It is with predictable regularity that Bible believing Christians are confronted with the question: “Are you a Calvinist?” More often than not, the question is posed rather as an accusatory punch than as a genuine inquiry. Those who pose the question have generally made up their minds beforehand, what the qualifications for a Calvinist ought to be and accordingly to label the Bible believer as a Calvinist.
After just a few short years, those who have upheld Sola Scriptura, become accustomed to (and frankly quite bored by) being labelled Calvinists, based on the fact that they have steadfastly opposed the authority of man-centered teaching by holding to the sole authority of Scripture and the Sovereignty of God. Continue reading →
Infant baptism represents yet another controversial subject among many of those who regard themselves as being steadfastly of the Christian faith. It has continued to be divisive and a cause of much confusion ever since it started developing as a Christian sacrament over the first few hundred years of church history.
Infant baptism is sometimes referred to as, or can be confused with, a christening ceremony in which the baby is named and welcomed into the congregation. In certain instances the ceremonies are private and held between family members and close friends, but often it involves entire congregations and can be a very public affair. Christenings and infant baptisms generally require the infant to be sprinkled with water or to be bodily immersed in water. Neither of these are the same as the non-sacramental Continue reading →
“But we know that the law is good, if a man use it lawfully; Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient “ (1 Tim. 1:8-9).
At the heart of Christian legalism is a denial of the truth of the Gospel, and therefore a denial of God’s Sovereignty, of His Son and of the work of His Holy Spirit. It places God’s people into cruel, oppressive bondage and replaces the perfection and completion of the salvific work of Jesus Christ, with sick, depraved human traditions. Speaking out against the error of legalism, as I have done previously in Parts 1 and 2 of this article, by accepting the example set by Jesus, in no way constitutes creating a licence to sin. There are no two things in the world more directly opposed to one another than law and grace.
Righteousness and our acceptance by God can never come by way of legalism. Neither can justification, nor sanctification. By no means do I intend to indicate hereby that true, saved believers are antinomian (against the law), which seems to have become a fashionable term being bandied about with much self-righteous zeal. The boundaries which govern that which constitutes true antinomianism are subject to a million varied interpretations, remain practically undefined and are all subject to human interpretation. However, many legalists seem to be under the impression that every true believer who opposes legalism and works based salvation, or for that matter is found to have committed sin, is by definition antinomian. Continue reading →
Regrettable and diverse are the failures of an overabundance of internet based “discernment” ministries, websites, programs and blogs. Frequently, these self-titled so-called discernment ministries are highly visible, easily accessible and are presented to the world as being representative of the truth. These presentations are the creations of self-appointed “watchmen” who claim divine inspiration for their discernment ability over and above that which is available to the average Christian believer. In addition, these “watchmen” defend their position, which by the very nature of their “ministries” cannot be described as biblical, with an aggressive fervour which borders on occultic fanaticism.
Undeniably, there has always been a biblical imperative for true watchmen to guard against and warn the faithful in the church about attacks launched by the Evil one and his followers against the truth. Continue reading →
It seems to be far safer to proclaim chance or cosmic fate than to proffer the truth held in Scripture to devotees of the post-modern, word of faith, pseudo-charismatic gospel. Apparently, Bible believing Christians who dare to quote truth from Scripture are misguided, self-centered, overly enthusiastic and arrogant Bibliolaters. Even worse, they are regarded as fantastical red fairies who place way too much emphasis on the Word of God. According to any number of variations of post-modern thinkers, the same God who provided us with His written Word, also made sure that the church had charismatic opponents who could operate from within and who have been armed with personal revelation to refute those who advocate adherence to sola Scriptura.
Additionally, what is being most recklessly proclaimed by these morally enthused opponents, is the belief that Scripture can be interpreted in many ways, and that understanding of Scripture is reliant on the private message which the individual receives from Bible text. Many pastors and elders in the post-modern church deceptively proclaim that the Bible is simply a collection of rough guidelines and historic illustrations, which may or may not be relevant to the individual Christian’s life. Continue reading →
Why do Christians believe in Jesus Christ and, more importantly, HOW do they come to believe and trust in Him for salvation?
