MzEllen & Co.

Christians are persecuted.

We debate doctrine, we debate about “the imputation of Adam’s guilt”, we debate about this and about that. Don’t misunderstand - some of these are important debates because they affect our understanding of Christ and His cross.
In another part of the world, only a month ago four Christians were deported from Saudi Arabia. Their crime: “preaching to Muslims, planting churches and gathering ladies and gentlemen together for prayer.”

Plainclothes security police arrested the four men at their Friday morning worship service in Jeddah’s Al-Rowaise district on June 9. At 11 a.m., more than 20 officers descended on the rented room where approximately 250 Eritreans and Ethiopians were worshipping, Wendewesen said.

Armed with wooden clubs and guns, the policemen took seats offered them by the worshippers and stayed to listen to the sermon. After the service, the officers flashed ID cards and escorted the four church leaders to offices of the Ministry of Interior.

The next day, authorities transferred the Christians to a civil police station where they were beaten and forced to sign a 10-page document.

While these men were in prison, they say that that their only distraction from the miserable conditions were the Muslim who were curious about Christianity.

Imprisoned, beaten and tortured for preaching the Gospel - their response was to preach the Gospel.

“And the high priest questioned them, saying, “We strictly charged you not to teach in this name, yet here you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching, and you intend to bring this man’s blood upon us.” But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men.“

Another from Meijer Garden.

I’ve covered a lot about the “Solas” on my “what I belive” page and never even started TULIP! The “Solas” ended up being much more defining for me as a Christian, but it was TULIP I first learned about. As with many people, the aspect I had the most trouble wrapping my brain around was the “U” part.

Here’s the “short story”

• T - total depravity of man
• U - unconditional election
• L - limited atonement
• I - irresistable grace
• P - perseverence of the saints

Every week I get a commentary in my email box from White Horse Inn and this week’s segment is on Roman’s 9:10-21. When I first started looking at Reformed teaching this was a toughie. In many churches, the issue is so charged that they just don’t deal with it; this was the church I grew up in. My dad says, “it upsets people.”

Why is “election” so difficult of a thing to wrap your brain around? I think (this is just my opinion) that it comes from pride.

As humans, we want to “do” and it is part of who we are that we want to be independent; we want to be able to “do” for ourselves.

But before we know God, we are dead in sin; as dead as Lazarus was in his tomb and we can no more walk out of our death on our own than Lazarus could. And it’s not just that we can’t - we can’t even try without God’s calling us. “Election” is the term used to describe God’s choosing of us. It is unconditional because there is no condition that we (as humans) are able to meet on our own, before God chooses us.

Here’s what we don’t like: what about free will? If it’s God that “elects” us, how can we have the free will to choose Him?

The “U” teaches that we can’t.

The Bible teaches that we are chosen; and that His choosing of us allows us to accept Him.

Acts 13:48
When the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and honored the word of the Lord; and all who were appointed for eternal life believed.

John 10:26
but you do not believe because you are not my sheep.

Ephesians 1:4
For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight.

Ephesians 1:11
In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will,

(I’m not at home today, so don’t expect any interaction from me…until after midnight (eastern)

I was just reading an article on the three uses of the Law and the author made a point about the Ten Commandments being good - but they are written in the negative. He gave one example.

QUESTION: How would you write the Ten Commandments in the positive?

Here they are, for memory’s sake (in red), with my “positives” in between:

“You shall have no other gods before me.”

Put God first in your life and you won’t go wrong. Worship the Lord you God with all your heart and all your soul and all your mind. Make no room for other gods…

“You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the LORD your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.

Keep your mind’s eye and your heart focused on God. Be aware of anything that could become something that is worshipped.

“You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.

Respect the Lord’s Name - He is your Creator, your Healer, your Life! There is nothing (NOTHING) that you deserve and even your very breath comes from the Lord. Respect the Lord’s Name.

“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.

Rejoice in Christ! He is your Sabbath rest! If you are in Christ, you have entered into the rest that is in Him - no longer bound to the works of the Law, you may look forward to the final rest, beyond the grave.

“Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the LORD your God is giving you.

This one is a “positive” and it bears saying again. Confront their sin - Biblically, gently, and with honor.

“You shall not murder.

Respect human life. Love the people you have contact with. Love is patient and kind; love is humble and polite. Love is more concerned with what is right, not with who is right. Love holds short accounts and lets grudges go. Love mourns at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

You shall not commit adultery.

Be faithful - in the big things and in the small things.

“You shall not steal.

Get what you need honestly. Work hard.

“You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

Be honest in all things. Even if what you say doesn’t agree with others, if you are faithful to your own beliefs, you will be honored.

“You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor’s.”

Be content with what God has given you. “Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.”

