At Christmas time we celebrate, knowingly or unknowingly, the anniversary of the Creator God’s bodily visit to this earth. Approximately two thousand years ago He stepped from the throne of heaven to a lowly manger in the little town of Bethlehem by way of a virgin Jewish maiden named Mary.

His visit was foretold in the books of the Old Testament scripture.  His method of arrival by way of the virgin birth was announced, His tribe was revealed, His birthplace was named and the time of His arrival was given.  Many other details about the life He was to live, the death He was to die and of His resurrection from the dead, were also given.

In spite of all this information and Israel’s fervent belief in a coming Messiah, there was very little attention given to the actual event of His birth, which we now celebrate.  Only the lowly shepherds came from their hillside vigil to wonder at this little baby who was to become the Saviour.  Later the wise men from the East would find their way to Him and worship.

God’s Son, Jesus Christ was born into this world to die for your sins and for mine.  Scripture declares that the wages of sin is death. Death is separation.  Physical death is separation from the body.  Spiritual death is separation from God.

His substitutionary death upon the cross of Calvary was to pay the sin penalty that all we as sinners owe. If we choose to pay it ourselves, we will be eternally separated from God in hell.  If we accept the payment that God made for us, by believing on this Jesus and His finished work, then we will live with God forever.

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” John 3:16.

Not many were prepared for the great event of the Saviour’s birth, and not many recognized it for what it really was.  Humanity failed to welcome God to the world that He created.  As a matter of fact we rejected Him and slew Him on a cross.

Before Christ died and was resurrected, He promised believers that He would return for them.  After His resurrection, as He ascended bodily into heaven, angels announced: “This same Jesus that is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven”.

We were not told the time or the place, only that He will return.  He is coming again.  Are you ready?

Christmas may be celebrated every December 25th, but to me, Christmas comes every day.  Each day I live, I experience the gifts of God.  What does anyone have that was not given him by God?

The ability to see and appreciate the sights, to hear and enjoy the sounds, to smell and inhale the freshness, to taste and to savor, to be healthy and to work are gifts God bestows on every day life.

Beyond the physical are the gifts of repentance and faith, the gifts of forgiveness and eternal life, the gifts of a pure conscience and freedom from sin’s power, the gift of a heavenly Father and a heavenly destination, the gift of understanding and purpose, the gifts of the Holy Spirit to serve and to edify the faithful, are all freely given by God to those who will believe on His Son as their only hope of salvation.

Have you experienced any of God’s gifts?  If so, have you paused today to praise Him and thank Him for His wonderful gifts to you?

Merry Christmas!

For believers, submitting to one another is not so much about who one is submitting to as it is about submitting to God first.

We need to be reminded that neo-orthodoxy shares with theological liberalism the bias of unbelief which is manifested by their embrace of higher criticism.  Higher criticism treats the Bible as a fallible product of man, not as the God-breathed infallible book it claims to be.  

For example: Jesus credits Moses with the writing of the first five books of the Old Testament, but higher criticism assigns their authorship to four different authors designated as J, E, D & P.   The Lord endorses Genesis chapter three as historical and literal, but it is regarded by higher criticism as mythological.  

Higher criticism presupposes that no one can miraculously forecast what is to come (not even God), so they alter well established dates in order to have the fulfillment of prophesies occur after the forecast and not before.   Although it takes greater faith to believe this, the universal flood (which covered the mountains), is passed off as a local flood.   In these ways higher criticism explains away the supernatural and miraculous. 

Charles Ryrie, in his book on neo-orthodoxy, uses the term “destructive criticism” to describe what is referred to here as higher criticism.  Destructive criticism does exactly that.  It trys to destroy the credibility of Scripture.

Neo-orthodoxy fully embraces the destructive practices of higher criticism while attempting to construct a theology that has no credibility without the Scripture.  This is the Barthian’s great bias against the truth of the Bible and yet they fully insist that they are the true advocates of Christianity.  

If the accounts of Scripture and the words of Jesus Christ are not credible facts, what is left to build on?  The absurdity of neo-orthodoxy is that they have an answer, but by their own admission they have nothing credible to base it on.  

