Grant Swart
We live in a generation which is certainly under God’s judgement, if you care to pause for a few moments and ponder the general state of the society in which we now live, I’m sure that much will become quite evident. Of course, those who are of the world, who are happy to be embroiled in pursuing wealth, health and prosperity and all kinds of ways to proving their own self-righteousness and personal value before God, will not recognize the fact that they are under that very same judgement.
Never before have materialism, humanism, pride and self-worth been so prominently at the forefront of man’s thinking and priorities. Almost every marketing strategy, campaign and advert appeals directly to the will, over-inflated importance and vain pride of man. No other singular concepts have ever been as sharply focused on, as human rights, vanity and the deceitful ideology of human democracy are, in our generation.
This same critique must be leveled at the marketing done by many “churches”, the bulk of which are at great pains to take their particular brand of will-worship or church tradition to the lost multitudes of the world. The grossly erroneous interpretation of true church growth, cleverly disguised as “spiritual revival”, is one which interprets that the greater the number of misguided people who respond to these highly effective sales ploys is, the greater the tacit approval of God must be for their brand of faith or for their particular efforts. It is God who adds to His church, not pastors, synods, committees, councils, conferences or the efforts of individuals or congregations.
We are a generation which should have “blasphemy” as the header to its credentials. As the current global population, we have conjured up more false beliefs, erroneous doctrines and false religions than any which have gone before. Tragically, but nonetheless foretold in Scripture, it has been within the bounds of what poses as Christian churches, where a writhing and festering multitude of these blasphemous falsehoods have been formulated. Would God allow this to happen from within the bounds of His church? Possibly, but one must bear in mind that the vast majority of these denominational and other “churches”, are seldom, if ever, representative of God’s chosen people.
Men instituted and continue to enlarge the heretical and self-promoting concept of denominationalism, which is greatly to blame for this state of affairs. It is within these boundaries that many fatal errors are conceived and taught. Why would I say this, and more importantly, am I correct in making these statements? Lets us take a brief look at a very few of these fatal errors which are common to all false religions, including false Christianity, and which have turned the truth of God into a lie. Romans 1:25 because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.
There is a marked and, to those who have been saved by the Sovereign Grace of God, glaringly obvious difference between the beliefs in the religious world and the Word of God. World religions centre their belief on experience, tradition, emotion and works-based righteousness. Even though many of these false religious types refer to the Word of God, they misinterpret the Scriptures because they base their understanding thereof on their feelings, their perceived experiences, their emotional response, or the traditions of their denominational or religious leaders. Some of these traditions may be ancient, but they are just as blasphemous today as they were when they were conceived. Others may be far more modern concepts, yet they are just as fatal as their historic counterparts. More often than not, the modern traditions and devices are simply continuations or subtle adaptations of old existing heretical practices and beliefs.
These are the words of our Lord regarding this matter:
Matthew 15:6-9 he need not honor his father.’ So for the sake of your tradition you have made void the word of God. You hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy of you, when he said: “‘This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.'”
We cannot base our faith on anything other than the Word of God. Any tradition, ritual, belief system, worship procedure, teaching, church, doctrine, preacher or spirit that is not explicitly according to the Word of God, is not from God. If something or someone is not of God, then they are of Satan. There is no grey area. There is no revelation for the church outside of Scripture, and there is no need for such.
False religions do not recognise the absolute and effectual Sovereignty of God in salvation. False religions all maintain that man has some role to play in saving himself by way of his own efforts at righteousness and holiness, or pleasing God. False religion regards God’s grace as simply an offer of salvation, an opportunity to be saved, which the sinner may or may not take, according to their own will and discretion. Scripture describes an Almighty and Holy God, who can and does by Grace, save all those whom He will, effectually and irresistibly. Those who have been saved by this Sovereign grace, know this to be true by way of God’s Spirit in them. Eph 2:8-9 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
Salvation is not God leaving the final decision up to man. God does not consult man first when He decides to act. Salvation is not simply a chance to be saved, salvation is of the Lord. Jesus concurs: Matthew 11:25-26 At that time Jesus declared, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will.
Salvation is in its entirety the Sovereign work and performance of God. The following verses leave no place for man’s effort or part in his salvation: Romans 9:15-16 For He says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy.
Another of the great and popular heresies upheld by false religion, is that which teaches that Christ died for all men without exception. This fatal error is clear and unaffected blasphemy, because it makes the cross of Christ irrelevant and His suffering worthless and meaningless. At the very heart of the Gospel is the Cross of Christ and the substitutionary atonement of Jesus Christ.
If Christ died for all men, what are we to say about those who are not saved? Did Christ die in vain on their behalf, because they failed to choose to be saved? If Christ died for all men, then His death is irrelevant to everyone. The only relevant thing, according to those who believe that Christ died for all men, is the will of man. Many of them uphold an adaptation of that heresy, one which says that the will of man works alongside the will of God in saving sinners. In other words, they maintain that God alone is incapable or unwilling to save any man, lest man himself assist in the process. Blasphemy indeed.
The Word of God makes it abundantly clear that the cross of Jesus Christ concretely, effectively and sufficiently brought about the full redemption of God’s elect and secured their eternal salvation. Hebrews 9:12 he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption.
