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Faith is NOT a Gift from God (Ephesians 2:8)

By Jeremy Myers
14 Comments

Faith is NOT a Gift from God (Ephesians 2:8)
http://media.blubrry.com/one_verse/feeds.soundcloud.com/stream/560128227-redeeminggod-140-faith-is-not-a-gift-of-god-ephesians-28.mp3

faith is not a gift from god

Some teach that faithย is a work of God performed in the heart or mind of a person. Another way of saying this is that faith is a gift from God to the heart of human beings.

Those who hold to this view say that God gives faith to those whom He has chosen for eternal life. There are three reasons that some people teach that faith is a gift of God.

People are Dead and Trespasses and Sins, and so Cannot Believe

First, some believe that since unregenerate people are โ€œdead in trespasses and sinsโ€ (Eph 2:1), and have had their minds darkened or blinded (cf. (Eph 4:18; 2 Cor 3:14), they cannot do anything good, including believing in Jesus for eternal life.

Those who hold to this view teach that if a person is going to believe in Jesus for eternal life (or even believe anything good and pleasing about God at all), they can only believe if God sovereignly bestowed up them the gift of faith.

Various texts are often referenced in defense of this idea (cf. Acts 5:31; 11:18; 13:48; 16:14; Rom 12:3; 1 Cor 12:8-9; Eph 2:8-9; Php 1:29; 2 Tim 2:25; 2 Pet 1:1). But in several of these, faith is not even mentioned (e.g., Acts 5:31; 11:18; 2 Tim 2:25), and the others can all be reasonably explained in the context.

Sadly, I cannot look at all of these texts in this post … but we will consider the primary text below, Ephesians 2:8-9. (I also explain several of the other texts in my book,ย (#AmazonAdLink) What is Faith?)

Note, however, that this entire line of thought stems from thinking that faith is a good work.

In other words, the idea that faith is a gift derives from the false idea that faith is somehow meritorious. After all, if faith is a work, then we must say that faith is a gift from God, for we cannot teach that humans are able to work for eternal life.

But Scripture is clear about faith, that it is not a work; it is not meritorious. Faith is the opposite of works (cf. Romans 4:4-5). Faith does not earn, achieve, or gain good standing with God in any way.

Therefore, faith does not need to be a gift from God. People are persuaded about all sorts of things, and no such persuasion is ever considered to be a good work or a meritorious action, or a gift from God.

So the faith to believe in Jesus is also not a gift from God.

But there is a Spiritual Gift of Faith!

The second reason that some people believe and teach that faith is a gift of God is because they confuse this idea with the biblical teaching about the โ€œspiritual giftโ€ of faith.

Even though Paul does write about the gift of faith in 1 Corinthians 12:9, this is the spiritual gift of faith, and is not the same thing as the so-called โ€œgift of faithโ€ which some teach God gives to people before they can believe in Jesus for eternal life.

Furthermore, Paul is quite clear that we all have different spiritual gifts (Rom 12:6). If everyone had to receive the โ€œgift of faithโ€ from God in order to receive eternal life (John 3:16; 5:24; 6:47), then this would mean that all Christians have the spiritual gift of faith, which Paul says we do not.

So what is the spiritual gift of faith? As (#AmazonAdLink) I wrote in my book on the spiritual gifts, a personย  has the spiritual gift of faith when they firmly persuaded of Godโ€™s power and promises to accomplish His will and purpose and to display such a confidence in Him that circumstances and obstacles do not shake that conviction (1 Cor 12:8-10; cf. Heb 11).

People with the spiritual gift of faith know what they believe and why they believe it, and are able to inspire action in others based on their beliefs. Those with the gift of faith are often called upon to encourage others to step out in faith and follow God to accomplish seemingly impossible tasks.

The spiritual gift of faith to some Christians for the edification and encouragement of others isย not the same thing as God giving faith to all Christians so that they can believe in Jesus for eternal life.

So biblical passages about the spiritual gift of faith cannot be used to support the idea that God gives faith to unregenerate people so they can believe.

But Ephesians 2:8 says God gives the gift of Faith

The third reason that some people think faith is a gift from God is because of what Paul seems to say in Ephesians 2:8.

Ephesians 2:8 faith is not a giftHe writes, โ€œFor by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God.โ€

Some people see the phrase โ€œand that not of yourselves, it is the gift of Godโ€ as referring back to the word โ€œfaith.โ€

They read Ephesians 2:8 this way: โ€œFor by grace you have been saved through faith, and faith is not of yourselves, faith is the gift of God.โ€

There are numerous problems with this approach to Ephesians 2:8, the greatest being that it reveals a complete disregard for the Greek text.

Greek words have gender: masculine, feminine, and neuter. When relative pronouns (such as โ€œthatโ€ and โ€œitโ€) are used to refer back to a noun, they always agree with the gender of the noun. The word โ€œfaithโ€ in Greek is feminine. Therefore, if Paul was intending to say that faith is not of ourselves, but faith is a gift of God, he would have used a feminine relative pronoun for the word โ€œthatโ€ (the word โ€œitโ€ is not actually in the Greek).

But the word โ€œthatโ€ is not feminine; it is neuter.

Therefore, it is impossible for Paul to be thinking about โ€œfaithโ€ when he wrote โ€œand that is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God.โ€

It is grammatically impossible for the word โ€œthatโ€ to refer to โ€œfaithโ€ in Ephesians 2:8.

So what was Paul referring to, if not to faith?

Ephesians 2:8-9 in Context

You can read my longer explanation of Ephesians 2:8-9 here, or in my bookย (#AmazonAdLink) What is Faith?,ย but let me summarize the meaning of the text for you here.

As stated previously, Greek pronouns must agree with their antecedent in gender, number, and case. Faith is feminine, and the pronoun “that” is neuter, so the pronoun cannot be pointing back to faith.

So to what does the pronoun refer?

The problem is that there is no neuter noun in the preceding context.

So what was Paul referring to, if not to faith?

The answer is that Paul is referring to the entire โ€œsalvation packageโ€ that he has written about in Ephesians 2. The description of Paul about what God has provided to us in Jesus contains a mixture of masculine and feminine nouns. So Paul uses a neuter pronoun to refer to the entire โ€œsalvation package.โ€

Paulโ€™s overall point in Ephesians 2 is about how God solved the problem of human division and strife that is caused by racial, religious, and political differences (Eph 2:1-4). Paul shows how God revealed the problem and the solution through the crucifixion of Jesus (Eph 2:5-10) so that we can all live in peace and unity with one another in this life (Eph 2:11-22), as God has always wanted and desired.

Everything Paul mentions in Ephesians 2 is the gift of God to us.

The gift is not faith itself, but everything else that God has done and taught and provided through Jesus Christ, and which we can benefit from when we believe in Jesus for it.

faith is not a gift

So faith is not the gift of God.

The gift of God is His revelation to humanity and the salvation which comes to us by His grace. When we see, understand, and believe what God has revealed to us and done for us through the life, death, resurrection, and exaltation of Jesus, it is then that the peace of God starts to become a reality in our life here and now.

It is then that all who were formerly at enmity with each other are fitted together to grow into the holy temple in the Lord, as a dwelling place of God in the Spirit (Eph 2:21-22). This is the mystery of the church, which Paul goes on to explain in Ephesians 3โ€“4.

All of this is the gift of God, and when we receive it by faith, we begin to experience this new reality in this life and on this earth.

See my article here for more reasons why Faith is Not a Gift From God.

Therefore, since faith is not a gift from God, this means that every person is able to believe in Jesus for eternal life. Just as any person can believe that 2+2=4, or that gravity is a force of nature, so also, anybody is able to believe in Jesus for eternal life, once the truth is presented to them.

Since faith is not a work, but is the opposite of works, a person who believes in Jesus is not doing anything meritorious for eternal life, but is only accepting the free gift of God.

So … have you believed in Jesus for eternal life? If not, what is holding you back?

If you want to learn more about this, try my online course mentioned below, or get my book, (#AmazonAdLink) What is Faith?

The Gospel DictionaryUnderstanding the Gospel requires us to properly understand the key words and terms of the Gospel. Take my course, "The Gospel Dictionary" to learn about the 52 key words of the Gospel, and hundreds of Bible passages that use these words.

This course costs $297, but when you join the Discipleship group, you can to take the entire course for free.

God is Redeeming God, Redeeming Scripture, Redeeming Theology, z Bible & Theology Topics: Ephesians 2:8, Ephesians 2:8-9, faith, faith is not a gift, faith is not a work, One Verse Podcast, what is faith

What is Great Faith and Little Faith? (Matthew 8:10; 15:28; Luke 7:9)

By Jeremy Myers
16 Comments

What is Great Faith and Little Faith? (Matthew 8:10; 15:28; Luke 7:9)
http://media.blubrry.com/one_verse/feeds.soundcloud.com/stream/547521867-redeeminggod-139-what-is-great-faith-and-little-faith-matthew-810.mp3

(#AmazonAdLink) What is FaithIf faith is best understood as reasonable certaintyย then this means that we either believe something or we don’t. If we doubt something, then we don’t believe it.

If we think of our network of beliefs as a vast Excel spreadsheet with each individual cell holding a single statement that we either agree with or not, then this means that there are no degrees of faith. You cannot have 10%, 50%, 90%, or even 99% faith. Each individual belief on the spreadsheet of faith is either “On” or “Off.”

But if this is true, then what are we to make of the statements by Jesus about people having “little faith” and “great faith”? (cf. Matt 6:30; 8:26; 14:31; 16:8; Luke 4:14-30; 12:28).

There are also numerous passages in the Bible which seem to indicate that we must have โ€œenough faithโ€ before God answers our prayers (cf. Matt 13:58; 21:22; Mark 11:24; Luke 7:9, 50; 18:42; Jas 5:15-16).

But if there are no degrees of faith, then what do these descriptions of faith mean?

What is “Great Faith” and “Little Faith”?

The terms “Great faith” and “Little faith” simply mean this: Some truths are easy to believe while others are difficult. If you believe something that is difficult to believe, then you have great faith. If you do not believe something that is relatively easy to believe, then you have little faith.

Since faith is the conviction or persuasion that something is true, people who have little faith have not been persuaded or convinced of even the basic truths, whereas, people who have great faith have been persuaded or convinced of some of the hard and difficult truths which few people come to believe.

You and I do not have faith containers in our souls which overflow when our faith is great, but are nearly empty when our faith is little. Faith does not work like that.

Great faith and little faith have nothing to do with the size, amount, or degree of faith.

Rather, the terms โ€œgreat faithโ€ and โ€œlittle faithโ€ describe the difficulty of the truths that are believed.