Was it a simply because of a decision that they made by themselves?
Do those who become Christians simply look at their situation, evaluate it by means of their intellect, and come to the conclusion that they should trust Him or else they will be doomed to hell?
Was it because of something they overheard, or read, or was it because of a warning that they received from another Christian?
If it were any of the above, why do so many more intelligent people not believe in Jesus Christ?
What is it that makes the difference between those who believe and those who do not? Continue reading →
In a more light-hearted poll, we create a hypothetical situation which could leave some of us with a difficult choice. Although the scenario is totally fictional and most unlikely, it is nevertheless something to think about, and have a little fun with while watching how our fellow readers regard the various books of the Christian Bible.
For those who might have forgotten the numbers, there are a total of 66 books in the canon of the Christian Bible, 39 in the Old Testament and 27 in the New Testament. There are 1189 chapters in those 66 books containing 31,173 verses and approximately 773,692 words. The Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox versions of the Bible also contain a collection of uninspired books written during the “silent centuries” (400BC – 27AD). Christians reject the Apocrypha as having not been inspired by God and view all these books as secular uninspired history written by men without the aid of God. But, that is not the subject of this poll, as we covered the subject of the Apocrypha in another poll last year.
Our fantasy situation is this. You will be compelled by the ruling authorities to go to a foreign country for an extended period of time to pick pink striped bananas, count goats and to disprove reports which say that Elvis is selling second-hand pizzas in that country. There you will find yourself among a population consisting of mostly unbelievers and people who follow false religions. So, you will have to do some evangelizing and Bibles will be scarce. Continue reading →
(This is Part 3, the final poll in a 3 part series. Please see older posts on this blog for the results of the previous 2 polls)
The results of the previous two polls in this series have been tallied and voting is now closed on them, but only on those two polls. Voting will remain open on all other polls. Thank you to all the readers who participated in those polls. This will be the final poll in this series, the result of which should give us a good idea what the most controversial subject being discussed among Christians today, is.
The previous polls which I am referring to here were “What do you think are the four most controversial THEOLOGICAL issues being discussed among Christians today?” and “What do you think are the four most controversial CULTURAL issues being discussed among Christians today?. As I said I would, in the article which accompanied both those polls, I have combined the winning results you voted for of those two polls into one final poll here.
Anyone can vote in this poll, even if you did not vote in the previous polls. This is also a multi-choice poll, you may vote for the four issues you regard as the most controversial.
Please refer to the article accompanying the previous two polls if you would like further information regarding the nature of and reasoning behind the content of the three polls.
The ten issues included as choices in this poll are the ten most voted for issues from the previous polls (the top 5 from each group).
Firstly, before we get into the meat of this subject, and before it gets under our skin, allow me to sketch a light-hearted yet honest picture from a personal perspective, on a subject which seems to be very weighty and of great legalistic importance to some. (Please excuse the puns, …yes, I know).
Ever so often a question regarding the tattoo and the Christian crosses our path, and with equal regularity disagreements over the issue are likely to follow. With even greater regularity, people from all walks of life sporting tattoos of a myriad of shapes, colours and sizes cross our path. Tattoos have become a societal norm, but do they present a problem to the believer? For some, it has become a controversial phenomenon which, as is almost always the case in matters of this nature, Satan has been able to use to cause disunity and division among believers.
If you are like-minded, come alongside and we’ll travel together. If you’re of another mind, please get out of the way. For it is written: “Can two walk together, except they be agreed?” (Amos 3:3, KJV)”
Grant Swart
God placed in my path the accompanying short article, which I found in a magazine at an overnight lodge on my regular travels around South Africa. In the article, the author, Pastor Paul Walker of the Elm Avenue Baptist Church in Colorado, describes the very personal grief he experienced due to the loss of a beloved grandchild.
