• Apostles and Elders Organizing the Church RSS Feed

    by Published on 01-06-2010 01:37 PM     Number of Views: 8603 
    1. Categories:
    2. Simon Greenleaf

    Royal Professor of Law at Harvard, Simon Greenleaf, was considered to be the greatest expert of evidence the world had ever known. The Supreme Justice of the Supreme Court said that Greenleaf's testimony is the most basic and compelling testimony that can be accepted in any English speaking court in the world. When Greenleaf spoke, that settled the matter. He was far and away the most knowledgeable person on evidence the world had ever known. The London Times said that more light on jurisprudence had come from Greenleaf than all the jurists of Europe combined.

    Greenleaf had one inviolable principle in his classrooms at Harvard, and that was, you never make up your mind about any significant matter without first considering the evidence. Greenleaf was not a Christian. When challenged by one of his students with this principle, he admitted that he had not considered the evidence. When he did, he became a Christian: believed in the deity, death and resurrection of Jesus.

    After examining every thread of information he could find he said in his book, The Testimony of the Evangelists: The Gospels Examined for the Rules of Evidence, that if any unbiased jury in the world considered the evidence for the resurrection of Christ, they would have to conclude that Jesus of Nazareth actually rose from the dead.

    And so he became a believer that Jesus was God and was converted. He wrote, "In requiring this candor and simplicity of mind, and those who would investigate the truth of our religion..." He sees that Christianity is, in fact, the only evidential historical religion in the world, and the whole thing rests upon evidence which he finds so compelling and so overwhelming that any honest person with an open mind examining the evidence would be like himself inescapably drawn to accept it. And so he sets forth his first rule of legal evidence and for any other ancient document.

    "Every document apparently ancient coming from the proper repository or custody and bearing on its face no evident marks of forgery, the law presumes to be genuine and devolves on the opposing party the burden of proving it to be otherwise."

    "This ancient document, the Scripture, has come from the proper repository, that is, it is has been in the hands of the persons of the Church for 2000 years almost and it bears on its face no evident marks of forgery, and therefore the law presumes it to be genuine, and those who would presume otherwise upon them devolves the responsibility of proving it to be false. We don't have to prove it to be true. They have to prove it to be false. That's what the law says."

    (Simon Greenleaf, The Testimony of the Evangelists: The Gospels Examined for the Rules of Evidence)

    "It was IMPOSSIBLE that the apostles could have persisted in affirming the truths they had narrated, had not JESUS CHRIST ACTUALLY RISEN FROM THE DEAD, . . ."

    (Simon Greenleaf, An Examination of the Testimony of the Four Evangelists by the Rules of Evidence Administered in the Courts of Justice, p.29.)



    by Published on 01-03-2010 11:43 PM     Number of Views: 4108 
    1. Categories:
    2. Calvinism

    Walter Martin was great in so many areas, but he was wrong on some terms with regard to the heresy of Calvinism though he did denounce Calvinism. See the 6 major sins of Calvinism. Likely, he did not give it deep enough thought because he was so busy fighting the kingdom of the cults.

    In a radio broadcast, Walter was asked what he thought of the 5 points of Calvinism. As a typical Baptist, he held to Total depravity and Perseverance of the saints without realizing these terms are contradictory with the other 3 points he rightly held (conditional election, unlimited atonement, resistible grace). The contradiction is proven in Choose a Theology. Now let me clarify. Not just 3 or 4 points of Calvinism are false, but all 5 points.

    I will state boldly, all 5 points of Calvinism contradict all 5 points of OSAS Arminian; and the Roman Church's non-OSAS Arminianism is irrelevant because it is plainly false since initial salvation is not by works, nor can man keep his salvation. You can't be a 2 or 3 point Calvinist and a 2 or 3 point OSAS Arminian. It doesn't work. The Bible says be "not doubletongued" (1 Tim. 3.8). Contradictions are not allowed!

    Nobody is Totally depraved, for God provides sufficient grace to us all and we all remain in God's image. How can you be Totally depraved if God provides you sufficient grace to give you the enabling choice and wooing of the Holy Spirit to believe on Jesus? After all, Martin admitted that he believes in conditional election, unlimited atonement and resistible grace. If it is conditional, unlimited and resistible, then you would need to have the sufficient grace to have the choice.

    Total depravity is Satan's lie. Make no mistake about. If a person is Totally depravity then God has to irresistibly impose salvation on some and deny others the opportunity to be saved. As Dave Hunt says, What Love is This?

    And the saints can't persevere to keep themselves saved, but we whom are saved have given our lives to the God who keeps, knowing we can't keep ourselves; so, the terminology should be "Preservation of the Saints." Praise the Lord! Amen.