When a person fails to believe even some of the simple or easy truths, this means that some of the basic, fundamental cells in their network of beliefs are turned โ€œOff.โ€ Since they do not believe these simple truths, vast segments of their spreadsheet are also turned โ€œOff.โ€

Their spreadsheet is darkened with unbelief because they donโ€™t even believe some of the simple, foundational, basic truths of life or Christianity.

They have little faith, that is, an undeveloped and unexamined spreadsheet of beliefs. On such a spreadsheet of faith, most of the basic truths are still turned โ€œOff.โ€

On the other hand, there are some people who have great faith. These are those people who are persuaded or convinced of some difficult things to believe.

People who have great faith believe truths and ideas that relatively few people understand and believe.

There are truths in Scripture, life, and theology that are hard to believe, but people with great faith believe them. Such ideas often take great thought, insight, understanding, research, investigation, or deep spiritual experiences in order to believe them.

When people come to believe these things, they believe something that few others believe, and can therefore be described as having great faith. Vast segments of their spreadsheet of beliefs are lit up with the light of the truth of God.

faith

Some examples about great faith and little faithย from Scripture

There are numerous truths from Scripture that are easy to believe.

These might include the statements that โ€œA man named Jesus existedโ€ or that โ€œI am a sinner.โ€ Almost everybody believes these, including most non-Christians.

Yet people with little faith do not even understand or believe these truths. People with little faith have trouble believing some of the simple, elementary, and introductory truths of Scripture, such as โ€œGod is loveโ€ or โ€œJesus gives eternal life to anyone who believes in Him for it.โ€

It is a telling fact of the condition of faith in our churches when most Christians donโ€™t truly believe these things. As simple as these truths are, many do not believe them.

However, there are other truths in Scripture which are hard to believe. People who believe these difficult truths have great faith. For example, it is difficult to believe that โ€œGod will supply all of your needs according to His riches in gloryโ€ (Philippians 4:19).

Frankly, since I often worry about tomorrow, this means that I donโ€™t believe this promise. I donโ€™t believe that God will supply all my needs, and often find myself trying to supply for my own needs. So this means I donโ€™t yet believe this statement. But those who have great faith believe it. (See “Now That’s Faith!“)

So great faith and little faith have nothing to do with the amount of faith one has, or the percentage to which one believes a particular fact. Faith does not come in degrees or amounts.

great faith

An Example of Great Faith from Matthew 8:10

There are two kinds of faith that amazed Jesus: great faith and little faith. As seen above, there were times when Jesus marveled at the little faith of His disciples (cf. Matt 6:30; 8:26; 14:31; 16:8; Luke 4:14-30; 12:28).

But in Matthew 8:10, Jesus was impressed by the great faith of a Gentile. He said, โ€œI have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!โ€ (See my sermon on Luke 7:1-10 for a longer explanation of this text.)

In Matthew 8:10, Jesus praises a Roman Centurion for having great faith.

What did the Centurion believe that few others believe? He believed two advanced truths that are quite rare for people to believe (even today).

First, he believed in his own lack of merit. Though he was courteous, humble, and a good man, though he loved the Jewish people and built a synagogue for them, he knew he didnโ€™t deserve anything from God, or from Jesus Christ. Despite his high standing and all he had done, he knew he was unworthy to meet with Jesus (Matt 8:8).

Most people do not believe this.

Most people think they do deserve favors from God. Most people think they are pretty good people and that God owes them something. It is much harder to believe that all we have and all we are given is simply and only by the grace of God. But the centurion believed this, and told Jesus that he was not worthy to have Jesus visit his house.

The second thing the Centurion believed is that healing could be done at a distance. He believed in the divine authority of Jesus, even over sickness and disease through space and time. He likened Jesus to a military commander who simply had to give orders for them to be followed (Matt 8:9).

The Centurion knew that what Jesus commanded would be done, even if Jesus was not present where the healing was to take place. He knew that the words of Jesus were sufficient to accomplish whatever He said.

Most people do not believe this. Most people believe, even today, that if a person is going to be healed, they need to be touched by the person praying for them. They believe that they have to go visit the healer, and have the healer lay hands on them, say special prayers over them, and anoint them with oil.

If a person was seeking healing for their friend and they went to one of the โ€œmiracle healersโ€ of today for help, and the healer said, โ€œGo home, your friend will be fine,โ€ that person would feel like they had been ignored, slighted, or brushed off.

But this Centurion knew differently. The Centurion believed some truths that few others believed. He believed that if Jesus wanted to heal someone, He could do it with a simple word and from a great distance.

He told Jesus, โ€œOnly speak a word, and my servant will be healedโ€ (Matt 8:8).

This truly is great faith, and few believe such an idea, either in the days of Jesus or today. As a result, Jesus marveled at this manโ€™s great faith, and healed his servant from a distance, simply by the power of His word.

All of the other โ€œgreat faithโ€ passages in the Bible can be understood in similar ways. The context always reveals that someone is believing something that is difficult to believe, and that few people do believe.

So great faith is not a large amount of faith or a high percentage of faith. Great faith simply believes truths that are difficult to believe.

Do you have more questions about faith, how it works, and what various passages in Scripture teach about faith? Try taking my online course, The Gospel Dictionary:

The Gospel DictionaryUnderstanding the Gospel requires us to properly understand the key words and terms of the Gospel. Take my course, "The Gospel Dictionary" to learn about the 52 key words of the Gospel, and hundreds of Bible passages that use these words.

This course costs $297, but when you join the Discipleship group, you can to take the entire course for free.

God is Redeeming God, Redeeming Scripture, Redeeming Theology, z Bible & Theology Topics: faith, great faith, little faith, Matthew 8:10; Luke 7:9, The Gospel Dictionary, what is faith

Faith is Like an Excel Spreadsheet

By Jeremy Myers
1 Comment

Faith is Like an Excel Spreadsheet
http://media.blubrry.com/one_verse/feeds.soundcloud.com/stream/544142460-redeeminggod-138-faith-is-like-an-excel-spreadsheet-john-1120-26.mp3

I originally went to college to be a Mechanical Engineer. I have always enjoyed tinkering with things, trying to learn how they work so that I can understand what is happening, and either fix or improve whatever I am working on.

As a result of my engineering background, I often approach my study of Scripture and theology in the same way. I try to understand things and how they work, so that I can attempt to explain them more clearly to others.

This is also true when it comes to the inner workings of faith. For me, as a theologian and Bible scholar who has an engineering background, it is not enough for the Bible to call me to believe … I want to know how belief works … how faith works … so that I can not only believe, but also know why I believe, and how to help others believe as well.

So the following article might be a bit technical for some people as I try to explain how faith works, but I do provide an illustration for how faith works to help it make sense.

The reason I want to explain faith this way is because there is so much misinformation out there about faith. People write emails to me all the time, and when I teach in live settings, I get questions and objections all the time, about how a person can know if they have really believed, or if they have believed enough.

In seeking to answer these questions, I first had to figure out what faith is and how faith works.

In a previous study, we learned that Faith is defined as a certainty or conviction that something is true.

house of cardsSome do not like the idea of faith as certainty. For example, author and pastor Greg Boyd once criticized the idea that faith is certainty by comparing faith to a house of cards.

Greg Boyd argued that if we believe that our faith must be certain, then any time a challenge or question comes along which threatens this certainty, our entire belief system comes tumbling down like a house of cards.

I agree with Greg Boyd that we cannot have a โ€œhouse of cardsโ€ faith in which all of our beliefs stand or fall together. But how can we avoid this if faith truly is defined as certainty?

The solution is to use a better analogy.

Rather than thinking about faith as a house of cards, a better analogy is to think about our network of beliefs as a giant Excel spreadsheet (I first heard this analogy from Dr. Dave Anderson, pastor in The Woodlands, TX).

Faith as an Excel Spreadsheet

If you are not familiar with a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet, it is an accounting tool which contains a series of rows and columns. At the intersection of each row and column, there is a โ€œcell.โ€ This cell can contain a bit of data.

Excel Spreadsheet faith

For example, a cell could contain a number or some sort of mathematical calculation. Spreadsheets are usually set up so that as you enter data into the cells, it automatically makes calculations in other cells.

Advanced Excel spreadsheets might contain thousands of cells set in a way so that a change in one single cell might affect the numbers or calculations in thousands of other cells. Each little change can have a ripple or cascading effect throughout the rest of the spreadsheet.

It is helpful to think about our network of beliefs in a similar way. We can think of our belief system as a giant Excel spreadsheet.

But rather than numbers and math calculations, each cell contains an individual fact. Since there are a nearly infinite number of facts, this giant spreadsheet has a nearly infinite number of cells.

โ€œThe sky is blueโ€ is in one cell, โ€œI existโ€ is in another, and โ€œThere is a Godโ€ is in third.

Furthermore, just like on any complex Excel spreadsheet, nearly all the cells are interconnected by functions, so that when one cell changes, it causes a cascading, rippling effect throughout the rest of the spreadsheet.

If we think about our beliefs in this way, we can see that when it comes to each individual statement, we can either believe it or disbelieve it. We can either know it to be true, or we can doubt that it is true. We can either assent and agree with the statement in the cell, or dissent and disagree.

While we will be reasonably certain about several statements on this spreadsheet, we will be either ignorant or uncertain about the vast majority of statements. And as we change what we think about any particular fact, this change will have a cascading, ripple effect through the related and connected cells on the spreadsheet of beliefs.

What this means is that as we come to believe new ideas, some of the beliefs which have not changed for decades might need to be reconsidered in light of new evidence. Therefore, while we can have reasonable conviction or confidence about the accuracy of any single cell (or belief), we nevertheless know that the content of that cell is based upon the ideas of other related cells, about which we are less confident.

To put it another way, the complete confidence of one belief in one โ€œcellโ€ can be based upon less confident beliefs of other โ€œcells.โ€

This way of thinking about faith provides adequate responses to many of the objections that some pastors and theologians have to the concept of faith as certainty. Many who criticize the idea of โ€œfaith as certaintyโ€ seem to think that the entire system stands or falls together.

But this is not the true nature of faith. When we think about our system of beliefs as a giant Excel Spreadsheet, we see that it is impossible for the entire system of faith to collapse.

