If your spouse, or children agree with you all of the time, and that is why you love them, then you don’t love them. You love your beliefs.
I saw this sentiment on fb last night. It got me thinking. How many of us predicate our love for others based on what they believe? I find myself only wanting to associate with people who believe the same as I do. It is easier. There are less arguments and troubles. I guess that is why God is clear in His word that we should as believers only marry other believers. Inside Christianity there are divergent beliefs, that aren’t necessarily unorthodox. We disagree about eschatology, freewill, complimentarianism vs. egalitarianism and so on. If you find yourself not loving a person because they don’t agree with you down the line, I would say that you have a big problem. You do only love your beliefs and not the people God has brought into your life. If beliefs don’t matter in regards to how you love someone, then your love begins to look more like the converting love of God. God loves the unregenerate sinner whom He has sovereignly elected, not on the basis of what they believe about Him, but according to His will. He changes their beliefs out of His love for them. He makes them able to believe in Him. When we love our children, we need to realize that they are not little clones of us. They will develop their own beliefs and ideas. We can’t stop loving them when they stop agreeing with us. Most parents will understand this and agree. Others will not. Our spouses one day might express a sentiment that catches us off guard. We might even wonder if they are the same person we have been married to for all of those years. Don’t let that stop you from loving them. Your love is not for their beliefs, it is supposed to be from the excess of God’s love, that you love others. Love them not on their merit, but because God has commanded it and it is who you are now. Love as fully, selflessly, and cheerfully as you possibly can. Of course beliefs matter. They matter in many different ways. If we believe incorrectly about who Jesus was then we are not saved. I’m not saying beliefs don’t matter. I am saying they shouldn’t be why you love your kids, spouse, or others. Love doesn’t mean giving up your beliefs. Love doesn’t mean you have to agree with them. Love will compel you to share your heart for the truth as you know it. You will lovingly share the truth with them. They can agree or disagree, but we still need to love them, not their beliefs.
Category: Theology
A prayer from the penitent heart.
A prayer from the penitent heart.
Dear Lord, I did, “it” again. I feel so pathetic and weak. I hate that I don’t even fight that hard against, “it.” I hate that I do, “it” over and over again. Each time I come to you in my failure, asking your forgiveness again. I don’t even think about your suffering on the cross when I do, “it.” If it does come to mind I push it out. I let the temptation take hold. Then it rushes into my mind to fill it. It becomes a compulsion. I can’t stop, “it” from being my only consuming thought. At the time, I know, “it” is not good, and I willfully choose to do, “it” anyway. I have a mortal idea of what, “it” cost you on the cross, but I disgustingly disregard it so the sinful compulsion can run its course. I know that after, I’ll come groveling to your feet again like some worm, some unreasoning beast, who has no self-control. Why don’t I have victory? Why can’t I stop, “it?” Is it because I am trying in my own power? Is there a lesson I’m supposed to be learning? Am I being humbled? Is this sin to keep me from being proud? Or am I truly saved? Am I a false convert? How can I have assurance? None of my Christian friends are dealing with, “it.” They all have it together. I never see them struggle. Lord! Help me! I’m so sick with, “it.” Sick of, “it.” I’ve prayed and prayed for you to take, “it” away from me, yet, “it” remains. I can’t take, “it” anymore. I just want to be completely obedient to you, but I can’t. “It” won’t let me. It keeps assaulting me over and over. I keep giving myself to, “it” when all I want is to be yours. Please forgive me again?
Have you ever felt like this? Replace, “it” with whatever sin it is that you are constantly being overcome by. We hear lots of things as Christians that can cause us doubt. Many different voices speak into our lives. Some of those are lying, some are accusers, some are genuine convictions. There is unhealthy shame and there is good shame. One shame leads to a legalistic self-flogging over and over again that is never good enough. One leads you to the feet of the one Who took the floggings and the wrath that you deserve. He can justify you once and for all time. He can make right every, “it” you’ve committed, and every, “it” you will commit. I it sounds weird to think about Jesus paying for sins you haven’t even thought of committing yet. He is God in the flesh. Like it says in John 1:1-14, He created everything there is and ever will be. Don’t you think that God would know everything that you would do?
