If Christians around the world could just believe this one overarching truth, there would be another Reformation

Posted on October 29, 2012 by theoldadam

_

“I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.“

   –  John 8

________

Ask most Americans what they value most and the response will probably be ‘freedom’. Ask them to define freedom and the answers will have something to do with being able to do as we please. Interestingly, the founders of this country defined freedom as being able to do as we ought, not necessarily as we please. 

Freedom is actually defined by its choices as reflected in this classic definition; 

“Freedom is the absence of necessity, coercion, or constraint in choice or action.”

The implications are obvious. Authentic freedom only belongs to those who always and in every thought, word, and deed choose the right and the good.  A simple inventory of our own life’s timeline of thoughts, words and deeds, will reveal that  we are anything but free. For our  choices of thoughts, words, and deeds often reflect not the absence but the presence of “necessity, coercion, or constraint in choice or action.”  And that which is present in us driving these things is sin. 

We don’t like hearing this of course. ‘What do you mean I’m not free? Of course I am! I have free will, don’t I?” Actually, there is a no better witness against us than our so-called free will. It is our ample backlog of free willed thoughts, words and deeds that contain the record of the countless ways we have chosen the bad instead of the good. This is the truth. And unless we know and hear the truth about ourselves, we will continue to live the lie, calling bondage freedom. But the implications are even more serious.

True freedom belongs belongs to God alone. Only God is free because only God’s willing always, and in every sense results in the good. This why to claim freedom for yourself – including free will – is, in fact, blasphemy against God. For such a claim shows contempt for God , wittingly or not, by claiming for yourself something that belongs to God alone.

Jesus was speaking to a fundamental truth; if you sin you are slave to sin. You are not free. And because of sin we have no permanent place with God. For the wages of sin is death. But to this ominous and sobering reality our Lord added an even greater truth; “If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” 

In Jesus God has done some free will choosing of His own. And God’s choosing is not polluted with the taint of self interest. Out His great love for us – we who are bound in our free-will pretensions – He has chosen to extend grace and mercy. 

The ringing note of this glorious grace so struck the Apostle Paul that he could sum up the whole Christian life in one, simple declaration, “For freedom Christ has set us free.”  This is the authentic paradigm of the Christian life and faith. For we are not the free ones who simply misuse our freedom, and must be coerced into choosing rightly. We are the bound ones, enslaved in sin, who must be set free, and have been, “by The Man of God’s own choosing”, Jesus Christ our Lord.

_

                         – Pastor Mark Anderson

>>>>>>>>>>> Lutheran Church of the Master Corona del Mar, CA

_

_

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

_

From    Pastor Mark Anderson’s Daily Devotional blog site

_

Thank you, Pastor Mark.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

_

_

Filed under: "For Freedom Christ has set us free", Free will, Freedom, Pastor Mark Anderson | 5 Comments »

So called, “free-will”…chopped off at the root.

Posted on September 1, 2012 by theoldadam

Ephesians 2:8

“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,”

_

Martin Luther’s attack on free will, where salvation is concerned, has dismayed Lutherans and enfuriated critics ever since. The cry continually goes up, “We have to do something, don’t we?” Luther might respond like this; ‘And just what are you planning on doing? is there something regarding your salvation that Christ has not done for you?’

 Here, in his own words, Martin lays the axe to our free-will pretensions.

 

 “For my own part, I frankly confess that even if it were possible, I should not wish to have free choice given to me, or to have anything left in my own hands by which I might strive toward salvation. For, on the one hand, I should be unable to stand firm and keep hold of it amid so many adversities and perils and so many assaults of demons, seeing that even one demon is mightier than all men, and no man at all could be saved; and on the other hand, even if there were no perils or adversities or demons, I should nevertheless have to labor under perpetual uncertainty and to fight as one beating the air [1 Cor 9.26], since even if I lived and worked to eternity, my conscience would never be assured and certain how much it ought to do to satisfy God.

