Reformed Blogging

Halloween was a word that didn't come into the dictionaries of people before the Reformation. But here's a piece of my mind on why Martin Luther nailed the 95 Theses on October 31 of all the dates during the year of 1517. I don't think people went dressing up as witches and demons and candy back then. Now I want to talk why I believe Martin Luther chose October 31. Plus, I think he may have done on it on purpose. Halloween originally meant All Hallow's Eve. The following day after October 31 is November 1 or All Saints' Day. November 2 is All Soul's Day. As a former Roman Catholic myself, it was common to purchase indulgences or prayers for one's departed loved ones when it was October. Johannes Tetzel made the clever deception of, "When a coin in the coffer clings, a soul from Purgatory springs." The deception was so well-made that it made forgiveness look like it was for sale. But Luther nailed the theses on October 31 just one day before

After I got saved, I wanted to get good Christian books. I just wanted to buy everything and I remembered saving up money to buy some books that were written by quack preachers. Years later, I started to be more selective the more I matured in the faith. Here's an excerpt from John F. MacArthur's book "Fool's Gold" from page 45 by co-author Nathan Busenitz: "Outside the local church there is no probably no place in the community with more spiritual influence than the local Christian bookstore. For many believers, books provide the primary supplement to what is heard on Sundays. But just because something on the shelf doesn't mean it is doctrinally accurate or spiritual beneficial. After all, biblical discernment is not just for sermons. It must also be applied to chapters and articles. Even best sellers are not above the scrutiny of Scripture."  Yes there are a lot of best sellers. Purpose Driven Life is a best seller but the whole book preac

It's very easy to claim anyone is ignorant about Scripture. I guess it's a simple psychological technique used by the Vatican to guilt induce anyone into joining them. Usaved people naturally don't bother to read the Bible properly and they are naturally addicted to man's approval rather than God. Such conditions make them fertile grounds to be blind followers of authority rather than discerning followers of authority. The same goes for how the Roman Catholic institution had banned the laity from reading the Bible for centuries. Some Roman Catholic apologists may give a reason that not anyone can read the Bible for themselves.  What really amazes me (or frustrates me to many levels) is that their interpretation is really faulty because they ignore even the obvious. You can tell the diagram above is going against grammatical context. Even when it's obvious that this points somewhere else, the maker of the diagram still insists that Peter is the Rock. It'

It's stupid to call the Christian a bigot while embracing a Muslim as a partner in tolerance. The major difference between Christians and Muslims with homosexuals is how they're told to face it. Christians love homosexuals enough to hate homosexuality and warn homosexuals of God's judgment. Muslims are told to hate homosexuality enough to hate the homosexual. See the difference? Since the stupid Supreme Court decided that everyone must perform homosexual marriages then let me ask them this question: What if a Muslim refuses to do so because homosexuality is taboo in their religion? That question may also be accompanied by what if a Muslim refuses to bake a cake for a homosexual couple who are about to "tie the knot". In short, political correctness leads to nowhere but the road to confusion. That's why I'd rather stick with what the Bible says than what man has to say. 

Another group of people that drive me nuts are the conditional security crowd. If the doctrine of Antinomianism drives me crazy then so does conditional security. It's just as heretical for this reason: if salvation is not by works then why are good works required to maintain it rather than good works come out as a result of it? While it's true that getting saved means resulting to good works but it's all of God's grace. Everything from salvation to sanctification is by God's mercy and it has never been an issue of that you're saved and now you're on your own. On the contrary, Titus 2:11-14 says that it's God's grace that makes a person live righteously and soberly in a wicked world. Taking Scriptures out of context drives me dizzy. Conditional security is trying your best to stay saved rather than you trying your best because you're already saved. The difference is that one tries to do good in order to stay saved but the other does good a

