Bill Maher's anti-Christian documentary

I stayed up late last night to watch the David Letterman show. I normally do not watch it (nothing against David), but since Sen. McCain was supposed to be on, so I decided to watch it. Sen. McCain decided that he should be in Washington working on the economic crises, so he canceled on Letterman. Dave obviously did not take it lightly, because for the rest of the show he ripped McCain relentlessly. That is not the point why I am writing. While watching I saw a commercial for a "documentary" film from Bill Maher. The film titled; Relgulous is supposed to be about how ridiculous religion is, and it does it in joking way. This is an obvious retaliation to the film that Ben Stine released last spring. I have not yet watched the film, so I cannot have a critical view of it yet, but I have seen a trailer for it. From what I have seen the film is supposed to be critical of all religions, but from interviews and clips that I have seen, it is more or less directed towards Christianity (Maher does have some gay Muslims he interviews though). Maher has selected some off the wall folks, and puts them in a more ridiculous light than what they are already in, and labels them true Christians. This is very dishonest, and to compare it to the work that Ben Stine did in his film; Expelled. Ben did not make any stupid jokes about atheist, all he had to do was ask them questions about their faith, and they became bumbling fools. Ben didn't have to interview the nut jobs that followed the pagan beliefs, he went right to their poster boy Richard Dawkins. So the joke is on Bill Maher, he has no evidence or no rhetoric to prove any of his opinions. All that I have heard from him is jokes and ranting. My question is; is this the best that the pagans can do? They laugh and call us foolish for believing, and worshiping in a God that created the universe. They believe the world has created itself, thus they worship themselves. I would love to see them interview a solid Christian scholar just once. I am sure Dr. John MacArthur would love to debate Mr. Bill Maher on this point. Here is the You Tube link for one of Billy's rantings: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fmar4-NAJ

Fly Fishing 101

A passion of mine has been rekindled over the last couple of months, that is the most likely reason why I have not written in my blog for the entire month of August. I have decided to post something every Saturday, unless I am some how completely unable to. With that out of the way I will continue with my first thought.

I have been a fly fisherman for six years, but have never been this consumed in it. I have done other activities that have felt this way, but this is some how different. I was into horseback riding, bow hunting, then traditional archery, some golf that was really short lived, and various other outdoor activities through out my life. They all had one thing in common which was; they all started out intense and slowly faded to cold coal. That is the complete opposite of what I am experiencing with fly fishing right now. It started off slowly but has grow red hot, as I constantly flame it. I have emerged myself with study and needed some kind of quick relief. I have been racking my brain with Bible studies and, theology. I just needed something quick and easy to do, to get outdoors, and enjoy God's creation. Fishing seemed like a quick fix. Its easy, you just find some water, get some bait, rig it up, toss it in the water, and sit and wait. Boring, I was finding myself taking my studies with me to the lake side, while not being bothered much with the pole lying beside me. Then in one of my stupors, I graped my fly rod, called up a friend of mine to give it a go, and went to the nearest ripple section of water. We did not hook any fish, but we were dreadfully hooked ourselves. We started studying up on the proper way of fly fishing, we also upgraded our rods, reels, and other gear. We learned more about our prey, and have had some good success. So far our fish of choice have been small mouth bass, with the occasional blue gill, but we spend our free time dreaming about twenty inch trout giving us the fight of it's life(When that happens I will be sure to write about it). But the truth behind this story is; the faith fullness of Christ, I would not be able to enjoy this activity the way that I do if it wasn't for Him. That is the difference that I pointed out earlier. When I was involved in those other outdoor activities, I did not live as I lived now, I did not know Jesus Christ as Lord as I know now. I would give fly fishing up in heart beat, if it separated me from Christ. Christ is my life, only in Him I can live. The reason why fly fishing is so enjoyable, is because it is not my center of life, like other activities were. Christ is, He makes life so much more richer, things taste better, life pains are so much more deep. It is not the same with every one, not every one enjoys fishing like I do. That is not the point. This is; when Christ is the center of our lives, when He is our treasure, and nothing else matters; the appetizers in life are so much sweeter.

So, whats the difference?

The pluralist (universalism) , if they would be completely honest would say; we do not need Christ. If all religions are in fact the same, that they lead to the same God. Than having faith in Christ is useless, because not all religions believe that Christ is the second person of the God-head. Namely the Son of God, whom through obedience and love, came to earth in the flesh, to live a perfect, sinless life, to be murdered by sinful men, by the will of the Father to be an atonement for all. The Exclusivist (fundamentalist/true Christianity) is the direct opposite of the pluralist, while the pluralist would say that all religions lead to God, the exclusivist stands firm in saying that unless through Christ, no man has any hope. The exclusivist believes that Christ the second person of the Trinity, did in fact come into this world, to save those whom the Father would draw to him (John 6:37-40). The Inclusive (middle of the road, politically correct) approach lies somewhere in the middle. They do believe that Christ is the Son of God, that did in fact die for the sins of man. However they believe that God works outside of the Christian message; by doing this, those whom have never heard the message of salvation may have a chance of salvation as well. If this stance is true, than we should not acknowledge the great commission (that Christ ordered to believers), destroy the Churches and the Bibles, and within a few generations no one would know of Christ, therefore all would be saved. If God is truth, and if we believe that the Bible is the word of God. Than we should just examine what the scripture has to say about the three different views of Christ being the only way to salvation. John 14:6 says; "I am the way the truth and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me." Romans 1:20-25; in this passage Paul explains that all men have turned from God, even though His divine nature and eternal power has been seen. The only ones who are off the hook are the ones whom cannot see or comprehend, namely the babies and those with mental disability. Every one else can see the power of God. If that person honors God and responds to the natural revelation of God, God would provide means for that person to hear the Gospel. With that we should look at Romans 10:14-15; "How will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written, "How Beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news of good things!" We should feel a sense of urgency to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ, for without Him there is no hope for anyone.

- Joseph Raleigh

From The Desiring God Blog; Is having the Bible better than actually being there?

