Martyrdom Then and Now

 Jesus gave His life, but He was not a martyr.  He was God in the flesh, and the only One who was capable to pay the price for our sin. He was our Sin-bearer.  Isaiah 53:4-6 gave this prophecy:

Surely He has borne our griefs And carried our sorrows;
Yet we esteemed Him stricken, Smitten by God, and afflicted.⁵ But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities;
The chastisement for our peace was upon Him,And by His stripes we are healed.⁶ All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way (NKJV);
And the Lord gave Him up for our sins (LXX).

Jesus has rescued us from hell, the place we deserved for our sin.  So now he has a rightful claim on us; our lives are His.  He asks that we follow His commands.  Some of those commands, when carried out, threaten Satan’s domination of the earth.  So, if we are to clearly give and live our faith, we might have to give our life.  But as Jesus said in Matthew 10:24-26, 27-28:

A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master.²⁵ It is enough for a disciple that he be like his teacher, and a servant like his master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more will they call those of his household! ²⁶ Therefore do not fear them….  “Whatever I tell you in the dark, speak in the light; and what you hear in the ear, preach on the housetops. ²⁸ And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

Jesus knew that those who believe and abide in Him are set for an eternity with Him, thank God.  But if we are to abide in Him, we cannot weaken in those crucial moments, if such moments should arrive.  We must assert we are His and not deny Him when persecution heats up.  To do that would put our soul in eternal danger.  So let’s look at martyrdom carefully, face to face…..

Man’s inhumanity to man is often most destructive in religious zeal. Satan’s emissaries seem to be working hardest in this arena, knowing that if they can get “Christians” to kill Christians, it tears down the name of Christ the most.  In men’s  demonic state of irrational hatred, morality is lost, and unimaginable cruelties on innocent people are “justified” on religious grounds. We know of the recent outbreaks of horrors by ISIS.  Need I remind you, they are a group grounded in the religion of Islam, whose Quran teaches them to hate Christians (see my other blog for proof).  You should also read up on Boko Haram, an Islamic State Western Province group, who since 2009 have killed 20,000 in Nigeria and displaced 2.3 million people from their homes.  In Nigeria, many whole villages had previously turned to Christ.  Boko Haram targets these villages and raids them with guns and machetes, carrying on unspeakable slaughter against Christians.  Boko Haram began his career by listening to an Islamist preacher, Mohammed Marwa, renamed Maitatsine (meaning:  “the one who damns”) in the 1970s.

But these horrors are déjà vu, I’m sorry to say.  Past martyrdom was uglier--it was done, not by Islam vs. Christian, but by "Christian" vs Christian. In the 1400-1600s, it was Catholics killing Protestants, and even Protestants killing other Protestants.  But--when it came to a group so pure as the Anabaptists, their Christianity was so Christlike that they were “dangerous” to established religion--so both Protestants and Catholics went about killing them. Luther and Calvin were Protestants, but also found excuses to kill them.  Not surprising, since Luther and Calvin were incomplete reformers of  the Gospel (as I have proven in my other blogs).  The Anabaptists were closer to Kingdom living, the real gospel, than they were, generally.

With “Christians” killing Christians in those days, the problem is that in that time, entire nation-states declared themselves Catholic “Christian” or Protestant "Christian," and many people were coerced, or intimidated, into going through the motions, and people were trained, from birth, to hate the other--but hatred is not Christian. They ignored the Bible, which plainly speaks out against hate. But there were actually few who really read their Scripture AND followed Christ's commandments--those were the real Christians.  The haters, though, were just “nominal” Christians, "reformed" by the state religion, who were able to practice unspeakable horror for “religious reasons”—they were the worst kind of humanity.  After all, who attacked Jesus with the most abusive language?  The religious leaders.  And did Jesus say many people would be saved, or be a real Christian?  No.  Read Matthew 7:13-14:

13 “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it.14 Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.

I have other blogs exposing the truth about terrible things done by Calvin and Luther, both Protestants. For balance, I would like to lift some enlightening literature from Foxe’s Book of Martyrs and Martyr’s Mirror, exposing horrific deeds done by Catholics.  There are three things I would like to say.  First:  Don’t read this to your kids. The things that were done are just too grisly to repeat.  Secondly, this is not a sad tale, really.  The endurance of these real Christian martyrs, and their uplifting words, are an inspiration to all.  In Christ, they really knew the meaning of Paul’s words—“O death, where is thy sting?”  Thirdly, these stories—even their quotes—are not exaggerated fables.  Foxe lived in the 1550s, in the midst of it all, and most of the Mirror, from the 1600s, both of my volumes--were taken from contemporary journals.  May God allow you to be horrified—and yet inspired to Him—as you read.

Our first reading is subtitled “the Valleys of Piedmont in the 1600s.”  (These were the Waldenses, one of the earliest groups protesting against Catholicism's departure from Scripture, being persecuted in northwest Italy and Switzerland).  Here is the quote:

Pope Clement VIII sent missionaries into the valleys of Piedmont, to induce the Protestants to renounce their religion.  These missionaries erected monasteries…(which became) sanctuaries for all cowards to fly to that had injured the Waldenses. This inspired them to further assaults.  The Protestant Waldenses, therefore, petitioned the duke of Savoy for protection.  But instead of getting any redress, the duke published a decree, in which he declared that one witness should be sufficient in a court of law against a Protestant, and that any witness who convicted any Protestant of any crime whatsoever should be entitled to a hundred crowns reward.  As may be imagined, many Protestants fell martyrs to perjury and avarice.

To encourage the apostasy of the Protestants, the duke published a proclamation that exempted from all taxes for five years if the heretics would recant and embrace the holy Roman faith.  There were also several successive edicts, prohibiting the Protestants from acting as schoolmasters, from holding any places of profit, trust, or honor, and commanding them to attend mass.  This last, if ignored, was a sure signal for a persecution, which soon followed. (The Waldenses said that the mass was not the body and blood of our Lord, and therefore the Catholics committed blasphemy.)

Before the persecution commenced, the missionaries employed kidnappers to steal away the children of the Protestants, that they might privately be brought up Roman Catholics.  Later they took away children by open force, and if the poor parents resisted, they were immediately murdered.  One of the first persons who attracted the notice of the papists was Mr. Sebastian Basan, a zealous Protestant, who was seized by the missionaries, confined, tormented 15 months, and then committed to the flames (i.e., burned at the stake).