Justification is a fancy theological word that means God has made your record clean for all time. He paid for all of your sins. On judgment day, He will see His own perfect righteousness when He looks at you, instead of your, “it” that you are so ashamed of. That, “it” is gone! That is what you are free of. He has nailed it to the cross and by faith you have been crucified with Him. Your old self loved the, “it” all the time. You never gave God a single thought. You didn’t care what He thought. If you have come to a place where you do care, where you have been broken over how disgusting, “it” is, where you care about Jesus’ suffering for you on the cross, and it has caused you to hate the, “it” like the person praying that prayer above, if you have turned from your love of all the, “its” in your life, to love Jesus for His work to save you from the punishment that all the, “its” make you deserving of then through repentance and faith in the work of Jesus who loves you, you are justified! You are saved, once and for all, and Jesus will keep you saved, He will keep saving you like a cleansing rain pouring over you continuously, for the rest of your life. What He makes clean never gets dirty again. He is God and can’t loose what He has hold of. He has hold of you. Your grip might be weak, and your grip will fail, but His never will.
Sometimes we let our failures become His failures. This doubt and lack of faith usually comes from listening to the voice of the accuser and not listening to God’s word. Sanctification is another fancy theological word that just means, God is maturing you. He is separating you from your old love of the, “its” and is helping you to love Him more instead of all the sin. This process takes the rest of our lives. It is only finished when we go to Heaven. I’m not telling you to go on sinning and letting the, “its” run your life. If we love Jesus we won’t do that. We will fight against them. Some of them will fall easily and others will make us feel like an ant punching an elephant’s toe. Keep in mind when the giant, “it” squashes you, that Jesus has already won the war. Your little battle doesn’t determine who the victor is in the war. There is no power anywhere that could defeat our Savior. We fight because we love Him. Even if our efforts seem like they are pathetic and useless. We carry on, knowing that He has justified us and will keep sanctifying us. Just have faith and love Jesus more. Turn from the, “its” at all costs. Fight them with all the strength of Heaven at your disposal. When you fail, know that He has got the victory for you and cling to Him who saves you.
Aaron’s Benediction
Aaron’s Benediction numbers 6:22-27 (nasb)
Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to Aaron and to his sons, saying, ‘Thus you shall bless the sons of Israel. You shall say to them:
The LORD bless you, and keep you;
The LORD make His face shine on you, And be gracious to you;
The LORD lift up His countenance on you, And give you peace.’
“So they shall invoke My name on the sons of Israel, and I then will bless them.”
No shawl, no hand gesture, no Jewish tradition, will make this more efficacious. It was between God, Moses, Aaron and his sons, and Israel. When Hebrew Roots movement person says this to me, while wearing a shawl, and doing the traditional hand gesture that goes along with it, I wonder to myself, “Why? Why are they doing this? Why are they doing it the way they are doing it?” Before you say, “I’ve never seen anyone do that!” Think about it, you might not have, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t happening. Just do a quick google or youtube search for, “Aaronic blessing Numbers 6” and you’ll see the lunatic fringe. This is what happens when people trade legalistic traditions for the gospel. There is only one who saves. It is Christ Jesus. You can call yourself a Christian, or Hebrew Roots, or whatever, but if your faith is so bound up in Jewish traditions instead of the Christ who is the perfection of all sacrifice and work, you are missing the boat.
Here is what the Matthew Henry Concise Commentary has to say,
The priests were solemnly to bless the people in the name of the Lord. To be under the almighty protection of God our Saviour; to enjoy his favour as the smile of a loving Father, or as the cheering beams of the sun; while he mercifully forgives our sins, supplies our wants, consoles the heart, and prepares us by his grace for eternal glory; these things form the substance of this blessing, and the sum total of all blessings. In so rich a list of mercies worldly joys are not worthy to be mentioned. Here is a form of prayer. The name Jehovah is three times repeated. The Jews think there is some mystery; and we know what it is, the New Testament having explained it. There we are directed to expect the blessing from the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of the Father, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, 2Co_13:14; each of which Persons is Jehovah, and yet they are not three Lords, but one Lord.
The Cost of Sin, Then and Now.
