world. The Church (who is the Bride) has been set apart for the Lord Jesus Christ, Who is the Bride-Groom.

The called (Jude 1)

Jude is writing to believers in his epistle. In the first verse he writes, 'to them that are sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ, and called.' So "the called" can only refer to something that has happened to a believer and not an unbeliever. So what does Jude mean?

Jude is not speaking here about a call to a particular ministry, but a call to the Lord. The Greek word means "a saint or appointed to be God's holy ones, who receive the whole blessings of God, in time and eternity. It comes from the word in the Greek which means "to invite", which is found in Ephesians 4:1b KJV, which says, 'beseech you that ye walk worthy of your vocation wherewith ye are called.'

It is a divine invitation or call to the privileges of the gospel. Christians have come into the gospel privileges. Jude writes here about the internal call. The Bible says in John 16:8KJV, speaking about the Holy Spirit, 'And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgement.'

The outward call is the preaching of the gospel. The Bible says in 2Thessonians 2:14KJV, 'Whereunto he called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.' The outward call is the preaching of the gospel, calling sinners to repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ to save them by His death, burial and resurrection. This is the outward call. Even unbelievers can have the outward call (the preaching of the gospel).

The inward call is the illumination of the Holy Spirit. The illumination is the convicting work of the Holy Spirit of God (John 16:8). For example, If you put a blind man into a dark room, and switch on the light, the blind man still will not be able to see the light, because he needs sight. The same with the gospel and the convicting work of the Holy Spirit. There needs to be an outward call which is the light (the gospel), and there needs to be an inward call, the convicting work of the Holy Spirit, to give the sight to embrace the light. The outward call and inward call go hand in hand when a person comes to faith in Christ. The gospel is preached and the Holy Spirit takes His gospel and convicts (works) on the sinner to enable them to embrace the light (gospel). The illumination is needed for a person to receive salvation. Only a person who has embraced the light (the gospel), responded to the inward call by God's grace, has spiritual sight, thus are the 'called'.

Be Careful!

Brothers and sisters in Christ, we are never to compromise the Word of God, but we are never to go beyond our boundaries. What do I mean? There are people who profess to be Christians who will condemn people personally by name to the Lake of Fire before the Great White throne Judgement when lost people will be judged by the Lord Jesus Christ, and cast into the Lake of Fire (Rev. 20:15). There are professing Christians who will name individuals personally, and say, 'They are in hell now!'. That is over stepping the mark. The Bible never teaches Christians have the authority to personally condemn a person by name, Christ has that authority, and Christ will do according to His Word.

We are to tell the truth of God's Word boldly, that all who truly put their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ to save them by His death, burial and resurrection will go to heaven (John 3:16; John 14:6; Eph. 2:8)  and all who reject Christ and His finished Work when they die will go to hell, and to the Lake of Fire for all eternity because the Bible says, 'And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire (Rev. 20:15). We are never to compromise these truths, but we are never told by God to personally condemn openly by name anyone to the flames of hell, even though they may be there, leave that to God, and let us tell others the good news, so they may not go there. 

You may say, doesn't the Bible tells us that Judas went to hell? I believe the Bible does, but God is telling us that in His Word. There is a big difference when God tells us a person by name is in hell in His Word, than yourself personally condemning a person by name to hell.

You could also be in danger of publicly condemning a person to hell, when that person actually put his faith in the Lord Jesus Christ before he or she took their final breath on this earth

Apologetic Moment

In one of his lectures, Dr. James N. Anderson gave a good answer to the following question that an atheist may ask- "Can God create a rock so heavy He cannot lift it?" Just reply, "Any rock that God creates He can lift!" Always remember, God cannot defeat Himself because He is Omnipotent! 

Judas Iscariot by John MacArthur

The devil is the father of lies

Notice that Satan lied to Eve when he said to her, “Ye shall be as gods”, or simply put, “You will be god” (Gen. 3:5). The devil knows there is only one true God, and understood that Eve would not be god, but he wanted Eve to trust in herself as god, and be independent from the One True Living God and not trust in Him. 

Satan still uses this lie today. What does Satan want? He does not want people to come into a relationship with God through Christ and go to heaven, but to remain in their sin and rebellion against God, and go to hell; all false religions and cults which includes atheism accommodate the devil's desire. Atheists believe the lie that they can be independent from God, just like Eve believed in the Garden of Eden. The many people who claim to be atheists want to set their own moral standard and say what is right and wrong because they have pleasure in unrighteousness. They make themselves believe they are not accountable to the true living God by deceiving themselves to believe the lie that there is no God. The reason is because they want set their own moral standard that allows them to have pleasure in sin, thus to make them feel comfortable in their practice.

