Jesus At The Door Knocking - A Closer Look at Rev 3:20

"Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me." -Revelation 3:20

If you have read any of my notes at all, it is painfully obvious that I am a firm believer of the doctrines of grace. Admittedly, though, this passage above has given me trouble in the past, never fully knowing how to explain this passage to anyone if I were asked.

Let me explain. This passage is one commonly referred to if you are to tell people that no man is able to come to Christ unless God first grants you the ability to do so, because all men are in a state of total depravity, unable of themselves to believe on Jesus for salvation.

Other known passages that people refer to are ones such as Rev 22:17 "And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely"(KJV, emphasis added). OR John 3:15,16 "That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life"(KJV, emphasis added). Interestingly enough, I knew how to deal with passages like those, but not Rev 3:20. Turned out they are really dealt with in the same manner, because they are saying the same thing, and the same truth is present in all of those passages. I'll explain.

1. An Important Doctrine

First, we must understand a doctrine that is clearly taught in the scriptures and just obvious in experience, called the "call". The call is commonly broken down into two different kinds, the general and the effectual.

a) The General Call. Simply put, this is what is preached every Sunday at church. It is what every evangelist, missionary, preacher and Christian gives to the world. The gospel is given in the general call, it is the "repent and believe" that we are obligated to give to all men. Thus it is general, it is given to all. We are commanded to bring the gospel to all nations and all men, with no limitation. "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit" -Matt 28:19. "How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they are sent?" -Rom 10:14,15.

b) The Effectual Call. The word effectual is a derivative of effect, so then it is a call which goes out and accomplishes a purpose, it achieves its goal and nothing will hinder it. As God states it, "My word...that goes out from My mouth; it shall not return to Me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it" -Isa 55:11. The Bible says of this call, "[those] whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified" -Rom 8:30. So we see in that verse that those whom God predestined He called effectually and saved. It is a different call, because obviously not all men are justified and glorified. We see this in just common experience, one man accepts the word of God and another man who heard the same sermon is unaffected...why? God effectually called one man to repentance and the other was left hardened.

2. What Is Happening In Rev 3:20?

In Revelation 3:20 Jesus is addressing the churches, and this passage in particular is addressed to the Church of Laodicea, a church described as lukewarm (v. 16). In all actuality this at this specific point in the chapter and book, its not even clear if he is necessarily speaking to unbelievers, but that point is not to the purpose and does not change the point. The fact is the phrase "if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him..." or "whosoever will" is applicable to an unbeliever all the same.

3. How Are All These Verses Related?

Like I said before, the verse in question has the same answer as all the "whosoever will" passages you will ever come across. I'm going to attempt to paint this picture as best I can, here goes... There is a house, and the owner of this house is dead (not sick, crippled or slow) on the floor in the living room. A man comes up to the house and begins to knock on the door and say "I will come in and give you a million dollars if you come and open this door!"...get it? That dead man will not be able to come to that door unless something supernatural occurs, and he is resurrected.

Jesus came and gave that general call, He gave it to all those around, and even today the word is carried to all nations by missionaries and is preached continuously. Yet I tell you, no one will ever be converted by those words unless God gracefully opens their ears and hearts. Unless the Holy Spirit gives that person the ability to answer that door it is not going to happen.

4. A Final Thought

Take this for an example...

The General Call= Jer 4:4
"Circumcise yourselves to the LORD; remove the foreskin of your hearts, O men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem..."

The Effectual Call= Deu 30:6
"And the LORD your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your offspring, so that you will love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, that you may live."

The command is to circumcise your heart, just like the command to all of us is to repent and believe on Christ, the fact is we cannot circumcise our own hearts and we cannot bring ourselves to faith and repentance. Only the Lord is able to do all this, by His grace, for His praise...so may we pray for the work of the Lord in the hearts of all men, because "Salvation belongs to the LORD; your blessing be on your people! Selah" -Psa 3:8.

