Videos and Writings to encourage in the Fight Against Sin

A view also held by Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Paul Washer, Charles Leiter, Tim Conway and Kevin Williams.

The Follow is an Appendix on Romans 7 from the book Justification & Regeneration by Charles Leiter (Used by permission)

To attempt to deal with the controversies surrounding Romans 7 would take an entire book. Only a few guidelines for its interpretation can be suggested here:

1. Romans 7 flows directly from Romans 6, continuing and expanding upon the themes that are introduced there. According to Romans 6, Christians have “died to sin”1 by virtue of their union with Christ and have therefore been “freed”2from it, so that sin no longer has “dominion”3over them. The result of this death to sin is “service”4to God that brings forth “fruit”5unto sanctification. Paul repeats this pattern of triumph in Romans 7: Christians have “died to law”6by virtue of their union with Christ and have therefore been “freed”7from it, so that law no longer has “dominion”8over them. The result of this death to law is “service”9to God that brings forth “fruit”10unto God. In short, Paul has been “soaring” in Romans 6, and he continues to soar in Romans 7!
The real purpose of Romans 7 is to explain and expand upon Paul’s statement in 6:14: “For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law, but under grace.” According to this verse, our deliverance from the dominion of sin is a direct result of the fact that we are no longer “under the law.” The first question to be answered is, “How has it come to pass that Christians are no longer ‘under the law’?” Paul answers this question in 7:1-4. Christians have passed out of the realm of law, having died to it by virtue of their union with Christ. The second question to be answered is, “Why is freedom from law necessary in order to secure our deliverance from the reign of sin?” Or, conversely, “Why is freedom from sin’s reign impossible for all who are still under law?” Paul answers this question in 7:5-25. All who are still “under law” are also still “in the flesh.” (v.5)  But law actually stirs up and strengthens sin’s dominion over those who are in the flesh, leaving them in a state of bondage and death. (v.5, 7-25)

1Romans 6:2, 11   2Romans 6:7, 18, 22   3Romans 6:14 (Gk. “dominion,” “rule”) 4Romans 6:22   5Romans 6:21-22 (Gk. “fruit”)   6Romans 7:4   7Romans 7:6, 2-3 8Romans 7:1 (Gk. “dominion,” as in 6:14)   9Romans 7:6  10Romans 7:4

2. It is absolutely vital to realize that Paul thinks in terms of two and only two groups—those who are “under law” (“in the flesh”) and those who are “under grace” (“in the Spirit”). (pp. 96-98) The characteristics of these two groups are summarized both  before (7:5-6) and  after (8:1-4) Paul’s discussion in Romans 7:7-25. This means that in v.14-25, Paul is not describing a “carnal Christian” who has not yet “passed into Romans 8,” as the “deeper life” view of Romans 7 would tell us. All   Christians are “in” Romans 8, just as all Christians are “in” Romans 6 and “in” Romans 7:6.

3. Paul has already described in detail the state of every Christian in Romans 6 and in Romans 7:1-6. We cannot ignore this description when we come to the last half of Romans 7. According to Romans 6 and Romans 7:1-6, all Christians have been “freed from sin” and have become “slaves of righteousness.”1“Sin shall not be master over” Christians, for they are “not under law, but under grace.”2Christians have been “joined to another, to Him who was raised from the dead, that they might bear fruit for God.”3They are “alive from the dead.”4They are no longer “in the flesh.”5They “serve in newness of the Spirit and not in oldness of
the letter.”6The view that Romans 7:14-25 is a description of “the Christian at his best, even of Paul at the time of writing” thus flies directly in the face of everything Paul has said up to this point. How can we read Romans 6 and 7:1-6 and still contend that all true Christians are actually “of flesh, sold into bondage to sin” 7!It is highly significant that this view of Romans 7 has led to the “wretched man” concept of the Christian life, where “wretchedness” and spirituality are almost equated, and the more holy we become, the more “wretched” we are. In the words of one writer: “This moan, ‘O wretched man that I am,’ expresses the normal
experience of the Christian, and any Christian who does not so moan is in an abnormal and unhealthy state spiritually. The man who does not utter this cry daily is either so out of communion with Christ, or so ignorant of the teaching of Scripture, or so deceived about his actual condition, that he knows not the corruptions of his own heart and the abject failure of his own life.”8

1Romans 6:18   2Romans 6:14   3Romans 7:4   4Romans 6:13   5Romans 7:5 6Romans 7:6   7Romans 7:14   8A. W. Pink, “The Christian in Romans 7”

“The one who is truly in communion with Christ, will…emit this groan…daily and hourly.”1
It is true that in this day of glib “easy-believism” and shallow repentance multitudes of professing “Christians” desperately need a revelation of their own inner depravity and corruption. In the case of many, this would lead to bitter weeping 2and genuine conversion. But any true child of God who has traveled very far on the pilgrim pathway already knows quite a bit about his own wretchedness and vileness apart from the transforming power of Christ. Instead of praying that God would give us “such a view of [our] own depravity and unworthiness that [we] may indeed grovel in the dust before Him,”3would it not be more Scriptural to ask God for such a view of Christ’s resurrection life in us 4and our new nature in Him 5that we might soar in the heavenlies and joyfully serve Him in newness of life?
Some theologians have tried to escape this “wretched Christian” view of Romans 7 by saying that even though Paul is speaking here of his own present experience as a believer, he is merely describing the fact that “no Christian is as holy as he wants to be.” Romans 7, according to this view, teaches only that “the Christian’s reach always exceeds his grasp” and that during this lifetime the Christian “cannot arrive at perfection.” All these statements are undoubtedly true, but they do not do justice to the degree of failure and misery evident in this passage. Paul is clearly describing here (to use his own words) a state of “wretchedness,”6a state of “bondage,”7and a state of inability  8to “do good.” In other words, the man of Romans 7 is not just battling with sin but utterly defeated by it, in stark contrast with Paul’s description of all true Christians in Romans 6 and Romans 7:1-6.

