March 2019 – Page 2 – See you in Heaven

Is Calvinism Biblical?

In this article we are going to compare the five points of Calvinism with what the Bible teaches to see if it is biblical. We will conclude each section with a question.

Point #1 – Total depravity: Calvinism teaches that all people are totally depraved and “dead” (unable to believe in Christ) in their sins (Ephes. 2:1; cf. John 6:44, 65; Romans 3:9-12; 5:12-14; 8:7-8; I Cor. 1:18, 21; 2:14) and therefore, must be regenerated by God first before they respond in faith to the gospel. The Bible agrees with Calvinism that all people descend from Adam and are guilty of sin (Rom. 5:12-21; 3:23), which argues for man’s lost condition and the universal need for eternal life. Hence, the gospel message is intended for the whole world of mankind. Contrary to Calvinism, which teaches that faith is a gift which logically follows the regeneration of the elect, the Bible teaches that faith is a human response which is the only condition for regeneration (Gospel of John, Acts 16:31; Rom. 4:5; Gal. 2:16; Eph. 2:8-9; et. al.).

Man still retains the image of God in his being which carries with it the ability to believe the gospel for salvation otherwise why would God condemn people for not believing if they have no capacity to believe (John 3:18)? God’s justice would be called into question if a man is held responsible for something he has no capability of doing. Believing in Christ is a person’s responsibility (John 3:18; I John 3:23), so he or she must have the ability to receive eternal life on that basis; otherwise the gospel offer to any and all who believe would be a hoax (Mark 16:15; John 3:15-16; 4:10, 14, 6:35-40, 47; Rom. 10:13-15; I Tim. 2:3-6). The Holy Spirit regenerates people as they believe in Christ (Eph. 1:13-14; Titus 3:5). Saving faith is not meritorious nor a gift from God, but is the conviction that Christ died for our sins and rose from the dead, and then believing or trusting in Christ alone for everlasting life (John 11:25-27; I Cor. 15:3-4; Eph. 2:8-9; Heb. 11:1). Question: If all people possess the image of God (Gen. 1:26 – which includes the ability to think logically, appreciate beauty, have self-awareness, speak in language, and even believe something), why can’t they believe the gospel?

Point #2 – Unconditional election: Calvinism teaches that God unconditionally chose some to be saved in eternity past. This select group will ultimately be saved for all of eternity and will persevere in faith and holiness until the end of their lives (Matt. 24:13). But Calvinism fails to realize that the Bible teaches that election relates to service, suffering, and holiness for the Lord, not to salvation. For example:

1. The Old and New Testaments both make it clear that the Jews are God’s chosen people and the elect (Deut. 7:6; 14:2; 1 Kgs. 3:8; Ps. 33:12; 106:5; Isa. 43:10; 45:4; 65:9, 22; Matt. 24:22, 31; Mark 13:20; Luke 18:7; Rom. 9:11; 11:28; 2 Tim. 2:10; 1 Pet. 2:4). They were chosen to be the line through which Messiah came. Israel was chosen to serve God in its practices and in its worship. Indeed, God has not given up on Israel. By the end of the Tribulation, Israel will cry out to the Lord Jesus and will be delivered. During the Millennium, and then on the new earth, Israel will serve God forever in its practices and praise. Due to the bias toward the Calvinist understanding of who the elect are, many of the references to Israel as the elect in the New Testament are misunderstood. If the New Testament follows and is built upon the Old Testament, then it should not be surprising that both testaments refer to Israel as God’s chosen, His elect.

2. Jesus, God’s Chosen Messiah (Isa. 42:1-4; 49:7; Matt. 12:18; Luke 9:35; 23:35; John 1:34). He was chosen by God the Father to be the Messiah and to die on the cross for our sins (Matt. 12:18; 1 Pet. 2:4).

3. Twelve Men Chosen As Christ’s Apostles. Jesus chose twelve men to be His disciples and apostles (Luke 6:13; John 6:70; 13:18; 15:16, 19; Acts 1:2). The fact that Judas was chosen by Christ demonstrates that this election was to service (John 15:16), not salvation, since Judas never believed in Jesus (cf. John 6:64, 70-71; 13:10-11; 17:12). When Judas, betrayed Jesus, his place was taken by another man chosen by God, Matthias (Acts 1:24-26). One Greek word used for choosing was used of the election of the twelve: eklegomai (Luke 6:13; 15:16,19).

4. Saul Chosen As Apostle to the Gentiles. Saul of Tarsus was later chosen by God to be an apostle as well, specifically the apostle to the Gentiles (Acts 9:15 [ekloge]; 13:2 [prokaleo]; 22:14-15 [procheirizo]).

5. Peter Chosen to take the Gospel to Cornelius. Peter was chosen by God to be the one to take the gospel to Cornelius and his household, the first group of Gentile converts (Acts 15:7 [eklegomai]).

6. God’s Chosen deliverer, Moses. God chose Moses to lead His people out of Egypt and to the Promised Land (Num. 16:5-6).

7. God’s Chosen priestly line, Levi. God chose Aaron and the tribe of Levi to be the priestly line (Num. 17:5; 1 Sam. 2:28; 2 Chron. 29:11). God chose that priests from the tribe of Levi would minister before Him in the temple and would be paid by the tithes of the people (Deut. 18:58; 21:5; 1 Chron. 15:2).

8. Men Chosen to Be in Messiah’s line. Specifically God chose Abraham (Neh. 9:7), Isaac, Jacob (Ps. 135:4; Isa. 41:8; Ezek. 20:5), and Judah (1 Chron. 28:4; Ps. 78:67) to be in the line of Messiah.

