Trust AND Obey » salvation

Ordo Salutis – Order of Salvation

Dave Miller — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 03:20:32 +0000

A very interesting infographic from Tim Challies. Notice that part of the mountain is green and lush, while some is rocky and hard.

Click on the image to visit Challies’ site if you would like to download a hi-res pdf.

An Assignment

Dave Miller — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 00:27:45 +0000

The Assignment: Read the following scripture and then answer the question at the end.

Matthew 25:31-34: “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.

v. 41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.

v. 46 And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

The Question: Do you believe this?

Do you believe that Jesus is coming again and that He will judge both the living and the dead?

Do you believe that He will separate all humanity into two groups?

Do you believe that one group will go away to eternal torment and the other to eternal life in the presence of God?

A simple yes or no is required. Either you believe it or you don’t.

If you don’t believe it and you call yourself a Christian, you either need to repent for your unbelief or stop calling yourself a Christian. I’m serious. You shame the name of Christ if you disbelieve His own testimony of what will happen at the end of days.

If you do believe it but don’t engage in personal evangelism, you either need to repent for your unbelief or stop calling yourself a Christian. I’m even more serious now. You shame the name of Christ even more if you say you believe his testimony, but disobey his commandments (John 3:36).

I think that there are only a few Christians who personally engage in evangelism to the extent they can. If you are doing so, may God strengthen you and bless your efforts.

Matthew 28:19-20 – Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.

In all likelihood, most of the readership of this little article believe that Jesus means what He says but, for some reason, don’t give much effort to personal evangelism. If this is the case with you, as it is with me, then we have some repenting to do.

If we really believed what Jesus said about a final judgment and eternity in either heaven or hell, then we would be far less complacent about our unbelieving co-workers, neighbors and family members. But many of us don’t really believe Jesus, even though we say we do. The proof is found in our action or inaction in the face of certain death and torment for those on the judge’s left.

O Father in Heaven: Your ways are so far above and beyond my ways. Except for your amazing grace, I would be counted among the goats. Forgive my unbelief and strengthen me to share the Good News with those who need to hear it. Embolden me to speak the truth with love and humility to my family, friends and neighbors. For the sake of Christ Jesus and his unforgettable work on the cross, grant that I might become a better witnesses to the transcendent love that is you, O God. Amen.

The Story

Dave Miller — Sat, 26 Mar 2011 15:06:24 +0000

CLICKING THE IMAGE WILL OPEN ‘THE STORY’ IN A NEW WINDOW.

Whether you are a long-time believer, an unbeliever or anywhere in between, I think you will enjoy this story. It is a true story that never gets old or boring, that always refreshes and renews.

Dear Atheist Friend,

Dave Miller — Tue, 23 Nov 2010 03:51:07 +0000

Dear Atheist Friend,

You and I actually have much in common. We both seek The Truth®. If we are both intellectually honest with ourselves, we will accept The Truth®, regardless of whether or not it fits our current understanding of truth.

Here is just a little bit of The Truth®: In The End®, everyone dies.

Christians tend to look at life with The End® in mind. For us, The End® is death to this earthly life, and eternal life in the presence of God, where there will be no sickness, no pain, no tears, no wars, no sin. In a word, “Paradise.”

In the spirit of education, and in honest pursuit of The Truth®, I’d like to share a few reasons why Christians tend to push Christ as the only way to “Paradise.”

Because Jesus said He was the only way. (John 14:6)
Because Jesus told us to tell others. (Matthew 28:19)
Because Jesus said those whom He doesn’t know will spend eternity in Hell. (Matthew 7:22-23)

I enjoy writing in allegory, so here’s a little story you might find entertaining and educational – I hope it does not offend; that is not my intention. This story is really just an expansion on an idea that outspoken atheist Penn Jillette relates in support of proselytizing. Again, this is simply an attempt to help you understand why Christians seem to be so pushy about Jesus.