Christ will lead His Sheep Home!

The  Lord Jesus makes intercession for His people (Rom. 8:34), and you can be sure that Christ will not fail because His intercession is based on His finished work. He has already won the victory by His death, burial and resurrection, and His people will endure to the end. Christ is already victorious. Christ cannot fail and He will see His people to the end. You can witness this with Peter when Jesus knew Peter would be going down by denying Him 3 times, but Jesus prayed for Peter that He would not be staying down, but he would be coming up again, and would endure to the end (Luke 22:32). Now compare that with Judas, who betrayed the Lord Jesus. Jesus did not pray for Judas like He did for Peter, and Judas did not go to heaven.

The people who professed to be believers and have turned their backs on Christ and become apostate were not truly saved in the first place (1John 2:19), because if they were truly saved, they would never have become an apostate because Christ intercedes for His Sheep, and His Sheep will endure to the end.

Christ has accomplished salvation for His sheep, and He will lead them home and not lose one (John 10:27-29).  He has given every true believer eternal Life (John 3:16).

You believe in what?

It is amazing how atheists will convince themselves to believe in something that nobody has ever witnessed (evolution), and do not have any evidence for anything that has evolved from one kind to another kind (fossils are not evidence for evolution) , thus have nothing that can be observed and tested. The reason a person is an atheist is not because they do not know their is a God, because they do know there is a God (Rom. 1:18-20), but it is because of their hatred for the true and living God, the God of the Bible. They would rather suppress the truth, and convince themselves to believe the lie because they have pleasure in unrighteousness.

God is always on time! ( John 11:1-44)

We need to remember that God is always on time! God is never early and never late! This is seen in John 11, when Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead. Lazarus' sisters wanted Jesus to come to heal their sick brother, but Jesus did not go immediately. When Jesus did arrive, there were those who thought Jesus was too late because He came after Lazarus had died and not before, and there were those who murmured about the Lord, but Jesus was on time according to His Sovereign purposes, and they witnessed something greater than they would have ever expected. The Lord works by His timing not man's timing, and this is important to understand.

Just like when the sisters of Lazarus sent word to Jesus about their brother's sickness, and Jesus did not do what they wanted, when we (Christians) pray to our Lord and it does not go the way we expected or wanted, always remember God has sovereign purposes in life, and it is not because He is not able (Jesus did more than heal him, Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead), and it does not mean He does not love you (Jesus loved Lazarus and his sisters). God uses the means of prayer, and is essential for a believer to pray. It is essential not only for dependance on God, but also development by God and delight with God.

He is God. God is faithful and true, and the Bible says, 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 8:28 kjv)

Christian Prayer (Giving Thanks)

Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. (1Thessalonians 5:17-18kjv)

All through scripture we notice that giving thanks to our Lord in everything is very important, not just when things are going well, but even through hard times. God is not only good to us in easy times, but he is good to us when we go through darkness. Think about what the Lord has done for you through the difficult times, how faithful He has been to His Word, loving you (a Christian) perfectly as your Father. Never doubt God's love for you because God has already given us the most precious gift of all, the Lord Jesus Christ, which we should give thanks to God continually. Our God is always faithful and true, so continue and do not cease to give Him thanks.

Christian Debates

My favourite lecture when I was at Seminary was Systematic Theology. There were times when I would debate the lecturer on certain things, and other students would debate him, too. The lecturer enjoyed to debate when someone disagreed with him, and never discouraged students not to debate. If you have ever studied Systematic Theology at seminary, or will in the future you most probably have or will experience(d) that as well.  This is one subject where debates can begin because of the hot topics that will be addressed. 

But the important thing to remember when we do debate with other born again Christians, we need to debate in a Christ-like manner, to treat one and another according to scripture, otherwise it will not be done as a good witness for our Lord. Christians need to discuss or debate the scriptures in Christian love.

We should not be debating other fellow Christians just to get one over them, and insult them, and make them look like a fool, but we should debate them in Christian love, for the truth of God's Word, to edify, and for Christ to receive the glory.

Biblical Tongues

Biblical Baptism

Biblical Love