4. Romans 6 & 7 are structured around four questions and their corresponding answers. At the end of Romans 5, Paul makes two shocking statements that require defense and clarification. The first is that “the Law came in that the transgression might increase,” and the second is that “where sin increased, grace abounded all the more.” (v.20) Paul expects these statements to be misunderstood and distorted by others, so he sets out to clarify and defend them

1Pink   2Zechariah 12:10   3Pink   4Ephesians 1:18-23; Ephesians 3:14-215Colossians 3:9-13   6Romans 7:24   7Romans 7:14, 23-24   8Romans 7:18-19

in chapters six and seven. He does this in terms of four questions and their corresponding answers. (6:1; 6:15; 7:7; 7:13) Each of these question-answer sections follows a very specific pattern. First, Paul poses the anticipated misunderstanding or distortion of his position. He then follows with a strong denial (“May it never be!”) and a brief summary answer to the misunderstanding. This brief answer is then clarified and expounded in the verses that follow. This pattern is invariable throughout Romans 6-7:

Romans 6:1—Question: “What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace might increase?” Strong denial: “May it never be!” Brief answer: “How shall we who died to sin still live in it?” Fuller explanation of brief answer: v.3-14.

Romans 6:15—Question: “What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace?” Strong denial: “May it never be!” Brief answer: “Do you not know that when you present yourselves to someone as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey…?” Fuller explanation of brief answer: v.17-23.

Romans 7:7—Question: “What shall we say then? Is the Law sin?” Strong denial: “May it never be!” Brief answer: “On the contrary, I would not have come to know sin except through the Law; for I would not have known about coveting if the Law  had not said, ‘You shall not covet.’” Fuller explanation of brief answer: v.8-12.

Romans 7:13—Question: “Therefore did that which is good become a cause of death for me?” Strong denial: “May it never be!” Brief answer: “Rather it was sin, in order that it might be shown to be sin by effecting my death through that which is good, that through the commandment sin might become utterly sinful.”  Fuller explanation of brief answer: v.14-25.

This is the setting of v.14-25! Verse 14 does not begin a new and entirely unrelated theme, as some have supposed. The subject being dealt with in this section is not “the immature Christian’s failure to walk in the Spirit” or “the mature Christian’s continuing struggle with remaining sin.” Rather, the subject here is “the goodness of the Law, in spite of its effects upon those who are in the flesh.” In this connection, it is very significant that v.14 begins with the word “for” and is immediately followed (twice!) by the word “for” in v.15.

5. Romans 7:14-25 flows from and is a continuation of  Paul’s discussion in v.7-13 of the “man to whom the commandment has come.” In v.5 Paul describes the condition of those who are “in the flesh” and “under law”: “For while we were in the flesh, the sinful passions, which were aroused by the Law, were at work in the members of our body to bear fruit for death.” The key words here are “Law,” “sin,” and “flesh.” These three words from v.5 will form the heart of Paul’s discussion throughout the rest of the chapter.

In v.7-12 Paul begins to explain his statement in v.5 by reference to his own experience prior to conversion. There was a time when Paul lived in a state of complacent self-satisfaction: “I was once alive.” (v.9)  He thought he was doing fine in keeping the Law: “As to the righteousness which is in the Law…found blameless.”1

But then a major turning point came in Paul’s life. By the working of God’s Spirit, “the commandment came” to him. He began to realize how deep and exacting the Law’s requirements really are and how impossible it was for him to fulfill those requirements. “Sin became alive,” and Paul “died” under the terrible conviction of his sinfulness. (How long this went on, we do not know, but we do know that before he ever met the risen Christ on the road to Damascus, it was already “hard” for Paul to “kick against the goads.”2) The Law, which promised  life, thus resulted in death for Paul, not through any fault of its own, but because of the utter sinfulness of sin.
Up to this point in his discussion (v.13), Paul has described only the relationship between “Law” and “sin,” showing how the Law actually stirs up sin and leads to death. But he has not yet explained why Law should produce such effects. This he can do only by a discussion of “the flesh”!

This is the setting of Romans 7:14-25!  Verse 14 begins with the word “for” and continues and advances Paul’s discussion of “Law, sin, and flesh” by dramatically describing in the present tense the place  of sin’s reign—“the flesh”: “For we know that  the  Law is spiritual; but I am of flesh, sold into bondage to sin.” (Notice that the transition to the present tense takes place quite naturally since Paul could hardly say, “We know that the Law was spiritual.”) Paul then continues in the present tense until the end of the chapter, (1Philippians 3:6   2Acts 26:14) giving a firsthand account of the “bondage to sin” experienced by those who are “in the flesh.” He does this from the vantage point of one who has now become a Christian and can see clearly the nature of the conflict that was formerly taking place in his life. For this reason the terminology that Paul uses in these verses shows much Christian influence, though it is descriptive of his pre-Christian state.

Remember again Paul’s controlling statement: “For while we were  in the flesh, the sinful passions, which were aroused by the Law, were at work in the members of our body to bear fruit for death.” “Flesh” is controlled by “sin,” and in the presence of Law the sinful passions of the flesh will always culminate in “death.” The fact that “flesh” is Paul’s emphasis throughout this section is clear from the terminology that he uses: “of flesh, sold into bondage to sin,”1“a law in the members of my body,”2and “the law of sin which is in my members.”3This bondage to “sin in the members” leads to the desperate cry, “Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death (margin: “this body of death”)?”4

Paul’s answer to this cry is given in v.25, “Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!” and more fully in 8:1-4, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the  law of sin and of death. For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did…in order that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.”

Notice Paul’s summary here of what he has just said at length in 7:14-25: “…what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh…”! And notice again his description of those who are Christians: “For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death…that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit”! The man of Romans 7 cries, “Who will set me free?” The Christian replies, “The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set me free.”

Isaac Watts sums up Paul’s teaching in Romans 7 in a hymn entitled “Conviction of Sin by the Law—Romans 7:8, 9, 14-24”:

1Romans 7:14   2Romans 7:23   3Romans 7:23   4Romans 7:24

Lord, how secure my conscience was,

And felt no inward dread!

I was alive without the law,

And thought my sins were dead.

My hopes of heav’n were firm and bright;

But, since the precept came

With a convincing pow’r and light,

I find how vile I am.

My guilt appear’d but small before

Till terribly I saw

How perfect, holy, just, and pure,

Was thine eternal law.

Then felt my soul the heavy load;

My sins reviv’d again;

I had provok’d a dreadful God,

And all my hopes were slain.

I’m like a helpless captive, sold

Under the pow’r of sin:

I cannot do the good I would,

Nor keep my conscience clean.

My God! I cry with every breath

For some kind pow’r to save;

To break the yoke of sin and death,

And thus redeem the slave.

