Escaping Hell: God's Negative Promises: (Part 2)

 I trust you have learned much from our Part I essay on God’s negative promises. An unpleasant task, but worthwhile. Let us complete the task in Part 2.

II Tim 2:11-13 says:

This is a faithful saying: 12…If we deny Him, He also will deny us.13 If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself.

Many times I have heard sermons on v. 13 alone. The message the uplifting pastor gives is, if we practice sin, God will still remain faithful and see to it that we will go to heaven. A bit of Calvin.  Because we’re saved, the pastor says. But, folks, that’s not what the verses say. Read v. 12 again.  Doesn't it slap you in the face?  So if you take an optimistic view on v. 13, uh, doesn't that make those two contradictory? Would God do that?  I think not.  Here's a more likely version, assuming that God isn't a liar or confused: Taking the two verses together: God will remain faithful in His promise as to what He does with people who deny Him or remain faithless to Him. He will deny us! Matthew 10:33 echoes this:

But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven

Don’t read anything positive in the statement “He cannot deny Himself”  or the word "faithful."  Read it as follows: if He doesn’t carry out His negative promise, He would be denying His vow. Yes, He is faithful to carry out a negative promise as well as a positive one. Such as denying us if we deny Him. Thus, we obtain an opposite meaning compared to the typical sermons—because the pastor doesn’t look at the previous verse, verse 12. Context is crucial.

Romans 8:13: For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live

We must consciously sacrifice worldly thoughts and behaviors. We cannot continue to live “according to the flesh,” pleasing our lower nature. Or we “die”—another reference to hell.

James 2:13: For judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment

Showing mercy is an extremely important Christian fruit. Look at Luke 16:19-31 for Jesus' startling presentation on that subject:

“There was a certain rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and fared sumptuously every day. 20 But there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, full of sores, who was laid at his gate, 21 desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell] from the rich man’s table. Moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. 22 So it was that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s bosom. The rich man also died and was buried. 23 And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. 24 “Then he cried and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.’ 25 But Abraham said, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted and you are tormented.26 And besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, so that those who want to pass from here to you cannot, nor can those from there pass to us.’ 27 “Then he said, ‘I beg you therefore, father, that you would send him to my father’s house, 28 for I have five brothers, that he may testify to them, lest they also come to this place of torment.’ 29 Abraham said to him, ‘They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.’ 30 And he said, ‘No, father Abraham; but if one goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ 31 But he said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead.’”

Note the following: The rich man is in hades--on the way to hell. Why such a horrible reward--he basically did nothing.  Maybe he didn't even notice the poor man, you my think. I mean, he’s rich—doesn’t that mean that God loves him, and would make sure he went to heaven? No, bad assumption. He was in hades because he refused to show any mercy to the beggar, whom he passed every single day (he had to have noticed him) and refused to lift a finger. Yet, you say, this seems to be an extreme punishment for him not being merciful! Here, the rich man is suffering in great torment—extreme heat, parched tongue, flames—all truly what hell will be. Think about the torment—would God do such a thing? Well, if we judge Him for harshness, it probably means we have no inkling of how much He hates sin! Don't forget, God was willing to give up His only Son, to die a horrible death, because of our sin—and yet we stomp on His love by ignoring His Son’s words to us to follow His commands. Finally, notice that the rich man, tormented as he was, gets not one simple request fulfilled—he doesn’t get his tongue cooled, not a word is said to warn his brothers. Why? His time of mercy has passed. “Judgment is without mercy,” as James 2:13 above says. Since he had shown no mercy, he gets no mercy in Judgment. No second chances! Once in hades or hell, you get no mercy, you’re in hell forever! Let us learn from this and show mercy to the downtrodden. Make no excuse for yourself, thinking “they wasted their life, and deserve to be there.” Or, "I can't trust any charity organization:  All are covered in graft."  These are excuses.  God knows our every thought. Don’t we want God's mercy in judgement for our many sins when we die?

Revelation 14:9-12: Then a third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, “If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives his mark on his forehead or on his hand, 10 he himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out full strength into the cup of His indignation. He shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. 11 And the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever; and they have no rest day or night, who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name. 12 Here is the patience of the saints; here are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.

When the terror of the end times comes, Christians will be the target for famine and execution (Revelation 6). It will seem that having the "mark" imprinted on us is the way to get the needs of life met easily--food, clothing, medical care, since Christians can't get food otherwise (Revelation 13:16-17). People will be fearful that without the mark, they may starve, or die because of poor health. The temptation to take the mark will be almost impossible to ignore.

Yet the angel in the above verses clearly warns us that if we do take the mark, our destination is hell, we get the wrath of God, which means we get tormented with fire and brimstone—forever. Is the trade-off worth it? If we believe God’s Word is Truth, it actually makes sense to starve to death (although I think God will perform miracles to keep that from happening), in order to gain heaven instead of hell. Here are your choices: Do you prefer a couple months or years of filling your belly, and then death and hell forever? Or do you prefer possibly death now, and heaven forever? Forever is a lot longer than a couple years. Heaven is unspeakably better than hell. If you believe that God speaks the truth, it’s no contest which way to go. Yet most people are predictable; their immediate needs are as far as they see. So Scripture speaks of a great apostasy (falling away from Him and His truth) in those End Times. And we may be in that unfortunate "End Times" generation. Will we fall away to satisfy bodily needs?  Can we resist that temptation, believing in a certain heaven--and believing in a certain, horrible place called hell.  We need to pray and be mentally prepared--and our families as well. We must train our children honestly in what to expect, all clearly laid out in Scripture, if we are likely in those times.  Sad to say, many will be unprepared--a lot of “Christians” will make excuses to God while they apostatize and take the mark. To their eternal destruction. He will stick to His promise, regardless of their excuses. II Thessalonians 2:3 clearly says that there will be many who will be weak and fall away:

Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition

II Chronicles 15:2: And he went out to meet Asa, and said to him: “Hear me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin. The LORD is with you while you are with Him. If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will forsake you.