Instead, our beliefs constantly shift and change as additional information is presented to us, so that new beliefs are turned โ€œOnโ€ in the spreadsheet while other beliefs are corrected and turned โ€œOff.โ€

Best of all, with each cell that changes you gain a spreadsheet that is more accurate than it was before. One of these truths you discover quite soon (if you allow God to teach it to you), is that God does not require a spreadsheet of beliefs that is free of error.

faithQuite to the contrary, He desires a spreadsheet of beliefs that is constantly shifting and changing as we bring our life and thoughts into conformity with Jesus Christ and the revelation of Scripture. But this is a process, a journey, or an adventure that will last a lifetime (I suspect this adventure will last into eternity as well, as we forever unravel the infinite mysteries of glorious vistas of God), and so God is patient with us as we fill out our spreadsheet of beliefs with Him by our side.

Viewing faith in this way helps you see that although one changed belief often does cause a change in many other related beliefs, your entire belief system never collapses like a house of cards. It may initially feel like this has happened, but by taking a deep breath and examining the new evidence you have been given, you will discover that most of your beliefs remain intact.

You will also discover that you now have a better and more accurate belief system through which to view God, Scripture, yourself, others, and life in general.

The Spreadsheet at Work

Let us briefly see how this works with the truth claim that โ€œJesus gives eternal life to those who believe in Him for it.โ€

I believe this truth with absolute certainty. I have many reasons for this belief, all of which reside in their own individual cells.

For example:

  • I believe that there is a God, and that only He gets to decide who has eternal life with Him and how they get it.
  • I furthermore believe that Jesus is God, and so He knew what He was talking about when He offered eternal life.
  • I also believe that the Bible can be trusted as an authoritative revelation from God.
  • I believe that I have properly understood the simple promises of Jesus to give eternal life to those who believe in Him (cf. John 3:16; 5:24; 6:47).
  • I believe that Jesus does not lie.
  • I believe that I am not able to earn or work for my eternal life on my own, because I can never be good enough to qualify for Godโ€™s perfect standard of complete righteousness.

If all these things are true, as I believe they are, then it is completely logical to be convinced and persuaded that Jesus gives eternal life to those who believe in Him for it. And since I believe in Jesus, I know that I have eternal life.

But if any of these beliefs were to change, then this would likely cause me to stop believing that Jesus gives eternal life to those who believe in Him for it.

If I stopped believing that God existed, or that the Bible accurately records the teachings of Jesus, I might stop believing in Jesus for eternal life.

However, the more I study and learn, the more evidence I find that supports all these beliefs. I now know too much to turn back on any of these truths and cannot imagine a situation that would cause me to reject them.

The more I study and learn, the more beliefs I gain, each of which further supports the belief that Jesus gives me eternal life.

Is it possible that the authors of the Gospels failed to accurately record what Jesus said?ย Itโ€™s possible, but not likely, so I donโ€™t believe this.

Is it possible that those who copied the Bible and passed it down through the generations made a mistake? Itโ€™s possible, but manuscript evidence proves that this is unlikely, and so I donโ€™t believe it.

Is it possible that I have incorrectly understood what Jesus said and meant? Well, this is the most likely factor that could cause me to stop believing in Jesus. But since the teachings from Jesus about how to receive eternal life are some of the simplest teachings He gave (even a child can understand and believe these promises), I do not think this is likely, and therefore, I believe I have properly understood His promises.

Since my belief in Jesus for eternal life is based on a large number of other reasonable beliefs, if any one of these other beliefs were to change, there would indeed be a cascading effect of changing beliefs. As numerous beliefs changed, it might indeed feel like Greg Boydโ€™s house of cards, as if everything I thought I knew was tumbling down around me.

However, note that there are many beliefs that can safely change without affecting my belief in Jesus whatsoever.

faith is certaintyMy belief in Jesus is not affected at all by belief (or lack thereof) that Methuselah lived to be 969, that the universe was created in seven 24-hour days, or that Jesus is going to return in the future to slaughter all His enemies with a reign of terror and blood (I actually donโ€™t believe this).

These beliefs can change back and forth numerous times (as they have over the years), but such changes will not cause my entire belief system to come tumbling down like a house of cards.

Now the same sort of belief changes can be observed even with beliefs that are not โ€œtheological.โ€ The โ€œnetwork of beliefโ€ concept applies to any individual belief.

For example, I believe the sky is blue because I believe I know what โ€œblueโ€ is, and because I believe my eyes are not deceiving me. I furthermore believe that I truly exist in this world rather than in a dream world or computer simulation as in โ€œThe Matrix.โ€ Since all of these are reasonable beliefs, I can confidently believe (know) that the sky is blue.

However, if someone could persuade me that I did not exist, or that this world was a computer simulation, or that I have color-blindness and so do not accurately understand โ€œblue,โ€ then I might realize that I am wrong about the blueness of the sky.

But until these other beliefs change (which is extremely unlikely), I am fully confident that the sky is blue. (As a side note, I now actually believe that the sky is violet. I explain why in my book on faith.)

Let us consider an example from Scripture where we see this concept of spreadsheet faith being played out in real time.

An Example from Scripture

In John 11, Lazarus has died, and Jesus goes to Bethany to grieve with Mary and Martha. When Jesus arrives, Martha comes out to meet Him on the road and says, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died” (John 11:21).

Jesus responded by saying, “Your brother will rise again” (John 11:23).

So Mary says, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day” (John 11:24).

Martha Jesus Lazarus John 11

Do you see what is going on here? Each of these statements is a factual statement that exists on Martha’s spreadsheet of beliefs. She believes that if Jesus had been present, Lazarus would not have died. Remember, they sent word to Jesus when Lazarus was sick, but he delayed in going to them until after Lazarus had died. So Martha is chiding Jesus a bit. She believes that Lazarus died because Jesus didn’t show up when she wanted Him to.

But then Jesus makes another factual statement. He says, “Your brother will rise again.” Now, does Martha believe this? She does. For she goes on to say, “Yes, I know, believe, agree that he will rise again … but on the future day of resurrection.”

Based on these beliefs, Jesus goes on to teach her some new ideas about Himself. He is going to make some factual statements to see if they are turned “On” or “Off” in her spreadsheet of beliefs.

So Jesus says, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die” (John 11:25-26). Jesus makes three factual statements here. Each one is a truth claim about Jesus, and each one is dependent upon the others, and dependent upon what Martha has already stated about the resurrection. Jesus is inviting her to build upon her previous beliefs and add some new beliefs to them.

Jesus claims that (1) Resurrection and life resides in Him, (2) that those who die in Him will also live in Him, and (3) that who live and believe in Him will never die.

After Jesus makes these three factual statements, He says, “Do you believe this?”

Notice how Martha responds. She doesn’t say, “Yes, Lord, I believe these three things. I believeย that (1) Resurrection and life resides in You, (2) that those who die in You will also live in You, and (3) that who live and believe in You will never die.”

She does not restate the beliefs and affirm her agreement with them.

Instead, she says something that has confused a lot of people over the years. She says, “Yes, Lord, I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.”

Lots of people read these words and get confused. They see Martha state her agreement with Jesus, but then she seems to say something back to Him that is not a restatement of what Jesus just said. She doesn’t state her agreement by summarizing what Jesus just said; instead, she states her agreement by stating her belief in something else entirely.

So people get confused by this and say, “Well, maybe to believe that Jesus is the resurrection and the life is the exact same as believing that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God.”

And while we could say that the two concepts are related, the two concepts are not identical beliefs. That is, to say that Jesus is the Christ is not the same thing as saying that Jesus is the resurrection and the life. We know this for a variety of reasons. There are lots of people in the days of Jesus who believed that He was the Christ, but did not believe that He could raise people from the dead, or even that He Himself would be raised from the dead.

Furthermore, there were many people throughout biblical history who were thought of as “Messiahs” or “Christs” (that is, deliverers, saviors), but nobody ever thought that these people could raise others from death.

So since believe that Jesus is the Christ is not the same thing as believing that Jesus is the resurrection and the life, why does Martha answer the way she does?

She answers the way she does because she is saying that because Jesus is the Christ, then she trusts and accepts whatever else Jesus says, including these recent three statements about the resurrection.

To put it another way, Jesus makes three truth claims about Himself, and then asks Martha if she believes what He has said. These are new ideas to her, and she has never been told these ideas before.

So she can either accept, acknowledge, and agree with what Jesus has just said, thereby believing His words, or she can disagree with Him, thereby not believing.

But since Martha already knows and believes something else on her spreadsheet of faith, namely, that Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah, the son of God, this therefore causes Martha to realize that everything Jesus says can be trusted and accepted.

Therefore, because of her belief in Jesus as the Christ, Martha also believes these new statements about Jesus, that He is the resurrection and the life, that those who die in Him will live again, and that those who live in Him will never die.

Do you see? A cell on her spreadsheet of faith which said “Jesus is the Christ” was turned “On.” As a result of this cell, another cell on her spreadsheet of faith which said, “Everything Jesus says is true” was also turned on.

So when Jesus comes along and says something she has never heard or thought of before, and then Jesus asks her if she believes these new ideas, it does not take her long to turn these cells on as well. She didn’t fully understand the ramifications of what Jesus was saying, but she did know that Jesus was saying it, and that because He was the Christ, His words could always be trusted and believed.

So she believed Him.

Then, of course, to provide further support and proof that her believe in Him was well-founded, Jesus went and raised Lazarus from death.

believe in Jesus

This is just one example of how the network of beliefs that exists on our spreadsheet of faith works together to consider new ideas and incorporate new beliefs. We see it work very quickly with Martha, but it doesn’t always move this fast.ย Sometimes the process is much slower.

But regardless, I hope that with this illustration of faith, it can help you understand how faith works, and how you can come to consider and accept the various truth claims that bombard you each and every day.

No one is asking you to take a leap of faith. Each belief is built upon others that you might or might not have. Also, your faith is not a house of cards that can be knocked down by a passing wind of doubt or a troublesome question. Instead, your faith is a vast network of individual beliefs that are constantly moving, shifting, changing, and developing over time. It is not something to be afraid of, but can be enjoyed and anticipated as we continue to follow Jesus wherever He leads.

Now, I imagine that this illustration of faith might raise some further questions. For example, if this is how to think about faith, then what does the Scripture mean when it refers to great faith or little faith? How do these terms fit in with this concept of faith as a network of beliefs?

We will consider this question in the next study.

The Gospel DictionaryUnderstanding the Gospel requires us to properly understand the key words and terms of the Gospel. Take my course, "The Gospel Dictionary" to learn about the 52 key words of the Gospel, and hundreds of Bible passages that use these words.

This course costs $297, but when you join the Discipleship group, you can to take the entire course for free.

God is Redeeming God, Redeeming Theology, z Bible & Theology Topics: belief, believe in Jesus, faith, gospel dictionary, John 11, John 11:20-26, John 11:25-26, Martha, what is faith

Is faith like getting in a wheelbarrow to be pushed across Niagara Falls?

