No Compromise
by Barbara Henderson
Today in America there is renewed talk of ‘bipartisanship’ in the halls of government. Control of the US House of Representatives was won by the conservatives by a remarkably large turnover. The senate was very nearly lost by the liberals as well. Prior to this election, the liberal Democrats controlled both the house and senate, and they pushed through evil legislation that caused America to basically vomit out many of the elected liberals. The current president actually called conservatives ‘enemies’, and said that if conservatives wanted to get on board with his liberal agenda they would be allowed on board, but they would have to sit at the back of the bus. He clearly sees conservatives as a bunch of ignoramuses unworthy of being given serious consideration. Now the tide has turned to a large degree. So, the liberals now are considering bipartisanship as a way to go forward with their agenda. You see, right and wrong have nothing in common. There is no middle ground. Liberals know that any compromise on the part of conservatives is a win for them.
So, what I would like to see congress do is absolutely deadlock any legislation proposed by the liberals and make repealing greedy intrusive legislation that has already been passed a priority. There is no room for compromise. To compromise is to lose.
HOWEVER:
Even more important than anything done in the United States Government, or any other government for that matter, is for Christians to clearly define the areas in which there can be no compromise. Then Christians who take their faith seriously must set their hearts and minds on never compromising these principles.
Now, I am sure that most of our readers already know these things, but we will go over them just as a refresher and in case there are some new Christians who have not clearly defined things yet.
First there are what is commonly called the Fundamentals of the Faith. Christians must understand these fundamentals, and understand their importance. When doing a search on the fundamentals of the Christian faith, you will find that wording varies and the number of fundamentals may vary, but the crux of the matter is the same.
Inerrancy of scripture – the Bible is without error. When placing one’s eternal destination on the line, it is important to know that you can rely on the source of your information. The source is God Almighty. God, who spoke the world into place and made man out of dirt certainly can have his Word recorded in a book exactly as He wants it recorded.
Pre-existence of Christ – Deity of Christ - He is of the Trinity.
Virgin Birth – Jesus was born of a virgin. Why do people wonder about that? God made the first man and woman without a father or mother.
Death, burial, and bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ – Jesus Christ has power over death.
Blood atonement – without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sin
Another way, or additional way, of explaining fundamental Christianity is to say that it is:
Without Error – that means from the first word to the last word there are no mistakes. It is truth. There are many people who claim to accept the Bible as true, but then they turn around and begin to twist scripture, or allegorize it, or give it a meaning that is more acceptable in the society of the moment. Genesis 1:1 is true. From that point forward, you cannot escape that God has the power and authority to make and sustain the world. He is also the ultimate judge. Attempting to de-throne God Almighty is futile, so people imagine other ways ‘it might have happened’. Then, they believe their imaginations. Then they offer their imaginations to others as truth. Then, more people like that option better than the option offered by God. Thus, they can live in their imperfection, and still be acceptable for a candidate into a perfect heaven. A prime example of this is the Darwinian theory of evolution. Darwin, like many others, would rather have followed a cunningly devised fable than to do what was required to make peace with God. It is very simple. God made everything. God owns it. He gets to say who lives where. He lives in a perfect place. Imperfect beings are not fit to live in God’s home. It would no longer be perfect if even one speck of tainted matter entered into it – much less an entire imperfect human being. To be fit for the heaven of God Almighty, the individual must be made perfect. That is only done through Jesus Christ. Replacing God with manmade theology does not replace the truth. Those adoring creation instead of the Creator will still face the judgment. They will still be judged by the Creator. Neither creation nor any other man made philosophy will be able to keep its followers from the final judgment when God Almighty will sit as the judge. Only those who have Jesus Christ as their advocate will be allowed to enter heaven.
Sufficient – it tells us all we need to know to understand the way to God the Father. There is no need for additional revelation. The Bible is not set up to satisfy our curiosity. It is set up to give us the way to make peace with God, and give instructions on how to live a life that is pleasing to God. Things about which we are curious may be revealed when we reach heaven. I think they will be, but regardless, we will still have sufficient information available to live and enjoy
Relevant – the Bible has the words of life. The Bible is the book by which any person born in any era should live. People want to act as though the Bible is no longer relevant in today’s modern world. But in truth, the Bible is relevant and where applied, has a dramatic effect on the population of creation.
