Something to think about...

How is Allahu Ahbar ...

...different from "in God we trust"?

Where must Christ's church be focused?

Believers in Jesus must focus upward and outward, not inward. One characteristic of legalism is the undue emphasis on oneself: what must I do to live right. Churches and even entire denominations have been founded upon the premise that personal holiness ought to be the primary concern of the Christian. To be sure, we are commanded to share in God's holiness, without which we will not see Him. However, excessive introspection and practical standards of holiness have replaced the true mission of the church: outreach.

Some churches are like spiritual
bomb shelters.

A church that merely functions as a bunker, harboring dozens of people inside its 4 walls while they sing, pray, and give money to themselves is not a church. It is a bunker. Doctrinally, most bunker pastors teach that the world outside is falling apart, growing worse and worse, and ripe for God's destruction any time now. There is no hope but to stay in the bunker and do church activities together, waiting for Doomsday (or a secret removal from the world) to come.

The truth is that the world will not end. Jesus Christ, as he was ready to ascend back to his Father's heaven, assured his disciples that their primary concern was to be his witnesses by the power of his Holy Spirit. Eventually, the glory of the Lord will fill the earth, his kingdom will be fully realized, and the King will finally arrive! But there's a lot of work to do. When Christ commanded his followers to be his witnesses, he asked them to manifest to outsiders the power, greatness and beauty of what they would attest to. Believers are united to Jesus Christ, and the way we witness is by preaching and living the gospel in this world.

It is not our prerogative to separate
the chaff from the wheat.

The difference between legalists and true believers is that the former live unto themselves. Like the Pharisees of Jesus' time, they are reactionary and spend a lot of energy trying to separate themselves from any influence that they have deemed worldly 1. In fact, legalistic groups are proud to identify themselves in terms of what they are separated from. On the other hand, true believers do not spend most of their energies separating the wheat from the chaff, but they seek to separate themselves unto God's work on earth. There are many regions that have not heard the gospel, many countries that are still in poverty, many nations that are still under tyrannical rule, many people that are still in slavery, many factions that are still at war, many churches that are still in error. Who is equal to such a task? Only a church that is empowered by the Holy Spirit and lives out a gospel that permeates all realms: spiritual and social.

The Lamb has overcome: Alleluia!

If you're a true believer, heed to the voice of Jesus Christ in you. You were saved unto good works. You were called to work out your own salvation! There is no need to focus so many energies on making sure all your ducks are in a row: Jesus has taken care of God's holy demands on your behalf. His righteousness is the only dress you can wear! You are accepted in the Beloved 2. No need for guilt, shame, worry and fear: the Lamb has overcome! Now you need to bring out all of this love, grace and freedom to people in need.

God's people gather,
construct, unite, mend.

Is your church a bunker? Do they feed the hungry, clothe the naked and preach the gospel to the poor? If not, get out of it! Is your church more concerned about making sure you attend at least 3 times a week rather than ensuring that the single mothers in their own neighborhood have a health clinic to attend? If so, get out of it! Is your pastor more concerned that men wear shirts and ties rather than wondering if there are still children in his country that can't even afford a shirt? If so, get out of it! The Spirit is not there.

Think outside the Heidelberg
Catechism!

There are many churches and denominations in America. Yes, some of them still focus on introspection and monasticism, others on making sure their 5-point Calvinism resembles that of the 17th century Netherlands, others on maintaining racial and cultural homogeneity, and others on being on the cutting-edge of entertainment. However, there are still churches and denominations that attempt to be Biblically-faithful and, as a whole, do not to get carried away with ephemeral fads of this age (while still being culturally relevant). They do things like missions, running hospitals, building houses, funding Microloans, donating clothes, giving blood, providing counseling or educating people. They are actually effecting a change in this world. These are the groups of believers that are attuned to God's program this side of eternity. What an exciting age to live in!


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1. The word "Pharisee" comes from the Hebrew פָּרוּש  (parus) which means to "set apart" or "separate." The focus of this type of false believers has always been on pridefully distinguishing themselves from the others.

2. God said of His Son, "Behold, this is my beloved son, in whom I am well pleased." Now he says the same to whomever is united to Christ by grace through faith.