Three Final Observations
In closing, three things should be noted:
1. In spite of superficial resemblances, Galatians 5:16-25 is not parallel with Romans 7. Romans 7:14-25 describes the struggle and defeat of a man who is still “in the flesh” and “under the Law.” The Holy Spirit is notably absent from the language and thought of this man.  In fact, the Holy Spirit is not mentioned anywhere in the entire passage. Galatians 5:16-25, on the other hand, describes the inevitable conflict that the Holy Spirit has with the flesh in the life of a true believer. A note of victory is sounded throughout this passage: The Christian is “not under the Law.”1He has already definitively “crucified the flesh with its passions and desires” through
repentance and faith in Christ.2 The power of the Spirit in his life effectually prevents him from following the natural inclinations of his flesh—he cannot do “as he pleases.”3Since he lives “in the Spirit,” he is able now to “walk in the Spirit.”4And as he “walks in the Spirit,” he is assured that he “will not carry out the desire of the flesh.”5 These verses are not a statement of “wretchedness,” but an
assurance of victory!

The real parallel to Galatians 5:16-25 is Romans 8:12-14, where “flesh” and “Spirit” are similarly contrasted: “So then, brethren, we are under obligation, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh—for if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.” According to these verses, the Christian is under no obligation to live according to the flesh. He is able, by the power of the Holy Spirit, to “put to death the deeds of the body.” In fact, being thus “led by the Spirit” is one of the distinguishing characteristics of all who are truly “sons of God”! Notice the parallel here between being “led by the Spirit” (Romans 8:14) and “walking in the Spirit” (Romans 8:4; Galatians 5:16).

2. The man described in Romans 7:7-25 is not the typical lost “man on the street,” who knows nothing of the spirituality or real desirability of the law. The man in Romans 7:7-25 is the man
to whom “the commandment has come.” He makes statements that the typical unbeliever would never make. The state of misery that he is experiencing eventuates in his coming to Christ: “Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!”6 From this it is evident that this man is being “taught by God” and is “hearing and learning from the Father.”7Everyone who has thus “heard and learned from the Father” comes to Christ.8

3. There is no doubt that every true Christian has  felt at times as if he were “in the middle” of Romans 7. Even the truly righteous man “falls seven times”! 9Christian experience always involves excruciating defeat as part of the process of learning to “walk in the Spirit.” Like Peter, we often have to learn by bitter failure the insufficiency of our own resolve.10 The question before us, however, is not, “What do Christians often experience?” but, “What is Paul teaching in Romans 7 ?” (Those interested in reading further on this subject are referred to: Robert L. Reymond, A New Systematic Theology of the Christian Faith, Appendix F, 1127-32; Martyn Lloyd-Jones,  The Law: Its Functions and Limits; and Herman Ridderbos, Paul: An Outline of His Theology, 126-30.)

1Galatians 5:18   2Galatians 5:24   3Galatians 5:17   4Galatians 5:255Galatians 5:16   6Romans 7:25   7John 6:45   8John 6:45   9Proverbs 24:16 10Luke 22:31-34

Audio Sermons on Romans 7

(Right Click and do Save-Target As)

God Doesn’t Leave Us Under Sin (Romans 7) – Kevin Williams

Abusing Romans 7 A Wrong View – Tim Conway

The Context of the Ro. 7 Man – Tim Conway

A The Defeatist Mentality  Ro 7 – Tim Conway

carnal, charles, christian, leiter, paul, romans 7

Personal Disciplines of Private Prayer

“And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place and there he prayed. – Mark 1:35

There are no short cuts in the Christian life. Jesus had to do what was necessary to maintain his walk with the Father. He felt the need to pray and had to choose to do it.

He had spent the previous night at Peter’s house after the fullest day imaginable. He had begun that Sabbath morning in the temple, teaching and healing a demonized man, then headed to Peter’s house probably for some rest and fellowship with the other men, only to find Peter’s mother-in-law very ill with a fever. The Lord healed her completely, so that she arose and served them.

The day was not finished yet, for as the Sabbath was concluding at sunset, a great number of people from all over town came to the door of the house for help. Both the diseased and the demonized came for healing and deliverance and all went away free and whole.

So by the time the Lord went to sleep that evening at Peter’s house, he must have been drained and somewhat exhausted. If anyone should have slept in, showing up for breakfast at 9:00 a.m., it should be Jesus after such a day.

But when Peter awoke, he could not find the Lord anywhere. Jesus was already gone to begin the new day. He had an appointment he wanted to keep.

He was up before the crack of dawn and had gone to a lonely quiet place to be alone. But he was not alone. He was with his Father. He was alone in the desert, isolated area just praying, long before the day light would reveal his form.

The Lord attached great importance to private prayer by his public teaching and his personal example. We see several things here about Jesus’ prayer life.

1. A Time- “And rising early”- He had a time to do it; he chose a time and used that time. The exact time is not nearly as important as that we HAVE a time, which normally should be the least distracted and most appropriate time for us personally. Do you have a time that you go to private prayer? For some it is at 5:00 am and for others, that time is different. It is not the time of day that is critical, but rather that a time in the day somewhere is used for real and undistracted prayer.

2. A Discipline- “He went out”- Jesus had to chose to go out; he wasn’t carried out by angels to the place; he got up and went out; we must follow his example and discipline ourselves for the purpose of godliness. It is a choice we must make. If there is no going out, there will be no communion with the Father. Jesus had to choose to do this and we must as well.

Do you go out somewhere to pray? Is there a principle in your heart to go and be alone? Time with the crowd and time with others will rob us of going out to be with our Father in heaven. We must get up and get out there.

3. A Place- “to a desolate place”- Jesus got alone where he could really be alone. For him it was necessary to completely withdraw. The principle is to get really alone where no one will bother you; it may be your backyard, the nearest park, your car in the drive way, or a nearby lake or cemetery. Get to a place where you are really alone. Why did our Lord do this? It was necessary and it was desirable- “to a desolate place.”

4. For Solitude- “to a desolate place” means a place of solitude. Really withdrawing to that lonely place brings with it solitude that no place of noise can provide. It means being away from all other people. If we cannot take withdrawing from other people to be alone, then we will never enjoy private communion with God. We must be weaned from men to be give to time alone with God. This is the challenge. Some people spend more time on FaceBook than they do in private prayer because earthly friendships are more real and needed than intimacy with God. If we know others more closely than we know our Saviour, something is definitely wrong. If we are unwilling to be socially weaned from men, we will remain spiritually lean. Do we know what it means to have solitude in a desolate place?

5. The Action- “and there he prayed”- he prayed; Jesus did not just read about prayer in the Old Testament. He didn’t just teach about prayer. He didn’t run to every weekend seminar there was about prayer or head to Barnes & Nobles to get the newest best-seller on prayer. No- He just prayed. He got up, went out to a specific place that was the best setting for Him to have private prayer and “THERE HE PRAYED”.

