It is ironic that in a country like America, where the majority of people still consider themselves “Christian,” the moral climate and the church’s influence on society is alarmingly low.  The main reason can be attributed to the fact that the church is not heeding Christ’s command to “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” (Matthew 28:19-20)  The church’s work doesn’t stop at evangelism–Jesus accented the process of evangelism “Go and make disciples…teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.”

A Kingdom Without A King?

Especially in recent decades, the preaching of the Gospel has often been dumbed down and diluted so that it would appear more acceptable to a nation headed in a humanistic and materialist direction.  Resultantly, the Gospel has become very man-centered instead of Christ-centered.  Consider the following:

• Phrases like “Count your blessings,” “Jesus belongs to me,” “I am satisfied with Jesus,” are all over the lyrics of our favorite songs and hymns.
• Our prayers are often nothing more than requests asking for God’s blessing.
• Our church services and buildings are designed to make us most comfortable (plush seats etc.).
• Evangelistic efforts are marked by promises that Jesus will make your life better.

“For the early Christians, then, so much was at stake for simply saying ‘Jesus is Lord.’”

When we refer to Jesus as “Lord” today, the meaning of the term has usually lost its original sense.  In the Greek, kurios meant the one with maximum authority, the creator, the one above everyone else.  When Kurios was capitalized, it was only used to refer to Caesar; Caesar of Rome was the Lord.  It shouldn’t come to us as a surprise then, that when Christians refused to affirm the greeting of fellow Romans who would say  ”Caesar is Lord”, they suffered from persecution and were often martyred.  For the early Christians then, so much was at stake for simply saying “Jesus is Lord.”

Lordship Salvation

At the turn of the 20th century a theological debate arose concerning the nature of salvation.  Some theologians proposed the idea that all one had to do to be saved was to accept Jesus Christ as Savior.  Their conclusion was that Jesus’ Lordship was an aspect of salvation that could be realized at a later part of Christian walk.  In a way, we can see how this teaching, along with those who accepted it, has watered down the Gospel that has been preached in America ever since.

The role of discipleship in the life of the Christian can only be redeemed when we pay close attention to the totality of what the Bible teaches about what it means to be saved.  We must emphasize that although Jesus is gentle and humble in heart, he has a yoke for us to carry (Matthew 11:28-29), and that all those who want to follow him must deny themselves and take up their cross (Matthew 16:2-25).  Discipleship is not an optional part of being a Christian; God is not honored in a buffet-style approach to faith.  The truly saved will understand that although forgiveness is free, discipleship will cost you everything.

To be continued.

Hull, Bill. The Complete Book of Discipleship. Colorado Springs: NavPress, 2006.

Willard, Dallas. The Divine Conspiracy. New York: HarperCollins, 1998.

MacArthur, John. Faith Works: the Gospel According to the Apostles. Nashville: W Group Publishing, 1993.

In our last post we set a foundation for Bible study by examining the basic tools and methods for understanding a biblical text.  In this post we want to explore two different ways of approaching the Bible.  We hope they can serve as examples for how to make the connection between God’s word and your life.

1. Devotional Bible Study

The ultimate purpose of any type of Bible Study is life application, not interpretation, as God wants to change our lives through His Word. The Devotional Bible Study is simply taking a passage of the Bible and prayerfully meditating on it until the Holy Spirit leads you to apply its truth to your own life in a way that is personal, practical, possible, and tangible. In other words, take heed of James’ call to “do what it says” (1:22). Without personal application, any Bible Study becomes an academic exercise without any spiritual value! Remember 2 Tim. 3:16. Head knowledge without heart knowledge creates Pharisees! Even though they knew their Scriptures, they “didn’t know the power of God!” (Matt.22:29) Worse yet, their knowledge gave them a dangerous sentiment of pride: “Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up” (1 Cor. 8:1).
Our Devotional Bible study must lead to application and spiritual growth in our lives and has several steps:

1. Pray for insight on how to apply the passage
2. Meditate on the passage you have chosen to study
3. Write down an application and ask, “Does this application help me become more like Jesus?”
4. Memorize a key verse from your study.

Application is difficult because:

• It requires hard work and serious thinking
• Satan fights it with all of his might
• We naturally resist change and love our comfort zone.

2. Character Trait Method of Bible Study

One of the most important goals for Christians is to develop a Christlike character in their lives. We do this by cooperating with the Word of God and with the Spirit of God in the process of replacing bad character traits with good ones. This type of Bible study helps us identify both the good and the bad traits, and then, through prayer and the help of the Holy Spirit, work at minimizing the bad ones and maximizing the Christ-like ones.

For this type of study we need some of the tools we mentioned in Bible Study Methods – Part 1: A Bible, exhaustive concordance, Bible dictionary or a word study book, topical Bible, English dictionary.

“Analyze whether a negative trait in your life is in fact a positive one, but misused. For instance, if you are legalistic and rigid, it could be that your positive trait of self-control is being misused and that self-discipline must be dipped in love, compassion, and concern for others.”

Important Tips:

• Work on one quality at a time – this will help you stay focused on the weakest trait of your character.
• Character formation takes time – sometimes months, or even years! Don’t despair; persevere!
• Analyze whether a negative trait in your life is in fact a positive one, but misused. For instance, if you are legalistic and rigid, it could be that your positive trait of self-control is being misused and that self-discipline must be dipped in love, compassion, and concern for others.
• You CANNOT do it on your own! It is God’s Spirit that reproduces Christ’s character in us (Phil.2:13).

Steps for a Character Trait Bible Study:

1. Name the trait. Look it up in an English Dictionary and write down the definition. List all the synonyms.
2. Name the opposite trait. Most Thesauruses also give the antonyms. Write down its definition.
3. Do a word study – look up the Bible definition of the quality you are studying. Use net.Bible.org
4. Find cross-references: The Bible is the best interpreter of Scripture. Use your concordance and topical bible to find all the verses you can related to this trait.
5. Ask:

What are the benefits of this trait for ME?

What are the bad consequences this trait can bring ME?

What are the benefits / consequences this trait can bring to others?

Is there any promise from God related to this quality?

Is there any warning or judgment related to this trait?

Is there a command related to this trait?

What the Bible tells me what God thinks of this trait?

Do I desire more or less of this trait in my life?