If people who teach salvation by works or add works to salvation makes me dizzy then I have to address people who teach the heresy of fruitless Christianity. These bunch of people teach that somebody can get saved and still remain the same. Folks, that teaching is 100% not biblical. I agree with them that salvation can't be lost but there's a difference between a person who's already once saved always saved vs. a person who has some false assurance they're once saved always saved. Do you want to know why I reject the heresy of changeless Christianity? Let me cite some of these verses that warn people of the truth that you can't be saved and still remain the same: Matthew 1:21 - "And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call His name Jesus: for He shall save His people from their sins." Matthew 7:16-20 - "Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good

I love going to Christian bookstores searching for books to read. When I was newly saved, I wanted to go there. I had no idea that a lot of these books were actually written by quack preachers. I used to listen to Joel Osteen until I realized he preaches nonsense for most of the time. I used to listen to Joyce Meyer until I realized there's a lot of stupidity from what she preached. I used to listen to the late Robert Schuller until I realized he was also pro-Vatican. I dropped Trinity Broadcasting Network as a whole because it was also pro-Vatican. There's a lot of stuff I dumped because they weren't beneficial for my Christian growth. So I'm going to the Christian bookstore and why are some of those heretical books still there? I really want to raise the issue to why are those books still there. It sickens me whenever the management refuses to remove them because they're best sellers. If a bookstore claiming to sell Christian literature won't remove the

It's no surprise that I get attacked by Roman Catholic faith defenders. It's expected they hurl all sorts of false accusations about me. It's no surprise I get attacked by atheists, Muslims, vile people who call themselves liberal and pseudo-Christian cults either. It's been expected and I'm to expect it. But the worst problem for me is when there are people who claim to be Evangelicals. My reason is because whenever there's someone claiming to be a Baptist or Evangelical I'm willing to work with that person. Some of them may even seem Christian because they're anti-Catholic. But the biggest threat is that they're actually false brothers. They're not necessarily working for the Jesuits or the Vatican. Some of them are anti-Catholic but they're spreading the false doctrine of Antinomianism. The other claim to be Evangelicals or Baptists but they're in league in Rome. Either way, both sides are false brothers and sisters that I must be

As Reformation Day arrives this October 31, I still think about this one problem: do I show sympathy for the lost and do I recognize that my real enemy is Satan and his demons? Remember, these people are blinded. Some of them have become so blind to think they're in perfect agreement with the Scriptures and that God is on their side when He isn't. Although I can't blame Satan for my sins and shortcomings but he certainly is still my enemy to ward off. It does get frustrating to share the Gospel and people don't want it. Even after a super exasperating discussion with Scriptures, even after I start showing the verses in context they still insist that their   out of context quoting is right. The Scriptures are bright as day but these people are blinded by the Devil. What's worse, they don't know that they're blinded. They do what they do because they're not saved at all. Why are these people mean, inconsiderate, rude and have their haughtiness? It&

After a discussion turned into a debate with several Roman Catholic faith defenders, it looks like their best answer has become, "You shut up! Your argument is invalid because the Catholic Church which was founded on 33 A.D. said so!" That's a major problem when you say the church said so. While I admit some Baptists and other Christian denominations are indeed guilty of quoting the pastor instead of the Scriptures, Roman Catholics more or less make the same mistake. The difference is that born again Christianity relies on the Scripture and Roman Catholics rely on what their church, councils or incumbent Pope has to say. When they say that Sola Scriptura isn't Scriptural the best verse they quote was from John 21:25 that says, "And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written. Amen." I agree with that verse. But i

Although the article I found about  Andy Stanley trashing expository preaching was last May 8, 2015 but I found it to be an interesting read. Here's an answer that Stanley gave that made me go dizzy just reading it: Guys that preach verse-by-verse through books of the Bible– that is just cheating. It’s cheating because that would be easy, first of all. That isn’t how you grow people. No one in the Scripture modeled that. There’s not one example of that. I'm really amazed at that really stupid answer. I feel like my stomach is churning too fast and that he calls it "cheating". Cheating? I really want to ask people who are against expository preaching that it's "cheating"? So don't tell me any teacher who expands on subject matters in just any subject in education like history, math and science are "cheating"? On the contrary, verse by verse preaching is not easy. Taking verses out of context is very easy because all you need to do

