The Abuse of Grace!

Recently my Daughter shared a story with me from her 8th. grade Bible class.  She attends a Christian school to which we are so very blessed for her to be a part of.  The discussion she shared with me centered around the topic of suicide but eventually wandered into that "ever-present" topic of the Unconditional Eternal Security of the Believer.  This is a topic I have logged many hours in studying and debating.  Having spent my four High School years in a Christian School, that topic was the fodder of many discussions and debates among the students in our Bible class.  It struck me as ironic that here, some 35 years later, my daughter is debating that same topic in her class as well.  I must say I was very proud of my Daughter and the position she took and defended in her class, not caring that she was a minority in that class or not.  She defended, what I believe to be a very sound exegetical position on the subject.  To her I say...... WELL DONE!

The topic of Unconditional Eternal Security is one that is many faceted.  It is one that I believe is not in keeping with sound Biblical interpretation.  Now while I do believe in the security of the Believer, it is nevertheless not unconditional.  The "condition" for remaining in a secure position with the Lord, is to remain in an obedient faithful relationship with God.  The "KEY" terms here are:  Obedient, faithful, and relationship.  I have chosen to focus on the term relationship for this blog posting.


This "remaining" in relationship with Christ is not a flippant off-the-cuff remark by just another blogger, it is a very Biblical teaching of our Lord in the New Testament.  Let's take a look at this in the Gospel of John chapter 15, verses 1-8:

¹ “I am the true grapevine, and my Father is the gardener. ² He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn’t produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more. ³ You have already been pruned and purified by the message I have given you. ⁴ Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me.

 ⁵ “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing. ⁶ Anyone who does not remain in me is thrown away like a useless branch and withers. Such branches are gathered into a pile to be burned. ⁷ But if you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted! ⁸ When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples. This brings great glory to my Father.  NLT.

Notice that the emphasis of what the Lord is saying here is upon that of our relationship to Him.  He uses the analogy of a grapevine and us, when we become believers, being "grafted" into that grapevine.  The important aspect is that we are in "RELATIONSHIP" with Christ through a type of "GRAFTING" effect that occurs by the Father at the time of our conversion.  Then Jesus goes on to say that we are to "REMAIN" in Him.  Interesting isn't it?  Christ goes into this grafted relationship we have with Him through our faith and belief in Him, and then instructs us to..................... REMAIN IN HIM!  In other words, "Don't leave this relationship that you have been "GRAFTED" into!  Understand, the possibility for relationship in the first place, is based upon the vicarious atonement of Christ!  The One who does the grafting, is the Father!  But the one whose responsibility to remain in that "grafted relationship" with Christ is ........... THE BELIEVERS!  Those who do not "REMAIN" in that "grafted relationship" with Christ are "pruned" away and thrown into the fire for burning!.................. WOW!  Pretty exegetically plain!  

Now the idea that a Believer can "LOOSE" their salvation is a misnomer.   It implies that without the knowledge of the Christian Believer, one can "misplace" their salvation, and hence there is no security. I never get up of a morning and wonder:  "Am I still a Christian Believer today?"  The better terminology is to say that a Believer is secure in their relationship with Christ, so long as they remain in the relationship with Him, to which the Father had grafted them into.  It is a situation of volition!  It is a volitional choice which is manifested in the process of obeying Christ's Words. We then begin to bear fruit as evidence of our relationship of being grafted into Christ.  And, when we do not remain in Him,we cut off the supply of the life-giving relationship that only comes from being "in" Christ!