Those who maintain that Christ died for everyone, maintain therefore that He died in vain. To maintain that Christ died for any who perish, is to maintain that his death in effect, did nothing for anyone, but only made salvation possible by creating a path between God and man.
The atonement of Christ is limited to those who are loved by God. Christ died for those beloved of God for whom Christ makes intercession. Jesus prayed in John 17:9, not for everyone, but for those who belong to God when He said: “I am praying for them. I am not praying for the world but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours.”
The atonement of Christ is limited to those who are His sheep, who can hear His voice: John 10:25-27 Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father’s name bear witness about me, but you do not believe because you are not among my sheep. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.”
Not all people are His, not all people can hear His voice. Romans 8:33 Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Universal atonement as preached by the false church and the religious world, is blasphemy.
False, blasphemous religion states that the Holy Spirit calls all sinners to repent and to place their faith in Christ, and that those who make a decision by their own free will to surrender to the call, will be saved. In other words, if the preacher is sufficiently influential, he can sell the concept of salvation to the sinner. He therefore is no longer a pastor, but has become a salesman trying to convince the already dead sinner to choose to live. Like a corpse that can rise under its own power.
The truth of the matter, as written in the Word of God, is that salvation is the bringing to life of those who are spiritually dead in their sins, by the Sovereign work and grace of God’s Holy Spirit. Dead sinners are given spiritual life and faith in Christ by the saving power and grace of the Holy Spirit. John 1:12-13 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.
Blasphemous religionists and those who idolize and overplay their own pride-filled free will, do not agree with Romans 9:16 So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy.
In a final effort to deny Christ, what has increasingly become the most blasphemous generation in history, also believes that the eternal security of the saved sinner is dependent upon man’s efforts at maintaining righteousness. The false religionist regards justification and in particular, sanctification, as merely “spiritual probation”.
There are those who excitedly proclaim: “Once saved, always saved”, which erroneously gives the unregenerate, who might have believed that they could “make a decision for Christ”, the false assurance that they are saved. There are many who profess to be Christians, who go through all the religious motions, who try very hard to maintain a righteousness which they do not possess.
They work very hard at being good, morally upstanding, dedicated students and most are even regular church members. In other words, they put great effort into working for their sanctification. The blasphemous heresy of progressive sanctification, also known in some circles as Lordship Salvation, is loudly proclaimed from pulpits of many denominational and other churches.
In this way, blasphemous preachers effectively downplay the saving power and sufficiency of Christ’s atonement, making salvation once again dependant on man’s efforts and will. This makes Christianity akin to all false religions such as Islam, Eastern Orthodoxy or Roman Catholicism, wherein man’s works are instrumental in determining his salvation. I have written other articles on this blog which deal in more depth with the biblical doctrine of sanctification and the heresy of progressive sanctification.
God’s Word clearly declares that all true believers, saved by God’s grace, are saved eternally. True believers are saved by the grace of God alone and are preserved by the same Almighty grace. Those whom God chose to save, those who are beloved of God, are given faith in order to persevere according to God’s will until the time when God calls them from this world into eternal glory.
Matthew 10:19-20 When they deliver you over, do not be anxious how you are to speak or what you are to say, for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour. For it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.
Joh 10:27-29 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.
What then of those who abandon the Christian faith, who give up on the Gospel? The Word of God is clear that they were never saved. 1 John 2:19 They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us.
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For the Love of His Truth 
Thank you for this post 🙂
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Reblogged this on The Narrowing Path.
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Reblogged this on The Shepherd/Guardian.
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wpmember7
Admin Edited
You wrote:
You also wrote many other things.
To a small degree, wpmember7 (aka Spyhard 007, aka Will-worshipper2014), you are correct. I will only place the comments of ‘yes-men’, who respond in loud agreement to the pronunciation of the Gospel according to our Sovereign Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, with a resoundingly positive “YES. Lord!”. I reserve the right, on this blog, to deny publication of deceitful doctrines of pride-filled and unrepentant men/(women), such as those which you repeatedly proffer.
There exists no good reason, under God’s perfect sun, for me to publish or approve spiritually immature, unbiblical, theologically unsound, unedifying and divisive commentary such as that which you continually try to publish on Christian sites such as this one. You will not draw from me, the least response to your unfounded argumentative, contentious and religious ramblings.
For the life of me, I cannot understand why you bother to continually expend much energy in trying to get your unbiblical viewpoints across. By now you should surely have realized that yours is a effort in futility. I will not publish that which sidesteps the truth. You hide behind your keyboard in cowardly anonymity, writing little notes to me, hoping that I will grant you an opportunity to publish your false doctrines and pseudo-theological arguments that certainly do not impress true believers.
I say to you, stand up and be heard, if you are in Christ. Uphold His teachings as they were intended, not as you and the world would wish them to be interpreted to accommodate your pride and self-righteousness. Hold your head up high if your are of Christ and in Christ. Proclaim His Gospel, not the useless works-based, will-worshipping religion of men.