By Jeremy Myers
3 Comments

Is faith like getting in a wheelbarrow to be pushed across Niagara Falls?
http://media.blubrry.com/one_verse/feeds.soundcloud.com/stream/540400641-redeeminggod-137-is-faith-like-getting-in-a-wheelbarrow-to-be-pushed-across-niagara-falls.mp3

How do you define and explain faith? How do you know you have faith? What is faith?

(#AmazonAdLink) What is FaithI have a new book coming out on January 15 which answers all of these questions about faith. The book is titled, (#AmazonAdLink) What is Faith? and is available for preorder on Amazon.

But between now and then, I wanted to publish several Podcast episodes which talks about faith, and looks at several tricky and troublesome texts in the Bible about faith.

We will discuss the concepts of great faith and little faith. We will look at whether there is such a thing as head faith and heart faith. We will also discuss the faith of demons mentioned in James 2.

In today’s study, I just want to introduce some of the key concepts about faith that will help you understand what the Bible is talking about when it talks about faith.

Let me begin by telling you a story, which you have probably already heard.

The Niagara Falls Tightrope Illustration of Faith

There once was a man who walked across Niagara Falls on a tightrope. After the tightrope had been fixed in place, he started gathering a crowd to watch his daring and dangerous feat. โ€œCome one! Come all!โ€ he shouted into his bullhorn. โ€œWatch me walk above Niagara Falls, balancing on nothing more than this little rope!โ€

faith tightrope walk

As people started gathering, he passed around a sample of the rope so people could see how small it was. โ€œOne little slip, and I will tumble to my death in the waters below!โ€ he shouted. โ€œYou never know when I might fall. The rope is getting wet from the misting water. A wind is coming up the gorge. I donโ€™t want to die, but today could be the day!โ€

As the crowd swelled even more, he shouted to those who had gathered, โ€œWho believes I can walk across the falls and back without falling to my death below?โ€

Most of the crowd shouted that they believed he could do it. Many of them cheered him on to try it. So he climbed up onto the rope, and balanced his way across Niagara Falls. When he reached the far side, he turned around and came back. He didnโ€™t slip. He didnโ€™t fall. In fact, he barely wobbled or wavered. So when he returned to the safety of the shore, he motioned with his hands for the cheering crowd to quiet down.

โ€œThat was too easy!โ€ he yelled. โ€œThat wasnโ€™t a challenge for me at all! Letโ€™s make it more difficult! Who believes I can do again, but this time, while pushing a wheelbarrow? If my hands are on the wheelbarrow, I will not be able to use them to balance on the rope. Shall I give it a try? Do you believe I can do it?โ€ He motioned to a nearby wheelbarrow, which he had brought for this very purpose.

The crowd cheered their approval, which caused the number of gathering people to swell even further. So with the help of two nearby men, he lifted a wheelbarrow up onto the rope, and then started pushing it across the Falls. He went more slowly this time, and even had a few wobbles, which caused the crowd to gasp and cry out with fear, but he made it to the other side and back without any great problem.

The crowd went wild.

โ€œThat was too easy!โ€ he yelled. โ€œWho believes I can do it again, but this time, with another person inside the wheelbarrow?โ€ The crowd roared their approval. โ€œI would not only be risking my own life, but also the life of the person in the wheelbarrow,โ€ the man shouted to the crowd. โ€œWith a show of hands, let me see how many of you believe I can do this!โ€ Almost every person in the large crowd raised their hand. It was nearly unanimous.

โ€œWonderful! I am so glad to see that you have such faith in me! I think I will give it a shot!โ€ the man yelled. โ€œNow โ€ฆ among all of you who raised your hand, do I have a volunteer to get into the wheelbarrow?โ€ Every hand in the large crowd went down. โ€œWhat?โ€ said the man. โ€œYouโ€™ve seen me walk across Niagara Falls twice without any problems, once while pushing this wheelbarrow! And most of you believe I can do it with someone else in the wheelbarrow with me! But when I ask which of you wants to get into the wheelbarrow, none of you volunteer? Do you believe I can do it or not?โ€

But there were no takers, so the crowd did not see him push someone across Niagara Falls in a wheelbarrow that day.

This story is likely fictional, but it is often used by pastors and preachers as an example of faith. They say, โ€œYou see? Itโ€™s not true faith unless you get into the wheelbarrow. Those people didnโ€™t really believe. They just said they believed. They raised their hand claiming they had faith the man could do it. But it is not enough to say you believe. It is not enough to claim you have faith. If you really believe, you have to get into the wheelbarrow. Otherwise, you have false faith. Spurious faith.โ€

faith tightrope walk niagara falls wheelbarrowThen the pastor goes on to tell the audience how they can have true and effective faith. Usually the pastor says that they need to โ€œproveโ€ the reality of their faith by their good works.

If they donโ€™t have the good works which proves the existence of their faith, then they are just like the people who claimed to have faith, but didnโ€™t prove it by getting into the wheelbarrow.

Most people go away from such a sermon wondering if theyโ€™ve really believed, and therefore, whether they are really a Christian.

But you can know that you are really a Christian and that you have really believed.

You can know that you have eternal life.

You can know that you are already in the wheelbarrow, and that it is the safest place you can be.

This knowledge of your safety and security in Jesus Christ begins by properly defining the word โ€œfaith.โ€

The Definition of โ€œFaithโ€

When we begin to define the word โ€œfaith,โ€ it is important to recognize that modern, English usage of the word โ€œfaithโ€ does not match the ancient Hebrew or Greek usage. The way this word is used today bears little resemblance to the way the word was used in biblical times.

Today, when we use the word “faith” or “believe” we tend to use it as a synonym for “hope.” We say, I believe the Red Sox will win the Word Series. But really, we only hope they win. We do not know for sure that they will win.

But this is not how the word “faith” was used in biblical times.ย In the Greek New Testament, the word โ€œfaithโ€ is most commonly used in reference to something that a person knows to be true.

For New Testament era Christians, to believe something, or to have faith, meant that they were persuaded or convinced of the truth of it. They knew it to be true.

Good synonyms for โ€œfaith,โ€ therefore, are not โ€œhope or wishโ€ but rather โ€œpersuasion, conviction, or knowing.โ€

faith is certaintyNew Testament Greek Lexicons typically provides three basic definitions for pistis. When used with an article, as in โ€œthe faith,โ€ it typically refers to the body of Christian beliefs that separates Christianity from other religious faiths. It is used this way thirteen times in the New Testament (cf. Acts 6:7; Rom 4:11; Gal 1:23).

Second, the word can be translated as โ€œfaithfulnessโ€ or โ€œfidelity.โ€ But even most of theseย could arguably be translated as โ€œfaithโ€ (Matt 23:23; Rom 3:3; Gal 5:22; Titus 2:10). We will discuss this concept in a future podcast episode.

The third possible definition for pistis is also the most common. Over 180 times in the New Testament, pistis refers to โ€œbelieving.โ€ In context, this belief occurs when a person knows something to be true.

Therefore, the primary lexical definition for the verb is โ€œto consider something to be true, to believe.โ€[1] Faith (and the verb โ€œbelieveโ€) is a confidence, persuasion, or conviction that something is true.[2] We have faith when we are fully persuaded by the evidence presented to us. โ€œTo believe is to be persuaded that some declaration is true. โ€ฆ If you think something is true, you believe it.โ€[3]

Joseph Dillow says,

Faith is located in the mind and is persuasion or belief. It is something which โ€œhappensโ€ to us as a result of reflection upon sufficient evidence โ€ฆ Saving faith is reliance upon God for salvation. It does not include within its compass the determination of the will to obey, nor does it include a commitment to a life of works. To believe is to be persuaded and be reliant and includes nothing else.[4]

So what then is biblical faith (or belief)?

We can do no better at defining faith than does the author of Hebrews, who writes: โ€œFaith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seenโ€ (Heb 11:1). The author of Hebrews is saying that faith substantiates, or sees as reality, that which we have previously only hoped to be true.

Faith is the evidence, conviction, or confidence in things we cannot see. Certainly, we also believe the things we have seen, but the faith described in the rest of Hebrews 11 is the faith that is confident in Godโ€™s promises based on what is known about Godโ€™s character and Godโ€™s Word.

A Second Look at the Tightrope Illustration

This brings us back to the illustration of the tightrope walker pushing a wheelbarrow across Niagara Falls. The people truly believed that the man could walk across the tightrope above Niagara Falls. They had seen him do it. They also believed that he could do it with a wheelbarrow. They had seen him do this as well.

In both cases, their faith was real and genuine. Based on what they had seen him do, they also stated their belief that he would be able to push someone across Niagara Falls in a wheelbarrow.

However, none of them were willing to get into the wheelbarrow themselves. Does this mean that they didnโ€™t actually believe?

No, it does not. They did believe and their faith was genuine.

So why didn’t they want to get into the wheelbarrow?

First, walking across Niagara Falls on a tightrope has inherent risks. This is why it is so thrilling to watch. And given all the various things that can go wrong in such a situationโ€”many of which are completely out of the control of the man on the tightropeโ€”there is no guarantee that he will make it across.

Even if he performed this feat a thousand times in a row and became so good at it that he could run across while blindfolded, there is still no guarantee that he would be able to do the one-thousand-and-first time. Maybe a stronger than normal gust of wind would knock him off balance. Maybe it would start to rain and he would slip. Maybe a reckless bird would hit him in the head. There are just too many variables.

No matter how many times the man completes this feat, it is a statistical certainty that eventually he will slip and fall to his death.

So while the crowd could state their genuine belief every time that the man will make it across the falls, they also believe that a time will come when the man will fall. None of the people on the shore wanted to be in the wheelbarrow when that happened.

So the people on the shore had two genuine, but conflicting, beliefs.

They believed that the man could walk across Niagara Falls, and would be able to do it many times, even with a person in a wheelbarrow. However, they also believed in statistics and science, both of which say that eventually, the tightrope walker will fall.

Related to this, while the people on the shore might have had full faith in the tightrope walkerโ€™s ability to maintain his balance, none of them had faith in their own ability. It is logical and reasonable to think that the man could take someone across the Falls in a wheelbarrow if the person stayed completely still and did not move.

After all, if the person in the wheelbarrow starts flailing about, screaming in terror, or even sneezes, such movement could throw off the balance, causing both people to plunge to their death below. And as all people know, we cannot always keep fear at bay, nor can we easily hold back a sneeze.

Therefore, here again, while a person might properly believe that a well-trained tightrope walker can push a person in a wheelbarrow across Niagara Falls, there are too many unknown and uncontrollable variables for any person to believe that they themselves could hold still enough to complete such a dangerous journey.