These are things on which there can be no compromise. But now what? It is one thing to understand the importance of these tenants of the faith intellectually, but it is another thing entirely to live as though you actually believe them. Do not trade the truth for a lie set up by intentional deceivers, or self deceivers.
If you accept Genesis 1:1, why would you have any problem with the entire rest of the book? Do not be one of those people who claims to accept the Bible as God’s word, but throws out any part of it in an attempt to stay in synchronization with the current wisdom of the day. I am sure you know someone who says they believe the Bible, but they also believe that theistic evolution is actually what happened. Or they believe the Bible, but not that Jesus died and rose again. Or they believe the Bible, but homosexuality is an acceptable life style. God made it all just like the Bible says. He has control over it all, just like the Bible says.
And, there are people who believe the earth was created by God, but that we have to sustain it ourselves through conservation and lifestyle changes.
And there are other people who claim to believe the Bible, but not the part that says it is appointed unto man once to die and after this the judgment. After all, they reason, a merciful God wouldn’t really send anyone to hell.
And there are other people who claim to believe the Bible, but they add things to it. For instance, they know it says we are saved by grace through faith, but they can’t get past the prideful idea that they have to add personal works to the work of Christ on Calvary.
Honestly, it is time for those who really are Christians to truly give God the glory. The way we do that (at least in part) is to worship Him in how we live our lives. We should act as though we believe God. If God says something happened in a certain way, then true believers don’t try to adjust what God said to suit what current wisdom/folly says happened.
If God says to do something a certain way, then that is the way Christians should do it!
If God says not to do something in certain way, or at all, then we should take obeying our God seriously.
I think it boils down to this.
If God IS God – then follow Him!
If the gods of this world are god – then follow them!
It is time for the individual Christian to make up his/her mind.
If you are having trouble determining if some particular teaching is of this world or of God, then remember the rule of thumbs Evangelist Evan New used to use. He said, ‘If it’s doubtful, then it’s dirty.’ And that is really the truth. You can take the time to trace the origins of yoga, spiritualism, mindless meditation (not meditation on the scripture), materialism, witchcraft, manipulation of god/God through rituals (the health wealth gospel) and so on. But, if you don’t have the time or the inclination to do that, just toss it out with the trash. The more you know about God, the more you are able to spot false teaching from the first time you hear it.
So, remember the fundamentals of the faith.
Include in that these three – inerrant – sufficient – relevant.
These things are the launching pad for your Christian growth. You can’t step outside these boundaries and stay within the teachings of the Bible.
No compromise on Biblical accuracy and authority is the right way for Christians.
Of course these things are not the sum of Christianity, or Baptist teaching, or the teachings of any other traditional Christian organization or denomination. They are just the frame work on which other doctrines stand. Understanding the foundations of the faith is the starting point for anyone seeking to know and interpret rightly the doctrine of the Bible.
And, by the way, I do know that ‘inerrancy of scripture’ is the starting point for both the lists I gave you. It is just THE starting point for all Bible study. Some would probably debate me on this, but I think Genesis 1:1 is the key verse. It gives God the power and authority to manage creation and its inhabitants the way He does it. I think that first verse is the verse that gives credibility to the rest of the Bible. It gives us the power and authority backing up John 3:16.
The Bible tells us that God created the world and everything in it perfect in the beginning.
It tells us that man sinned, fell from grace, became imperfect.
It tells us that ‘un-regenerated’ man is separated from God by sin. (That means ‘you ain’t perfect’. In fact, nobody is perfect.)
Then it gives us John 3:16. But until someone understands they are separated from God by their sin, they don’t understand the need to be reconciled to God.
We cannot fulfill the ‘Great Commission’ if we don’t even know what the gospel that we are attempting to take to unbelievers actually contains.
There is a song titled, ‘Win the Lost at Any Cost’. The first cost to the individual Christian is to study and know what the Bible says. This is of course an ongoing leaning process. You don’t have to complete a Bible theology degree to be able to effectively tell others the way of salvation. You do need to work at knowing enough to be able to tell the truth and answer questions.
Here is a youtube link to ‘Win the Lost at Any Cost’.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cv8IWtydbCg
There is a line that says ‘Souls are crying – men are dying’…. It is important that we get busy today.
