Trust in Christ Alone

Sometimes satire bats 1000% when putting a fine point on the truth.

President Donald Trump: 

“I want to try and get to heaven if possible. I’m hearing I’m not doing well. I am really at the bottom of the totem pole. But if I can get to heaven, this [Russia-Ukraine peace negotiations] will be one of the reasons.”

Babylon Bee:

“Celestial sources report that in response to hearing of President Trump’s hopes for getting into heaven, God has agreed to let Trump into His kingdom if he simply repents of his sin and trusts in Christ alone for his salvation.

“According to the angelic hosts, the Lord had mercifully declined Trump’s wish to have his merits weighed against his faults, instead offering His only begotten Son as the spotless sacrifice for Trump’s sins.

“‘Peace deals are wonderful – yet, none are righteous. No, not one,’ the angel Gabriel confirmed. ‘But, peace deal or no, God in his love and mercy has agreed to let Trump into Heaven all the same, if he will only repent and trust in the finished work of Jesus Christ. The Lord’s grace is sufficient.’

“Heavenly sources confirmed that no one throughout history who trusted in their own goodness has been able to enter the presence of the Holy of Holies.”

Romans 3:21-26 But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: for all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; to declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.

Pray for the President, and ALL that trust in themselves, rather than trusting in God which raiseth the dead, and his Son who rose from the dead!

Baptism and the thief on the cross

Hebrew 9:15-17 And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance. For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator. For a testament is of force after men are dead: otherwise it is of no strength at all while the testator liveth.

Baptist preacher David Kingdon (1934–2021) makes an argument against the Campbellite position that the thief on the cross was saved under the Old Covenant. Regardless of what you think of the argument by Kingdon and the response by Allen, Kingdom clearly made Jimmy Allen shift from forcefully identifying the time of the death of Jesus to that of the time of probating the will (which he claimed happened on Pentecost). So much for being silent where the Bible is silent (for in the context of Hebrews, it is the offering of his blood that seals the new testament, 9:23-28, rather than the outpouring of the Spirit on Pentecost).

David Kingdon: “The argument of our friends is that the thief on the cross was not saved under the New Covenant because the New Covenant was not yet in force, on the basis of Hebrews chapter 9, namely that the Covenant or Testament comes into force on the death of the testator – in this case Jesus Christ. So he’d not yet died; therefore, the thief on the cross was not saved under the New Covenant. Right?”

Jimmy Allen: “That’s correct.

David Kingdon: “Well, now could I ask you the question, ‘who died first, the thief or the Lord Jesus Christ?’”

See John 19:31-33.

This is a 60-second loop clip, but you should be able to shift from it to the entire video by selecting watch full video.

An appeal to Jehovah’s Witnesses

“Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for [Jehovah’s Witnesses] is, that they might be saved.”

Ever since I was in Junior High school with a friend who was a Jehovah’s Witness, I have had an interest in their teachings and the people. (By interest in the teachings, I mean intrigued by them, not that I favor them in any way.) I still have the green-back New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures that Bruce gave me way back when.

Of the many things believed by Jehovah’s Witnesses, perhaps the most egregious is that they deny the deity of Jesus Christ. They say they believe that by exercising faith in Jesus (and good works) they gain everlasting life. They also say “we do not worship Jesus, as we do not believe that he is Almighty God.” Jehovah’s Witnesses are not Christians in the generally understood meaning of that term.

Though the deity of Christ is somewhat obscured by the New World Translation and its commentary, the teaching can be found in many places. Please consider these examples directly from your own version, the New World Translation. I present it with very little commentary so that you may solemnly and diligently examine it yourself. These are some of many verses that could be presented.

Conclusions about Jesus based on the New World Translation (follow link for online version).

Salvation is from God, Jehovah.

• Psalm 62:1-2  Indeed, I wait silently for God. My salvation comes from him. Indeed, he is my rock and my salvation, my secure refuge; I will never be greatly shaken.
• Jonah 2:9  But as for me, with the voice of thanksgiving I will sacrifice to you. What I have vowed, I will pay. Salvation is from Jehovah.”

Salvation is from Jesus.

• Acts 4:12  Furthermore, there is no salvation in anyone else, for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must get saved.”
• Titus 3:4-7  However, when the kindness of our Savior, God, and his love for mankind were manifested (not because of any righteous works we had done, but because of his own mercy), he saved us by means of the bath that brought us to life and by making us new by holy spirit. He poured this spirit out richly on us through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that after being declared righteous through the undeserved kindness of that one, we might become heirs according to a hope of everlasting life.

Conclusion: Jesus is God.

Jesus, the Word, created all things.

• John 1:3  All things came into existence through him, and apart from him not even one thing came into existence.

God created all things.

• Ephesians 3:9  and should make everyone see the administration of the sacred secret that has been hidden through the ages in God, who created all things.

Conclusion: Jesus is God.

The Son (Jesus) laid foundations of the earth.