There are no short-cuts to spiritual growth and maturity. We can read the best books, go to every good conference, listen to the finest preaching, and be in the best church possible. But if we are not following our Lord’s example he has given us in his prayer life, then we will never know the communion with God that could be ours- “And there He prayed.”

- Mack Tomlinson

HT: http://thoughtsonthewayblog.blogspot.com/

communion, facebook, father, mack, prayer, secret, tomlinson

I Can’t Let Go by Horatius Bonar downloaded from Chapel Library

“I can’t believe in Christ,” is the complaint we often hear from the inquiring. What does it mean? Are those who make it in earnest? Have they considered what they say?

The vessel was pretty high out of the water, and there was no ladder, either of rope or iron, at his side for the poor lad to descend by, so as to reach the boat which lay below.

The lad looked over and saw his position. There was the boat, and here was the slowly sinking vessel. He heard shouts for him from below; he saw some five or six stout men waiting to catch him; but he could not make up his mind to quit his hold.

He saw the swell of the sea, as it heaved the boat up and down; he observed too, the distance between himself and his deliverers below; and his heart failed him. What if he should miss the boat, and drop into the sea, instead of the stretched-out arms beneath? He clung to the rope with all his might, and made as though he would go back into the vessel. But the shouts came up again, “Let go the rope!” He dared not go back, and he was afraid to let himself drop. So he clung to the rope as if it were his only safety. Again the shouts were heard, “Let go!” His answer was, “I can’t let go.”

At last, as the danger increased, the loud but kindly voices from below overcame his fear and distrust. He did “let go”; and without an effort dropped into the strong arms which were waiting to receive him. He was safe; and as he realized his safety, he could not help smiling at his own folly in refusing to let go, and in saying, as his reason for not letting go, that he could not. “I can’t believe in Christ,” is the complaint we often hear from the inquiring. What does it mean? Are those who make it in earnest? Have they considered what they say? Are they not exactly like the poor lad hanging over the steamer’s side and crying “I can’t let go?” If he had had confidence in the boat below and in the men below, would he have remained in this strange position and uttering this strange cry? Had he not more confidence in the rope to which he clung than in the boat which lay ready to receive him? He saw there was danger, or he would not have grasped the rope; but he had the feeling that there was less danger in clinging to the rope than in dropping into the boat. So he continued to cling with all his might to that which could not save. If his safety had depended upon his grasping it, the cry, “I can’t hold any longer, my strength is gone,” would have been most natural and intelligible; but, when his safety depended upon his ceasing to cling to that which could not save, and simply drop into that which could save, the cry was foolish and untrue.

So it is with the complaint of the anxious to which we have referred. They do not see the open door of the ark, the stretched-out arms of the Deliverer. It is that Deliverer who cries to them, “Let go; I am waiting with open arms to receive you.” But they seem to think that He is commanding them to do some great thing, to put forth some prodigious exertion of their own strength; and so they reply to all His messages of grace, “I can’t, I can’t!” He sees them clinging to self with all their might; and He says, “Let go, let go;” but they reply, “We can’t!” is not this folly? Is it not a rejection of His finished work?

Suppose, when Jesus called to Zaccheus to come down from his sycamore, the publican had replied, “I can’t!” what would he have meant? Had the Lord bidden him climb the tree, he might have said, perhaps, “I can’t!” but when Christ says “Come down!” the excuse would have been absurd.

Suppose when the father, in receiving back the prodigal, had said, “Go into the house, and get the best robe and put it on and come to me,” there might have been some meaning in the son’s saying, “I can’t!” But when the father says to the servants, “Bring forth the best robe and put it on him,” such an excuse would have been absurd, and would only have betrayed the son’s unwillingness to receive the robe at all. For the father leaves nothing for the son to do; all he desires is that he should receive; and it is as if he had said, “Allow me to clothe you; allow me to put the best robe upon you.” He undertakes for everything; for the putting on the robe as well as for the robe itself.

That which many call the difficulty of believing is the essence of self-righteousness. Yes; it is this that lies at the root of, or rather is the root of, this difficulty. Men cling to self as the lad clung to the rope; they will not let it go; and they cry all the while that they can’t.

I admit the difficulty. It is a root of bitterness. But it is far deeper than many think. It is far worse and more serious than those who speak of it will admit. It is man’s determined self-righteousness that really constitutes the difficulty. He is unwilling to let this go; and he says “I can’t!” to cover over the guilt of the “I won’t!”

Deep down in man’s depraved being lies this awful evil, which only God can remove, this determination not to give up self. He deceives himself sadly in this matter, in order to cover his guilt and to pass the blame of his unbelief on God. He holds that he has some great thing to do: though God has declared a hundred times over that the great thing is done! He wants to do the great thing, and to get credit of doing it; and because God has declared that the great thing is done, “once for all,” never to be done again, he retires into himself, and tries to get up another great thing within himself, by the right doing of which he will please God and satisfy his own conscience. Acceptance of the great thing done is what God presses on him as altogether and absolutely sufficient for his salvation and his peace. But this he shrinks from. He thinks he must wait, and work, and struggle, and weep before he is in a fit state for accepting; and therefore it is that he replies to all the messages from the “ambassadors of peace,” “I can’t.” He won’t do that which God wishes him to do; he substitutes something else of his own, some process of preparation for acceptance: and because he finds he makes no progress in this work of “voluntary humility,” he says, “I can’t!”

God brings him face to face with the cross, saying, “Look and live!” But he thinks this too simple, and he turns away seeking for something to do! God sets the fountain before him, and says, “Wash.” He says, “I cannot,” and turns away to something else. God brings him the best robe, the righteousness of the Righteous One, and offers to put it on. But this is too simple. It leaves nothing for him to do —nothing but to be clothed by another’s hand in another’s raiment. And so, in pretended humility, he postpones the acceptance of the robe, under the plea that he cannot put it on! God brings him face to face with His free love, and says, “Take this and be at rest.” But as this still takes for granted that the great thing is done, in virtue of which this free love is to flow into the sinner, and that God now wants him simply to recognize this great work and its completeness, in order to his acceptance, he hesitates or turns wholly from the Divine proposal, refusing to let the love flow in, just because it is so absolutely free! He resembles the Syrian general whom Elisha told to wash in Jordan that his leprosy might be healed. “Naaman was wroth, and went away, and said, Behold, I thought he will surely come out to me, and stand, and call on the name of the Lord his God, and strike his hand over the place, and recover the leper. Are not Abana and Pharpar, rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? May I not wash in them, and be clean? So he turned and went away in a rage” (2 Kings 5:11,12). And may we not address him in the words of the servants on that occasion: “If the prophet had bid thee do some great thing, wouldest thou not have done it? how much rather then, when he saith to thee, Wash, and be clean?”