Weekly Puritan Pulpit

The Origin of Repentance
by C. H. Spurgeon, "the last Puritan"

When we cry, "Repent and be converted," there are some foolish men who call us legal. Now we beg to state, at the opening of this first point, that repentance is of gospel parentage. It was not born near Mount Sinai. It never was brought forth anywhere but upon Mount Zion. Of course, repentance is a duty--a natural duty--because, when a man hath sinned, who is there brazen enough to say that it is not man's bounden duty to repent of having done so? It is a duty which even nature itself would teach. But gospel repentance was never brought forth in the soul by demands of the law, nor indeed can the law, except as the instrument in the hand of grace, even assist the soul towards saving repentance. It is a remarkable fact that the law itself makes no provision for repentance. It says, "This do, and thou shalt live; break my command, and thou shalt die." There is nothing said about penitence; there is no offer of pardon made to those that repent. The law pronounces its deadly curse upon the man that sins but once, but it offers no way of escape, no door by which the man may be restored to favour. The barren sides of Sinai have no soil in which to nourish the lovely plant of penitence. Upon Sinai the dew of mercy never fell. Its lightnings and its thunders have frightened away the angel of Mercy once for all, and there Justice sits, with sword of flame, upon its majestic throne of rugged rock, never purposing for a moment to put up its sword into the scabbard, to forgive the offender. Read attentively the twentieth chapter of Exodus. You have the commandments there all thundered forth with trumpet voice, but there is no pause between where Mercy with her silver voice may step in and say, "But if ye break this law, God will have mercy upon you, and will shew himself gracious if ye repent." No words of repentance, I say, were ever proclaimed by the law; no promise by it made to penitents; and no assistance is by the law ever offered to those who desire to be forgiven. Repentance is a gospel grace. Christ preached it, but not Moses. Moses neither can nor will assist a soul to repent, only Jesus can use the law as a means of conviction and an argument for repentance. Jesus gives pardon to those who seek it with weeping and with tears; but Moses knows of no such thing. If repentance is ever obtained by the poor sinner, it must be found at the foot of the cross, and not where the ten commandments lie shivered at Sinai's base.

Full Sermon Here.

Can Someone Who's Never Heard Of Christ Be Saved?

There is a prevailing mindset in contemporary Christianity that those in remote places of the Earth, with no knowledge of Jesus, and no chance of believing can be saved apart from Jesus. I wouldn't label them Universalists, because most of those who make this mistake do believe in judgment and hell for those who reject the Gospel. While saying this, it is the same mistake that all Universalist make, namely that all gods are a way to the true God, or that its the same God just called by different names.

The main arguments for those who believe this would be something along these lines, perhaps:

1) They don't have a chance to accept or reject, so it is like an infant (assuming all infants are saved), and they cannot be codemned if they never had a chance.

2) I think God has enough mercy to save these people, or give them a chance when they die to have faith in Christ. They don't have a chance to accept or reject, so it is like an infant (assuming all infants are saved), and they cannot be codemned if they never had a chance.

3) (Like point 1) It would just be unjust of God to not even allow them the oppurtunity.

And while the arguments look good and they seem noble, when brought against scripture and pure logic, they just don't hold any water. Perhaps I may propose a few thoughts as to why this should be considered an unbiblical view of salvation (these will not be exhaustive):

I. "It cuts a nerve of urgency for evangelism and missions."

This is a point brought up by John Piper in his book, "Let the Nations be Glad!" (1993, Baker Academic), and I think it is a very good point. We are commanded by Jesus like this, "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." Most would not deny the importance of missions, and why is it important? Because we understand the sin that all are under, the punishment for that sin, as well as the glory that it brings to Christ Jesus when more and more are brought into His kingdom.

If all can be saved apart from Jesus anyway, then why evangelize them? Why risk the chance of them denying the Gospel when they were already saved? Are we spreading a Gospel of death? This is a logical conclusion, but what do the scriptures teach us about this subject?

II. Jesus Christ is the only name!

"And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved" -Acts 4:12. Here is another logical example, while at the same time applying scripture. Why is only Christ Jesus able to save? Because He did something none of us could do, He kept the law perfectly, and His righteousness is imputed to us through faith in His name! "For our sake [God] made [Jesus] to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God" -2 Cor 5:21. Only faith in Jesus is able to save, because only through that faith is the righteousness of Jesus Christ imputed to us by the Holy Spirit. This is why all other religions are rejected such as Hinduism, Buddhism and even Muslims, because their religions do not accept Christ Jesus as Lord and Savior.

III. No knowledge of Jesus means no knowledge of the Father.

Obviously this is still keeping with point II. Going back to why all other religions are not accepted is because of this very point, which is expressly laid out in scripture, such as:

Luke 10:22..."All things have been handed over to Me by My Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, or who the Father is except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal Him."