When it comes to knowing and believing the truth, are we worse off today than the Israelites who heard God speak from heaven or the apostles who physically sat at Jesus’ feet when he taught?
Or could having the Bible be better than actually being there when its events took place?
Here are 3 reasons we’re better off with our Bibles.
1. Scripture interprets the biblical events for us.
First-hand exposure to the historical acts of God isn’t always the best path to understanding. When Jesus foretold his death and resurrection to the disciples—even giving details about how he would be flogged, spit upon, killed, and raised on the third day—Luke states clearly that “they understood none of these things” (18:34). The disciples were unable to grasp what he said, though they heard the very words of Jesus.
We, on the other hand, the readers of Luke’s Gospel, know exactly what Jesus meant. We have the event interpreted for us in Scripture, clearly shown to be the fulfillment of Old Testament prophesies and an accurate prediction of the events that would soon take place.
That’s not to say that Scripture is better just because it contains more facts. Even after witnessing Christ’s death and resurrection, and having him stand in their midst and show them his scars, the disciples still doubted. They didn’t understand what was going on even though all the historical facts were right in front of them.
What they needed was help to process and place those facts within the framework of God’s revelation. Thus Jesus “opened their minds to understand the Scriptures” and showed them from the Old Testament the significance of what they were witnessing (see Luke 24:36-48).
Like the disciples, we need an interpretation of history in order to grasp God’s meaning in it. We need someone with understanding to take the data, select the significant things said or done, and portray them in an understandable way.
This is precisely what Scripture is: a selective (John 21:25) yet entirely sufficient (2 Timothy 3:16-17, 2 Peter 1:3-4) depiction of what God has done.
2. Scripture’s interpretation is inspired.
No prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. (2 Peter 1:20-21)
We need an interpretation of the past, but we don’t want just any interpretation. We want the Holy Spirit’s. We want an explanation by God himself that accurately conveys the true significance of what he has done and then penetrates our stubborn hearts with it.
Because the Holy Spirit inspired it, Scripture has the precision and power to teach people in a way that supersedes what they could ever learn on their own through direct exposure to the events. As Jesus says,
It is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you.… When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth. (John 16:7, 13)
3. Scripture appeals to our inner being.
One danger of having front row seats to God’s actions in history is that we could confuse our response to the mode of revelation with our response to the meaning of it.
We would certainly marvel to hear the Father speak through a thundercloud or to see Jesus walk on water. But we could easily come away from such events with only a natural thrill, rather than any spiritual apprehension of what they meant.
Scripture guards us from this danger simply by being a book. It wasn’t written to wow our physical senses, but, rather, as an appeal to our spiritual sense.
Wouldn’t God know the best way to reveal himself in order to build an authentic body of believers?
Yes. So he inspired men to write, “that [we] may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing [we] may have life in his name” (John 20:31).
What Difference Does Believing This Make?
There are at least two effects of realizing that we are better off with our Bibles than with a time machine to the past.
1. More appreciation for having the Bible.
Rather than using Scripture as a tool for conducting our own analysis of historical events, we can read it as already being its own perfect analysis. The investigation has been done (Luke 1:1-4). We don’t have to “wish we’d been there.” We have what we need in the text.
2. More encouragement to share the Word.
In the story of the rich man and Lazarus, the rich man is in hell pleading with Abraham to send Lazarus back to earth to convince his still-living brothers to repent.
But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.’ And he said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ He said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead’ (Luke 16:29-31).
We don’t need supernatural signs to have an effective witness. We just need to present the Word of God. It is supernatural in itself and more powerful to convince hard-hearted sinners than anything else.

Whats the big deal with gas prices?

While watching or listening to the current media, one would be hard pressed to not hear something mentioned about the current gas prices, food prices, and the economic down slide. We Americans are always deeply concerned when current events affect our pocket book. This is very scary to me, that Americans (and Christians) are more concerned with the price of gas, than they are the other important issues that we face in our culture today. This is also a major topic in the campaigns of the two presidential hopefuls. I have seen more campaign ads for how each candidate plans to save the American people money, than how they plan to lead our country into the future. Is this a sign of the times in which we live? Point being is that; can the American (and Christians) people be sold to the highest bidder. Are we that shallow? With a massive sodomite (homosexual) movement happening across the country, innocent babies being butchered for the sake of convenience, and the youth of our country being hyper-imposed by an anti-God agenda working its way through the current media, and school systems, and all we our concerned with this election year is our pocket books. Shame on America. Shame on the Christians of this country. I have found myself more concerned with the price of gas as well, but an adjustment of lifestyle has offset the rise in cost.
My argument, is that the rise in gas and, other products, is a blessing from God. I find myself less pron to do activities that I did years ago. Activities that stole time away from my family. Hopefully that will become a ripple affect across the country.
I pray that the times would get so bad that the fathers, and husbands would leave the golf courses, fishing lakes, and bars. I pray they would leave these places of distraction, and return home to their families. I pray that times would get so bad that, they will see the era of their ways, and repent. Repent, for neglecting their families, their leadership role in the home/church, and their leadership role in our wonderful nation.
Does this seem to radical of a thing to pray for? I think not, sometimes when we are knocked down on our faces, we find our selves in a perfect place to pray. I do sympathize with the families affected by the depreciation of the American currency, and the the failing job market. I do pray that all their basic needs are met. But, more importantly I pray for Christian revival across this nation.
-Joseph Raleigh

Pastor John Piper on Prosperity Preaching

Prosperity Preaching: Deceitful and Deadly by John Piper
When I read about prosperity-preaching churches, my response is: “If I were not on the inside of Christianity, I wouldn’t want in.” In other words, if this is the message of Jesus, no thank you.
Luring people to Christ to get rich is both deceitful and deadly. It’s deceitful because when Jesus himself called us, he said things like: “Any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:33). And it’s deadly because the desire to be rich plunges “people into ruin and destruction” (1 Timothy 6:9). So here is my plea to preachers of the gospel.
1. Don’t develop a philosophy of ministry that makes it harder for people to get into heaven.
Jesus said, “How difficult it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!” His disciples were astonished, as many in the “prosperity” movement should be. So Jesus went on to raise their astonishment even higher by saying, “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” They respond in disbelief: “Then who can be saved?” Jesus says, “With man it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God” (Mark 10:23-27).
My question for prosperity preachers is: Why would you want to develop a ministry focus that makes it harder for people to enter heaven?
2. Do not develop a philosophy of ministry that kindles suicidal desires in people.
Paul said, “There is great gain in godliness with contentment, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content.” But then he warned against the desire to be rich. And by implication, he warned against preachers who stir up the desire to be rich instead of helping people get rid of it. He warned, “Those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs” (1 Timothy 6:6-10).
So my question for prosperity preachers is: Why would you want to develop a ministry that encourages people to pierce themselves with many pangs and plunge themselves into ruin and destruction?
3. Do not develop a philosophy of ministry that encourages vulnerability to moth and rust.
Jesus warns against the effort to lay up treasures on earth. That is, he tells us to be givers, not keepers. “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal” (Matthew 6:19).
Yes, we all keep something. But given the built-in tendency toward greed in all of us, why would we take the focus off Jesus and turn it upside down?
4. Don’t develop a philosophy of ministry that makes hard work a means of amassing wealth.
Paul said we should not steal. The alternative was hard work with our own hands. But the main purpose was not merely to hoard or even to have. The purpose was “to have to give.” “Let him labor, working with his hands, that he may have to give to him who is in need” (Ephesians 4:28). This is not a justification for being rich in order to give more. It is a call to make more and keep less so you can give more. There is no reason why a person who makes $200,000 should live any differently from the way a person who makes $80,000 lives. Find a wartime lifestyle; cap your expenditures; then give the rest away.
Why would you want to encourage people to think that they should possess wealth in order to be a lavish giver? Why not encourage them to keep their lives more simple and be an even more lavish giver? Would that not add to their generosity a strong testimony that Christ, and not possessions, is their treasure?
5. Don’t develop a philosophy of ministry that promotes less faith in the promises of God to be for us what money can’t be.
The reason the writer to the Hebrews tells us to be content with what we have is that the opposite implies less faith in the promises of God. He says, “Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’ So we can confidently say, ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?’” (Hebrews 13:5-6).
If the Bible tells us that being content with what we have honors the promise of God never to forsake us, why would we want to teach people to want to be rich?
6. Don’t develop a philosophy of ministry that contributes to your people being choked to death.
Jesus warns that the word of God, which is meant to give us life, can be choked off from any effectiveness by riches. He says it is like a seed that grows up among thorns that choke it to death: “They are those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by the . . . riches . . . of life, and their fruit does not mature” (Luke 8:14).
Why would we want to encourage people to pursue the very thing that Jesus warns will choke us to death?
7. Don’t develop a philosophy of ministry that takes the seasoning out of the salt and puts the light under a basket.
What is it about Christians that makes them the salt of the earth and the light of the world? It is not wealth. The desire for wealth and the pursuit of wealth tastes and looks just like the world. It does not offer the world anything different from what it already believes in. The great tragedy of prosperity-preaching is that a person does not have to be spiritually awakened in order to embrace it; one needs only to be greedy. Getting rich in the name of Jesus is not the salt of the earth or the light of the world. In this, the world simply sees a reflection of itself. And if it works, they will buy it.
The context of Jesus’ saying shows us what the salt and light are. They are the joyful willingness to suffering for Christ. Here is what Jesus said, “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. You are the salt of the earth. . . . You are the light of the world” (Matthew 5:11-14).
What will make the world taste (the salt) and see (the light) of Christ in us is not that we love wealth the same way they do. Rather, it will be the willingness and the ability of Christians to love others through suffering, all the while rejoicing because their reward is in heaven with Jesus. This is inexplicable on human terms. This is supernatural. But to attract people with promises of prosperity is simply natural. It is not the message of Jesus. It is not what he died to achieve.
© Desiring God