The three main voices of neo-orthodoxy are the Protestant theologians Karl Barth, Emil Brunner and Reinhold Niebuhr.

Deitrich Bonhoeffer’s name can hardly be mentioned without including the name of Karl Barth who influenced Bonhoeffer more than any other theologian.  Bonhoeffer was imprisoned by the Nazis for his part in an assassination plot against Hitler.  He was brutally hanged shortly before the Allies liberated his place of imprisonment.

Many hail Dietrich Bonhoeffer as a Christian martyr.  Bonhoeffer was martyred for a cause no doubt,  but if he was indeed neo-orthodox, that cause was not Bible believing Christianity.

•  Can one deny the words of Christ and still retain enough of His integrity to call Him the Saviour of the world or the Son of God?  

Jesus said, “Search the Scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and these are they which testify of me.  And ye will not come to me that ye might have life.”  John 5:39 & 40

Speaking again in John 6:63, Jesus says; “………the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.”

• Can one deny or ignore the literal, historical, and miraculous event of the resurrection of Christ and still have enough objective evidence to retain the integrity of Christianity?

Paul challenged this position by asking, “………how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead?  But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen: And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain.” 

“Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God; because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not.” 

“And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins. Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished.”  

“If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.” I Corinthians 15:12b-19

Note:

• If Christian theology is not based on objective historical accounts as recorded in the Bible, then Christianity has no credibility and any man’s religious imagination becomes as good as the next man’s.
• If you are an unbeliever, you cannot just blow this off, agree with neo-orthodoxy, and call it good.  There is too much at stake to just ignore the claims of the Scriptures, as well as its track record for accuracy and the changed lives of believers world wide throughout history, without a thorough investigation.  If you do blow it off and it is true, then you lose………for eternity.  There is no coming back.  
• Don’t  take my word for it.  Do your own investigation concerning the truth of the Bible and be honest about it.

A well-known apologist was speaking to an assembly of Russian military officers on the subject of “Theism versus Atheism” a few years ago.  After he finished his presentation and opened for questions, he reached for a glass of water to take a drink.  Before he could raise the glass, a Russian officer fired a comment and a question at him, You keep referring to God,………..who is God?

If someone asked you, Who is so and so? what would you say?  I’m sure that in the process of answering that question, a physical description, place of residence, occupation, family members, various activities and many other things would be mentioned to identify said person.  But what would you say if you were asked, Who is God?

Since God is a spirit, a physical description would be difficult. There are, however, many words to describe Him as a spirit.  He is infinite. Keep in mind that any number (billions/quadrillions/etc.) compared to infinity is zero.  He is eternal which means no beginning and no end.  He is sovereign which means basically that He is in control.  He can make good come out of bad and He sets up rulers and kings to suit His purposes, not ours.  God is the self existent one which means He doesn’t need you and me.

God is all wise, all powerful, all knowing and everywhere present which means that you can run, but you can’t hide, that you can fix up the outside of the barn, but He still knows what is inside.  He is also perfect or without sin which is a problem for us, because nothing that is sinful can enter into His presence and live, which is politically incorrect, but not a problem for Him.  He also does favors.

God is a trinity.  He is the “Three in One”: God the Father (Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven), God the Son (He visited us), and God the Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit lifts up Christ, convicts men of sin (it is He whom we resist); regenerates by His word, and seals our salvation.

God’s dwelling place is in the third heaven which is outside our universe (we have been to the moon).  He also resides in believers not the church building.  Believers are those who are resting in the finished work of God’s Son, Jesus Christ.  Believers are God’s children, by virtue of God’s grace (His enabling) through faith in the Son’s death, burial and resurrection from the dead.

God is the Creator (one of His many activities and occupations) which means He most likely does not believe in evolution.  He is the provider and sustainer of life and all its benefits.  God is love which means that He is perfect in all His choices and all His relationships.  We are not.

God is the Righteous Judge with whom we have to do.  We will all stand before Him and give account; believers for reward as stewards of his gifts, unbelievers for the death sentence earned by rejecting His Son.