95 Theses against Dispensationalism (Click on Text Below)

Dispensationalism has transgressed against the doctrine of Christ.

How Can Unbelievers Spot Real Christians?

By the way we care for each other. Let's face it, the world is harsh. There are storms of hatred, deceit, backbiting, criticisms, mockery, immorality, abuse, godless religion, and selfishness out there. You have been a victim of some of these things. When you finally embraced Christ, he took you into his household. Things are different here. You can leave the umbrella by the door, take off your coat and let your hair down. The people here will make sure you're well-fed and checked-in. Welcome home!

The Lord is overjoyed to embrace you into his family. You are adopted as a child of the King. He is not angry at you, nor will he ever get angry at you, just because you're in the household. You may take a while to get accustomed to not having to sin for survival, but he will always be patient with you. His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, paid the price for you to have this relationship with the Father. He loves you, and so do his children. Come, join us for dinner!

"Free? You're only free
to do right."

In your search for shelter you may have stumbled upon places that offered to keep you safe, only to be disappointed that there was always a catch. You would come in, and you realized after a while that you had to earn your way to acceptance. The list of house rules was complicated, and the people in the house did not look too happy about having to follow them. Some, who wore a forced smile, followed you around to make sure you would not eat more than your share of food, that you would stay away from the pool and that you would not sleep more than 5 hours in the night. Others would simply ignore you in their diligence to keep these rules to perfection. They did not want to be kicked out of the house: it is too rough out there. You remember talking to the butler once or twice about your difficulty to keep up with these rules, only to be suggested that you wear a watch and keep a timetable of your activities, so as to not give the impression that you were unruly and carefree. Whatever it is that happened, you were out of that house.

The Lord loves you just because
you're part of his household.

In the Father's household, you are treated with respect and dignity. If you were treated unjustly or were wronged, the Family will help you get everything in order and seek justice for you.  These people love you by default, just like a grandmother loves that little grandson whom she hasn't had a chance to hold yet. No need to prove yourself, show papers or credentials, or perform. Even if they all have different ideas of how the world works or how the Father acts, they will still love each other because they're in the house. Attacks, arguments and tantrums are not the way differences are solved here. Unity in diversity is celebrated. Love will cover a multitude of faults. Time to rest!

Which U.S. Political Party Represents God's Interests in the Country?

Neither. The agenda of the Republican party is to conserve values and legislation of the past. The problem is that many of these values and beliefs that were held in the past were wrong and sinful. The present Constitution, as clever and useful as it has been for over 200 years, is not God's law. It is fallible, and it has needed revision (in the form of amendments) over the centuries. Some things that this party represents are deplorable. The party's platform is against the stranger and the poor. It would promote more liberties for rich employers to have the prerogative of paying a desperate, hard worker $3.00 an hour. By endorsing limited government, it endorses the decrease of national accountability, and this means that private companies would have less people to answer to when they get away with harsh work conditions and treatment. Fewer employers would be taken to court or put in jail if they abuse their employees. Also, Republicans do not want to use their tax dollars to help the less fortunate people of their own nation. Jesus once said that there would always be poor, and the Republican agenda would ensure that it stays like that.

The Democratic party, on the other hand, also encourages lifestyles that are abominable to God. By legalizing abortion, it is authorizing the killing of unborn creatures. The Bible is clear that the 9 months that a person is in his mother's belly are God's workshop. Interrupting this process and murdering the child in order to protect a fornicator's reputation, eliminate her responsibility, and perpetuate her selfish lifestyle, is abhorrent. Also, Democrats want to, not only to grant homosexual unions the status of marriage (this would not really mean much), but they would like to give these couples the right to adopt and raise children. As Christians, we shudder at the thought of God's boys and girls (as all souls belong to Him) learning in their developing years that there is nothing wrong with homosexual sex 1.

As a believer in Jesus Christ, I subscribe fully to neither party. I promote the Republicans' regard for the sanctity of unborn life and their concern for traditions that are consistent with the Scripture, such as monogamous, heterosexual marriage. I also promote the Democrats' protection of the interests of all citizens (including the stranger and the poor), as well as the eradication war and all violence. As a citizen of God's kingdom, I can only pick and choose the good factors out of the existing human structures. After all, God's kingdom will not be brought about by legislation, but it will be realized as the hearts of men and women are turned to the Savior and their actions will become consistent with their calling.