That was followed by a most cruel order, dated January 25, 1655, that every family of the reformed religion, inhabiting estates in Lucerne, St Giovanni, etc, (in Switzerland) within three days of publication of said order, must depart out of said places, and translated into the places tolerated by his highness—namely Bobbio, Angrogno, etc. In between was a mountainous terrain.  And all this was to be done on the pain of death, and confiscation of house and goods, unless within the limited time they recanted and turned Roman Catholic.

The winter was remarkably severe.  (Ed: This trip was, on average, 140 miles through the Alps, so they spent many overnights outdoors.  But they were unfamiliar with living in wilderness, and hadn’t had time to pack for this weather.)  The duke’s troops drove them from their habitations and were assisted by French troops, Irish brigades, and several bands formed of outlaws, smugglers, and prisoners, who had been promised pardon in the world, and absolution in the next, for assisting in their extermination.  (Ed: Plus, they might win a confiscated house.)

Many of the Protestants perished in the mountains from the weather or lack of food. Refusing to move was a poor alternative.  An armed multitude, encouraged by the bishops and monks, fell upon the remaining Protestants in a most furious manner.  All now was horror and despair:  blood stained the floors, dead bodies bestrewed the streets, and groans and cries shocked the ears of humanity from every quarter. There were several men, women, and children flung from the rocks, and dashed to pieces (ed:  From castle heights or cliffs).  Mary Raymondet had her flesh sliced from her bones until she expired.  Anne Charboniere had one end of a stake thrust through her body, and the other end fixed in the ground; so she was left in the manner to perish.  Giovanni Michialin, with four of his children, was apprehended; three of them were hacked to pieces before him; the soldiers asked him at the death of every child if he would recant—but he constantly refused.  One of the soldiers then took up the last and youngest, by the legs, and putting the same question, he replied as before, when the inhuman brute dashed out the child’s brains.  The soldiers roasted alive another girl, about ten years of age, at Villa Nova.

Jacob Birone, a schoolmaster, was stripped naked, and had the nails of his toes and fingers torn off with red-hot pincers, and holes bored through his hands.  He was led through the streets, the soldiers saying, “Will you go to mass?”  He replied in the negative, and being at length taken to the bridge, they cut off his head on the balustrades.

Daniel Rambaut, of Villaro was seized and committed to the jail.  Here he was visited by several priests, who with continual importunities, strove to persuade him to turn papist. He refused.  Then the priests pretended to pity his large family, and told him that he might yet have his life if he would subscribe his belief to the following articles:  1. The real presence (of Christ) in the host. 2. Transubstantiation (Ed: The belief that the bread and wine actually become the body and blood of Jesus).  3. Purgatory.  4. The pope’s infallibility.  5. That masses said for the dead will release souls from purgatory.  6. That praying for saints will procure the remission of sins.  To these Rambaut replied (in part):  1. To believe the real presence (of Jesus) in the host is blasphemy and idolatry….5. Saying masses for the dead is only meant to keep up a belief in the fable of purgatory, but the fate of all is decided by the time of departure of the soul from the body. (i.e., trying to change God's decision after their death is a waste of time).  6. Praying to saints for the remission of sins is misplacing adoration, as the living saints themselves have a need for an intercessor in Christ; therefore, as God only can pardon our errors, we ought to sue to Him alone for pardon.  (Ed:  Scripture does not have support for the six Catholic claims).  Filled with rage at these answers, the priests determined to shake his resolution by the most cruel method imaginable; they ordered one joint of his fingers to be cut off every day; then his toes; afterwards, they alternately cut off, daily, a hand and a foot, and finding that he bore his sufferings with the most unconquerable fortitude, and maintained his faith with steadfast resolution, they stabbed him to the heart, and gave his body to be devoured by dogs.

(Ed:  Even crueler acts—if it were possible—are detailed in Wikipedia’s “Waldensians,” along with a never-to-be forgotten horrifying illustration, as well.  It seems that the only ones to belatedly organize help to these people were some Protestants).

Now let’s go to another true story in Martyr’s Mirror.  Under the heading: “Weynken, a Widow, of Monickendam, November 20, 1527” (Ed:  This was in Holland). Weynken, an Anabaptist, was persecuted by both Zwinglians—Calvinist Protestants—and papists.

On November 15, Weynken was brought prisoner from the castle to the Hague.  On the 18^th, she was arraigned before the Governor and the full council of Holland.  There a woman asked her:  Have you well considered the things which my lords proposed to you?

Ans:  I abide by what I have said.

Ques:  If you do not speak differently, and turn from your error, you will be subjected to an intolerable death.

Ans:  If power is given to you from above, I am ready to suffer. (Ed: Here, please read Note 1 of 11--See Scriptures at end).

Ques:  Do you, then, not fear death, which you have never tasted?

Ans:  This is true; but I shall never taste death, for Christ says, “If a man keep my saying, he shall never see death.”(Note 2) The rich man (the only way to get rich in those days was, your family had oppressed the poor, so it was assumed he was non-Christian.  Jesus didn't have many nice words about richness either) tasted death, and shall taste it forever.(3)

Ques:  What do you hold concerning the sacrament?

Ans:  I hold your sacrament to be bread and flour, and if you hold it as God, I say that is your devil.

Ques:  What do you hold concerning the saints?

Ans:  I know no other Mediator than Christ.(4)

Ques:  You must die, if you abide by this.

Ans:  I am already dead.(5)

Ques:  If you are dead, how can you speak?

Ans:  The Spirit lives in me; the Lord is in me, and I am in Him (6)

Ques:  Will you have a confessor, or not?

Ans:  I have Christ, to Him I confess; nevertheless, if I have offended any, I would willingly ask them to forgive me.

Ques:  Who has taught you to this opinion, and how did you come to it?

Ans:  The Lord, who calls all men to Him; I am one of His sheep; therefore I hear His voice.(7)

During the two following days she was entreated and tempted by various persons, by monks, priests, women, and her nearest friends.  A woman, prompted by sincerity, commiserated with her after this fashion:

Ques:  Dear mother, can you not think what you please, and keep it to yourself?   Then you will not die.