The bottom line truth is that that this fictional illustration about how nobody from a watching crowd would get into a wheelbarrow so that they might be pushed across Niagara Falls on a tightrope does not illustrate the lack of faith in the watching crowd.

To the contrary, it shows their true and genuine faith in a variety of truth claims. They believed the man could do it. But they did not believe in their own ability to sit still enough inside the wheelbarrow. They also knew (i.e., believed) that there were millions of random variables in nature that could create problems as well.

So did they believe the man could push a person across Niagara Falls in a wheelbarrow? Yes, they firmly believed that the man could do it.

But did each individual person believe the man would do this for themselves if they got into the wheelbarrow? No, they did not believe this, for the various reasons mentioned above.

They probably had somewhere over fifty percent certainty that he would, maybe even approaching ninety percent certainty in some cases. But this was not enough reasonable certainty for them to gamble their lives on it.

God is not a Tightrope Walker!

But notice how different it is when it comes to the promises of God made to us through Jesus Christ.

God is not a tightrope walker who will eventually make a mistake if we just give Him enough time. If He promises to take us across a spiritual tightrope, He will fulfill that promise every single time forever and ever without fail.

There are no spiritual or natural variables which can wreak havoc with the promises of God.

faith in God

The same goes for Jesus. When Jesus makes a promise, it is a promise with a 100% guarantee. Like God, Jesus is fully reliable.

Eternal Life is Not a Wheelbarrow

Furthermore, many of the promises of God are not at all dependent upon our own effort or involvement.

If we were to equate eternal life to getting into a wheelbarrow for a trip across Niagara Falls, then we would also have to say that on this trip, we could jump around and do flips inside the wheelbarrow and Jesus will still not lose His balance or let us fall into the waters below.

We could even try to jump out, but He will not let us fall. Eternal life is His gift to us, and this gift has an everlasting guarantee. We are safe and secure in His hands, and He will never let us go (John 10:27-29). This is His promise.

When we refuse to believe His promises, it is simply because we are refusing to believe that Jesus knows what He is talking about and can be trusted to do what He says.

Jesus is fully trustworthy and reliable. So you can believe in Him for what He says. And when He offers eternal life to anyone who believes in Him for it, you can know that if you have believed in Jesus, then you have eternal life.

When you believe in Jesus, you are already in the wheelbarrow and He is taking you across the falls, and there is nothing that you, or anyone (or anything) else can do to stop Him (Rom 8:38-39).

Nevertheless, I imagine that you still have some questions about the nature of faith and how faith works. You also might still have some lingering doubts about whether or not you really believe. Maybe you have also heard people talk about head faith, heart faith, true faith, false faith, small faith, and great faith, and you want to know how these sorts of descriptions fit with what we have learned in this chapter.

We will continue to look at these sorts of questions and issues in future podcast episodes.

The Gospel DictionaryUnderstanding the Gospel requires us to properly understand the key words and terms of the Gospel. Take my course, "The Gospel Dictionary" to learn about the 52 key words of the Gospel, and hundreds of Bible passages that use these words.

This course costs $297, but when you join the Discipleship group, you can to take the entire course for free.

Notes for this Podcast Study on Faith

[1] Walter Bauer et al., (#AmazonAdLink) BAGD,ย ย 816.

[2] Wilkin, (#AmazonAdLink) Confident in Christ, 5, 7.

[3] Shawn Lazar, (#AmazonAdLink) Beyond Doubt, 106.

[4] Dillow, (#AmazonAdLink) Final Destiny, 276.

God is Redeeming God, Redeeming Theology, z Bible & Theology Topics: believe, believe in Jesus, certainty, faith, gospel dictionary, pistis, what is faith

Legalism: The Biggest Threat to Church Unity

By Jeremy Myers
55 Comments

Legalism: The Biggest Threat to Church Unity

There is no greater threat to the unity of the church than legalism.

These are strong words, but history, tradition, experience, and Scripture reveal that where legalism spreads, disunity prospers.

Thankfully, God has provided an antidote to legalism through the free gift of eternal life which is received by grace along through faith alone in Christ alone.

legalism threat to unityJust as legalism breeds disunity, love and unity flourish where grace and faith multiply. The more we emphasize grace and faith, the greater our unity will be. For this reasonโ€”and simply for the sake of the truthโ€”a strong stance on the simplicity and freeness of eternal life by grace alone through faith alone is essential.

To see this, it is important first of all to know what legalism is.

Legalism Defined

Lots of people have heard about legalism, but few know what it is. Here is a basic definition of legalism:

Legalism is when people use the law of God in an attempt to gain favor with God.

legalism definedAt it’s core, legalism believes that God is angry with humanity, and that the way to make God like us again is to obey His laws. And if everybody could just obey God’s laws all at the same time, then God might love us and be happy with us again, and blessings from heaven will flow down upon us once more.

So at it’s core, legalism has some seriously faulty views about God, about sin, about the law, and about how people can get into a good relationship with God. All of these faulty views are what makes legalism so dangerous and divisive.

Legalism is Dangerous

Legalism is dangerous because it begins with the premise that God is mad at us and He gave us His law so that we could get back into His good favor.

But if Jesus tells us anything about God, it is that He is NOT angry with us. To the contrary, He loves us deeply and longs for nothing more than to reconcile us to Himself (2 Cor 5:19). It is not He who needs to be reconciled to us, but we to Him. In other words, He is not the one who has abandoned us; we have abandoned Him. It is not He who left us, but we who left Him.

By sending Jesus to this earth, God bridged the divide that we placed between Him and us. Out of His great love for us, He has come to where we are, because He knew that we would never (and could never) come to Him.

But the basic premise of legalism contradicts all this. Legalism teaches that we have offended God so deeply that He is angry with us… He even hates us… and so we must try to please and appease God by doing things He likes so that maybe, somehow, hopefully, God will love us once more.

Not only is such legalistic theology terribly wrong, it becomes terribly divisive.

Legalism is Divisive

Legalism is divisive because as soon as one person thinks that they are starting to obey God’s law and make God happy with us again, that person begins to think that the reason God is still angry with the world is not because of his or her sin, but because of everyone else’s. So if everyone else would just clean up their life and start obeying God, then God will start to love us again. As soon as legalists begin to make some headway in their own life in the “Obedience to the Law” department, they set themselves up as a manager in the department, and try to get everybody else to follow the rules as well.

But this isn’t the most dangerous or divisive element to legalism. What makes legalism so divisive is that nobody actually thinks they are legalistic.

Though there are countless Christians who are legalistic, you will never meet anyone who claims to be a legalist. This is what makes legalism so sinister. It sucks the life out of Christians who believe they stand for the truth of Scripture and the Gospel. Legalism run madly toward death, all the while thinking they are pursuing life.

legalism and obedienceSince nobody believes that they are legalistic, everybody believes they have a healthy balance between law and grace, between faith and good works. A legalist then, is anyone who places a greater emphasis on law and good works than you do. On the opposite end of the spectrum, we criticize those who take grace too far. Those people are licentious, we think. They place too much emphasis on grace and in so doing, give people license to sin.

In this way, since only “other” people are legalists, and each of us is only trying to get people to obey God and live within the principles of the Kingdom of God, the hidden legalist in each of us (myself included!) becomes judgmental, critical, and divisive in our treatment of others. Legalism tears Christians apart because it sets up laws and rules as the means by which we maintain relationships between one another and between ourselves and God. And part of the divisive nature of legalism is that nobody can agree on the rules that must be observed. Everybody has different rules and regulations that must be maintained in order to fellowship with someone else.

Legalism’s Antidote

So what is the cure? What is the fix? What is the antidote to legalism?

Since legalism is so sinister, and since it is so hard to define, one might think that combating legalism is not worth the effort. Some might be tempted to think that it is not legalism that divides Christians, but the struggle against legalism that causes the problems. If some people are legalistic and others are licentious, wouldnโ€™t it be better, for the sake of unity, to just throw up our hands, shrug our shoulders, and say “Live and let live”?

No, I don’t think so. Why not? Because Scripture seems intent on combating legalism wherever it is found. If legalism is one of the greatest threats to Christian unity, and legalism is found in every one of us, and Christian unity is something we should strive for, then legalism is worth fighting against.

In fact, it could be argued that much of the New Testament was written to combat legalism. Jesus fought against the legalism of the Pharisees and Sadducees. The apostles fought against legalism in Acts (e.g., Acts 15), and the Apostle Paul fought against legalism in most of his letters. So if they fought against legalism, we should to.

breaking the bonds of legalismHow? Most people try to combat legalism with a different form of legalism. I have seen arguments break out between a behavioral legalist and a doctrinal legalist. The first person thinks we make God happy by what we do, while the second person argues that we make God happy by what we believe.

I think it is time to back away from all of these rules and regulations, and look at how the Bible seems to combat legalism. And how is that? By emphasizing grace as much as possible.

One reason legalism is so divisive is that Christians seem so intent on putting limits and restrictions on grace. The moment we set limits to Godโ€™s boundless grace is the moment we wrap ourselves in the dark bonds of legalism, but the moment grace is unleashed and unchained, legalism shrivels up and dies.

So what is the antidote to legalism? Grace. Radical grace.

Do your best to never limit or restrict grace in any way. Let grace be extended to point of shamefulness. Let us live indiscriminate, shocking, outrageous, scandalous, senseless, irrational, unfair, irreligious, ridiculous, absurd, offensive, infinite, free grace.

Let us live life as a contest to see who can be the most gracious, loving, kind, and forgiving, and teach others to do the same. If we are going to follow the example of Jesus (and of God), we must extend grace to the point that people accuse us being friends to tax-collectors and sinners, to the point that they complain of how we allow people to get away with anything, of how we liberally shower blessings upon friends and enemies alike, and how we even show love and mercy upon those who wish to do us harm.

Such outrageous grace is what God shows us, and how we can live toward others. This kind of grace is the antidote to the legalism in all of us.

This post was part of the November 2018 Synchroblog.

Here is the list of other writers and authors who contributed to this monthโ€™s Synchroblog. Go read them all to see what others think about church unity.

  • Heathens and Hereticsย โ€“ Glenn Hager
  • What have we Become?ย โ€“ Rocky Glenn
  • Unified Through Lifeย โ€“ Jordan Hathcock
  • How Can Churches Exemplify Unity in a Divided Country?ย โ€“ Mike Edwards
  • Practicing Unityย โ€“ Tim Nichols
  • Christian Unityย โ€“ Joseph A.