I'm glad that I'm no longer a Roman Catholic. I'm glad that God helped me see the truth. The Roman Catholic institution has the audacity to claim that she's the one true Church (based on faulty sources that anybody can edit), that the Popes are the successors of Peter, that the priests are the successors of the apostles and they save souls, that Mary is the mother of Christians and that the Church is the way to the Father.  The Roman Catholic institution is not the Bride of Christ but a Whore who is married to the world. Roman Catholics tend to have contradicting views towards born again Christians. They may falsely accuse born again Christians of blind obedience to the pastor (but they say that blind obedience to the Pope is necessary for salvation) and that their doctrine of eternal security teaches a license to sin. After doing their false accusations I mentioned, they make a heel face turn. They brag about how popular the Roman Catholic institution is compa

It's very frustrating to provide all the evidence. Gather evidence for creation, gather evidence for the authenticity of Scripture, gather this and that to prove that the Gospel is no fairy tale and people still refuse to believe in the truth that God has sent. Times like those, I'm just reminded of this verse: John 6:44 - No man can come to Me, except the Father which hath sent Me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day. I think that why the idea of Calvinism prevailed for a long time from the Reformers to the Puritans is because of one frustrating fact in life. You can go ahead and gather all the evidences, even go back and forth, buy several transportation tickets around the world to prove the Bible is real and yet the person refuses to believe. According to Calvinism's doctrine of Unconditional Election and Irresistlbe Grace, one must be chosen by God first and they can't resist the call of salvation because they were chosen. These doctrine itself

I'm a straight guy and I'm proud of it. Straight doesn't only mean I'm against homosexuality but I'm against every crooked sexual practice such as polygamy (whether it'd be adultery or concubinage), incest, bestiality, pedophilia and the like. Right now, I just want to tell every male homosexual that I hate what they're doing because it's harmful. I may not be a woman, I'm a man but let me tell them that they should go to the male bahtrooms.  I don't want any woman to feel uncomfortable all because some queers don't want to follow God's simple guidelines for men and women. Men have their rights to complain about women entering their bathrooms. Women have their rights to complain about men entering their bathrooms. It's all about respect of gender rights. Men have no right to hit women except for self-defense. Women have no right to hit men except for self-defense. God defines biology and we don't. No amount of biotechnology

I hear some people say that they read nowhere in the Bible that the term "born again Christian" is not in the Bible, that Jesus never called anyone to be born again Christians (HUH?!) but they couldn't tell me where in the Bible did it tell them what we must be Mormons, Iglesia ni Cristo members, Jehovah's Witnesses or Roman Catholics. Some Roman Catholic apologists (not all) even have made that terrible lie that Billy Graham allegedly founded the born again Christian movement. Their "proof" may lie because Graham himself was known to tell people that they must be born again. Worse, they even deny that the late John Paul II called Graham his brother. They even dare to deny that Graham himself is yoked with the Vatican even when the evidence says otherwise. They may say, "But the Greek says born from above." I agree. It means to be born from above. But nobody is born from above by water baptism or infant baptism. None of them gets a person born f

It's a very common heresy these days when prosperity gospel (garbage) preachers today preach, "You can have your best life now in the name of Jesus." I really find that kind of preaching annoying. I wonder how many verses are missing from their Bibles anyway? Just hearing Paula White saying that anybody who tells you to deny yourself is from Satan made me scream, "HERESY! HERETIC!" It's really that annoying. The same goes for Joel Osteen's prosperity garbage movement. Their doctrine is garbage through and through. I remembered reading the Foxe's Book of Martyrs. It's a very grim picture that made me cringe imagining all the tortures. I'm glad that the book only had words but the way it was described shouts the truth that Christians aren't destined to live their best life now. Almost every evangelist either died a martyr's death or didn't live an easy life. Just reading a few books on the history of the Protestant Reformation an