Yes, it’s possible to be forsaken by God--if we forsake Him. What, you thought He was a God of unconditional love, patient forever, faithful to keep us safe to the end, etc., etc.? Guess you had the wrong idea about Him.  That's possible, since Scripture points out how we can be self-deceived.  If you’re smart, you need to read His Word about what He thinks, rather than guessing and hoping your way through. Let us not mentally create God to be what we want--but what if He isn't what we desire of Him? We can't spend time on speculation that often turns on self-deception. Scripture is the best way to find out truly about God.  It also says we guess wrong about what God is thinking. As Isaiah 55:8-9 and Ezekiel say:

“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” says the LORD.9 “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts.

Ezekiel 33:13: When I say to the righteous that he shall surely live, but he trusts in his own righteousness and commits iniquity, none of his righteous works shall be remembered; but because of the iniquity that he has committed, he shall die

“Die” refers to hell. You say you had your one moment of receiving Jesus, you got Jesus' righteousness--but your life hasn’t really changed? You don't feel your love for Him is growing?  You say that you behaved when you were young, but now your plan is to sow your wild oats before you get old, then repent of it all and get saved again? Convenient assumptions…but big mistakes; that trend doesn't happen. I have an 87-year old friend, who is obviously close to death.  No way can I get him to think about a judging God.  Keep in mind:  As the Ezekiel verse says, He seems to be a “what have you done for Me lately” God. He knows that our hearts have a greater tendency to harden as we age. He is patient with us when we ignore Him for a time, but His patience has a limit.

Matthew 7:21,23: “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who DOES THE WILL of My Father in heaven…And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!

God promises hell to those who have the “lip service,” yet they “practice lawlessness.” These are people who say, “It’s all right to sin..I’ll confess it later,” or “Now that I’m saved, I can sin and not lose my salvation. Sinning just makes me lose fellowship, or lose a crown.” Such people encourage lawlessness. Their theology opened the door to sin. If they walk through it--they’re on their way to hell, regardless of sincere theology. They haven’t read their Bibles about expectations God had for them to fight sin.

John 5:29: … and come forth—those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation

Note the key to the resurrection of life: Doing good, turning away from evil. This presumes a faith in Christ and new birth previously.  But faith cannot be alone and live. This agrees with the book of James which speaks of “dead faith,” James 2:17:

Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.

That “faith” won’t get you to heaven; you end up in hell. Works, fruit, are necessary to maintain salvation. See my blogs on “initial…final salvation,” and “Paul v James.”

Psa 37:10-11: For yet a little while and the wicked shall be no more; Indeed, you will look carefully for his place, But it shall be no more.11 But the meek shall inherit the earth, And shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace

Thank God--no more wicked people!

Exodus 34:6,7 God describes Himself and emphasizes His mercy and patience:

And the LORD passed before him and proclaimed, “The LORD, the LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth, 7 keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and the children’s children to the third and the fourth generation

See also Nehemiah 9:31 and Psa 145:8-9 and Micah 7:18. BUT as I said in my opening remarks, you need to see the other side of God to get the true picture. He is jealous (Exodus 20:5), gets wrathful and avenging over sin, even slaughters people for their sin; in fact, He hates some people! (But there is room for sincere repentance.)  See Psa 11:5

The LORD tests the righteous, But the wicked and the one who loves violence His soul hates.

It’s important to see both sides of God, that He is faithful to His promises, even if that means people go to hell. Let us never forget that fewer people make it to heaven—most people make up their own view about God, and thus consign themselves to hell. See Matthew 7:14 for proof that this happens to the majority of people:

Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.

Never forget this sobering fact.

Acknowledgement to Daniel Corner, writer and preacher

Escaping Hell: God's Negative Promises (Part 1 of 2)

 We all love thanking God for His promises, singing of how He is faithful to keep them. But did you know that Scripture contains many negative promises of His? These are sober warnings about hell—and did you know that He is faithful to keep those negative promises too? Scripture clearly says, more people will go to hell than heaven (Matthew 7:14). We seldom hear preaching on the negative side of God’s promises—only the positive. But we need to know all aspects of God, not just one side, to truly know all about Him. And we should want to figure His thinking--He will use His thoughts to judge us. On what basis does He decide to send us to heaven or hell? Each church has its simple  follow-the-pattern to get to heaven--but sometimes they got their pattern by cherry-picking Scripture. If you're serious about getting to heaven, you really want to know the truth.  You should be rational.  But there really aren't too many rational people when it comes to mortality. Keep in mind, we don’t know God just by thinking about how we’d like Him to be, or picking selected Scripture that we like. So, for a look at another part of the truth, here are some negative promises that God will also be faithful to keep:

Romans 11:22 Therefore consider the goodness and severity of God: on those who fell, severity; but toward you, goodness, IF you continue in His goodness. Otherwise you also will be cut off.

For God to continue to bless us, including saving us from hell (“cut off” says that), as this verse points out, we need to “continue in His goodness.” What does that mean? It means essentially the same as Jesus says in John 15:8,10:

By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples… If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love

“Abide in My love” is the same as “continue in His goodness.” But to do that, we must bear fruit, and keep His commandments, to truly be His disciples. If we don’t do these, we don’t abide in Him, we’re not saved, and we go to hell. See John 15:6:

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

These are “conditions to continue to be saved” that we seldom hear preached. I guess that’s because preachers are saying what people want to hear, not the whole truth. Consider II Timothy 4:3-4a:

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; 4 and they will turn their ears away from the truth…

Here's another negative promise:

Matthew 6:15 But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

If we supposed Christians don’t forgive people, then God won’t forgive us. That means we can’t go to heaven—we lose our salvation, we go to hell. Consider Matthew 18:23-35 for additional proof of the necessity of a forgiving spirit--and how you can lose salvation once obtained:

Therefore the kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. 24 And when he had begun to settle accounts, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. 25 But as he was not able to pay, his master commanded that he be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and that payment be made. 26 The servant therefore fell down before him, saying, ‘Master, have patience with me, and I will pay you all.’ 27 Then the master of that servant was moved with compassion, released him, and forgave him the debt. 28 “But that servant went out and found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii; and he laid hands on him and took him by the throat, saying, ‘Pay me what you owe!’ 29 So his fellow servant fell down at his feet] and begged him, saying, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you all. 30 And he would not, but went and threw him into prison till he should pay the debt. 31 So when his fellow servants saw what had been done, they were very grieved, and came and told their master all that had been done. 32 Then his master, after he had called him, said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me. 33 Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you?’ 34 And his master was angry, and delivered him to the torturers until he should pay all that was due to him. 35 “So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses

Note how the servant was originally forgiven, but the master retracted that forgiveness and had him “delivered to the torturers.” To apply the parable to us, that means our Master, God, will, if we are unforgiving, withdraw our salvation, and we go to hell. This servant was unforgiving. The servant has no excuse; look at how much he was forgiven himself. But his  original "salvation" was only temporary because it didn’t change his personality; he still turned around and was unforgiving and grudging. God is looking for changed personalities, people who are humble enough to see how their sin looks in His eyes, and appreciate their rescue from the terrors of hell, which we all deserve. If your “being saved” is just a “mental assent” thing, and you aren’t changed—maybe you aren’t saved. It is possible that we deceive ourselves.