God is Redeeming Theology, z Bible & Theology Topics: church unity, Discipleship, eternal life, free gift, free grace, grace, law, legalism, synchroblog, Theology of Salvation

Evangelism is Gospelism. But what is Gospelism?

By Jeremy Myers
7 Comments

Evangelism is Gospelism. But what is Gospelism?
http://media.blubrry.com/one_verse/feeds.soundcloud.com/stream/533614833-redeeminggod-136-evangelism-is-gospelism-matthew-115-romans-115.mp3

What is evangelism? What needs to be said in evangelism? Who do you say it to? How long does evangelism take? What Scriptures should you use? How do you know when someone has been “evangelized”? Ask these questions to 10 people, and you will get 11 answers (because there’s always that one guy who gives two answers).

There is a lot of confusion today about how to evangelize and what to say and do in evangelism.ย I believe the primary problem lies in the word itself. The word proves the truth of the saying, “The translation is the traitor!” Let me show you what I mean.

Evangelism from the Greek

You would never know it in English, but in Greek, the words “gospel” (Gk. euangelion) and “evangelism” (Gk. euangelizomai) have the same root. In fact, the word “evangelism” isn’t really a translation of the Greek word at all, but is instead a transliteration. The translators, rather than translateย euangelizomai, just changed the Greek letters intoย English, and left it:

euangelizomai
evangelism

evangelism is gospelismSometimes, the English translations use the phrase “preach the gospel” which is better than “evangelism” but tends to make us think that the gospel is spread only by preaching, which as we saw in a previous post, is simply not true.

Let me suggest a new term instead of evangelism.

How about “gospelism” (evangelizing = gospelizing)? This would help show a clearer connection between the gospel itself and the activity of spreading the gospel. This would really help clarify what gospelism is (i.e., what evangelism is) and how to carry it out.

What is Gospelism?

If (as we saw in a previous post) the gospel is more than a set of propositions which must be believed to receive eternal life, thenย gospelism is way more than just sharing a set of propositions to a person in the hopes that they will believe and receive eternal life.

Put another way, gospelism takes place whenever the gospel is revealed.ย 

And if the gospel contains all sorts of truths about the temporal and eternal benefits that are offered through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, then logically, any time we share (either by word or deed) any of the truths related to the gospel, we are gospelizing.

Since the gospel contains truths about how to live life in light of the incarnation and resurrection of Jesus, “gospelizing” is not only done with words, but with actions as well. Ideally, since the gospel is related to all aspects of life,ย our entire life – all we say and do – will be gospelizing.

Sermon Application

More concretely, since the gospel affects how we interact with others, how we spend our money, how we use our time, etc., we are gospelizing not only when we preach and teach about the gospel, but also when we treat others with kindness, fairness and honesty, when we show forgiveness and grace, when we stand up for the poor, the neglected, and the outcast, and any time we reveal the changes that the gospel has brought about in our own life.

When evangelism becomes gospelism, and we see that the gospel is for all of life, then gospelism is for all of life as well.

Gospelism is not just about eternal life, but about all of life … just like the gospel.ย 

Read these posts to learn more about gospelism:

Evangelism is Gospelism (Part 1)
Evangelism is Gospelism (Part 2)
Evangelism is Gospelism (Part 3)
Evangelism is Gospelism (Part 4)
Evangelism is Gospelism (Part 5)
Evangelism is Gospelism (Part 6)

The Gospel According to ScriptureWant to learn more about the gospel? Take my new course, "The Gospel According to Scripture."

The entire course is free for those who join my online Discipleship group here on RedeemingGod.com. I can't wait to see you inside the course!

God is Redeeming God, Redeeming Theology, z Bible & Theology Topics: Discipleship, evangelism, good news, gospel, gospelism, One Verse Podcast

Does Jesus tell the Rich Young Ruler how to earn eternal life? (Matthew 19:16-21; Luke 18:18-23; Mark 10:17-22)

By Jeremy Myers
3 Comments

Does Jesus tell the Rich Young Ruler how to earn eternal life? (Matthew 19:16-21; Luke 18:18-23; Mark 10:17-22)
http://media.blubrry.com/one_verse/feeds.soundcloud.com/stream/530019786-redeeminggod-135-did-jesus-tell-the-rich-young-ruler-to-earn-eternal-life-matthew-1916-21.mp3

In the account of Matthew 19:16-21 (and the parallel passages of Luke 18:18-23; Mark 10:17-22), a rich, young ruler approaches Jesus and asks Him what he must do to have eternal life. (Luke also contains the account of a lawyer who asks a similar question Luke 10:25-28. I have written about the Rich Young ruler before here.)

Jesus points the young man to the law, and specifically to the Ten Commandments. The man responds that he has kept all of the commandments since he was a boy.

So Jesus says that the man still lacks one thing: he must go out and sell everything he owns, and then give the money to the poor.

At this, the rich young ruler becomes forlorn and goes away, because he was very rich.

What is the Story of the Rich Young Ruler about?

Many pastors and scholars point to this passage as primary evidence that good works and obedience to the commandments are required to receive eternal life.

believe in Jesus for eternal lifeBut there are numerous considerations from the text which reveal that this is not what Jesus is saying, and this is not how we should understand the passage.

1. We must first understand the meaning of “eternal life”

What is eternal life, and how is it gained?

To answer this, let me briefly summarize some of what I teach in my online course, The Gospel Dictionary.

There are three main truths to remember about eternal life.

First, eternal life begins the moment we believe in Jesus for it.

Since eternal life is the life of God given to those who believe in Jesus Christ, it begins the moment we receive Him (John 3:16; 5;24; 6:47; etc).

Eternal life is not some future possession, but is something we receive now, at the moment we are placed in Christ Jesus through faith.

Since eternal life is the life of God, and since this life is in Jesus, then anyone who shares this life with Jesus, also shares this life with God. To put it more succinctly, since Jesus is eternal life (cf. 1 John 1:2), we receive eternal life when we receive Jesus.

Second, eternal life is eternal.

In other words, everlasting life is everlasting.

This means that once you have eternal life in Jesus, you can never lose it.

Earl Radmacher used to say that โ€œIf you can lose your everlasting life, it has the wrong name.โ€ Just as you cannot be unborn after you are born, so also, when you are born again into the family of God, you cannot ever go back and become unborn.

Once a person believes in Jesus for eternal life, they receive it permanently, and no matter what they say, think, or do in the future, their new birth into Godโ€™s family is a historical fact and cannot be undone.

Every single passage in the Bible which appears to teach that eternal life can be lost is not in fact talking about eternal life, but is instead referring to something else, such as physical life here on earth, inheritance and reward in the future, or to some sort of deliverance (salvation) from temporal catastrophe or disaster.

There is no verse in the Bible which teaches that a person can lose their eternal life.

Finally, since eternal life begins the moment we believe, and since eternal life is forever, this means that we can begin experiencing eternal life now.

Some seem to believe that eternal life does not begin until we die, at which point we will float around on clouds and play harps. When people have such an idea, it is no wonder they are not all that excited or thrilled about experiencing eternal life.

But once we understand that eternal life begins in this life, when we receive the life of God through faith in Jesus, it becomes much more thrilling to think about it.

To experience eternal life with God means that we live up to our full creative, adventurous potential as human beings, so that we begin to experience true life now.

It refers to experiencing โ€œthe age to comeโ€ here and now in this age. Eternal life is not just a future experience to be longed for, but is a way of life that can be lived here and now.

It is helpful to think of eternal life as a whole new life in a whole new world.

We pass through the doorway into this new this world by faith in Jesus Christ. And the doorway is not a revolving door. It is a one-way door. Once you are through the door and in the new world, you can never go back.

But once we are through the door, there is a whole world to explore. Those who sit at the entrance, bemoaning what they have left behind, have not yet begun to experience all the lies ahead.

Newcomers are encouraged to do more than just sit at the doorway, content that they have entered into a new life with Jesus Christ. Instead, they are encouraged to follow Jesus into all the beauty and adventures that awaits them in this new world. Jesus calls people who have entered into new life with Him to follow Jesus wherever He leads, to go higher up and further in.

In this way, it is not wrong to recognize that while eternal life is a free gift and a present expression, it not only refers to the quantity of life (life that never ends) but also the quality of life (the experience of God’s life that only gets better over time).

This clarification is extremely helpful when trying to understand various tricky texts in the Bible about eternal life, and especially in those texts that seem to imply that eternal life can be earned or inherited. Such texts are not talking about how we can earn or work for the free gift of eternal life, but are instead referring to the ongoing experience of eternal life here and now.

Let me summarize these three truths about eternal life:

Eternal life is Godโ€™s life in us so that we can have life with Him that never ends, and it is freely given to all who believe in Jesus, and experienced in greater degrees as we follow Jesus.

While it is an eternal possession that is received by faith alone in Jesus, it can also be a present reality that is experienced when we follow Jesus in discipleship.

Eternal life refers to both an eternal possession we receive by faith alone in Jesus Christ alone and a present experience we can enjoy here in this life as we follow Jesus by faithful obedience to His leading.

This brief study of eternal life helps us understand the story of the Rich Young Ruler inย Matthew 19:16-21 (cf. Luke 18:18-23; Mark 10:17-22)

The Rich Young Ruler Matthew 19:16-21

2. Matthew 19:16-21 is about inheriting eternal life, not earning eternal life

First, the passage is clearly about inheriting eternal life, not receiving it (cf. Matt 19:29; Mark 10:17, 30; Luke 18:18, 30).

Support for this is found in the following context where Jesus says that it is difficult for the rich to enter the Kingdom of heaven (Matthew 19:23; Mark 10:23; Luke 18:24), and then equates the Kingdom of heaven with inheriting eternal life (cf. Matthew 19:29; Mark 10:30; Luke 18:30).

So the rich young ruler is not technically asking about how to receive eternal life, but how to inherit it, or experience it, in this life. Jesus answers accordingly.

The man felt that he should be experiencing eternal life because of his strict obedience to the law, but he also felt that something was lacking. So he asked Jesus about how to inherit, or experience, eternal life now. Jesus ran a quick diagnostic test on the man, and quickly determined two sources of the manโ€™s problem.

First, the man was proud.

He thought he had perfectly obeyed the law. He said he has obeyed it from his youth.

This, of course, is completely impossible, as Jesus knew. Yet rather than challenge the young man on his perceived moral perfection, Jesus โ€œupped the anteโ€ on the man as a way to show the man that he was not as righteous as he thought.

Jesus told the man to do something which the man could not do. He should sell all his riches and give the money to the poor. Yet even this was not the end, for after he did this, Jesus told the man to โ€œCome, follow Meโ€ (Matthew 19:21; Mark 10:21; Luke 18:22).