• Hebrews 1:8-12  But about the Son, he says: “God is your throne forever and ever, and the scepter of your Kingdom is the scepter of uprightness. You loved righteousness, and you hated lawlessness. That is why God, your God, anointed your with the oil of exultation more than your companions.” And: “At the beginning, O Lord, you laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the works of your hands. They will perish, but you will remain; and just like a garment, they will all wear out, and you will wrap them up just as a cloak, as a garment, and they will be changed. But you are the same, and your years will never come to an end.”

God laid the foundations of the earth.

• Psalm 102:24-26  I said: “O my God, Do not do away with me in the middle of my life, You whose years span all generations. Long ago you laid the foundations of the earth, And the heavens are the work of your hands.  They will perish, but you will remain; Just like a garment they will all wear out. Just like clothing you will replace them, and they will pass away.

Conclusion: Jesus is God.

John refers this testimony of glory to Jesus.

• John 12:37-41  Although he had performed so many signs before them, they were not putting faith in him, so that the word of Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled, who said: “Jehovah, who has put faith in the thing heard from us? And as for the arm of Jehovah, to whom has it been revealed?”  The reason why they were not able to believe is that again Isaiah said: “He has blinded their eyes and has made their hearts hard, so that they would not see with their eyes and understand with their hearts and turn around and I heal them.”  Isaiah said these things because he saw his glory, and he spoke about him. (Saw whose glory? Jehovah’s: Isaiah 6:1)

Isaiah refers this testimony of glory to Jehovah.

• Isaiah 6: 9-11  And he replied, “Go, and say to this people: ‘You will hear again and again, But you will not understand; You will see again and again, But you will not get any knowledge.’  Make the heart of this people unreceptive, Make their ears unresponsive, And paste their eyes together, So that they may not see with their eyes And hear with their ears, So that their heart may not understand And they may not turn back and be healed.” At this I said: “How long, O Jehovah?” …

Conclusion: Jesus is Jehovah.

Jesus received the praise “Save” out of the mouth of children and infants, fulfilling Psalm 8:2.

• Matthew 21:15-16  When the chief priests and the scribes saw the marvelous things he did and the boys who were shouting in the temple, “Save, we pray, the Son of David!” they became indignant and said to him: “Do you hear what these are saying?” Jesus said to them: “Yes. Did you never read this, ‘Out of the mouth of children and infants, you have brought forth praise’?”

The praise out of the mouth of children and infants in Psalm 8:2 was for Jehovah.

• Psalm 8:1-2  O Jehovah our Lord, how majestic your name is throughout the earth; You have set your splendor even higher than the heavens! Out of the mouth of children and infants you have established strength On account of your adversaries, To silence the enemy and the avenger.

Conclusion: Jesus is Jehovah.

Jehovah God is the first and last.

• Isaiah 44:6  This is what Jehovah says, The King of Israel and his Repurchaser, Jehovah of armies: ‘I am the first and I am the last. There is no God but me.
• Isaiah 48:12  Listen to me, O Jacob, and Israel, whom I have called. I am the same One. I am the first; I am also the last.
• Revelation 1:8  “I am the Alʹpha and the O·meʹga,” says Jehovah* God, “the One who is and who was and who is coming, the Almighty.”

Jesus is the first and last.

• Revelation 1:17-18  When I saw him, I fell as dead at his feet. And he laid his right hand on me and said: “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last, and the living one, and I became dead, but look! I am living forever and ever, and I have the keys of death and of the Grave.
• Revelation 2:8  “And to the angel of the congregation in Smyrʹna write: These are the things that he says, ‘the First and the Last,’ who became dead and came to life again:
• Revelation 22:13  I am the Alʹpha and the O·meʹga, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.

Conclusion: Jesus is Jehovah God.

Please prayerfully consider the testimony of Jesus that remains in the New World Translation, even though the translators themselves did not believe it.

• John 5:39  “You are searching the Scriptures because you think that you will have everlasting life by means of them; and these are the very ones that bear witness about me [i.e., Jesus].
• 2 Timothy 2:9  ...the word of God is not bound.

King James Bible and Salvation

Let’s Talk About The Bible, Episode # 3, interview with Manny Rodriguez, pastor of Calvary Baptist Church in Beaufort, South Carolina.

King James Bible Defenders are often charged with claiming people can’t be saved without the King James Bible – and there evidently are a few extremists who do believe that. The vast majority of users and defenders of the King James Bible do not believe that. Asked about whether people could be saved from a modern version other than the King James Bible, Pastor Manny Rodriguez replied:

“We’ve always said for years that there is enough of the gospel in John 3:16 to save the whole world. So, let’s make believe that there is a Bible so corrupt that the only verse correct in it is John 3:16. Guess what? That’s still enough to save the whole world.”

I think that answer best reflects the predominant view of King James Bible Defenders.