Galatians 6:8: For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life.

Paul is speaking to Christians here. If they ignore Him six days out of seven, if they focus on the world's ways, they may reap “corruption," or hell. It doesn't matter if they once went forward at church, if they confessed their sin and got saved.  They can still end up in hell (note that "corruption" is the opposite of eternal life in the verse). Why are these people in danger of hell? Not because they refused Christ—it’s because they spend most of their time in self-indulgence. If a Christian does that as an ongoing practice, he can lose his salvation. A lot of people are into materialism and don’t worry one iota about the dangerous cost of loving the world. As I John 2:15 points out, worldliness removes your love of the Father. That makes you unsaved. Remember the parable of the Sower. One of his unfruitful soils was choked by thorns.  These were people who still love the world. For such a person, the Word is choked, he is unfruitful. See Matthew 13:22:

Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world…choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful

Being unfruitful through your life--such as immersion in worldliness will do--is a ticket to hell—John 15:2:

Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away

Gal. 5:19-21: Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, 21 envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

Paul repeatedly warned Christians of going to hell for serious sin. (See also I Cor. 6:9-10; Ephesians 5:3-6, and Rev. 21:8). And why are these people in hell? Because they denied Christ? Yes, in their BEHAVIOR they denied Him. By not following His commandments, they show that they do not love Him—that amounts to denial. You single people who like to live together, Beware! Your current pleasure could yield an eternity of suffering in hell! Is the trade-off of temporary pleasure for hell worth it?

Consider I John 5:3: For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments.

What is the true measure that we love God? By keeping His commandments. This requires Bible reading, to see what those commandments are. By doing this daily, we love Him, and we abide in Him—and we can turn away from addiction to sins such as the above.We're not talking about the ten commandments, by the way.  We mean the Sermon on the Mount, and Jesus' many instructions and warnings throughout the Gospels--Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.

Matthew 7:19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire

We need to know fruits. A list of fruits is in Galatians 5:22-23:

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control.

If we are not consciously cultivating these qualities, if we are not making Jesus’ behavior ours, how can we call ourselves His disciples? How do we become more like Christ? It is unlikely that His characteristics just ossify on us. No, it takes conscious effort. If we don’t develop these fruits as a consistent practice, we are “cut down and thrown into the fire.” Christian, focus on each of these fruits in turn in your daily devotions—cultivate them.

Matthew 10:33: But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven

People assume that this denial has to be verbal. Not the case, as we pointed out  above. If we are ungodly in our behavior, we are denying our Lord, because people look at our actions, not our words. Then what happens? He denies us…and God changes His mind about our destination; we are consigned to hell, not heaven.

Could God do this? Read some interesting verses in Deuteronomy 31. Let’s start with Moses’ words to the people of Israel in v. 6 (quoted frequently by uplifting preachers):

“Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the LORD your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.”

So you say, “Ah, hah! God won’t ever forsake me!” Well, ah-ha, what word did you add to His Word there? “Ever,” right? Well, you only have to read ahead 10 verses (something I’ve never heard a preacher do) to read God’s limitation on His kindness. It may not be forever.  Read of the prophecy of the children of Israel’s sad future, Deut. 31:16-18:

And the LORD said to Moses: “Behold, you will rest with your fathers; and this people will rise and play the harlot with the gods of the foreigners of the land, where they go to be among them, and they will forsake Me and break My covenant which I have made with them. 17 Then My anger shall be aroused against them in that day, and I will forsake them, and I will hide My face from them, and they shall be devoured. And many evils and troubles shall befall them, so that they will say in that day, ‘Have not these evils come upon us because our God is not among us?’ 18 And I will surely hide My face in that day because of all the evil which they have done, in that they have turned to other gods.

Read v. 17 again.  Yes, God changed His mind. When the people forsook God, He eventually forsook them. He is faithful to His Word—if you love Him, He blesses you; if you turn from Him, He tries to win you back. If you won’t come back, He sadly has to part from you. As you read about the servant above, He can RETRACT His forgiveness.

Scripture is clear that only a "few" (Matthew 7:14) go to heaven. Polling indicates 65% of Americans call themselves "Christian," and thus believe they're going to heaven. That's not "few," is it? How do you explain the gap?  Do you believe the people are correct, so God is a liar?  No; I believe in self-deception.  Lots of people who say they are Christian never think twice about God, their conversation is never about the eternal, they don't want to know all about God. They have deceived themselves! They should have asked if John 15:1-6 applies to them. God leaves lots of warnings in His word--but people don't really read the Word 6 days out of 7, they read uplifting devotions instead. God help us to fear Him, and seek the truth

Scripture Indicates that Believer Baptism is a Requirement for Salvation

 

In this CD, Mr. Bercot takes a clarifying look at what Scripture has to say about water baptism. I should add that when he sees doctrinal controversy between denominations (such as on this topic), he resolves it by looking at Scripture, and what the early church (pre-325 AD, before Catholicism dominated it) believed about it. Their beliefs were more likely backed by Scripture, since that church was closer to the apostles--and they were a church that the Lord made powerful--so it’s likely He didn't see any substantially deviant doctrine there.

The early church believed, from Scripture, that in adult, or believer baptism, the following things happened: (1) all of a person’s prior sins are washed away; (2) a person is born again through baptism of water and the Holy Spirit; 3) through baptism, a person becomes a member of Christ’s church Because of the importance of these, we must conclude that they believed that the salvation process is not complete without baptism.  I must emphasize that infant baptism accomplishes none of these important goals.

Is there proof from Scripture? Let’s start with John 3:5:

Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.