Finally, I must make it known that you do offer many Scriptural references in your notes. Thank you for recounting the Word of God. Thank you again, from my heart, for referring to the beautiful and singularly truthful Word. Next time, I undertake to place all the verses you quote, however, without your misdirected exposition of them.
There are many sites on the internet where you can engage with other like-minded spiritual warlords and gangsters like yourself. This site is not one of them. Just leave it.
I pray the truth becomes yours also.
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Thank you for this
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Sarah,
You are welcome.
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Dear Grant, I could concur with wpmember7 as I also posed some questions which you declined to answer. But as you state correctly, this is your blog and you can edit it as you wish.
However, this is the reality of the internet, obviously your writings are meant for general consumption of anybody that opens up your website. Therefore, you must appreciate that people of all persuations will comment on your writings if and when it contains descrepancies, mistakes.state, untruth
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Dear Grant, your comments re the negative replies refers, and I qoute from your own : “I say to you, stand up and be heard, …” You are are following the Bible,I asume the King James Version so please explain? As a South African citizen, enjoying the protection afforded by this constitution which we faught to establish, how do you deal with the accussations of hate speach, God santioned murder, infantiside that is contained within this “handbook” ? This is a geniune legal question we are debatting in my group. Regards Francois Marais
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fmarais2014
Admittedly, you too, have posed numerous questions on various occasions. Among the reasons for which I declined to answer them, are the following.
1) By your own admission and choice, you are an opponent of the truth of Jesus Christ,
2) You seek to engage the Word of God, by arguing against the validity thereof with me, in a pointless and merely contentious debate; the subject, content and outcome of which would be of no value to God’s people,
3) You attach much value to man-centred opinion, you have a high regard for a popularly common world-view and a fictitious understanding of biblical matters, in which neither I, nor God’s people, have an interest,
4) By means of your arguments, you are attempting to disprove the existence of a Sovereign Creator God,
5) You believe in the intrinsic worth and goodness of mankind beyond that which Father God alone affords His creation,
6) You believe that mankind has a role to play in determining the eternal fate of the world and its human inhabitants,
7) You expect me to offer my personal opinion in response to your comments regarding political matters such as man-made geo-political constitutions, which would effectively result in a great waste of everyone’s time,
8) In order for me to respond to your provocative questions, in a manner of which you might approve, it would require of me to approve your comments. If I did that, it would obviously enable other like-minded opponents of God to voice their approval and support for your stance. This blog centers around the Truth, the Word of God and is not a platform for unbelievers to advertise falsehoods.
9) I receive many questions which are not published here and even more to which I have not responded. Yours, and wpmember7’s, are certainly not unique in having remained unapproved and unanswered. Not all questions deserve answers, and to answer foolish questions is simply to give heed to fools.
10) The so-called “legal” questions about which you have asked, are with regard to the laws of men. I am no stranger to the statutory, criminal, civil, constitutional and other laws of this country and I have a handy understanding of the similar laws of most countries. There would be absolutely no good reason to debate those with you, as neither your opinion, nor mine would bring about the least amendment to any of them. A great fruitless waste of our time, it would be. With reference to the laws of God, we have even less chance of having them amended in retrospect. You have every right to loudly oppose Gods laws, in doing so I hope you are aware of the consequences for yourself and your group. But, of course I’m sure you would not even be thinking of the results of your actions and words.
You are quite wrong in assuming that my writings are aimed at the general consumption of everybody that opens up the website. The facts are quite to the contrary. The majority of people in the world would have no understanding of, or appreciation for the things about which I write. Whether they consume what I write, or not, is their prerogative. Whether they understand, or agree with it, is for God to determine.
You sir, are one of those people, and that is not a negative reflection on your intelligence, upbringing, social standing, mental or physical capabilities, political views, education or religious orientation. It is simply because you do not believe in Christ, you do not know Him personally. Either, you are spiritually unregenerate, or you have chosen to portray spiritual ignorance. You do not believe that, without Christ, your sinful state separates you from God, or that your spiritual blindness prohibits you from understanding spiritual things. You do not believe that you will be separated from God and His people for eternity after your physical death, or that you will continue to exist in perpetual suffering without a Saviour. You proffer the opinion and arguments of atheism, as if they could be true.
While it is true that anybody can read what I have written on the internet, it is solely for the benefit of those who are called to faith in Jesus Christ. I have no care for social media and I do not hold in high regard what it entails as a tool which connects to the world. I place very little value on it except for the fact that it can be a useful tool in connecting with other believers in Christ.
If you, sir, have a definite yearning to understand the words of the Bible, and if you have valid, considered and burning questions about gaining an understanding of the doctrines and theological aspects of the Bible, you are welcome to write to me in that regard. I will always make the time to respond to those types of questions. But, if you pose those questions from what you perceive to be a position of secular strength and moral fact, then please spare yourself the trouble and embarrassment.
If you would try to overthrow any part of the Bible by disproving it by means of human or religious wisdom; or try to defend human rights and man-made morals by offering them as superior to biblical teaching, please don’t do it here. You will never draw me into a foolish debate, and it simply will not be given any attention.