The simplicity of the gospel, however, does not lessen man’s depravity, nor supersede the necessity for the power of the Holy Ghost. It is in reference to this free gospel that man’s “evil heart of unbelief” has always exhibited itself most strongly. The gospel is simple, the way is simple, the cross is simple; but man’s heart is wholly set against these. He resists and refuses. He prefers some way of his own, and he casts the blame of his own evil upon God.

Hence the need for the Holy Spirit, by whose hand the Almighty works upon the human soul in ways so unseen and simple that, when the man has at length believed, he wonders how he could so long have stood aloof and resisted such a gospel. To disarm the enmity, to remove the hardness, to open the eye, and to renew the will, the Spirit operates. “The wind bloweth where it listeth,” and we cannot “tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.”

It is man’s deep depravity and total alienation from God that makes the power of the Almighty Spirit indispensable for his renewal. But it is of great importance that he should not be allowed to make use of that depravity as an excuse for not returning to God, or to abuse the doctrine of the Spirit’s work by making it a reason for cleaving to self, and refusing to believe the gospel; as if he were more willing to be wrought upon than the Spirit is to work, or as if he wanted to believe, but the Spirit would not help him.

It was man’s guilt that rendered the cross necessary; for if that guilt remained unremoved, all else would be vain. To be under condemnation would be to be shut out of the kingdom for ever. To have the Judge of all against him in the great day would be certain doom. The cross has come to lift off that guilt from us, and to lay it upon another; upon Him who is able to bear it all; upon Him who is mighty to save. That which should have come upon the sinner has come upon Him, that the sinner might go free. The Judge is satisfied with the work done on Calvary, and asks no more: and when the sinner is brought by the Holy Spirit to be satisfied with that which has satisfied the Judge, the chains that bound the burden to his shoulders snap, and the burden falls, to disappear for ever—buried in the grave of the Substitute, from which it cannot rise.

2 Kings 5:11, bonar, christ, faith, give, hoartius, repentance, self, up

by Kevin Williams
The Bible warns that there are many false converts who are holding onto a false hope (Matt 7. 13-15) and so here is a list of false religious hopes that can send people to Hell. As you read them “Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith.” (2 Cor. 13:5) and make sure you are not trusting in a false hope. Your eternity is at stake.

Select a Question Below
1. Being Born into a Christian Family.
2. Being Baptized and Joining the Church.
3. Having an Intellectual Understanding of the Gospel / Believing Biblical Doctrine
4. Being a Pastor, or Serving in a Church or Doing Evangelism
5. Moral Reformation
6. Having an Emotional Experience, Whether Joy or Conviction
7. Being Healed
8. Seeing a Supernatural Vision/or Having an Angelic Encounter
9. Being Blessed with Material Things/Riches/Money
10. Keeping the Law / Legalism (Trusting in Works)
11. Listening To Hard Radical Preaching
12. Having Answers to Your Prayers
13. Having “Religious Views: Christian” on your Facebook, or Similar
14. Praying a ‘sinners prayer’ or Similar, ‘accepting Jesus’, ‘made a decision for Jesus’ or walking an aisle
15. A Pastor told me I am saved or ‘welcome to the family of God’
16. Having a ‘Spiritual Gift’ like Tongues or Prophecy

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1. Being Born into a Christian Family.

Being brought up in a Christian home does not make someone a child of God. Jesus said: “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, 13who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.” (John 1:12-13)

The Pharisees were trusting in their physical descent, that they had Abraham ‘as their father’ (John 8:33) however John the Baptist warned them: “do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father” (Matt 3:9) and Jesus warned them “You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires” (John 8:44)

When someone gives a testimony of: “I’ve always been a Christian” this should start alarm bells ringing as Jesus warned “unless you are converted…, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.” NASB (Matt 18:3).

Now it may be that someone who has grown up in the Christian faith, has the evidence of true conversion but is not exactly sure when they were converted, because they can look back on more than one point in time in which they may have been converted. But whilst there may be more than one possible crisis/turning points in which they were converted, there is never none. Salvation is coming “out of darkness into his marvelous light” (1 Pet. 2:9). So they should be able to look to possible times that this happened.

Note: 2 Tim. 3:15 is often cited to claim Timothy did not know a point of conversion or was somehow converted gradually, but that is reading something into that text that simply is not there.

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2. Being Baptized and Joining the Church.

In Acts 8, after hearing the preaching of Philip (v12), Simon the magician “believed, and after being baptized he continued with Philip” [joined the disciples/church]. But in verse 21 Peter told him: “You have neither part nor lot in this matter, for your heart is not right before God”.

So being baptized and joining a church is NOT conversion.

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3. Having an Intellectual Understanding of the Gospel / Believing Biblical Doctrine

“You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder!” (Jam. 2:19)

And in the demons cried out to Jesus: “What have you to do with us, O Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time?” (Matt. 8:29) showing they knew both who Jesus was, that there was a judgment coming, and there is a place of torment for the wicked.

Faith begins with having a correct understanding of the Gospel. However conversion is more that just having the correct facts.

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4. Being a Pastor, or Serving in a Church or Doing Evangelism

Jesus warned “On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ (Matt. 7:22) These people were very busy for the church, but in the next verse Jesus declares to them “I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.” (Matt. 7:23) Also notice, Jesus does not say to them, that He once knew them but they lost their salvation, but rather that He never knew them. Even though they professed Christ as their “Lord, Lord” (v.21) and were very active in serving (v.22) they were never truly converted in the first place.

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5. Moral Reformation

The Pharisees were considered by the masses to be highly moral people (Matt. 5:20), and someone can clean themselves up a lot on the outside without being converted (Matt. 23:27). The rich young ruler though he was doing a good job of keeping the commandments (Matt. 19:20), and Paul before conversion (Rom 7:9) felt ‘alive’ and was morally good before the Spirit of God worked in His heart.

When Jesus at the last supper said: “one of you will betray me.” (John 13:21) The disciples did not all point to Judas and say “it’s him”, but it says they were, “uncertain of whom he spoke” (John 13:22), revealing that Judas must have been outwardly moral in character.