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1. As a Christian, I love all homosexuals and judge none. Many are actually born with this inclination. I also reject the behaviors I believe are prohibited by the Scriptures, and this includes sexual relations between people of the same sex. Christian homosexuals have a difficult predicament, and they need as much of God's grace as heterosexual Christians do.

In God We Trust?

What is the difference between Presbyterians and Fundamental Baptists?

Some people who have been dissatisfied with some of the teachings or practices of the Independent, Fundamental Baptist (IFB) network have asked me about the difference between their church and a Presbyterian church, when I have suggested the latter as an alternative. Here is my best attempt to summarize this comparison in 5 points because I like short and simple!

1. IFBs tend to view conversion in terms of a one-time salvation experience. You tell a person about what Christ has done for them, they believe it, and they pray to receive Him. That person, then, writes down the date and the time this happened and cherishes it, since their salvation cannot be lost. It's now time to move on and grow. Presbyterians, on the other hand, tend to see conversion as the validation of God's eternal, sovereign plan to draw you to Himself. You first believe in Christ at some part of the process, but you continue believing in Him. The emphasis is not on the date you became a Christian, but on the fact that you are clinging to Christ now.

Presbyterians do not believe
that the water will save the child.

2. IFBs only baptize adult believers, as an outward sign that points to an inward conversion reality. Presbyterians baptize both adult believers and infants. As Calvinists, they believe that an infant born under one or both Christian parents is baptized as a surety of the hope that God is, little by little, drawing this helpless, passive child to Himself. This child is included in the household covenant of grace.

No need to wear this at a
Presby church.

3. IFBs believe that the world will only get worse and worse. The next thing in God's timetable is a secret rapture that will snatch the faithful, followed by a 7-year tribulation period and a 1000-year idyllic period of God's physical reign on earth. Presbyterians believe anything else but this. In a Presbyterian church, there are Amillennialists, Postmillennialists, and even a few Premillennialists, but no Dispensationalists. They believe the latter theory came to be in the 1800's.

4. IFBs tend to place an emphasis on external factors. The way you dress, the Bible version you use and the music you listen to are of utmost importance to them. Presbyterians are happy if you only showed up and enjoyed the service. 

5. IFBs have more unstructured worship services. The pastor is usually in charge of what goes on, and he can shorten or extend the service (with a longer sermon or altar call) as he sees fit. The congregation is treated like a choir, and the song leader may ask people to sing a cappella or in parts. Woe to you if you cannot read musical notation. Presbyterians have their service already printed out on a bulletin, and they will have no altar calls. You will be standing, and singing, and reciting, and praying, and being benedicted. And you'll always make it in time for lunch.

How do you measure spiritual growth?

Love, joy and peace are more
than just hippie lingo.

Certainly not by the time you spend reading chapters from the Bible and praying, the amount of hours you spend at church each week, or the number of people you have convinced that your brand of Christianity is the truth. These things are measurable. Christian growth is not quantifiable, it is intuitively evident. The way you know someone is a believer in Christ is by determining whether his life, as a whole, shows the fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. If a person does not show this set of behaviors (in varying degrees), it doesn't matter how much Bible verses they use or how separated from the world they appear to be: he is not Christ's. Of course, "love, joy, and peace" sounds too vague, and it may even be reminiscent of 1970's pinko, commie, leftie language. The fruit of the Spirit is impossible to convert into numbers or dollars and cents; we cannot make a pie chart or a bar graph of how a person is growing in grace and in the knowledge of Jesus Christ. This is why, as partakers of the New Covenant, we are now commanded to love, to rejoice in and obey Christ, not bring dissenters to the elders in order to be stoned.

Is Government-Run Healthcare a Good Thing?

Healthcare is not an option.