Finally, people who wish to point out discrepancies, faults, errors, omissions and mistakes I may make in my writing, and to substantiate their correct exegesis from Scripture, I will welcome and I will be prepared to approve such comments and respond to them from Scripture.
In a previous comment you made here, you were confused about quite a few matters, and you asked the question as to “whether I (referring to yourself) am missing the point here?”. The straight answer is, “Yes, you are missing the point completely”. Jesus Christ is all in all. That is the point, the only one which finally matters. If you find that point, all your questions regarding morals, laws, society, science, man’s true worth and his reason for existence, will all be answered and you will be at peace, filled with confidence in the truth.
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Dear Grant,
Thank you for an insightful answer to my comments below.
As you say this can turn into a fruitless debate. But I have to ask you these straight forward questions.
As much as I am trying to return to my religious origins nobody appears to be willing to answer them .
First-off I do not prescribe to the tag “ an opponent of the truth of Jesus Christ”, I am merely posing questions.
1. The scientific evidence on the age of the earth is an established fact. Together with the evolutionary processes of different species on this earth is well documented. In fact any university with a department of Anthropology will have fossiled examples of dinosorues, and people thousands of years old. Question then, how does this fit in with the biblical Genesis story?, or visa versa? How do I answer this to my children who can read this in any encyclopaedia or who get taught this at school and university?
2. The Jesus figure is not noted in any history book of the Roman empire of that era. The only reference we have of him are the Gospels, written by persons unknown. With lots of similarities with religions much older than Christianity. Again, how do I understand this if in 2014 years not a single word has been sent down to show His involvement with us the human species. Again, how do you explain this silence to your followers or how do I explain this to my children?
3. I would love to be part of this body of believers, but how do you follow a movement that cannot show a single piece of evidence of a) a heaven or hell, b) the intervention of a God in the lives of humans. C) the improvement of the human life through the interaction with God? There are no documented evidence of an amputee being healed. How do I entice my family into this family of believers?
These are my simple questions.
Regards
Francois J Marais
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Francois J Marais
I apologize in advance for my elementary response to some of the questions you have posed. I am currently occupied with some urgent personal matters and I do not have the necessary time at my disposal to answer them in detail at this point. Suffice to say for now that our Father God knows of our shortcomings and even my best attempts at providing you with answers, fade into insignificance when compared to the complete answers you will receive from Him, whether it be soon, or many years down the line.
You have asked some important questions around which your life, and the life of your loved ones, is centred. Those questions do require much more time to answer in the detail which they deserve. On behalf of all those who depend on you, especially yourself, you should be thanked for asking them. I hope that my rather hasty answers this time, will provide you with some substance and reason to continue to search for the truth.
My suggestion regarding this point is that you relinquish all attempts at trying to return to religious origins. All people are born in sin and all people follow some or other religion at one point, or throughout their lives, considering that atheism is itself simply another form of false religion. All religions are opposed to God. Many people change their religious orientation or beliefs numerous times. Religions, all religions, are useless man-made systems based on devious lies and idolatrous practices. Christianity is not a religion, it is a spiritual state not brought about by ourselves or according to our will. To be a Christian is to have been granted and have undergone a spiritual birth, a regeneration which those who are called by God experience. It is not a state which changes back again thereafter. We are either Christians forever, or we are not and never were, and the decision to become one, is not ours alone to make.
I cannot speak for others as to why they are unwilling to answer your questions. It might be that you are asking the wrong questions, or you might be asking the right questions, but of the wrong people. It may even be that you are asking the right questions, but posing them in a way which seems provocative, unnecessarily contentious or simply insincere. Another possibility is that your questions have been answered, but the answers are not those which you want to hear, or which you simply cannot understand. The simplest test you can do yourself – go straight to the source of your questions, the Word of God. Get the truthful answers there for yourself! The big issue, however, is not finding the answers to your questions, but being able to believe and understand what you hear or read.
I am pleased, and at the same time concerned by the fact, that by your own admission, you do not see yourself as an opponent of the Truth. Please keep in mind that there are only two positions in this world, those of (1) saved believers in Jesus Christ, and (2) of lost unbelievers who are perpetually deceived by Satan and who oppose Jesus Christ. There is no middle-ground, no grey area. If your intention is to return to religion as you say, you are of course, free to do as you please and nobody can stop you. Atheism is in and of itself, no different from other false religions, as it is a belief system wherein false gods are worshipped. Idols such as science, human reason, human intellect, emotional experience, education, wealth, power, art, academics and so on, become the false gods which religions worship and follow. Returning to religion will not provide you with the truth, or any truthful answers, but will simply lead you further astray.
The scientific evidence, which is merely offered as a fact by the majority of scientists, is not an established fact. It is a very well established theory without irrevocable proof. It has been popularly promoted by science and the unbelieving world has embraced it as a fact, because it offers to them a temporary scapegoat and an alternative to God. The last thing that the unbelieving world needs to hear about is the truth of sin, hell and eternal damnation. These are all matters which are scoffed at by science and dismissed as the unsubstantiated mumbo-jumbo of religious fanatics. It is simply not in the best interests of business, science, politicians, religious and world leaders to oppose such convincing lies such as evolution and an old earth hypothesis. It is reckless to believe that something is factually true, simply because it is well documented. In this day and age, effective and well-documented advertising can sell the biggest load of rubbish to even the most discerning buyers. The power of persuasion and the power of numbers. Quantity is rarely equal to quality. There are millions of Toyota Corrollas on the road, and there are millions of advertisements selling and documenting Toyotas, but that does not necessarily make it a better car than a than Rolls Royce or a Ferrari.