A defense of Calvinism, by C.H. Spurgeon

"The old truth that Calvin preached, that Augustine preached, that Paul preached, is the truth that I must preach to-day, or else be false to my conscience and my God. I cannot shape the truth; I know of no such thing as paring off the rough edges of a doctrine. John Knox's gospel is my gospel. That which thundered through Scotland must thunder through England again."—C. H. Spurgeon

IT IS A GREAT THING to begin the Christian life by believing good solid doctrine. Some people have received twenty different "gospels" in as many years; how many more they will accept before they get to their journey's end, it would be difficult to predict. I thank God that He early taught me the gospel, and I have been so perfectly satisfied with it, that I do not want to know any other. Constant change of creed is sure loss. If a tree has to be taken up two or three times a year, you will not need to build a very large loft in which to store the apples. When people are always shifting their doctrinal principles, they are not likely to bring forth much fruit to the glory of God. It is good for young believers to begin with a firm hold upon those great fundamental doctrines which the Lord has taught in His Word. Why, if I believed what some preach about the temporary, trumpery salvation which only lasts for a time, I would scarcely be at all grateful for it; but when I know that those whom God saves He saves with an everlasting salvation, when I know that He gives to them an everlasting righteousness, when I know that He settles them on an everlasting foundation of everlasting love, and that He will bring them to His everlasting kingdom, oh, then I do wonder, and I am astonished that such a blessing as this should ever have been given to me!
"Pause, my soul! adore, and wonder!Ask, 'Oh, why such love to me?'Grace hath put me in the numberOf the Saviour's family:Hallelujah!Thanks, eternal thanks, to Thee!"
I suppose there are some persons whose minds naturally incline towards the doctrine of free-will. I can only say that mine inclines as naturally towards the doctrines of sovereign grace. Sometimes, when I see some of the worst characters in the street, I feel as if my heart must burst forth in tears of gratitude that God has never let me act as they have done! I have thought, if God had left me alone, and had not touched me by His grace, what a great sinner I should have been! I should have run to the utmost lengths of sin, dived into the very depths of evil, nor should I have stopped at any vice or folly, if God had not restrained me. I feel that I should have been a very king of sinners, if God had let me alone. I cannot understand the reason why I am saved, except upon the ground that God would have it so. I cannot, if I look ever so earnestly, discover any kind of reason in myself why I should be a partaker of Divine grace. If I am not at this moment without Christ, it is only because Christ Jesus would have His will with me, and that will was that I should be with Him where He is, and should share His glory. I can put the crown nowhere but upon the head of Him whose mighty grace has saved me from going down into the pit. Looking back on my past life, I can see that the dawning of it all was of God; of God effectively. I took no torch with which to light the sun, but the sun enlightened me. I did not commence my spiritual life—no, I rather kicked, and struggled against the things of the Spirit: when He drew me, for a time I did not run after Him: there was a natural hatred in my soul of everything holy and good. Wooings were lost upon me—warnings were cast to the wind—thunders were despised; and as for the whispers of His love, they were rejected as being less than nothing and vanity. But, sure I am, I can say now, speaking on behalf of myself, "He only is my salvation." It was He who turned my heart, and brought me down on my knees before Him. I can in very deed, say with Doddridge and Toplady—
"Grace taught my soul to pray,And made my eyes o'erflow;"
and coming to this moment, I can add—
"'Tis grace has kept me to this day,And will not let me go."
Well can I remember the manner in which I learned the doctrines of grace in a single instant. Born, as all of us are by nature, an Arminian, I still believed the old things I had heard continually from the pulpit, and did not see the grace of God. When I was coming to Christ, I thought I was doing it all myself, and though I sought the Lord earnestly, I had no idea the Lord was seeking me. I do not think the young convert is at first aware of this. I can recall the very day and hour when first I received those truths in my own soul—when they were, as John Bunyan says, burnt into my heart as with a hot iron, and I can recollect how I felt that I had grown on a sudden from a babe into a man—that I had made progress in Scriptural knowledge, through having found, once for all, the clue to the truth of God. One week-night, when I was sitting in the house of God, I was not thinking much about the preacher's sermon, for I did not believe it. The thought struck me, How did you come to be a Christian? I sought the Lord. But how did you come to seek the Lord? The truth flashed across my mind in a moment—I should not have sought Him unless there had been some previous influence in my mind to make me seek Him. I prayed, thought I, but then I asked myself, How came I to pray? I was induced to pray by reading the Scriptures. How came I to read the Scriptures? I did read them, but what led me to do so? Then, in a moment, I saw that God was at the bottom of it all, and that He was the Author of my faith, and so the whole doctrine of grace opened up to me, and from that doctrine I have not departed to this day, and I desire to make this my constant confession, "I ascribe my change wholly to God."I once attended a service where the text happened to be, "He shall choose our inheritance for us;" and the good man who occupied the pulpit was more than a little of an Arminian. Therefore, when he commenced, he said, "This passage refers entirely to our temporal inheritance, it has nothing whatever to do with our everlasting destiny, for," said he, "we do not want Christ to choose for us in the matter of Heaven or hell. It is so plain and easy, that every man who has a grain of common sense will choose Heaven, and any person would know better than to choose hell. We have no need of any superior intelligence, or any greater Being, to choose Heaven or hell for us. It is left to our own free-will, and we have enough wisdom given us, sufficiently correct means to judge for ourselves," and therefore, as he very logically inferred, there was no necessity for Jesus Christ, or anyone, to make a choice for us. We could choose the inheritance for ourselves without any assistance. "Ah!" I thought, "but, my good brother, it may be very true that we could, but I think we should want something more than common sense before we should choose aright."First, let me ask, must we not all of us admit an over-ruling Providence, and the appointment of Jehovah's hand, as to the means whereby we came into this world? Those men who think that, afterwards, we are left to our own free-will to choose this one or the other to direct our steps, must admit that our entrance into the world was not of our own will, but that God had then to choose for us. What circumstances were those in our power which led us to elect certain persons to be our parents? Had we anything to do with it? Did not God Himself appoint our parents, native place, and friends? Could He not have caused me to be born with the skin of the Hottentot, brought forth by a filthy mother who would nurse me in her "kraal," and teach me to bow down to Pagan gods, quite as easily as to have given me a pious mother, who would each morning and night bend her knee in prayer on my behalf? Or, might He not, if He had pleased, have given me some profligate to have been my parent, from whose lips I might have early heard fearful, filthy, and obscene language? Might