The point of Jesus was that the young man would never โ€œarrive.โ€ The main thing holding the young man back from experiencing the life of God was his self-righteous spiritual pride. The words of Jesus were intended to begin dismantling this pride.

Rich Young Ruler

Second, Jesus recognized that wealth was the source of the rich young rulerโ€™s problem.

This is why Jesus focused on the riches of this young man, instead of on some other area where the young man was blind to his own sin.

After all, even though Jesus asked about the commandments, there is no commandment or statement in the Mosaic Law to sell everything and give it away. So why does Jesus seem to shift from focusing on the commandments to giving up riches?

The answer is found within the law itself. The law promised wealth and riches to those who completely obeyed the law (cf. Deut 28:1-14). This young man was rich and wealthy at a very young age, which made him believe that he must have obeyed the entire law since his youth.

This is why Jesus told him to sell all his possessions and give away all his wealth. It wasnโ€™t exactly about the money. It was about the false sense of moral perfection that the money created in the manโ€™s heart. When Jesus told the man to give up his wealth, He was saying that the man could not look to his wealth as a sign of Godโ€™s blessing.

In fact, it is quite possible that this young man did not keep the law as well as he thought. In the Ancient Mediterranean world, it was thought that wealth was a โ€œzero sum game.โ€ They believed that there was a fixed amount of material wealth in the world, so that the only way people gained more money and riches was if others lost it.

Of course, from a theological perspective, the only way someone would lose their riches and wealth is if they were sinful, and God displayed His displeasure by taking away their wealth and giving it to someone else who pleased Him.

But is this how the world really works? Is it only the righteous who are rich and only the wicked who are poor? No. Quite the opposite, in fact.

The same was true in biblical times as well, which is why some of the prophets wonder why the wicked prosper and the faithless live in ease (cf. Jer 12:1).

The sad reality is that the rich often (but not always) become rich because they murder, steal, and bear false witness, which are exactly the sins Jesus questioned the rich young ruler about (Matt 19:18; Mark 10:19; Luke 19:20). It is entirely possible that the rich your ruler became rich at such a young age because he, or his family, engaged in various practices which made them rich at the expense of the poor.

But this young man was ignorant or blind to such things, and thought that because he was rich, he was blessed by God, and therefore, obedient to the law. By telling him to sell his riches and give his money to the poor (who, according to this line of thought, were poor because they were sinners), Jesus was challenging this entire way of thinking.

So although eternal life is mentioned in this passage, the rich young ruler is not asking, and Jesus is not explaining, how to gain eternal life.

The rich young ruler isnโ€™t asking about how to go to heaven when he dies. He is asking about the new world that God is going to usher in, the new era of justice, peace, and freedom God has promised his people. And he is asking, in particular, how he can be sure that when God does all this, he will be part of those who inherit the new world, who share in its life.

Jesus and the rich young ruler are talking about how to experience Godโ€™s life (eternal life) in this life.

While the commandments are mentioned, the instructions of Jesus are not even about keeping the commandments, but about spiritual pride and arrogance.

What is the Meaning of Matthew 19:16-21 and the Rich Young Ruler?

Therefore, when all the factors are considered, we see that the passage is primarily about how Jesus challenged the status quo theological belief that the rich are loved by God while the poor are under His judgment.

camel through eye of a needleJesus sought to reverse this entire line of thought, as the following contexts make quite clear (Matthew 19:23-30; Mark 10:23-30; Luke 18:24-30). It is difficult for the rich to enter the Kingdom of heaven because they rely on their riches as evidence that they are already living the life God wants for them.

Many of the rich people in the days of Jesus (and even many today) believe that their riches prove that they are under God’s blessing and are part of His family. Jesus is saying, “If you think your riches prove that you have eternal life, give up your riches. They don’t prove anything about eternal life one way or the other.”

Eternal life is received by believing in Jesus for it. And there is no amount of good works you can do to keep, earn, or prove that you have eternal life.

But once you have eternal life through faith in Jesus, you can gain a better experience of eternal life by following Jesus on the path of discipleship. This might require you to make some difficult decisions in life.

Bottom line: You DO NOT need to give away your wealth to receive eternal life … but you might need to be more generous with it if you want to experience the reality of God’s life in you.

Do you want to inherit, or experience, eternal life in this life? You first, of course, need to make sure you have received the free gift of eternal life through faith in Jesus.

But after that, to experience eternal life, you must not depend on your riches or worldly success, nor your self-deceived ability to obey all of Godโ€™s law (which doesnโ€™t lead into love anyway, see Law), as signs that you are fully experiencing all that God has for you.

Instead, to live within the Kingdom of God and experience the joys and blessings of eternal life, you must humbly follow Jesus wherever He leads, even if it is into poverty and obscurity.

The Gospel DictionaryUnderstanding the Gospel requires us to properly understand the key words and terms of the Gospel. Take my course, "The Gospel Dictionary" to learn about the 52 key words of the Gospel, and hundreds of Bible passages that use these words.

This course costs $297, but when you join the Discipleship group, you can to take the entire course for free.

God is Redeeming God, Redeeming Scripture, Redeeming Theology, z Bible & Theology Topics: eternal life, everlasting life, gospel dictionary, Luke 18:18-23, Mark 10:17-22, Matthew 19:16-21, money, Rich Young ruler, riches

Jeremy Myers interviews Shawn Lazar about his book, Chosen to Serve

By Jeremy Myers
2 Comments

Jeremy Myers interviews Shawn Lazar about his book, Chosen to Serve
http://media.blubrry.com/one_verse/feeds.soundcloud.com/stream/522383439-redeeminggod-134-jeremy-myers-interviews-shawn-lazar-about-divine-election.mp3

Shawn Lazar

I have been teaching a series on the doctrine of divine election in Scripture, and so am pleased to welcome Shawn Lazar onto the show to discuss his book, (#AmazonAdLink) Chosen to Serve.

(#AmazonAdLink) Chosen to ServeIn his book, Shawn shows what the Bible teaches about election, and discusses several key passages which are used to defend various views of divine election. Shawn shows us how to understand these passages in light of the rest of biblical revelation about this tricky doctrine.

When you properly understand divine election, you will no longer find yourselves in angry and heated debates about who God chose for heaven from eternity past … nor will you be anxious about whether or not you yourself are chosen by God.

Instead, you will discover the beautiful biblical truth that election is to service, not to eternal life.

By listening to the podcast episode, you will also learn how to get 50% off Shawn’s book, Chosen to Serve. Or you can (#AmazonAdLink) pay full price on Amazon … if that is what you really want.

Here are other links we mentioned in the podcast interview:

  • Free Magazine signup at FaithAlone.org
  • Chosen to Serve at FaithAlone.org
  • Shawn Lazar on Facebook
  • The discussion on Cornelius by Ken Yates is a YouTube video found here:

God is Redeeming God, Redeeming Scripture, Redeeming Theology, z Bible & Theology Topics: 1 Peter 1:2, 2 Peter 1:10-11, Acts 13:48, Chosen to Serve, divine election, election is to service, eternal life, gospel, salvation, Shawn Lazar, Unconditional Election

Should I vote in the election?

By Jeremy Myers
16 Comments

Should I vote in the election?

Should you vote in the election? Should I vote in the election? This is the question that many Christians are asking.

The United States midterm elections are one week away. In light of this, I have begun to see more and more Facebook articles and Twitter messages instructing Christians to not vote.

I strongly object. I believe that Christians have an obligation and moral responsibility to vote.

should I vote

Yet since there are numerous arguments given for the idea that Christians should not vote, I want to address a few of these arguments in this post as a way of encouraging you to get out and vote this year. The article will close with a few suggestions or ideas about how to decide who to vote for.

Argument 1: We serve the Kingdom, and the Kingdom is not of this World

Some Christians argue that since we are citizen of the Kingdom of God, and this Kingdom is not of the world, we should not get involved in the politics and government of this world.

It is true that we are citizens of the Kingdom of God and that the Kingdom is not of this world.

But what these Christians who say this seem to forget is that while the kingdom if not of this world, it is definitely for this world. The Kingdom of God has come down from heaven to earth in the person and work of Jesus Christ to transform this world so that Godโ€™s will is done on earth, just as it is in heaven.

The kingdom of God is the rule and reign of God on earth. And while voting is not going to be the only way (or even the primary way) for the rule and reign of God to spread upon the earth, it is certainly one way that can help. Leaders of worldly governments who have similar goals and values as Jesus Christ can certainly do more for the Kingdom of God than can worldly leaders who value only power, riches, glory, and fame, all of which belong to the kingdom of darkness.

So one way for the Kingdom of God to come upon this earth is for us to be involved in politics so that we can affect change and move the kingdoms of this world a little closer to the Kingdom of God. Voting is the smallest and easiest way for this to happen. It shouldn’t be the only thing we do, but it is a start.

Argument 2: Jesus and Paul didnโ€™t vote; so neither should we!

I am not making this argument up. I have heard people use it.

Yes, of course Jesus and Paul didnโ€™t vote, but this was because the Roman Empire was not a democracy. Voting wasnโ€™t an option for Jesus and Paul. They didnโ€™t vote because they werenโ€™t allowed to.

But this doesnโ€™t mean that Jesus and Paul were apolitical, that they had no political views and never taught anything about the politicians or political climate of their day. Quite the contrary, both Jesus and Paul were outspoken about the abuses of those who held political power, and even called upon leaders to conform their rulings to the will and values of God. They also paid taxes and encouraged their followers to do so, as well as teaching them to obey the ruling authorities, who were place into their positions by God.

In light of these things, I believe that if Jesus and Paul had been given the opportunity to vote, they would have seen it as one more way to make their voice heard.

Furthermore, many of the people in Scripture whom God used greatly were involved in politics, and even raised up to such positions “for such a time as this.” Joseph helped saved millions of lives through his position in Egypt. King David and King Solomon led the nation of Israel into peace and prosperity. Daniel was a wise and godly counselor in the royal courts of Babylon. Esther used her position to rescue her people from annihilation.

So it is completely false to say that Jesus, Paul, or any of the godly people of Scripture were not involved in politics and would not vote. The opposite is actually true. God wants all of us to get involved in how this world is governed, whether it is in large or small ways. The smallest of these is voting, and if that is what you can do, then that is what you should do.

Argument 3: Politics is so divisive! It sickens me to get involved

Some Christians donโ€™t want to vote because of how divisive politics have become. To get involved with the issues makes them feel dirty.

I understand the feeling. There is much filth in the realm of politics.