This one takes some explaining - This photo is taken at Meijer Garden, in the children’s garden. This is a series of fountains and pools in the shape of the Great Lakes - the garden provides boats (you can see one at the very top) that will go all the way from “Lake Superior” to “Lake Ontario”. The blue squiggles inside the state outline are the major rivers in Michigan.

My son has a t-shirt that says “Michigan: America’s High Five”. In this photo you can see the “mitten” outline of the lower penninsula.

This says “BLUE” to me, because in Michigan, you are never more than 6 miles from a natural body of water.

The last repost - and all of the old “pages” are now posts!

Sola Scriptura
Solus Christus

If we believe that Scripture is our only infallible and ultimate authority for faith and things of faith, it follows that all other theology must flow from Scripture. When when theology comes from extra-Biblical writing and/or historical writings and/or tradition and cannot be backed up by Scripture, the theology must be discarded.

Solus Christus - Christ alone. By Christ’s finished work on the cross, alone, are we saved.

There is no other mediator (or mediatrix) (1 Timothy 2:5 For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus…

There is no other Redeemer (or redemptress) (Hebrews 9:15 For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance—now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant. )

John Calvin said in the Institutes of the Christian Religion, “Christ stepped in, took the punishment upon himself and bore the judgment due to sinners. With his own blood he expiated the sins which made them enemies of God and thereby satisfied him…we look to Christ alone for divine favour and fatherly love!”

The Heidelberg Catechism, Question 30 asks, “Do such then believe in Jesus the only Saviour who seek their salvation and happiness in saints, in themselves, or anywhere else? They do not; for though they boast of him in words yet in deeds they deny Jesus the only deliverer and Saviour: for one of these two things must be true that either Jesus is not a complete Saviour or that they who by a true faith receive this Saviour must find all things in him necessary to their salvation.”

From White Horse Inn…

“No Condemnation: Romans 8:1-17.”

(12-17) “So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs–heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.”

In Romans, Paul not only imforms us that salvation by grace alone is not permission to sin. “Fire insurance” is not the road to heaven.

On the other hand, we cannot be perfect and those who claim to have no sin - lie. In this life we cannot attain perfection.

But God demands perfection of those who cannot be perfect. How can this be?

This is the beautiful part of salvation by grace - unmerited favor.

We are not perfect, but we have perfection. This perfection isn’t something we earn or something we grow into. The perfect righteousness that we have, we are given through the blood of Christ.

(There is a “debate” and I have a post growing on it, about whether or not this is “Christ’s righteousness” that is “imputed” to us, or whether or not this righteousness is our own faith that has been given to us by God - that is reckoned as righteousness. That is for another day…)

Our faith is reckoned as righteousness! This doesn’t happen after a lifetime - God grants us saving faith, through that faith comes God’s grace. Right at the beginning of our Christian walk!

Many religious people believe that the best motivation for holiness is fear of punishment and hope of reward. Sermons often become either pep talks that attempt to cajole the people into following God because of the practical benefits, or scolding in which they’re brow-beaten for not gaining victory in Jesus or surrendering every area of their life. Paul starts at neither of those points when he wants to lead believers into the new obedience that results from the life in the Spirit, choosing instead to announce all over again the heavenly verdict that calms our fears and allows us to love God instead of resent him for the very first time in our lives.

How true! I remember the “do’s and don’ts” of growing up. I remember the pastor scolding a couple (dating, not married) from the pulpit for holding hands in church.

I also remember (as an adult) striving for “sanctification” - the one you have to work for!

Paul tells us that we are righteous! Not because we are so good, but because Christ is so good.

Our faith brings perfection - not our own, because we cannot be perfect; not in this life. Christ is the only perfect being that ever walked this earth and it is His perfect sacrifice that wiped out our debt, leaving us free.

THAT is the “good news!”

This is another repeat…

The Bean (officially: “Cloud Gate“)

Salt, when dissolved in water, may disappear, but it does not cease to exist.
We can be sure of its presence by tasting the water.

Likewise, the indwelling Christ, though unseen,
will be made evident to others from the love which He imparts to us.”

~Sadhu Sundar Singh~

I’m thinking of the persecuted church and even (a little bit) of where most of us are. Salt is a good thing - it’s good for flavor and it’s good for preserving things. But (think of the water again) if there is too much salt, we don’t like it very much.

A couple of years ago my class made ice cream and we needed rock salt. One of the students was determined that he wanted to taste the salt and finally the teacher let him taste it. He was also determined that he was not going to let on how bad it tasted and how badly he wanted to spit it out. So he just sat there with a very funny look on his face until it all dissolved; then (and only then) he went to get a drink of water.

2 Corinthians 12:10 For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

As Christians, we should not expect an easy life! We are the salt and if we get to “salty” the world will want to spit us out. We don’t s