1 John 5:12..."Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life."

IV. Jesus has died in vain.

If people can be saved apart from Him alone, then what was the purpose of His death? Was He not to be glorified? "Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you,
since you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do. And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed" -John 17:1-5

"And they sang a new song, saying, 'Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth'" -Rev 5:9,10.

It takes away all the honor, the glory and grace of Christ's death upon the cross.

V. It flies in the face of scripture

The plain truth is this:
"For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse"-Romans 1:19.

All has been revealed in God's general revelation, yet the truth of his power and his existence has been suppressed in unrighteousness by the carnal and depraved minds of man.

"None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one" -Romans 3:10,11.

And the simple fact is that no one seeks God, though He has made Himself known they refuse to know Him. And as Calvin once said it, "the human mind is an idol factory." Man will never know the true God unless it is through the Holy Spirit opening their eyes to the work of Christ Jesus on the cross.

Like I said not exhaustive just a few quick thoughts about the whole matter.

Edit: Also in reference to the first objection above, concerning how they are like infants, is a fallacious argument, in that infants do not have the discerning capacity to discern evil from good. They are not at a point where they could even understand God's general, let alone His special revelation. Whether or not infants are all saved is another matter, that I won't touch here.

Weekly Puritan Pulpit

"Love the Lord Jesus Christ"

Preached by Thomas Brooks (1608-1680)

Look that ye love the Lord Jesus Christ with a superlative love, with an overtopping love. There are none have suffered so much for you as Christ; there are none that can suffer so much for you as Christ. The least measure of that wrath that Christ hath sustained for you, would have broke the hearts, necks, and backs of all created beings.

O my friends! There is no love but a superlative love that is any ways suitable to the transcendent sufferings of dear Jesus. Oh, love him above your lusts, love him above your relations, love him above the world, love him above all your outward contentments and enjoyments; yea, love him above your very lives; for thus the patriarchs, prophets, apostles, saints, primitive Christians, and the martyrs of old, have loved our Lord Jesus Christ with an overtopping love: Rev. xii. 11, 'They loved not their lives unto the death;' that is, they slighted, contemned, yea, despised their lives, exposing them to hazard and loss, out of love to the Lamb, 'who had washed them in his blood.' I have read of one Kilian, a Dutch schoolmaster, who being asked whether he did not love his wife and children, answered, Were all the world a lump of gold, and in my hands to dispose of, I would leave it at my enemies' feet to live with them in a prison; but my soul and my Saviour are dearer to me than all. If my father, saith Jerome, should stand before me, and my mother hang upon, and my brethren should press about me, I would break through my brethren, throw down my father, and tread underfoot my mother, to cleave to Jesus Christ. Had I ten heads, said Henry Voes, they should all off for Christ. If every hair of my head, said John Ardley, martyr, were a man, they should all suffer for the faith of Christ. Let fire, racks, pulleys, said Ignatius, and all the torments of hell come upon me, so I may win Christ. Love made Jerome to say, O my Saviour, didst thou die for love of me?-a love sadder than death; but to me a death more lovely than love itself. I cannot live, love thee, and be longer from thee. George Carpenter, being asked whether he did not love his wife and children, which stood weeping before him, answered, My wife and children!- my wife and children! are dearer to me than all Bavaria; yet, for the love of Christ, I know them not. That blessed virgin in Basil being condemned for Christianity to the fire, and having her estate and life offered her if she would worship idols, cried out, 'Let money perish, and life vanish, Christ is better than all.' Sufferings for Christ are the saints' greatest glory; they are those things wherein they have most gloried: Crudelitas vestra, gloria nostra, your cruelty is our glory, saith Tertullian. It is reported of Babylas, that when he was to die for Christ, he desired this favour, that his chains might be buried with him, as the ensigns of his honour. Thus you see with what a superlative love, with what an overtopping love, former saints have loved our Lord Jesus; and can you, Christians, who are cold and low in your love to Christ, read over these instances, and not blush?

