Reformed Blogging

While the "Our Father" is not something to be repeatedly said but it's definitely a model for prayer. Jesus gave everyone an example of how one should pray and not what to pray. Since today is Father's Day I think of the special relationship that I have with God the Father. I was once a child of Satan but I have been adopted into the family of God.  John 1:13-14  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. And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. This is the wonderful promise that God the Father adopts those who receives His Son Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. This is the wonderful promise of adoption. Unsaved people start off as children of the Devil (John 8:44) but this wonderf...

There are many times that I doubt if I'm even saved. I can remember listening to some of Paul David Washer's sermons. As much as he was preaching against false conversions but he also emphasized the sad truth that Christians do still sin but aren't proud of it. Can Christians be carnal? Yes. But can a Christian be carnal indefinitely? Then that answer is a no. It's very easy to take Romans 7:14-25 but let's see what it really says: Romans 7:14-25  For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin. For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I. If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good. Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. 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. For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I wo...

The Bible always has the command to renew your mind. The Bible commands that Christians are nto to be conformed to the ways of the world but are to be transformed according to the holy image of God. So what does it mean?  Romans 12:1-3  I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith. My favorite apologetic program as of current is by R.C. Sproul Sr. called "Renewing Your Mind" from Ligonier.org with all the useful links. Although I'm a Baptist and Sproul is a Presbyt...

I remembered what the late great Charles H. Spurgeon said in his sermon "Sad Hearts Changed to Glad Feasts": The Lord of life and glory was nailed to the accursed tree. He died by the act of guilty men. We, by our sins, crucified the Son of God. We might have expected that, in remembrance of his death, we should have been called to a long, sad, rigorous fast. Do not many men think so even today? See how they observe Good Friday, a sad, sad day to many; yet our Lord has never enjoined our keeping such a day, or bidden us to look back upon his death under such a melancholy aspect. Instead of that, having passed out from under the old covenant into the new, and resting in our risen Lord, who once was slain, we commemorate his death by a festival most joyous. It came over the Passover, which was a feast of the Jews; but unlike that feast, which was kept by unleavened bread, this feast is brimful of joy and gladness. It is composed of bread and of wine, without a trace of bitt...

It's almost the final week of Lent and next week is what is called holy week. I believe Lent is a huge license to hypocrisy and so is holy week. It's really a time to continue the practices that were long predicted in the Bible namely the following which I will quote from the Roman Catholic Good News Translation: Colossians 2:16  So let no one make rules about what you eat or drink or about holy days or the New Moon Festival or the Sabbath.  1 Timothy 4:1-3    The Spirit says clearly that some people will abandon the faith in later times; they will obey lying spirits and follow the teachings of demons. Such teachings are spread by deceitful liars, whose consciences are dead, as if burnt with a hot iron. Such people teach that it is wrong to marry and to eat certain foods . But God created those foods to be eaten, after a prayer of thanks, by those who are believers and have come to know the truth. The problem that "holy week" next week is coming is suppos...

It's very easy for any Christian to talk God for granted for a certain period of time until they're chastised out of it. Christians no matter how saved they are and no matter how much they grow in grace, no matter how much they can't live like the rest of the world do still have certain sins to take care of. When I wake up in the morning I even ask myself did I ever forget to thank the L ORD for something that He did for me?! The answer is yes. It's very easy for me to grumble when trials come. I fail to think about Romans 8:28 that says that God allows pain and affliction to the believer for a purpose. What's very easy to forget is that God doesn't allow Satan to harm any Christian without His divine permission. Remember that Job was under God's protection. But one day, God decided to allow Satan to harm Job. The only thing God didn't allow Satan to do was to kill Job. Satan could harm but he couldn't kill Job because God allowed it. If anyth...

If you're truly saved then your life ought to change. I'm getting sick of people who simplify the presentation of the Gospel to the point that vital facts like Jesus is God the Son in human flesh, His death on the cross, His burial and resurrection are suddenly deemed "unnecessary" by such heretics. If there's anything that Christianity is, it's a continued walk with God. A true Christian has an ongoing, growing fellowship no matter how imperfect they are. Revelation 3:20 says, "Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear My voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with Me. " This is not a mere invitation to just say a simple prayer with one's unrepentant sins and then you can live like a devil for the rest of your life. Notice the words, "I will come in to him and will sup with him and he with Me." True Christianity is not just accepting Jesus Christ as Savior but also as Lord. If...

When it comes to false accusations, I've noticed that it's usually for one's own convenience than a result of unverified information. I remembered I was told that I became a born again Christian because I wanted a license to sin. After I started getting particular about sin and what to do and what not to do, I got accused of being a legalisic Pharisee after that! I was called as an Antinomian because I uphold the biblical truth that salvation is by faith alone in Jesus Christ. While it's true there are people who use Sola Fide as a license to sin but I uphold that true faith results to good works. The doctrine of eternal security is so perverted and attacked by two parties. One party believes you can get saved and remain the same which teaches Antinomianism directly or indirectly. The other perverts eternal security and distorts it that it immediately teaches a license to sin in a series of Nom Sequitur arguments. What I emphasize is that salvation can't be lost bu...

This degenerate didn't lose his salvation... the person was NEVER saved to start with and the evidence was in one's own DEAD WORKS! While I simply won't spend time naming names of the followers of "Easy Christianity" and attacking them one by one because they expose themselves, I simply want to focus my thoughts on why I believe in the truth that a faith without works is not real faith to start with. Many will start to say that I'm teaching works salvation, that I'm a closet Roman Catholic agent or that I never left it (don't make me laugh) or whatever false accusations (with very loose evidence) that they can think of. There's one truth in Scripture we need to face that faith without works is dead. I didn't teach it but the Bible did. Get mad at me all you want but you can't change the truth that faith that doesn't result to works is as good as dead. These people can go ahead and say that Romans 4:5 says that faith is not ...

Back when I was newly saved, people really complained that I'm a Bible thumper, when the pastor tells me I should read the Bible more, somebody says that I use the Bible in debating with others. I really can't forget how I thought getting engaged in arguing for Jesus in debates was the only way to go. It's really a sad thing any Christian can get severely misled into believing that the only way to reach the lost is to be as cheesy and offensive as possible. No wonder some Christians are so engaged in conspiracy theories to the point they can be ineffective witnesses of the Gospel. What has debating against the followers of false religion done for the lost? It hasn't shown any love but only an argumentative and an angry spirit towards them. 2 Timothy 2:16 says, "But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness." This is all about foolish discussions with willfully stupid people. It's pretty certain that if you're ...

The term "Easy Christianity" is something I call for today's easy-easy believism. I don't just want to call it "easy believism" because in due fairness, some so-called "easy believists" still make some distinctions that really make them true converts. They still uphold the difference between true and false conversion. They believe that no Christian can live like the rest of the world because of God's grace. They refuse to believe in the nonsense of believing Christians can remain barren and never bear fruit, still live like devils and still be saved.  I find all of that frustrating because "Easy Christianity" is not even biblical. In whatever form it takes, "Easy Christianity" has turned the grace of God into a license to sin either directly or indirectly. To teach that a Christian may remain barren, never get out of their carnality or may become worse prior to conversion and never bear good fruit is really frustrating....