God is an author.  He gave us a book called the Bible.  It is the most printed and published book of all time.  Nothing else comes close.  In atheistic countries people are dying to read it.  In our country we are trying to purge it.  You should read it while you can.  If you do, read a translation.  Leave the paraphrases alone.  You will want to know exactly what He said, not what someone thinks He said.

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16.

I have not counted the references myself, but I have heard it said on many occasions by others who have counted them, that Jesus Christ warned more about hell in the Scriptures than he preached on heaven.

Hell is a real place, a place that contains souls of men and from which there is no escape.  “Everlasting punishment” (Matthew 25:46) is that which never ends.  Hell is a place of fire and darkness. It is a place of pain and anguish.  It was created for Satan and his angels, but they, contrary to the cartoon images, will not be inflicting pain on others.  They will be the objects of torment themselves.  Such a terrible place, why do people end up there?

When God created Adam and placed him in a perfect environment (the Garden of Eden), he could have made man a robot, who would have always done exactly as God wanted. Instead God made man with a will and with it the ability to make decisions of his own volition.  Adam disobeyed God and sin entered the world.  Death came.  Spiritual death first which is separation from God. “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:” (Romans 5:12).

God did not hesitate when Adam fell.  He immediately gave the first promise of the Redeemer (Genesis 3:15), which made it possible for all men to be delivered from God’s judgment.  Man only needed to believe God and accept God’s provision for man’s salvation.  God sent his Son to die in our place and to rise again from the dead.

What God provided is adequate for every sinner who ever lived, but it is only applied on our behalf when we believe on the Lord Jesus Christ according to the Scriptures, accepting him as our own personal Saviour.  “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life; and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.” (John 3:36).

Why do people go to hell?  They do not go to hell because they are immoral, profane or dishonest.  The committing of any sin, whether in the heart or in the life, is simply an affirmation of our sinful condition and our need for a Saviour.  These sins can be forgiven.

They do not go to hell due to lack of provision for God has provided salvation and forgiveness of sin for all men based only upon the merits of Christ’s substitutionary death and bodily resurrection.

People go to hell because of unbelief.  “He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God” (John 3:18).

The Scriptures say that the demons believe.  “Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe and tremble.” (James 2:19).   Is our belief any different from their belief?  Does that mean that those demons are saved from God’s judgment also?

Their belief is similar to how we might believe in George Washington.  We know when he lived, we know facts about his life and we believe he existed, but we do not know him personally. Many people believe in Christ in this way but this is not true belief.

True belief is to be persuaded of, and therefore to place confidence in, to trust, to rely upon.  Have you trusted Christ as your own personal Saviour?  Are you depending on Him as your only hope of salvation?

“Higher criticism” which is embraced by neo-orthodoxy regards the written Word (the Bible) as a collection of stories which are the product of fallible men.  Neo-orthodoxy’s disposition, toward the written Word therefore, is that the Bible contains myths or sagas and has no historical or scientific validity.

The great contradiction of neo-orthodoxy is that it builds a “Christian” system of theology without any regard for the credibility of the written Word upon which the foundation of Christianity rests.  If the written Word is not what it claims to be, then it can only be fraudulent lies or insanity.  

Why would anyone want to pursue or build a “Christian” religious system based upon such a presupposition? The only logical conclusion therefore, concerning  neo-orthodoxy, is that unbelief is blind.

Liberal theology, in the early part of the 20th century, promised peace on earth, harmony with all, and a united world.  Liberal theologians believed in the basic goodness of man, his high intellectual capability, and man’s ability to love one another into utopia.  Reality set in when World War’s I & II were fought.  The wars destroyed the love, peace, and harmony tenants of liberal theology.[1] 

A new group of theologians individually developed  strategies (wittingly or unwittingly) to make the unbelief they shared with liberal theology heard and accepted.  The common ground shared with the liberal camp is higher criticism which regards the written Word as the fallible product of man.[2]  These theologians clothed their new ideas in the language of Scripture thus making them acceptable to the professing populace of the church.[3]  The result was the theology of neo-orthodoxy which means new right thinking.  