Does this not say that “born of water” is water baptism? Even in the Greek, the word translated "water" simply refers to physical water. Does it not clearly say that water baptism is essential in being born again?—and that without it, you cannot enter the kingdom of God?  (There are extenuating circumstances, of course).

Mark 16:16 says:

He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.

This clearly requires baptism to "be saved," or to be in heaven and escape Judgment.  I might add, at this point, that all these verses assume believer baptism--i.e., as an adult.  A public profession of beliefs.  See Romans 10:9-10:

....that 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. ¹⁰ For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

Infant baptism does not accomplish this.

Acts 2:36-38:

Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.” 37 Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?” 38 Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit

In verses 37-38, Peter has the ultimate evangelistic opportunity; the big question on the silver platter has been asked of him. Does he say what all of us evangelical Protestants have been taught, to pray to let Jesus into their heart? No; after they’ve been shown who Jesus is in earlier verses in Acts 2, assuming they believe in Him, what they need to do to be saved…is…(1)repentance and (2) baptism. (He emphasizes the importance of baptism, saying “every one of you” needs to do it). These additional two steps will give them remission of sins.

Acts 22:16 was when Saul was saved, becoming Paul, and he was told:

…And now why are you waiting? Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord.’

Baptism washes away our sins. That’s very important, is it not? Without it, with the guilt of sins on us, how can you get to heaven? (Again, allowance is made elsewhere for those who cannot be baptized.) Note the urgent tones that they should be baptized right away after it is evident that the Spirit has opened his eyes.

The early church fathers felt that baptism is important enough that they believed, and said, that a man who was saved, immediately imprisoned, then martyred fulfilled the required baptism—by having a baptism of blood.

Galatians 3:27:

For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ

What is the meaning of “put on Christ"? Read Romans 13:14:

But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts

So it means wrapping yourself in godly thoughts and not thinking about sinful ones. A result of salvation.  A near phrase is “clothe yourself with Christ.” This makes me think of Genesis 3, when God clothed Adam with skins of an animal (which required a sacrifice) after Adam sinned. That blood being shed to provide the skin was the first evidence of God’s plan for His Son, the Lamb, whose blood was shed once for all. The animal sacrifice was a sacrificial covering for the effects of sin (his comment on nakedness does not deserve a charge that Christians are "prudish").

“Baptized into Christ” is water baptism.  Going under the water is symbolic of His death, and rising out of the water is symbolic of Resurrection.  Romans 6:2-4 defines it and does the metaphor:

How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? 3 Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? 4 Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

The expectation is that we must "walk in newness of life," a subject for another paper.

Titus 3:5: …but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit

The word "washing," in Greek loutron, is defined as "a bath, a laver."  This seems to speak of water baptism, does it not? Baptism results in regeneration, defined as becoming a new creation. And, as Jesus put it (John 3:3), that’s essential go to heaven. And it clearly says, “He saved us, through the washing of regeneration (through the water baptism) and renewing of the Holy Spirit.”

Hebrews 10:22:

let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.

“Pure water” is water baptism. Baptism helps gives us a full assurance of faith and enables us to draw near to Him.

I Peter 3:20b-21 uses the term “antitype.” That’s a New Testament fulfillment from an Old Testament prefigure (the prefigure is called a type):

...in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight souls, were saved through water.  There is also an antitype which now saves us—baptism (not the removal of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God), through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. 

The type in the Old Testament is how the Ark saved Noah's family from the death of the Flood.  The anti-type is baptism.  Peter bluntly points out that baptism, and Christ’s resurrection, save us. Of course, in context, and thinking of my “Paul v James” blogs, to be saved at the end, you need baptism combined with true faith, repentance, and abiding in obedience (John 15:1-6). Paul doesn't want anyone to think that baptism merely is a temporary cleansing through works that has to be repeated, so he says that the symbol has nothing to do with removing "filth of the flesh."  Baptism gives you a “good conscience toward God.”

Again, EVERY ONE OF THESE VERSES IS DIRECTED TO BELIEVERS WHO ARE MAKING A CHOICE TO BE BAPTIZED. There are no baptisms of babies in Scripture that we know of.

There are other "types" in the Old Testament. Consider I Corinthians 10:1-2's comments on the Jews passing through the Red Sea:

Moreover, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware that all our fathers were under the cloud, all passed through the sea, 2 all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea.

So, to think of the type: was crossing the water of the Red Sea (a type of baptism) merely a “symbol” of their salvation from the Egyptians? No, crossing the water DID save them! Why do most evangelistic churches use the weak word “symbol,” taking away all the power associated with baptism, when they explain baptism? It seems pretty clear that using the Red Sea type, baptism completes our salvation. I use the word “complete” because other things of faith were involved too, all of which together ensured their salvation. They had already stepped out in faith to follow God’s leader Moses. In faith they believed the ten plagues were a message from God. In faith they obediently protected themselves from death at Passover, when they obeyed the instruction to put lamb’s blood on the doorposts. And when they packed their belongings and marched out into the desert—that was a great step of faith, since a sensible man would never expect to stay alive long in the desert. All of these things, faith plus obedience, ensured their salvation, but the baptism of passing through the Red Sea completed the initial job—but all this was still only at the beginning of their journey. They still had to place faith in God throughout the journey, and the battles with the Enemy that followed.

Another Old Testament figure of baptism—mentioned several times by early Christians—was Naaman, the leper. Leprosy is a metaphor of sin. In II Kings 5, Naaman was purified of leprosy when he was baptized in the Jordan. This was a symbol of what baptism can do for us regarding the leprosy of sin.  The sin is wiped away.

If you’re thinking, about the early Church, “surely there was some group who didn’t hold to this view of baptism, who thought it was just symbolic,” you’re right—the Gnostics felt that way. Of course, you also need to know what else they believed--that the creation of the earth and mankind was done by an inferior god, a second god, so his creation was flawed and beyond redemption, so they concluded that flesh cannot be saved. They did not believe in the resurrection of the body—you can’t get a perfect result from an imperfect body. Jesus couldn’t have come in the flesh, since He wasn’t imperfect, as all flesh is. Thus, they maintained, there was no God Incarnate. No one can be “reborn” through physical substances (since all such are evil)—like water. So baptism has no power to save, they said, it’s just a symbol of what’s happened in the spirit.  So say the Gnostics.  Are these views corrupt, or what?

