Reformed Blogging

It's very easy for anyone to be envious at the prosperity of the wicked. I could remember what David said in Psalm 73:3-12: For I was envious at the foolish, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. For there are no bands in their death: but their strength is firm. They are not in trouble as other men; neither are they plagued like other men. Therefore pride compasseth them about as a chain; violence covereth them as a garment. Their eyes stand out with fatness: they have more than heart could wish. They are corrupt, and speak wickedly concerning oppression: they speak loftily. They set their mouth against the heavens, and their tongue walketh through the earth. Therefore his people return hither: and waters of a full cup are wrung out to them. And they say, How doth God know? and is there knowledge in the most High? Behold, these are the ungodly, who prosper in the world; they increase in riches. It's very easy for me to think that justice no longer exists and why a God s

It's getting annoying how politically correct organizations like the Vatican, Amnesty International, Global Thinkers and the United Nations (just to name a few) insist that death penalty for drug dealers is "inhuman". On the contrary, these politically correct organizations are the ones violating the right to life. I would use the Bible to defend my stand to why drug dealers should be among people who can be considered for the death penalty: Exodus 21:23-25 - And if any mischief follow, then thou shalt give life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burning for burning, wound for wound, stripe for stripe. Many try to misquote Exodus 20: 13 without knowing the context that death penalty has been ordered in the next chapter. The Hebrew word for kill is "rasah" which translates into murder in the modern day language. Did you know that the Bible actually commands death penalty for murderers? God ordered the death penalty for mur

I can't deny that I used to listen to Joel Osteen when I was newly saved. I thought he was a man of God but just listening to all his "Your Best Life Now" and comparing it to the Scripture made me drop him like a hot potato. I thought he was on the right because he had a huge number of followers but the Bible says: Matthew 7:13-14  Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. Just because a pastor has a lot of followers doesn't make him a man of God. Many get deceived and only few ever discern the truth. After watching a few episodes of his program on Trinity Broadcasting Network I knew something was wrong. Not only were priests and nuns of the Roman Catholic system getting more and more welcome (and I had a constant struggle on what I thought about Roman

Whenever somebody hurts me, I always have two thoughts in my mind which are to (1) love my enemy, pray for the person, return evil with kindness, or (2) get even and have my revenge. The problem was that when I was newly saved, I struggled with it and I foolishly tried to trust my flesh of arm to save me. But the problem of the flesh which is greatly said when the Apostle Paul mentioned his struggle with the flesh: Romans 7:18 -  For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. If there's nothing wrong with the flesh, why should I even trust it? All its "good works" are just dead works. Some people think they've forgiven the person but all they did is to merely suppress that grudge instead of truly forgive. The flesh wants to be satisfied and trying to fight it by suppressing that hatred for a person who hate me is just delaying my wrath. I remembered being

  I heard a few days ago that Bro. Paul Washer had a heart attack . I was wondering is God done with this pastor yet? But there's one thing that I can be certain is that the man of God is not shut down unless God says so. Looks like God hasn't decided to bring Bro. Washer yet. Maybe he wanted to be home already but it's not yet time. He's still got his family to take care of so God may have providentially said, "No, it's not yet time! You've got lot of work to do!"

I remembered reading the book "Slave: The Hidden Truth About Your Identity in Christ" by Pastor John F. MacArthur. It has been one of the best expositions that I have read on the word "doulos". While I use the King James Bible for my Bible study what I have noticed is that the Strong's Concordance or other commentaries refer to servant in the New Testament with the Greek word "doulos" which means slave.  Why has the word "doulos" been translated into servant when it really means slave? I would believe that the word slave really invokes a negative imagery. A person who is called a slave driver is noted for someone who is unreasonable towards one's subordinates. The word slave may show someone who works without pay. It also gives the mind of human trafficking. But most people do not realize what this slavery or doulos is during biblical times. The Bible actually endorses a different type of slavery that does not match what people ten

There's the heresy that says, "But Jesus took it all away because we're in the New Testament." Excuse me but Jesus didn't change anything from the moral law in the New Testament. While it's true we've said goodbye to the ceremonial law but the moral law stays the same. Remember what Jesus said that He came not to destroy the Law but to fulfill it (Matthew 5:17)? Be very careful when you, "But Jesus took it all away." because He has not compromised the standards of holiness. It's utterly hypocritical to dismiss the Old Testament and then to appeal to it whenever it's convenient. If the Old Testament were irrelevant then thievery and human sacrifice should be made acceptable.  It's a problem when people think that the God of the Old Testament is a murderous monster and the God of the New Testament has changed His stand. Let me tell you this that the God of the Old Testament is the same God in the New Testament. The Father doesn&#