Certainly the more Christ hath suffered for us, the more dear Christ should be unto us; the more bitter his sufferings have been for us, the more sweet his love should be to us, and the more eminent should be our love to him. Oh, let a suffering Christ lie nearest your hearts; let him be your manna, your tree of life, your morning star. It is better to part with all than with this pearl of price. Christ is that golden pipe through which the golden oil of salvation runs; and oh. how should this inflame our love to Christ! Oh that our hearts were more affected with the sufferings of Christ! Who can tread upon these hot coals, and his heart not burn in love to Christ, and cry out with Ignatius, Christ my love is crucified? Cant. viii. 7,8. If a friend should die for us, how would our hearts be affected with his kindness! and shall the God of glory lay down his life for us, and shall we not be affected with his goodness i John x. 17, 18. Shall Saul be affected with David's kindness in sparing his life, 1 Sam. xxiv. 16, and shall not we be affected with Christ's kindness, who, to save our life, lost his own? Oh, the infinite love of Christ, that he should leave his Father's bosom, John i. 18, and come down from heaven, that he might carry you up to heaven, John xiv. 1-4; that he that was a Son should take upon him the form of a servant, Phil. ii. 5-8; that you of slaves should be made sons, of enemies should be made friends, of heirs of wrath should be made heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ, Rom. viii. 17; that to save us from everlasting ruin, Christ should stick at nothing, but be willing to be made flesh, to lie in a manger, to be tempted, deserted, persecuted, and to die upon a cross!

Oh what flames of love should these things kindle in all our hearts to Christ! Love is compared to fire; in heaping love upon our enemy, we heap coals of fire upon his head, Rom. xii. 19, 20; Prov. xxvi. 21. Now the property of fire is to turn all it meets with into its own nature: fire maketh all things fire; the coal maketh burning coals; and is it not a wonder then that Christ, having heaped abundance of the fiery coals of his love upon our heads, we should yet be as cold as corpses in our love to him. Ah! what sad metal are we made of, that Christ's fiery love cannot inflame our love to Christ! Moses wondered why the bush consumed not, when he sees it all on fire, Exod. iii. 3; but if you please but to look into your own hearts, you shall see a greater wonder; for you shall see that, though you walk like those three children in the fiery furnace, Dan. iii., even in the midst of Christ's fiery love flaming round about you; yet there is but little, very little, true smell of that sweet fire of love to be felt or found upon you or in you. Oh, when shall the sufferings of a dear and tender-hearted Saviour kindle such a flame of love in all our hearts, as shall still be a-breaking forth in our lips and lives, in our words and ways, to the praise and glory of free grace? Oh that the sufferings of a loving Jesus might at last make us all sick of love! Cant. ii. v. Oh let him for ever lie betwixt our breasts, Cant. i. 13, who hath left his Father's bosom for a time, that he might be embosomed by us for ever.

Judge Not? The Truth of Christian Judgment

"Judge not, that you be not judged." -Matthew 7:1 (ESV)

The all-encompassing, all-inclusive, favorite line of many professing Christians and even unbelievers, in an attempt to dodge the sin they are being confronted with. Good passage no doubt, yet just like all verses in the Bible it is followed by other passages, and in this particular case it says do not judge in a hypocritical manner, such as the Pharisees did (Romans 2:1).

But what is it to Judge? As one who is accused of passing judgment often, I always wish to have this question answered...It never is. Tell someone they are in sin, you are passing judgment. Say that God will send unbelievers to hell, you pass judgment. And if you argue that a belief of another is wrong, you pass judgment, and are causing strife in the church of Christ.

Lets go back to the question though, what is it to judge?

Greek:
κρίνω (krinō)
Properly to distinguish, that is, decide (mentally or judicially); by implication to try, condemn, punish: - avenge, conclude, condemn, damn, decree, determine, esteem, judge, go to (sue at the) law, ordain, call in question, sentence to, think.

Well there is the definition, but what are the implications?
I'll start by asking 3 questions, you determine whether it is right or wrong in that situation to judge:

1. I believe the Word of God is the true, living, breathing and inerrant Word of God. The person I am speaking with does not. Do I tell him he is wrong, or am I being judgmental?

2. I believe Christ is the Son of God, perfect, sinless, and savior of the world. The person I am speaking with does not. Do I tell him what he believes in wrong, or am I being judgmental?

3. I believe murdering a man is wrong. The person I am speaking to does not, would I be judging him to say otherwise?

Answer to all three: Yes it is judging. Furthermore it is correct to judge them in that situation. Obviously Jesus judged when someone was in error (Point and Case Matthew 23:13-29, in His "woe to you, scribes and pharisees" discourse), He did not walk the world teaching people "You have your belief, and I have mine" or "we'll agree to disagree." No, it was an on the spot correction, what most today would deem an un-Christian practice.