Those who express doubts about the theory are often labelled “unscientific” or “backwards” by some in the pro-evolution camp. At times, the popular perception of evolution seems to be that it has been proven beyond all doubt and there are no scientific obstacles left for it. In reality, there are far too many scientific flaws in the theory that provide reasons to be more than skeptical. On proper investigation, that which is offered as truth by the pro-evolutionists is really quite comical and immature and one begins to wonder why some great intellectual minds actually believe such obvious falsehoods. How, we wonder, can such brilliant minds be wrong, and the writings of often very poor men who have faded from the memory of the new world, be right?
Overall, there are many solidly scientific reasons to question the theory of evolution. These flaws may be resolved by science, or they may eventually kill the theory all together. We don’t know which one will happen, but we do know this: the theory of evolution is far from settled, and rational people can question it scientifically.
Every song has a composer, every book has an author, every car has a maker, every painting has a painter, and every building has a builder. So it isn’t irrational to take this simple logic a little further and say that nature must have had a Maker. It would be irrational to believe that it made itself. Evolution is unobservable. It’s based on blind faith in a few dry bones and on unreliable dating systems in which the gullible trust. Kids should be allowed to make up their own minds about this issue, and not be censored to “one side is all we will let you hear.”
There are thousands of facts which simply cannot be proven by science, and there are thousands of counter-arguments which disprove the lies of so-called “established facts”. Simply because a specific group of men with great political and financial influence announces that something has suddenly been established as fact, is not reason enough to forsake truth, or at least the search for established truth. Not all men in generations past were idiots and fools. The world is a gullible place, and very fickle. Powerful men play games with the mindset of easily influenced men, that is how effective marketing has overwhelmed the entire world into believing, as fact, the things which appeal to our sinful nature.
Of course, to present you with all of those arguments on a forum such as this, is simply impossible. I too, am an intellectual person with, what is at times, an annoyingly inquiring mind. I too believed as fact, that scientific evidence was overwhelming. That was until I took the time to entertain the possibility of it being untrue. The evolutionary process is a theory founded on that which cannot be proven. There is sufficient scientific evidence which clearly disproves the evolutionary theories.
It does not fit in. It is an argument against the truth of God’s Word. You can see for yourself that the theories of evolution, atheism and the big bang, etc, are diametrically opposed to what the Bible tells us. The Bible is proffered by scientists as historic nonsense, while they lead the unbelieving world to trust that modern science has been able to disprove the existence of God, thanks to great fictional writers such as Steven Hawking, Charles Darwin, Richard Dawkins and so many others.
However, before I go on about the pro’s and con’s of evolutionary theory, it might be beneficial to ask yourself why it is (not) widely published that Charles Darwin, the father of the lie about evolution, proclaimed on his death bed that Jesus Christ and His salvation were the best themes to speak about. Also I would urge you to place foremost in your thoughts, the fact that biological Darwinism does not deal with how life started, only with how life might have progressed and diversified. All evolutionary theory makes perfect sense if the first step in the process, which is how it originated, is ignored or fictionalized.
I have read much of Hawking, Dawkins, Darwin and also Christopher Hitchens’ work, along with that of others opposed to God. Some of it is among the most compelling material which I have ever read. Man needs desperately to believe that he has gained control over his destiny and scientific theory provides that alternative to the truth. Man has always had a great need to shake off the shackles of being accountable to God, because man has been born with a sinful nature. If man admits that God is in control, it effectively removes his own perceived control over life and death.
For any lie to be made to seem credible, it needs to be very close to the truth, otherwise it would be far too obvious to most people. Evolution is one of those most devious of lies, not least of all because it has been supported by such leading and influential scientific minds. The world has spent more money, time and energy in trying to prove that the origins of man were amongst frogs and slime, than on any other research in history. And for what reason? The answer is simply because, those who oppose God, need something to cling to, something to believe in, something to replace God with, and science seems to be the most plausible alternative to old parched scrolls and ink-filled pages of a bygone era.
Encourage them to read God’s Word alongside the encyclopedias. Allow them to become discerning persons in their own right, rather than robotic puppets of the secular society. Teach them the truth as a parent should, do not simply rely on schools which care very little about your children’s eternal fate, to be responsible for everything your children believe. Left to the schools and universities, they would rather have your loved ones believe that they are simply advanced amoebas and that God has seventeen arms and is a vegetarian with no power to create, preserve or destroy life or mankind’s achievements. You are the parent, you should be the one leader to whom they first look up, who they trust explicitly. If they don’t like what you tell them, at least know that what you told them was the truth. Leave the rest to the Almighty God. You are responsible for their lives, their physical well-being, their education and their spiritual well-being.