He not have placed me where I should have had a drunken father, who would have immured me in a very dungeon of ignorance, and brought me up in the chains of crime? Was it not God's Providence that I had so happy a lot, that both my parents were His children, and endeavoured to train me up in the fear of the Lord?John Newton used to tell a whimsical story, and laugh at it, too, of a good woman who said, in order to prove the doctrine of election, "Ah! sir, the Lord must have loved me before I was born, or else He would not have seen anything in me to love afterwards." I am sure it is true in my case; I believe the doctrine of election, because I am quite certain that, if God had not chosen me, I should never have chosen Him; and I am sure He chose me before I was born, or else He never would have chosen me afterwards; and He must have elected me for reasons unknown to me, for I never could find any reason in myself why He should have looked upon me with special love. So I am forced to accept that great Biblical doctrine. I recollect an Arminian brother telling me that he had read the Scriptures through a score or more times, and could never find the doctrine of election in them. He added that he was sure he would have done so if it had been there, for he read the Word on his knees. I said to him, "I think you read the Bible in a very uncomfortable posture, and if you had read it in your easy chair, you would have been more likely to understand it. Pray, by all means, and the more, the better, but it is a piece of superstition to think there is anything in the posture in which a man puts himself for reading: and as to reading through the Bible twenty times without having found anything about the doctrine of election, the wonder is that you found anything at all: you must have galloped through it at such a rate that you were not likely to have any intelligible idea of the meaning of the Scriptures."If it would be marvelous to see one river leap up from the earth full-grown, what would it be to gaze upon a vast spring from which all the rivers of the earth should at once come bubbling up, a million of them born at a birth? What a vision would it be! Who can conceive it. And yet the love of God is that fountain, from which all the rivers of mercy, which have ever gladdened our race—all the rivers of grace in time, and of glory hereafter—take their rise. My soul, stand thou at that sacred fountain-head, and adore and magnify, for ever and ever, God, even our Father, who hath loved us! In the very beginning, when this great universe lay in the mind of God, like unborn forests in the acorn cup; long ere the echoes awoke the solitudes; before the mountains were brought forth; and long ere the light flashed through the sky, God loved His chosen creatures. Before there was any created being—when the ether was not fanned by an angel's wing, when space itself had not an existence, when there was nothing save God alone—even then, in that loneliness of Deity, and in that deep quiet and profundity, His bowels moved with love for His chosen. Their names were written on His heart, and then were they dear to His soul. Jesus loved His people before the foundation of the world—even from eternity! and when He called me by His grace, He said to me, "I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee."Then, in the fulness of time, He purchased me with His blood; He let His heart run out in one deep gaping wound for me long ere I loved Him. Yea, when He first came to me, did I not spurn Him? When He knocked at the door, and asked for entrance, did I not drive Him away, and do despite to His grace? Ah, I can remember that I full often did so until, at last, by the power of His effectual grace, He said, "I must, I will come in;" and then He turned my heart, and made me love Him. But even till now I should have resisted Him, had it not been for His grace. Well, then since He purchased me when I was dead in sins, does it not follow, as a consequence necessary and logical, that He must have loved me first? Did my Saviour die for me because I believed on Him? No; I was not then in existence; I had then no being. Could the Saviour, therefore, have died because I had faith, when I myself was not yet born? Could that have been possible? Could that have been the origin of the Saviour's love towards me? Oh! no; my Saviour died for me long before I believed. "But," says someone, "He foresaw that you would have faith; and, therefore, He loved you." What did He foresee about my faith? Did He foresee that I should get that faith myself, and that I should believe on Him of myself? No; Christ could not foresee that, because no Christian man will ever say that faith came of itself without the gift and without the working of the Holy Spirit. I have met with a great many believers, and talked with them about this matter; but I never knew one who could put his hand on his heart, and say, "I believed in Jesus without the assistance of the Holy Spirit."I am bound to the doctrine of the depravity of the human heart, because I find myself depraved in heart, and have daily proofs that in my flesh there dwelleth no good thing. If God enters into covenant with unfallen man, man is so insignificant a creature that it must be an act of gracious condescension on the Lord's part; but if God enters into covenant with sinful man, he is then so offensive a creature that it must be, on God's part, an act of pure, free, rich, sovereign grace. When the Lord entered into covenant with me, I am sure that it was all of grace, nothing else but grace. When I remember what a den of unclean beasts and birds my heart was, and how strong was my unrenewed will, how obstinate and rebellious against the sovereignty of the Divine rule, I always feel inclined to take the very lowest room in my Father's house, and when I enter Heaven, it will be to go among the less than the least of all saints, and with the chief of sinners.The late lamented Mr. Denham has put, at the foot of his portrait, a most admirable text, "Salvation is of the Lord." That is just an epitome of Calvinism; it is the sum and substance of it. If anyone should ask me what I mean by a Calvinist, I should reply, "He is one who says, Salvation is of the Lord." I cannot find in Scripture any other doctrine than this. It is the essence of the Bible. "He only is my rock and my salvation." Tell me anything contrary to this truth, and it will be a heresy; tell me a heresy, and I shall find its essence here, that it has departed from this great, this fundamental, this rock-truth, "God is my rock and my salvation." What is the heresy of Rome, but the addition of something to the perfect merits of Jesus Christ—the bringing in of the works of the flesh, to assist in our justification? And what is the heresy of Arminianism but the addition of something to the work of the Redeemer? Every heresy, if brought to the touchstone, will discover itself here. I have my own private opinion that there is no such thing as preaching Christ and Him crucified, unless we preach what nowadays is called Calvinism. It is a nickname to call it Calvinism; Calvinism is the gospel, and nothing else. I do not believe we can preach the gospel, if we do not preach justification by faith, without works; nor unless we preach the sovereignty of God in His dispensation of grace; nor unless we exalt the electing, unchangeable, eternal, immutable, conquering love of Jehovah; nor do I think we can preach the gospel, unless we base it upon the special and particular redemption of His elect and chosen people which Christ wrought out upon the cross; nor can I comprehend a gospel which lets saints fall away after they are called, and suffers the children of God to be burned in the fires of damnation after having once believed in Jesus. Such a gospel I abhor.
"If ever it should come to pass,That sheep of Christ might fall away,My fickle, feeble soul, alas!Would fall a thousand times a day."