Let me set before you a few considerations, and think of the benefits and command to judge with righteous judgment, as a Christian judges:

I. To not present the truth to a person is to have no love for them. Think about it, and bear with me as I use an old example. If a house were full of invisible poisonous gas, and your friend were about to walk into that house, would you tell them? Or would you fear that they would think you judgmental. Say you did tell them and they still walked in there, pronouncing you judgmental, and they see no harm in walking in because they see no gas. The consequence is now on them, you warned and you cared enough to tell them. But say you didn't tell them, you just talked about meaningless things, such as the football game, or the new celebrity news as they walk in, all the time knowing whats inside that house. Is this not unloving? Think on these words here below, and meditate upon their meaning:

"Open rebuke is better than love carefully concealed. Faithful are the wounds of a friend, but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful." -Proverbs 27:5,6

II. Christian judgment, judges nothing that hasn't already been judged by the Great Judge. Do you believe the Bible to be the Word of God? Then if someone judges you, and they have reason to do so by the word of God, then you are wrong to despise that correction. What is the word good for? "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work" (2 Tim 3:16). Listen, if you go up to a man and say "murder is wrong!" and he says to you "no it isn't," but you persist in saying otherwise, why do you do so (or what is the Christian reason for doing so)? Because God has judged it wrong already. Same goes for premarital sex, homosexuality, thievery, blasphemy, heresy, drunkenness, etc. (1 Cor 6:9,10). If a Christian goes up to another Christian and confronts him on his drunkenness and sexual immorality, he is not "judging" him in the negative connotation, but in love for that person's soul! Think on these words:

"Whoever loves instruction loves knowledge, but he who hates correction is stupid." -Proverbs 12:1

"Behold, happy is the man whom God corrects;Therefore do not despise the chastening of the Almighty." -Job 5:17

III. An example, of a man of God correcting one who professes to be a child of God:
(After David kills Uriah and he takes Uriah's wife to be his own, Nathan comes to David and tells a parable in 2 Samuel 12. He tells of a poor man's sheep being taken by a rich man, and in anger David says, "as the LORD lives, the man who has done this shall surely die!" This is what Nathan says):

Then Nathan said to David, “You are the man! Thus says the LORD God of Israel: ‘I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you from the hand of Saul. I gave you your master’s house and your master’s wives into your keeping, and gave you the house of Israel and Judah. And if that had been too little, I also would have given you much more! Why have you despised the commandment of the LORD, to do evil in His sight? You have killed Uriah the Hittite...you have taken his wife to be your wife...Now therefore, the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised Me, and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife...Behold, I will raise up adversity against you from your own house; and I will take your wives before your eyes and give them to your neighbor, and he shall lie with your wives in the sight of this sun. For you did it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel, before the sun.’” So David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the LORD.” -2 Samuel 12:7-13

Notice here two things. 1) Nathan rebuked the King of Israel, he judged him...why? Because God did. 2) David immediately saw his sin for what it was, he did not say "you're judging me Nathan, and you're wrong" because David knew the commandments of the LORD.

IV. One more example of the Apostle Paul in his first letter to the Corinthians, chapter 5. He writes to them about an immoral person in their congregation having relations with his mother and says, "For I indeed, as absent in body but present in spirit, have already judged (as though I were present) him who has so done this deed"(v.3). He goes on to tell them that when they are gathered together they must "deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus"(v.5). To let the person continue in the congregation would give him the false impression that he does nothing wrong, and would lead him to hell. He tells them that this will ruin their church if he is not cast out. I recommend the whole chapter, because it deals with righteous judgment, and proper church discipline that has seemingly been forgotten.

Caveat: As I say all this, we should all know, there is a right judgment and there is most certainly a wrong judgment. As Jesus commanded the crowds, so we must know the meaning of this: "Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment" (John 7:24).

There is the judgment of a hypocrite, one who judges and yet practices the very same. There is the judgment of the prideful, one who judges to exalt himself. There are those who judge out of hate, and to humiliate and shame others for their satisfaction. All three are the same. But then there are those who judge with Godly judgment, between what is right and wrong in the eyes of God. May we seek to understand that judgment, to love our neighbor as ourselves, and to show them their fault so that they may trust in Christ and if they are believers that they would repent and return to the ways of Christ Jesus.