What sets the article apart from most others of this nature, is the statement it also makes regarding the positive effect which such pain and hurt can, and more importantly should have, on the truly saved. Continue reading →
(This is Part 2 of a two part poll. Please also vote in Part 1 in the previous post below)
Strange, this, but true. I suppose one should ascribe it to the exhausted misnomer, “human nature”, or more simply to the way we mostly think. With regularity, it is the more controversial subjects which attract the most attention on most blogs, forums and discussion groups in the social media. This tendency, a norm within secular circles, inevitably seems to apply to many Christian discussions, as well.
This is a Christian blog regarding fundamentals of the Christian faith, therefore, one would expect that the majority of the regular readers here would be from of the fundamental Christian camp. Even so, previous polls which I have placed on this blog regarding the more controversial issues are those which have, by far, received the most votes. Polls regarding the less controversial, and dare I say it, the more scholarly topics, generate less interest.
Are all the issues listed appropriate subjects for Christian discussion? Continue reading →
(This is Part 1 of atwo partpoll. Please also vote in Part 2 in the next post above)
Strange, this, but true. I suppose one should ascribe it to the exhausted misnomer, “human nature”, or more simply to the way we mostly think. With regularity, it is the more controversial subjects which attract the most attention on most blogs, forums and discussion groups in the social media. This tendency, a norm within secular circles, inevitably seems to apply to many Christian discussions, as well.
This is a Christian blog regarding fundamentals of the Christian faith, therefore, one would expect that the majority of the regular readers here would be from of the fundamental Christian camp. Even so, previous polls which I have placed on this blog regarding the more controversial issues are those which have, by far, received the most votes. Polls regarding the less controversial, and dare I say it, the more scholarly topics, generate less interest.
Are all the issues listed appropriate subjects for Christian discussion? Continue reading →
It is with daily regularity that I encounter certain fellow Christians, although I suppose in some instances they are merely professing Christians, who practice or promote the errors of legalism. I’m sure that we all do, that is, cross paths with people who endorse and encourage some or other form of legalistic practice everyday. The heresy of legalism is rooted in an erroneous teaching or understanding which continually attempts to place the Christian under some or other system of law and thereby attempts to make salvation, or at the very least a few percentage points of our salvation, dependant on man’s own efforts.
Legalism promotes the belief that one can be saved by keeping, or to the best of one’s ability attempting to keep, God’s commandments. Very often adherence to additional rituals and rules are encouraged by the legalistic system in order to retain salvation. Certain aspects of human life are often considered taboo and are presented as being detrimental to the legalist’s success in ‘achieving’ salvation. Legalists believe that they can, through their own efforts at self-righteousness and legal obedience, impress God sufficiently so as to influence His attitude toward them, and therefore reward them with eternal salvation.
Legalism can be described as a false doctrinal position or worldview within certain Christian Continue reading →
There are diverse opinions concerning the thousand years of peace (Millennium) described in Revelation and the events associated with it. Some interpret a literal, future, thousand-year time period in which Christ will rule over the Earth, a time which will be characterized by peace and harmony. Others understand a literal age of peace, but think the “thousand years” is a figure of speech. Still others see the Millennium as symbolic of a spiritual ideal, with no corresponding earthly condition. All of these positions fall into the category of millennialism, a broad term which includes any and all ideas relating to the millennium of Biblical prophecy.
In a nutshell, here are some very basic definitions of the positions regarding the millennium.
Premillenialism:
There are three definitions, any one of which could describe the views of the premillenialist:
Pretribulationists believe that the second coming will be in two stages separated by a seven-year period of tribulation. At the beginning of the tribulation, true Christians will rise to meet the Lord in the air.
Midtribulationists believe that the Rapture will take place at the halfway point of the seven-year tribulation, i.e. after 3½ years. This event begins the second, most intense part of the tribulation.