If one dear saint of God had perished, so might all; if one of the covenant ones be lost, so may all be; and then there is no gospel promise true, but the Bible is a lie, and there is nothing in it worth my acceptance. I will be an infidel at once when I can believe that a saint of God can ever fall finally. If God hath loved me once, then He will love me for ever. God has a master-mind; He arranged everything in His gigantic intellect long before He did it; and once having settled it, He never alters it, "This shall be done," saith He, and the iron hand of destiny marks it down, and it is brought to pass. "This is My purpose," and it stands, nor can earth or hell alter it. "This is My decree," saith He, "promulgate it, ye holy angels; rend it down from the gate of Heaven, ye devils, if ye can; but ye cannot alter the decree, it shall stand for ever." God altereth not His plans; why should He? He is Almighty, and therefore can perform His pleasure. Why should He? He is the All-wise, and therefore cannot have planned wrongly. Why should He? He is the everlasting God, and therefore cannot die before His plan is accomplished. Why should He change? Ye worthless atoms of earth, ephemera of a day, ye creeping insects upon this bay-leaf of existence, ye may change your plans, but He shall never, never change His. Has He told me that His plan is to save me? If so, I am for ever safe.
"My name from the palms of His handsEternity will not erase;Impress'd on His heart it remains,In marks of indelible grace."
I do not know how some people, who believe that a Christian can fall from grace, manage to be happy. It must be a very commendable thing in them to be able to get through a day without despair. If I did not believe the doctrine of the final perseverance of the saints, I think I should be of all men the most miserable, because I should lack any ground of comfort. I could not say, whatever state of heart I came into, that I should be like a well-spring of water, whose stream fails not; I should rather have to take the comparison of an intermittent spring, that might stop on a sudden, or a reservoir, which I had no reason to expect would always be full. I believe that the happiest of Christians and the truest of Christians are those who never dare to doubt God, but who take His Word simply as it stands, and believe it, and ask no questions, just feeling assured that if God has said it, it will be so. I bear my willing testimony that I have no reason, nor even the shadow of a reason, to doubt my Lord, and I challenge Heaven, and earth, and hell, to bring any proof that God is untrue. From the depths of hell I call the fiends, and from this earth I call the tried and afflicted believers, and to Heaven I appeal, and challenge the long experience of the blood-washed host, and there is not to be found in the three realms a single person who can bear witness to one fact which can disprove the faithfulness of God, or weaken His claim to be trusted by His servants. There are many things that may or may not happen, but this I know shall happen—
"He shall present my soul,Unblemish'd and complete,Before the glory of His face,With joys divinely great."
All the purposes of man have been defeated, but not the purposes of God. The promises of man may be broken—many of them are made to be broken—but the promises of God shall all be fulfilled. He is a promise-maker, but He never was a promise-breaker; He is a promise-keeping God, and every one of His people shall prove it to be so. This is my grateful, personal confidence, "The Lord will perfect that which concerneth me"—unworthy me, lost and ruined me. He will yet save me; and—
"I, among the blood-wash'd throng,Shall wave the palm, and wear the crown,And shout loud victory."
I go to a land which the plough of earth hath never upturned, where it is greener than earth's best pastures, and richer than her most abundant harvests ever saw. I go to a building of more gorgeous architecture than man hath ever builded; it is not of mortal design; it is "a building of God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the Heavens." All I shall know and enjoy in Heaven, will be given to me by the Lord, and I shall say, when at last I appear before Him—
"Grace all the work shall crownThrough everlasting days;It lays in Heaven the topmost stone,And well deserves the praise."
I know there are some who think it necessary to their system of theology to limit the merit of the blood of Jesus: if my theological system needed such a limitation, I would cast it to the winds. I cannot, I dare not allow the thought to find a lodging in my mind, it seems so near akin to blasphemy. In Christ's finished work I see an ocean of merit; my plummet finds no bottom, my eye discovers no shore. There must be sufficient efficacy in the blood of Christ, if God had so willed it, to have saved not only all in this world, but all in ten thousand worlds, had they transgressed their Maker's law. Once admit infinity into the matter, and limit is out of the question. Having a Divine Person for an offering, it is not consistent to conceive of limited value; bound and measure are terms inapplicable to the Divine sacrifice. The intent of the Divine purpose fixes the application of the infinite offering, but does not change it into a finite work. Think of the numbers upon whom God has bestowed His grace already. Think of the countless hosts in Heaven: if thou wert introduced there to-day, thou wouldst find it as easy to tell the stars, or the sands of the sea, as to count the multitudes that are before the throne even now. They have come from the East, and from the West, from the North, and from the South, and they are sitting down with Abraham, and with Isaac, and with Jacob in the Kingdom of God; and beside those in Heaven, think of the saved ones on earth. Blessed be God, His elect on earth are to be counted by millions, I believe, and the days are coming, brighter days than these, when there shall be multitudes upon multitudes brought to know the Saviour, and to rejoice in Him. The Father's love is not for a few only, but for an exceeding great company. "A great multitude, which no man could number," will be found in Heaven. A man can reckon up to very high figures; set to work your Newtons, your mightiest calculators, and they can count great numbers, but God and God alone can tell the multitude of His redeemed. I believe there will be more in Heaven than in hell. If anyone asks me why I think so, I answer, because Christ, in everything, is to "have the pre-eminence," and I cannot conceive how He could have the pre-eminence if there are to be more in the dominions of Satan than in Paradise. Moreover, I have never read that there is to be in hell a great multitude, which no man could number. I rejoice to know that the souls of all infants, as soon as they die, speed their way to Paradise. Think what a multitude there is of them! Then there are already in Heaven unnumbered myriads of the spirits of just men made perfect—the redeemed of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues up till now; and there are better times coming, when the religion of Christ shall be universal; when—
"He shall reign from pole to pole,With illimitable sway;"