9. David Chosen to replace Saul as king. God chose David to replace King Saul and to be in the line of Messiah (2 Sam. 6:21; 1 Kings 8:16; 1 Chron. 28:4; 2 Chron. 6:6; Ps. 89:3).

10. God Chose Solomon to succeed David as king. God chose Solomon over David’s other sons to be king (1 Chron. 29:1).

11. God Chose Mary and Joseph. God’s choosing went right down to Mary, the mother of Jesus (Luke 1:30, 42-45, 48), and Joseph, the husband of Mary (Matt. 1:20).

12. God’s Chosen City, Jerusalem. Over and over again God reminds His people that Jerusalem was and will forever be God’s chosen city (e.g., Deut. 15:20; 16:2, 15; 1 Kings 8:44; 11:13; 14:21; 2 Kings 21:7; 23:27; 2 Chron. 6:6, 34; 12:13; 33:7; Neh. 1:9; Ps. 132:13; Zech. 3:2).

13. Chosen Sojourners. In his first epistle Peter wrote to Jewish believers scattered around the Roman Empire. He called them elect (or chosen) sojourners. Though many versions translate 1 Pet 1:2 as “elect according to foreknowledge,” the word elect (eklektos) actually occurs in verse 1 immediately before sojourners.

God also chooses believers to suffer (I Thess. 1:4; cf. the context 1:5-10) and to holiness (Ephes. 1:4). In 2 Thessalonians 2:13 the Bible says, “God from the beginning chose you for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth…” The word “salvation” (soteria) occurs three times in First and Second Thessalonians. In its two other uses it clearly refers to deliverance from the Tribulation via the Rapture (cf. 1 Thess. 5:8, 9 as compared with 5:3, “and they shall not escape”). They were elected to salvation from the Tribulation.

Some Calvinists will point to Acts 13:48 to show that election is connected to salvation. The verse reads, “And as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed.” But the word “appointed” (tasso) means “to arrange/position.” In other words, “as many as had been arranged/positioned [prepared] to eternal life believed.” Luke is saying that the Holy Spirit prepared these Gentiles for eternal life by opening their hearts to believe in Christ. Contrast these Gentiles with the Jews in verse 46 whose hearts were not open and who did not believe in Christ for eternal life.

Calvinism discourages evangelism. Since it teaches that God elected and predestined only and all to be saved in eternity past, there is no need to go and preach the Gospel because God will save only those He elected. However, Scriptures command us to “Go…make disciples of all the nations” (Matt. 28:19) and to “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15). All people are free to believe in Christ for eternal life. This is why the call to local and world evangelism is so urgent. Question: Does God only love the elect, and not the whole world (John 3:16; I Tim. 2:1-6; 2 Pet. 3:9)? If God chose some in eternity past and one must be saved first and then believe, as Calvinism teaches, why did Jesus need to die on the cross (cf. Rom. 1:16; Gal. 1:3-4)?

Point #3 – Limited atonement: Calvinism instructs that Christ died only for those whom God elected in eternity past, thus opening no way for a legitimate call for all people to believe which is contrary to the New Testament teaching – “all” (Matthew 11:28); “every creature” (Mark 16:15); “whoever” (John 3:15-16; 4:14; 11:26; I John 5:1; Revelation 22:17); “anyone” (John 6:51; 7:37; 10:9). Contrary to Calvinism, the Bible teaches that Christ’s death was sufficient payment for the sins of the world (John 1:29; 3:16; 4:42; 17:6; I Tim. 2:1-6; 2 Pet. 2:1; I John 2:1-2), but the benefits of His death (forgiveness, eternal life, etc.) are only applied by the Holy Spirit as people believe in Christ (John 3:16; Acts 10:43). Question: When preaching Calvinism to a non-Christian, how do you preach about the cross? An honest Calvinist would have to say, “Christ may have died for you or He may not have died for you, it all depends on whether you are elect. By the way, you cannot even believe in Jesus unless you are among the elected few. If you are, the Holy Spirit will regenerate you so you can believe in Jesus.”

Point #4 – Irresistible grace: Calvinism teaches that no one whom God elects can resist the gospel, just as no one who is not elect can receive it (cf. John 6:37, 44, 65; Rom. 9:19; I Cor. 2:13-14). Since God’s elect unto salvation cannot be lost, the Holy Spirit must regenerate them whether they choose to believe in Christ or not. However, this extinguishes the idea of our personal responsibility to not only recognize our personal sin and guilt, but also to believe or trust in the Savior. Affirming man’s capacity to believe does not exclude man’s need for God’s illumination. No conversion occurs until God breaks through the blindness induced by Satan and enlightens the heart with His truth (John 6:44; 2 Cor. 4:3-6). Unbelievers are convinced the Gospel is not true. Until God opens their eyes, they won’t believe that Jesus freely gives eternal life to people and that the sole condition is believing or trusting in Him alone for it (I Cor. 2:14; Acts 16:14). God does not drag people to Christ as Calvinism teaches, He draws them (John 6:44: 12:32) so that they can choose to believe in Christ during that time of drawing (John 3:15-18). For example, Judas was drawn by God for three and a half years but chose not to believe in Christ (John 6:64, 70-71; 13:10-11; 17:12). The Holy Spirit will not force those to believe who are unwilling (John 5:40).