However, isnโ€™t this exactly why we are here on earth? Isnโ€™t the anger and malice that is found in much of the political realm the exact reason we should be involved?

Rather than retreat from the darkness, let us be a light in the darkness, providing a voice of love, hope, peace, healing, and forgiveness rather than hate and anger.

Voting, and getting involved in politics, provides an opportunity for us to show the world a better way of standing up for what we believe while peacefully disagreeing with others. So cast your vote, and do it with love toward those who have different views.

Argument 4: Jesus is My President!

I especially hear this during a presidential election. โ€œIโ€™m not voting,โ€ the person says, โ€œbecause Jesus is my President.โ€

Fine. I donโ€™t disagree. Jesus alone is our only Lord, Ruler, King, and Master. Call Him your โ€œPresidentโ€ if you wish.

Jesus for presidentBut what does this have to do with voting? Voting is not an oath of fealty. Voting is not a stamp of approval on everything the person you vote for has said and done, or will say and do. Voting is not a promise to obey, support, and defend everything this person says or does.

In fact, voting is the opposite of such things. Voting gives you the right to disagree and voice your disapproval.

I am so tired of people who do not vote feeling like they then have the right to criticize the decisions of the person in office. I feel that if you have the opportunity to choose who is in office by voting, and you forsake that right, then you should also forsake your right to oppose or criticize the decisions of those who are in office.

dont vote dont complainVoting is a way to make your voice heard. And if you donโ€™t want to make your voice heard through voting, then you should also not make your voice heard after the voting is over. When you vote, according to the values and principles of your only sovereign, Jesus Christ, this is what gives you the subsequent right to raise your voice in prophetic warning about the poor decisions that the leaders are making, whether or not you voted for them.

So yes, Jesus is your president. And guess what? Heโ€™s calling you to vote โ€ฆ but not for Him. He doesnโ€™t get put into office by voting. He is in His position for all eternity, regardless of which human is in which political office or role.

As Christians, we are invited by God to call our political leaders to follow the will and ways of God, and one way we can do this is by voting. If we love justice and mercy, then we are to be involved and active in every battle that helps bring more justice and mercy into the world. Voting and political activity is one way to make this happen.

Argument 5: My Vote Doesn’t Matter

I hear this all the time. “I don’t vote because my vote doesn’t matter. I’m just one small voice in a sea of people who disagree with me.”

I live in Oregon, which is mostly dominated by liberal Portland and the I-5 corridor down through Corvallis and Eugene. But other than these areas, most of Oregon is politically conservative. I think I heard that by numbers alone, the majority of Oregon is conservative.

Yet every election year, less than 25% of the conservative people come out to vote. Why? Because they think their vote doesn’t matter. They see the powerful and loud voting block in Portland and Eugene, and think, “There’s no way my little vote can overcome that giant.”

So they stay home.

And then they complain all the time about how Oregon passes terrible laws, such as the law that use our tax dollars to fund abortions.

But if even half of the people conservative parts of the state voted, they would be able to have more say and direction in the state, and might even gain a majority in the state congress.

I had a short twitter conversation about this very thing with my friend Dan Kent yesterday. Here is a bit of the thread:

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I think that what Dan is saying is that if you feel strongly about the direction of our country and how it is led, you should do more than just vote. You should also raise your voice. And I agree with that.

Of course, I also think that if you didn’t vote, you have no right to raise your voice.

I think a vote is the very first word of you raising your voice to have a say in the direction and leadership of the country.

So should you vote? I say YES! Get out and vote.

your vote your voice

But who should you vote for?

Iโ€™m not going to tell you. That is, Iโ€™m not going to give you names or a political party to vote for. Instead, I will provide some values and ideas to help inform your decisions.

As Christians, we must look for candidates that help bring to reality the values that Jesus taught and lived. Especially those of Luke 4:18-19. Jesus said that He came to this earth to help the poor, heal the brokenhearted, give liberty to captives, restore sight to the blind, and set free those who are oppressed.

Obviously, all political candidates from all political parties claim that they will do these sorts of things. All candidates from all political parties in every political race I have ever seen or heard claims that they are fighting for the rights of the poor, the week, and forgotten, the neglected, the oppressed, and the overlooked.

Teaching of Jesus in Luke 4 If you really listen to what all candidates say, this is exactly the sorts of things they all promise.

So what are we to do?

The answer is to not look at what politicians say, but rather at what they actually have done. Nearly all politicians have a history of whether or not they have helped people. A state governor or senator doesnโ€™t start out campaigning for that political office. They will have always worked their way up from smaller city or regional offices.

As a result, we can look at their history of what promises they have made, and whether or not they have actually kept these promises. We can look at the poor, the oppressed, the neglected, the forgotten, and the overlooked in the communities in which they served to see if, during their time in office, the conditions of these people got better or worse.

If conditions got worse, then this candidate does not deserve your vote. If they improved in tangible, verifiable, measurable ways, then maybe this candidate does deserve your vote. Again, all candidates will SAY things improved under their leadership, but you must verify the actual numbers and results to see if this is so.

Donโ€™t just listen to the words that people say. What people DO is always more important than what they SAY. Politicians promise all sorts of things, but what they have actually done for the people they serve is the best indicator of whether you should vote for them or not.

Here are some questions to consider about any candidate:

-Is crime going down in the area in which they governed?

-Are homelessness and poverty levels decreasing?

-Is the unemployment level decreasing?

-Is the standard of living generally increasing?

-How do they respond toward political opponents? Do they call for violence and hate, or love and acceptance?

-What have they actually done (not promised to do!) to protect the weak and give a voice to the voiceless? This not only includes immigrants, but also the poor and sick of our own country, and especially the weakest and most voiceless of all: unborn children.

(I am not a single issue voter, but I have always wondered how any Christian can support the killing of unborn children. I agree that a woman has the right to do what she wants with her own body, but a baby is not her own body. The body of the baby belongs to the baby. I am pro-choice for the baby as well. I want the baby to have a choice.)

Donโ€™t think about such questions as a Republican or Democrat. Think about these questions from the perspective of a citizen of heaven, and how you can bring the will of God down to earth.

Let me be specific.

And for this, Iโ€™m going to talk about Trump.

I know I said I wasnโ€™t going to tell you who to vote for, but he is not running for office this year, so I can talk about him.

Trump made many promises during his campaign in 2016. He promised to bring back jobs, reduce crime, move toward peace with various countries around the world (like North Korea), enact prison sentencing reform, increase the income of the average American, and help restore our health care system to take care of the sick and needy in our midst.

Since Trump had never held political office, it was difficult to know if he could be trusted to keep his promises, or if he even knew what he was talking about. But, regardless of what you think about him, he was elected as the President of the United States.

The past two years have shown that he did indeed know how to accomplish the things he promised. Here is a short list of how he has helped millions of people in the last two years:

  • Almost 4 million jobs have been created.
  • New unemployment claims at a 49-year low.
  • African-American, Hispanic-American, and Asian-American unemployment is at an all-time low.
  • Womenโ€™s unemployment rate hit a 65-year low.
  • Economic growth last quarter hit 4.2 percent (3.5% this quarter), higher than any time during the previous administration.
  • Median household income has hit highest level ever recorded.
  • 3.9 million Americans have been lifted off food stamps since the election.
  • Small businesses have the lowest top marginal tax rate in more than 80 years.
  • The FDA approved more affordable generic drugs, linking drug prices to the cheap drugs that people pay in other countries.
  • The Medicare program was revamped to stop hospitals from overcharging low-income seniors on their drugsโ€”saving seniors hundreds of millions of dollars this year alone.
  • Budgeted $6 billion in NEW funding to fight the opioid epidemic, and have reduced high-dose opioid prescriptions by 16 percent.
  • Moved U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem, showing support for Israel.
  • Re-worked trade deals with Mexico, Canada, and the EU
  • Helped improve communications between North Korea and the US, while bringing an end to the firing of test missiles by North Korea.
  • Began the process of reforming prison sentencing guidelines which have previously led to high incarceration rates among African-Americans.

This is the sort of thing I am thinking about in this article. These are tangible and positive benefits that have come from the Trump administration, all of which help the poor, neglected, sick, and needy of our country. Whether you like Trump or not, we can all agree that these positive benefits are good for the people of our country, which will also, in turn, be good for the entire world.

You can look for similar things in the politicians you vote for next week, and in future elections. Make sure you think through the issues. Donโ€™t just vote Democrat or Republican because thatโ€™s what youโ€™ve always done. Consider the facts and statistics, and make the best and most informed decision that you can. Then get out and vote, making your voice heard in a small but significant way.

When all the Christian voices add up, we make a decisive block of people who can let our voices be heard.

So should you vote? I say YES! Get out and vote!

go out and vote

This post is part of the October 2018 Synchroblog. See what others have to say about the topic of voting by reading the articles from the other contributors below:

  • Red, Blue, Green, or Neither?ย โ€“ Scott Sloan
  • Voting is Violence โ€ฆ So Vote!ย โ€“ Tim Nichols
  • Who Should we Vote For if We Vote At All?ย โ€“ Mike Edwards

God is Redeeming Life, z Bible & Theology Topics: politics, synchroblog, voting

Logos Bible Software Review (Logos 8)

By Jeremy Myers
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Logos Bible Software Review (Logos 8)

Logos Bible Software Logos 8

I use Logos Bible software almost daily as I study Scripture for my books, podcast, and sermons.

I have previously reviewed Logos Bible Software version 7, and the review of Logos 7 can be found here.

I am thrilled to report that one of my MAIN issues with Logos 7 has been fixed with Logos 8: the initial loading time. I know that this is a minor issue, but it often kept me from launching Logos 7 when all I wanted to do was look up a verse… But Logos 8 now loads lightning fast, which means I will be using it more often as a basic concordance tool.

All of the other pros and cons I mentioned in my review of Logos 7 still apply to Logos 8. Use this link and the code REDEEMINGGOD8 to get 10% off your Logos Bible software package.

Here is a short video which talks through some of these:

Oh … and in the process, I did discover one minor annoyance with Logos 8 … I could not figure out how to change the default Bible version for search. It defaulted to the New Revised Standard Version, but I wanted the New King James Version.

I finally figure it out, and here is a video which show you how to change the default search Bible version for Logos 8:

Here are some other useful training videos for getting started with Logos Bible Software version 8.

Again, use this link and the code REDEEMINGGOD8 to get 10% off your Logos 8 Bible study software package. (Yes, I am an affiliate with Logos, and so get a commission when you use this code, but I would never recommend anything I don’t use myself.)

God is Redeeming Scripture, z Bible & Theology Topics: Bible Study, Logos, Logos Bible Software, sermons

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