when whole kingdoms shall bow down before Him, and nations shall be born in a day, and in the thousand years of the great millennial state there will be enough saved to make up all the deficiencies of the thousands of years that have gone before. Christ shall be Master everywhere, and His praise shall be sounded in every land. Christ shall have the pre-eminence at last; His train shall be far larger than that which shall attend the chariot of the grim monarch of hell.Some persons love the doctrine of universal atonement because they say, "It is so beautiful. It is a lovely idea that Christ should have died for all men; it commends itself," they say, "to the instincts of humanity; there is something in it full of joy and beauty." I admit there is, but beauty may be often associated with falsehood. There is much which I might admire in the theory of universal redemption, but I will just show what the supposition necessarily involves. If Christ on His cross intended to save every man, then He intended to save those who were lost before He died. If the doctrine be true, that He died for all men, then He died for some who were in hell before He came into this world, for doubtless there were even then myriads there who had been cast away because of their sins. Once again, if it was Christ's intention to save all men, how deplorably has He been disappointed, for we have His own testimony that there is a lake which burneth with fire and brimstone, and into that pit of woe have been cast some of the very persons who, according to the theory of universal redemption, were bought with His blood. That seems to me a conception a thousand times more repulsive than any of those consequences which are said to be associated with the Calvinistic and Christian doctrine of special and particular redemption. To think that my Saviour died for men who were or are in hell, seems a supposition too horrible for me to entertain. To imagine for a moment that He was the Substitute for all the sons of men, and that God, having first punished the Substitute, afterwards punished the sinners themselves, seems to conflict with all my ideas of Divine justice. That Christ should offer an atonement and satisfaction for the sins of all men, and that afterwards some of those very men should be punished for the sins for which Christ had already atoned, appears to me to be the most monstrous iniquity that could ever have been imputed to Saturn, to Janus, to the goddess of the Thugs, or to the most diabolical heathen deities. God forbid that we should ever think thus of Jehovah, the just and wise and good!There is no soul living who holds more firmly to the doctrines of grace than I do, and if any man asks me whether I am ashamed to be called a Calvinist, I answer—I wish to be called nothing but a Christian; but if you ask me, do I hold the doctrinal views which were held by John Calvin, I reply, I do in the main hold them, and rejoice to avow it. But far be it from me even to imagine that Zion contains none but Calvinistic Christians within her walls, or that there are none saved who do not hold our views. Most atrocious things have been spoken about the character and spiritual condition of John Wesley, the modern prince of Arminians. I can only say concerning him that, while I detest many of the doctrines which he preached, yet for the man himself I have a reverence second to no Wesleyan; and if there were wanted two apostles to be added to the number of the twelve, I do not believe that there could be found two men more fit to be so added than George Whitefield and John Wesley. The character of John Wesley stands beyond all imputation for self-sacrifice, zeal, holiness, and communion with God; he lived far above the ordinary level of common Christians, and was one "of whom the world was not worthy." I believe there are multitudes of men who cannot see these truths, or, at least, cannot see them in the way in which we put them, who nevertheless have received Christ as their Saviour, and are as dear to the heart of the God of grace as the soundest Calvinist in or out of Heaven.I do not think I differ from any of my Hyper-Calvinistic brethren in what I do believe, but I differ from them in what they do not believe. I do not hold any less than they do, but I hold a little more, and, I think, a little more of the truth revealed in the Scriptures. Not only are there a few cardinal doctrines, by which we can steer our ship North, South, East, or West, but as we study the Word, we shall begin to learn something about the North-west and North-east, and all else that lies between the four cardinal points. The system of truth revealed in the Scriptures is not simply one straight line, but two; and no man will ever get a right view of the gospel until he knows how to look at the two lines at once. For instance, I read in one Book of the Bible, "The Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely." Yet I am taught, in another part of the same inspired Word, that "it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy." I see, in one place, God in providence presiding over all, and yet I see, and I cannot help seeing, that man acts as he pleases, and that God has left his actions, in a great measure, to his own free-will. Now, if I were to declare that man was so free to act that there was no control of God over his actions, I should be driven very near to atheism; and if, on the other hand, I should declare that God so over-rules all things that man is not free enough to be responsible, I should be driven at once into Antinomianism or fatalism. That God predestines, and yet that man is responsible, are two facts that few can see clearly. They are believed to be inconsistent and contradictory to each other. If, then, I find taught in one part of the Bible that everything is fore-ordained, that is true; and if I find, in another Scripture, that man is responsible for all his actions, that is true; and it is only my folly that leads me to imagine that these two truths can ever contradict each other. I do not believe they can ever be welded into one upon any earthly anvil, but they certainly shall be one in eternity. They are two lines that are so nearly parallel, that the human mind which pursues them farthest will never discover that they converge, but they do converge, and they will meet somewhere in eternity, close to the throne of God, whence all truth doth spring.It is often said that the doctrines we believe have a tendency to lead us to sin. I have heard it asserted most positively, that those high doctrines which we love, and which we find in the Scriptures, are licentious ones. I do not know who will have the hardihood to make that assertion, when they consider that the holiest of men have been believers in them. I ask the man who dares to say that Calvinism is a licentious religion, what he thinks of the character of Augustine, or Calvin, or Whitefield, who in successive ages were the great exponents of the system of grace; or what will he say of the Puritans, whose works are full of them? Had a man been an Arminian in those days, he would have been accounted the vilest heretic breathing, but now we are looked upon as the heretics, and they as the orthodox. We have gone back to the old school; we can trace our descent from the apostles. It is that vein of free-grace, running through the sermonizing of Baptists, which has saved us as a denomination. Were it not for that, we should not stand where we are today. We can run a golden line up to Jesus Christ Himself, through a holy succession of mighty fathers, who all held these glorious truths; and we can ask concerning them, "Where will you find holier and better men in the world?" No doctrine is so calculated to preserve a man from sin as the doctrine of the grace of God. Those who have called it "a licentious doctrine" did not know anything at all about it. Poor ignorant things, they little knew that their own vile stuff was the most licentious doctrine under Heaven. If they knew the grace of God in truth, they would soon see that there was no preservative from lying like a knowledge that we are elect of God from the foundation of the world. There is nothing like a belief in my eternal perseverance, and the immutability of my Father's affection, which can keep me near to Him from a motive of simple gratitude. Nothing makes a man so virtuous as belief of the truth. A lying doctrine will soon beget a lying practice. A man cannot have an erroneous belief without by-and-by having an erroneous life. I believe the one thing naturally begets the other. Of all men, those have the most disinterested piety, the sublimest reverence, the most ardent devotion, who believe that they are saved by grace, without works, through faith, and that not of themselves, it is the gift of God. Christians should take heed, and see that it always is so, lest by any means Christ should be crucified afresh, and put to an open shame.