Posttribulationists hold that Christ will not return until the end of the tribulation. Christians, rather than being raptured at the beginning of the tribulation, or halfway through, will live through it
Postmillenialism:
Postmillennialists do not believe in a premillennial appearance of Christ. The postmillennial position is that the millennium began at the inauguration of Christ’s kingdom reign when he ascended to his heavenly throne. Christ will appear at the end of the millennium to lead his people into the heavenly city, the New Jerusalem.
Amillenialism:
Amillennialists do not believe in a literal Millennium. The “thousand years” is an expression, a way of referring to the entire period from the first coming of Christ, two thousand years ago, until the future second coming. The Second Coming will be a natural culmination of the process of world evangelization, rather than a revolutionary event that brings sudden and dramatic change.
We will place more polls in the near future which will deal with other aspects of Christian eschatology (an understanding or study of the end times and the destiny of man according to Bible prophecy).
Another year is coming to an end, and for me personally, another dreaded “festive” season is fast closing in. As a child, Christmas time was by far my favourite part of the year; school holidays, presents, friends, feasting and families. Even while our children were growing up and lived at our home, Christmas always had a very special place in our calendar, for all the traditional reasons and some of our own.
Those comforting, warm (Southern hemisphere) and fuzzy days of simple togetherness and caring have long gone and have been replaced with over-priced consumer goods, mad shopping frenzies, enormous traffic congestion, escalating crime rates and death on the roads. It is all very sad. Quite frankly, I would probably be safer, more comfortable and my normality would be less disrupted if I found myself evangelizing on some Far-Eastern quiet Bhuddist island on December 25 this year.
As the years have passed, the “festive” or holiday season, which includes Christmas time, has become a commercialized farce, along with other similar festivals such as Mothers Day and Valentines Day. The original meaning and “reason for the season” has been replaced with lavish parties, extreme festivities, entertainment and expensive gifts. No longer is it “the thought that counts”, rather the value of the gift which apparently demonstrates the level of affection one has for the recipient. Rarely is the birth of our Saviour brought into the picture on Christmas, except in some churches and, of course those are quite empty over the holidays. Almost half of the congregation has gone to the beaches and leisure resorts of the world and the other half are in the shopping malls. The vast majority of children in the world will never know the true meaning of Christmas or experience the love which can surround the day.
Additionally there is a war being waged on the traditional Christmas by the secular world, atheists and falsely religious. “Merry Christmas” is being replaced with “Seasons Greetings” or “Happy Holidays”. This, of course, is being done in an attempt to promote a religiously tolerant society and an acceptance of a secular world religion. The battle for your bucks in the countdown of shopping days to Christmas has also become a major spiritual battle.
That brings me back to the controversial issue among many Christians, which is the celebrating of Christmas in the traditional way. The debate as to whether or not Christians should celebrate Christmas on December 25, or any other date for that matter, has been raging for centuries. There are sincere Christians on either side of the debate, and many reasons as to why or why not Christmas should be celebrated by Christians.
One argument against Christmas is that the traditions have origins in paganism. Another argument is that the Bible forbids Christmas trees, and the passage in Jeremiah 10:1-16 is cited as biblical disapproval, even though that passage has no relevance to Christmas or Christians. Some regard the fact that the Bible gives no indication as to the birth date of Jesus as reason enough not to celebrate the day on December 25. Others, on the other hand, regard the fact that the Bible is silent on the issue as tacit approval by God over the celebration issue. Some say that because the world celebrates Christmas, Christians should avoid it. And so, on and on the arguments pro- and anti-Christmas are cited.
As in all things we should prayerfully seek guidance over the matter of Christmas, particularly if it is a divisive issue for the Christian family. Please tell us what you think about Christmas in our poll below.
God bless all those who, like myself, will be ever so slightly traumatized by the upcoming rush toward the end of the year and the fake celebrations of a Christ-less Christmas, and God also bless those who will enjoy every moment of celebrating the birth of our Saviour on December 25.
Particularly, I pray for God’s blessing on those who will not have a morsel of food, a drop of water or who will have to fight for their very life on the day that the rest of the world goes shopping and tolerates spoilt grandchildren demanding more expensive toys.
For the Love of His Truth 