The argument that was given to my Daughter was that of "preemptive forgiveness."  Let me explain.  It was said to her by another student:  "We are already forgiven for any and all things we could ever do!"  In other words, "preemptive forgiveness."  However, there are two errors with this theory:  First, this theory ignores the Scriptural truth that when we are "in" Christ and Christ is "in" us, indicating to us that of relationship.  Relationship implies a mutuality, not a one-sided "now that I got you, your never leaving this relationship position!"  A relationship is a mutual agreement to enter into intimacy between two-consenting persons.  Any intimate relationship that is NOT mutual and consensual, we refer to as....... RAPE!  We sing and celebrate the fact that as Believers we have a "PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP" with God through Christ.  Yet ANY intimate relationship that says from one person to another:  "Now that you are in an intimate relationship with me, you can NEVER, NEVER, leave!  And, I will make you continue to be intimate with me, whether you like it or not, That type of relationship, we would prosecute the perpetrator who forced their will upon the other person, to the fullest extent of the law!  The second error, is that of viewing our relationship with God through Christ from a Greek way of thinking rather than a Hebraic way of thinking.  The Church of Jesus Christ, here in the West, is often guilty of processing our salvation and faith in Christ through a Greek way of thinking.  A Greek way of thinking is one of reason, a linear-results oriented-thinking.  It is intellectual rather than relational.  A Hebraic way of thinking about our Faith and Salvation is one which focuses upon RELATIONSHIP rather than INTELLECTUAL!  We are NOT in a "linear higher-thinking" relationship with Christ that is centered upon what we know, and once we know that information and enter that relationship, can never leave.  We ARE in a relationship that is just that, a RELATIONSHIP!  A mutual consensual relationship of intimacy based upon the efficacious sacrifice of Christ, and upon our choice to remain IN that relationship!  It's like this:  "The Bridegroom saw His Bride from afar, pursued her, wooed her, and when she agreed to RECEIVE Him as her Bridegroom, entered into an INTIMATE union, based solely upon RELATIONSHIP!  However, as with ANY Bride, that Bride can CHOOSE to DIVORCE the Bridegroom, leave the relationship she has with Him, and be OUT of Relationship, and hence no longer a Bride of the Bridegroom!

I was so proud of my Daughter and the truth she expounded without any fear for being alone in her position!  God has blessed her with a knowledge of His Word and His will, far beyond her years!  To her and to the reader, I say....... Enjoy the RELATIONSHIP you have with Christ, and always REMAIN in Him!

God Bless You!

It's the End of the World!!!

Just think! It's 2012!!!!!! I can hardly believe it! Okay, maybe I'm reminiscing like a man in his late 40's sometimes does, but it seems like just a couple of years ago, many people, including many in the Church, were freaking out about the year 2000! Y2K became synonymous with the apocalypse and many believed that the "end of the world" was upon us. Well, the world didn't end and now were faced with yet ANOTHER prediction. This one comes from the ever credible Mayan pridiction that the world will end December 21, 2012. And the sad thing is, many in the Christian community are swarming to this like some did to the Y2K prediction. Would somebody please answer a question for me? When will the community of the Followers of Jesus learn their lesson concerning the End Times and their predictions? Why do we look to other sources, including pagan sources, at the expensene of ignoring Scripture? Okay, just for the sake of continuity, let me give the reader some Scriptures that should lay this and ALL future predictions to rest (Although I doubt for some it will). Read on... MATTHEW 24:36, & 42-44 NLT. “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father." “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him." For those who don't know yet, these are not just words. These are the very words of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! He knew that humanity has a propensity to know the future and the times and seasons of God's calendar. However, when the Lord Himself was giving directives to His Disciples to "stay in Jerusalem until they be clothed with power from on high," His Diciples gathered around Him and asked Him the following question, found in Acts 1:6--- “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” And the Lord's response was this in verses 7-8: He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” In other words, the Lord was telling them: "You focus your attention on being filled with the Holy Spirit and His power, and proclaim the gospel to the whole world. Let me worry about when I'm coming back, and the end of the world!" Now Brothers and Sisters, I don't know about you, but that seems pretty straight forward to me as to "where" the focus of our lives as Christian's should be. Our focus and our efforts are to be upon propogating the gospel of Jesus to the ends of the earth, not on the predictions of destruction, apocalypse, and the end of the world from would be prophets! So, the question then might be asked: "When will the Lord return and when will the end come?" The Lord simply tells us to be "READY" at "ALL" times for ONLY God knows when these things will be? When it is time, the Lord Himself will come and get us and further us along the road to the consumation of all things, ........ NOT UNTIL! And He certainly will NOT announce it to humanity AHEAD of time, hence the importance of being "READY" at "ALL" times! Now while these 'end time" predictions are not true. I can give you a prediction that I know beyond a shadow of a doubt WILL come true! ...................................... Many "CHRISTIAN" books, studies,CD's, and DVD's will be made off of this one pagan prediction, and I predict, MANY other wise good Christian people will make these authors a whole LOT of money! Stop worrying! Just be ready at ALL times!........................ Jesus will come and get us,...................... When and ONLY when, the Father is ready and says "It's TIME!"