Short bio. on David Brainerd

David Brainerd’s early life;


David Brainerd was a man after God’s own heart. He was a man that touched my heart, and many others as we would read through his infamous diary.

David Brainerd was born April 20, 1718, in Haddam, Connecticut. Brainerd was the sixth child, and third son, out of nine siblings. His father would pass away while David was the age of five, then his mother as well would pass away before David saw his fourteenth birthday. Death came to the Brainerd family at an early ages, most of his siblings did not live past the age of thirty five. David himself would not live to see the age of thirty. This is a real eye opener for myself personally, for I am reaching the age of David when he was taken by the Lord. I am now twenty six, and twenty nine, thirty is just around the corner. If I would compare my life to Brainerd’s while he was in his mid twenties, while pondering death at the age of twenty nine. Well it is a real eye opener, and I have learned from David that trials and tribulations will come, but how we over come them in Christ’s glory is what matters.

David early life was full of heart break and depression. He wrote in the beginning of his diary, “I was to think, from my youth something sober and inclined rather to melancholy than the other extreme”. After the death of his mother he moved in with his sister Jerusha. When Brainerd turned nineteen he inherited a farm that lied outside of Durham. After a year of farming, he decided that was not what he wanted to spend his life doing, so he quit and prepared to enter Yale University. During the time he spent on the farm he decided that he would study ministry.

To understand David’s entrance into Yale, his difficulties there, and then his move into the Mission field, we must first understand his early relationship with God, then his true conversion in Christ’s salvation. David’s first dealings with God in a type of religious manner was a works based relationship. He was completely honest with himself, and was often cast down knowing how futile his self righteousness really was. I am sure that would be the case for many if they were honest with themselves. There are many types of religious practices in the world today that has some sort of merit system for gaining favor with God. That type of thinking has taken the American church by storm. That is the nature condition of man, without the grace and sovereignty of Christ, we have all been there or would be there in some form or another. Brainerd was deeply disturbed by his short comings to the perfect standard that God holds.
In his diary he writes about this, while moving from his father’s house, to his sister’s, and then to his farm; “About the 15th of April, 1733, I removed from my father’s house to east Haddam. Where I spent four years; but still without God in the world, though, for the most part, I went a round of secret duty. I was not much addicted to young company, or frolicking, as it is called, but this I know, that when I did go into such company, I never returned with so good a conscience as when I went; it always added me new guilt, made me afraid to come to the throne of grace, and spoiled those good frames I was wont sometimes to please myself with. But, alas! All my good frames were but self-righteousness, not found on a desire for the glory of God.” Then while at the farm he would write; “I became very strict and watchful over my thoughts, words, and my actions; and thought I must be sober indeed, because I designed to devote myself to the ministry; and imagined I did dedicate myself to the Lord. He would go on for the next couple of years wrestling with convection, and fear of God’s wrath upon him. He was still trying to depend on his own merit and works, to gain favor to God. Then while in a lonely place trying to pray, he entered into an experience of God’s grace. “As I was walking in a dark thick grove, unspeakable glory seemed to open to the view and apprehension of my soul….It was a new inward apprehension or view that I had of God; such as I never had before, nor anything that I had the least remembrance of it. So that I stood still and wondered and admired….. I had now no particular apprehension of any one person of the Trinity, either the Father, Son or Holy Spirit, but it appeared to be divine glory and splendor that I then beheld. And my soul rejoiced with joy unspeakable to see such a God, such a glorious divine being, and I was inwardly pleased and satisfied that he should be God over all forever and ever. My soul was so captivated and delighted with the excellency, the loveliness and the greatness and other perfections of God that I was even swallowed up in him, at least to that degree that I had no thought, as I remember at first, about my own salvation or scarce that there was such a creature as I. Thus the Lord, I trust, brought me to a hearty desire to exalt him, to set him on the throne and to seek first his Kingdom, i.e. principally and ultimately to aim at his honor and glory as the King and sovereign of the universe, which is the foundation of the religion Jesus Christ has taught……I felt myself in a new world……I wondered that all the world did not comply with this way of salvation entirely by the righteousness of Christ.
I have spent so much time on writing of Brainerd’s conversion, because it was the most important thing that happened in his life. He would have been hard pressed to accomplish what he did, in the state of mind he was in with out the blood bought grace of Christ in his life.
Two months latter he would enter into Yale, to prepare for ministry. During the first year, he got the measles, and had to go home for several weeks. The next year he would go home due to spitting up blood, he contracted tuberculosis, and would die seven years later. David went back to Yale in 1770, and was on top of his class academically, but was expelled in 1772, during his third year. He was overheard saying that one of the tutors, Chauncey Whittelsey, “Has no more grace than a chair,” and wondered why the Rector “did not drop down dead.” These remarks he made was for the suppression the staff at Yale had for the students during Great Awaking movement. After failing attempts to be reinstated at Yale, it was suggested that Brainerd would become a missionary to the Indians. The Commissioners of the Society in Scotland for Propagating Christian Knowledge, sponsored him to do it. He was first assigned to Housatoic Indians at Kaunaumeek, they were located about twenty miles north of Stockbridge, Massachusetts. He stayed there for a year, and made some progress. He was able to start a school for Indian children. He preached and taught, and he was also able to translate some of the Psalms to their native language (he was helped doing this by John Sergeant, a veteran missionary). He was then reassigned to the Delaware Indians in Pennsylvania, he was then later examined by the Newark Presbytery, and ordained on June 11, 1744. In June 19, 1745 he left to make a preaching tour to the Indians at Crossweeksung, New Jersey. God brought awakening here and blessed the Indians. In the year that he was there, the assembly of believers grew to 130 persons, and was growing even larger. David grew to sick to stay any longer, May, 1746 he left to recuperate in Elizabethtown at the house of Jonathan Dickson. He would later go back to visit his newly made Indian friends, but due to growing ever sicker, he could stay no longer. He left for the home of Jonathan Edwards in Northampton, Massachusetts. He arrived there May 28, 1747, he would stay there until October 9, 1747.

David Brainerd is a fine example of Christian character in times of suffering. As I read through his diary, I was somewhat pushed to tears, to read of his suffering for the name of Christ. Not only the physical ailments of tuberculosis, but the constant state of depression, the lack of food, the cold (which he despised), all this to preach the beautiful message of salvation in Christ alone. He struggled to love the Indians as well, but through time and Grace he made lasting friendships with them. He spent the first half of his life trying to find ways to please God, after God reviled his truth in Christ’s salvation to David, he spent the second half of his life bearing much fruit and spreading the gospel. Brainerd’s life is a living example of how we can please God. By having faith in the Son, and making much of him in all that we do.
At the age of twenty nine David Brainerd would die. Jonathan Edward’s eighteen year old daughter Jerusha, had tended David in his last days. Four months after he died she died of the same affliction. Edwards wrote of this as follows; It has pleased a holy and sovereign God, to take away this my dear child by death, on the 14th of February…..after a short illness of five days, in the 18th year of her age. She was a person of much the same spirit with Brainerd. She had constantly taken care of and attended him in this sickness, for nineteen weeks before his death; devoting herself to it with great delight, because she looked on him as eminent servant of Jesus Christ.
David Brainerd, and Jonathan Edwards have played important roles in my life, and I pray that my faith and service to God’s calling in my life would be as faithful as theirs was.