Dispensational salvation: IFB and false gospel

Because of a common interest in supporting and defending the King James Bible, we sometimes “rub shoulders” with some folks who hold some pretty tainted tenets. While we agree on the King James Bible being the word of God and its use for English-speaking people, we disagree on some other very important issues. Some are important enough to require ecclesiastical separation, while recognizing those persons are still teachers of the truth of the gospel. Some are so rank that they incite marking and naming the persons as teaching soteriological doctrine outside the purview of orthodoxy.[i]

I am an independent Baptist, in the sense that our church is unaffiliated with any Baptist association, convention, or fellowship. I am a fundamental Baptist, in the sense that I agree with the doctrines that have traditionally been identified as the fundamentals of the Christian faith. If called on to identify myself beyond just “Baptist,” I prefer to say “old-time” Baptist, which will usually elicit the response, “What do you mean by that?” I do not identify myself as an Independent Fundamental Baptist.[ii] There are good people and churches who use that terminology, but there is also a lot of doctrine of putrid smell housed under that roof.

One of these putrid precepts seems to be most commonly identified as “dispensational salvation.”[iii] This is a false gospel that denies that only one way of Jesus Christ, a lamb slain from the foundation of the world (John 14:6; Acts 4:12: 1 Timothy 2:5; Revelation 13:8). In this post I will not spend time trying to prove the orthodox position, but will operate from that presupposition. The purpose of this post is to warn King James Bible defenders of the error of “dispensational salvation” and to name and warn against some of the promoters of it. No doubt there are many more. Be warned. Be careful. Naming and marking will doubtless be offensive to some, perhaps many, but the Bible is clear. Perverting the gospel of Christ is a damnable issue.

I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed. Galatians 1:6-9

IFB purveyors of false gospels.

Peter Ruckman.

Peter S. Ruckman seems the ringleader of the bunch. Others may have taught such before him, but likely most of the living Independent Fundamental Baptist promoters of multiple salvations across multiple dispensations generally accept Ruckman and his views. Here are a couple of excerpts of his claptrap. I do not think more is necessary. It is unlikely anyone will deny he taught such heresy; his followers gladly rejoice in lauding him and in purveying his views. Here are three examples of the teaching of Ruckman.

“Those silly asses actually teach that salvation is the same in the Church Age, the Tribulation, the Millennium, and the Old Testament. You never met a more gullible, blind, deceived bunch of Bible-rejecting apostates in your life.” (Bible Believers’ Bulletin, November 2001, p. 13)

“Whenever you hear any heretic say that ‘men are saved in the Old Testament by looking forward to the cross and after the New Testament by looking back at the cross,’ you are dealing either with a lazy preacher or a stupid preacher or a crooked, lying fool. (Bible Believers’ Bulletin, April 2004, p. 18)

“We have learned that before the law a man was saved by grace through faith, if his works showed he had faith. Under the Mosaic Law, a man was saved by grace through faith and works, if he was short on either item (faith or works) he could die in his sins and go to hell…Here, again, [i.e., during the Millennium] we will encounter salvation by Works, through Works, and ‘that of YOURSELVES’ for there is no ‘gift’ to it. (How to Teach Dispensational Truth, Pensacola: Bible Believers Press, 1996, pp. 60-61, 91)

I generally do not like to strike too harsh a tone on my blog, but dealing with the heretical views of Peter Ruckman requires it. “Answer a fool according to his folly…” (Proverbs 26:5). I must honestly say that I do not think Peter Ruckman was lazy or stupid – but I do think he was a crooked, lying fool, and worse – as well as a Bible-truth-rejecting apostate and a disqualified minister with two divorces and three marriages under his belt.

Other followers.

I initially thought to give sort of exhaustive quotations from those who hold this variant view. I decided that would become tedious and tiresome. Instead, I will give a few quotes and just identify others by linking to their writings. Be warned of these. These are not personal people problems, but biblical issues of a doctrinal nature.

Ken Blue.

“It will be obvious to the open mind and anointed eye that more than one gospel in found in Scripture. A right division of the Word of God is necessary in order to distinguish between these gospels and place them in their proper dispensations.” (Dispensational Salvation)

Robert Breaker.

“Are we going to follow Peter, or are we going to follow Paul. … We are supposed to follow Paul. … In Acts chapter 8, verse 36 [reads 36 and following] …Here we see a Gentile saved…He was saved by believing. So this Gentile was saved differently than these Jews back here in Acts chapter 2...

“You cannot say that people are saved the same in the Old Testament as the New Testament. It just does not work.” (Dispensational “Salvation”)

Gene Kim.

“Old Testament salvation is by faith and works. Christian salvation is by faith alone. Tribulation salvation is by faith and works. Millennium salvation is by works.” (Dispensational Salvation – God always gave salvation by faith alone … WRONG)

Andrew Sluder and Randy Keener.

“When we have people who fail to rightly divide the word of truth, they end up saying crazy things like ‘There is only one gospel that has ever been preached.’ Now folks, If you’ve seen my other videos, you’ve seen the fact that I believe that there are three Gospels laid out in the Scriptures.”

“We believe that a man today is saved by believing on the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ as the payment for his sin – plus nothing, minus nothing. … We don’t even believe in repent of your sins … We do not believe that men were always saved by the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. In fact, in the Old Testament there was a mixture of works and faith involve … (3 Gospels, Dispensational Salvation & Hyper-Dispensationalism)

Cody Watters.