Neo-orthodox theologians declared a return to the Word of God, but they did not mean to the written Word.[4]  Neo-orthodoxy embraces higher criticism which treats the written Word as a fallible product of man.[5]  In the neo-orthodox view none of the events of Scripture need to be true historical events.[6]  “Science, the Barthians say, has delivered us from having to believe the Genesis stories…”[7]

The Word they reference is a revelation of Jesus, but without the written record to hold their teaching accountable and in check.[8] Original sin changes from the depravity of man to man’s awareness that he is not what he should be.[9]  God’s justice takes priority over His love. The resurrection becomes renewal, manifesting itself in the cause of righting the wrongs of social injustice.[10]  The cross involves the dying of self but without the blood of redemption.[11]

When neo-orthodoxy issues a call to the Word of God, it is not concerned about the historical events of Scripture or even a literal historical resurrected Christ.  Neo-orthodoxy identifies Jesus as the Word or Logos, but any connection of Him to the written Word is unnecessary for them.[12]  Neo-orthodoxy’s Jesus exists in a spiritual fog bank divorced from the Christ of Scripture.  

One of the three main voices of neo-orthodoxy was Reinhold Niebuhr who, by the way, is credited with writing the ”Serenity Prayer” which is held in high regard by most of Christendom.

Niebuhr was a Lutheran minister, who became heavily involved in the politics of his day. He was a social activist.  His activism involved championing the cause of oppressed workers before unionization.  He was also a political activist.   Early on he ran for office as a Socialist, but later moved on because of disagreement with their pacifist policies.  He was a founder of the Americans for Democratic Action and held office in the Liberal Party of the State of NY.[13]

The basic goals of Niebuhr’s neo-orthodoxy were giving  individuals a better quality of life, righting social wrongs and leveling the playing field both socially and economically or in short, social justice.  “The thing that keeps love and power in balance is justice, which is the way love is translated into social action.”[14] 

Neo-orthodoxy has permeated the theological thought of America’s seminaries.  As go the seminaries, so go the churches. The appeal of an “intellectual” approach to Christianity has enabled professing Christendom to remain religious and at the same time deny the written Word that is the very basis of all we know and believe concerning God and His Son, Jesus Christ.[15]

The Lord said concerning the Scriptures; “…and they are they which testify of me.  And ye will not come to me that ye might have life” (John 5:39 & 40).

Note:

• A few years back, IPTV ran a special on the life of Jimmy Carter.  In that special it was stated that one of Jimmy Carter’s favorite theologians is Reinhold Niebuhr.[16] 
• In an interview with the journalist David Brooks, prior to his election to his first term as president, Mr. Obama stated that one of his favorite philosophers is Reinhold Niebuhr.[17]

[1] (Ryrie, Charles Caldwell. “Chapter 4.” Neoorthodoxy – Chicago: Moody, 1956. 15 & 16. Print.)

[2] Hordern, William E. “Chapter 5.” A Layman’s Guide to Protestant Theology. New York: MacMillan, 1955. 112. Print.

[3] (Ryrie, Charles Caldwell. “Chapter 6.” Neoorthodoxy – Chicago: Moody, 1956. 24. Print.)

[4] (Ryrie, Charles Caldwell. “Chapter 1.” Neoorthodoxy – Chicago: Moody, 1956. 5 & 6. Print.)

[5] (Ryrie, Charles Caldwell. “Chapter 12.” Neoorthodoxy – Chicago: Moody, 1956. 45. Print.)

[6] & [8] (Ryrie, Charles Caldwell. “Chapter 6.” Neoorthodoxy – Chicago: Moody, 1956. 23. Print.)

[7] (Ryrie, Charles Caldwell. “Chapter 13.” Neoorthodoxy – Chicago: Moody, 1956. 51. Print.)

[9] (Ryrie, Charles Caldwell. “Chapter 8.” Neoorthodoxy – Chicago: Moody, 1956. 31. Print.)

[10] & [14] (Ryrie, Charles Caldwell. “Chapter 8.” Neoorthodoxy – Chicago: Moody, 1956. 32. Print.)

[11] (Ryrie, Charles Caldwell. “Chapter 10.” Neoorthodoxy – Chicago: Moody, 1956. 40. Print.)