You should be the one person who your children could never call a liar. Rather ask yourself the question, that if one, or (hopefully) more of your children, were to be called by God to faith is Jesus Christ and are given the knowledge of His truth, what they would think about you having taught them that they actually originated from idiotic slimy reptilian creatures and apes. Don’t feed your children the same lies that fools do. If you allow the schools and universities to determine what your children believe, you are neglecting your duty as a parent entirely.
The information contained in the encyclopedias of ten, thirty and seventy years ago was vastly different from those of today. That which was believed to be the absolute scientific proof a few decades ago, is today regarded as largely incorrect. Less than a generation ago, scientists were warning of the impending ice age which was fast approaching, based on their incorrect and very short-lived scientific evidence. Today that has changed into a theory which supports global warming, and we are paying global taxes on carbon emissions, based on the same scientific evidence!
Encyclopedias and scientific theories change and “evolve” on a daily basis, but truth is absolute and cannot be altered. If truth could change, it would not be truth. Hypothesis regarding the origins of the universe are added to daily as the older scientists are replaced by their young upstarts. As a child, what you believed about these things differs very much from that what your children are being taught. Your grandchildren will be taught something else which contradicts that which your children were taught, and so on. The Word of God has remained unchanged, and for at least 5000 years, it has been preserved immaculately, to the word. It is as relevant today as it ever was in eternity.
Only true believers in Jesus Christ can recognize this as a fact. Don’t let the opportunity pass you by to provide your children with the possibility of gaining the only eternal truth, which will last them forever. Our time on this earth, in this physical form, is tremendously short, seventy or eighty years if we are very fortunate – use it wisely – don’t believe popular lies about God. Your life is far too precious to waste in that way. Don’t sell your future over to scientists, politicians, fanciful and power-hungry theorists and religious leaders. The future lives of your children should mean even more to you than that, as I’m sure they do.
That is incorrect. There are historic books written by many authors from that era which confirm, without any doubt, the fact that Jesus Christ was who He claimed to be. These were authors such as Polycarp, Clement of Rome. Linus, Iraenus, Ignatius, Justin Martyr, Augustine of Hippo. Chrysostom, Eusebius, Jerome, Ambrose, and there are many others even from other cultures. While we can gain knowledge and insight by studying the early church fathers, ultimately our faith must be in the Word of God, not in the writings of early Christian leaders or historians. Only God’s Word is the infallible guide for faith and practice.
God speaks through the lives of those who believe in Him, and to the hearts and minds of His followers. God does speak to people today. First, God speaks to us through His Word. He has told us, “So is my word that goes out from my mouth: it will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.” The Bible is God’s Word, everything we need to know in order to be saved and live the Christian life. 2 Peter 1:3 declares, “His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of Him who called us by his own glory and goodness.”
God can also “speak” to us through events—i.e., He can guide us through arranging our circumstances. And God helps us to discern right from wrong through our consciences, God allows events to occur in our lives to direct us, change us, and help us to grow spiritually.1 Peter 1:6-7 also reminds us, “In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honour when Jesus Christ is revealed.”
Explain it to your children by reading it to them from God’s Word. God is certainly not silent. Please don’t wait until you are dead to hear God speak to your heart, or to tell your children that they can live forever in peace and within His forgiveness. When your last precious breathe leaves your body, it will be too late to make changes. However, I can’t make you believe or show you how belief works. I can’t convince you of that which God alone can show you. That is God’s work and I pray that He shows you how it works. I pray that you can find it within yourself to ask Him to show you. This then, for your own sake and the sake of your children, and others whom you may reach throughout the rest of your life.
Those could be the most important words you will ever write. They could also be the most meaningful words in changing the lives of your children, if yours words are true. If they are true, quite frankly, none of the other words you, or I, have ever written on this subject are of any importance. If they are true, you will be a part of this body of believers. If it is to be, then God has already facilitated the time and place for that to happen. If they are true, all your questions will be answered, in God’s good time. That is how the grace of God works.
God does not place in your heart the yearning to be a part of His people, and then not draw you to Himself. If you have a longing to understand His truth, then it is there because He put it there. And because He put the longing and the questions in your heart, He will act on it. Soften your heart just ever so slightly and speak to the Father in any way you feel you can, anywhere, anytime. He has promised you that He will not let you be lost, and I promise you that He is true to His word.
Science and your own reason will tell you that what I write is nonsense, religious nonsense. Of course it will. You need to move beyond the very restrictive boundaries of science. How? Let Him show you how. Read His book. His “handbook” as you correctly call it. Read the Book of Romans and the Book of John. Repeat. Repeat. Then write to me again.
Please do not follow that movement, or any other movement. Do not follow any person, or the words of any man. Put everything I write to the test against what is written in Scripture, don’t simply take my word for it. I could be wrong and because I am simply sinful and human, sometimes I am wrong. The words of movements and men are filled with deceit and lies. Follow Jesus Christ, your only possible Saviour. That may sound very clichéd, very uncomfortable, very unreal and very impossible, because you have so many unanswered questions and based on the limited evidence which you require to do so.