During my reading of Leviticus I noticed the personal cost associated with sin under the sacrificial system. Of course this is only one aspect of the sacrificial system to learn about. There are others, but this one struck me today. The notion that there is a price to be paid, a sacrifice that has tangible personal expense, that must be paid. A bull, one that is perfect, a ram that is perfect, a lamb that is perfect, these creatures were meaningful to their owners. They were a source of many staples. They had a value to them. They were not easy and free. They could not be easily replaced. It took work to replace them. It took work to sacrifice them. It took faith to believe that it was efficacious. On this side of the incarnation it is something we can look back at and marvel. We can appreciate the sovereignty of God more when we see His plan in the past and the perfection of it in the crucifixion of Christ. We live in a new covenant with God. The old covenant magnifies Christ Jesus. Let us do the same in thought, word, deed, and prayer.
Hyper-Arminianism, What!?

I’m a Calvinist. I get very tired of hearing people say, “Hyper-Calvinist” as if that is a thing. “…The term originated in the 19th century as a sometimes-pejorative descriptor predated by terms such as “false Calvinism” and “High Calvinism”…” People sling this pejorative around instead of just addressing the particular heresy that a person embraces while calling themselves a Calvinist. People just label them, “Hyper-Calvinist.” Do we see Calvinists labeling Arminians as, “Hyper-Arminians” if they are actually Pelagians, Open Theists, or Free Grace Movement heretics? No, we just site the specific heresy. Then, inform the heretic of their error in hopes that they are a material heretic. We hope that they would then repent and adhere to orthodoxy. Sometimes of course they will not repent. In their refusal they prove themselves to be formal heretics. Labeling a heretic a, “Hyper-Calvinist” casts Calvinists in a negative light. Often times Arminians will launch into a screed against Calvinists. They do this, because in their minds there is such a thing as a, “Hyper-Calvinist.” This artifice is a construct of a prejudicial person. The bias is one that we as Calvinists must start to debunk. We have been guilty of embracing this term. It needs to be retired from our nomenclature.
A Review of Todd Friel’s Book, “Jesus Unmasked: The Truth Will Shock You”
The title of this book is pretty indicative of the subject matter. The author succeeds at explaining who Jesus was and is. He teaches that Christ is the focus of the Bible in its entirety. He demonstrates how Jesus is the fulfillment of the prophecies, shadows and types. All of this is done with simple terms when possible. When it is not possible Mr. Friel explains the nomenclature for the laymen.
I have to make a small disclaimer here. I am a big fan of, “Wretched Radio.” It is a radio show and podcast. Todd Friel is the host/on-air personality. I have learned a lot, a lot, a lot, from the show over the years. My review will be from the perspective of a Reformed Baptist and a fan of the show. So don’t expect much in the way of negativity. I honestly agree with all of what is said in the book. I find it to be Biblically sound and interesting to read. It is a, “must read” for everybody. If you’ve just been born again or if you’ve been 50 years into the sanctification process this book will edify you.
In the first chapter the author deals with world views, specifically post-modernism. This was a great place to start as a philosophy class on epistemology would not be beneficial for the target audience. This is a short chapter that sets the tone for the rest of the book. You get a look at the serious subject matter and a look at some of Todd’s humor that makes him such an interesting fellow to listen to. It is obvious that he has a level of mastery of the subject matter without coming off as an aloof overlord.
The following chapters flesh out some basics of Christian theology in simple terms. Then he gets down to the bulk of the work, which is highlighting Christ from the beginning of the Bible to the end. Vary rarely in Christian books of around 200 pages do we get such a complete and profound picture of Jesus. Most of the books I’ve reviewed in the recent past have been theological fluff, Christian cotton candy, hardly worth reading at all. You know how you feel after eating junk for a month? Yep! That’s how most “Christian books” leave me feeling after reading them. They were time killers with not nutritional value. I probably would have got more out of them if I’d eaten them. Well, that is not so of this work. I would rank it up there with, “The Holiness of God” by R. C. Sproul, or maybe, “Crazy Love” by Francis Chan.