 For whatever work might be accomplished, there would always remain an anxious doubt whether it pleased God or whether he required something more, as the experience of all self-justifiers proves, and as I myself learned to my bitter cost through so many years. But now, since God has taken my salvation out of my hands into his, making it depend on his choice and not mine, and has promised to save me, not by my own work or exertion but by his grace and mercy, I am assured and certain both that he is faithful and will not lie to me, and also that he is too great and powerful for any demons or any adversities to be able to break him or to snatch me from him. “No one,” he says, “shall snatch them out of my hand, because my Father who has given them to me is greater than all” [John 10:28 f.]. 

 So it comes about that, if not all, some and indeed many are saved, whereas by the power of free choice none at all would be saved, but all would perish together. Moreover, we are also certain and sure that we please God, not by the merit of our own working, but by the favor of his mercy promised to us, and that if we do less than we should or do it badly, he does not hold this against us, but in a fatherly way pardons and corrects us.” (Luther’s Works, vol. 33, pgs. 288-289“.

  

TIMBER!

_

_

“May the peace of God that passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

_

__________________________

_

Thank you, Pastor Mark.

Pastor Mark Anderson’s Daily Devotional blog site

_

Filed under: Free will, Pastor Mark Anderson's blog | Leave a comment »

Gerhard Forde on “the will of man”.

Posted on August 19, 2012 by theoldadam

_

“If you begin with the assumption of freedom, the preoccupation is always how to keep freedom in check, how to bind; But if you begin with the assumption of bondage, the preoccupation is always how to set out the word that frees.”
                      

              – Gerhard Forde. 

               The Captivation of the Will. p.21

_

_

Filed under: Free will, Gerhard Forde | Leave a comment »

If you’re an advocate of “free-will” theology…listen to these:

Posted on August 17, 2012 by theoldadam

 |

These classes and sermon expand  on the “free-will” topic, and how an improper understanding brings the believer to the wrong focus:

_

 Listen > Starting off on the wrong foot in the Christian life

 Listen > Start with freedom…and you’ll end in bondage

click here> “The idea of “free-will” is blasphemous“

click here > “I believe that I cannot believe“

 

_______________________________

_

Thanks, Pastor Mark.

And thanks to flickr and genebob, for the photo.

____________________________

_

I did post these several months ago, but I’m having some discussions with the good folks over at SBC Voices, and I think they might hear some things here they haven’t heard before. 

Then, at least they can have a better idea of why we believe the way we do, even if they don’t happen to agree with it.

_

_

Filed under: Free will, Pastor Mark Anderson, Pastor's class | 2 Comments »

Born-Againism

Posted on July 11, 2012 by theoldadam
 

“Prostrating himself and touching his forehead to the ground, Mathieu Pawlak put his demons to rest. Once a practicing Catholic tormented by a spiritual void and the searching questions of youth, Pawlak embraced Islam and, he says, found peace…. “I found the way that Muslims pray to be truly profound.  It links the body and the heart,” said Pawlak (New York Times, 1/16/06, “Officials concerned about Muslim converts,” emphasis added).

  1. Scripture references:
  2. John 3:3:         “born again” – the Greek means “born anew” and “born from above”
  3. John 3:5:         water and Spirit (= the Word, that is, Christ)
  4. John 6:44:        “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him…”
  5. John 15:16:      “You did not choose me, but I chose you…”

NB! Therefore when all these texts are examined, it is evident that John 3:3 “born anew” means “born from above.”

Acts 16:15:  “[Lydia] was baptized with her household…”  Household = men, women, children, and slaves.  Up until 140 AD there is no reference to infant baptism or adult baptism of those from Christian families.

Infant baptism = the perfect example of justification by faith alone

Adult baptism is deferred infant baptism.