-Guardian

The Universe

"The Cosmic Cube." This phrase illustrates a very common belief, especially in circles of academics. The Cosmic Cube represents the view that there is nothing outside of the universe. All that is came from within this cube. Those who hold this position may even admit they don't really know where it all came from, but since they don't know neither could you. Upon closer examination do you wonder if their story of a Cosmic Cube instead of the extrinsic Creator really on the same level of science and logic? Is their goal really to find the truth or to run from it?


The Beginning

You can really only hold three possible positions (which will quickly be narrowed down to two) when it comes to the beginning of the universe.

1. The Universe was created by a Creator.
2. The Universe created itself.
3. The Universe was not created but always existed.

The first two positions hold way more weight than the third. Science only continually proves that the universe cannot be eternal. Energy is constantly breaking down into less useful energy. Eventually this planet will become a cold ball of ice, and in the span of eternity that should have already happened. There are very many other problems that have been found in science. An eternal, mindless universe still has no explanation for the universal laws of morality. Those who hold to this position deny the value of science, and neither atheist nor Christian are interested in speculations and dreams.

But the first two positions are more serious. Even though number two still contains major flaws, the Cosmic Cube does acknowledge a beginning which is one logical step closer to the truth; but it is still light years away from reality.


The Universe Created Itself?

Inevitably you will walk into someone who sets themselves up as wise and they'll tell you the universe created itself. How do you respond? According to him you have no right to disagree. After all, he knows more than you. The system of evolution is a complicated and evolved philosophy. Often proud men will point to this complicated, twisted speculation as if it had to be true because of its confusion. Christians shouldn't be impressed. Men of all kinds (from mathematicians, to scientists, to preachers) alike still question if it should even be considered a theory rather than a hypothesis. But even if it is accepted as a theory, its proponents love to boast it as a fact! Because they know there cannot be a God.

Some Major Problems with the Universe Creating Itself

1. How did something come from nothing?
This has to be one of the greatest problems for those who hold to the Cosmic Cube. Why is there life instead of death? Why is there heat instead of cold? Why is there light instead of darkness? Where do the Cubians point to answer these questions? They're left with one option: grasping dreams and speculations; and, depending on how proud they are, boast those dreams and speculations as pure fact.

2. Where is the fossil evidence? No, really. No... really.
Have you ever heard the boasts of evolutionists about the fossil record? Tons and tons of fossils have been found. Surely many have been found, but does it come close to matching their claim? First consider what the Cosmic Cube Big Bang Evolutionists are claiming here: They say that over the span of millions of years, the hundreds of species we have now have undergone countless evolutionary changes. Don't be deceived, you have every right to ask where are these fossils are. Shouldn't there be thousands, if not millions, of fossils everywhere? We should find fossils just by kicking some dirt. However, the fossil record doesn't even come close to what they are actually claiming. Their claim is astronomical, therefore the results should be astronomical as well. But they're not.

A sub problem with the fossil record is also found in their dating methods. Evolution-holding archaeologists claim fossils date back millions of years. This is because their carbon dating system tell them so. What they don't seem to want to openly admit to the public is that the carbon dating system has terrible problems. First of all, it is a rule that carbon dating cannot give accurate results past 50,000 years (and even that is a speculated number). Second, there are a great number of factors that affect the carbon of a fossil. Extreme heat, such as lava, is one example that will dramatically change the carbon result. Is their dating system really reliable, do they really know how old these fossils are, and is their goal really to find the truth or run from it?

So how does this phenomena of something coming from nothing happen? 'Time' is the mystical worker. With enough time anything is possible -- well, anything other than a God creating us, of course.

It is Plain

"For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven
against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men,
who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth.
For what can be known about God is plain to them,
because God has shown it to them.
For His invisible attributes, namely,
His eternal power and divine nature,
have been clearly perceived,
ever since the creation of the world,
in the things that have been made."

(Romans 1:18-20)

If you dare to suggest that this obviously designed universe has a designer, you will be ridiculed as a fool. By why is that? Is it because it's an irrational claim, or is it because those scoffing don't want to be a slave to their Creator? It seems clear that the engine pulling along the science-fiction of evolution is an unwillingness to submit to God.

"Why do the nations rage and the people's plot in vain?
The kings of earth set themselves,
and rulers take counsel together,
against the Lord and against His anointed,
saying, 'Let us burst their bonds apart
and cast away their chains from us.'"