The main way that the author highlights Christ throughout the entire Bible is by expounding on the prophecies, shadows, and types, that Jesus fulfills. This can be a bit tricky. I’ve seen some pretty bad attempts that only make the Bible look disjunct. When done correctly, as in this case, the Bible comes alive. The harmony of scripture sings to the heart and mind of the believer who sees the richness and majesty of the true faith established once and for all by God. Being able to see the ark Noah built and understand that it is a look forward to Jesus. Seeing the rock that sprang forth lifesaving water in the desert for the Israelites, and how Jesus is the better fount. Seeing the Sabbath, from our perspective, looking back to recognize rest in Christ’s work. These and many more examples fill the pages of this book. The gospel is fleshed out fully and explicitly. You won’t find a list of, “do’s” to check off, and you won’t find some silly, formulaic, “pray this prayer.” You will understand who Jesus is, what you are, what He has done, and how you should respond. If you have loved ones who aren’t saved, get them this book. If you have friends or family who are young in their faith, get them this book. If you have become a crusty old codger, get yourself this book. It will blow the carbon out of the old exhaust and get you fired up again.
You can buy this book from the wretched store.
You can pick up a copy at Christianbook.com
You can purchase it from the publisher Newleaf
or you can get it on Amazon in different formats including audio.
A Review of, “Learn to Read New Testament Greek” and the Workbook.
This isn’t going to be like my typical Bible or book reviews. I am going to spend some time using the text book and workbook. I will try to post updates every week or so. I will inform you of my progress, ease of use, and general effectiveness of the material. The first week was pretty simple. The book introduced the Greek alphabet and some basics about vowels, consonants, breathing marks, accents, punctuation, phonology and morphology, and diphthongs. The workbook was useful for using the subject matter of the textbook. However, there is no answer key in the back of the workbook so you’ll need to make certain you have a command of the subject matter before moving on, or you’ll have to get the help of a friend who already knows Koine Greek. Since this is just the first week lesson, I don’t have much to report. I hope you check back to see how it is going. So long for now.
You can purchase the textbook on Christianbook and on Amazon for about $18.50.
You can get the workbook on Christianbook and on Amazon for about $20.00
Hey, how ‘bout those free King James Version Bibles the Mormons give away? Surely it is just a KJV Bible right?…

How many people have picked up a Mormon KJV without knowing where it came from? How many people just took it for granted that it was the same as the 1611 authorized. Well, it isn’t. This is what they have to say about it on their site, 1“As guided by the Spirit, Joseph spent about three years going through the Bible, making thousands of corrections to the text and restoring information that had been lost. This restored information sheds marvelous light on many doctrines that are not clearly presented in the Bible as it exists today. These inspired revisions to the text of the Bible are known as the Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible. Hundreds of passages from the Joseph Smith Translation are now included in the Latter-day Saint edition of the King James Version of the Bible.”
Want to know why they don’t just use the Joseph Smith Bible? It is because the, “Reorganized Latter Day Saints” or as they are known now the, “Community of Christ” holds the copy right to the Joseph Smith translation. Of course it behooves them to not use that translation. Now that many of us have access to the very old Greek and Hebrew texts with some education we can easily tell that Joseph Smith’s version is a per-version. We can also contact experts on ancient texts as easily as sending them an e-mail and most of them are happy to explain how Joseph Smith’s per-version is completely, ludicrously, and laughably, the worst fraud attempt outside of the New Word Translation from the Jehovah’s Witnesses.
So they keep passing it off as the authorized KJV when it clearly is not and is even on their web page. Let’s face it, Mormons have a low regard for the Bible in comparison to their other documents anyway. Their 8th article of faith explains that plainly, 2“We believe the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is translated correctly; we also believe the Book of Mormon to be the word of God.” We can see that they hold the BOM in higher regard than the Bible and we know their theology and doctrines are completely anti-Christ.
So why do many Mormons insist it is the same KJV? One reason is that they just don’t know any better. Mormons like Christians have tons of ignorant people wandering about their ranks claiming to be one of them, while never having read or studied what it actually means to be, “one of them.” Theology and doctrine matter! We can’t just keep going on in ignorance. If you are Mormon, study your documents and see if you agree. If you can’t agree with your theology and doctrines, leave the church. If you are Christian, study your documents and see if you agree. If you can’t affirm you theology and doctrines then leave.