Many unbelievers quit drinking, smoking, bad language etc. Moral reformation IS NOT conversion.

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6. Having an Emotional Experience, Whether Joy or Conviction

In the parable of the Sower Jesus spoke of those rocky ground hearers “who, when they hear the word, receive it with joy.” They had an emotional experience of joy when hearing the Gospel, however the verse continues: “But these have no root; they believe for a while, and in time of testing fall away”

So these rocky ground hearers “receive” the word “with joy” and so have an emotional experience, they “believe for a while” but are NOT truly converted, as (v.15) tells us that only the “good soil hearers” bear fruit to conversion, and false converts are sown by the devil (Matt. 13:39).

Also Judas had an emotional experience and was convicted “Then when Judas, who had betrayed Him, saw that He had been condemned, he felt remorse” (Matt. 27:3) but he was NOT converted.

Esau had an emotional experience, but was NOT converted as “he found no place for repentance, though he sought for it with tears” (Heb. 12:17)

Felix had an emotional experience. When Paul preached the Gospel to him and spoke of “righteousness, self-control and the judgment to come” (Acts 24:25) it says “Felix trembled” KJV but he was NOT converted.

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7. Being Healed

When Jesus healed the ten lepers only one was converted and returned to give thanks, the other nine, although healed, were still lost.

“11 On the way to Jerusalem he was passing along between Samaria and Galilee. 12And as he entered a village, he was met by ten lepers, who stood at a distance 13and lifted up their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.” 14When he saw them he said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went they were cleansed. 15Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice; 16and he fell on his face at Jesus’ feet, giving him thanks. Now he was a Samaritan. 17Then Jesus answered, “Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? 18Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” 19And he said to him, “Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well.”(Luke 17:11-19)

Supernatural healing may lead to conversion. “God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance” (Rom. 2:4) but it IS NOT conversion. Out of the ten lepers healed by Jesus only one was converted.

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8. Seeing a Supernatural Vision/or Having an Angelic Encounter

Many wrongly trust in some “near-death experience” they’ve had were they “saw a bright light” or they had a vision, dream or some angelic encounter, but this IS NOT conversion and the Bible warns “Satan disguises himself as an angel of light” (2 Cor 11:14)

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9. Being Blessed with Material Things/Riches/Money

In Matthew 19 when Jesus told the rich young ruler to forsake his riches in order to follow Christ it says “he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.”

This man was very rich but he was NOT converted. In fact his money and possessions were the very thing that kept him from eternal life with Christ. Jesus said “it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” (Matt.19:24) and in Luke 12:13-21 Jesus told the parable of the rich fool.

“Peter said, “I have no silver and gold” (Acts 3:6)

Jesus said: “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” (Matt. 8:20) so material blessings are no proof of God’s favour, nor is financial poverty and hardship an indication of God’s displeasure.

False teachers in the prosperity movement have claimed Jesus must have been financially rich, “because He had a treasurer” and they say “only a rich person needs a treasurer”. However, Judas simply carried the money bag for the disciples, and that he betrayed Jesus for just “thirty pieces of silver” (Matt. 26:15) which is less than three months wages for a common labourer reveals that there must have not been much money in the bag, otherwise he would not have been tempted with such a small amount and would have just took off with the bag.

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10. Keeping the Law / Legalism (Trusting in Works)

Many are wrongly trusting in that they are “good people” or “they keep the commandments” or certain rules, but the Bible says “by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight” (Rom. 3:20)

In order to be justified by law/rule keeping one would have to keep the law of God perfectly for every single moment of their life as “Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them” (Gal 3:10) but “all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Rom 3:10)

Any “good work” we do to try and earn favour with God is like a “filthy rag” (Isa. 64:6) as the reality is that trying to earn favour with God by our deeds, is like trying to bride a judge, but God is not corrupt and so will not accept man’s brides as only “the wicked accepts a bribe” (Prov 17:23)

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11. Listening To Hard Radical Preaching

Some people are wrongly trusting that they’ll be okay because they regularly listen to pastors like Paul Washer and Tim Conway who preach a hard and uncompromising message. However Judas regularly heard the strong and uncompromising preaching of Jesus, but was NOT converted.

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12. Having Answers to Your Prayers

In the mercy of God Cain had his prayer answered (Gen.4:13-15) but he WAS NOT converted (v.5, v.16), and also the ten lepers had their prayer answered and were healed (Luke 17:11-19), but only one was converted. So whilst God may occasionally grant the prayer requests of unconverted people, and in such cases “God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance” (Rom. 2:4), nevertheless having a prayer answered IS NOT conversion.

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13. Having “Religious Views: Christian” on your Facebook, or Similar

Merely professing to be a Christian does not make someone one. Jesus said on the day of judgment many will profess to be Christians (Matt. 7:21-22), but Jesus will “declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.” (v.23)


It is a twisting of Jesus’ words to take “So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven” (Matt. 10:32) to mean that merely professing to be a Christian makes someone so when in fact they continually deny Him by their lifestyle. The Bible says: “Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil” (1 John 3:8) and as Jesus said: “Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you?” (Luke 6:46)

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14. Praying a ‘sinners prayer’ or Similar, ‘accepting Jesus’, ‘made a decision for Jesus’ or walking an aisle

Many are wrongly trusting they are saved because they’ve repeated some sort of ‘sinners prayer’, or/and they’ve wrote the time and date they did it in their Bible. But neither of these are to be trusted in. When the rich young ruler asked Jesus “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” (Mark 10:17) He did not reply ‘just repeat this prayer after Me’, but that he must forsake his idols “and come, take up the cross, and follow Me” Mark 10:21 NKJV A person is saved through Christ and not as a result of any work they have done (Eph. 2:8-9).

It is a twisting of “if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Rom. 10:9) to make it somehow mean that someone is saved, just because they’ve ‘prayed a sinners prayer’ or ‘made a decision for Jesus’. The context of that quote is that it was written to a church in imperial Rome suffering much persecution (Rom 8:35-36) and confessing that one was a Christian had certain consequences of death, torture or imprisonment.

Jesus said that on the day of judgment not everyone who confesses Him with their mouth will enter Heaven “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven” (Matt. 7:21) these people are convinced they are sincere and they are doing many works ‘in Jesus Name’(v.22), However Jesus will “declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness” (v.23). And Jesus does not say to these “many” (v.22) who confess Jesus as Lord with the mouth, that they were once saved but lost their salvation, but rather that “‘I never knew you” (v.23) they were never converted in the first place.