Next:

1. Write down a short summary of the Bible’s teaching on this quality.
2. Find a biblical person in that displayed this character trait in his or her life, and ask whether this trait helped or hindered his/her spiritual growth and what result it produced in his/her life.
3. Find a memory verse that best underlines the trait you just studied.
4. Think of a situation or relationship that you want to apply and work on this trait. If it is a situation, anticipate in advance how you are going to act when time comes. If it is a relationship, determine ahead how you are going to respond in your relationship with that person. Pray and ask God for His help.

Why do we need to study the Word of God?

Paul writes Timothy (2 Tim. 3:15-17) that there are two main reasons why believers must study the Scriptures:

1. To know Jesus Christ and receive his salvation (v.15),
2. To help us grow spiritually that we might get equipped for whatever God wants us to do (v.17).

In one dispute with the Sadducees, Jesus proclaimed, “You are in error because you do not know the Scripture or the power of God” (Matt. 22:29).

“People get off base doctrinally because they know neither their Bibles nor the power of God.”

With the current rise and popularity of cults, false teachings, and non-biblical philosophies, it is absolutely imperative that we Christians be grounded in the Word of God, so we are enabled to discern error from truth.

Principles of Bible Study

There are several methods of Bible study, but all of them have five foundational principles:

1. Ask the right kinds of questions of the biblical text. Apply these important questions to the passage that you are studying: Who? What? Where? When? Why? How?
   Read the immediate context, the whole chapter, or book to gain answers to these questions.  The tools listed below will help you in this.
2. Write down what you have observed and discovered. Bible study is different than Bible reading! If you don’t write down your observations, you haven’t really thought about them.
3. The ultimate goal of Bible study is application, not interpretation. Dwight Moody said, “The Bible was not given only to increase our knowledge, but to change our lives.”
4. The Bible must be studied in a systematic way. We must stay away from a “buffet-style” approach, or hopping through the books of the Bible.
5. No Bible student will ever exhaust all the riches of any given passage in the Scripture. God is infinite, and so is His Word: infinite in depth, height, and width, and always fresh in taste!

Preparing for Bible Study

1. Schedule Your Bible Study. If you don’t put study in your weekly schedule, you will never make time for it.
2. Use a Notebook. Bible study requires you to write down your observations.
3. Get the Right Tools. A serious Bible student must acquire a few “tool of the trade” – consider making an investment in these reference tools– you will be able to use them for a long time.
4. Start Your Bible Study With Prayer. Pray for forgiveness and then, for a fresh filling with the Holy Spirit, as He is our Teacher (John 14:26; 16:13).  (119:18)

Bible Study Tools

• A Study Bible. They provide introductions to each books, notes on each verse, charts, maps etc.  The NIV or ESV versions are excellent choices.
• An Exhaustive Concordance. This important tool is a Bible index of the words contained in a specific Bible version and lists every usage of every word in the Bible and gives all the references where that word appears.
• A Bible Dictionary. Explains words, customs, and traditions in the Bible, and provides historical, geographical, cultural, and archeological information.  Ex: Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary, or The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (4 Volumes).
• A Topical Bible. Categorizes the verses of the Bible by topics.  Ex: NIV Naves Topical Bible.
• A Bible Handbook. Gives background notes, a brief commentary, and includes maps, charts, outlines, key words and verses.  Ex: Halley’s Bible Handbook or Talk Thru The Bible.
• Commentaries. These are scholarly collections of explanatory notes and interpretations on the text of a particular Bible book or section. They should not be consulted only after you have done your own Bible study!
• Electronic Resources:  net.bible.org; eSword.com; biblegateway.com

To Be Continued.

Fee, Gordon, and Douglas Stuart. How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth. 3rd ed. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2003.

Duvall, Scott J., and J. Daniel Hays. Grasping God’s Word. 2nd ed. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2005.

Hill, Andrew E., and John H. Walton. A Survey of the Old Testament. 2nd ed. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2000.

Carson, D.A., and Douglas J. Moo. An Introduction to the New Testament. 2nd ed. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2005.

ESV Study Bible. Wheaton: Crossway Bibles, 2008.

by Romeo Pelle

Spiritual Discipline of Money

A Synthesis of Randy Alcorn’s Book: “The Treasury Principle”

Jesus spoke about money, possessions and finances more than He talked about heaven and hell combined! Why? Because there is a fundamental connection between our spiritual lives and how we think about and we handle money. Even though some Christians try to separate faith from finances, God sees them inseparable.

One Biblical example is found in Luke 3, where John the Baptist was asked by the crowd of his listeners what they must do to demonstrate the fruit of their repentance. Even though they did not ask anything about money, John gave them three answers, and all related to money and possessions:

1. Everyone should share clothes and food with the poor (v.11).

2. Tax collectors shouldn’t take extra money (v.13).

3. Soldiers should be content with their wages and not extort money (v.14).

Why didn’t John talk about other things that we, and the crowd of those times, might think are important and related to our spiritual health? Because our approach to money and material possessions isn’t just important; it is central to our spiritual lives! John the Baptist couldn’t talk about spirituality without talking about how to handle money and wealth.

Another example we can find in the life of Zacchaeus. Luke 19 describes this Jew as a person that did everything in his power to accumulate wealth, as he was the chief tax collector in the city of Jericho. However, when he met Jesus he said: “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount” (Luke 19:8). Jesus responded: “Today salvation has come to this house” (v.9). Zacchaeus totally new approach to money demonstrated that his heart had been transformed.

Many other Biblical examples prove the connection between a person’s spiritual condition and his or her approach to money and possessions: the new converts sold their possessions to help the needy (Acts 2:45; 4:32-35); when Ephesians occultists converted to Christ they burnt all of their magic books, valued to millions of dollars in today’s money (Acts 19:19); the poor widow who gave everything she had (Mark 12:44).

In strong contrast, the Lord Jesus spoke of a rich man who spent all of his wealth on himself, living a life of luxury, and who planned to tear down his barns to build larger ones to accumulate even more. God called this man a fool, saying, “This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?” (Luke 12:20). The strongest accusation against this person’s spiritual condition was that he was rich toward himself, but not rich toward God.