“There are also verses in Revelation that make it clear that the Tribulation Saint is saved by faith and works.” (Dispensational Salvations)

Cody Zorn.

“You know why people say that people can lose their salvation here (pointing to the church age on his white board)? Because there’s people that can lose their salvation here (pointing to the tribulation on his white board). And there’s people that can lose their salvation back there (pointing to the Old Testament period on his white board). But we’re living in the day and time (pointing to the church age) where we don’t … we can’t lose what we didn’t work for.” (Starts about 1:05:50 in End Time Explained, Part 1)

Others who appear to promote this viewpoint include: Gary N. Alford, Jerry L. Holcomb, Bandi Arjuna Kiran Kumar, Vince Larue, Donald Thomas, David E. Walker, and probably any close follower of Peter Ruckman. If I have misidentified anyone, I will be glad to correct it.

Deflection.

One interesting idea I ran across is the “defense” of “dispensational salvation” on the grounds that the view does not affect anyone in the present – since these folks are preaching salvation by grace through faith without works in the present. This occurs both within and without those who hold the view, and is a strange way to support something one believes to be a major doctrinal truth.

Randy Keener, who holds dispensational salvation, sort of flippantly suggests it is a meaningless difference in the present “unless you have a time machine.” At about 16:15 “It doesn’t affect your salvation, our salvation, or anybody else’s salvation – unless you have a time machine – so don’t worry about it.” (3 Gospels, Dispensational Salvation & Hyper-Dispensationalism)

James Melton, who does not seem to hold the view himself, seemed to be okay with it, on the grounds that these people are currently preaching the right way of salvation. Melton writes, “Those who teach what you might call dispensational salvation do not teach anything wrong with the salvation plan today. I don’t know of anybody that differs—any fundamental Bible-believing Baptists that disagree with me on how one is to be saved today… Why does it really matter to you and I today how somebody got saved over 2,000 years ago?” (Understanding Dispensational Salvation)

Well, if nothing else, it matters that we rightly divide the word of truth and hold fast the faithful word as we have been taught.[iv] Additionally, to suggest multiple plans of salvation, even promoting dispensational views that include salvation by works and falling from grace, gives cover to those who hold that today. As Cody Zorn said, “You know why people say that people can lose their salvation here (pointing to the church age on his white board)? Because there’s people that can lose their salvation here (pointing to the tribulation on his white board). And there’s people that can lose their salvation back there (pointing to the Old Testament period on his white board).” To be fair, he goes on to say that we are living in a time where one cannot lose his salvation. Nevertheless, he made a clear excuse for those who get confused on it.

One salvation, Jesus Christ.

It seems to me that some King James Defenders may be “closing ranks” and not calling out this serious soteriological error because many (most? all?) who hold this view also defend the King James Bible. However, we need to not only be correct in our bibliology, but also in our soteriology, our ecclesiology, and so on.

There are not multiple gospels. There is one everlasting gospel created in the mind and purpose of God. It has been progressively revealed under various terms that refer to that one gospel, but it is one! If salvation could be accomplished by works in any generation (or dispensation), there was no need for Christ to die for that generation.

To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins. Acts 10:43

And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters. Revelation 14:6-7

If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed: for he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds. 2 John, verses 10-11

Am I therefore become your enemy, because I tell you the truth? Galatians 4:16

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[i] Romans 16:17 Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them. It is biblical to “call names” when necessary. See “Is It Right: To Judge, To Expose Error, & To Call Names?” by E. L. Bynum.
[ii] In its natural and simple form, Christian fundamentalism emphasizes five fundamental points of faith (as clarified in the face of the rise of modernism and liberalism at the end of the 19th and beginning of 20th centuries): (1) the inspiration and inerrancy of the Scriptures; (2) the deity of Jesus Christ; (3) the virgin birth of Jesus Christ; (4) the substitutionary blood atonement of Christ for sins; and (5) the physical resurrection and bodily return to Christ. I hold these five fundamentals, but “Fundamentalist” is not my preferred self-descriptor. I am a Bible-believing Baptist. (Baptist born. Baptist bred. When I die, I’ll be Baptist dead.) Many modern Fundamentalists are befuddled by schismatic soteriology, adrift on the sea of bad ecclesiology, while filled with fussy fighting factions full of a bad spirit.
[iii] “Dispensational salvation” is a teaching that people at different times in history (dispensations) have been given different ways to be saved. For example, saying that under the Old Testament law dispensation people had to keep the law (good works) in order to be saved, but under the New Testament church dispensation people are saved by grace through faith (without good works).
[iv] This view of accommodation seems to be somewhat rooted in a largely “semi-pelagian” view of salvation that has become diffused among Baptists who hold a general atonement position. This view, in the minds of many (though they may not vocalize it) holds not that the gospel is the power of God unto salvation, but the power unto salvation is in how well they present the gospel and harangue those to whom they present it.