Yes. Healthcare, along with a place to live and an education, should be available for all the citizens of any given society regardless of social status, race and income. In a society as wealthy as the United States, this should not even be an issue! However, because this country's capitalistic economic system is not tempered with a strong social consciousness, the powerful (large corporation CEO's) convey their own financial interests through the venues of political activism, religious doctrines, and literature. As a result, their desire to acquire as much wealth as they can often overpowers the initiative of honest people who understand their place within a larger society, promote the common good of all citizens, and truly respect the sanctity of human life: from the cradle to the grave.

Question and Answer: Will America be soon judged by God?

John MacArthur stressed that because God was patient with Israel, America should not expect Him to be patient with it. “As somebody said a few years ago, if God doesn’t destroy America pretty soon, He’s gonna have to apologize to Sodom and Gomorrah.”

The New Covenant, rather than annulling God's covenant with Israel, it broadens it. Israel will, eventually, be gathered in the land promised to Abraham. When will this happen? As soon as the entire world is inundated with the gospel and Christ's Kingdom is realized on earth. Every nation will be a Christian nation, and "the kingdoms of the world [will] become the kingdoms of our God."

Most of the New Testament
prophecies foretold the soon
destruction of Jerusalem (AD70).

Because of his belief in dispensational (or futuristic) theology, MacArthur must inevitably conclude that things will become worse and worse, and the next thing in this world's agenda is a ravening doomsday that will wipe out billions of people. The truth is that the US is not only one of the countries with most Christians in the world but also the hub for countless Christian missions worldwide. What about the abortions, sexual immorality, and corruption that happen in this country? These things provide a stark contrast between the children of God and the children of the devil. What legislation has done is allow for this contrast to be made more apparent.
 

The U.S. had a terrible start
as a nation.

Does America need to "go back" to God? Is God somehow bound to the "covenant" the original Pilgrim/Puritan settlers made? This morning I visited a church where this kind of nationalistic nonsense was preached, and I left in the middle of the service. The truth is that the original settlers that we often revere sinned greatly against the Lord by stealing the land from its original inhabitants and establishing their own culture. The Indians, a word whose very etymology reveals our Euro-centered bias, were either brutally killed or confined in reservations (this one happened later). Most churches suppressed this truth, and their preachers promoted the diabolical doctrine of "Manifest Destiny," which states that the U.S. (called "America," as the entire continent) was chosen by God to be a "city on a hill" and conquer and subdue territories. The U.S's foundation was wrong from the very start.

We cannot change the past, but
we can certainly get rid of this nonsense.

We cannot change the past, but we can certainly influence the future. God has used the unrighteousness of man to bring about His kingdom. Legislation against abortion or homosexual marriage will not improve society. Bringing back the Prohibition will not sober our country. Voting Republican will not bring the US an inch closer to God. The only hope for this country, as with every other country, is the gospel. If we believers forsake legalism and man-centered theology (ie. KJV-onlyism, skirts onlyism, classical music-onlyism) and enjoy Jesus Christ and his freeing grace, the Holy Spirit may sovereignly use us to further our influence.

Philosophy of dating

One particular characteristic of powerful men and women is the ability to deal with negative situations effectively. Presidents, for example, must deal with criticism from people that disagree with their ideology. Firemen are on the call, ready to face great physical danger. Church leaders constantly face doctrinal opposition and discipline matters. And we all face rejection. It is our prerogative, then, to harness it for our betterment.

Christian Fundamentalist
dating philosophies often make
defensive people look good.

Christian Fundamentalism has devised a dating philosophy in which insecure, defensive people thrive. The normal process of getting to know people and seeing qualifying people (1) as possible mates is vilified and portrayed as a lack of distrust in the providence of God. The normal, casual course of finding a person that is emotionally, physically and spiritually in harmony with us is replaced with a mystic experience in which God secretly draws two people together without human intervention. People who are shy by nature, those who are closed emotionally or who have not experienced satisfying relationships with people of the opposite sex may find a particular appeal in this philosophy. Yes, statements such as, "God will bring the right one to me,"
very often reveals edginess and passivity. Yet, this irresponsible attitude is not only encouraged but also commended in Christian Fundamentalist and Evangelical circles.

Books like I Kissed Dating Goodbye and When God Writes Your Love Story perpetuate this foolish philosophy. Yet, it is worth noting that these authors had little to no experience in the matter. The author of the former book, for instance, admitted that he was in his early 20's and did not have much experience with dating. You cannot kiss goodbye whom you have not met.