The vast majority of Protestants do not believe in the power and necessity of baptism, as seen by Scripture above, and think that it's just a "symbol." So, if you agree with the Gnostics that it's just a "symbol," you're also saying that all the church fathers, as holy a group as you ever want to meet in heaven, men who were taught by the apostles, were dead wrong. Which group do you want to follow—the Gnostics or the church fathers? But our beliefs should be founded on literal Scripture, don't you think? Can we argue against all the above Scriptural passages? Not without doing twisty reasoning, instead of simple, literal reading of God's Word.  Does God want the common person to understand Scripture, or should we wait until the erudite commentators do their twisty reasoning and give us their "solution?"  God wants every one of us to understand, and would use common-sense literal readings where possible.  Water should mean water, wherever possible.

How did the church move away from this doctrine, if it’s correct? Why either baptize babies or, the opposite, say that's it's a "symbol?" I think the change in doctrine happened partly because the church reacted to people’s desire for convenience—people wanted to feel assurance of salvation, wanted a simple “formula.” So when the Catholic church was forming its doctrines, they came up with a convenient formula: do the sacraments, or ordinances, and you shall be saved. Infant baptism came about partly because when they conquered an entire nation, they wanted Everybody to get baptized and start believing as they do.  Also because, due to high infant deaths, and the ongoing fear that without baptism, they baby would die with the stain of Original Sin (taught at the time), and wouldn't go to heaven.  So people wanted assurance that their baby was saved when he died, so they rushed to have them baptized. Note that none of these changes were Scripturally based--they are mechanical devices, not a choice being made by a repentant sinner. This “mechanical” religion requires no relationship with Christ and no day-to-day holiness, as Scripture demands (see the “Paul vs James” blogs). Expanding “the kingdom of God,” as they called it, by sword, by expansion, by alliances with pagans, came naturally to them as well. Scripture explaining the truth of baptism became hidden, in an impossible language (Latin, which most people of that day couldn't understand), so darkness reigned.

When pietism (late 1600s, beginning in Germany) and the Great Awakening revival (1700s, in England and New England) came along, they placed their emphasis for salvation on the conversion experience; in some cases, the evangelist didn't want to complicate things by explaining the correct theology of baptism to Catholics, or anybody else. Let's make it smooth--more people can be saved.  They called the spiritual awakenings the “new birth.” Before that, in state churches, everyone had already been baptized—as babies--but many grew up dead spiritually. Rather than preach on the negative topic, “why baptism as a baby wasn’t good enough now,” the revivalists wanted to see as many people turn their life around as possible, and make the salvation easy to get to. So it was the decision for Jesus, that was it.  Oh, yeah, you "should be" baptized as a witness to show to everyone that you're saved, but you can already be sure, they said, that you're going to heaven.  Everybody loved assurance like that.  No follow-up requirements.

Now I again warn you: Keep in mind this extremely important caution (read the “Paul v James” blogs): Don’t assume you can get baptized, and you’re saved and done.  A continuing saved relationship with Christ, following His commands (and baptism was one of them) are necessary. “Inward” baptism—of the Spirit—was essential as well, not just “outward” baptism.

When you want to submit to the Lord Jesus AND when you are baptized in the water, then your sins are washed away. You need both. If you do the outward baptism without the inward desire for submission and cleansing--you’re still spiritually dead.  In any event, you need to have an abiding relationship with Christ so you don't lose salvation.

Acknowledgements:  Dave Bercot CD, "Baptism"

The Antichrist is Islamic

 This blog is for all you eschatology, or future event, thinkers out there.  I have an important announcement:  You may want to think more broadly about who the Antichrist is, particularly if you are a follower of Lindsey, LaHaye, or Hagee, because this study considers the idea of whether the Antichrist is a Muslim, a conclusion from the book The Islamic Antichrist by Joel Richardson.  His best proof for that claim is by proving that the same man is in the Bible and in the Quran (or Koran, depending on your spelling).  The irony is, the same man is the Antichrist in the Bible, but the Savior in the Quran! This one chapter in the book that I will summarize might convince you too. 

Now, first, keep in mind that there is more than one sacred text to the Muslim Scripture:  In addition to the foundational Quran (Mohammed’s writings of God's actual words through the angel), you have the Sunna (presumably Mohammed’s life and thoughts) and the hadiths (presumably Muhammed’s sayings); these are sacred as well.  A deeply dedicated Muslim believer will follow any of these to the death, if need be. 

 

Why is this study of the Quran worthwhile, you may ask?  The Quran records five things that a Muslim must believe in to be a true Muslim; these five areas are fixed and non-negotiable.  As it says in sura 2:177:  “righteous is he who believeth in (1) Allah and (2) the Last Day and (3) the angels and (4) the Scripture and (5) the prophets.”  Note the importance of the Last Day to them.  Eschatology (study of future events) may be optional for study to us Christians, but their scary Last Days may lead to some irrational and murderous action—on us.  The religious leaders truly rule in Iran, not the secular government.  We need to know their predictions of their future, in thinking about a defensive strategy against the determined Muslim who wants to help bring about their version of the Last Day.  There is no doubt in their minds how those days will go if they act, and their scenario does not look good for us. 

 

Of their many key figures in the Last Days, the man above all men was al-Mahdi,  which means “the Guided One.”  Other names given to him by Shia Muslims are Sahib Al-Zaman and Al-Mahdi al-Muntadhar. These names mean “the Lord of the Age” and “the Awaited Savior.”  Let me quote hadiths, for much of the details Muslims have in their theology are about him.  Then we’ll compare to what the Scripture says about the same man.

From the hadiths:  The Mahdi will be a world ruler through revolution

 

To quote Al-Sadr and Mutahhari, former leaders of imams, “He will reappear on the appointed day, and lead a world revolution, and set up a new world order… "  Quoting Izzat and ‘Arif again, this will bring ”victory of the Truth and the fall of all tyrants.” According to Islamic tradition, the Mahdi is said to preside over the entire earth as the final caliph of Islam.