  1. What is really real?  Experience?  Feelings?  Experiences fade away.  Feelings come and go.  Some never have spiritual experiences.  Furthermore “…even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light” (2 Cor 11:14).  “But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to that which we preached to you, let him be accursed” (Gal 1:8).
  1. What is sin?  Spiritual pride, rebellion.  (“All our righteous deeds are filthy rags,” Is 64:6)
  2. Pride – If I do or feel the “right thing,” I am caught in spiritual pride.  I’ve done it right.  I’ve contributed my share.
  3. Despair – How to know when I’ve believed earnestly enough?  Has my decision for Christ been heartfelt?  Has it stuck?
  1. The appeal of visible success.  5-7 hundred million Pentacostals.  They seek evidence of changed lives = quest for visible transformation.  They appeal to experience.  They advocate small groups, and small groups work.  Speaking in tongues is found in Hinduism, too.  Spiritual experiences are not confined to Christianity (matters of psychology/sociology).  They are separate from “the truth of the gospel.”
  1. Discipleship: “They’ll know you are Christians by your love” (!?)  We have to make it happen.  And we can make it happen.  Claim that evidence of faith can be provided.

Luther’s rediscovery of the gospel:  We are totally righteous and totally sinful.  Faith, by definition, is hidden, hidden under the cross.  What’s real?  The promises of God – outside of us, in spite of us.

“One thing is sure: We cannot pin our hope on anything that we are, think, say, or do.”

(Martin Luther, Smalcald Articles III/III/36, BC 309)

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 – Thanks to flickr and to buzzwordindia2010, for the photo.  And thanks to CrossAlone Lutheran District for the  content of this post.    

_         

Filed under: CrossAlone Lutheran District, Externals vs. Internals, Free will | 8 Comments »

Discussion of “free-will” and predestination

Posted on July 5, 2012 by theoldadam

_

 

There’s some interesting ideas in this one:

click > Predestination and ‘free-will’ discussion

_

__________________________________

Thank you, Pastor Mark, and classmates.

Thank you flickr and jeanlaredo, for the photo.

_

 

Filed under: Free will, Pastor Mark Anderson, Pastor's class, Predestination | Leave a comment »

Starting off on the wrong foot in the Christian life

Posted on June 14, 2012 by theoldadam

This class expands on the “free-will” topic, and how an improper understanding brings the believer to the wrong focus:

_

 Listen > Starting off on the wrong foot in the Christian life

_

_______________________________

_

Thanks, Pastor Mark.

And thanks to flickr and genebob, for the photo.

 

 

 

 

 

 

—

Filed under: Free will, Pastor Mark Anderson, Pastor's class, Sanctification | 1 Comment »

Free-will…or bound-will?

Posted on June 9, 2012 by theoldadam

Romans class. Jutification by faith, apart from the law.

_

Listen in > Start with freedom…and you’ll end in bondage

_

_______________________________________________________

Thanks, Pastor Mark.

Thanks to flickr and Mike Heywood, for the photo.

_

I have nothing to do with the ads that WordPress puts on this blog. I cannot even see them and have no idea what they are.

– Steve Martin

__

 

Filed under: Free will, Pastor Mark Anderson, Pastor's class, Romans 2012 | Leave a comment »

Two HUGE issues for a proper understanding of the Christian faith, and assurance, and freedom

Posted on February 29, 2012 by theoldadam

 

If you get one, or both of these issues wrong…then you will be sent inward for your assurance.

If you have a proper understanding of both, then you can forget about looking inward and instead look outside of yourself…to God…and HAVE REAL ASSURANCE.

  Listen to this one:>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

click Two HUGE ISSUES in a proper understanding of the Christian faith

 

_____________________________________________________________

 

 Too many in the church have never heard these things…and need to hear them.

 Too much is at stake.

______________________________________________________________

Thanks, once again to Pastor Mark.

And thank you to flickr and  ~.Erica.C.~,  for the photo.

 

 

 

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Filed under: Free will, Pastor Mark Anderson, Sacraments, Sermon | 2 Comments »

Law…or Grace? We don’t want either one.

Posted on December 19, 2011 by theoldadam

 

Pastor Mark’s sermon for the 4th Sunday of Advent:

click here > “Law…or Grace?…We don’t wan’t either one.“

 

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

“Free-will Christians ought to get reaquainted with the God of the Bible.”

(I liked that line that was in the sermon)

 

________________________________________________________________

Thank you, Pastor Mark.
And thanks to flickr and Western-baires & Anjotesorero(ii), for the photos (in that order).
 
 
 
 
 
 
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Filed under: Free will, Pastor Mark Anderson, Sermon | 2 Comments »

« Previous Page — Next Page »