Barbara
by Barbara Henderson
Today in America there is renewed talk of ‘bipartisanship’ in the halls of government. Control of the US House of Representatives was won by the conservatives by a remarkably large turnover. The senate was very nearly lost by the liberals as well. Prior to this election, the liberal Democrats controlled both the house and senate, and they pushed through evil legislation that caused America to basically vomit out many of the elected liberals. The current president actually called conservatives ‘enemies’, and said that if conservatives wanted to get on board with his liberal agenda they would be allowed on board, but they would have to sit at the back of the bus. He clearly sees conservatives as a bunch of ignoramuses unworthy of being given serious consideration. Now the tide has turned to a large degree. So, the liberals now are considering bipartisanship as a way to go forward with their agenda. You see, right and wrong have nothing in common. There is no middle ground. Liberals know that any compromise on the part of conservatives is a win for them.
So, what I would like to see congress do is absolutely deadlock any legislation proposed by the liberals and make repealing greedy intrusive legislation that has already been passed a priority. There is no room for compromise. To compromise is to lose.
HOWEVER:
Even more important than anything done in the United States Government, or any other government for that matter, is for Christians to clearly define the areas in which there can be no compromise. Then Christians who take their faith seriously must set their hearts and minds on never compromising these principles.
Now, I am sure that most of our readers already know these things, but we will go over them just as a refresher and in case there are some new Christians who have not clearly defined things yet.
First there are what is commonly called the Fundamentals of the Faith. Christians must understand these fundamentals, and understand their importance. When doing a search on the fundamentals of the Christian faith, you will find that wording varies and the number of fundamentals may vary, but the crux of the matter is the same.
Inerrancy of scripture – the Bible is without error. When placing one’s eternal destination on the line, it is important to know that you can rely on the source of your information. The source is God Almighty. God, who spoke the world into place and made man out of dirt certainly can have his Word recorded in a book exactly as He wants it recorded.
Pre-existence of Christ – Deity of Christ - He is of the Trinity.
Virgin Birth – Jesus was born of a virgin. Why do people wonder about that? God made the first man and woman without a father or mother.
Death, burial, and bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ – Jesus Christ has power over death.
Blood atonement – without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sin
Another way, or additional way, of explaining fundamental Christianity is to say that it is:
Without Error – that means from the first word to the last word there are no mistakes. It is truth. There are many people who claim to accept the Bible as true, but then they turn around and begin to twist scripture, or allegorize it, or give it a meaning that is more acceptable in the society of the moment. Genesis 1:1 is true. From that point forward, you cannot escape that God has the power and authority to make and sustain the world. He is also the ultimate judge. Attempting to de-throne God Almighty is futile, so people imagine other ways ‘it might have happened’. Then, they believe their imaginations. Then they offer their imaginations to others as truth. Then, more people like that option better than the option offered by God. Thus, they can live in their imperfection, and still be acceptable for a candidate into a perfect heaven. A prime example of this is the Darwinian theory of evolution. Darwin, like many others, would rather have followed a cunningly devised fable than to do what was required to make peace with God. It is very simple. God made everything. God owns it. He gets to say who lives where. He lives in a perfect place. Imperfect beings are not fit to live in God’s home. It would no longer be perfect if even one speck of tainted matter entered into it – much less an entire imperfect human being. To be fit for the heaven of God Almighty, the individual must be made perfect. That is only done through Jesus Christ. Replacing God with manmade theology does not replace the truth. Those adoring creation instead of the Creator will still face the judgment. They will still be judged by the Creator. Neither creation nor any other man made philosophy will be able to keep its followers from the final judgment when God Almighty will sit as the judge. Only those who have Jesus Christ as their advocate will be allowed to enter heaven.
Sufficient – it tells us all we need to know to understand the way to God the Father. There is no need for additional revelation. The Bible is not set up to satisfy our curiosity. It is set up to give us the way to make peace with God, and give instructions on how to live a life that is pleasing to God. Things about which we are curious may be revealed when we reach heaven. I think they will be, but regardless, we will still have sufficient information available to live and enjoy
Relevant – the Bible has the words of life. The Bible is the book by which any person born in any era should live. People want to act as though the Bible is no longer relevant in today’s modern world. But in truth, the Bible is relevant and where applied, has a dramatic effect on the population of creation.