Now the Bible truth about the Antichrist: The Antichrist will be a world ruler through military power (Daniel 7:23)

 

‘The fourth beast (this is the "beast" that is yet future) shall be a fourth kingdom on earth, Which shall be different from all other kingdoms, And shall devour the whole earth, trample it and break it in pieces

The first three kingdoms (“beast” or “beasts” can mean kingdoms or people). were Babylon, Medo-Persia, and Greece, most experts agree.  Each of those dominated the known world.  Rome was the fourth kingdom.  Based on Daniel 7:24-25, a revived fourth kingdom will be worldwide, but is yet future. Some say the fourth kingdom was the Roman empire in two parts.  Part 1 has already occurred. Part II is future, they say.  We’re suggesting that this latter kingdom is Islamic.

Revelation 13:7:…authority was given him over every tribe, tongue, and nation.

 

Secondly, hadiths say: The Mahdi will be worshiped, a popular political genius

“Allah will sow love of him in the hearts of all people…everyone only talks about Him.”  He will have control over the wind and the rain and the crops; the world will live in prosperity, says Sahih Hakim Mustadrak. 

 

Bible:  The Antichrist will be worshiped, a popular political genius (Revelation 13:3,4,8): 

 

³And I saw one of his heads as if it had been mortally wounded, and his deadly wound was healed. And all the world marveled and followed the beast.…they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with him?”… ⁸ All who dwell on the earth will worship him, whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.

 

Third:  Per Hadiths:  The Mahdi will be spiritually good and a Messiah;

Sahih Hakim Mustadrak claims:  “He will give away wealth profusely, flocks will be in abundance.”  He will be perceived to be a miraculous archaeologist, uncovering Jewish and Christian sacred treasures, perhaps to convert them to Islam at the beginning: he finds the Torah (first five books of the Old Testament) from a mountain in Syria, and the Gospel from a town called Antioch (a major town in south-central Turkey).  And if that weren’t enough, the Ark of the Covenant (a wooden chest clad with gold, containing the Ten Commandments) will be brought forth from the Lake of Tiberias and will be placed in Jerusalem.  As quoted by Ayatullah Baqir al-Sadr:  “For the ultimate salvation of mankind he is the Pole Star of hope on which the gaze of humanity is fixed…He stands high above the narrow walls in which humanity is cut up and divided.”  To quote Al-Sadr and Mutahhari, “He will…set up a new world order based on justice, righteousness, and virtue.” From Sachedina again:  “He will create a just social order and a world free from oppression.” 

 

The Bible has a different view:  The Antichrist will be spiritually the embodiment of evil, with hate and murder at his core beliefs:

II Thessalonians 2:4 shows his hunger to be worshiped, his blasphemy: 

 

…who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God

Revelation 13:4a shows the Antichrist (the beast) gets his authority from Satan (here as in many places, his symbol is the dragon):

So they worshiped the dragon who gave authority to the beast

 

In further proof of his real nature being evil, let’s quote Muslim sacred texts which indicate his hatred and murderous spirit.  As Sunan Abu Dawud says, “Every believer will be obligated to support him.”  As Ibn Maja says, “Give him your allegiance, even if you have to crawl over ice.” The Mahdi’s means of accomplishing world revolution will include multiple military jihads (holy wars), as Abdullrahman Kelani says.  Even Harun Yahya, supposedly a moderate, says, “the Mahdi will invade all the places between East and West.” Sheikh Kabbani says, “black flags coming from the area of Khorasan (in Iran) will signify the appearance of the Mahdi is nigh.”  The black flag is the flag of jihad.  On the flag is one word written in Arabic:  punishment.  Here are some really ugly quotes showing their anti-Semitism:  Egyptian authors Muhammad ibn Izzat and ‘Arif:  “The Mahdi will be victorious and eradicate those pigs and dogs and idols of this time…will abolish the leadership of the Jews…and put an end to the domination of the Satans who spit evil into people and cause corruption in the earth, making them slaves of false idols and ruling the world by laws other than the Sharia of the Lord of the worlds.”    

To quote a famous Islamic traditional belief:  “the last hour would not come unless the Muslims will fight against the Jews, and the Muslims would kill them until the Jews would hide behind a stone or a tree and a stone or tree would say:  “Muslim, or the servant of Allah, there is a Jew behind me; come and kill him.” 

Fourth:  Hadiths: The Mahdi will have his seat of authority in Jerusalem

 

As Tirmidhi says, “No power will be able to stop them and they will finally reach Eela Baitul Maqdas, where they will erect their flags (i.e., the jihad black flags).”  This place is  the Jewish Temple Mount, in Jerusalem, which no longer exists—but will then.

To quote Izzat and ‘Arif again: Jerusalem will be the location of the rightly guided caliphate and the center of Islamic rule, which will be headed by Imam al-Mahdi. 

 

Bible:  The Antichrist will set his throne in God’s Temple (Jerusalem) and desecrate it

Zechariah 14:2: For I will gather all the nations to battle against Jerusalem; The city shall be taken, The houses rifled, And the women ravished.  Half of the city shall go into captivity, But the remnant of the people shall not be cut off from the city.

 

Matthew 24:15, 21:  “Therefore when you see the ‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (i.e., in Jerusalem)…²¹ For then there will be great tribulation...

Fifth:  Hadiths: The Mahdi will present Jews and Christians with a “Hobson’s Choice”

 

To quote the Ayatollah Ibrahim Amini:  The Mahdi will offer the religion of Islam to the Jews and Christians; if they accept it, they will be spared, otherwise they will be killed.

 

Bible:  The Antichrist will present Jews and Christians with a “Hobson’s Choice”

This is in Rev. 12:17, keeping in mind that the Antichrist is the embodiment of Satan (the dragon).  The woman being persecuted is Israel (as elsewhere in Scripture).  Note the added reference to “her offspring, who….keep the..testimony of Jesus Christ.”  This refers to Christians.  Thus, we Christians will not escape the Antichrist’s intense persecution:

 

And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ

Sixth:  Hadiths: The Mahdi will ride a white horse

 

The Muslims’ authority for that is the Bible, of all things (which they consider it a source, but “less than sacred” book).  They quote Revelation 6:1-2:

Now I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals; and I heard one of the four living creatures saying with a voice like thunder, “Come and see.” ² And I looked, and behold, a white horse. He who sat on it had a bow; and a crown was given to him, and he went out conquering and to conquer.