When a rich young man insisted to Jesus on how to obtain eternal life, Jesus told him, “Sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasures in heaven. Then come, and follow me” (Matthew 19:21). This young man was obsessed with earthly treasures; Jesus called him to something higher – heavenly treasures. Jesus knew that money and possessions were this man’s god. He, indeed, obeyed the commandments from the Second Table of Moses’ Law, but he failed miserably regarding the First Commandment! Jesus knew well that this young man wouldn’t serve God unless he dethroned his real god: Mammon, the money god, but the seeker considered the price too high and walked away from the real treasures.

In Matthew 6, Jesus teaches the foundation of the Treasure Principle:

“Do not store up for yourself treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matthew 6:19-21.

Think of what Jesus is saying: “Do not store up treasures on earth.” Why not? Because earthly treasures are bad? NO. Because they won’t last. This is what Scriptures says, “Cast but a glance at riches, and they are gone, for they will surely sprout wings and fly off to the sky like an eagle” (Proverbs 23:5). As Christians we have the insight of the eventual return of Christ. This is the ultimate inside trading tip: Earth’s currency will become worthless when Christ returns, or when you die, whichever comes first (which both could happen at any time!).

Jesus tells us to once and for all switch our investments and to transfer our funds from Earth, which is totally unsecured (Alexander the Great), to Heaven, which is totally dependable and secured by God Himself. His Kingdom is coming soon to replace Earth’s economy. According to Jesus, storing up earthly treasures isn’t only wrong; is stupid! He wants us to store up treasures in Heaven.

God is the Owner, we are the managers. We need to develop a steward’s mentality toward the assets He had entrusted – not given – to us! A steward doesn’t have a sense of entitlement to the assets he manages. It’s his job to find out what the owner wants done with His assets and carry out His will.

Biblical teachings regarding the Treasure Principle Key # 1:

• “The Earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it” – Psalm 24:1.
• “The silver is Mine and the gold is Mine,” declares the Lord Almighty.” – Haggai 2:8.
• “Remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you the ability to produce wealth” – Deuteronomy 8:18.
• “Wealth and honor come from you; You are the ruler of all things… Everything comes from You, and we have given You only what comes from Your hand” – 1 Chronicles 29:12 & 14
• “You are not your own; you were bought at a price” -  1 Corinthians 6:19-20.

God will grant us rewards for generous giving: “Go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have a treasure in heaven” (Matt. 19:21). Jesus is keeping track even of our smallest acts of kindness: “If anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is my disciple, I tell you the truth, he will certainly not lose his reward.” (Matt. 10:42)

God is keeping a record of all we do for Him, including our giving: “A scroll of remembrance was written in His presence concerning those who feared the Lord and honored His Name” Malachi 3:16. Jesus said, “If you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches? And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else’s property, who will give you property of you own?” (Luke 16:11-12). If you and I handle His money faithfully, Christ will give us true riches – the eternal ones. By generously distributing God’s property on Earth, we will become property owners in Heaven!

In other words, we could actualize Jesus’ words something like this: “Show me your checkbook, your credit card statement and your receipts, and I’ll show you where your heart is.”

Jesus declared “Be on guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” (Luke 12:15)

The Bible is very clear regarding Jesus’ command to us regarding giving. We know that He offers us great rewards for giving. The question is: “Why is so difficult to give?” There several barriers to giving: unbelief, insecurity, pride, idolatry, desire for power and control. However, the greatest barrier to giving is the illusion, or the belief that Earth is our home.

Paradoxically, our home is a place we’ve never been; but it’s the place we were made for. If we would let this reality sink in, it would forever change the way we think and live: we would stop laying up treasures in our earthly hotel room and start sending more ahead to our true home.

“Who dies with the most toys wins”

If we would take a trip to a landfill, we would see a long line of garbage trucks lined up to dump computers, stereos, furniture, appliances, toys, and anything you could imagine. The pit where that stuff is dumped will be covered with a layer of soil, and another layer of stuff will be dumped. That is the final resting place for the things in our lives, and sooner or later, everything we own ends up here: cars, boats, and hot tubs; clothes, stereos, and barbecues; Christmas and birthday presents. The treasures that children fight about, friendships were lost, honesty was sacrificed for, and many marriages broke up for: all of these end up in a junkyard!

And this despite the saying, “Who dies with the most toys wins”! In fact, when we die after devoting our lives to acquire things, we don’t win – we lose. We move into eternity, but our toys stay behind, filling junkyards.

Let’s think about our lives like having two phases: first phase is a dot; the second is a line extending out from that dot. Right now we are living  in the dot. But what are we living  for ? The shortsighted person lives for the dot. The person with perspective lives for the line. This Earth and my time here is the dot. Our beloved Bridegroom, the coming wedding, the great reunion, and our eternal home in the New Heaven and New Earth – they are all on the line. These truths bring us to the key # 4:

The person who lives for the dot lives for the treasures on Earth that end up in junkyards or landfills. The person who lives for treasures in heaven that will last forever IS LIVING FOR THE LINE! Missionary Jim Elliot has uttered these words: “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.” Live for the line, not for the dot!

A Culture Obsessed With Possession

A PBS television documentary diagnosed our American culture with “modern-day plague of materialism” and claimed that:

• The average American shops six hours a week while spending a total of 45 minutes playing with his children.
• By age twenty, the average American has seen one million commercials.
• Every year more Americans declare bankruptcy than graduate from college, and the number of bankruptcies is skyrocketing.
• In 90% of divorce cases the arguments about money play a dominant role.

However, material wealth doesn’t make us happy. Actually, the richest among us tell us otherwise:

• “The care of $200 million is enough to kill anyone.” W.H. Vanderbilt
• “I have made many millions, but they have brought me no happiness.” John D. Rockefeller
• “Millionaires seldom smile.” Andrew Carnegie
• “I was happier when doing a mechanic’s job.” Henry Ford

There are countless stories of lottery winners that are more miserable a few years after winning than they were before. Or people that purchased a “vacation” home just to become enslave and work on that piece of property every weekend or day off. We think we own our possessions, but too often they own us. Nothing makes a journey more difficult than a heavy backpack filled with nice but unnecessary things.  Pilgrims travel light.