This dating philosophy presents an erroneous and incomplete view of the sovereignty of God. The Bible tells us that there are secret things that belong to God and there are revealed things that belong to us. (2)  God's secret will includes whoever you end up marrying. If you're married, you can rest assured that it was God's will. However, because this is hidden from us, it is our prerogative to find a suitable mate. What does the Bible say? Marry whoever you will: only in the Lord! Join a singles' group at your church, a community club or eHarmony. Trust, then, that God will guide your efforts to lead you to the person that will complement you. (3)


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1. The only Biblical mandate is for believers to not marry unbelievers. We are, then, to use our sanctified reasoning, wisdom and common sense in choosing the person we would live with the rest of our lives.
2. Deuteronomy 29:29. Theologically, this means God has two aspects to His will: His decretive will (whatever comes to pass; we only know it after it happens) and His preceptive will (what the Scriptures command; we can fully know it).
3. 1 Corinthians 7:39. This command was given to widows who were young and wanted to get married again. If it applies to widows, it also applies to single people!

Eurocentric Christianity

We think what we think because of the mental paradigms that we have come to embrace as a belief system. For instance, some societies look down upon overweight people because it is unconsciously believed that extra pounds imply carelessness, laziness or apathy. It is perceived as ugliness. It is worth noting, however, that there are many cultures that appreciate fatness, for it represents abundance, diligence and wealth. 1 A fat person may have high- or low-self esteem depending, not only on the culture he may live, but also on the belief system he has come to adopt.

After the tower of Babel incident, races were scattered, and people groups began to form and settle in certain regions of the world. These people groups, in turn, sought places where the climate and the environment would be compatible with the physical and psychological makeup of the majority. It has been the observation of some sociologists that people with more structured, control-loving personalities tend to live in northernmost regions, while flexible, laid-back temperaments have made their home in the south. This preferred mode of operation (structure/flexible) is the key factor for issues like entertainment choices, working preferences and perception of time. 2

Much of our Christianity is
heavily influenced by European
thought.

Most of us come from countries heavily influenced by European thought. We are well-acquainted with the history of Europe more than with any other continent. While some cultures consider values like humility, honor and quietness as pivotal, the European thinking pattern thrived on theorization, articulation and conquest. The best example is the extensive colonization done by European settlers in virtually every continent in the world. Is it right for the more powerful to take over the possessions of the weaker and establish his own way of life in his property? Most people would agree that this is immoral. However, most of our history books (including those written in a "Christian perspective" 3) praise the European land-theft and genocide, perpetuate their monopoly on the truth and present their thinking patterns as the only true framework for understanding life.

Our understanding of Christianity has been heavily influenced by European thinking. Somehow, we feel a need to theorize the unexplainable attributes of God. 4 We do not want to enjoy gifts that we do not feel we are the rightful earners of. We seek to produce, haste, institutionalize and quantify the work of God. 5 We do not feel at ease in worshiping with people who are different from us. We immediately criticize people who may explain the same truth from a different perspective. We want to control our children: their dress, thoughts and actions. We do not feel useful unless we are leading: a project, a business, a person. And, ironically enough, although we pay lip service to self-denial, we seem to be better enforcers of this when it dealing with other people. We are guilty of perpetuating European thought into Christianity.

The main reason people of other cultures reject Christ is because of the way we have chosen to live out the Christian life. We have chosen to take upon ourselves a rigorous code of rules and convictions while unconsciously pushing those who have not done so, away from ourselves. The Pharisaical Christianity we have practiced for so long is a religious expression of our own human nature and beliefs. This happens when seek to bring about the work of Christ using human methods. We want to get personal sanctification through rule-keeping, create harmony through external compliance, and bring national revival through conservative legislation. Before the court of history, our Christianity is charged with Eurocentrism. God pronounces it guilty.

The Scripture offers us an alternative: to learn from the way it was written. The books of the Bible were written by people of different cultures, languages and personalities. Because this is true, many passages will seem to contradict each other. However, the truths conveyed by these different angles will always harmonize themselves. It is inevitable for human beings to be biased towards a perspective, culture and angle. However, we must let go of the notion that ours is the only correct framework of Scripture interpretation. After all, truth is absolute, but our perception of truth is far from adequate.