These are things on which there can be no compromise. But now what? It is one thing to understand the importance of these tenants of the faith intellectually, but it is another thing entirely to live as though you actually believe them. Do not trade the truth for a lie set up by intentional deceivers, or self deceivers.
If you accept Genesis 1:1, why would you have any problem with the entire rest of the book? Do not be one of those people who claims to accept the Bible as God’s word, but throws out any part of it in an attempt to stay in synchronization with the current wisdom of the day. I am sure you know someone who says they believe the Bible, but they also believe that theistic evolution is actually what happened. Or they believe the Bible, but not that Jesus died and rose again. Or they believe the Bible, but homosexuality is an acceptable life style. God made it all just like the Bible says. He has control over it all, just like the Bible says.
And, there are people who believe the earth was created by God, but that we have to sustain it ourselves through conservation and lifestyle changes.
And there are other people who claim to believe the Bible, but not the part that says it is appointed unto man once to die and after this the judgment. After all, they reason, a merciful God wouldn’t really send anyone to hell.
And there are other people who claim to believe the Bible, but they add things to it. For instance, they know it says we are saved by grace through faith, but they can’t get past the prideful idea that they have to add personal works to the work of Christ on Calvary.
Honestly, it is time for those who really are Christians to truly give God the glory. The way we do that (at least in part) is to worship Him in how we live our lives. We should act as though we believe God. If God says something happened in a certain way, then true believers don’t try to adjust what God said to suit what current wisdom/folly says happened.
If God says to do something a certain way, then that is the way Christians should do it!
If God says not to do something in certain way, or at all, then we should take obeying our God seriously.
I think it boils down to this.
If God IS God – then follow Him!
If the gods of this world are god – then follow them!
It is time for the individual Christian to make up his/her mind.
If you are having trouble determining if some particular teaching is of this world or of God, then remember the rule of thumbs Evangelist Evan New used to use. He said, ‘If it’s doubtful, then it’s dirty.’ And that is really the truth. You can take the time to trace the origins of yoga, spiritualism, mindless meditation (not meditation on the scripture), materialism, witchcraft, manipulation of god/God through rituals (the health wealth gospel) and so on. But, if you don’t have the time or the inclination to do that, just toss it out with the trash. The more you know about God, the more you are able to spot false teaching from the first time you hear it.
So, remember the fundamentals of the faith.
Include in that these three – inerrant – sufficient – relevant.
These things are the launching pad for your Christian growth. You can’t step outside these boundaries and stay within the teachings of the Bible.
No compromise on Biblical accuracy and authority is the right way for Christians.
Of course these things are not the sum of Christianity, or Baptist teaching, or the teachings of any other traditional Christian organization or denomination. They are just the frame work on which other doctrines stand. Understanding the foundations of the faith is the starting point for anyone seeking to know and interpret rightly the doctrine of the Bible.
And, by the way, I do know that ‘inerrancy of scripture’ is the starting point for both the lists I gave you. It is just THE starting point for all Bible study. Some would probably debate me on this, but I think Genesis 1:1 is the key verse. It gives God the power and authority to manage creation and its inhabitants the way He does it. I think that first verse is the verse that gives credibility to the rest of the Bible. It gives us the power and authority backing up John 3:16.
The Bible tells us that God created the world and everything in it perfect in the beginning.
It tells us that man sinned, fell from grace, became imperfect.
It tells us that ‘un-regenerated’ man is separated from God by sin. (That means ‘you ain’t perfect’. In fact, nobody is perfect.)
Then it gives us John 3:16. But until someone understands they are separated from God by their sin, they don’t understand the need to be reconciled to God.
We cannot fulfill the ‘Great Commission’ if we don’t even know what the gospel that we are attempting to take to unbelievers actually contains.
There is a song titled, ‘Win the Lost at Any Cost’. The first cost to the individual Christian is to study and know what the Bible says. This is of course an ongoing leaning process. You don’t have to complete a Bible theology degree to be able to effectively tell others the way of salvation. You do need to work at knowing enough to be able to tell the truth and answer questions.
Here is a youtube link to ‘Win the Lost at Any Cost’.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cv8IWtydbCg
There is a line that says ‘Souls are crying – men are dying’…. It is important that we get busy today.
Barbara
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