Ans:  Dear sister, I am commanded to speak, and am constrained to do so.  Though they burn me tomorrow, or put me into a bag, I care not; I will adhere to the Lord.  It grieves me to see that these good men are all so blinded; I will pray the Lord for them.

(Ed Note:  This phrase “adhere” to the Lord was  like its synonym “abide,” to be found at John 15:5-7, 9-10, where our Lord says:

“I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit…⁶ If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. ⁷ If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you…  ⁹ “As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love. ¹⁰ If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love

(You can see why Meynken was critically interested in adhering to Christ; if we don’t do it, we are in danger of hell.)

Two Dominican friars came to her.  One showed her the crucifix, saying, “See, here is your Lord and your God.”  She answered, “This is not my God; the cross by which I am redeemed, is a different one.  This is a wooden god; throw him into the fire, and warm yourselves with him.”  (Ed:  Nothing is wrong with the crucifix—but in those days, and to a limited extent now, it was supposed to have special powers and was worshiped. Thus it became an idol.  That was her problem with it).  The other friar asked her in the morning she was to die, whether she would receive the sacrament (presumably Last Rites, which supposedly granted final absolution of sins).  She refused.  Upon his mention of Mass, she told him bluntly that he had crucified Christ anew.

Ques:  What do you hold concerning the holy oil?

Ans:  Oil is good for salad, or to oil your shoes with. (Ed:  Her great desire to eliminate popish practices went too far here, for as James 5:14 shows, oil might, with faith, bring on healing:

⁽ Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. 

(She still might have had just cause to reject it in her day, because the Catholic church, in those days as now, has assumed several other powers of oil, thus calling it “holy oil.”  And even water, calling it “holy water.”  Those are unscriptural)

When she was again brought before the court, a monk held the crucifix before her face, saying, “Do recant before sentence is passed.”  But Weynken said, “I adhere to my Lord and my God; neither death nor life shall separate me from Him (8).  The Dean of Naeldwijck, the inquisitor, read the sentence in Latin and Dutch.  She was found in error with regard to the sacrament.  Thus she was a heretic, so he delivered her to the secular magistrate...but then he retired from the council, evidently impressed by her godliness.  The chancellor however immediately read that she should be burnt to ashes, and all her property to be confiscated.  Then Weynken said, “Has all been done now?  I beg you all that if I have harmed or offended any, that you will forgive me.”

As they were leaving the council chamber, the monk said to her that she should call upon our Lady to intercede for her.

Ans:  our lady is well content in God.

Ques:  Call upon her.

Ans: We have Christ, Who sitteth on the right hand of His Father; He prays for us (Ed: actually, it says “makes intercession for us”) (9).

Ques:  Will you condemn all these (Catholics)?

Ans: Not all.  Judgment belongs unto God. (10)

Ques:  Do you not fear the severe judgment of God?

Ans:  God comes not to condemn sinners, but to give them peace. (11)

On the scaffold (these people were burned publicly), the monk said, “Now you will have to go into the fire; do recant.” She said, “I am well content; the Lord’s will must be done.”

The executioner then made ready the ropes with which he was to strangle her.  She put the strap around her neck.  The monk finally said, “Do you renounce all heresy?”  She:  “I do.”  Monk:  “This is well; are you also sorry that you erred?” She:  “I formerly did err indeed (ed:  When she was a Catholic).  "This however is no error, but the true way, and I adhere to God.”

Then the executioner did his work.  November 20, 1527.

Our last entry is from 1572, in Foxe’s, called “A Horrible Massacre in France,” relating to St Bartholomew, in Paris.  A massacre was plotted by Catharine de Medicis, mother of the king Charles IX. It was carried out by Parisian nobles and citizenry.  The victims of this slaughter were yet another Protestant group, the Huguenots.  Unparalleled cruelties spread to other provinces, and within one month, an estimated 60,000 Protestants were slain of men and women alike.  When intelligence of the massacre was received at Rome, the greatest rejoicings took place, and a medal was struck to commemorate this “victory of the faith.”  The pope and his cardinals went in solemn procession to the church of St Mark, to give thanks to God.  A jubilee was also published.  Similar rejoicings were celebrated all over France. End of quote.

I think it is appropriate now to present the final words by a courageous man, vanquished in body, but not in soul, which is in heaven forevermore:  “I trust that my salvation is already sealed in heaven, and that the blood of Christ, in which I firmly trust, has washed away my sins.  I now cast off this mantle of clay, for robes of eternal glory.”

Now let us ponder the words of our Lord, in John 16:1-3:

“All this I have told you so that you will not fall away. ^{2 ...}the time is coming when anyone who kills you will think they are offering a service to God. ³ They will do such things because they have not known the Father or me.”

Notes:  1. John 19:11   2. John 8:51   3. Luke 16:23  4. I John 2:19  5. Galatians 2:19   6. John 14:20   7. John 10:27  8. Romans 8:39  9. Romans 8:34   10. Hebrews 10:30   11. Luke 9:56.

Acknowledgements:  Foxe’s Book of Martyrs and Martyr’s Mirror.

Predestination and TULIP: True or False? (Part 2 of 2)

 We began our study of Calvin predestination last week by looking at T=Total Depravity and U=Unconditional Election.  We found both doctrines false and unscriptural.  This week we will finish the study by looking at L I and P, rounding out the famous "TULIP" doctrine.  Here we go with the letter "L."

Limited Atonement     

This is the teaching that our Lord died only for the elect.  How could any Calvinist defend this idea, when there are too many Scriptures that indicate that Christ died for all.  The verses I will cover prove that God makes Christ’s atonement available to everyone.  All people have the potential of being right with God.  God wants all to be saved (see I Tim. 2:3,4 for instance).  All that is now left is their positive choice. His love does not stop with a few lucky people, arbitrarily (and capriciously) selected.  Here’s a good verse to start with, II Corinthians 5:15:

and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again.

Of course, the Calvinists’ response to the above verse is, “all” doesn’t really mean “all.”  They seem to have plenty of verses that show that all doesn’t always mean all.  But what do they say to this verse—I Timothy 4:10:

 For to this end we both labor and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of those who believe.

Now if you know anything about English grammar, you can see how this word “especially” thrown in, also proves that Jesus died for the unsaved as well.