Let’s say that you believe in cement trucks, but your wife doesn’t. Every time you see a cement truck, you point it out to her, but she closes her eyes. Every time you see her walking on cement (I know it’s called concrete, just work with me), you say, “That cement had to come from somewhere, didn’t it?” But she just ignores your logic and says, “Just because there is cement, doesn’t mean there are cement trucks.” Sometimes you want to give up trying to convince her, but since believing in cement trucks is such a simple thing, you persevere.

One day, you see your wife walking across the street to get the mail and there is a cement truck speeding down the road toward her. You yell at her to get out of the way, but she just laughs and says she doesn’t see anything. The truck rumbles closer and closer. You scream, jump up and run toward the road yelling at her, “Open your eyes, girl, and get out of the way!!!” But she just stands there on the yellow line shaking her head. She’s seven seconds from death and she’s laughing at you. What are you going to do now, cowboy?

If you love her, won’t you risk your life to push her off the road? Won’t you put yourself in harm’s way to save her from what you know is certain death? She might be angry with you for pushing her into the ditch and she’s probably going to think you’re the crazy one. She might even try to fight you off, to keep you away. But if you love her, you’ll do something crazy, you’ll do something dangerous. At the very least, you’ll risk making a fool out of yourself if it means that she will live. And maybe she’ll finally see that cement truck you’ve been talking about.

Christians who evangelize do that every day. Out of love for their family, friends and even total strangers, they risk making fools of themselves for Jesus sake.

I hope this helps you to better understand our faith and our tendency to be ‘pushy.’

Your friend,

-Dave

P.S. This is an imperfect allegory, of course. No Christian can save anyone from what is to come in The End®. Only God can do that.

Must every Q&A begin with a Q?

Dave Miller — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 04:19:19 +0000

A. Mankind started out living with God, our maker, in a very personal, intimate way that nobody can imagine today. Then Adam and Eve sinned and we became separated from this way of being with God. The Gospel is God’s way of getting us back into this communion or fellowship by saving us from sin and His wrath. (Genesis 3:6)

Q. I believe in God, but I don’t get the importance of this “Gospel” thing or this stuff about being “Saved.” What is all this?

A. Believing in God will not reconcile you to Him. Remember, Satan believes in God; he knows and understands God better than any human being. If you want to be at peace with God and guarantee your eternal salvation, you need to know the Gospel and be saved. Believing in God isn’t enough.

Q. I’m getting along fine right now. Why do I need to be at peace with God?

A. You are getting along fine because God gives some grace to everybody regardless of their beliefs. He makes the sun shine and the rain fall upon both the good and the bad (Matthew 5:45). But just because things are going well for you now, doesn’t mean that they always will, especially when you die. The Christian is at peace with God because of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross. We have the assurance that even though things on earth have their ups and downs, eventually we will be granted perfect rest and reward in His eternal kingdom. (1 Peter 5:10)

Q. So what does the Gospel have to do with getting this perfect life?

A. Because the Gospel is the only thing that can bridge the gap between you and God. Everyone is born in sin and most people live their entire lives as an enemy of God. Yes, God loves you, but most of us don’t love God as we should and we treat him like our enemy. Even people who are saved treat God like an enemy every time they sin. Without the Gospel, without the covering of Jesus’ perfect life and sacrificial death (called justification and atonement) we would remain enemies of God forever. (James 4:4)

Q. This is kinda crazy stuff. Why should I believe any of it?

A. Well, this might be foolishness to you. It gives me no joy to hear such a question because it means that the person asking it is still lost in sin. Until you realize and recognize that you are a sinful person, the Gospel will be foolishness to you. The first step to accepting the Gospel and being saved by Jesus is recognizing your sin and turning away from it. This is called repentance. (Mark 1:15)

Q. What’s the big deal about admitting that I’m not perfect? Everybody sins, right?

A. Yes, Everybody sins. (Romans 3:23) But not everybody considers what they do sinning. If you are outside of the saving grace of God, then you can do all the good things you want and it still won’t make you right with God. Nothing you can do will get you right with God; only God can make you right with Him and the only way that He makes you right with Him is by starting you out with a repentant heart and an understanding of His love for you.