God’s sovereignty and man’s responsibility is seen in the account of Lydia in Acts 16:11-16. On the one hand, God was drawing Lydia to Himself. He sent someone to bring the Gospel to her. And He opened her eyes so that she could believe the Gospel and be saved. If any of those things had not occurred, Lydia would not have been born again. On the other hand, Lydia was a God-fearing Gentile. She was at the place of prayer by the riverside outside of Philippi. She was seeking the truth and God rewarded her search (just as He rewards all who seek Him – Acts 17:27; Heb. 11:6) by opening her eyes to the truth so she could believe the Gospel. Question: Does the Holy Spirit regenerate (cause to receive eternal life) the elect person regardless of his opposition to God or does the Holy Spirit regenerate only those who believe the free offer of eternal life (John 7:37-39; Gal. 3:5-6; Ephes. 1:13-14)?

Point #5 – Perseverance of the saints: Calvinism teaches that all true Christians will persevere in faith, holiness, and good works to the end of their lives (Matt. 24:13). A true believer will never fall away from the Lord. According to Calvinism, failure to persevere is proof that a person was never truly saved. Since works are an inevitable outcome of salvation, one can only know he or she is saved by the presence of good works. Since no one is perfect, any assurance of salvation is imperfect as well according to this view. A Calvinist cannot be 100% certain he or she is going to heaven until death because of the possibility of failing to persevere in good works before they die. However, the Bible teaches that assurance of salvation is based upon the promises of God to give eternal life to those who believe in Christ apart from any good works (John 5:24; Rom. 8:38-39; Eph. 2:8-9; I John 5:11-13). For example, Jesus never said, “he who believes in Me and perseveres in good works has everlasting life” (John 6:47).

True Christians are preserved eternally by the Triune God (John 10:29; 14:16-17; Rom. 8:31, 35-39; Ephes. 1:13-14; 4:30; Heb. 7:25; 9:12; 10:10, 12, 14; I John 2:1-2). Contrary to Calvinism, good works are not an inevitable outcome of salvation, otherwise why would the New Testament writers exhort believers to good works (Eph. 4:1; Colossians 3:1; I Timothy 6:11-18; Titus 2:7, 14; 3:8, 14) or warn believers of the consequences of failing to persevere in good works (I Cor. 3:11-17; 9:26-27; 10:1-12; 2 Cor. 12:20-21; Hebrews 3:12-15; 4:11; Rev. 3:11) if good works are an inevitable outcome of salvation? While God desires that all true believers become holy, not all believers will nor will they persevere to the end of life (I Cor. 3:1-10:13; 11:27-30; Gal. 5:16-21; I Tim. 1:19-20; 2 Tim. 4:10; James 1:1-5:6; cf. King Saul and King Solomon), resulting in God’s discipline now and the loss of eternal rewards at the Judgment Seat of Christ (Matt. 16:24-27; 25:26-28; I Cor. 3:11-15; 2 Cor. 5:10; 2 Tim. 2:12; Heb. 12:5-11; Rev. 2:26-27). Question: If all true Christians persevere to the end of life, why does God exhort believers to do good works and warn them of the consequences if they don’t (Matt. 5:16; 16:24-27; Matt. 24:45-51; 25:26-28; I Cor. 3:11-15; 9:24-27; 2 Tim. 2:17-26; Titus 3:8; Heb. 3:1–15; 6:1-12; 10:23-39; I John 2:28; 4:17-19)?

In summary, we see that each of the five points of Calvinism are contrary to what the Bible teaches. Rather than seek to align our beliefs with the doctrines of people, let us seek to align our beliefs with the doctrines of God. This will result in a greater commitment and passion to take the gospel to “all” of the world (Mark 16:15) to make disciples of Christ among “all the nations” (Matthew 28:19-20) until all hear His glorious gospel message!

Must I keep the Sabbath to go to Heaven?

When the apostle Paul traveled to Troas, the disciples there met “on the first day of the week…to break bread” i.e. observe the Lord’s Supper (Acts 20:7). This is the first reference in the New Testament to Christians meeting on Sunday instead of the Sabbath or Saturday for worship. They chose to meet on Sundays because this was the day of the week on which the Lord Jesus rose from the dead (cf. John 20:1, 19; I Corinthians 16:2; Revelation 1:10).

However, there are some religious groups (e.g. Seventh Day Adventists, Seventh Day Baptists, etc.) who insist that Christians must meet on Saturdays to obey God’s command to keep the Sabbath (cf. Exodus 20:8-11; 31:16). Some groups go so far as to teach that you must keep the Sabbath to go to heaven. The apostle Paul addresses those who teach such things in the book of Galatians where certain Jewish teachers were pressuring the Galatian believers to go back under the Law to be justified or saved.

Paul was astonished that the Galatian Christians were “turning away so soon” just months after he had preached the gospel of Christ’s grace to them “to a different gospel” which taught you had to keep the Law to get to Heaven (1:6-7; 2:3-4, 11-16; 3:2-3, 5, 10-13, 21; 4:10, 21; 5:1b-3, 6, 11; 6:12-13, 15). Hence, the good news of justification by faith alone in Christ alone (2:16) had now been distorted by false teachers so that it had become bad news. Instead of relying on the finished work of Christ on the cross as the only means of salvation, these false teachers said you also had to be circumcised (2:6-9; 5:1-6) and observe both Jewish dietary laws (2:11-21) and Jewish sacred days (including the Sabbath) and festivals (4:8-11).

Paul warned his readers that if he and the other apostles (“we”) or “an angel from heaven” preached a different gospel than what Paul preached to them, he is to be “accursed” or under God’s displeasure (1:8-9). Paul used the words “believe” and “faith” fifteen times when referring to justification before God (2:16; 3:2, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 14, 22, 24, 26) in the book of Galatians. He used no other words as a condition for justification. He warned the Galatians not to support or join those who do not preach a “believe/faith alone” Gospel (1:6- 9; 4:12, 21-30; 5:1-12; 6:17). It does not matter how kind or helpful a person is who teaches a different gospel. They are “accursed” by God if they preach a different way to heaven other than faith alone in Christ alone.

