By johninnc
Romans 3:25-26: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; to declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.
The 2015 Parliament of the World’s Religions was held in Salt Lake City from October 15-19. According to organizers, 10,000 people, from 80 nations, and 50 religious traditions participated.
I went to the website for the event and found the following:
WHO SHOULD ATTEND?
You should attend:
- If you are concerned about war, terrorism, and hatred
- If you care for creation and are worried about climate change
- If you are troubled by the widening wealth gap and wasteful consumption
- If you care for religions and nations working together in harmony for the good of humanity
You will also find:
- Trainers in dialogue, interfaith activism, fundraising, and organizing
- World-class religious music, films, exhibits, and performances
- Shopping for ethnic, international, and religious books and goods
Following are some notable quotes from, or regarding, the Parliament:
“When we all get together and consolidate and cooperate, instead of fighting, we’re gonna save the world.” Jane Goodall, biologist.
My comment: “we” are not going to save the world.
Acts 4:12: Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.
“It’s nice to remember that though our faiths take us on different paths, they can all ultimately take us to the same destination. Religion, when an engine for collaboration and addressing social problems, is a source for tremendous optimism about our collective destiny.” Rabbi Shmuly Yanklowitz.
My comment: There are separate destinies for those who believe in Jesus as Savior and those who do not.
John 3:5: Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
Of course, this line of humanistic reasoning is not brand new. From a 2010 article entitled “Future Religious and Ethical Leaders Ask the Hard Questions — Together” by Chris Stedman we glean similar quotes:
“While I have ultimately learned that my spiritual identity is not synonymous with Minnesota culture, perhaps there’s room for a new potluck where everyone’s dish is welcome.” Kari Aanestad, Master of Divinity student (who identifies as a Lutheran).
My comment: Jesus is the bread of life. Potluck religion is just death warmed over.
John 6:33: For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world.
“As young scholars, practitioners, and activists, our spiritual lives, or our careers might be in states of formation, but the public conversations about religion and ethics in the United States are also in a state of formation.” Joshua Eaton, Budhist, and Recent Master of Divinity graduate, Harvard University.
My comment: Neither religion, nor ethics can give eternal life.
John 14:6: Jesus saith unto him, I am they way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
Now, one more quote from the Parliament:
“If everyone takes baby steps every day, beginning with a revolution of our forks, it will make a mighty and lasting difference. Let us not only just have a sustainable relationship with our planet, but rather let’s have a blissful one, leaving behind footprints of beauty.” Reverend Michael Bernard Beckwith, founder and director of Los Angeles- based Agape Spiritual Ministries.
My comment: Self-imposed dietary laws have no spiritual value whatsoever. We leave footprints of beauty by our faithfulness in preaching the gospel.
Romans 10:9: And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring good tidings of great things!
____________________________________
Dear reader, the ONLY way to get to heaven is to trust in Christ ALONE as your Savior.
God has provided fully for your salvation through Jesus.
John 3:16: For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
Here is an overview of what that means:
1. Everyone is a sinner
2. The penalty for sin is death (eternal separation from God in a place of conscious torment – hell)
3. One must be perfect to get into heaven. Not good. Not great. Perfect.
4. One cannot do anything of himself to obtain this perfection – this includes turning from sin, committing your life to Christ and so on. God offers eternal life as a gift – it’s not for sale or barter.
5. God provided a sin-bearer for us (The Lord Jesus Christ, God in the
flesh. He had no sin of his own, but he came to die for us, paying the full penalty for our sin. He was raised from the dead, proving that His payment was acceptable).
6. All we can do to receive everlasting life is to believe in Jesus Christ as our Savior.
7. Eternal life, once received by faith in Christ, can never be lost or forfeited, no matter what happens in our lives down the road.
What is there to do to receive eternal life? Simply BELIEVE that Jesus made that payment for your sin – for you.
If you would like additional detail, please click here: THE GOSPEL
Notes From A Retired Preacher 
Anyone who starts serving out of bondage is back under the law, and will fail. They are bewitched, and their works are not wrought in Christ, nor through Christ, but of themselves, their flesh. No matter how ‘good’, they are still dead works which will be burnt off.