Of course the more insidious reason is that they are purposed deceivers working for Satan. Why not? He is their brother and according to them the brother of Jesus. They don’t see him the way he is explained in the Bible. You have to remember we are dealing with an unreasonable crowd here. Most of them have been so blinded by the devil that unless there is a miracle of regeneration worked in them they won’t even leave based on intellectual honesty and reason. They will suspend them for the sake of their fictitious system of obtaining godhood.
Seriously, how many 2000 year old Biblical texts do we have to dig up before they say, “Hmm, perhaps the Bible is reliable and Joseph was a lying sack of cult.” It is getting ri-freeking-diculous here folks. They actually have to willfully close their eyes, ears, and minds to all of the evidence against their false prophet just to keep believing. “I’m gonna be a god one day, I’m gonna be a god one day, I’m gonna be a god one day, I’m gonna be a god one day.” Really? Come on! That doesn’t sound a bit blasphemous or satanic to you? Really!? REALLY!!!???
Silly liberals, Theology is for Reasonable People. Egalitarians are at it again…
How many of you have heard this left-wing liberal theological stance that Adam was not a man, but a he/she with the genetic info for both sexes within itself? Yeah, I know right? They call it, “The Adam” and then their story goes something like this; God made it from the dirt, thus its name, because the Hebrew word for dirt is, “’adamah” so that is why that he/she creature was called, “Adam.” Then God put it to sleep and didn’t literally make females from its rib but more figuratively created the separate genders at that point. If you are laughing like I was when I first heard this nonsense, stop! This is the garbage they are teaching in seminaries. I may not have represented their position the way they would like, but this is how I understand what they are saying.
So how about all the verses talking about gender roles, authority, submission, shadows and types that depend on these concepts, and the authority of scripture? Well, no problem for the liberal theologians, they just call what they don’t like allegory and when they can’t, they say that the Bible isn’t really fully the word of God, and it can’t be fully relied on. Well, not to sound like, “The Church Lady” but who does that remind you of? Hmm? Someone with a serpent sounding hissing voice in the garden maybe? Well, I wonder who that could be? I wonder who casts doubt on God’s word? Who could it be? Does it remind you of… SATAN!!!?

Surely God made Adam, the first human as a male from the start. Surely Eve was made from and for Adam as the word of God says. In 1 Corinthians 11:1-15 we can even read what God said about it as Paul restates the creation of man and woman in the New Covenant for a group of believers who were falling into egalitarianism just like we are today. They needed a correction from God then as we do now.
Here is a section of an article arguing for the erring position posted on http://newlife.id.au/ the link to the original article is, http://newlife.id.au/equality-and-gender-issues/human-man-woman-genesis-2/
“In Genesis 2 we have the creation account of the very first human being. In English translations of Genesis 2 this first human is simply called “man”. This “man” is understood by most people as referring to a male human rather than to a generic human. However, in the Hebrew text, the first “man” is not specifically referred to as a male human (ish) until after the “operation” mentioned in Genesis 2:21-22.
After the “operation”, the now male human sees the female human and says, “This one is bone of my bone, and flesh of my flesh! She will be called ‘woman’ (ishshah) because she was taken out of ‘man’ (ish).” The first woman (ishshah) and the first man (ish) had both been a part of, or one side of, the first human being (ha’adam).[1] In Genesis 2:23 the man indicates that they shared the same flesh and bone.
The Hebrew word adam means “human being” – and not necessarily a male human being. In the early chapters of Genesis it is often used with the definite article = ha’adam (הָאָדָם) meaning “the human being” (cf Gen. 5:2). Occasionally it serves as a proper name “Adam”, usually written without the article.[2]
In the screenshots below, I have highlighted every incidence of ha’adam (the human being) in yellow. (N.B. In verse 5 there is no article but the context indicates that adam is not a proper noun.)[3]
I have also highlighted every incidence of ish (man) with blue, and ishshah (woman) with pink. By looking at the screenshots below it is evident that it is not until the woman is taken out of the first human that we clearly see an ish, a male person, and not before.
Have a look. Is it clear?”