Someone merely confessing to believe and saying “I know in my heart I am saved” does not mean someone is converted as the Bible warns “The heart is deceitful above all things,” (Jer. 17:9)

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15. A Pastor told me I am saved or ‘welcome to the family of God’

Whilst a person’s life over time will give evidence as to whether or not someone is truly converted or not (Matt. 7:16) one cannot be certain about the condition of another person’s soul as neither a Pastor nor any mere man can truly see into a person’s heart and Jesus warned there will be tares/weeds (false converts) among the wheat (true converts) and it would be too difficult for man to separate them (Matt. 13:29). So someone else saying “of course you are saved” is not something to be trusted or rested in. The Bible warns there are many false teachers telling people they are right with God when they are not (Jer. 8:11; Matt. 7:13-20) and also in the parable of the Sower Jesus warned that there are “rocky ground” hearers who at first look like they are converted, but later prove that they never were (Matt. 13:20-21).

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16. Having a ‘Spiritual Gift’ like Tongues or Prophecy

Having a spiritual gift IS NOT conversion and certainly not to be trusted in. The “many” in Matthew 7, whom Jesus will say to them “depart from Me, I never knew you” were prophesying and doing many mighty works/miracles but they were NOT converted.

“On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’” (Matt. 7:22-23)

Caiaphas prophesized and “he did not say this of his own accord being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation, and not for the nation only, but also to gather into one the children of God who are scattered abroad”. (John 11:49-52)

The book of Hebrews speaks of those who “have tasted the heavenly gift, and have shared in the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come” (Heb. 6:4-5) but they fell away revealing they were never truly converted (1 John 2:19; Matt. 7:23)

What are YOU trusting in to get you to heaven?

There is nothing else that will get a person to heaven apart from Jesus Christ finished (John 19:30) and perfect work on the cross alone (Heb. 10:10; Jude 1:3).

Many claim ‘they’re trusting in Christ but if you ask them “How do you know you are going to Heaven?” they will reply something like “because I accepted Jesus” or “because I go to church”. and reveal they are trusting in a false hope.

Dear friend, if you are trusting in any one of those or another reason apart from Christ alone as to why you think you are going to Heaven, then it indicates that it may not be well with your soul. Jesus said “I am the door” (John 10:7) and “he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber.” (John 10:1)

There is no other way to eternal life, “Jesus said… “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6)

The book of Hebrews says that the foundation of true conversion is “repentance from dead works and of faith toward God ” (Heb. 6:10). The context of the book of Hebrews is that professing Christians had fallen back into law keeping/legalism and so the “dead works” here are any false hopes people are trusting in apart from Christ alone for salvation. In order to be saved, one must turn away from, forsake trusting in their own [dead] works and put their faith/trust in the living God.

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false, hopes, salvation

2 Samuel 21:15ff  Now when the Philistines were at war again with Israel, David went down and his servants with him; and as they fought against the Philistines, David became weary. (16) Then Ishbi-benob, who was among the descendants of the giant, the weight of whose spear was three hundred shekels of bronze in weight, was girded with a new sword, and he intended to kill David.  (17) But Abishai the son of Zeruiah helped him, and struck the Philistine and killed him.

1. Giants “again” keep coming on, v15.  They were there in the beginning of David’s life and now yet in the end.  Sin and Satan do not let up.  The war against the saints continues.  Adversity continues.  The adversary continues.

1. David was still fighting giants. He was still in the battle, fighting the good fight.  The Christian life is a fight to the finish.

1. Giants are deadly.  Ishbi-benob had a “new” sword, that is, it was sharp.  He “intended to kill” David, that is, sin and the powers of darkness are not playing.   Sin would like to destroy us.

1. David formerly had no trouble with giants (Goliath), but now we find him “weary”, v15.  Sin is opportunistic.  The giant hit him when he was down.  Be strong in the Lord at all times.

1. David received help.  Abishai “helped him”.  We do well to admit we are not independent.  Paul expected help from the prayers of the saints.  All sin is “too strong” for us, 22.19.  We would not have victory over the least sin without help from above.

1. David received help from someone who formerly frustrated him, Abishai was sometimes a frustration to David, 19.22.  But God may use such a fellow in our lives to be a real help on occasion.  Remember then the story of David and Ishbi-benob.

Bob Jennings

From Bob Jenning’s Journal

(This is a “Be Honest” email response to a person who sent a submission in, I am re-posting the response here in the blog in hopes of it helping others who are going through similar struggles.)

Anonymous,

      You wrote: “My struggle is my illness , I have paranoid schizophrenia and it haunts me to think it is there , I am well medicated and can function in this world but it feels as though I am doomed . I repent a lot and pray regularly for the salvation of my soul … I know I am undone before and without God …”

     We see in Mark 5 about a man with an unclean spirit. It says in verse 4 “No one had the strength to subdue him.” – My friend consider this, please, I beg and plead with you too. No medicine, no doctor will ever truly subdue you. No one pill or medicine has the strength to do such. Let us also consider verse 3 it said “And no one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain.” You know what the keyword there is? “anymore” this means at one point they could, but now they can’t. That should terrify you, because right now you may be bound somewhat by the medicine but one day it will no longer work. One day people will say of you “We used to be able to subdue Philip with these pills but they no longer work anymore!” Sin is no small game, it will continue to eat away at you and bring you into greater darkness. The true issue is a heart issue and a heart transplant is required, you must be born-again. (John 3:3, 2 Cor 5:17, Eze 36:25-27)

      You said “I repent a lot and pray regularly.” The problem is not that you need to “repent more” or “pray more” the issue is you need to come unto Christ for rest (Matthew 11:28) and you need to believe in Jesus (John 3:36). You are trying to save yourself by your own works, your repentance and praying, won’t save you only the work of Christ will. It says that the man with a demon would cry out night and day (v5), now I don’t know what he was crying out exactly, but my point is this: You can do a lot of crying out and it will profit you nothing.
What happened to the man to set him free? Verse 6 says “And when he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and fell down before him.” – You must do likewise, you must run and fall down before Jesus Christ as your only hope. It says in verse 15 that the man was then “sitting there, clothed and in his right mind.” The most important clothes that he now had on was the righteousness of Jesus Christ.

      Isaiah 50:10 – Who among you fears the LORD and obeys the voice of his servant? Let him who walks in darkness and has no light trust in the name of the LORD and rely on his God.