Another pair of comparison verses will prove it again, Romans 5:12, 18:

Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned—18 Therefore, as through one man’s offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man’s righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life.

The verses are saying, since by one man, Adam, sin and death entered and infected all men, so by one Man, Jesus, the free gift came (or was made available) to all men.  There is no way to get around the logic here.  Theologians of every stripe believe that Adam affected everybody; no man has ever been sinless their entire life since (except Jesus).  So, likewise, Jesus’ atonement was available to every single person so infected.  If “all” means “all” in verse 12, it has to mean “all” in verse 18.  The same word does not change meaning in an obviously comparative pair of verses.  If you’re a Calvinist, the “all” in v. 12 means “all;” but the “all” in v. 18 does NOT mean all. But Paul was an extremist on logic—he didn’t write that verse like Calvinists want.

The third nail in the coffin of Limited Atonement is I John 2:1-2:

My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. ² And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.

Once again, the inescapable clause at the end, “not for ours only” proves, without any doubt, that Christ also died for the ultimately unsaved.

So, how could Calvinists believe what is so easily proven to be a falsehood?  Because they love the security in their “gospel.”  The early followers of Calvin were the self-righteous civil ones, the wealthy, the ones who felt they were the beneficiaries of God’s love.  They loved feeling that their way to heaven was sure.  No religion gives more security than Calvinism.  Since that possibility was laid out by Calvin, people have flocked to it, despite its evident falsehood.  A Scripture probably applies here, II Timothy 4:3-4:

For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables.

Personally, this paper is an indictment of the beliefs of many of my Calvinistic friends, many of whom I believe are saved, despite believing this false doctrine.  I say that because they have testified that they seek God, have prayed for Christ to come in, and are humble in spirit, and wouldn’t say a bad word about anybody, and wouldn’t hurt a flea.  True Christianity.  But the doctrine also makes many people arrogant, unable to self-inspect, and incapable of change.  If wrapped in the cloak of a political party (Republicans today), they often feel that if the economy is good, and if the wealth keeps flowing in, their beliefs must be approved by God.

Irresistible Grace    

This is the idea that if God has predestined you for heaven, He must woo you through His Holy Spirit to accept Christ.  Calvinists obtain this doctrine partly from logic—i.e., if we are totally depraved, and if God already has eternal life with your name unconditionally on it, then it makes sense that He has to do the work of convincing you that Jesus died for your sins, and a skeptic should accept that logic. If someone seemed to accept Him, but then their lifestyle shows they rejected Him, then the assumption that He elected them was wrong.  Since God cannot be wrong, we misperceived their “salvation.”  God’s wooing of His elect will always be successful—it will be irresistible. Their lifestyle will prove it.

But as you can see, all this is founded upon (1) total depravity; and (2) unconditional election.  But we have disproved both of these above, so the irresistible grace doctrine lacks its major support. One of the few Scriptural verses that seem to back their doctrine is Romans 9:19:

You will say to me then, “Why does He still find fault? For who has resisted His will?

Notice the word “then;” this is a continuation of a previous argument.  The previous argument, in Romans 9:10-18, was discussed under Calvin’s “unlimited election”—which we disproved. As verses following Romans 9:19 points out, when people ask this, they do not understand what God is saying.  They assume He controls everyone’s fate, so how can He judge them, or make them accountable, for their actions?  “He controls us,” they cry, and we cannot resist His choice to save or damn us.  So, they conclude, He is responsible if my actions make me hell-bound. That’s not fair, they say.

But the previous verses in Romans 9, as we showed, talk about foreknowledge. He simply knows ahead of time what choices people or nations make. And as we said earlier, foreknowledge does not mean control. Scripture is full of verses that still hold us accountable for sin, and how our own bad choices could make us hell-bound.  People still blame God for His ultimately judging them—they just don’t want to be held accountable before God for their actions. Paul’s response to the accusatory question in v. 19 continues in Romans 9:20-29, pretty much as I’m outlining it here. The concepts are admittedly difficult, but their importance in light of our eternal destiny means we should push through it to understanding.  In the end, we should never assume God has bad intentions at heart.  It is reasonable that a sovereign eternal God, with omniscience, may do things that might be beyond our understanding.  We have to take it on faith that His love for us means that “all things work together for good” (Romans 8:28)—rather than lashing out, blaming Him when things go wrong.

In summary, since this tenet of Calvinism rests on assumptions and verses that have been proven to be misinterpreted, we do not need to go further into discussion on this point.

Perseverance of the saints

This doctrine is what “once saved, always saved” is based on.  They look at Romans 8:39:

^… nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

To dispute this, I would like to refer to my previous three blogs on Calvinism. I would like to add some fresh words from Thomas Taylor Ministries:

“The Bible is very clear that it is possible to lose one’s salvation and every Christian should be aware of that possibility.  Heb 10:26 – 31 explains it:

For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, ²⁷ but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries. ²⁸ Anyone who has rejected Moses’ law dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. ²⁹ Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace? ³⁰ For we know Him who said, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. And again, “The Lord will judge His people.” ³¹ It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

One attack that Calvinists use on this statement is, How does the verse say we were once saved when the word “saved” is not even used?  Our answer is:  It uses the phrase “received the knowledge of the truth;” that’s salvation. So, the verses are clearly saying that once saved, it’s possible (but disastrous) to fall back to be like the world, despising again what God has done.  He has given us access to salvation by His Son, which we would be rejecting again, thus trampling it underfoot; we would be despising Communion, which means we were symbolically taking His blood that was shed for us--and now reject; and we would be turning away from the power of sanctification, this method of freedom from the slavery of sin--that is only offered to His children.  Of course, we critically need to understand the phrase to “sin willfully” that brings about these disasters from God, this horror of a broken relationship with God. Look at the words, “fearful expectation of judgment,” “fiery indignation,” “devour the adversaries,” too.  Do these not describe the pit of hell for these people?  Do these not prostrate us, cause us to ask, “God, what are you saying here? Have I sinned willfully?” (If you sincerely ask it with a repentant heart, you probably haven’t).  Maybe the answer is in Hebrews 6:4-6:

 For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, ⁵ and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, ⁶if they fall away, to renew them again to repentance, since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to an open shame.