The Tyranny of Things

Acquiring some expensive thing may push me into redefining my priorities. For instance, if I buy a boat, I want to justify my purchase by using the boat, which probably means frequent weekend trips to the lake, away from Church. More time would have to be spent on maintaining the boat, including the necessary expenses for maintenance. The problem isn’t with the boat; it is with me that I have to change the priority of things important in my life.

Let’s listen to the wise words of Solomon, the wisest man of his generation that we find in Eccles. 5:10-15.

• “Whoever loves money never has money enough” (v.10a). In other words: The more you have, the more you want!
• “Whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income” (v.10b). In other words: The more you have, the less you are satisfied!
• “As goods increase, so do those who consume them” (v.11). In other words: The more you have, the more people (even the government) will come after it.
• “The sleep of the laborer is sweet, whether he eats little or much, but the abundance of a rich man permits him no sleep” (v.12). In other words: The more you have, the more you have to worry about.
• “I have seen a grievous evil under the sun: wealth hoarded to the harm of its owner” (V.13). In other words: The more you have, the more you can hurt yourself by holding on to it.
• “Or wealth lost through some misfortune” (v.14). In other words: The more you have, the more you have to lose.
• “Naked a man comes from his mother’s womb, and as he comes, so he departs. He takes nothing from his labor that he can carry in his hand” (v.15). In other words: The more you have, the more you’ll leave behind.

Solomon was the wealthiest man of his time and he learned that affluence and possessions didn’t satisfy. He tried everything, “I denied myself nothing my eyes desired; I refused my heart no pleasure” (Ecclesiastes 2:10). However, he concluded: “When I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind, nothing was gained under the sun” (v.11).

Why are we, humans, become so entangled in trying to get these earthly treasures? Because our hearts yearn for these treasures, and we are tempted to get them because we are under the illusion that they are real and genuine, when these earthly treasures are mere shadows of the real, heavenly treasures! Nevertheless, the earthly treasures can become heavenly ones!

“As base a thing as money often is, it yet can be transmuted into everlasting treasure. It can be converted into food for the hungry and clothing for the poor; it can keep a missionary busy actively winning lost men to the light of the Gospel and thus transmute itself into heavenly values. Any temporal possession can be turned into everlasting wealth. Whatever is given to Christ is immediately touched with immortality”

A.W. Tozer, “The Transmutation of Wealth,”

Apostle Paul has a strong word for the rich people and against the perils of materialism: “Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasures for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so they may take hold of the life that is truly life” (1 Timothy 6:17-19). These truths bring us to the:

The act of giving is a clear reminder that it is all about God, not about us. He does not exist for me; I exist for Him and God’s money has a higher purpose than my affluence. Giving affirms Christ’s Lordship, as it dethrones me and exalts Him. It breaks the chains of Mammon that wants to enslave me. When I give it away, I relinquish control, power, and prestige. I recognize God as owner, myself as a servant, and others as intended beneficiaries of what God entrusted to me.

Getting Started in the Spiritual Discipline of Giving

“I have held many things in my hand and I have lost them all.

But whatever I placed in God’s hands, that I still possess” (Martin Luther)

Like Zacchaeus, who understood that a saved life cannot be separated from giving, any Christian must understand that Christian life is inseparable from the discipline of giving. The question is, “Where do I start?” A logical place is where God started His Old Covenant children: “A tithe of everything from the land, whether grain from the soil or fruit from the trees, belongs to the Lord: it is holy to the Lord” (Leviticus 27:30). The meaning of the “tithe” is a “tenth” part. Ten percent was to be given back to the Lord. There were freewill offerings too, but the 10% was mandatory.

Proverbs 3:9 says, “Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops.” God’s children are to give Him first, not last! When His children weren’t giving as they should, He said, “Will a man rob God? Yet you rob Me. But you ask, ‘How do we rob you?’ In tithes and offerings. You are under a curse – the whole nation of you – because you are robbing Me. Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house” (Malachi 3:8-10).

Jesus validated the mandatory tithe, even on small things (Matthew 23:23). But there is no mention of tithing after the Gospels. In the Epistles, the tithe is neither commanded nor rescinded, and this led to a heated debate among Christians about whether tithing is still a starting place for giving. The New Testament speaks strongly against legalism, the commandments regarding tithing belong to the Old Testament and nobody wants to pour new wine into old wineskins by imposing Old Testament commandments on the New Testament believers. HOWEVER, every New Testament example of giving goes far beyond the tithe and none falls short of it.

The truth of giving God our first fruits, though, is a timeless concept! Whether or not the tithe is still the minimal measure of those firstfruits, we should ask ourselves, “Does God expect His New Covenant children to give less or more?” Answering this question, we need to remember that Jesus raised the spiritual bar; He never lowered it! “You have heard that it was said …; but I tell you…!” (Matthew 5 & 6).

Training Wheels in the Spiritual Discipline of Giving

It was mentioned before that there is a heated debate among Christians about whether tithing is still a starting place for giving. However, the Church fathers Origen, Jerome, and Augustine taught that the tithe was the minimum giving requirement for Christians. It is also fair to ask, “God, do You really expect less of me – who has Your Holy Spirit within me – that You demanded of the poorest Israelite?”

Sadly, most studies reveal that American Christians give on average between 2% and 3 % of their income. Barna Research reported in 2001 that among the born-again Christians there was an unbelievable 44% increase in those who gave nothing in the previous year. The same study found that only 13% of the born-again Christians tithed in the previous year! The conclusion could be stated like this: Whatever the teaching in our Churches about giving, either it’s not true to the Scriptures, the message isn’t getting through, or Christians are being disobedient.

However, from the beginning of God’s people history, the tithe was God’s method to get us on the path of giving. The tithing isn’t the place to stop, but is a good place to start. Even in the Old Testament there were free will offerings. Tithing isn’t the ceiling of giving; it’s the floor. The tithe can be training wheels to launch us into the mind-set and habits of grace giving.

Malachi declared that the Israelites robbed God by with-holding not only their mandatory tithes but also their voluntary “offerings.” If they could rob God with insufficient freewill offerings, could we be guilty of the same sin? Paul encouraged voluntary giving, yet also described such giving as “obedience” (2 Corinthians 9:13). In other words, God has expectations for us, even when our offerings are voluntary, and to give less than He expects of us is to rob Him. It is obvious from Scriptures that God doesn’t expect us all to give the same amount: we are to give in proportion to how He has blessed us (Deuteronomy 16:10, 16-17; 1 Corinthians 16:2).