    I hope this helps Norman Geisler to stop making this same mistake Walter Martin made. I don't mean to be unkind, for I hold both Norman and Walter in high regard, but a mistaken assumption is nonetheless a mistake that sows the seeds of deception and gives Calvinists food for fodder when you accept Total depravity and/or Perseverance of the saints.

    Incidentally, the pride is obvious with Total depravity thinking oneself irresistibly selected; but Perseverance exists in Calvinism because the Calvinist doesn't really know if he is saved or not because it was never his choice to receive the Lord, so he works for it and hopes it works out: he perseveres rather than being preserved.

    Praise the Lord for this discernment!
    by Published on 01-03-2010 05:13 PM     Number of Views: 3774 
    1. Categories:
    2. Universalism

    These Men Will Reap What They Sow

    Joel Olsteen took right out the play book of Billy Graham. If Billy Graham and Joel Olsteen are saved that's not a Heaven I want to go to. Thank you Jesus.

    Women can be Apostles, Elders and Teachers (that's one thing I disagree about with the speaker).

    Muhammad and the Pope are saved? Where does Billy Graham cite in his writings the verses of the Bible that say homosexuality and lesbianism are hellbound?



    Billy Graham said, "The Pope is the greatest religious leader of the modern world, and one of the greatest moral and spiritual leaders of the century."

    Billy Graham, Robert Schuller, and Joel Olsteen worship the universal Christ of the new age, not the exclusive Jesus of Christianity.

    Billy said of president Clinton, he "has not always won the approval of his FELLOW Christians but who has in his heart a desire to serve God and do His will" (Page 656, Just As I Am).

    ...
    by Published on 12-25-2009 04:45 AM     Number of Views: 1459 
    1. Categories:
    2. Regeneration,
    3. Calvinism

    "Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you" (1 Pet. 1.23,25). You are born-again (regenerated) through believing the gospel upon it being preached unto you; not regenerated then it is preached unto you to believe.

    "As many as were ordained to eternal life believed" (Acts 13.48). How were they ordained to believe? By God foreknowing their free-choice. "Seeing YOU put the gospel form you...we turn to the Gentiles" (v.46). "For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate (Rom. 8.29)...elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father" (1 Pet. 1.2). "As many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name" (John 1.12). Who gets to be a son of God? What precedes becoming a son of God? Those who receive Him, even those who believe on His name; not by the will of the flesh (passion) or the will of man (planning) (v.13). First you must believe: "Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God" (1 John 5.1). "In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise" (Eph. 1.13). When is a person sealed (regenerated)? After trusting and hearing and believing. How does this election take place? "Whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate (Rom. 8.29)...elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father" (1 Pet. 1.2). Salvation is promised to all ("Repent, and be baptized every one of you" [Acts 2.38]), contingent upon individual faith ("Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved" [Acts 16.31]).

    "They that hear shall live" (John 5.25). "Ye will not come to me, that ye may have life" (John 5.40). "Every one who seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life" (John 6.40). "Believing ye may have life" (John 20.31). "Believe...and thou shalt be saved (Acts 16.31). If you are Totally unable, then why would God plead with you to hear, come, see and believe? And if you could not respond to the gospel because of an alleged Total depravity (Total inability), then God is being cruel and unjust even abusive by blaming those for not receiving Him when they were born into sin and are not responsible for the sins of their fathers. The Calvinist accuses the OSAS Arminian of a "works-oriented system" despite the fact that faith is contrasted to and the opposite of works and that the requirement of salvation is sola fide (faith alone). What glorifies God and who is really claiming, "because I was better than those who did not believe"? Those who with repentance and faith agree, "Boasting...is excluded by the law of faith" (Rom. 3.27); or those who without any prior repentance and faith, assumed pridefully, "I have peace with God because God in eternity past chose this undeserving sinner and placed His grace and love upon me"? Which do you think is true grace, peace and love? Make your choice.

    You can often sense the pride of a Calvinist as he brushes by you and when he speaks, he need not say but a few words before you are turned off. We can be confident these men were not saved. Calvinists who are not saved include Paul Washer, Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758), John Calvin, Augustine of Hippo, James White (today), John Fullerton MacArthur, Jr, R.C. Sproul, John Piper, Fred Driscoll, Charles Spurgeon, Matthew Slick (CARM) to name some popular names. And to the surprise of many even though Martin Luther restored to us Justification by Faith and denounced practices of the Roman Church what he actually meant was in the Calvinist sense, so it is highly likely Luther was not born-again either, because Calvinists don't want to be saved God's way. They prefer to assume they were regenerated that allegedly made them to repent and believe which is irresistibly imposed.