Just because what is implied by the author could be so, doesn’t mean that it is. This is an error in logic that she has made without considering the rest of scripture. Let’s take a look at the problem. She assumes that the first of mankind was a creature containing both sexes or neither and that God did an, “operation” on this creature to turn the source creature into a masculine one as it was not before and then to make a feminine one from that source creature. The scripture doesn’t support this furthermore, it definitely repudiates it in 1 Corinthians 11:1-16. Don’t take my word for it look for yourself.
1Be imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ. 2Now I praise you because you remember me in everything and hold firmly to the traditions, just as I delivered them to you. 3But I want you to understand that Christ is the head of every man, and the man is the head of a woman, and God is the head of Christ. 4Every man who has something on his head while praying or prophesying disgraces his head. 5But every woman who has her head uncovered while praying or prophesying disgraces her head, for she is one and the same as the woman whose head is shaved. 6For if a woman does not cover her head, let her also have her hair cut off; but if it is disgraceful for a woman to have her hair cut off or her head shaved, let her cover her head. 7For a man ought not to have his head covered, since he is the image and glory of God; but the woman is the glory of man. 8For man does not originate from woman, but woman from man; 9for indeed man was not created for the woman’s sake, but woman for the man’s sake. 10Therefore the woman ought to have a symbol of authority on her head, because of the angels. 11However, in the Lord, neither is woman independent of man, nor is man independent of woman. 12For as the woman originates from the man, so also the man has his birth through the woman; and all things originate from God. 13Judge for yourselves: is it proper for a woman to pray to God with her head uncovered? 14Does not even nature itself teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a dishonor to him, 15but if a woman has long hair, it is a glory to her? For her hair is given to her for a covering. 16But if one is inclined to be contentious, we have no other practice, nor have the churches of God.
In v. 7 God explains that man is the image and glory of God; but woman is the glory of man. We can see the plain meaning of scripture here. Then the Greek word, “ἀνὴρ aner” is used in v. 8 it is specifically, “man.” Read how woman came from man according to God through Paul. So either God is confused or the egalitarians are willfully in rebellion against the God of scripture and their God given roles, or God is confused and doesn’t remember what He said in Genesis, or Paul was just a sexist member of the patriarchy trying to keep women down… Really people?… I mean, seriously? Just repent, accept what God says in His word and conform to His word and will. Then v.9 hammers it home, “9for indeed man was not created for the woman’s sake, but woman for the man’s sake.” It is that simple. To go a bit further so that the liberals don’t try to eisegete vv. 11-16 yes, men and women in Christ are all dependent on Him, and men are born of mothers, but the point in context is not the condition of procreation stated here, but rather God’s creation and it’s total dependency on Him. If you still want to be a whiny baby I refer you to v. 16. Basically this is how it is and if you don’t like it tough. Paul is putting it simply, “You are wrong.” Have a good day.
p.s. if my tone seems a bit abrasive, that’s because I am irritated by all of the nonsense we have to entertain and argue against. It seems ludicrous to me that people would keep rehashing all of the old heresies with new labels and faces. It agitates me that people have to make apologetic answers instead of just saying, “You’re and idiot. Sit down and be quite Sir/Ma’am.” Ignorant people listen to these misguided guides and follow them into folly, so we have no choice, but to speak up.
The gospel of Jesus
The gospel of Jesus. We are a sinners who deserve death and hell. He is God incarnate. He is righteous and holy. He deserves all of the majesty of Heaven and our praise. In His longsuffering He endures our hatred of Him and His law. He condescends to save us from the condemnation of hell. He is raised upon a cross, thereupon crucified. He takes our punishment upon Himself, thus satisfying the justice of God. The wrath of God is assuaged by His atoning work. We hear about what He has done for us and either believe it or not. If not, then the flames of hell are waiting for us, and rightly so, for we are fully culpable for our transgressions. If we believe, then repentance is our faith revealed and testimony to the dying world. We hate our sins and turn to Christ our redeemer, who purchased us with His sacrifice upon the cross. He becomes our Lord and Master. Sin no longer rules us. Our minds are being renewed by the reading of His word. Our hearts are transformed into new living hearts with God honoring desires. He sanctifies us as we grow in faith and knowledge of Him. We are born again. Not to live as slaves to sin and death, but to live as bondservants of Christ and holiness. Love Jesus with all of your heart, for He is the Savior!