Verses 4 and 5 clearly teach that this person was saved, and has seen the many benefits of salvation.  If they then “fall away,” they have lost their salvation. They trigger, again, horrible responses from God.

Now another phrase of importance: What is “falling away?”

My own thought on defining these two phrases is, let’s start with “sin willfully.”  As we proved before, this person was saved.  “Sin willfully” probably means, you’re consciously thinking, “I know this is wrong, but I’m going to ignore the Holy Spirit’s pleas and do it anyhow; it’s just too pleasant to ignore.” And perhaps you never repent of it, or perhaps you “repent,” but do it again. (We have to be careful that we really “repent.” Study what it is.)  The Bible speaks of “hardening of the heart.”  That implies that doing a sin, even if you repent, and doing it over again, you experience hardening of the heart.  Eventually you don’t even believe yourself when you “repent”—and eventually you stop “repenting,” because you know that you’ll do the sin again, and you realize you’re a hypocrite for pretending to repent.  If you sin over and over and do not really improve (by sinning less) after you were saved, (or if you are not gradually releasing yourself from addiction after you were saved), and you enjoy the sin too much to resist, and repeatedly squelch the Holy Spirit--you are unlikely to be saved anymore. Thus you can lose your salvation, and your “perseverance” does not happen.  And Calvinism is wrong because this downslide happens somewhere in America frequently.  I’ve seen it, and I’ve heard people testify of it.

Now, thinking about “falling away;” it so happens that this is the definition of apostasy.  In order to “fall away” from something, you had to be attached to that something, right?  So to “fall away” from the truth, you had to be attached to the truth in the first place.  Logically, that says this person was initially saved—but fell away and became unsaved.  Also, as we have pointed out, the verses above also say this person was saved. After they were saved, they “fell away.”  Perhaps they came to rejecting the intellectual truths of Scripture, but preferred to conjure up doctrines to live by instead, or preferred to live by heretical beliefs of religions that aren’t even close to the Apostle’s Creed—which is the unalterable creed of a real Christian. They could, on the other hand, fall away into the world as well (some Christians call this “backsliding”). But if you’re so ensnared with the world, God cannot keep you; you must realize the danger, and try like crazy to disassociate from it. He requires that you live holy.  Assuming you've made public your attachment to Christ, you carry a light, and you must separate from the world’s culture, lest you drag His name through the mud with your sinful activities.  You would be putting Christ to an open shame. And once again, you lose the salvation you once had.  (I’ve got better proofs in my blogs.)  And again, there is no “perseverance,” and Calvinism is wrong.

So there you have it, all 5 points of Calvinism are separated from Scripture.  For those who are “3-point Calvinists,” or “4 point Calvinists,” or the hard-as-a-rock “5-point Calvinists,” it’s best to just be a “no-point” Calvinist.  Learn to read your Scripture with discernment, taking ALL of it into account.  All its tenets are un-Scriptural and wrong.  Its leader, John Calvin, might not have been a saved man.  (I have another blog just on him).  Don’t just “go with the flow.”  The question of heaven or hell is too important for that.  Read Scripture thoroughly, with meditation.  Spend time studying this—avoiding hell is worth it.

Acknowledging again the sermon of pastor Anderson, Five points of Calvinism Refuted, in 2013.  He was brief on these latter points, he was running out of time.  His ideas in Part 2 have also been softened, edited, and summarized, and much of mine added.

Predestination and TULIP: True or False?

 More churches are preaching Calvinism.  This system of beliefs is a long-time canon of the Presbyterian, the Reformed, and the United Church of Christ doctrines, and is an important tenet in about half the Baptist churches.  Most megachurches preach it, and most evangelical authors believe it.  It is a growing phenomenon among evangelical churches, according to a New York Times article (January 3, 2014).  But what is Calvinism?

The doctrine was created by John Calvin, who lived in the 16^th century.  Its primary theses are summarized in the word TULIP.

T=Man’s Total Depravity

U=God’s Unconditional Election

L=Christ’s Limited Atonement

I=The Holy Spirit’s Irresistible Grace

P=Preservation of the saints

I would like to summarize each in turn, as Calvinists see them.

Total Depravity, according to Calvinists, means mankind has no desire, or, more importantly, no ability, to approach God for salvation.  Man has no free will.  Man is spiritually dead, and is not interested—even cannot—be born again or accept Christ.  Consequently, the only way he can be saved is for God to take the initiative.

Unconditional Election means God made a choice to save certain people before they were even born, without regard for any future works of theirs, good or evil, being part of His decision about who would go to heaven, who would go to hell.  They were “predestined” for their final destination. The people He chose for heaven was a totally arbitrary move on His part.

Limited Atonement:  Jesus did not die for everyone; only for His ultimately saved elect people.

Irresistible Grace:  God’s action to save a person who is predestined for heaven cannot be resisted.  Since they were elected, and predestined to enter heaven, God will not have His choice denied.

Perseverance of the saints:  God keeps His people so they can never be lost.  Once you are saved, you are always saved.

I would like to comment on each of these points, proving that each of them is not taught in Scripture—the opposite, in fact, is what the Bible teaches. (I have another blog on John Calvin, if you’d like to know what manner of man he was.)

Total Depravity

Several of Calvin’s doctrines teach that man does not have a free choice.  Calvinism teaches that man cannot approach God; God has to approach man.  Abundant Scriptures dispute this. Consider Revelation 22:17:

And the Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let him who hears say, “Come!” And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely.

 As the verse implies, "let him who thirsts...desires, take the water," we can have a desire for Christ before regeneration. The original King James says “Whosoever will…take the water of life…”  That means “whosoever wills their mind to it, or “whosoever has a desire to…” God would not call us like this, unless we can respond.  To think otherwise would be a cruel hoax on God's part.  It’s our choice.  We have the power to will ourselves to turn to God. In Deuteronomy 30:19 God says, “Choose life.”  Joshua 24:15 says, in Scripture, “Choose this day whom you will serve; but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”   In John 5:40 Jesus says,

 But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life.

 Would Jesus have said that if it were impossible to do, if we presumably are not able?  Of course not.

Calvinists love to cite John 6:44:

No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day.

There, they say, the Father must draw us.  But they fail to mention John 12:32, which explains what Jesus meant by being “drawn.”