Silver and gold have I none

Acts Chapter 3: A Notable Miracle

Verse 1: “Peter and John,” an oft-found combination, going back even to their days in the fishing business together (Luke 5:10; 8:51; 9:28; 22:8; Acts 4:13ff; 8:14ff). The early church used the temple area as a place of meeting and prayer (cf. 2:46; 5:20).  “the ninth hour” – 3 p.m., the hour of the evening sacrifice  (Jos. Ant. xiv. 4, § 3) (cf. Matthew 27:45; Mark 15:33; Luke 23:44; Acts 10:3, 30; see also Daniel 6:10; Psalm 55:17).

Verse 2: Who: “a certain man lame...whom;” When: “they laid daily;” Where: “at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful;” Why: “to ask alms.” Luke points to the length of the lame man’s suffering (as he tends to do elsewhere, Cf. Luke 2:36; 8:43; 13:11) – from birth. He had been in his condition over forty years (cf. Acts 4:22). A main thoroughfare for devout worshippers might be an advantageous place to beg for alms (cf. John 8:59-9:1). The man had always been unable to walk on his own and had to be carried. His lifelong condition and his daily presence at the gate combined to make this man’s healing a notable and indisputable miracle – see verse 10, “they knew that it was he.” 

“at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful” (cf. v. 10). It is reasonable to assume that this entrance acquired an informal name because of its beauty and workmanship. It likely was on the eastern side of the outer court of the temple, near Solomon’s Porch (v. 11; Cf. Matthew 21:12; Revelation 11:2).

“a certain man” The word “certain” (τις/τινα/τινας, a certain one or thing) occurs about 55 times in the book of Acts. Certain means fixed, settled, dependable, unfailing (from Latin certus ‘settled, sure’).  “The dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure” (Daniel 2:45). As an adjective certain may be attributive (modifying a noun and part of a noun phrase) usually meaning someone or something specific but not explicitly named or stated, particular. It may be used as a noun, as in Acts 17:5, “as certain also of your own poets have said.” [For a study of the word “certain” in Acts, see “The Word ‘Certain’ in the Book of Acts,” C. C. Morris, The Remnant, Sept-Oct 2004 (pp. 15-18), Nov-Dec 2004 (pp. 14-18) and Jan-Feb 2005 (pp. 6-14).]

Verses 3-5: “seeing Peter and John” The lame man sees the two apostles and asks alms. “Look on us” They direct his attention to them with expectation. What he expects he will not receive. What he receives he does not expect. It will be “exceeding abundantly above all” that he could “ask or think” (Ephesians 3:20).

Verse 6: “Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee” (cf. Matthew 8:20). The lame man’s friends could carry him and place him at an opportune location. Any kind worshippers could give him alms. “In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk.” Only the name (power, authority) of Jesus Christ of Nazareth could make him “rise up and walk.”

Verses 7-8: At the moment that Peter takes him by the hand and begins to lift him up, the lame man’s feet and ankle bones become strong (cf. Acts 2:43). He not only gets up – he leaps up! He can stand; he can walk. Excitedly he goes with them into the temple, “walking, and leaping, and praising God.”

Verses 9-10: “people saw him…they knew that it was he” The lame man is a person well known to those who regularly travel this pathway. His newfound strength and vocal praise of God gains the attention of their eyes and ears. There is no doubt who he is. He is the lame man who begged for alms daily at the Beautiful gate. The people are amazed. The sight is unbelievably believable. They wonder what happened to him. They do not doubt what has happened; they do not know how it happened.

The healing of the lame man provides a precise picture of the sinner separated from God. He was lame (Luke 5:31; I Peter 2:24), from birth (Psalm 51:5; Romans 3:23), helpless (Isaiah 63:5; Ephesians 2:12), and a beggar outside the gate (Hebrews 13:12). His friends and acquaintances – like religion – could not cure his condition. They could only carry him around and give him alms. His only help and hope resided in the power of the name above all names, the name of Jesus!

The melody of the soul

“Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines, the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation!” Habakkuk 3:17-18.

“See, my soul, in the prophet’s example, the blessedness of living above creature enjoyments, by living upon Creator fulness. Here is a sun, which never goes down! Here is a fountain, whose streams can never dry up! He that lives upon creature excellency, will want both food and comfort when that excellency dies, for they must die with it, when the period of its flourishing is over. But the soul that draws all from Jesus, the God of his salvation, will have Jesus and leis salvation to live upon, and to be an everlasting source, when nature, in all its varieties, ceases to supply. My soul, what are thy resources for a day of famine? Canst thou join issue with the prophet? If blasting, or mildew, or frost, shall nip the fig-tree of its blossom; both the vine and the olive fail; yea, if the staff of life, as well as the sweets of life, should all be gone; hast thou Jesus to live upon; canst thou rejoice in him, when there is nothing else left to rejoice in; and call him thine, and the God of thy salvation, when none will own thee, and thou hast none beside him to own?