Those who teach that you must keep the Sabbath to be saved have been “bewitched” or cast under a spell (Galatians 3:1) into thinking that their obedience to the Law will justify them before a holy God. They have rejected the sufficiency of Jesus’ finished work on the Cross and His resurrection from the dead (John 19:30; I Corinthians 15:3-6; Hebrews 10:1-18). Instead of teaching you must rely on the finished work of Jesus alone to get to heaven, they are teaching you must rely on Christ plus your obedience to the Law. They are telling God the Father that His Son’s death was disappointing. In their words, Jesus only paid for some of their sins, and now they must pay for the rest of their sins by keeping the Sabbath.

Sabbath keepers fail to realize that the Bible requires them to keep all of the Law, not just the Sabbath Law to be justified by works. The Bible says, “For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all” (James 2:10). It is not enough to keep the Sabbath Law, you must keep the entire Law if you are to be justified before God through the Law. And the Bible says that is not going to happen because “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23; cf. 2:13-3:20).

Sabbath keepers fail to realize that the Sabbath Law was uniquely given to the nation of Israel to distinguish them from other nations (cf. Exodus 31:13-17; Deuteronomy 5:15; Ezekiel 20:12-13). The church today is no longer under the Mosaic Law which required Sabbath keeping as a sign between Israel and God (Exodus 31:13; Ezekiel 20:13), but is now under the New Covenant (cf. Jeremiah 31:31-34; Romans 7:5-6; 10:4; Galatians 3:22-25; 4:21-31) which was inaugurated by the death of Jesus Christ (cf. Hebrews 8:8-13; 9:11-10:18).

As a result of the New Covenant, the church no longer observes the ceremonial laws such as circumcision and Sabbath keeping (Acts 15:1-29; Galatians 6:15; Colossians 2:16-17). God and His Word are unchanging, but some of His commands relate only to certain people or a certain time. While God’s moral law never changes, Christians are not subject to the ceremonial law of the Old Testament (Mark 7:14-19; Acts 11:5-9; 15:1-29). Although Jesus, Paul, and James affirmed the moral law of the Old Testament; they referred to some of the Ten Commandments as eternal moral standards, but they did not mention the Sabbath law in these references (Matthew 5:21-30; Mark 10:19; Romans 2:22-24; 13:8-10; James 2:10-11). In fact, Jesus never promises to give eternal life to those who keep the Sabbath. He only gives eternal life to those who believe in Him (cf. John 3:15-16; 5:24; 6:40, 47; 11:25-26).

God used the ceremonial law – including blood sacrifices, dietary laws, circumcision, Sabbaths, and feasts as shadows of truth to be found in Christ and His gospel. Since we now have the substance or reality of Christ, we no longer need to observe the types and shadows. “So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths, which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ” (Colossians 2:16-17). When Christ came, He explained that the Mosaic Law was no longer binding (cf. Mark 7:18-19; Luke 16:16; John 1:17) as did the apostles (cf. Acts 10:12-15; Romans 7:6; 10:4; 2 Corinthians 3:6-17; Galatians 3:19-25; 4:9-11; 5:1; Hebrews 7:12; 8:1-10:17). The emphasis on keeping the Sabbath really amounts to a failure to appreciate Christ and what He has done to secure our eternal salvation! It also leads to bondage instead of freedom from the Law (Romans 7:6; Galatians 4:9-31; 5:1).

What is Repentance?

“But [I] declared first to those in Damascus and in Jerusalem, and throughout all the regions of Judea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent, turn to God, and do works befitting repentance.” Acts 26:20

After testifying to King Agrippa about his early life and his conversion on the road to Damascus (26:1-18), the apostle Paul said he was “not disobedient to the heavenly vision” he received on the road to Damascus (26:19), “but declared first to those in Damascus and in Jerusalem, and throughout all the regions of Judea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent, turn to God, and do works befitting repentance” (26:20).

Notice the order of verbs in Paul’s message to Jews and Gentiles – “repent…turn (to God)…do works (befitting repentance).” The word “repent” (metanoeō) refers to a change of mind. Whether you are a religious person (Jew) or a nonreligious person (Gentile), the gospel calls you to change your mind about “God.” Notice that to “repent” is not the same as doing “works befitting repentance.” The word “and” makes this distinction. When we repent or change our minds to believe in Jesus, doing “works befitting repentance” is the result of repentance, not repentance itself. This change in action is the result of the change of mind or repentance and is necessary for discipleship or maturity to take place in the Christian life (cf. John 15:6-8; Revelation 2:4-5, 16, 21-22; 3:3, 19).

The religious person (Jew) relies on his own righteousness and religious activity to gain acceptance before God and the gospel tells him to change his view of God (repent) who is absolutely holy and righteous and realize that his own righteousness is like filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6). Then he is to “turn to God” to receive His “forgiveness” through “faith” in Christ (Acts 20:18). With Christ in his life as a result of believing in Jesus, he now has the power to “do works befitting repentance.”

The nonreligious person (Gentile) does not care anything about the things of God and may not even believe God exists. The gospel calls this person to change his mind about God Who does exist, and Who hates sin and will punish it (Isaiah 6:1-5; 59:1-2; Romans 3:23; 6:23; Revelation 20:15). His repentance is also a change of mind about his sin and God, so he can see his need to believe in Jesus for His forgiveness (Acts 20:18). After believing in Jesus, he too has the power to “do works befitting repentance.”