Someone could say, “I will start gradually to give to the Lord and I am going to start with 5%.” That is similar with someone saying, “I robbed last year 10 banks, but by God’s grace, I will only rob 5 banks this year.” The idea is not to rob God less; it is not to rob God at all! It is also true that for some people by giving 5% would be a higher sacrifice than for others giving 50% or even 90%! And the well-off and the rich people should never believe that by giving automatically 10% of their income, they fulfilled their obligations, because the other 90% belongs to God, also. He doesn’t look at only what we give; He also looks at what we keep.

Many givers would tell you that tithing was the practice that started them to stretch even more. They tithed and then watched God provide! They saw their hearts getting closer to His Kingdom, and now, years later, they are giving 20, 40, 80, or even 95% of their incomes to God’s purposes. On the other hand, many believers that were financially blessed but did not obey the Lord with their giving discipline saw their incomes being reduced and dwindled down.

Ironically, many believers can’t afford to give precisely because they are not giving. In Haggai, the Lord angrily said to His people: “You expected much, but see, it turned out to be little. What you brought home, I blew away. Why? declares the Lord Almighty. ‘Because of My house, which remains a ruin, while each of you is busy with his own house. Therefore, because of you the heavens have withheld their dew and the earth its crops. I called for a drought on the fields and the mountains, on the grain, the new wine, the oil and whatever the ground produces, on men and cattle, and on the labor of your hands” (1:9-11). If we pay our debt to God first, then we will receive His blessings to help us pay our debts to men. But when we rob God to pay men, we rob ourselves of God’s blessings. This is a vicious cycle, and it takes obedient faith to break out of it!

People often protest when they are asked to tithe that they cannot afford it. But if you ask them, “Would you die if your income would be reduced by 10 percent?”, they would answer, “No.” That’s an acknowledgement that they can afford it, but they don’t want to tithe. It is not easy to tithe, but it is much easier and safer to live on 90% or 50% or even 25% of your income inside the will of God than it is to live on 100%  outside God’s will!

Tithing is like a toddler’s first step: they are not his best steps nor last, but they are a good start. Once you learn to ride a bike you need no more the training wheels. Once you learn to give, tithing becomes irrelevant. There is no problem with Christians that state, “We are not under the law of tithing,” as long as they are not using that as a justification to give less. However, the reality among Christians indicate that most believers need a jump-start to their discipline of giving!

Excellent Giving

Paul called Christians to develop the spiritual discipline of giving: “See that you also excel in this grace of giving” (2 Corinthians 8:7). Like trumpet or piano playing, giving is a skill. With practice, we can get better at it. We can develop this spiritual discipline by giving more, giving more often, and giving more strategically. As we pursue excellence in our vocation, we can make giving something we can study, apply, and strive for excellence.

The Macedonian believers gave, “as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability” (2 Corinthians 8:3). What that “beyond” means? It means pushing our giving beyond the point where the numbers logically add up and continue to give when the bottom line says we cannot. “Beyond” means giving by faith!

Why Has God Entrusted So Much To Us?

Jesus declared: “Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you” (Luke 6:38). The more you give, the more comes back to you, because God is the greatest giver in the Universe, and He won’t let you outgive Him.

A great example is R.G. LeTourneau, who invented earthmoving machines. He gave away 90% of his income, and the money came in faster than he could give it away. Amazed at the way God worked in his life, he said, “I shovel it out and God shovels it back – but God has a bigger shovel!”

The prosperity gospel dishonors Christ, since any gospel that is more true in America than Zimbabwe or Indonesia is not the true gospel. Prosperity gospel is based on half-truths. God often prospers givers materially, but He won’t let us treat Him like no-lose slot machine. Giving is an act of worship AND a sacrifice. God’s payoff is very real, but it comes at the proper time, which often may not be today or tomorrow but in eternity (Galatians 6:9).

God has given us considerable material blessings. Have you asked yourselves, “Why has He provided so much?” The Word of God will not let us wondering for too long, explaining to us why we got more than we need: “Now He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. You will be made rich in every way so that …” (2 Corinthians 9:10-11).

So that what? Prosperity gospel would finish it, “so that we might live in wealth, showing the world how much God blesses those who love Him.” But that isn’t how Paul finishes it: “You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion.” These truths bring us to the key # 6:

God tells us why He gives us more money than we need. It’s not so we can find more ways to spend it. It’s not so we can indulge ourselves and spoil our children. It is so we can give – generously.

When God provides more money, we often think, “This is a blessing.” It is indeed, but it is also a test! We, as money managers, have legitimate needs, and the Owner is very generous: He doesn’t demand that we live in poverty and He doesn’t resent when we make reasonable expenditures on ourselves.

But when the Owner sees us living luxuriously in a huge mansion, driving only the best cars, flying only first class, eating at expensive restaurants, buying expensive clothes and the latest electronic gadgets, doesn’t He have the right to raise His eyebrows? Isn’t there a point when, as His stewards, we can cross the line of reasonable expenses? Won’t the Owner call us to account for squandering money that is not ours?  We are called to be God’s servants and we are told it’s required of us that we “prove faithful” (1 Corinthians 4:2).

It’s like you have some very important and precious you want to get to get to someone that really needs it. After you wrap it up you call the FedEx and entrust it to him. What would you think if instead delivering the package, he took it home and kept it for himself? You would say, “Hey, this guy doesn’t get it! The package doesn’t belong to him; he’s just a middleman, and his job is to pass it from me to the person that it was intended for.”

Just because God puts His money in our hands doesn’t mean He intends for it to stay there!  Paul said that the God who supplies seed to the sower will increase our store of seed. Why? So we can stockpile seed on top of seed? No, so we can scatter it and spread it out that it might bear fruit. Abundance isn’t God’s provision for me to live in luxury; it’s His provision for me to help others live.

God entrusts me with His money

not to build my kingdom here on earth,

but to build His kingdom in heaven.

This summer season has proven to be a full of life.  Many things happened in our community- – weddings, picnics, retreats, and conferences.  But after a more laid back meeting schedule, we’re ready to start again full throttle the 1st and 3rd Fridays of every month.  We pray that this new season be a prosperous one for your spiritually.  May you continue to grow in your experience of God’s grace in Christ!