Their argument is generally, ‘you just want to have a license to sin’. So they go straight to the motive, and/or flat out call you an antinomian. But I keep looking into the perfect law of liberty, it is much more of a motivator. If they have been set free, and do not do the same, they will forget what kind of man they were. A free man….
Sadly, in bondage, they start preaching an accursed gospel, a corrupted one.
Ben, agreed.
Ben, I agree.
Those verses are explaining grace. Yes, you can sin as much as you want and as willingly as you will, and you’ll remain saved, because God’s grace has triumphed over sin. If you continue to sin, grace will abound to God’s glory.
However, shall we then continue to sin so grace will abound? No! You’ve been made dead to sin (positionally) and you have access to a new nature that is perfect. Walk in it.
That’s my understanding of these verses and the ones in Romans 6.
Grace is greater than sin. Grace means you do have a license to sin until death without fear of losing eternal life. However, grace doesn’t mean you should do this. Grace should, if you begin to allow it, make you thankful toward God and serve out of thankfulness alone.
Anyone who serves out of necessity to remain saved or become saved, is highlighting unbelief (either as a unsaved person or saved person) and none of their actions are pleasing to God.
My thoughts.
Penelope, agree.
1 Corinthians 6:12 “All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient; all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.”
1 Corinthians 10:23 “All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedientl all thing are lawful for me, but all things edify not.”
Nothing is off-limits, just some things are not wise to do and will not build up the church, and will cause us problems in the long run. I think the context bears this out. (Correct me if I’m wrong, of course.)
I feel like being a little “blunt” today.
YES, when it comes to salvation from hell, the believer DOES have a “license” to sin. Galatians, ye are of the FREE.
Now, can a believer sin all he or she wants and “get away with it” without some OTHER consequence? NO. There are many consequences for sin to the believer in Christ, hell is just not one of them (that was a free gift – Rom 5:15-20)
so depending on the “context” of that statement, which is usually about “salvation from hell” – I have ZERO problems saying, well yes, a believer DOES have a “license” to sin.
Mary, you said: Just a thought I had today, our opponents in the lordship camp, say our gospel is easy believism or easy religion and that we want a licence to sin.
My comment: What they are really saying is that one is saved by grace through faith in Christ PLUS not wanting a license to sin.
The Gospel essentially tells a person that because of their sin nature, they have to trust Jesus Christ alone to go to Heaven — this person may or may not have previous knowledge of the work and person of Jesus Christ. In this person’s mind, they must entrust their eternal destiny into the hands of Jesus — Whom they have never seen or heard — alone to save them from eternal hell and they only have His claims in the Word to go off of. Yes, I personally believe that people find the Good News difficult to believe for said reasons and also because it shatters people’s pride and self-sufficiency. The Gospel also completely goes against the deeply ingrained merit system of the carnal world. Lordship salvation is the go-to message because it appeases that flesh driven desire for personal significance and contributing to one’s own salvation. It’s sad because lordship salvation does not save anyone and brings ruin to the life of any serious, budding Christian who seeks to diligently please the Lord. I was reading in GES’s journal that John Piper and his congregation both struggle to arrive at absolute assurance of salvation. How sad! The only way anyone could ever have absolute assurance is if they are basing it off of Christ’s work and His righteousness. That’s it.
“I think our gospel of grace is actually hard believism in the sense, that because it is so easy, people find it hard to believe.”
I was thinking something similar today.
BIBLICAL MOTIVATIONS FOR CHRISTIAN TO DO GOOD WORKS.
It brings glory to god.(Matt 5.16)
It demonstrates yr love for god.(1 john 3.18)
It is an expression of gratitude for yr salvation. (Col 2.6-7)
It pleases the father. (Rom 8.1-8)
It maintains fellowship and intimacy with Christ.(John 15.10)
It allows you to look forward to the rapture with confidence.(1 John 2.28)
It encourages others to do good works. (Heb.10.24)
It can lead others to salvation. 1 Cor. 10.32.