With this said, I want to point out that the words “believe” and “faith” are used over 200 times in contexts dealing with salvation from Hell in the New Testament compared to the next most used verb, “repent” (metanoeō), and its noun form “repentance” (metanoia), which are employed 33 times in salvation-related contexts in the New Testament. When the word “repent” or “repentance” are used in evangelistic contexts, they refer to a lost person changing his mind about whatever is keeping him from believing in Christ, and then believing in Him for eternal life. The non-Christian may need to change his mind about the Person of Christ (Mark 1:15; Acts 2:38), God (Acts 20:21), idols (Revelation 9:20), sin (Revelation 9:21), or his works (Revelation 16:11; Hebrews 6:1) before he can believe in Christ for the gift of salvation.

Repentance cannot refer to sorrow for sin or turning from sin because in the Old Testament God repents (e.g. Genesis 6:6-7; Exodus 32:14; Jeremiah 26:19; Jonah 3:9-10; et. al.). In the King James Version, the word “repent” occurs forty-six times in the Old Testament. Thirty-seven of these times, God is the one repenting (or not repenting). If repentance meant sorrow for sin, God would be a sinner. The apostle Paul distinguishes sorrow and repentance in 2 Corinthians 7:9 when he states, “your sorrow led to repentance.” Sorrow may lead to repentance or accompany repentance; but sorrow is not the same as repentance. In Acts 2 the Jews felt sorrow or regret about what they did to Jesus whom God made both Lord and Christ and they asked, “What shall we do?” (2:36-37). Peter told them to “Repent” (2:38) after their sorrow or regret.

In summary, when communicating the gospel, let’s be very clear. Repentance is a change of mind about whatever is keeping a non-Christian (religious or nonreligious) from believing in Christ, and then believing in Christ for His gift of everlasting life (Mark 1:15; John 3:16). Doing works befitting repentance has to do with discipleship and growing toward maturity in the Christian life after a person believes in Christ.

Moses and Jesus

“But since then there has not arisen in Israel a prophet like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face.” Deuteronomy 34:10

At the end of the book of Deuteronomy, we are told after Moses died that “there has not arisen in Israel a prophet like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face.” There had never been a prophet like Moses who had a unique relationship with God (“whom the Lord knew face to face”) and through whom God performed “all the signs and wonders…in the land of Egypt” (34:10-12) until Jesus Christ came to earth. Many who have studied Moses’ life have observed several similarities between Moses and Jesus Christ, including (taken from Dr. Tom Constable’s Notes on Deuteronomy 2015 Edition, pp. 127-128):

1. Both men were divinely chosen deliverers (Exod. 3:7-10; John 3:16; Acts 7:25).

2. Both were born into a godly home at a difficult time in Jewish history (Exod. 1:15—2:10; Matt. 2:1-12).

3. Both of their lives were threatened when they were infants (Exod. 1:22; Matt. 2:16).

4. Both were protected in Egypt (Exod. 2:1-10; Matt. 2:13-15). Both gave up wealth to benefit others (Heb. 11:24-26; Phil. 2:6-8).

5. Both experienced rejection by Israel initially and so turned to the Gentiles (Exod. 2:11-15; Acts 7:23-29; 18:5-6; cf. Acts 28:17-28).

6. Both gained a bride during their rejection by Israel (Exod. 2:16-21; Matt. 12:14-21; 2 Cor. 11:2; Eph. 5:30-32).

7. Following his period of rejection, Moses again appeared as Israel’s deliverer and was accepted, as Jesus will be (Exod. 4:29-31; Zech. 12:10—13:1; Rom. 11:24-26; cf. Acts 7:23-36; 15:14-17).

8. Both did mighty signs and wonders (miracles; Deut. 34:11-12; Matt. 4:23).

9. Both were servants of the Lord (Deut. 34:5; Isa. 53).

10. Both were prophets (Acts 3:22-23), advocates (Exod. 32:31-35; 1 John 2:1-2), intercessors (Exod. 17:1-6; Heb. 7:25), and leaders or kings (Deut 33:4-5; Isa. 55:4; Heb. 2:10; Rev. 19). Both were meek men (Num. 12:3; Matt. 11:28-30).

11. Both were mighty in word and deed (Acts 7:22; Luke 24:19).

12. Both experienced glorious transformation—Moses’ face, and Jesus’ entire person (Exod. 34:29- 30; Matt. 17:2).

13. Both enjoyed an intimate relationship with God (Deut. 34:10; John 17).

14. Moses was faithful as a servant over another’s house, whereas Christ is faithful as a Son over His own house (Heb. 3:5-6).

15. Both finished the work that God gave them to do (Exod. 39:42-43; 40:33; John 17:4).

16. Both went to heaven after dying (Deut. 34:5-6; Acts 1:9).

17. Both left trained successors behind who continued their work (Joshua, and the apostles). 18. However, Moses sinned (Num. 20:11), but Jesus did not (1 Pet. 2:21-24) because Jesus is fully God and fully Man (John 1:1, 14)!

Praise God for Moses who was a foreshadowing of the greatest Person to ever live – Jesus Christ! Let’s worship Jesus and make Him known to a lost world (Mark 16:15)!

The Ten Commandments and Evangelism

“I stood between the Lord and you at that time, to declare to you the word of the Lord.” Deuteronomy 5:5

To prepare the new generation of Israelites to enter the Promised Land, Moses reviewed the Ten Commandments with them because they provided guidance concerning their relationships with the Lord and one another (5:5-22). These commandments have provided timeless truths for God’s standard of holy living. However, there are many misunderstandings regarding the place of the Ten Commandments in evangelism today. Let’s look at a few of them:

1. The Ten Commandments are not the means of salvation but show the need for salvation. Some people misunderstand that these commandments must be obeyed to get to heaven. But the Bible is clear that the Law (including the Ten Commandments) is to be used in evangelism to show a lost person that they are guilty sinners before a holy God so they will see their need to believe or trust in Christ alone for salvation (cf. Rom. 3:20; Gal. 3:19-25).