(Psalm 2:1-3)

The Lord tells us it's plain that He created this ordered sphere. A simple illustration that a child can understand comes from the book Natural Theology by William Paley. Imagine you were walking along and you find an object on the ground. You pick it up, observe that it has two hands moving at different speeds. A light ticking noise hums from it. Then you realize that this object keeps perfect time! What would you say? Would you say, "Wow! Look at what the wind, rain, and time have created: A watch!"? It would be clear to you that this watch was designed by a watchmaker. How much more should it be obvious that the complicated bodies all around us (the stars, earth, animal life, mankind, etc.) were designed by a creator? But the scoffer resorts to the possibilities of time argument again. Somewhere within saying "millions of years" they will believe even that a watch could form from random atmospheric changes.

"The heavens declare the glory of God,
and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.
Day to day pours out speech,
and night to night reveals knowledge.
There is no speech, nor are there words,
whose voice is not heard.
Their voice goes out through all the earth,
and their words to the ends of the world."
(Psalms 19:1-4)

Science should point to God if the facts are collected honestly. The Lord has made it plain, but man has suppressed the truth in unrighteousness. Is modern day science honest?

Examining Countryside Baptist

From the title alone I am trekking into a touchy subject and if read this may not be received well. Countryside Baptist Church is probably one of the more well-known “Baptist” churches here in Stillwater, OK. Anyone who comes from a Baptist background, either attends there or has at least once been in attendance, and the BCM on campus even has some connections with this church.

From the title alone I am trekking into a touchy subject and if read this may not be received well. Countryside Baptist Church is probably one of the more well-known “Baptist” churches here in Stillwater, OK. Anyone who comes from a Baptist background, either attends there or has at least once been in attendance, and the BCM on campus even has some connections with this church.

So then with anything I say here I hope to be careful that I do not misrepresent the views of Countryside Baptist. At the same time I want to express, to any discerning Christian, a warning about this church, because I do not believe that what it teaches is Biblical and that it has departed from Orthodox Christianity, in many respects. It is my strong conviction that what they are teaching others is damning and a different Gospel altogether and that they are in error.

While I understand my position as one of a student, and not a theologian, scholar, pastor or elder, I cannot but help use the words of Elihu to Job:

“I am young in years, and you are very old; therefore I was afraid, and dared not declare my opinion to you. I said, ‘Age should speak, and multitude of years should teach wisdom.’ But there is a spirit in man, and the breath of the Almighty gives him understanding. Great men are not always wise, nor do the aged always understand justice. Therefore I say, ‘Listen to me, I also will declare my opinion.’”–Job 32:6-9

The Focus

There are many things that I would disagree with Countryside on, including their dispensational theology which much of this dangerous gospel theology comes out of, their eschatology (end-times), worship, etc. But that is not the focus of this note. The focus will remain only on what pertains to the gospel which leads to salvation, the most important doctrine when it comes to the souls of others spending eternity either in bliss or indignation.

What Does Countryside Believe

I will go further into this issue as I deal with individual topics below, but for now it is important to know that Countryside aligns itself with what is known as the “Free Grace Movement/Alliance.” Countryside is correct in some important beliefs such as the person of God, the Trinity, the authority of the Bible, and so on. Yet, while they claim to align with doctrines such as justification by grace through faith apart from works, they do not hold to it in a biblical or historical way. Repentance is a non-essential, and submitting to Christ is unneeded. With only that last sentence, flashing lights should be going off, but if not, I will further explicate.

Conversion without Repentance

This is no hidden doctrine amongst those professing the beliefs of the “free grace” movement. In fact it is openly proclaimed by those holding to its views, for example by one advocate of the ideals:

“There are no qualifiers used with believe, such as really believe, truly believe, or genuinely believe. There is only one kind of belief….There are no other conditions mentioned…such as repentance, surrender, commitment, or obedience…We are saved when we simply believe (trust in, accept as true for myself) that Jesus is God’s Son, the Savior from our sins. Salvation is absolutely free and apart from any condition of merit to earn it.” (Dr. Charlie Bing, Gracelife ministries, Reference)

Read the article for yourself. What is most dangerous from this belief is the neglect of repentance, and the claim that anyone who believes in repentance before justification is teaching nothing more than salvation by works. For example, J.B. Bond explicitly states in his sermon on Grace Pt. 1 (See Here), that anyone who attempts to ask you to “repent and believe” is adding works to a gospel of grace. At the same time as you listen to the sermon you will notice that faith is nothing more than a work in the eyes of J.B., yet it will not be called such. This comes from a misunderstanding of when regeneration takes place.