    The Southern Baptist Convention says the issue of the heresy of Calvinism is going to be the foremost issue for the next 10 years. They are not going to weed out the Calvinists they say, but they admit they will have to do something about these false Christians that continue to try to highjack their convention each year.

    by Published on 12-23-2009 01:57 PM     Number of Views: 2253 
    1. Categories:
    2. Regeneration

    "Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you" (1 Pet. 1.23,25).

    You are born-again (regenerated) through believing the gospel upon it being preached unto you; not regenerated then is preached unto you to believe.

    "In whom ye also [trusted], after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise" (Eph. 1.13).

    "But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, [even] to them that believe on his name" (John 1.12).

    "Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God" (1 John 5.1).
    by Published on 12-16-2009 10:15 PM     Number of Views: 3705 
    1. Categories:
    2. LDS/Mormons

    Joseph Smith when asked, gave his first vision from his god: "I was answered I must join none of them. They were all wrong. And the personage that addressed me said that all their creeds were an abomination in his sight, and those professors were all corrupt." Smith is saying all churches are wrong. The truth of this mistaken assumption is that all churches however much they falter are all right, because to be the church you must be in Christ. Thus, the personage that Smith encountered was an evil spirit or demon who said all creeds of the Church are an abomination to his god. Everyone who professes them are corrupt according to Joseph's claim. But Mormons and LDS say they are non-confrontational. When the Mormon comes into your living room they tell you that the Church is wrong. If you believe in the Church you are corrupt they say. So you must become a Latter Day Saint to be saved. Mormons are condemning you falsely. Satan is a great accuser. Consequently, Joseph Smith was put to death in in Carthage jail in 1844 for practicing polygamy and other heresies. Him and his brother Hiram were put to death. A martyr is someone who willingly gives up his life. Joseph Smith died with a six gun in his hand.

    "I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed" (Gal. 1.6-9) - an anathema, under divine damnation and condemned by God! The spirit of Mormonism is the spirit of antichrist.

    "Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once for all delivered unto the saints. For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ" (Jude 1.3,4).

    Paul agreed with Moses. "If there arise among you a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, and giveth thee a sign or a wonder, And the sign or the wonder come to pass, whereof he spake unto thee, saying, Let us go after other gods, which thou hast not known, and let us serve them; Thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams: for the LORD your God proveth you, to know whether ye love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul. Ye shall walk after the LORD your God, and fear him, and keep his commandments, and obey his voice, and ye shall serve him, and cleave unto him. And that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams, shall be put to death; because he hath spoken to turn you away from the LORD your God, which brought you out of the land of Egypt, and redeemed you out of the house of bondage, to thrust thee out of the way which the LORD thy God commanded thee to walk in. So shalt thou put the evil away from the midst of thee. If thy brother, the son of thy mother, or thy son, or thy daughter, or the wife of thy bosom, or thy friend, which is as thine own soul, entice thee secretly, saying, Let us go and serve other gods, which thou hast not known, thou, nor thy fathers; Namely, of the gods of the people which are round about you, nigh unto thee, or far off from thee, from the one end of the earth even unto the other end of the earth; Thou shalt not consent unto him, nor hearken unto him; neither shall thine eye pity him, neither shalt thou spare, neither shalt thou conceal him: But thou shalt surely kill him; thine hand shall be first upon him to put him to death, and afterwards the hand of all the people. And thou shalt stone him with stones, that he die; because he hath sought to thrust thee away from the LORD thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage. And all Israel shall hear, and fear, and shall do no more any such wickedness as this is among you. If thou shalt hear say in one of thy cities, which the LORD thy God hath given thee to dwell there, saying, Certain men, the children of Belial, are gone out from among you, and have withdrawn the inhabitants of their city, saying, Let us go and serve other gods, which ye have not known; Then shalt thou enquire, and make search, and ask diligently; and, behold, if it be truth, and the thing certain, that such abomination is wrought among you; Thou shalt surely smite the inhabitants of that city with the edge of the sword, destroying it utterly, and all that is therein, and the cattle thereof, with the edge of the sword. And thou shalt gather all the spoil of it into the midst of the street thereof, and shalt burn with fire the city, and all the spoil thereof every whit, for the LORD thy God: and it shall be an heap for ever; it shall not be built again. And there shall cleave nought of the cursed thing to thine hand: that the LORD may turn from the fierceness of his anger, and shew thee mercy, and have compassion upon thee, and multiply thee, as he hath sworn unto thy fathers; When thou shalt hearken to the voice of the LORD thy God, to keep all his commandments which I command thee this day, to do that which is right in the eyes of the LORD thy God" (Deut. 13.1-18).

    by Published on 12-16-2009 09:35 PM     Number of Views: 2339 
    1. Categories:
    2. LDS/Mormons

    Mormons believe the church founded by Jesus and the apostles was destroyed from human history by the time of Constantine. Yet the Bible had not changed for it was fully recorded in the first century and most of it before 65 AD; therefore, no matter how damaged or lost one may think the Church had become, there was always still a remnant because the word of God has not changed in the 66 books.