Q. Okay, so let’s say that I admit that I’ve told a few lies, taken some little things that didn’t belong to me and I’m not exactly sexually pure. Is that enough?

A. It’s a start; a good start. Are you sorry for doing these things?

Q. Yes. What now?

A. If you’re sorry for doing these things, then tell God that you’re sorry, in your own words. Don’t try to sound like somebody else that you’ve heard pray. Tell God that He is more important than the sinful acts you have been committing. That’s called repentance. Then believe. Believe with all your heart that the God of the Bible, who made the universe from nothing, loves you and sent His son Jesus to live a perfect life and die a terrible death to reunite you with your maker by paying the price for your sins.

And the best part is that you don’t have to wait until you die. You are made right with God right here and right now. Praise the Lord!

If you are a new believer, read this survival guide. Tell someone, perhaps a faithful Christian you know, that you have found the Lord. (More accurately, the Lord has found you! – Luke 15:4-5) I recommend that you read the Gospel of John over the next week or so to learn more about Jesus and your new life.

Fatima Fraud

Dave Miller — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 03:59:22 +0000

This morning, a Christian friend of mine at work brought in some mail he received. It was not sent to him by name, but to his address. It was from the Fatima Center in Constable, New York. There was a copy of the Fatima Crusader magazine, a two-page letter and a donation card. The donation card is reproduced below. Please take a moment to read it.

The first thing I noticed on the card is the headline, “Life has only one purpose: SALVATION.” Assuming this is true, I expected to find out how I can get this salvation. I read the entire card, and the name of Jesus does not appear anywhere. Hmm… Maybe on the back.

Nope. Jesus isn’t on the back either. But there is an image (graven?) of a woman in a robe with the inscription, “Only I Can Help You.” I honestly can’t bring myself to open the magazine and read it. As I write this, it sits folded on my desk.

It is so hard to know where to begin with this mailing. I hesitate to call it satanic, but it certainly isn’t from God and it certainly isn’t Biblical, so my descriptive options are quite limited. (Isn’t everything either Godly or satanic?) I decided to start with prayer for my Roman Catholic friends and family who are misled by things like this.

Holy Father in heaven, I pray in the name of your Son, my savior, Jesus that you would bring the people who receive this mailing out of their blindness and into the light of your truth. Please send your Holy Spirit to my friends and family who follow the pope, to those who receive this mailing and to me also. Turn us from all unfaithfulness and selfishness. Put in us a new heart that seeks to glorify you, O Lord, and you alone. Take away all our love for idols, our love for false prophets and our love of diversions that focus our attention on something other than you. And thank you for making your grace free to all who repent and believe. Amen.

There is so much wrong with this card that I’m only going to address the two lines I mentioned previously for the sake of time and space.

The headline on the front reads, “Life has only one purpose: SALVATION” When I first read it, I thought that it was the only truth in the packet, but even that part isn’t true. Our only purpose in life is to glorify God and to begin our eternal enjoyment of Him. (See the Westminster Shorter Catechism for more) The desire for personal salvation in and of itself can be selfish unless, by doing it, we desire to bring glory to God. Remember, God created us for His pleasure and He saves us for His glory. (Ephesians 1:4-5 NKJV ).

As far as the “Only I Can Help You” inscription and the image of Mary; that is simply blasphemous. It is beyond my understanding how someone who calls himself a Christian can attribute those words to Jesus’ earthly mother. Mary herself expressed her own need for a savior in the Magnificat. “My soul doth magnify the Lord. And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Savior.” (Luke 1:46-47 KJV). How, then, can it be that she would say that she alone (not the Father, Son or Holy Spirit) can save?

I mostly feel pity for the misled people who believe this un-biblical fairy-tale, but I also get angry at the deceivers who send this out. They are charlatans and false teachers. Wolves in sheep’s clothing.

If you love somebody who is a follower of the Roman church, please join me in praying for them.