“They say that music upon the waters always sounds best. Be this so or not, yet the melody of the soul is certainly sweetest when nature is out of tune, if the believer can take his harp from the willow, and sing aloud on the tribulated waters of sorrow, to the God of salvation. And this is a song never out of season, but has peculiar joy in the note, when from a new strung heart, the believer sings it of the God of his salvation, and addresses it to the God of his salvation. Blessed Lord Jesus! Give me grace, like the prophet, so to sing and so to triumph, that since, lose what I may, I cannot lose thee, while thy creature comforts remain, I may enjoy them, from enjoying thee in them: and when all are taken away, still, having thee for my portion, may I sing aloud with the prophet, though all earthly enjoyments cease, ‘I will still rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation.’”

Robert Hawker (1753-1827)

Quotable quotes from Martyn Lloyd-Jones

Quotes from David Martyn Lloyd-Jones, who was both a Welsh evangelical minister and a medical doctor. He was long-time pastor of Westminster Chapel in Westminster, London, England.

A very good way of testing any view that you may hold is this one: Is this view humbling to me, glorifying to God? If it is, it is probably right. You won’t go far wrong if whatever view you are holding is glorifying to God, humbling to man.

The true preaching of the gospel of salvation by grace alone always leads to the possibility of this charge [of Antinomianism, rlv] being brought against it.

If your presentation of the Gospel does not expose it to the charge of Antinomianism you are probably not putting it correctly. What do I mean by that? Just this: The Gospel, you see, comes as this free gift of God–irrespective of what man does. Now, the moment you say a thing like that, you are liable to provoke somebody to say, “Well, if that is so it doesn’t matter what I do.” The Apostle takes up that argument more than once in this great epistle. “What then,” he says at the beginning of chapter 6, “shall we do evil–commit sin–that grace might abound?” He’s just been saying: “where sin abounded grace does much more abound.” “Very well,” says someone. “This is a marvelous doctrine, this ‘Go and get drunk, do what you like the grace of God will put you right.’” Antinomianism. Now, this doctrine of the Scriptures–this justification by faith only, this free grace of God in salvation–is always exposed to that charge of Antinomianism. Paul was charged with it. He said, “You know, some people say that’s what I’m preaching.” Paul’s preaching was charged with Antinomianism…So I say, it is a very good test of preaching. You see–what is not evangelical preaching is this: It’s the kind of preaching that says to people, “Now, if you live a good life; if you don’t commit certain sins; and if you do good to others; and if you become a church member and attend regularly and are busy and active you will be a fine Christian and you’ll go to Heaven. That’s the opposite of Evangelical preaching–and it isn’t exposed to the charge of Antinomianism because…it is telling men to save themselves by their good works…And it’s not the Gospel–because the Gospel always exposes itself to this misunderstanding from the standpoint of Antinomianism. So, let all of us test our preaching, our conversation, our talk to others about the Gospel by that particular test…If you don’t make people say things like that sometimes, if you’re not misunderstood and slanderously reported from the standpoint of Antinomianism it’s because you don’t believe the Gospel truly and you don’t preach it truly.

Visit me with thy salvation

“Remember me, O Lord, with the favour that thou bearest unto thy people: O visit me with thy salvation.” Psalm 106:4
How is a man brought and taught to want to be “visited with” God’s salvation? He must know something first of condemnation. Salvation only suits the condemned. “The Son of man came to seek and to save that which was lost;” and therefore salvation only suits the lost. A man must be lost—utterly lost—before he can prize God’s salvation. And how is he lost? By losing all his religion, losing all his righteousness, losing all his strength, losing all his confidence, losing all his hopes, losing all that is of the flesh; losing it by its being taken from him, and stripped away by the hand of God. A man who is brought into this state of utter beggary and complete bankruptcy—to be nothing, to have nothing, to know nothing—he is the man, who in the midnight watches, in his lonely hours, by his fireside, and at times, well-nigh night and day, is crying, groaning, begging, suing, seeking, and praying after the manifestation of God’s salvation to his soul. “O visit me with thy salvation.”
He wants a visit from God; he wants God to come and dwell with him, take up his abode in his heart, discover himself to him, manifest and reveal himself, sit down with him, eat with him, walk with him, and dwell in him as his God. And a living soul can be satisfied with nothing short of this. He must have a visit. It profits him little to read in the word of God what God did to his saints of old; he wants something for himself, something that shall do his soul good; he wants something that shall cheer, refresh, comfort, bless, and profit him, remove his burdens, and settle his soul into peace. And therefore he wants a visitation—that the presence and power, the mercy and the love of God should visit his soul.

Joseph Charles Philpot (1802-1869)

Charles Wesley (1707–1788):

Jesus thou art all compassion,

Pure, unbounded love thou art;

Visit us with thy salvation;

Enter every trembling heart.

A door of hope is opened wide

The following hymn was written by William Gadsby, and appears in his hymn book A Selection of Hymns for Public Worship on page 585. The heading is “No Help for Sinners but in Christ,” with a reference to Acts 4:12. “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” Salvation that is of the Lord is exalted, achieving a crescendo at “A door of hope is opened wide, In Jesus’ bleeding hands and side!”