2. Obeying the Ten Commandments does not take away our sins because our sins must be paid for. Only Jesus’ death on the cross in our place and His resurrection have paid for our sins in full (John 19:30; I Cor. 15:3-6). Therefore, those who believe or trust in Christ alone can be forgiven of all their sins (Acts 10:43; Col. 2:13-14).

3. Christians may think that people who openly disobey God’s commandments need the gospel more than those who appear to obey them. But the truth is, all people need the gospel because “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23) and are separated from God (Rom. 6:23) no matter how good or bad they may seem to be.

4. Those who seem to obey God’s commandments tend to be the most reluctant people to believe the gospel. The religious leaders of Israel were like this which is why Jesus often directed His most severe condemnation toward them (cf. Matt. 23:14; Mark 12:40). Those who trust in their own morality or righteousness have a more difficult time seeing their need to believe or trust in Christ alone for His gift of salvation (cf. Mark 10:14-25).

5. God wants Christians to be known for promoting Jesus more than the Ten Commandments. Our objective in evangelism is not to help people become more moral, but to help them see their need for Jesus Christ and His righteousness, so they will believe or trust in Him alone to save them from hell and give them eternal life (cf. John 3:1-16; Rom. 3:20-4:5).

(Adapted from EvanTell’s 2014 Evangelism Study Bible, p. 184).

Can a Christian commit Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit?

“³¹Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men. ³²Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come.” Matthew 12:31-32

Many Christians fear that they have committed blasphemy against the Holy Spirit and will not go to heaven when they die. Is it possible for a Christian to commit this sin? Let us look at the context of this passage in Matthew 12:22-37 to determine first, what is blasphemy of the Holy Spirt, and second, who can commit this sin.

After Jesus healed a “blind and mute” demon-possessed man “the multitudes” asked if Jesus could be “the Son of David,” the descendant of king David who would be their Messianic King (12:22-23). The Pharisees could not deny that Jesus performed a miracle, so they attributed the power by which He cast out this demon to “Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons” (12:24). The Pharisees knew Jesus performed this miracle by the power of the Holy Spirit (cf. John 3:2), yet they offered a different explanation so that the multitudes would not conclude that Jesus was their Messianic King.

Jesus responds to this charge of the Pharisees by giving three reasons why it is false:

Satan would not empower Jesus to cast out a demon because that would divide his kingdom and bring it to destruction (12:25-26).
Since the Pharisees believe that Jewish exorcists cast out demons by God’s power, it is inconsistent for them to charge Jesus of casting out demons by Satan’s power (12:27). The Pharisees knew that “If” Jesus casts out demons “by the Spirit of God” (and He does), then it means “the kingdom of God has come upon them” (12:28).
Before a robber can enter a strong man’s house, he must have more power to subdue the strong man, meaning if Christ can cast out a demon He must be stronger than Satan (12:29). But Satan would not give Jesus more power than his own. So Jesus refutes this false charge of the Pharisees on three counts.

Jesus invites the crowd to decide to either be “with” Him or “against” Him (12:30). Then He acknowledges that a God-Man (“Son of Man”) living among people may not be fully understood so He says, “Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him” (12:32a). It is possible for a non-Christian to blaspheme (“slander, defame, speak against”) Christ and later seek His forgiveness as in the case of Saul (Acts 9:3-5; 26:9-11; Philippians 3:6, 9; cf. Luke 23:34). However, “whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit…will not be forgiven” (12:32b).

“Blasphemy” (12:31) has the idea of uttering false charges which defame or damage another person’s reputation. In this historical context, blasphemy of the Holy Spirt involved attributing to Satan the works which were knowingly performed by the power of the Holy Spirit through Jesus Christ. The religious leaders of Israel, the Pharisees, knew that what Jesus did was the work of the Holy Spirit. They knew Jesus was from God because no one could perform the miracles that He performed unless “God was with Him” (John 3:2). Yet they knowingly attributed the work of the Holy Spirit through Jesus to Satan.

Notice what Jesus does not say. He does not say that blasphemy of the Holy Spirit cannot be forgiven by God or is impossible for God to forgive. No, He says blasphemy of the Holy Spirit “will not be forgiven men…will not be forgiven him” (12:31b, 32b). God is willing and able to forgive any all sins (cf. Psalm 103:2a, 3a; Isaiah 38:17; Micah 7:19b). He is also willing and able to forgive those who seek His forgiveness (Psalm 86:5; Acts 10:43). The form of the Greek statement in Matthew 12:32 is not saying that blasphemy of the Holy Spirit cannot be forgiven. It is saying that there is no case or example of forgiveness for this sin “in this age or in the age to come” (Matt. 12:32). So instead of referring to blasphemy of the Holy Spirit as “the unpardonable sin,” it is more accurate to refer to it as “the unpardoned sin.”