This is in fact a very dangerous teaching because it implies no change, no casting away sin and no turning to God, just a casual “belief” in the death of Christ for sin. Even though the command to repent is explicit (Mark 1:4, 15; Luke 3:8; 5:32; 13:3; Acts 26:19,20; 2 Cor. 7:9, 10 and many more referring to it directly and indirectly), they have an ability to change the meaning of words. The definition to the "free gracers" is simply “to change one’s mind about God.” Leaving out all recognition of your sin, your need for Christ and the forgiveness found in Him.

The Lordship of Christ Nonexistent

Well if there is one hotly debated subject it is this one. Mainly brought forth by John Macarthur’s book, “The Gospel According to Jesus” and its sequel “The Gospel According to the Apostles,” the position of the “free gracers” being, that one may accept Christ as their savior and yet reject Him as Lord, thus separating the person of Christ into two, even though the Bible makes no such distinction. What this leads to is belief that there is no commitment to God or obedience to His commands as the above quote from Dr. Charlie Bing mentions . Meaning the Christian will not necessarily prove his salvation by any works. Take for example James 2:14-24:

“What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you says to them, “Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,” but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble! But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead? Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect? And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” And he was called the friend of God. You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only.” (NKJV)

After reading this verse it is clear that works will necessarily accompany faith (cf. Matt. 7:15-20, “you will know them by their fruits”). Yet the “free gracer” has a pretty well formulated argument, using scholasticism, circular reasoning, and fallacious hermeneutics, he will find his way around this verse. Changing the meaning of the word “save” for example, and also using the argument that the book of James (and all 3 synoptic gospels for example) do not apply to us as Christians.

Now I am not about to call all “free gracers” or anyone at Countryside antinomians, but what I will say is that their theology inevitable concludes at that point. Faith is made a one time thing, there is no commitment to Christ, no submission, no obedience, and if one goes off to be a Buddhist or Hindu, he is just as much a Christian as when he “believed.” Even if he curses the name of God, he has that one time “flu shot” salvation, in fact this is exactly what J.B. Bond preaches!

“Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments.” -1 John 2:3

Misunderstanding Grace

As with many other churches which make the mistake of confusing the responsibility of man in salvation with God’s sovereignty, Countryside is among them. While the claim that repentance is a work, they unknowingly purport faith as the one thing that we must throw into the equation. Faith is the one thing we must build up, and the only reason that one of us believes and another doesn’t is because we made the right decision and they didn’t.

What the “free grace” movement has become known as is “cheap grace” and “easy believism.” Please do not get me wrong, I believe in the free, unmerited, and sovereign grace of God, but not in the way that this movement and Countryside do. When I call it easy believism, I mean that they are practically believing nothing, only the intellectual ascent that Christ existed, died, and rose again. But not as the holy God, who cannot tolerate sin in His presence (Psalm 5:4), and who is Lord over all, worthy of all the praise for our salvation, sanctification, and glorification. The fact is that by the “free grace” definition the final act and decision in salvation is our own, and God can only wait and hope we will make the right one.

There is also a misunderstanding of grace, by the fact that it has no power to free us from sin, and make us obedient to God. Free gracer emphasize no relationship with Christ, only a one time knowing of Him, and then if you want to follow Him thats up to you.

Conclusion

Because I don’t want to make this terribly long, and there is not definite place to start and end, I will leave it with those beginning thoughts. But if considered in the fullest and studied, you will see the devastating consequences of such beliefs. To not repent, in the Biblical sense, is to never see your own filthiness, to never clearly see the grace of God, and the need of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of those sins. If that happens, then what will follow is a negligence to see any importance or need for showing thankfulness and love through the obedience to His commands. Do not take this warning lightly if you attend that church. The things J.B. and his apprentices put forth as truth are nothing more than mixed up terminology, a misunderstanding of God’s grace, denial of the holiness of God, and un-logical reasoning. But that’s just my thought, for a better, more thorough and convicting statement about the practices such as those of Countryside Baptist go Here.