You have no reason to believe what I write. You have far more reason to disbelieve what I write. That much is quite understandable. Nevertheless, I have no better evidence to offer you. It is hugely important for you to know and understand, however, that I did nothing to bring about change in my life. None of this change was because of my will or my actions. If it had been up to me to decide to follow Jesus, I would still have been headed for perdition today. Living a life of sin in denial of God is far too pleasant, instantly rewarding and really much easier than making a so-called “decision” to follow Christ. No, if it were not for God’s intervention in my life, I would have remained lost in my blissful ignorance. How does God intervene? By the miracle of salvation freely offered to those whom He draws to Him.
If you had known me years ago, and could have seen the changes in my heart, my mind, my understanding and most aspects of my life today, you would have been able to see the explicit results of God’s intervention in the life of a human. Remember that nowhere does God promise us glory on earth, or an easy, wealthy, healthy or even a happy life on earth. To the contrary, Christians will more than likely suffer much humiliation and ridicule in their lives.
I know others who have come to know Christ as their Saviour in the most unforeseen, unexpected and unusual ways. Very often it is the most unlikely people, the real bad-*sses and rebels of society who have had their lives turned around by God. They do not become simply professing Christians, they are by no means suddenly goody-goody people, they are not instantaneously Holy people in and of themselves. The only Holy thing about them, is their regenerated spirit, which is Christ in them, and which is all that God recognizes and accepts.
True Christians are people just like you and me, they have jobs, families and hobbies, but they know Jesus personally and willingly follow His Word and trust in Him. They are no longer slaves to sin, but that does not mean that they do not still commit sin. However, sin no longer owns them, God does. They are simply no longer chained to this world and the cheap and meaningless humanism, religiosity and materialism of general society.
Jesus said of those who know Him, that they are His sheep, and that they hear His voice. In addition to the above account, I have had a friend of almost 40 years… I could tell you the most intriguing and interesting story of real change and intervention in the life of another, by God. It will astound you, but that is possibly a story for another time. All I can offer is my word to you that faith and God are real, and assure you of the fact that I have absolutely nothing to gain by you believing what I say, or not. It will make no difference to me, whatsoever you decide to embrace. To me it makes absolutely no difference, either way. The only difference it will make, would be to your life and your relationship with God.
You are quite correct. There is no documented evidence of such things. Why? Because none of these things have ever taken place. Claims of this nature are false, made by false preachers, false prophets and charlatans who abuse the name of God and call it Christianity. There is no such thing as miraculous healing by the hands of men today, and false reports of this are simply a show wherein evil men claim to be able to heal disease and disability in the name of God. They make millions out of those who do not discern the truth of the matter.
False preachers and so-called faith healers, lay claim to being able to perform miracles such as those which were done by Jesus. They are liars, there are thousands of them throughout the world and they are not only in the false church, but also among other false religions. False Christianity is very, very big business, it is a multi-billion dollar industry and desperate people world-over flock to the false churches and false preachers in the hope of a better life, greater wealth, physical betterment, healing and spiritual enlightenment. This phenomenon has nothing to do with Jesus Christ, God the Creator and Father, or His Holy Spirit, although God allows those who do not believe in Him, to be deceived and blinded by lies of these evil men.
I would love to post you a few DVD’s and books which document the evil of men done in the name of Christ and Christianity. It will explain to you clearly why most of that which claims to represent Christianity, is nothing more than false religion. Remember that I said earlier that religion was not what you, or anyone else needs? Well, this is exactly what I meant. Religion is not Christianity and true saved Christians are not religious in any way, shape or form. Confused? Don’t be… trust in one name only…Jesus Christ, Son of God.
You can’t. People cannot be enticed to have faith in God. Where would they get faith from if they had none to start with, and no reason to believe? You can only trust in God to call your beloved others to Him, to furnish them with the faith they need to trust in Him. Anything we do through our own efforts to try to save ourselves, is simply a denial of faith in God, a denial of the sufficiency of Christ’s atonement and is nothing more than a religious show, a meaningless and pretentious farce. We cannot better ourselves, or make ourselves more Holy, or less sinful by our own actions. We are sinners, all of us. We remain sinners until death, even as Christians.
There are two types of sinners. What? Two types? Good ones and other not so good ones? No. All sinners are bad, as all men and women are born in sin. There are those sinners who are called by God to come to faith in His Son, Jesus Christ, who died on a Cross to pay for their sins, so that those who believe in Him could be freed from sin and live forever as forgiven people of God, forever in His presence. Christ was held accountable for the sins of His chosen people, He paid for their sins through the shedding of His blood, His death and His resurrection from death, because they couldn’t. Christ was held accountable and paid for all their sin on their behalf.
On the other hand, there are those sinners who never believe in the existence of God, who never realize the extent of their sinfulness or of their need to be saved from everlasting torment in a fire-filled hell. They are those, who seemingly unlike yourself, never question their sinfulness, and never say that they would love to become a part of the body of believers. Do you now see how important your words could be? They represent the difference between you living forever in the presence of God, or you dying and being separated from God and all of creation to burn eternally.
Are these popular myths? The world would have you believe they are, the world would have you believe that sin, hell, heaven and God are all myths and religious concepts.