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1. Extra weight was considered a blessing in cultures like Old Testament Israel. See passages like: Proverbs 13:4 and 28:25. Some contemporary cultures include African and some Caribbean (eg. St. Lucia).

2. This is a general, sociological factor. There are always individual exceptions to every rule. See: http://www.cognitivemedia.co.uk/wp/?p=272

3. The famous History of Civilization book used on Fundamentalist Christian college campuses, called World history and Cultures (published by A Beka Book), for example, present the European colonization of North America from the perspective of "conscience-bound" religious people (ie. Anabaptist and Puritans) who faced persecution in their Protestant countries. Not much is said about the atrocious, systematic genocide done to the first peoples of our continent. See: http://www.amazon.com/World-History-Cultures-Christian-Perspective/dp/B000ASIPTK

4. The debate between supralapsarianism and infralapsarianism, for example, is unnecessary. It is foolish and prideful to try to pry into the secret, eternal decrees of God. See: Deuteronomy 29:29.

5. Have you ever felt that sinners could only be converted by hearing the gospel preached at a specific denominational church? How about the need to secure a conversion by a sinner's prayer? Quantify converts by an altar call or a raise of hands?

Book Recommendation

I have decided to post about the books I've read and offer a short commentary on them, leaving it open for people to offer additional comments.

Last year, I read the book "Love and Respect," by Emerson Eggerichs. It was both a sobering discovery and a refreshing truth. The book is based on a single truth that springs from Ephesians 5:33, "However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband." The message is simple: men's greatest need is for respect, and women's greatest need is for love. When this is ignored or misunderstood, relationship problems abound. Although this book was written primarily for married couples, great insights can be used for any relationship with a person from the opposite sex: parents, children, friends, dating relationships. This has been -in my estimation- the best book that I've read about this topic since Gary Chapman's The Five Love Languages.

Infant baptism

Most Christian churches practice
infant baptism, regardless of
liberal or conservative stance.

Most professing Christians believe in infant baptism. Even if the statistics are limited to Protestant denominations, the case is still the same. We may have grown up hearing that only liberal churches choose to baptize babies, but the truth is that just as there are theologically liberal Baptist churches, there are also theologically conservative Paedobaptist congregations.1 Regardless of the sentiments that may have been prevalent in our circles, it is an imperative that we see for ourselves what the Scriptures teach concerning who should be baptized.

Many years ago, God spoke to an Iraqi called Abram and told him, "Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you. I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing." He did not know this God personally but decided to take him at his word; he left his extended family, friends, and country in order to follow what he said and receive his blessing. As a result, the Lord counted his faith as righteousness and began to fulfill his promise of turning this Iraqi man into a patriarch. The unknown God of the universe now entered into a covenant with Abram, and subsequently, his family. As a physical sign of having entered this covenant, God told him, "You are to undergo circumcision." He did. Moreover, this promise extended to his household, so Abram (now, Abraham) took his son Ishmael and all those born in his household and circumcised them.

The Christian baptism corresponds with
Old Testament circumcision.

In the Old Testament, whenever God made a covenants with a man, he also included his household. For example, when the Lord made a covenant with Noah, he extended the covenant to his wife, children and childrens' wives. Moreover, God always institutes a physical object or action as a sign of this covenant. Abraham participated of the sign of circumcision, and so did his children, as also part of the covenant. The Scriptures are clear that the only reasons Abraham became circumcised as an adult were because this was the time when God established the ordinance and because he represented the first generation of the household. 

The Bible teaches that we were circumcised as we were buried with him in baptism. 2 After Christ died, resurrected and ascended into Heaven, his apostles began to preach the gospel of the New Covenant. Who were to be the recipients of this New Covenant? Peter told the inquiring people that the promise is for them and their children. When asked how to be saved, the Christians replied, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved--you and your household." Were the children of the household to be baptized? The Bible provides at least three instances of entire households receiving the Christian baptism.3  Because of this covenant's extension to one's household, children born to at least a Christian parent are now considered holy. 4 Just like children of the Old Covenant received a circumcision that symbolized the cutting off of their heart's spiritual foreskin, infants born under the New Covenant now receive a baptism that symbolizes their identification with Christ.