And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself.

His crucifixion (and resurrection) does the drawing.  Not some choice God made before we were born. Also, note the importance of that little word “all.”  Truly a non-Calvin word.

Calvinists have another pair of favorite verses, John 12:39-40:

Therefore they could not believe, because Isaiah said again:

⁴⁰ “He has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts,
Lest they should see with their eyes,
Lest they should understand with their hearts and turn,
So that I should heal them.”

 Folks, the idea that God erects obstacles to people being saved is slander to His character. Let’s not forget II Peter 3:9 about God’s love for us and His wonderful desire for our fellowship:

The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.

So what is the meaning of, “He has blinded their eyes?”  Quite possibly, this word is Jew-specific.  The Jews had proven, by earlier chapters in John (like chapters 7 and 8) that they blinded their own eyes. They hated Jesus from the start.  He disrupted the system. The phrase “He has blinded” probably means God often sets us in a circumstance that lets us see or make public which side we’re on.  If we choose against Christ in such a test, it is the choice we do on our own. What He is doing is, He will not just let us drift into hell without a public display of where we stand. Such a test is to our own benefit because it makes us think of our choice, and hopefully change our mind at some point, or makes us fear judgment if we see that we are in rebellion to Christ.

So, we conclude that God would not blind our eyes, without us blinding Him.  He would love it if ALL would be saved; that’s the patient desire of His heart.

Or, consider Romans 1, where people that are reprobate have blinded vision.  Plenty of Jews were (and, sadly, are) in that category.

Here's another verse:  When Calvinists read Ephesians 2:8-9:

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, ⁹ not of works, lest anyone should boast.

 They think that faith is the gift of God. And, of course, they then assume God provides the faith—nothing we initiate.  Well, to dispute this, any Greek student who studies grammar will tell you that the sentence is set up so that grace is the gift of God. His grace is not of ourselves.  And God provides grace to everyone, not just “the elect.” We cannot boast that we did something to earn God’s grace. But we have to make a choice to put our faith in Jesus.

On a side note, Calvinists argue that the words “free will” are not used in the Bible in connection of salvation.  But the term is used 17 times in connection of offerings that we make to God, which we voluntarily give.  That is a model of God’s intention.  He does not like robots.  He desires that we give ourselves to Him voluntarily, of our free will.

Unconditional Election

 This is the idea that God chose some of us to be saved, and His determination did not require any prior action on our part; (they assume that we would claim to "deserve" salvation).  It was unconditional love for the elect on His part (and unconditional bad news for the rest of humanity who were not so chosen. In effect, God chose them for hell) To dispute this: Consider Romans 10:9:

…if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.

 Well, does that place conditions on us to be saved?  Of course.  On the other hand, if God is making you open your mouth, and making you believe what He wants you to believe, then we would truly be robots.  And we’ve already disputed that.

The favorite verses for this belief for Calvinists are Romans 9:10-18:

…when Rebecca also had conceived by one man, even by our father Isaac ¹¹ (for the children not yet being born, nor having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works but of Him who calls), ¹² it was said to her, “The older shall serve the younger.” ¹³ As it is written, “Jacob I have loved, but Esau I have hated ¹⁴ What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? Certainly not! ¹⁵ For He says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whomever I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whomever I will have compassion.” ¹⁶ So then it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy. ¹⁷ For the Scripture says to the Pharaoh, “For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I may show My power in you, and that My name may be declared in all the earth.”¹⁸ Therefore He has mercy on whom He wills, and whom He wills He hardens.

Calvinism tries to claim that Jacob was chosen to be saved by God’s election, unconditionally, beforehand--and Esau was not so chosen. But this is a New Testament quote from the Old Testament.  Let’s look back, as we should always do, to get context, at the original Scriptures. We will find that the subject here is NOT salvation—and it is not even about Jacob or Esau!  The first quote, “the older shall serve the younger” (see v. 12 above), was from Genesis 25:23.  Here is the original verse:

And the Lord said to her (Rebekah, Isaac’s wife): “Two nations are in your womb, Two peoples shall be separated from your body; One people shall be stronger than the other,
And the older shall serve the younger.”

 With the words “nations,” and “peoples” (twice), we see God is not talking about Jacob or Esau, but about their tribes of descendants.  A very important find. You see, in later Scripture in Genesis, we don’t find Esau serving Jacob at any point (in fact, at one point, Jacob bows to him and gives him gifts).  But we do see that the nation Israel (Jacob’s spiritual name) dominates over the nation Edom (from Esau).  Thus, this entire quote is about nations. That’s what prophetically came true. Importantly, God can choose one nation to dominate over another without defying His rules on individual salvation.

The second quote, “Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated,” (v. 13 above) is found in Malachi 1:2-3.  For context again, let’s take a look back, again, at the original:

"I have loved you,” says the Lord. “Yet you say, ‘In what way have You loved us?’ Was not Esau Jacob’s brother?” Says the Lord. “Yet Jacob I have loved; ³ But Esau I have hated, And laid waste his mountains and his heritage For the jackals of the wilderness.”

Here again, the completion of the sentence put a whole different meaning on it:  it refers to “mountains and his heritage”—thus, again, the nation, the descendants of Esau, are in view, not Esau himself.  Consider also, the name Esau means "hairy;" and the word Edom (the nation) means "red." So he and the nation's DNA were red-haired folks.  The words are tied together.  So when you use the name, you could be referring to the ascendant of the nation.  Thus, there is no clear evidence that God hated the man Esau.  And thus, God does not doom a man before he is even born or “save” a man before he is born.  Thus, His election in the Calvinistic manner of defining it does not stand. The Romans 9 verses, so loved by Calvinists, does not really say what they want it to say.  The salvation of Jacob or Esau is not at issue as they think.  To me, the answer is pretty clear:  It simply makes no sense in God's character to say that He hated someone before they were born.

Let’s just talk a little about what brings about salvation in the Old Testament; Isaac was born of Abraham’s faith in God’s promise.  It took faith to believe that they could have a son, since they were too old.  Isaac was also born to a free woman, Abraham’s wife Sarah. Ishmael was born of a slave woman, born of Abraham’s weakness of the flesh. Isaac, to show his faith, took a wife from God’s chosen people; Ishmael took a pagan wife.  As you can see, they made choices. Faith in God produced salvation in the Old Testament.