 

The Bible agrees, but with a different name: The Antichrist will ride a white horse

The same Bible verse is used.  But it actually proves that this is not a messiah, but a deceiver.  For proof, first, we look at the word “crown” in Rev. 6:2.  The Greek word is “stephanos,” used for the winner of war games.  A true Messiah crown is a “diadem,” a kingly crown.  Plus, note the events of subsequent seals in Revelation 6:3-17:  war, famines, death and Hades, martyrdom, and cosmic disturbances.  There is no way this follows a triumphal entry of a Messiah.  No, it follows a deceiver, one who pretends to be a Messiah.  And the world then chaotically reels under his hatred and destruction, when he unmasks his true nature. 

 

Seventh, the best comparison of all:  From the hadiths:  The Mahdi will make a Seven year treaty with Jews

This is the most shocking and convincing testimony that the Antichrist and the Mahdi are the same.  Note the hadith first:  this is called the “fourth treaty,” to be made with a descendant of Moses’ brother Aaron the priest.  Now to quote Muhammad Ali Ibn Zubair:  There will be four peace agreements between you and the Romans (i.e., Christians, Westerners).  The fourth will be mediated through a person who will be from the progeny of Hadrat Aaron and will be upheld for seven years.  The people asked, “Who will be the leader of the people at that time?”  The prophet said: He will be from my progeny and will be exactly 40 years of age.

 

Bible:  The Antichrist will make a seven year treaty with Jews

This is from Daniel 9:27.

Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one seven; But in the middle of the seven He shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate

Note the use of “abominations” and “desolate,” which we tie in to Jesus’ reference to the Antichrist (from Matthew 24, above).  Describing the neutral word “seven” to mean “seven years” works, obviously. Few negotiated treaties of importance are only for seven weeks, or months.

 

 

Thus, in these seven important areas, what happens when the Antichrist comes to power will mean the Muslims who read their sacred texts will be completely deceived into thinking that this horrible man, this embodiment of Satan, is Their Messiah!  This will bring about, I believe, an intensity to follow their sacred texts—which are texts of murder and hatred.  (I have another blog on their version of Allah vs. our Biblical God). And with over a billion Muslims in the world, they would rise up in religious fervor and perform whatever their sacred texts tell them to.   This would lead to unbelievable deaths and chaos. 

Christians, when persecution comes, think nothing of your bodies, which are temporary abodes.  If all this happens in this age, be ready to be a martyr if given the choice of Jesus or al-Mahdi.  Your reward for the right choice will be a place in heaven for eternity. If you "play" along with pretending to worship the Mahdi (to survive), you are condemning your soul to hell. The Bible is clear on that in Revelation 14:9-11:

 Then a third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, “If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives his mark on his forehead or on his hand, ¹⁰ he himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out full strength into the cup of His indignation. He shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. ¹¹ And the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever; and they have no rest day or night, who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name.”

Thus, every one alive at that time has a "Hobson's Choice:"  Do you save your body, which is only temporary, for a few years of survival, by bending the knee to the antichrist?  But you spend an eternity of torture in hell?  Or do you trust Scripture, and willingly sacrifice whatever you have to to hold onto Christ, who will bring your soul to a forever existence in heaven?  You decide!  Whatever you do, do NOT say, "I know God.  He would never make hell for people like me."  Well, you THINK you know God.  Why don't you spend a little time, read All Scripture, and maybe you'll see yourself, the reason for Christ's crucifixion, and God's personality a little differently?

Acknowledgement:  The Islamic Antichrist, Joel Richardson

A New Kind of Christian

 The Church is fragmented into thousands of different sects and groups, so much so as to say, “There sure is an awful lot of interpretation of this Book out there.” Can we for sure say that “We don’t have the ability to be deceived, or come to a wrong doctrinal conclusion”? We should be humble enough to bow and pray, and say, “God, show me Your truth!” We naturally think our world view is right, and everybody should think like us. Compromise for the sake of unity is a risk. But that’s what Christ wanted, after all. Wouldn’t it be cool if there was a Church of Newport, let’s say? All the churches in that city got together.  Like the churches in the book of Acts. But uniting churches is easier said than done.

Really, are churches picked on the basics of logic?  Don’t people choose their denomination based on family history, or what their heart secretly wants to hear about God? What do people really want in a church? They say they want “something authentic, something real.” They dislike dead orthodoxy. They often are swayed by the “Emerging church” movement (see my blog). But that movement’s desire to have relevance causes them to “come down to the world’s level.” And books like “A New Kind of Christian” disavow too much of “old Christian.”

If people are really looking for authenticity, they should look again at the lifestyles and words of the Christians in the book of Acts. The Kingdom of God was so irresistible, so radical, that the people had one of two choices: Either join us, or persecute us. Just like Jesus said, You’re either my friend, or you’re my enemy. There’s no “gray area” with Christ. The Church, in Acts—it will make your heart pound when you read it. When you read it, don’t you have a longing in your heart to see church today like that? When you look at the radical nature of what God is doing through them, does it ever make your heart burn? Let’s examine their lives.

Acts 2:41-47: Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them. 42 And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers. 43 Then fear came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles. 44 Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common, 45 and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need. 46 So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.

Acts 4:29-35: Now, Lord, look on their threats, and grant to Your servants that with all boldness they may speak Your word, 30 by stretching out Your hand to heal, and that signs and wonders may be done through the name of Your holy Servant Jesus.” 31 And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness. 32 Now the multitude of those who believed were of one heart and one soul; neither did anyone say that any of the things he possessed was his own, but they had all things in common. 33 And with great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And great grace was upon them all. 34 Nor was there anyone among them who lacked; for all who were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the proceeds of the things that were sold, 35 and laid them at the apostles’ feet; and they distributed to each as anyone had need.

Acts 5:12-16: And through the hands of the apostles many signs and wonders were done among the people. And they were all with one accord in Solomon’s Porch. 13 Yet none of the rest dared join them, but the people esteemed them highly. 14 And believers were increasingly added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women, 15 so that they brought the sick out into the streets and laid them on beds and couches, that at least the shadow of Peter passing by might fall on some of them. 16 Also a multitude gathered from the surrounding cities to Jerusalem, bringing sick people and those who were tormented by unclean spirits, and they were all healed.

Acts 8:35-39: Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning at this Scripture, preached Jesus to him. 36 Now as they went down the road, they came to some water. And the eunuch said, “See, here is water. What hinders me from being baptized?” 37 Then Philip said, “If you believe with all your heart, you may.” And he answered and said, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.” 38 So he commanded the chariot to stand still. And both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and he baptized him. 39 Now when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught Philip away, so that the eunuch saw him no more; and he went on his way rejoicing.