Finally, even though the Bible is clear as to who should be baptized, it does not give emphasis to how people should be baptized. The original word for baptism suggests immersion, but it also refers to ceremonial washings, which were often performed by sprinkling. John the Baptist baptized Jesus Christ in the Jordan river, where there was much water; Jesus came up out of the water, indicating that his washing may have been done by immersion. On the other hand, there were three thousand people who were baptized in Jerusalem, a city with no bodies of water.5 The Scripture's lack of information about the mode of baptism indicates that there can be flexibility in this area.

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1. Paedobaptist means "baptizers of infants." Paedobaptist denominations include, but are not limited to, Presbyterian, Methodist, Anglican, Lutheran, Episcopalian, and Nazarene. 
2. Colossians 2:10-11 
3. Acts 16:15, 33; I Corinthians 1:16
4. I Corinthians 7:14
5. The nearest river was the Jordan, which was 18 miles to the east. If Peter had decided to escort them to this body of water, the Scriptures would not have been silent about this important (and exhausting) expedition.

Believer's baptism

Fewer issues have been a major cause of church divisions and denomination splits throughout the centuries than baptism. It is worth noting, however, that this doctrine is called an elementary teaching and we are encouraged to move on to perfection. We may be very familiar, however, with churches that have placed a major emphasis on baptism and have minimized, even to the point of ignoring, more important matters, such as loving people and extending mercy. If the Scriptures encourage us to move forward in our understanding of Christ, how could we even begin to understand baptism?

Why would baptism be so important? The word is first used in the New Testament, with John the Baptist. He preached to the people of Israel that they must repent from their sins and be baptized as a sign of their repentance. Those who accepted his message did not count this act as strange, as this was nothing other than a purification. The Jews were very familiar with the various baptisms commanded in the Law. There were ceremonial washings for the body, for clothes, for the temple altar and for other buildings.1

When Christ finally arrived, he commissioned his followers to preach the gospel of the kingdom and baptize the believers in the name of the Three-in-One God. As the last purification in history, this external act would initiate the believer's entrance in the New Covenant. Just like the water in the Old Testament ceremonial sprinklings did not purify in itself, the water of the New Testament baptism does not have special saving powers. However, there is a preponderance of evidence in Scripture that God would convey his saving grace through the waters of baptism. As a way of physically responding to the message, the believer was to be baptized with water.

The Bible does not command believers
to repeat a prayer, but it does
command baptism.

Today, many churches encourage other forms of external response. Many pastors ask the repentant to bow their heads and raise their hands, to walk down a church aisle, to come to an imaginary altar, to sign a decision card, or to repeat a prayer after them. The Scriptures, however, simply ask them to repent and be baptized. The Holy Spirit works internally in a person's heart, drawing them to repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. As a physical sign of this change of mind, the believer receives baptism, the water of which does not save in and of itself. Just as modern pastors would doubt the conversion of someone who claims to have repented but refuses to pray a "sinner's prayer," we can doubt the conversion of someone who claims to have believed but is not ready for the commitment of baptism. Following Christ is a commitment to be made. Refusing to be baptized proves that this commitment has not been made.


1. Leviticus 14:1; 15:7; 16:14-19; 19:1

We've a story to tell to the nations

For the darkness shall turn to dawning,
And the dawning to noon-day bright,
And Christ's great kingdom shall come on earth
The kingdom of love and light.

Is Christ only victorious in theory?

Christ has given us the victory! But.. has he? Many of us may have a hard time believing this because we grew up hearing that we were helpless. We were acquainted from an early age with Bible stories that portrayed God as a powerful judge that is ready to punish evildoers. We may have also learned from the Ten Commandments that we could not measure up to God's standards and that we deserved hell as the result. However, we heard the good news that Christ, the Son of God, came to earth to save evildoers like us. Finally, we placed our faith in him hoping that God would, perhaps, place Christ in front of us and spare us from our punishment. For us, it was obvious that God only loved the "Christ" part in us, and not really us!