God simply foreknew that Esau’s descendants would hate God, and worship idols (which is the case); and He chose the nation Israel to carry His Commandments and Old Covenant to the world, so people could see their sin before His judgment.

Let’s address again the big elephant in the room, the major flaw in Calvin's theology: how could God “un-elect,” and send a man to hell before he is even born?  That’s what the election of a few, and the rejection of the majority, results in for the rest. Such a thing is not His character, folks!  All of His Word tells of His patience for all to turn to Him; He wants us to make a free choice.

For a Scriptural definition of predestination, look at Romans 8:29-30:

For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. ³⁰ Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.

 Note how it doesn’t begin as “whom He predestined, He foreknew...”  It starts with His foreknowledge.  What is foreknowledge?  God is the master of time; He knows what every person in the world will do all their lives in all of history—before any of it happens. An incredible feat.  What’s even neater, for us, is that He will inject Himself personally into our lives at just the right moment, doing everything with a goal of having us see His love for us and hopefully having us see the failure of the cultures of the broken world to keep us happy.  Yes, He knew before we were born which of us would be saved.  But foreknowledge does not mean that God was in control of our decision. He watched and wooed through time. He could see ahead of time that some of us would accept Jesus as Lord and Savior.  Then we were predestined for heaven. But even though He knew this before we were born, He never made the choice for us.  He directs outside activity to help all of us lean His way, but some people still reject Him; and ultimately He has to watch us make a choice—for good or bad.  Our election is our own.

Acknowledgement:  The sermon of pastor Anderson, Five points of Calvinism Refuted, in 2013, has been softened, edited, and summarized.  See next week for the "LIP" of TULIP in Calvinism.

The Kingdom of God in the Mind of Christ and in the Beatitudes

Salvation is not the end of God’s design for our lives; it is a means to an end.  The end is to be a functioning member of the Kingdom of God.  We must move away from a “Save Me” religion, wanting something for me—rather, it should be something for God.

The best definition of the Kingdom is in the Lord’s Prayer:  “Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven…”  We want God’s will to be done on earth as it is in heaven.  How is God’s will done in heaven?  We have a very beautiful picture in Isaiah 6, where he is telling us that King Uzziah died.  He was a good king, reigned for 52 years, one of the more powerful kings of Judah—the nation did many great things under him.  Isaiah placed great confidence in him.  But the king became very proud, and decided to reach out and become a priest as well (forbidden in Israeli religion).  When he made the offering in the temple, God struck him with leprosy. And from then to the end of his life, the prophet Isaiah had to hear this man whom he had admired, shouting repeatedly outside the congregation “Unclean! Unclean!”

God knew the sadness Isaiah had, but He wanted to teach Isaiah that we should place limited confidence in Man. Only in God.  So He gave Isaiah a vision—he saw the Lord high and lifted up, and the train of his garment filled the temple. He made Isaiah see reality--the greatness of God, much more than the greatness of Uzziah.  Then he saw the seraphim—and that’s where we get a picture of how God’s will is done in heaven. The word seraphim literally means “burners;” fiery, copper-colored creatures, burning in their zeal to do whatever God said. They had six wings.  Wings covered their faces, their feet, and there were wings ready to fly.  That’s how God’s will is done in heaven—promptly, with passion, without question—and with humility.  Isaiah then cried, “Woe is me.”  Here is probably the holiest man in Israel saying, “I am nothing.”  That’s the attitude that we need to perform God’s will on earth.  We’re going to have to have the same attitude the seraphim had.  And Isaiah saw that he was far from that, as we all are.

Romans 12:3 says we ought to be transformed by the renewing of our mind.  Did you ever notice what is the first evidence of the renewed mind?  Read  the following verses carefully:

And be not conformed to this world, but be ye transformed  by the renewing of your mind...for I say through the grace given to me,… not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think.”

That is the first evidence of a Spirit-filled and renewed mind—to have a proper view of ourselves. After all, humility ought to be a prominent theme of the Lord’s people.  Think of Jesus washing the feet of His disciples.  We want to have the mind of Christ.

Philippians 2 has more to say on this topic, telling us that we are to have His mind, then telling us what the mind of Jesus was like.  Five things happened in His Incarnation.  (1) He didn’t think it was robbery, or something He had to have, to be equal with God—although that had been His experience up to this point. He was willing to step down to reconcile humanity.  Mankind thinks the opposite—once you reach a certain level, you’ll do most anything to at least hold your position.  Jesus was at the very top—and He didn’t find it necessary to keep that.  He stripped Himself of all the privileges and dignity and deity; “he emptied Himself.”  This is before He ever left heaven. And then (2) He would become God’s servant.  God will give the orders; Jesus was going to fulfill them. Through seven chapters of John (4 through 10), we have that picture.  We have something in every one of those chapters that says, “I don’t do anything but what my Father tells me.”  This was humility.  Before, He and His Father had always done things together. And now He chooses to become a slave, as it were.  (3) And then He became a man.  I don’t think we can imagine the step down to do that; maybe it would be like from us to being a mouse.  But this was a much bigger step down.  I might even do that if I were sure there wasn’t a cat.  Jesus prayed, Hebrews tells us, that God would deliver His soul from death.  From the tomb.  Why?  He had come to the most dangerous part of His earthly existence—after all this mistreatment, could He avoid having a bitter thought, or saying an angry word?  If he did, He would have stayed in that grave.  He begged God to give Him victory, to come out of that experience and resurrect.  Since He was 100% man (as well as 100% God), since He endured the temptations that we all face, when He came down to be a man, He took a great risk. Unless you believe that there was no possibility that He could have sinned—but then He wasn’t like man. (That whole subject is a debatable issue). (4) As a man, He renounced His heavenly position.  He didn’t come as a king, or a priest; He was constantly faced with the accusatory question, “By what authority do you do this?”  He came as an ordinary person. (5) He allowed His creation to kill him.  That wouldn’t have been so bad if it were a heroic death, with at least "Taps" playing, or his name sketched on a wall, or buried somewhere special.  But it was the death on the cross—the most ignominious death that anybody could suffer.  So here we have Jesus—who went from the absolute top to the absolute bottom—by choice.  It wasn’t a “have to” putting down, it was a voluntary humbling.  He chose this.  This is the mind of Christ.  He modeled humility, obedience, and self-humbling.  People, we should always take the “low road” of humility—that’s always the right road.