Resources;

The Life and Diary of David Brainerd; Edited by Jonathan Edwards
Hendrickson,2006

The Hidden Smile of God; written by John Piper
Crossway,2001

Book review of Athanasius; On the Incarnation

To my delight this writing by St. Athanasius, was very clear. When I approached this book to read I was a bit hesitant, for I get some massive headaches from some of the classics works of the old. Trying to make sense of some of the old English describing such a deep subject. The translator is due many thanks for bringing such a master piece to light for modern readers to enjoy, and develop a deeper understanding of the subject of the Incarnation. Such books should be read by all Christians to help better understand, and Strengthen their faith in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Having skipped first to chapter 1 (because I thought this would be a bore), and read through the book, I decided to go back and read the introduction by C.S Lewis, the translator preface, and The Life of St. Athanasius. I did this because the book turned out to be so good, just as the introductions turned out to be as well. C.S Lewis has always been a favorite author of mine, because he has such a wonderful way of shinning light on the things that I typically miss. In his introduction to this book he has done that and more. C.S. Lewis makes a very important point as well in his writing of the introduction,” Now the Layman or amateur needs to be instructed as well as to be exhorted. In this age his need for knowledge is particularly pressing. Nor would I admit any sharp division between the two kinds of book. For my own part I tend to find the doctrinal books often more helpful in devotion than the devotional books, and I rather suspect that the same experience may await many others. I believe that many who find that “nothing happens” when they sit down, or kneel down, to a book of devotion, would find that the heart sings unbidden while they are working their way through a tough bit of theology with a pipe in their teeth and a pencil in their hand.” Most Christians that I know of spend more time reading devotional, and self help books, than spending time in the Bible or other doctrinal books. This is reflected in many Christians being illiterate to Gods word.

















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In reading of the life of St. Athanasius, I really admire the courage that this man had, in living in a time of persecution of the church. Many good writings of our faith have taken place during the time of persecution. Maybe modern American Christian scholars have become lazy in our time of peace. Fortunately, there are still some very Godly men out there putting some work out there that may someday be considered classic works. The first part of St. Athanasius life history that sticks out to me, is the education that he received from the famous Catechetical school. While he was in school the persecutions were at their highest. To stay true to his higher calling during this time in the church history is very inspirational for an aspiring student such as myself. In a society where education is so accessible, we take for granted the luxuries that we have in order to enrich our minds. It is really dishearten to see so many pastors leading churches without even the desire to further their education, at least for the sake of those that they are leading. I am sure that is why we see so many different denominations here in America. Churches are being led and divided by uneducated, unbiblical pastors.

Slandered, persecuted, and exiled three times during his life. Still in the face of all these hardships, his character, and perseverance shown through. Quoted from the book; “ He knew that the very existence of the Church was at stake; but he was utterly certain of the truth and he knew that it must in time prevail”. Facing the low ethical standards of today’s world, we as Bible believing Christians must always keep that in our mind.

With all the admiration for the Christian scholars and martyrs, that stood up in their convictions, even if it would bring death. We must never forget that all these great accomplishments for our faith, would never come to pass outside the will and the power of God. He is the author and creator of the world in which we live in.

Within the nine chapters of this wonderful little book, we see the evidence laid out for Christ being God the creator and redeemer of mankind. In chapter 1 St Athanasius explains the arguments for God being the creator of all which is. He also explains theories that argue against that truth, and he very eloquently refutes them. Chapter 2-3, deals with the fall of man, and the solution for man’s state of fallen grace. Chapter 4, the death of Christ the atonement for mankind, chapter 5 the resurrection, death and sin conquered for those which Christ died for. Chapter 6, The refutation to the Jews, chapter 7-8 refutation to the Gentiles. Chapter 9, the conclusion of his work on the subject.

Even though I believe that Church leaders should read this book, I think that we should spend a considerable time reading chapters 7-8, The Refutation to the Gentiles. The reason is that in the US we spend more time witnessing to people in a culture that is becoming more of a pagan nation everyday. This modern society has been so polluted with science theories that claim to be more than what they are, and an anti God, live your own life, its all about you, free bird attitude that influences the children of the next generation. It is going to be extremely difficult to witness to people in the coming years. That is why this chapter of this book is so important us. I found it very interesting to see that St. Athanasius dealing with the same argument that we find ourselves battling today. It is so hard to speak with people of these things that do not even believe in a God which is the creator, and the one who is in control of the universe. As St Athanasius discovered, that when even the word of God is denied as being non-existent, we have no foundation for the argument of Christ being God, the redeemer of mankind. That was the difficulty in sharing the Gospel to the Greek, and it is the dilemma we face today in our own country.

Ten years ago I would have argued for the case of our country, to be compared to the refutation of the Jews. We were at a place of being at least an aware of God country. This was the same place that Jews are at in their unbelief. They acknowledge God of the Old Testament, but not Christ. In doing this they do not acknowledge God at all, because Christ is the God of the Old testament as scripture has revealed. So they are trying to fulfill a law that they are incapable of, meanwhile Jesus is standing before them with open arms, willing to cover their sins and unrighteousness with his blood, but they reject him.

We can still see both of these types of rejection in our world still today. Christians should be well equipped to refute both, we should take every opportunity that we are given to be a witness to an unbeliever. Books such as this one, are books that will help be a guide to us in this pursuit of God’s lost sheep. All true born again Christians should have a desire, to share and defended the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.

How our view of God effects our view of missions.

Our view of God will most definitely affect our view of missions in a major way. We must have a clear view of God, and his redemptive work in the salvation of mankind. If we do not have the right view of the atonement, we will not be as effective as we could be in proclaiming the Gospel to the lost. We must view God correctly for us to do missions correctly. If we have a man centered theology of salvation, we are not offering good news.

If we view God as sovereign, and that through the sacrifice of God on the cross, we have a way of being reconciled to him. Not through works but through faith. We do indeed have a different message to proclaim, other than the typical man centered, humanistic, secular message that is being run the church today. In the view of justification by grace through faith, we have the greatest news in the world to proclaim. With that in mind, our work in missions will not be done because of duty, but it will be done in joy. If we believe in the promises of God, there is no amount of shame, suffering, or death, that will keep us from fulfilling his commission.

-Joseph Raleigh

What is the best tool for evangelism?

What is the best tool for evangelism?

The best tool for evangelism is the word of God. We most know his word very well. I know that this is not a worthy comparison, but consider a sales man. If I am approached by a sales man, whom does not have good information about his product. I would be prone to not buy it. If that sales man is disinterested in the product, by using other devices to try to win me over to a product, I would be suspicious. So why do we use other things to sell God, other than his word? Are we just trying to build up numbers, or are we building disciples. The Apostles proclaimed the Gospel and it worked, so why don’t we do the same? When we evangelize to the people, we should unleash the word of God, and we should know it well. There are other tools that we could use, but the word of God is sufficient for the task. Christians should be well versed, in the word of God. Christ took us seriously when he paid the price for our sins, therefore we should take him serious when we proclaim him to the lost.

-Joseph Raleigh

Introduction Blog

The main emphasis of this blog, is to increase my writing potential, and share some of my writing works with whom ever would stumble onto this Blog site. It will consist mainly of Biblical studies, theological studies, Christian apologetics/world view studies, and reflections of my life and the world around me. I will try to stay with the current events, along with some of the past. I do not claim to be an authority on any of these subjects. There is only one authority, God's word. My goal is to honor it in my thinking and writing. In the end, I pray that God may be glorified in his truth and grace.