This Friday at 7:30pm: Join us for some coffee, worship, and a talk on “The Treasury Principle,” which serves as the biblical antithesis to the false teaching of the prosperity gospel.  Come connect & grow with us in community.

Centered:  Relational | Worshipful | Impacting

• Where: Kelley’s Island, Ohio (click for directions)
• When: We will leave for camp from Bethesda church on Friday at 1pm.  Please arrive at 12:30pm.  We will return Sunday afternoon.If you are driving separate from the main car convoy & you paid $81, please bring money for the ferry ride which is $13.  You will be reimburse for this when you arrive at camp.The ferry leaves for the island every 30 mins.  After 10pm it leaves every hour.  The main convoy will arrive at the ferry around 5pm.
• Supplies: sleeping bag, pillow, Bible
• Sleeping arrangements: cabins with beds; no bed linens provided
• Meals: Friday dinner; Saturday breakfast, lunch, dinner; Sunday breakfast

See you tomorrow!

By Romeo Pelle

The “Gospel” of Prosperity

American Christianity is rapidly being infected by a spiritual gangrene, the so-called “Prosperity Gospel” – although it has very little of the character of Gospel in it. Prosperity gospel (also known as prosperity doctrine, health and wealth, prosperity theology) is a religious teaching that God desires material prosperity for those He favors. Material prosperity in this theology not only includes financial prosperity but success in relationships and good health as well. Some of its more brazen exponents will tell you: “Serve God and get rich!” The cover story of the September 18, 2006, issue of Time magazine made a lot of Christians cringe: “Does God Want You to Be Rich?” It was an embarrassment as it presented an image of the body of Christ with many members who are idolaters and greedy.

The theology of this new “gospel” seems far more to fit the American dream than it does the teaching of Him who had “nowhere to lay His head.” Its message is a dangerous twisting of God’s truth, a message which can appeal only to our human fallenness and not to our life in the Spirit of Christ. The basic problem with the “Gospel of Prosperity” lies at the point of the interpretation of Scripture. The practical implications of this gospel is that God wills the financial prosperity of every one of His children, and therefore, for a Christian to be in poverty is to be outside God’s intended will, it is to be living a Satan-defeated life. Because we are God’s children (the King’s kids, as some like to put it) we should always go first-class, we should have the biggest and best, a Cadillac instead of a Chevy, because this brings glory to God!

This is strange indeed, when thinking of the Son of God who we are called throughout the Scriptures to emulate: “Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:  Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled himself and became obedient to death – even death on a cross!” (Philippians 2:5-8).

The fundamental errors of this theology are hermeneutical (= methods or principles of biblical interpretation). Good interpretation of the Bible must begin with the plain meaning of the text. The “plain meaning” has to do first of all to do with the author’s original intent, it has to do with what would have been plain to those to whom the words were originally addressed. It has NOT to do with how someone from a suburbanized white American culture of late 20^th or early 21^st century reads his or her own cultural setting back into the text!

• The most important Scripture text of this movement is 3 John 2 : “Beloved, I pray that in all respects you may prosper and be in good health, just as your soul prospers.” This verse is interpreted by prosperity teachers to mean that God wants all believers to “prosper in all things.” Furthermore, their interpretation of this verse makes clear their claim that material prosperity is inseparably linked to spiritual growth. Of this verse Kenneth Copeland says, “John writes that we should prosper and be in health” (The Laws of Prosperity, p.14). The Greek word ευοδουσθαι (euodusthai) translated “prosper” in KJV and NASB means “to go well with someone,” just as a friend might say to you in a letter, “I pray that this letter finds you all well.” This combination of wishing for “things to go well” and for the recipient’s “good health” was the standard form of greeting in a personal letter in antiquity. To expand and apply John’s wish for Gaius to refer to financial and material prosperity for all Christians of all times and throughout the world is totally foreign to this text! John did not intend to say that and Gaius surely did not understand that way, thus it cannot be the “plain meaning of the text.” We surely may learn from this text to pray for our brothers and sisters in Christ that “all will go well with them,” but to argue from this text that God wills our financial prosperity is to abuse the text!
• Another important text that is used by this movement to support their theology is John 10:10, where Jesus declares: “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” The “abundant life” has nothing to do with material abundance. The terms “life” or “eternal life” in the Gospel of John are the equivalent of the “Kingdom of God” in the Synoptic Gospels.  It literally means the “life of the Age to Come.” It is the life that God has in and of Himself; it is the gift He gives through Christ to believers in this present age. The Greek word περισσον (perrison) translated “abundantly” in NASB and KJV simply means that believers are to enjoy the gift of life to the full (as translated in NIV). Material abundance is not implied either in the word “life” or “to the full.”  Such an idea is totally foreign to the context of John 10, as well to the whole teaching of our Savior.
• One last text we analyze, also (ab)used by the prosperity theologians is Galatians 3:13-14: “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: ‘Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.’ He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.” This passage is used to teach that Christians are Abraham’s spiritual children and heirs to the blessings of faith. This is true but in their interpretation this Abrahamic inheritance is unpacked primarily in terms of material entitlements. In other words, according to the prosperity gospel, the primary purpose of the Abrahamic covenant was for God to bless Abraham materially. Since believers are now “Abraham’s spiritual children,” they consequently have inherited these financial blessings of the covenant. Prosperity teacher Kenneth Copeland wrote, “Since God’s Covenant has been established and prosperity is a provision of this covenant, you need to realize that prosperity belongs to you now” (The Laws of Prosperity, 51). In their appeal to Gal. 3:14, prosperity teachers ignore the second half of the verse, which reads, “That we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.” In this verse Paul clearly was reminding the Galatians of the spiritual blessing of salvation, not the material blessing of wealth.

Not only does this false gospel miss the point of individual passages, it conflicts with the overall context of Scripture. Take the matter of riches. What value are wealth and property for God’s people? Zero is the answer provided in such Scriptures as Matthew 6:32-33 and Luke 12:15. Indeed, where there is wealth, there should be sharing (Acts 4:32-37, etc.). In the Old Testament possessions are occasionally linked with a life of obedience, but this is never the case in the New Testament. Even the Old Testament warns about the danger of trusting in what one owns rather than in God (Psalm 49:16-19).