As Philippians says, because He did this voluntarily, God highly exalted Him.  Scripture says to us, “he that humbles himself, God will exalt him.”  That’s a promise.  God will take care of your reputation, but that's in heaven.

Now let’s move from the mind of Christ to how Jesus acted in His kingdom.  Matthew 5, the Beatitudes, shows how He exemplified the kingdom in His experience.  Many phrases begin with “Blessed.” What does that word mean?—to be envied.  God is backing up each of these behaviors with tremendous promise; and to place yourself in His will, means He will pour out His promise on us—this is the best place to be.

The first character is: “Blessed are the poor in spirit.”  This means we are a learner—able to get down off our high horse, lay aside all prejudices, all biases, and sit there like a child—and learn. By reading Scripture with fresh eyes, by meditating on it. Most people can’t do that.  Louis Pasteur discovered the germ theory of disease.  They didn’t even know about germs.  Many people died of infection, since doctors and nurses wouldn’t even wash their hands going to surgery, or from one patient to another.  But despite all his data proving the lowered mortality where simple washing of hands were done, he couldn’t convince any of them, and he was heartbroken.  Going to all the trouble of washing, washing, washing was stupid, they said.  They were educated! You are only a chemist.  “We are doctors!  We have been trained—you have not. You are not going to tell us.”  Folks, you won’t get into the kingdom until that attitude is done.  Did you know Jesus was a learner?  You didn’t think He had to learn anything, did you? He had to learn what it felt like in flesh to obey, when you're tired, when you are in pain.  And all who follow Him are learners, ready to obey—no matter what it costs.  Dismiss your preconceptions.  Learn.

“Blessed are they that mourn.” The Bible says that some won’t see the kingdom of God; but once you want Christ, you get a whole new set of eyes.  You begin to really see the world—and you’re not laughing anymore at its jokes.  You’re not laughing anymore at its sitcoms, which picture no real family, or stupid fathers (or no fathers, or gay parents), or its version of hypocritical preachers.  That’s how they think of God's laws.  That stuff’s not funny anymore.  I heard a sermon that somebody can tell what you are by seeing what you cry about.  Most people cry about their own problems; you will be crying about the needs of your heart, and the needs of the world.  Sam Hadley was the leader of the Bowery Mission.  He had been a drunk on the street and had been converted and now was the leader of the Mission.  One evening he had Charles Alexander, who was the singer for Billy Sunday, come to the Mission to sing. After the meeting, Charles Alexander said, “I would like to see the Bowery.”  So Sam Hadley took him in his car around to all its places.  Afterwards, Sam said goodbye.  Charles Alexander walked around the corner.  And just as he got around the corner, he thought he heard somebody cry. As he turned around and walked back, there was Sam Hadley, leaning against a lamp post, saying “Oh, God!  The sin of this city breaks my heart!” He couldn’t contain his crying.  That’s the attitude you will have toward the world, the broken world you live in, all its shortcomings.  Learn about how people are treated in countries besides your own.  It's an eye-opener.  Your reaction should Not be just thanking God you were born in a country that treats people this way.  Your own sorrow for your inability.  But the Word says you will be comforted; you will begin to see results—if you respond in that way to your own sin, and the sins of the world. You’ll see healing, and changes take place.

“Blessed are the meek.”  Meek people are gentle.  They’re mild.  They’re harmless. The Word says, “wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.” They’re strong people, but it’s strength under discipline. They don’t ever lash out, they don’t hurt other people.  They use their strength in other ways.   A strong man who sets down beside that little boy, and teaches him or her with patience; that’s a picture of meekness. You can afford to be meek, I’ll tell you why.  If you’re part of the Kingdom, the universe is on your side.  In the Old Testament, you remember Sisera?  He came charging down over those hills, with his iron chariots, and there was the Israeli standing army.  He thought, “This is a lead-pipe cinch,” but there was a thunderstorm upstream, and the whole valley was flooded, and his chariots got stuck, and he ran into the tent of Jael, went to sleep, and she drove a stake through his head…and he was dead.  You know what the Bible says?  “The stars from their courses fought against Sisera.”  (Judges 4:12-23; 5:20).  Now, if you’re against the God who directs the universe, you’re not going to win.  But you can afford to be meek, because the whole universe is behind you.  You will win, because God’s Kingdom will not fail.  So you can afford not to "get even" with people, and manipulate to make your “program” work.  Just let it go. And do what’s right. You’re not a weakling. But you will not force, you will not hurt, you will not use those kind of tactics on anybody. Remember the promise for being meek:  “And they shall inherit the earth.”  Slavery disappeared in the Roman Empire; and all the Christians did was obey the Gospel.  It was done without any violence.

Next. “Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousness.” We’re talking about being right. You will be blessed because that is what you were made for.  You are not constitutionally made, or physically made to hate, or have anger, or revenge.  You were made to love. What is it to be merciful?  To feel pain when others have pain.  The word for compassion literally means, the spleen.  If you have a deep deep concern for someone who is in trouble, your digestive system will tell you about it.

“Blessed are the pure in heart.”  Those who are sold out for God; their heart of desire has nothing else in it--just desire for God.  This person will see God.  They will really learn to know who God is.  There are lots of people who have real problems with God—but if they purify their hearts, they can really know Him and His love.  He is benevolent, gracious, extravagant.

“Blessed are the peacemakers.”  To be just like God.  He is a peacemaker.  Think of Ephesians 1:10:  “that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth—in Him.” If there is any place that you experience a problem, you will have a passion to reconcile.

And finally, “Blessed are the persecuted.”  That is where the greatest power that is ever on this earth is released—when a person suffers for Christ.  Martyrs often rejoiced at death's door, for they understood something we don’t understand.  When the Kingdom of God and the kingdom of the world clashes, something supernatural is going to happen.

May God help us to develop these characters, truly following our Savior—and helping to build His Kingdom.

Acknowledgement:  This is a Summary of speech from John M. Martin, the Anabaptist Identity Conference, 2010, Florida