I remembered how I had a rather intense argument with some self-proclaimed Roman Catholic apologists. They said that born again Christians are jealous of the Pope's popularity that everyone bows down to him while they say no born again Christian pastor is suffering for Christ's sake. It's pretty much a bad case of double standard. So is their basis for right and wrong based on popularity? Let's check what the Bible says and I seek to refute them with the Bible they so misquote for their own convenience. The Bible has a very different warning. Here's what the Bible says about being loved by the world: Matthew 7;13-14  Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. Luke 6:26   Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you! for so did their fathers to

After I dropped Independent Fundamental Baptist or IFB theology and some crazy site that made me a paranoid, I decided to check John F. MacArthur out. I read "Fool's Gold" and checked out his sermons finding out me and him had more in common than the easy believism crowd. I had no idea I wasn't an easy believist because I always rejected the idea Christians can live like the rest of the world. I read a lot of MacArthur books which made me shift from IFB theology to Reformed Theology. When I heard he was releasing another book called "None Other", I feel that I must grab that book.  I remembered how I had a changed mind towards MacArthur because I found out me and him agreed on what true conversion really was. I always had no problem with "Lord and Savior" and the more I read his misquoted statements the more I realize that something was wrong because I was agreeing with him. I'm glad that I decided to stop relying on a lot of IFB sites be

Right now, people say that I should be more tolerant. First, let's define tolerance. Tolerance means the ability or willingness to tolerate or allow something. It also means to have a fair, permissive and objective attitudes, opinions and beliefs that varies from one's own. It also means the ability to endure. Now are we called to tolerate? To a certain extent. Is it good to have an open mind? It depends on the case. But today the problem is the demand for complete tolerance. The problem of those vile people who call themselves liberals is that they demand people to "coexist" even if it's impossible. But what they really mean is comply. Allow me to tell you why I believe that complete tolerance to be 100% impossible. The world has opposing forces and we know it. The two forces that will never walk together are good and evil. Amos 3:3 warns that the two can't walk together except they be agreed. While there are differences that can be compromised but there

I'm amazed at the audacity of Roman Catholicism to claim that she supposedly gave the Bible to the world. I have run into an argument with some self-proclaimed Roman Catholic apologists or some professional Roman Catholic apologists who agree at one point: they both agree that the Roman Catholic institution gave born again Christians the Bible. But there's one problem: their claim that the Roman Catholic institution is supposedly apostolic and Peter is the first Pope is built on shaky ground. Even if they claim that Peter could have just been out of town when Paul wrote to the Romans, wouldn't that be rude of Paul to forget Peter in the first place? One reason I got from some self-proclaimed Roman Catholic apologists is that not anyone may read the Scriptures. They think that the interpretation of the Scriptures should be left to the "infallible magisterium" of the Roman Catholic institution with Popes and councils to justify why it was once illegal to own a

Feminism is often a word that has been mistaken to be fighting for women's rights. Before you start saying that I'm a "sexist pig" or male chauvinist please hear me out. The whole problem of "equality" these days it doesn't cater people according to their needs. Every son must submit to his mother and every wife must submit to her husband and all this must be a loving submission.  Here's what Dr. Matthew Henry said about the woman: The woman was made of a rib out of the side of Adam; not made out of his head to rule over him, nor out of his feet to be trampled upon by him, but out of his side to be equal with him, under his arm to be protected, and near his heart to be beloved. Does that sound sexist? I don't find it sexist. The Bible is not a sexist book. The same Bible that tells wives to submit to their husbands also discourages spousal abuse of any kind. If it's wrong for a man to hit a woman then it's also wrong for a w

The Song of Solomon is a book where there's some debate on interpretation or even if it was even inspired. The author is obviously Solomon. One interpretation is the three-character interpretation where they call Solomon the villain who's trying to woo away the Shulammite country girl from her shepherd lover. So far, some scholars have insisted that Solomon is not the man the story. They say that Solomon represents Satan, the Shulammite woman is the Christian and the shepherd lover is the Lord Jesus Christ. The problem with the three character view is that where does the separation even kick in? Also, Solomon's falling into further philandering happened when he was much older. He looked like he was very young and active in the Song of Solomon. The Song doesn't seem to be just about the marriage evening but the marriage life as well.  Before Solomon became king he may have gone out dressed up as a shepherd. Ecclesiastes 2:7 said that he owned many flocks maki

A time for hypocrisy and broken promises! Well "happy" Ash Wednesday anyone? As a former Roman Catholic who's now a born again Christian I would like to write this post as my first post for the month. I would like to express this Roman Catholic event that starts the 40 days of Lent and how hypocritical it is.  While I grew up as a Roman Catholic family, I was taught that skipping meat and snacks was necessary. But when I started reading from a Roman Catholic translation (Good News Translation), this verse shocked me like Luther did with the Latin Vulgate: Colossians 2:16-17  So let no one make rules about what you eat or drink or about holy days or the New Moon Festival or the Sabbath. All such things are only a shadow of things in the future; the reality is Christ. They say that Ash Wednesday in the Bible. While they hypocritically insist that I should show them the exact words and verses they can't do it on their part. Instead they misquote verses and