[12] (Ryrie, Charles Caldwell. “Chapter 6.” Neoorthodoxy – Chicago: Moody, 1956. 22-25. Print.)

[13] Bennett, Rev. John C. “Reinhold Niebuhr.” Encyclopaedia Britannica. N.p.: n.p., 2014. Print.

[15] (Ryrie, Charles Caldwell. “Chapter 4.” Neoorthodoxy – Chicago: Moody, 1956. 17. Print.)

[16] (American Experience – Jimmy Carter. Iowa Public Television. 24 Feb. 2011. Television.)

[17] Brooks, David. “Obama, Gospel & Verse.” NY Times 26 Apr. 2007: n. pag. Print.

Ramm, Bernard  L.  “Neo-orthodoxy” A Handbook of Contemporary Theology – Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1966. Print.

How big or little is our God?

Is He limited to what you or I can understand?  Is He limited by our ability to comprehend?  Is He limited by our bias?  Is He limited by our experience?  Is He limited by our culture?  Is He limited by what others think?

Is He limited by our finances?  Is He limited by our family?  Is  He limited by our friends?  Is He limited by our ability to love?  Is He limited by our ability to forgive?  Is He limited by our capacity to hate?

Is He limited by the bias of our world?  Is He limited by our condition? Is He limited by our inability to see?

He should be nothing less than what His Word proclaims Him to be.

The Apostle Paul, writing in I Corinthians 15:1-4 says; “I declare unto you the gospel which I preached to you, which ye also received and in which ye stand, by which also ye are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain.  For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the scriptures”.

The gospel is the message that God has provided for our salvation by sending His Son Jesus Christ to die in our place for our sins and after He was buried, Christ rose from the dead.  All those who believe on Him or accept God’s payment of our sin debt through Christ’s death, burial and resurrection are forgiven their sins and are saved to eternal life.  Those who do not believe on the Lord Jesus Christ will not be forgiven and shall perish under God’s judgment.

Our individual salvation is based upon our acceptance of God’s provision for our sin.  Our efforts at goodness, our attempts at merit and our works of righteousness have nothing to do with experiencing God’s forgiveness and receiving eternal life.  Forgiveness and eternal life are His gifts to us when we believe on His Son.  (See John 3:16-21 & 36; Ephesians 2:8-10; Titus 3:3-8; Romans 4:1-8).

The song writer put it this way; “Just as I am, without one plea, but that thy blood was shed for me, and that thou biddest me come to thee, O Lamb of God, I come! I come!”  Another wrote, “My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus blood and righteousness; I dare not trust the sweetest frame, but wholly lean on Jesus name.  On Christ the solid rock, I stand!  All other ground is sinking sand, all other ground is sinking sand!”

Works are an outward sign of an inward condition.  Works are symptoms that characterize our lives as believers or unbelievers. Works are the fruit of righteousness in the life of a believer or they are the fruit of unrighteousness in the life of an unbeliever.

A tree can be identified by the fruit that is hanging on it.  What kind of fruit characterizes our lives?  What do we practice in our life and in our thought life?  That is who we are.  Is it the fruit of salvation that results in obedience to Christ and His Word or is it the fruit of sin which results in disobedience to Christ and His Word?

Whether we go to heaven or hell is based upon belief or unbelief in God’s provision for our sin.  The believer after arriving in heaven is judged by Christ and rewarded according to his works as a believer.  The unbeliever will be judged by Christ at the great white throne judgment (Revelation 20:10-15) according to his works as an unbeliever, and he will be cast into the lake of fire which is the second death.

In the sermon on the mount, Christ warned, “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.  Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name, and in thy name have cast out devils, and in thy name done many wonderful works?  And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.”

The important thing to remember is that salvation comes first, and then works or walking according to His will, comes after.  If you are doing works or even righteous works, in the hope of gaining salvation……stop it!  You have the cart before the horse.

Repent (change your mind) and accept God’s provision for your sin. Establish a relationship with God by receiving Jesus Christ as your only hope of salvation.  The fruit of righteousness out of a heart of thanksgiving will follow.

“But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name: which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God” John 1:12.