The hymn consists of six-line stanzas and is labeled with the old psalm meter 148th – what we Sacred Harp singers refer to as H. M. or Hallelujah Meter. Two good tunes for this hymn, in my opinion, are Amherst and Worlds Above, found on pages 314 and 315 in The Sacred Harp.

1. Where must a sinner fly,

That feels himself undone?

On what kind hand rely,

Eternal wrath to shun?

Can wit or reason help him out,

And bring a lasting peace about?

2. Reason no help can give,

But leaves him in distress;

Nor can he be reprieved

By works of righteousness;

The law as loud as thunder cries,

“The soul that sins against me, dies.”

3. Should creatures all agree,

To give him settled rest,

They cannot set him free,

Nor cheer his troubled breast;

No human arm his case can reach,

Nor men, nor angels heal the breach.

4. Salvation is of God;

Jehovah is his name;

The Saviour shed his blood;

The Lord of Life was slain;

And by his own atoning blood,

He made a precious way to God.

5. Here sinners may draw near,

With all their sin and guilt;

Nor death nor danger fear,

Since Jesus’ blood was spilt;

A door of hope is opened wide,

In Jesus’ bleeding hands and side.

The Voice of Jesus

“The Voice of Jesus,” written by Frederick Whitfield, is found on pages 14-15 of Sacred Poems and Prose.

1. I heard the voice of Jesus say,

“I am the life, the truth, the way;”

He led my footsteps to the well,

I heard Him there its virtues tell;

The healing stream my spirit cheered,

And to my soul His name endeared.

2. I heard the voice of Jesus say,

“I am thy God, thy strength, thy stay;”

I brought my burden to His feet,

I found the Saviour’s promise sweet:

The cross was sweet, the yoke was light,

I stood in Him whose strength is might.

3. I heard the voice of Jesus say,

“Wait on the Lord, and keep His way;”

My soul had fainted in the strife,

But Jesus looked, and all was life :

He shewed His heart—my name was there,

I felt how sweet His love to share.

4. I heard the voice of Jesus say,

“I will wipe thy tears away,

I will hush thy childish fears,

I will treasure all thy tears;

Thy need my fulness shall supply,

Till thou shalt come to dwell on high.”

Who maketh thee to differ from another

The following hymn by Baptist minister John Fawcett appears in Hymns Adapted to the Circumstances of Public Worship and Private Devotion (Leeds: G. Wright and Son, 1782).

Hymn XIV. L. M.

Who maketh thee to differ from another. I Cor. iv. 7.

1. When my dark soul, once dead in sin,

Was rouz’d at length by grace divine,

In deep astonishment, I saw,

The terrors of a broken law.

2. No longer wrapt in self-deceit,

I then perceiv’d my guilt was great;

My danger I began to view,

And grace reveal’d the refuge too.

3. The willing slave of sin no more;

My dreadful bondage I deplore;

And with a broken spirit cry,

O mercy! save me, or I die!

4. Some rays of hope pervade the gloom,

Since Jesus bids the weary come;

I humbly trust in him, and see

He shed his precious blood for me.

5. Sweet Jesus, I would ever cleave

To thee, and on the fulness live;

And my own righteousness disclaim;

For all I have is guilt and shame.

6. Thy mighty arm the work hath wrought;

My soul abhors a boasting thought;

Before thy feet I humbly own,

The praise is due to grace alone.

7. Thy sov’reign wisdom form’d the plan,

Thy mercy first the work began;

Grace will complete the great design,

And endless glory shall be thine.

Sin’s origins

Romans 3:23 for all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

The threefold origin of sin:

• In the universe of God’s creation, sin originated with the angel Lucifer. (1 John 3:8; Isaiah 14:12-14; Ezekiel 28:11-16; Revelation 12:9)
• In the world and the human race, sin originated with Adam. (Romans 5:12-19;1 Timothy 2:13-14; Genesis 3:1-21)
• In the individual, sin originates in the heart. (James 1:13-15; Mark 7:21-23; Jeremiah 17:9)

1 Corinthians 15:22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.

[A debate related to this topic is whether God is the author or originator of sin. All things were made by God and he is sovereign over all, so in the ultimate sense all things originate with God and nothing was made without him (John 1:3; Proverbs 16:4; Isaiah 46:9-11; Ephesians 1:11). On the other hand, the Bible never speaks in terms of God as the author of sin, and anything that God does, by its very nature, cannot be sin (James 1:17; 1 John 1:5). It seems (to me) that Bible believers accept this enigma, while some really smart people on either end of the spectrum wrestle with it to their own destruction (2 Peter 3:16).]

The Mystery. Why Me? Who am I?

Why Me, Lord? By Kris Kristofferson

Why me, Lord, what have I ever done

To deserve even one

Of the pleasures I’ve known?

Tell me, Lord, what did I ever do

That was worth loving you

Or the kindness you’ve shown?

Who Am I? By John Mark Hall

Not because of who I am

But because of what You’ve done.

Not because of what I’ve done

But because of who You are.

The Wonder. By ?[i]

O ‘tis a glorious mystery,

That I should ever saved be —

‘tis a wonder, wonder, wonder!