Can a Christian commit blasphemy of the Holy Spirit? Absolutely not, because the Word of God clearly teaches that anyone who believes in Christ receives at that moment a positional forgiveness for all of his sins – past, present, and future (Acts 10:43; Ephes. 1:7; Col. 2:13-14). This forgiveness is perfect, complete, and permanent (Heb. 10:10-18). Therefore, a non-Christian who later believes in Christ for eternal life is not capable of blaspheming the Holy Spirit because he seeks and obtains God’s unlimited forgiveness when he believes in Jesus for His gift of salvation (Acts 10:43; Ephes. 2:8-9). It is also impossible for a Christian to commit this sin because he not only has permanent positional forgiveness of sins the moment he believed in Jesus (Acts 10:43), but he also has available to him when he confesses his sin, God’s daily fellowship forgiveness (I John 1:9; cf. Matthew 6:12, 14-15).

What causes the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit? In Matthew 12:33-37, Jesus teaches that a person’s words reflect the condition of his heart. The words of the Pharisees were a manifestation of their hardened hearts (cf. Matt. 15:19 which says “blasphemies” arise out of an evil “heart”). It takes a hardened heart to recognize the power of the Holy Spirit and then knowingly attribute that power to Satan. The Pharisees knew Jesus was from God (John 3:2), yet they attribute the power of the Holy Spirit working through Him to the devil. Although the Pharisees had been given an enormous amount of light from Jesus who is “the Light” (John 1:4-9; 8:12), they deceitfully attribute it to the kingdom of Satan. The Pharisees knew Jesus healed the demon-possessed man by the power of the Holy Spirit, yet they offered a different explanation to deceive the crowds from moving toward faith in Jesus as their Messianic King. So instead of Jesus being recognized as God in human flesh (John 1:1, 14), He was regarded as the incarnation of Satan!

Any individual or religious system that attributes the power of God in and through Jesus Christ to Satan will not be forgiven because his heart (or their hearts are) is too hardened to seek God’s forgiveness through faith in Jesus Christ. In fact, any individual or religious system that denies that “Jesus is the Christ,” the Messiah-God in human flesh who is equal with God the Father, is “antichrist” (I John 2:22-23).

In summary, what is blasphemy of the Holy Spirit? It is knowingly attributing the work of the Holy Spirit through Jesus Christ to Satan. Who can commit blasphemy of the Holy Spirit? Non-Christians whose hearts are too hardened to seek God’s forgiveness through faith in Jesus Christ (Acts 10:43).

If you are afraid of having blasphemed the Holy Spirit, ask yourself, “Am I willing to seek God’s forgiveness for this? Do I believe in Jesus Christ alone to give me eternal life and complete forgiveness of all sins (John 3:16; Acts 10:43)? If so, according to Jesus Christ, you will go to heaven. Sometimes Christians are overly introspective and miss out on the joy of being forever secure in Christ. Doesn’t that sound like the work of the devil who has “come…to steal…kill, and to destroy” (John 10:10a) the joy of believers being secure in Jesus Christ? Dismiss the devil’s lies and embrace the truth that you are forever secure the moment you believe in Jesus for His gift of everlasting life (John 3:16; 6:35-40; 10:28-29).

The problem of Sin

“But if you do not do so, then take note, you have sinned against the Lord; and be sure your sin will find you out.” Numbers 32:23

When the children of Gad and Reuben requested to settle in the land east of the Jordan River (32:1-19), Moses agreed to let them settle there if they first kept their promise to help the other tribes defeat the inhabitants in the land of Canaan (32:20-22). He warned them, “But if you do not do so, then take note, you have sinned against the Lord; and be sure your sin will find you out” (32:23).

Although this warning is directed toward God’s people, it is true for all people – “Be sure your sin will find you out.” All people are guilty of sin whether they admit it or not (Rom. 3:23). And we cannot hide our sin from God because He knows and sees everything we do, say, and think. He is aware of our deepest thoughts and secrets. Jesus said, “For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, nor hidden that will not be known” (Luke 12:2).

Because God is holy and perfect, He must judge our sin. The Bible says, “For God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether good or evil” (Ecclesiastes 12:14).

There are only two possible people to pay the penalty for your sin – either you or Jesus Christ. The Bible says, “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit” (I Pet. 3:18). Jesus took the punishment we deserved when He died in our place for our sins and rose from the dead.

Christ now invites us to believe or trust in Him alone for His gift of everlasting life: “Whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). Those who do not believe in Christ for His free gift must pay the penalty for their own sin by suffering in the Lake of Fire forever, “And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire” (Revelation 20:15; cf. John 3:36).

(Adapted from EvanTell’s 2014 Evangelism Study Bible, p. 172).

How to reach self-reliant people with the Gospel

“Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, ‘One thing you lack: Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow Me.’ ” Mark 10:21

After Jesus taught that childlike faith was necessary to enter the kingdom of God (10:15), He encountered a rich religious man who lacked this childlike faith because he trusted his riches instead of Jesus for his kingdom entrance (10:17-24). This man thought he was good enough to enter heaven. What he failed to understand was that only God was that good. If Jesus truly is “good,” (10:17), then He must be God because “no one is good but One, that is, God” (10:18).

Christ sought to show this rich man his need to trust in God (Jesus) who alone is good by using the Law (10:19; cf. Rom. 3:20), but the man proudly said he kept “all these” commandments “from” his “youth” (10:20). He thought he was good enough to earn his way to heaven. Even though this man arrogantly thought his own righteousness was great enough to get him into heaven, we are told that “Jesus…loved him” (10:21a). Christ’s love is not turned away by stubborn arrogance!

Jesus then sought to show this rich man the “one thing” he truly lacked – childlike faith in Christ (10:15) – by confronting him with the call to discipleship – “Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow Me” (10:21). But because the rich man trusted his riches (10:24), “he was sad at this word, and went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions” (10:22). This wealthy man loved himself and his possessions more than his neighbor.