It's really stupid how today's people get the dumbest quotes from Bible teachers like Joyce Meyer and Paula White. Like I said, I used to listen to Joyce Meyer back then but good thing I didn't listen to Paula White. Aside from her heresy of "binding Satan", all I want to tell her is, "If you kept binding Satan, who keeps loosening him?", I really found this quote to be so annoying. She's telling people that if anybody tells you to deny yourself, that person is from Satan. If that's the case, then Jesus must be from Satan because he said in Matthew 16:24, Mark 10:21 and Luke 9:23 that if you are to follow Him then you must deny yourself first, take up one's cross (which means you must be even willing to follow Him to death) and follow Him. Although these are not prerequisites to salvation but these definitely are the the marks of the true believer. Getting saved means denying yourself, only pleading guilty before God as a repentant sin

I'm getting tired of hearing the heresy that people can get saved and never change. Honestly, I don't see that anywhere in the Bible. If you read through Romans 4:5 properly, you'll realize that the person who is saved is counted for righteousness. Romans 3:31, Titus 2:11-14 and Ephesians 2:8-10 all carry this one truth: God will change the lives of sinners for the better by His grace. Good works is not just a should but it's also a would for Christian living. It's the inevitable fruit for Christian living. Why I find the idea the idea that a Christian can get saved but never change to be abhorrent is this. Whom God saves He will sanctify because He is holy. Christians may not be perfect but you can't deny how the lifestyle is no longer the same. 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 describes how one's lifestyle was different before and after salvation. Christians are not just justified but they are sanctified. Tell me then how can that be a hint that Christians ca

I remembered one reason why I got into a real spiritual crisis with Roman Catholicism was because of how so many Roman Catholics are so religious while living a life of sin. It can be easily observed many Roman Catholics (not all) have the pattern of worldly living from Monday to Friday, confession on Saturday, go to Mass on Sundays then it's time to rinse and repeat. Remembering my confession, I remembered how the priest would say, "Go and sin no more. Now pray X Our Fathers, Y Hail Marys and Z Glory Bes as your penance." The problem with Roman Catholic doctrine is that it confuses penance and repentance. To do penance is voluntary self-punishment to atone for what's wrong. On the other hand, repentance starts from within and it springs from the inside to the outside. The Roman Catholic system's repentance doesn't really value any genuine repentance based on practice. To ask the person to simply pray memorized prayers is ritualism. It's dead repetition

There's the problem and comfort that every Christian must face: they're saved from their sinful lifestyles but they're still not completely saved from sin. There's salvation from the power of sin then there's sanctification from sin and the final event will be glorification. I have a lot of sins to struggle with like lust, bitterness, impatience and wrath (just to name a few), the part of me that wants to seek approval from man instead of God is no different. Why is it so easy to love the approval of man instead of the approval of God? It's because man is visible and God is invisible. It's because the whole world is in rebellion against God. It's because getting God's approval means that anyone is not going to get the world's approval. I wish I could be accepted by both God and the sinful world but that's impossible. John 15:18-19 shows that Christians will be hated by the world. Since the whole world is in rebellion against God then I sho

Since it's October it's not easy for me not to think about two events that are fighting for the spot. One is Halloween and the other is the Reformation. Before, I used to think it was okay for Christians to celebrate Halloween until I found out that it was all focused on the celebration of occultism. Why should Christians allow their children to dress up as demons, ghosts and witches for fun? Halloween is celebrating the occult. While Christmas might be compromised by removing all the pagan aspects but not Halloween. Halloween is the time of the year when witches and satanists consider it their most precious day. After I became a Christian, nothing was more liberating to know than that the Reformation and Halloween take place on the same day. The Reformation launched on October 31, 1517. It was that day the great Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses on the Wittenburg Door! It sparked debate especially with all the errors of the Roman Catholic system. It was nearing November