It strengthens yr faith. (Jas 1.2-4, 2.22.)
It brings spiritual maturity. Heb.5.12-14 Jas1.2-4
It follows the example set by Jesus Christ. John 10.32
It is the reason you were created. Eph. 2.10
It will bring Gods blessings during yr earthly life (. Deu28.1 Prov 10.6 Matt 5.3.11 Jas 1.25 )
It will prolong yr life. Prov 9.10
It will deliver you from physical death (Jas. 1.21 2.14.)
It will bring rewards at the Judgment Seat of Christ. (1 cor. 3.10 )
It edifies others (Rom. 15.2)
It redeems the time. (Rom. 15.2)
It helps defeat the enemy. (Eph. 6.10-18
It brings praise from those in authority over you. (Rom. 13.1-5)
It silences the critics of christianity. (Titus 2.6-8 1 Peter 2.12)
It promotes peace. (Rom. 12.17)
It vindicates the death of Christ. (Titus 2.11-15)
It is generally profitable in many ways. (1.Tim 4.8)
It allows you to “pass the test” and be approved by god. (i.e. rewarded)
(Rom. 12.2)
It helps prevent further stumbling. (Prov. 4.12 2 Peter 1.10)
It is consistent with yr identity in Christ. (Eph. 5.3-4)
It helps you overcome evil. (Rom. 12.21)
It brings personal sense of pride and accomplishment. (Gal. 6.4)
A FEW POPULAR, THOUGH UNBIBLICAL, MOTIVATIONS FOR THE CHRISTIAN TO DO GOOD WORKS.
You must do good works in order to get into heaven when ;you die.
You must do good works in order to keep from losing yr salvation.
You must do good works in order to prove that you are “truly” saved.
You must do good works or God will not love you anymore.
Just a thought I had today, our opponents in the lordship camp, say our gospel is easy believism or easy religion and that we want a licence to sin.
They want hard believism, let them have it. I think our gospel of grace is actually hard believism in the sense, that because it is so easy, people find it hard to believe.
John John,
What a great verse to describe this wicked potluck. Death is in their pots, definitely.
In Christ,
Jackie
A Babel Potluck, huh! No thanks.
“So they poured out for the men to eat. And it came to pass, as they were eating of the pottage, that they cried out, and said, O thou man of God, there is death in the pot. And they could not eat thereof.”–2 Kings 4:40
Russell, agree. Anytime we point out the wrong way, we need to show people the only way.
“In the last days…” You know the rest. None of us are surprised by this junk. I think that most denominations eventually get to these false views that continue to send people to hell. We need to lift up Jesus Christ as the way, truth and life. He is our High Priest who forever lives to make intersession for us and has offered the once and for all final sacrifice for our sins. What a Savior!!
Preston, i didn’t see that. I’m not surprised. Now the Huffington Post and other advocates of false religion can have a field day ballyhooing the peace, love, and ecumenism.
Holly, what a great nugget of wisdom. I sometimes listen to “The Fish” radio and have been offended on several occasions of the overt lack of biblical teaching. What is it? Not wanting to offend? Itching ear pleasers: that’s what these radio stations are. I’ve never seen a clearer fulfillment of 1 Timothy 4 than what we are seeing now. Just to think that this is going to get far worse.
Holly, the radio stations offer a lot of fluff, and will promote any and everything that uses the brand of Christendom.
Zappy, welcome and thanks for your comment.
Very well said.
anyone catch an article that Rome is going to do a dedication to Martin Luther for His thesis? ecumenical at its best.
Good article, so sad that people who supposedly know the Lord, are willing to compromise His truth. I was driving home, turned on the radio (which I rarely do), just in time to hear a host of ‘K-love’ announce that everyone has things to deal with, some all their lives, some for a period of time. I was waiting for a piece of Biblical wisdom, when he said, “in the words of the Beatles — let it be”.
I flipped it back off.
Once again, a bunch of spiritually clueless people zealously trying to make the world a better place to go to hell from…