    Have you read Revelation chapters 2 & 3? The third church period was called Pergamum which means "high tower" that began with Constantine which has since passed away. What Rev. 2 & 3 does is show the problems the Church will encounter through the mystery age of the Church and each subsequent church period. The Church was not destroyed, for as long as the Holy Spirit is working the body of Christ remains.

    There was no prophetic message and foretelling in Scripture of some guy named Joseph Smith who was suppose to come along to fix it and tell us what we knew the word of God said was not true after all. What great confusion! Who is the author of confusion? Would a loving God act like that? "Not as writing you a new command, but one we have had from the beginning - that we love one another. And this is love: that we walk according to His commands. This is the command have heard it from the beginning: you must walk in love" (2 John 1.5,6). If you make false claims and say the Church disappeared for centuries, what love is this?

    Joseph Smith arrived in the early 19th century during the Philadelphia church period of the Brethren in 1828 who wanted to be called just Christians, not Mormons or Reformed or by any other name. And they taught the proper organizing of the Church according to Scriptural locality built by regional Apostles appointing Elders of a locality, e.g. "church of Jerusalem in the churches of Judea."

    The common characteristics of new religious movements are many and varied, but particularly for the Mormons there are some common features similar to other cults. "Beware of false prophets who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravaging wolves" (Matt. 7.15). What is common among these cults is the claim of some special messenger who is the founder of the new religion and will fulfill the work of Jesus and even claims to be greater than Jesus. Paul warned about this serious heresy about those who follow after "another Jesus" who is not the same Jesus revealed in Scripture (2 Cor. 11.4).

    1) Often there is a "new authority" or new revelation besides the Bible from which adherents to the group must find ultimate truths, thus adding to the word of God against God's will.

    2) The group is focused around a central figure (not Jesus): a prophet-founder "chosen" by their god to deliver a special message to the modern world that is not found in the Bible, has not been known to genuine Christians throughout all church history, or to recover the teaching of the ancient church that has allegedly been lost through the centuries. Joseph Smith and Muhammad are similar in this regard and both reject the Triune God. Both claim to follow the Bible.

    3) Often the group teaches that the Bible foretold the coming of its particular group or leader with great effort by contorting the Scriptures. An example of this is Mormon's misuse of Ezekiel 37.



    4) The group claims that it is compatible or in harmony with the Bible and traditional Christianity, but in fact it reduces and discounts the Bible or otherwise adds to the revelation of Scripture that does not confer. The question is raised, how can it be compatible but then discounted or reduced? Read Revelation 22.18,19. Progressive revelation is often cited as the reason similar to evolution in atheism. One can't help but notice a certain element of atheism in these cults, because the evolution is whatever they say it is.

    5) The group has usurped traditional Christian vocabulary, but has redefined and reinterpreted concepts from the Bible - making its words do "double-duty" in order to defend aberrant doctrines. Their language is pliable and has no fixed meaning. Who is the author of confusion?

    6) The group denies at least one central truth of Christianity - such as the work of Christ on the cross, the authority of Scriptures, salvation by grace through faith alone, the bodily resurrection, the doctrine of eternal punishment, God alone from everlasting, etc.

    7) The group denies both the doctrine of the Trinity and/or the Incarnation.

    8) The group teaches a "salvation by works" system whereby members must ultimately save themselves. How is this possible though for God is infinitely greater? Nobody, therefore, could save themselves. Nobody could keep themselves saved.

    9) The group emphasizes experience over basic Christian doctrine which circumvents experience that follows and is founded on doctrinal truths according to God's will.

    10) The group dabbles in the occult and spiritism. Joseph Smith was notorious for this and convinced of it, then fleeing the authorities for the just punishment of such crimes.

    11) They take from other belief systems and try to mold and weild them into Christianity such as atheism's infinite regress and polytheistic concepts of eastern religions.

    Christians must recognize that our spiritual enemy is not the new religion but, rather, Satan (2 Cor. 11.12-15).

    "Many deceivers have gone out into the world" (2 John 1.7).

    Page 33 of 37 FirstFirst ... 233132333435 ... LastLast