Would you rather put it to the test, or have your loved ones be left to believe the lies of deceitful men, just to find out that you were wrong in letting them believe the lies when it is too late?
I didn’t think you would.
I pray that the grace of God will reach you, and that He provides you with the courage and will to continue to seek Him and His truth.
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Dear Paul,
This will require some thoughtfull reading and writing, I would like to respond at a later stage
Regards
Francois M
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Dear Grant,
Yes , quite a write-up you have given.
Refreshing to hear some-one bluntly stating that a number of actions and goings on in the churches today are not based in scriptures and therefore unacceptable. At some stage I would like to hear you opinions on the Roman Catholic church teachings. But that for a later day.
I am also pleasantly surprised that you have read Dawkins, Hitchings, Sam Harris and others.
However, I will now end this discussion as it serves no purpose either way. And for the following reasons, and we must agree to disagree.
1. The fact that you classify the abovementioned authors as fictional writers but the classify your scriptures as the truth and the whole truth shows your baisedness, I think Harris, Dawkins, Hitchings, Boyne are all persons with qualification which will put you desert wandering authors to shame.
2. All people are born in sin and To classify me and others as sinners at the start of a debate again is a travesty. What happened to “innocent until proven guilty”? One cannot debate such a standpoint
3. “….considering that atheism is itself simply another form of false religion”. Here sir you ignorance shows itself, atheism is the lack of belief in something with insufficient evidence, it cannot ever be another religion. Its like saying abstinence is a sexual position
4. Then you dismiss my standpoint as made-made theories and arguments. We are men/made, this is who we are. If we do not follow our own theories and thoughts, whose then? Scriptures written by stone age people in the most backward area of the world , when the Chinese were already busy with mathematics and knew the earth revolved around the sun.
5. Then you tell me that authors of the time of Christ wrote about him, I beg to differ, there are no evidence that he even walked this earth. In 2014 years not a single person has come forward to show that he has actually seen or spoken to this deity.
6. To insist that evolutionary evidence are manipulation by organised business etc. really shows your ignorance. You are going to hold your creation myth, written by desert-wandering semi-literates up against scientific evidence and theories. I think not sir.
I can continue but the bottom line is that you cannot produce this deity you write about, and until you do I will hold court with other free-thinkers who do not fall for myths dressed up in fancy words.
Regards
Francois J Marais
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Francois J Marais
Suit yourself.
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Grant
Your comments to Francois Marais is excellent and honest.
Some how I would like to make a copy of your replies.,
Not sure how to do it. I have recently received Windows 7 and cannot find how to print both-sides.
1 response in addition to my previous one regarding the elect is this. You appear to be a proponent of Heaven and in particular Hell as being our ‘place of abode’ until Jesus returns.
I would be very interested in your Biblical support of those statements.
Regards
Andrew
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Andrew
Once again, I have e-mailed Elmarie and asked her for technical assistance in this regard. Please check back here for her possible answer on how to make copies.
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Grant.
I am a Tanzania Catholic Believer.I am a student studying Masters in Architecture and doing a research entitled:”SPACE USE TRANSFORMATION OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH BEAUTY ENVIRONMENT”.
I am very optimistic to know why Catholic Church Structures have been engulfed by business activities.If we are not careful we can easily smash to death our identity.
Please,any advice or contribution is welcome from other readers.
Prayers,
Henry
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Henry
Below are links to information from this blog relating to the Roman Catholic Church. However, I do note that you do not make specific reference to the Roman Catholic Church in your comment, rather you have mentioned Tanzania Catholic. If that indicates a church entirely separate from the Roman Catholic Church, then the articles I have listed below, are obviously not relevant to you enquiry. In that case please ignore the information.
GET ANGRY! It’s the deeply offensive Bishop of Rome (Part 1) https://fortheloveofhistruth.com/2013/04/10/get-angry-its-the-deeply-offensive-bishop-of-rome-part-1/
GET ANGRY! It’s the deeply offensive Bishop of Rome (Part 2) https://fortheloveofhistruth.com/2013/04/11/get-angry-its-the-deeply-offensive-bishop-of-rome-part-2/
GET ANGRY! It’s the deeply offensive Bishop of Rome (Part 3) https://fortheloveofhistruth.com/2013/04/12/get-angry-its-the-deeply-offensive-bishop-of-rome-part-3/
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Thanks you for this, as for me, I have had my fill of church people…for awhile anyway.
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Simon
I hear you. I suppose it might construed by some to be a pity, that I do agree with you!
However, I suppose one should make clear distinction between those who act like church people, who go to great lengths to appear to be “good”, religious and legalistic “church” people, on the one hand.
On the other hand, there are honest and straight-forward folk who are true believers who are members of the true universal church, because God added them to His church, when He caused them to be members. They are members of the church who follow Jesus Christ because of His intervention in their lives and not because they believe that their actions are holier or better than any other sinner’s.
Thanks for commenting.
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.it is sad but true. I have learnmore about the teaching of God then when i was in the church. We know that christ had said upon this rock i will built my church. But, that means upon the words u are the son of God.we as a people that have been called are the church. Christ had said,father i have kept the one’s u have given me. And declare to them your name.
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Interestinng thoughts
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