Acts 9:32-35: Now it came to pass, as Peter went through all parts of the country, that he also came down to the saints who dwelt in Lydda. 33 There he found a certain man named Aeneas, who had been bedridden eight years and was paralyzed.34 And Peter said to him, “Aeneas, Jesus the Christ heals you. Arise and make your bed.” Then he arose immediately. 35 So all who dwelt at Lydda and Sharon saw him and turned to the Lord.

Acts 13:2-3: As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, “Now separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” 3 Then, having fasted and prayed, and laid hands on them, they sent them away.

Acts 14:8-10: And in Lystra a certain man without strength in his feet was sitting, a cripple from his mother’s womb, who had never walked. 9 This man heard Paul speaking. Paul, observing him intently and seeing that he had faith to be healed, 10 said with a loud voice, “Stand up straight on your feet!” And he leaped and walked.

Acts 16:25-31: But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. 26 Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were loosed. 27 And the keeper of the prison, awaking from sleep and seeing the prison doors open, supposing the prisoners had fled, drew his sword and was about to kill himself. 28 But Paul called with a loud voice, saying, “Do yourself no harm, for we are all here.” 29 Then he called for a light, ran in, and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. 30 And he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” 31 So they said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.”

Acts 20:7-11: Now on the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul, ready to depart the next day, spoke to them and continued his message until midnight. 8 There were many lamps in the upper room where they were gathered together. 9 And in a window sat a certain young man named Eutychus, who was sinking into a deep sleep. He was overcome by sleep; and as Paul continued speaking, he fell down from the third story and was taken up dead. 10 But Paul went down, fell on him, and embracing him said, “Do not trouble yourselves, for his life is in him.” 11 Now when he had come up, had broken bread and eaten, and talked a long while, even till daybreak, he departed.

How inspiring!  These are regular people, these are true stories.  Let our hearts hunger for reality with Jesus Christ like they wanted. Look at His willingness to pour Himself out. People were so moved that they gave away their wealth, unreservedly; miracles were flowing, angels were appearing (other verses). When you look into God’s heart for His people, do we still believe what Jesus said—“You’ll do greater things than I have done”? Do we really believe that Christ is the same, yesterday, today, and forever? Or have you bought into doctrine that cynically says, “That was then: wake up, this is now.” Wouldn’t you just want to be in the early church? We didn’t mention about how leaders were losing their heads, literally, that believers were persecuted and had to flee. In a couple of cases, church people were killed by the Holy Spirit for lying. That was an intense church. Would you have counted the cost and joined—or are you content to be comfortable? You know, our churches fall so short. You could argue that, hey, miracles are not the whole story, but doesn’t Scripture say that “these signs will follow those who believe.” (Mark 16:17).

What keeps it from happening in America now? Jesus might answer by saying, Do we really want to meet Him on His terms? Our lifestyle is quite different than that church. We don’t have their dedication. Are we hungry enough to pray for ten days straight? If anyone in the church is lacking, would we give up our food, would we all fast to feed them? Would we give up all of our excesses to meet those in need—do we have a heart to give like that?

Could it be that the reason for this difference is that our interpretation of doctrine is different than theirs? After all, doctrine and lifestyle go hand in hand. Doctrine is useless unless it transforms your life. You can think you believe something, but you only truly believe something if it moves you to action. Do you believe that people are on their way to hell? To the extent that you actually believe that, you will intercede for the lost, your heart will break when you see people that don’t know the Lord, you’ll stand on the street corner and plead with people, or write a letter to an aunt that doesn’t know Him. You’ll hit your knees often.

To the extent that you believe in something, it changes your life.

What was it the apostles believed that made their lives so radical? Let’s call it “doctrine that the apostles held.” Let’s spend some time reading the earliest church fathers, whose lifestyles were the closest to theirs. These men bled and died for the faith too; they sat at the feet of the apostles, or only a generation removed. Let’s interpret Scripture as close as possible to what the fathers believed and wrote about. These guys must’ve had their doctrine right, the way they lived. When we see lifestyles like the book of Acts, then we know that apostolic doctrine was taught. We’ve layered on some weaknesses in the 2000 years since, I suspect. Let’s find them. Are we ready to admit we might be wrong on some points? Sure, they didn’t have modern technology; but they did it one better—they just read the Bible, over and over and over. In fact, they were the people who debated thoroughly and decided on what was Scripture in the first place. They took the words literally, they consulted no twisting commentary; their knowledge of other Scripture enabled them to place things in the proper context to explain seemingly contradictory passages. They didn’t have to fool with interpreting Greek—they spoke it, they knew it intimately. Here is their lifestyle, 125 AD, first from a new believer:

They do not bear false witness; nor do they covet what is not theirs. They comfort their oppressors and make them their friends.  Their women are pure as virgins and their daughters are modest; their men keep themselves from all unlawful unions and uncleanness. They go their way in all modesty and cheerfulness. They love one another. They deliver their widows and orphans from those who would treat them harshly. He who has, gives to him who has not. They fast two or three days to supply the necessary food for the needy. They follow the commands of their Christ justly and seriously. Every morning and every hour they give thanks to God for His lovingkindness to them. If any righteous man passes from this world, they rejoice and give thanks to God.

Now from a non-believer, whose sarcasm was a compliment:

They despise the temples, as dead houses; they reject the gods. Half-naked themselves, they despise honors and purple robes. Oh, wondrous folly…They despise present torments, although they fear those which are future. They fear to die after death, but they do not fear to die for the present. The larger portion are in want, are cold, are laboring in hard work or hunger. And God allows it. You do not visit exhibitions; you reject public banquets and abhor sacred contests…you assume you will rise again but refuse to live in the meanwhile. Cease from prying into the destinies of the sky. What is wrong with you?

Could the church of America be accused of that? No, frankly. The church today, in fact, is too often accused of hypocrisy, of embezzlement, of worldliness. Mostly, lukewarmness. The early church had a Holy Spirit-touched lifestyle. They won souls, they turned the world upside down. The secret was in their doctrine. It was different than ours.

Acknowledgement: Scott Schones, “A New Kind of Christian?” CD, Scroll Publishing