      After the spirit was cast out of him the man told Jesus he wanted to go with Him. Jesus said “Go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.” v19. How much the “Lord has done,” you see it is not about what you do but what God does and it is about God’s Glory. Isaiah 47:3 says – “whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.” Does it glorify God to go around telling others how much some medicine has done for you? Or how much self-effort you have exerted to try to stop doing things that you shouldn’t?  No it does not, it exalts self, and more importantly the medicine cannot do for you what you need it to do, it will never work, only Christ can do the true work and then rightly so will God receive glory.

      The question before you right now is this, will you ran and fall down before Jesus? Will you take refuge in Him alone and not your own works and performance?  Salvation is all of Grace, we simply do not deserve such. God sent His only son into the world to live the perfect life that no one else ever could and then Christ died under the wrath of God on the Cross as a sacrifice for the sin of those who believe…those who believe, not those who “try to work their way to being presentable” but instead to totally trust Christ to supply the righteousness to their account so that they will be presentable by faith.

     
My friend, if you come to Christ you can be like the man in verse 19… going and telling everyone of what the Lord has done for Him. How he had mercy on you, but you must trust in Christ alone all other ground is completely sinking sand.

James

be honest, demons, disorder

This is a response to a ‘Be Honest’ submission. I am re-posting some of the responses in hopes that they may help others who are going through the same struggles or have the same questions.

Anonymous,
This is of utmost importance my friend, your eternal soul is at stake here, please consider these truths that are given below with the utmost importance.

Realize this, the Lord says to come(Matt 11:28), not to clean yourself up, but to cry out now, this very minute for Christ to save you from yourself, not wait and think on it but as Isaiah 55:6 says seek the Lord while He may be found, because He may not be found an hour from now(Matt 24:44), your a step from life and death(1 Sam 20:3).

Think on this example below. If a man gets shot with a shotgun and is bleeding to death he will not go to the doctors office and wait outside of the door and try to fix himself before he comes in, he will run in as he is and the doctor will see him as he is. You must do the same, your pride, your selfishness is damning you and your bleeding to death. You must not try to put a false band-aid on it that will never work, but you must run into the doctor’s office empty handed now, as you are. Don’t wait and sit around and think about it but come now as disgruntled and messed up as you are. It does not matter what the other patients around you may think what matters is that your dying and there is a doctor, Jesus Christ, who is willing to receive you despite the absolute mess you are finding yourself in.

Again, salvation is found in Christ, not in us cleaning ourselves up so that we may be in Christ, but coming to Christ that He may heal us up.

Mark 2:17 – And when Jesus heard it, he said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”

James

Below are some fast notes about the new Site, a video will be made and up in the next couple of days to explain it better.

Note: the blog is currently not integrated into the site, we are planning on doing such but ran into issues.

• If you run into any bugs or errors on the new site please submit them here http://illbehonest.com/submit-website-bugs
  
  
• Currently the blog is not integrated into the site. On the new site the blog will more so change to a blog that I (James Jennings) use to post stuff about the making of the videos, even help for others with their church and ministry sites… basically many random subjects. I feel a great need to help others who are striving to spread media through the internet. This blog will also be a place were new site features are put, information about the Grace House, and a every week a list of the newest media content on the site.
  
  
• Subscribe: Be sure to follow this rss feed – http://feeds.feedburner.com/illbehonest-global-site-updates – This feed will have EVER site update on it. Meaning every new piece of media content will be put in that rss feed. We no longer want users to have to keep coming back and forth to check for new content, but we want to rather send it to you. If you don’t know how RSS works you can go here for a tutorial on it: http://www.howstuffworks.com/rss.htmI also plan to put all of these blog posts in that RSS as well, so that there will be on RSS that you will need. There is also an RSS feed for audio only and an itunes feed.
  
  
• Mailing ListWe still have the mailing list in the top right corner and we are going to start using it and it will no longer be inactive. We are going to use MailChimp and we plan to send out a letter every week. The news letter will have the links to the new content as well as other stuff that we feel will edify saints and evangelize the lost.
  
  
• Newest Resources View the screenshot below: This screenshot shows an area that is on the main page of the site. This area will always have the newest content. Whether it is a Gospel Tract, Video, Audio File etc… the Gospel Tracts, Books and other material that is not video will not show up in the main video timeline, so this will allow users to scroll down and find the newest resources right below to see if there is anything they have missed or is new that is up. You are able to click listen or view as you please.
• I’ll Be Honest En EspanolWe now have a full version of the site in Spanish http://illbehonest.com/espanol/ the plan is to put up a Romanian, Korean, Russian, and Portuguese version in the future.
  
  
• Translators If you have a burden to help translate videos, soon we will have a big window open to allow people to pour themselves out in this area. We will have a page launch sometime in the future that will greatly deal with this and we will have a video tutorial explaining the process using the google translator toolkit.
  
  
• The Gospel On the old version we had a button in the header called “Are you new here? CLick Here” and there was a short video there. On this version we have a Gospel button at the very top, we truly want those who come to the site to be exposed to the full true gospel. We find that many people come are in shallow churches and maybe will see a testimony or two, but will never be exposed to the true gospel, the hope is that they will go there. As you can see if you go to that page http://illbehonest.com/biblical-gospel there are some links under it that are clickable, the hope is to have solid videos and written resposnes to the key doctrines and questions that will be asked. I want the gospel page to be a page were I KNOW I can link it to a friend and they will get exposed to a ton of truth and leave with the right answers.
  
  
• Google Search We finally will have a search that will work for users to easily type in the name of the video or something the video had to deal with and they should be able to find the correct video. This is in the top right corner of the page. Note: The search will not work effectively until the site is indexed by Google, this could be days.I also want to note that there are ad’s showing on that page, the reason that is is because we are using a free google custom search and they make us have to have ad’s. The goal is to make our own search so we will not longer have to have that there. But until now we will have to put with those ad’s. We fully intend to keep the site totally clean of ad’s always, but those are ad’s we cannot avoid for now.
  
  

I will be making a video explaining the new site and launch that in the next days by God’s Grace. If you have any questions please email me at james(at)illbehonest.com

This sermon was simply a glorious message on Christ in the old testament. To see Christ as the rock that brings forth living water was so encouraging. To realize that God struck His only son that we may have life is something that never grows old. I greatly encourage everyone to watch or listen to this full sermon. Download Christ the Stricken Rock – Matt Haney on MP3.

1 Timothy 1:19 – holding faith and a good conscience. By rejecting this, some have made shipwreck of their faith.

Hebrews 3:12 – Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. (13) But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. (14) For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end.

baptist, calvinism, conway, faith, osas, reformed, salvation, tim