The Gospel teaches a carefree attitude toward wealth and possessions. According to Jesus, the good news of the coming of the Kingdom frees us from all those pagan concerns (Matthew 6:32-33). God cares for our needs; the extras are unnecessary. The man who seeks more and more is a fool, because life doesn’t consist in having a surplus of possessions (Luke 12:15). We find the same carefree attitude toward wealth and possessions also in Apostle Paul’s writings. He is a free man in Christ, who knows contentment whatever the circumstances (Philippians 4:10-13). Thus he tells those who have nothing to be content with food and clothing. “People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap” (1 Timothy 6:6-10). Then, he addresses those who happen to be rich to treat their wealth with indifference and not to put any stock on it. Rather, they are to be “generous and willing to share,” for this is true wealth (6:17-19).

Things to ponder:

• The Gospel of Jesus Christ is a God-centered gospel. What about the prosperity gospel?
• God’s love and giving are presented in the Gospel as unconditional. Listen to Gloria Copeland: “Give $10 and receive $1,000; give $1,000 and receive $100,000; in short, Mark 10:30 is a very good deal.” (God’s Will Is Prosperity, 45). Does this sound unconditional?
• “Any ‘Gospel’ that will not ‘sell’ as well among believers in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso or Dacca, Bangladesh or Phnom Penh, Cambodia as in Orange County, California or Tulsa County, Oklahoma is not the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Gordon Fee, The Disease of the Health and Wealth Gospels, p.17).
• “No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.” (Jesus Christ, Matthew 6:24). The prosperity gospel worships materialism, and the health gospel’s idol is the human body.
• Read and analyze Hebrews 10:34-36 & 11:32-40. Some of those in the “Hall of Faith” were destitute and impoverished as their properties were confiscated.
• “Theology is important, because correct doctrinal beliefs are essential to the relationship between the believer and God” (Theologian Millard J. Erickson). A corollary to this statement is that an incorrect theology will lead to incorrect beliefs about God, His Word, and His dealings with men.

References

Aland, Kurt, The Greek New Testament

Copeland, Gloria, God’s Will Is Prosperity

Copeland, Kenneth, The Laws of Prosperity

Erickson, Millard, Christian Theology

Fee, Gordon, The Disease of the Health and Wealth Gospels

Green, Jay, The Interlinear Bible: Hebrew-Greek-English

Jones, David, The Bankruptcy of the Prosperity Gospel: An Exercise in Biblical and Theological Ethics

Kittel, Gerhard, Theological Dictionary of the New Testament

Time, Does God Want You to Be Rich? September 18, 2006

By Andrew Dragos

JUSTICE

INJUSTICE: SOME EXAMPLES

- Thousands of Hebrew boys killed by Pharaoh around the time of Moses’ birth.

- Between 7-11 million people perished at the hand of Joseph Stalin under the Soviet Union.

- Upward of 7 million Jews were killed during WWII.

- In 1994, 800,000 people were killed in Rwanda, in just 100 days; most of them by machete.

- It is estimated that 300,000 child soldiers are serving in world conflicts around the world right now.

- In 1999, there were an estimated 20 million slaves in forced labor around the world.

- Currently, there are over 2 million children in the commercial sex trade.

- Since 1973, over 40 million abortions have been performed in the U.S.

JUSTICE: A DEFINITION

Rendering to every one that which is one’s due; moral uprightness. (RIGHTEOUSNESS)

Law of cause & consequence; what should happen as a result of an event.

The emptiness of atheism is that it has no objective standard by which to measure justice, since it is based upon a moral law.

- Is it possible for a secular society to practice real justice?

- What are the chances that without the law of God a secular society will come to the same moral convictions as a Christian one?

- Have there been any?

JUSTICE IN PHILOSOPHY

Plato – justice is based upon idea of an ultimate reality as a transcendent form of cosmic order.

Thomas Hobbes – justice is self-preservation.

John Stuart Mill – justice is the pursuit of happiness for the greatest number in a society.

Immanuel Kant – justice is acting in accord to one’s nature, in spite of circumstances.

Problem: value for individual and society cannot be grounded in themselves; need a transcendent source.

JUSTICE IN THE BIBLE

The Christian concept of justice is founded on the character and will of God as revealed in Scripture.

God Is Just

“He is the Rock, His works are perfect, and all His ways are just.  A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is He.” (Deuteronomy 32:4)

“And there is no other God besides Me, a just God and a Savior; there is none besides Me.” (Isaiah 45:21e)

God Wants A Just Creation

“For I have known him, in order that he may command his children and his household after him, that they keep the way of the LORD, to do righteousness and justice, that the LORD may bring to Abraham what He has spoken to him.” (Genesis 18:19)

“Do not pervert justice; do not show partiality to the poor or favoritism to the great, but judge your neighbor fairly.” (Leviticus 19:15)

God Makes People Just Through Jesus Christ

Romans 3:21-26   “But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.”

God Will Arbitrate Ultimate Justice In the End

“Rejoice, saints and apostles and prophets! God has judged her for the way she treated you.” (Revelation 18:20)

“With justice He judges and makes war.” (Revelation 19:11-21)

“He will wipe every tear from their eyes.  There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” (Revelation 21:4)

“I will give to everyone according to what he has done.” (Revelation 22:12)

JUSTICE & THE CHRISTIAN

We tend to personalize justice in our consideration of hypothetical situations that may affect us, often neglecting God’s command to be concerned for the justice of others.

“Rescue those being led away to death; hold back those staggering toward slaughter.” (Proverbs 24:11)

“This is what the LORD Almighty says: ‘Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another’.” (Zechariah 7:9)

“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law — justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former.” (Matthew 23:23)

“Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn’t do it, sins.” (James 4:17)

Christians are commanded by God to take an active role in bringing justice to the lives of others.

Examples: Genocides; child soldiers; abortion; sex trafficking; slavery; abusive relationships

International Justice Mission: www.ijm.org

SOME QUESTIONS TO REFLECT ON

- Should government apply capital punishment?  Is war ever justified?

(Genesis 9:6; Exodus 21:23; Joshua 10:40; Luke 3:14; Romans 13:4; Acts 22:25-29)

- Should countries come to the aid of each other if they are under oppression from their own leaders?  Under what circumstances?