Praise God from whom all blessing flow!

---

[i] Credited to a “Rev. Hollyday” in some sources, but uncredited in its first known appearance in A Collection of Hymns, for the Use of Christians, by Elias Smith and Abner Jones, 1804.

Three Whats

"Never forget the three Whats. First, What from? Secondly, What by? And, thirdly, What to? What from? Believers are redeemed from hell and destruction. What by? By the precious blood of Christ. What to? To an inheritance incorruptible, undefiled, and that fadeth not away." -- From the book Feathers for Arrows; or, Illustrations for Preachers and Teachers, by Charles Haddon Spurgeon, p. 244

A prudent man foreseeth the evil

“A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself; but the simple pass on, and are punished.” Proverbs 22:3

Noah, warned of God, prepared an ark to the saving of his household. Lot, admonished by the angels, fled out of Sodom. So there is a fleeing from the wrath to come. How careless, how secure, and unconcerned are we until quickened with spiritual life! Solomon speaks of those who sleep on the top of a mast, where one jerk of the wave, or one turn of the sleeper may precipitate him into the boiling ocean. God’s anger is gathering against a wicked world. Who will escape this fearful storm of eternal, unmitigated wrath? Those who flee to Jesus. Who flee to Jesus? Those only who feel their need of him. How are they made to feel their need of him? By the flashes of God’s anger. Whence issue these flashes? Out of the thunder-cloud of God’s holy law—the revelation which he has made of his anger against transgressors. How necessary then to feel the application of the law to the conscience, to experience what Job calls, “the terrors of God,” that Jesus Christ, who is a “covert from the tempest,” may be seen and fled unto! It is like the warning given in Egypt of the grievous hail: “He that feared the word of the Lord among the servants of Pharaoh made his servants and his cattle flee into the houses: and he that regarded not the word of the Lord left his servants and his cattle in the field” (Exodus 9:20-21). Faith credits what unbelief derides. As is their nature and operation, so is their end. Faith ends in salvation; unbelief in perdition.

J. C. Philpot (1802-1869)

Speaking God's Grace

Excerpts from “Christians Speak of God’s Grace, Not of Their Works” by Daniel E. Parks, October 30, 2016

Paul the apostle exhorts Christians “Let your speech always be with grace …” (Colossians  4:6)...some professing Christians speak otherwise, as though saying “My speech will be of my works.” 

• Some say “I found the Lord.”  Others say “I was lost, but the Lord found me” (Luke 15:3-6; Luke 19:10).
• Some say “I accepted Christ.”  Others say “Christ accepted me, and then drew me to Himself” (Ephesians 1:6; Jeremiah 31:3).
• Some say “I let Jesus come into my heart.”  Others say “God removed my old stony heart, and replaced it with a new and living heart, and then occupied it as its ruler” (Ezekiel 36:26ff).
• Some say “I was saved because I chose the Lord.”  Others say “I was saved because the Lord chose me” (2 Thessalonians 2:13f).
• Some say “I made Jesus my personal Savior.”  Others say “God made Jesus to be the Savior of His people, and Jesus gave to them repentance and forgiveness of sins” (Acts 5:31).
• Some say “Let me tell you what I have done for God.”  Others say “Behold what Jesus has done for me!” (Luke 8:39; Mark 5:19ff).
• Many at the Final Judgment will say “Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?” – but Jesus will reply “I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!'” (Matthew 7:22f).  Others say “I hope to hear Jesus say to me at that day, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world’” (Matthew 25:34).

Not what these hands have done

1. Not what these hands have done

    Can save my guilty soul;

    Not what my toiling flesh has borne

    Can make my spirit whole.

    Not what I feel or do

    Can give me peace with God;

    Not all my prayers, and sighs and tears,

    Can bear my awful load.

2. Thy work alone, O Christ,

    Can ease this weight of sin;

    Thy blood alone, O Lamb of God,

    Can give me peace within.

    Thy love to me, O God,

    Not mine, O Lord, to Thee,

    Can rid me of this dark unrest,

    And set my spirit free.

3. Thy grace alone, O Lord,

    Can speak to me of grace;

    Thy power alone, O Son of God,

    Can this sore bondage break.

    No other work, save Thine,

    No meaner blood will do;

    No strength, save that which is divine,

    Can bear me safely through.

4. I bless the Christ of God;

    I rest on love divine;

    And with unfalt’ring lip and heart,

    I call this Savior mine.

    His cross dispels each doubt;

    I bury in His tomb

    Each thought of unbelief and fear,

    Each ling’ring shade of gloom.

5. I praise the God of grace;

    I trust His truth and might;

    He calls me His, I call Him mine,

    My God, my joy and light.

    In Him is only good,

    In me is only ill;

    My ill but draws His goodness forth,

    And me He loveth still.

6.’Tis He who saveth me,

    And freely pardon gives;

    I love because He loveth me,

    I live because He lives.

    My life with Him is hid,

    My death has passed away;

    My clouds have melted into light,

    My midnight into day.

– By Horatius Bonar. (Meter S.M.D.)