Jesus explained to His disciples that “it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a [sowing] needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God” (10:25). From a human perspective, this rich man was too big of a camel, too proud to ever become “small” enough to pass through the needle’s eye with a childlike act of faith. Instead of being ready to put child-like faith in Christ alone to save him from his sins (10:15), this rich man was confident of his own morality and goodness.

But Christ assures His disciples (and us), that “with God all things are possible” (10:27). Just as no man could ever push a big gamely camel through the eye of a sewing needle, so no amount of human persuasion could ever bring a self-reliant, rich man to trust in Christ alone for the gift of salvation. But God could do it. Salvation is a miracle. It’s not only a miracle that rich people get saved, but that anyone can get saved. Jesus had skillfully used the call to discipleship to reveal to the rich man that he was not as good as he once thought. Perhaps the rich man would come to grips with his own inability to save himself and see his need to trust in Jesus alone for His gift of everlasting life (10:15; cf. John 3:15-16, 36).

Maybe you know someone who is very wealthy and self-reliant and has no interest in spiritual things. Don’t give up. Trust God to prepare that person’s heart to place his childlike faith in Jesus alone to save him from his sins.

And if you are a person who is wealthy and self-reliant, I believe Jesus would look you in the eye and say to you, “Don’t you understand? I have done the tough part. I did the suffering. I died on the cross for your sins and rose from the dead. Now all you have to do is open up your arms and receive this free gift of eternal life with childlike faith in Me.” And I think He might also say, “I know that is hard for proud people to do. I know it’s hard for successful people to do, people who have relied on themselves their whole life. I know it is difficult. But take courage and do the right thing and open up your arms and receive this free gift.” And when you do, Christ will give you His free gift of everlasting life which can never be lost (John 3:16; 10:28-29).

Pour on the Salt

“Salt is good, but if the salt loses its flavor, how will you season it? Have salt in yourselves, and have peace with one another.” Mark 9:50

After Jesus predicted His death and resurrection a second time (9:30-32), He warned His disciples of three things that can hinder their effectiveness as His followers when they face suffering including a desire for greatness (9:33-37), a sectarian attitude that excludes other followers of Christ (9:38-41), and a lack of self-discipline about what we touch (“your hand”), where we go (“your foot”), and what we see (“your eye” – 9:42-48).

Jesus then says that “everyone will be seasoned with fire, and every sacrifice will be seasoned with salt” (9:49). Both believers and unbelievers will be seasoned with the “fire” and the “salt” of trials in this life (cf. James 1:1-18). For believers, these fiery trials can refine their faith (I Pet. 1:6-7), but for unbelievers these trials can show them their need to believe in Christ for salvation before it is too late (Acts 26:13-14).

Christ concludes, “Salt is good, but if the salt loses its flavor, how will you season it? Have salt in yourselves, and have peace with one another” (9:50). In the ancient Middle East, salt was used to preserve food and to make it tastier, so it would enhance one’s appetite for the food. When Jesus says to “have salt in yourselves,” He is talking about preserving His righteousness in the world and giving people an appetite for God by the way we live for Christ in the midst of suffering. We are to “have peace with one another” as we face difficulties instead of seeking our own greatness (9:33-34) or being sectarian (9:38-39).

Are we giving non-Christians an appetite for Jesus by the way we think, speak, and act? Instead of hardening our hearts when we face suffering (“if the salt loses its flavor”), we are to humble our hearts so God can use our difficulties to make us more like Jesus. In other words, pour on the salt by allowing Christ to be manifested in our daily lives.

A sweet aroma to the Lord

“You shall offer a burnt offering as a sweet aroma to the Lord: one young bull, one ram, and seven lambs in their first year, without blemish.” Numbers 29:2

To prepare the new generation of Israelites to enter the land of Canaan, God gave instructions concerning all the “offerings” or sacrifices that the priests were to make in a year for the whole nation (28:1-29:40). One of the main emphases found in these instructions is that the animals to be sacrificed must be “without blemish” (28:3, 9, 11, 19, 31; 29:2, 8, 13, 17, 20, 23, 26, 29, 32, 36) as “a sweet aroma to the Lord” (28:2, 6, 8, 13, 24, 27; 29:2, 6, 8, 13, 36).

This is a beautiful foreshadowing of the perfect (“without blemish”) sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 5:21; Hebrews 4:15; 1 Peter 3:18) who was and is fully God and fully Man (cf. John 1:1, 14). His death on the cross was “a sweet aroma” to God the Father whose holy demand to punish sin was satisfied (I John 2:2) so that “whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).

But you may say, “I’m religious…I go to church… I’m a good person…I help the poor… I don’t do anything that’s really bad.” These are all good, but good living, going to church, helping the poor, or any other good thing you might do, say, or think, cannot get you to Heaven. The Bible says, “All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags” (Isaiah 64:6). God looks at the good things we do, such as attending church, being baptized, confessing our sins, and persevering in good works and sees they are all stained with sin. None of these “good things” can take away our sins. We must believe or trust in Jesus alone, and God will forgive all of your sins (Acts 10:43) and give you everlasting life (John 3:15-16).

If up till now, you have been depending on your good works or on Christ plus your good works to get you to heaven, Jesus now invites you to depend on Him and His finished work on the cross alone to get you to heaven (John 3:15-16, 36; Ephesians 2:8-9). The moment you trust in Him alone, He gives you eternal life which can never be lost (John 10:28-29), He saves you from Hell forever (Acts 16:31), and He places you in God’s family forever (John 1:12; 6:37). Jesus will also come to live inside of you through His Holy Spirit (John 14:16-17; Galatians 2:20) to give you the power to live a life that pleases Him (Romans 8:11; 2 Corinthians 5:15).