Not only were we taught that God loves us in spite of who we are, but we were also told that Christianity is about to be extinguished, and we must do what we can to hold the last forts. The world keeps getting worse and worse, and no matter what good efforts may be done, they will ultimately die out. "When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?" commands a resounding "No!" The message that we must spread to the world is that there is a doomsday coming, and it is to their best interests to be counted with the Lord's people before they ultimately disappear from the face of the earth. The worst is yet to come, and it will do us no good to attempt to fix a world that is setting up the stage for the coming Antichrist.

The Bible gives us a more optimistic outlook! The truth is that Christ came to "take away the sin of the world." When we placed our faith in Him, we received the Holy Spirit in his entirety and all of the spiritual resources we'll ever need for "life and godliness." We still sin in this life, but God has ordained that we would "grow in grace and in the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ," which means that, as we increase in our awareness of who we are in Christ, we will also increase in our love, joy and obedience. Jesus died so he can have all of us: our body, mind, and personality. Your sins were already judged at the cross, and you will only find pleasure, love and grace in your Father's face.

The destruction of Jerusalem
brought about Great Tribulation.

In a wider scale, we know that this world is in need of redemption. What is ahead of us, however, is not a worldwide tribulation of destruction. Christ fulfilled his prophecies of destruction when Jerusalem was sieged and destroyed about 40 years after Christ's death. The last book of the Bible revealed (as the name suggests) the judgment that would "shortly come to pass." The religion of Judaism was judged, its Temple (which kept it going) obliterated, and the Way of Christ emerged from its ashes! The Kingdom of God is here, among us, and Jesus Christ will bring it to "earth, as it is in heaven."

The Bible promises us that one day
every knee will bow to Christ
as the Reigning King!

We must have in mind "that though the wrong seems oft so strong, God is the ruler yet." Because of the advent of the Information Age, we are more aware of the depravity of the human race around the world. However, this is not an indicator that the world is becoming worse. The Scriptures provide us with ample evidence that human depravity was seen at its fullest in times past. The truth is that this is the best moment for the church! There are more Christians on earth than there ever were in its 2,000 years of history. Moreover, communications have improved to such a degree that the gospel can be proclaimed in hundreds of countries simultaneously. Christ has overcome, and all nations will one day bow before the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords, who "makes wars cease to the ends of the earth; breaks the bow and shatters the spear, and burns the shields with fire."

Radical Amputation?

Genuine believers are often shamed into
unreasonable demands in the pretext
of pursuing holiness.

Much damage is done to the body of Christ by a heretical interpretation of Jesus’ sermon on the Mount. Matthew chapter 5 can be turned into a lethal weapon by a preacher who has neither studied the Scriptures as a whole or known the grace of Jesus Christ. Unsuspecting believers who have  been victims of this kind of false preaching can easy fall in asceticism, the worst kind of works-based sanctification.

In order to analyze this problem, we will need to consider two questions- How does this happen and why.

1. Legalism is taught when this Sermon is interpreted at face-value. The sermon on the Mount is not intended to be a new set of rules that replace the Old Testament laws. Rather, Jesus Christ proved the strict religious leaders of his time that they were not doing a good job at keeping God’s Old Testament law! No matter how strict they were with the letter of the law, they were missing the spirit. For example, many of them were boasting in that they kept the commandment against adultery. However, Jesus points out that although they did not commit the physical act, they had very much lusted in their own hearts. This is how adultery always starts. If they were to obey that commandment as strictly as possible, they could start by plucking their eyes out. The problem was not that they were too strict in their law-keeping. The problem was that they were not strict enough!

2. Legalism is taught when the point of the Sermon is not understood. There are only two possible interpretations for this Sermon: Try harder, or Give up. If you are  self-righteous and want to try harder, Jesus says to you:  “The law says, ‘Don’t kill,’ and that includes hating a person in your heart as well.” However, if you’ve realized that you’ve broken God’s law and have given up on trying to measure up to it by your efforts, the sermon has done its job. To you Jesus now says, “Come to me, you who are burden and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.” The conclusion to Jesus’ sermon on the Mount was his death on the cross for you. Believe in Jesus and rest.