- Should Christians be in the military?  What if they disagree with a war?

(Exodus 1:17; Daniel 6; Luke 3:14; Matthew 26:52; Titus 3:1; 1 Peter 2:13-14;)

- Is it ok to hurt or kill someone in an act of self-defense?  Should you kill someone that is not saved if you are? (Matthew 5:39)

- Should Christians seek personal justice? (Matthew 5:39; Romans 12:17-21)

CONCLUSION: HAVE WE COUNTED THE COST?

By Romeo Pelle

SALVATION – WHAT IS IT AND CAN I LOSE IT?

What is Salvation?

Romans 6:23 declares that “The gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Those supporting “Once saved forever saved” advance this definition of salvation arguing that when God gives someone the gift of salvation, He will not take back His gift. However, this definition of salvation is simplistic and incomplete.

When we look at the whole Scripture, we see from Genesis to Revelation a loving God searching to commune in an intimate way with His creature, the human being. We define ‘salvation’ as being an intimate relationship between the fallen, but forgiven man and his Creator through Jesus Christ facilitated by the Holy Spirit; it is the restoration of the initial relationship man had with God in Eden before the Fall.

Human relationships take many forms, such as marriage, friendship, partnership, etc., and all of these relationships need two parts to contribute for the maintaining of that relationship. Any human relationship that is not maintained is destined to fade away and eventually cease. Similarly, salvation – the relationship between the forgiven man and God – if not maintained and cultivated, can be lost.

If salvation is indeed my relationship with God, and through my faith in Jesus Christ I have become a son or daughter of God, can I withdraw from this relationship or am I “glued” and unable to exit from it? Let’s look at Jesus’ parable of the Prodigal Son. It is obvious to all that the father figure represents God. In the end he declares to the older son, “This brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found” (Luke 15:32). Jesus’ parables mirror spiritual realities and we can conclude that a person that became a son of God can be tempted by Satan to leave his father and go into the world. When he does that he is “dead”! Praise God though, that he has the chance to come back to life!

Let’s look at another example: In John 15 Jesus describes His relationship with the saved ones by an analogy of the relationship between the vine and its branches. He warns His followers, “Remain in Me and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me” (15:4). He continues to teach about the consequences of NOT remaining in Him: “If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned” (15:6).

Question to Ponder: Are the two above examples (and many others) spiritual realities or fiction?

It seems very clear that Jesus warns of the possibility that Christians could become separated and alienated from God. Those who maintain that “once saved you are forever saved” ignore the full revelation of Scripture. Their main mistake is that they only look at salvation from God’s perspective and His sovereignty. It is true that God has accomplished everything on His side of the equation: “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” (1 Peter 1:3). But Scriptures have a lot to say regarding the role of human responsibility in the process of salvation.

We don’t want to imply that salvation must be earned through human efforts and deeds. In Ephesians 2:8 apostle Paul clearly declares, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God.” However, the same apostle states, “Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed – not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence – continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling” (Phil.2:12). The implication is that the human ingredient, the exercise of man’s free will, plays into the other side of the equation, namely, in the perseverance in faith that continues the process of salvation.

As we mentioned earlier, God did not create us as programmable computers that follow Him blindly; He desires sons and daughters that freely choose Him, obey Him through the empowerment of the Holy Spirit, and continually follow Him out of love and reverence! However, for as long as Satan is free to tempt us, apostle Peter’s warning still rings true: “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8).

Why is it so difficult to envision a worldly and disobedient Christian to be devoured by Satan? Those maintaining that salvation cannot be lost point to two important passages. The first, John 10:28-29 states, “I (Jesus) give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand.” The other one is Romans 8:35, 38-39, “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? … For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” These wonderful promises are ours, but both of them are from God’s perspective. It’s very true: NOTHING can snatch me or separate me from God, except MYSELF!

Let’s look at other Scriptures that “place the ball” in the court of human responsibility:

• 1 Corinthians 15:2 “By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.
• Matthew 24:13 – “But he who endures to the end shall be saved.“
• Matthew 24:24,25) -  “For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. See, I have told you beforehand.”
• Romans 11:20-22 – “Because of unbelief they were broken off, and you stand by faith. Do not be haughty, but fear. For if God did not spare the natural branches, He may not spare you either. Therefore consider the goodness and severity of God: on those who fell, severity; but toward you, goodness, if you continue in His goodness. Otherwise you also will be cut off.”
• 1 Corinthians 10:12 – “Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.”
• 1 Corinthians 15:1,2 – “Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you — unless you believed in vain.”
• Galatians 5:4, 7 – “You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law (the O.T. law); you have fallen from grace… You ran well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth?”
• Colossians 1:22, 23 – “…to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight — if indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel…”
• 1 Thessalonians 3:5 – “For this reason, when I could no longer endure it, I sent to know your faith, lest by some means the tempter had tempted you, and our labor might be in vain.
• 2 Peter 1:10 – “But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins. Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never fall.” Falling from where? From being “elected”?
• 2 Peter 2:20-22 – “If they have escaped the corruption of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and are again entangled in it and overcome, they are worse off at the end than they were at the beginning. It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than to have known it and then to turn their backs on the sacred command that was passed on to them. Of them the proverbs are true: “A dog returns to its vomit,” and, “A sow that is washed goes back to her wallowing in the mud.”
• Hebrews 6:4-6 declares that for a certain category of believers, their fall is without any possibility of return to faith: “For it is impossible, in the case of those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have shared in the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, to restore them again to repentance, since they are crucifying once again the Son of God to their own harm and holding him up to contempt.”
• Furthermore, Paul himself exercised spiritual disciplines to ensure he perseveres till the end: “So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified. (1 Corinthians 9:26-27).

If the man that was entrusted to receive the revelation of half of the New Testament warned Christians about the potential of falling away from God’s grace, we must take his warnings very serious, follow his example and be on guard, practicing the spiritual discipline.

Why do we need to understand our responsibility in the process of salvation? An erroneous understanding that “Once saved forever saved” has the potential of lowering our guard against the devil and his deceitfulness. Scripture is very clear in its warning: “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith.” (1 Peter 5:8-9).  The essence of our salvation is not a set of rules of DOs and DON’Ts; it is the cultivation of our intimate relationship with God through Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit!