From: John McGlone <johnmcglone@msn.com>
Subject: RE: Franklin family
To: “Kerrigan Skelly” <rev_kerrigan@yahoo.com>
Date: Thursday, August 16, 2012, 9:59 AM
Brother,
I think we better sit down as a fellowship and discuss this whole matter again. In accordance with Matt 18 we weren’t allowed the opportunity to deal with them as a church that they may hear us. I understand now all the work that you both and the woman did on these issues. However, it does not change the fact that this situation had escalated without all the members understanding. If you remember I asked several times to table the discussion until the men could meet and I was cut off in that request. Now, the elders have basically made the final decision within the meeting to cut them off from fellowship and told us not to have any contact with them without the matter being clearly heard by all members. Your response that IF this should happen in the future we should meet as a fellowship beforehand I don’t think is biblical. I think it should happen as it did only that the meeting has to be slowed down that everyone will get an opportunity to testify, listen, question, cross examine, pray, etc… Once all the members are in agreement or not, then the matter is brought to conclusion by a decision by the body, not just the elders to dis-fellowship them. Not allowing James and Angela to speak completely prevented our hearing on this matter. Whether what they said is an accusation or false testimony is beside the point. That is exactly what I and others needed to hear. I heard James several times say, ‘You are preaching a false gospel.’ What does he mean by that? I do understand that is both a serious and a false charge. Angela began to speak twice you cut her off without our hearing the matter. If things were allowed to proceed naturally without all the emotional responses then maybe we as a fellowship could have cleanly broken our fellowship with them. Lastly, instead of presenting this as a teaching that morphed into a Matt 18 scenario, it should have been started off clearly with that as the premise including all the Scripture you used during the rebuke. I will be in prayer about this matter and praising Him for the refinement.
The letter that Sarah sent was originally addressed to the McGlone children and was changed to McGlone family. Do you know that Sarah is motivated by some ulterior motive? How is Nida and I reading her letter aiding them, the Franklin parents, in this situation?
I would like you to share our correspondence on this matter with Kevin. Thank you.
God bless you. Your friend in Christ,
John McGlone
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The Elders Response [bolding of their writing is my emphasis]
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Date: Thu, 16 Aug 2012 21:39:51 -0700
From: rev_kerrigan@yahoo.com
Subject: RE: Franklin family
To: johnmcglone@msn.com; healthandholiness@gmail.com
Hello Brother John. This is the way that Brother Kevin and I understand Matthew 18:
1) The offended brother/sister (the one sinned against) talks to the offending brother/sister (the one doing the sinning) about their sin. If the offending party repents, it stops there.
2) If the offending party doesn’t repent, then the offended brother/sister takes 1 or 2 more people to confront the offending party. The 1 or 2 more could be leadership in the Church, but the 1 or 2 more don’t have to be leadership in the Church. In an ideal situation, it probably wouldn’t be. If the offending party repents, it stops there.
3)If the offending party doesn’t repent, then the Church leadership now gets involved. The Church leadership calls the offending party to repentance, as representatives of the Lord and of the Church. If the offending party repents, then praise the Lord. If the offending party doesn’t repent, then they are not allowed back into the fellowship of the saints. They are to be treated as an unbeliever, not a brother/sister in Christ. The leadership of the Church announces to the Church, what has happened.
The third step is not a time for everyone in the church (which consists of brethren of all different maturity levels who haven’t been praying about the situation and don’t need that burden put on them) examining, asking questions, or of hearing from the offending person, but a time of the church leadership calling them to repentance and rebuking in the presence of all if needed.
This is the way we see Matthew 18. We also sought Godly counsel from three different Godly Pastors. They all, as one voice agreed, though they were spoken to separately. They all said that the way we did it was as public as they would do it. All of them agreed that they would never get all of the Church involved in the discipline or excommunication of a Church member.
We will be having no more meetings about this and we will not be discussing it any further with the body. What we have done is what the Lord has led us to do and is in accordance with the Scriptures and with Godly counsel.
Regarding your letter from Sara Franklin, we have no idea what her motives/intentions are. That doesn’t matter, since we told the Franklin family to have no contact with anyone in the fellowship except Kevin and I. We also told everyone in the fellowship to have no contact with the Franklin family. You opening the letter (if you have done so or are still planning to do so) aids them in their rebellion to what we told them to do. Sending the letter back to them, the way it was sent to you, will show them that the Church is unified in the discipline of them and that their is no compromise/leaven/discord among us.
Email sent from Kevin Lovell in response to my email requesting an informal meeting with the elders to discuss many issues that had come to a spiritual head in my heart. My questions are bolded for emphasis.
Good afternoon brother John. It’s been a few days since we sent you our email clarification and we haven’t heard back from you. We just would like to know if you did in fact receive the email and also if you had a chance to read it. Thanks.
Clarification as to whether or not we as individuals have liberty to agree with Jeremy’s conclusions on music and/or movies.
– As a member of RFF you have the liberty to agree with whatever conclusions are not legalistic. You also have the liberty to walk in the Spirit and not become legalistic yourself.
Point #2
If the Lord has used a person to convince a member to a view, that is not held by our fellowship. Do we have the liberty to discuss that openly among the members, that we may all come to a new understanding if we are mistaken?
– When you say, “If the Lord has used a person to convince a member to a view that is not held by our fellowship”, how could we do anything except submit to the Lord’s view? It would be safer for you to refrain from saying that the Lord convinced you, and rather simply say that you’ve become convinced of a view not held by the fellowship.
With that in mind, if a member becomes convinced of a view that is not held by the fellowship, they absolutely Do Not have the liberty to discuss that amongst the other members. This can bring confusion and division into the fellowship.
Rather than that member discussing the new view with other members, it would need to be discussed with the elders and then it would either replace the old view or be rejected.
At that point, if the elders didn’t agree with the new view, the member who brought the new view would have a choice to either continue holding onto the new view and cease being a member of RFF, or reject the new view and continue being a member of RFF.
Point #3
Clarification of what should be done with a Matt 18 situation with people who are believers but are not members of RFF, ie the [Rice’s].
– The [Rice’s] were not in a Matt 18 situation. They were specifically in a Titus 3:9-11 situation. The Matthew 18 model is only for the local assembly. So, there cannot be any scenario regarding the Matthew 18, our Fellowship, and those not a part of our fellowship. We have explained this many times.
Point #4
Clarification on your views of Matt 18 that you the elders represent the ekklesia in the Matt 18 process. As I understand, you all told me a few years ago after the Franklin family shunning that you are the shepherds of the church and that the process would end with you all reproving the offender in front of the local body here. I made known my concerns and disagreement with that to you all at that time.
– We have already discussed this with you at great length and we will not be discussing this again. Our view has not changed on this.
Point #5
Clarification of where you got this interpretation of Matt 18
– See Point #4
Point #6
Clarification of any other elders outside our fellowship that you all are counseling with and/or submitting yourselves to,
– This we have also discussed with you. We are submitting ourselves to the Chief Shepherd. Of course there may be other elders that we respect and we can learn from, but we are seeking the Chief Shepherd and desire to be shepherds after His heart.
Point #7
Clarification of what local church means vs. the church in relation to public reproofs and associations.
– The context of 1 Timothy 5:19-20 is clearly speaking of the local church.
Point #8
Clarification of Rom 14 and how that relates to each individual believer’s choices/preferences on matters of doctrine, behavior, and associations.
– We have discussed this extensively many times and brother Tracy just covered this topic in the teachings on legalism.
Point #9
Clarification of exactly whom the members of RFF may not associate themselves with. Would this be a recommendation or a command?
– Anyone who fits the description in the following passages regarding disassociation, we would not associate with: Matthew 18:15-17, Romans 16:17, 1 Corinthians 5:11, 2 Corinthians 6:14-18, 2 Thessalonians 3:6,14-15, 2 Timothy 3:1-5, Titus 3:9-11, 2 John 1:10. These are simply not our preferences. If someone is a sinner, especially if they call themselves a Christian, we are not to associate with them. As Christians, we shouldn’t disagree with God.
Brother John, after seeking the Lord further regarding your desire to meet and discuss these points that are all interconnected and directly related to issues we’ve already discussed, we’ve decided not to meet regarding these things. We believe that our previous discussions along with the above answers are sufficient.
We realize that this may be difficult for you, but we want to encourage you to trust the Lord with all your heart regarding these issues and also trust that we are shepherds who are seeking after His heart and desire to watch out for the souls of RFF with fear and trembling as those who will give an account. If we have shown ourselves to be trustworthy and faithful stewards, please have faith that we are walking circumspectly and caring for the flock. Please let us do this with joy and not grief. Hebrews 13:17
May the Lord bless you as you seek Him today,
Kevin
Commentary on the elders response to my initial email. There were many places as you can plainly see where non answers are given. My original email was prompted by the elders sending out a letter concerning the Rices and some videos that Jeremy had recently done which apparently some members were feeling condemned. That email directed the fellowship to abstain from any contact with them unless absolutely necessary for non fellowship reasons. Jeremy was not even aware of this rejection until some days later when I spoke with him about it. Even if this were a Titus 3 situation as these elders are claiming. Shouldn’t they have spoken to him as a brother, individually to see if he would repent according to their view of this sin before this shunning proclamation?
I have learned over my twenty years of walking with the Lord that the doctrine of
Once Saved Always Saved, also known as OSAS is perhaps one of the spiritually deadliest teaching of devils in Christendom.
When I have ministered on the streets to the drunkards, drug addicts, lazy, lying, stealing, pimping, murdering sinners many of them have grown up in ‘churches’ which have taught them this onerous teaching of Once Saved, Always Saved. These sinners will say things like: a. I accepted Jesus when I was ten and I can’t do anything to lose my salvation. b. You’re a legalist because God doesn’t require us to do anything. c. I know God saved me, stop judging. When asked if Jesus came to set the captives free from sin, without exception they will then plead to, “Everyone sins, even you!” When asked if sin is a choice, they will proclaim, “We’re born this way, God knows that and forgives us anyway.” They make all manner of excuses trying to justify themselves. However, they can not answer this passage with any cogent response.
2 Pet 2:20-22 For if, after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the latter end is worse for them than the beginning. 21 For it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered to them. 22 But it has happened to them according to the true proverb: “A dog returns to his own vomit, and, “a sow, having washed, to her wallowing in the mire.
When a OSAS believer is challenged to consider other former believers they may have known in their lives. They will respond, “They were never saved in the first place.” I will ask them how that makes any sense even though they personally knew the person experienced forgiveness, experienced a new birth, and experienced good fruits meet for repentance. They will continue to insist they were never ‘saved’ in the first place. We knew of a good Holy Spirit filled open air preacher in Richmond, VA around 2006 who began to doubt his faith. Instead of exhorting him to return to the faith, his Calvinist buddies began to tell him, You must have had a false conversion. He eventually became a very aggressive atheist for the devils work. He even has a YT webpage promoting his anti Christ thinking. Why have we shot our spiritual foot off with false doctrines? What a shame that any believer would cause a man to stumble from faith and into the pit of eternal darkness! I wonder what these verses mean in this situation I have described?
James 5:19-20 Brethren, if anyone among you wanders from the truth, and someone turns him back, 20 let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins.
Now, I don’t think we are ‘saved’ the way the OSAS believer thinks. I believe the Bible teaches us to seek a new birth. John 3:3-5 We must humble ourselves with broken hearts about our sin and what the Father and Son had to do to accomplish reconciliation with rebellious mankind and not compromise His Holiness. Ps 34:18 , 2 Cor 7:10 Our new life begins when we completely and unconditionally surrender to our Great God and King Jesus Christ. We are pardoned criminals that are here on earth in a period of probation. However, if we continue to seek sin, the world, and the devil’s work we will: 1. Grieve the Holy Spirit away 2. Increasingly harden our hearts as we continue to seek darkness instead of holiness 3. Many even test God so far that He will decide to reprobate us and turn us over to our vile desires that we could never be saved even though we have not physically died yet.
Here are some great videos on the probation of the believer:
Imagine a criminal going to a court before a good judge and being found guilty of assault against a defenseless 93 year old lady. The criminal puts forth a heartfelt apology to her and through tears begs the judge to give him mercy though he deserves none. The judge decides to offer that mercy and puts him on probation for five years with the condition of the original charges being added back to any future crimes. Well, sure enough the forgiven criminal did not take the judge seriously and within a few months was dragged back into court in chains before the same good judge. This time he had mugged an 86 year old man, broken his jaw, and put him into the ICU at the local hospital clinging to life. Do you think the judge was pleased to hear of the criminal’s activity? He was more furious than before that his mercy had been offered and the fool had trampled all over the former ruling. Well, all the former charges and judgments were now brought forth and adjudicated with the new charges. Plus an even stricter ruling was given than the first because the judge was tried by the criminal and found to be good to his word. Do you think God is good to what He has promised and threatened toward His sinning creatures? Do you think that God magically forgets what has gone on before you were forgiven the first time? No dear reader, God has not forgotten. He had remitted the past sin when you were born again and now you need to walk as an obedient servant instead of a rebellious criminal. Rom 3:25-27
I will often hear those holding to OSAS promote this analogy of what father rejects their children for mistakes they make.These folks make some serious category errors: 1. Our earthly fathers are nothing like our heavenly Father. Heb 12:9 2.We are not sons of God but children of the devil if we sin. 1 John 3:8-9 3. We are breaking our relationship with our heavenly Father. 4. Sin is not a mistake but a criminal activity 1 John 3:4
In conclusion, we should connect some dots so to speak from the preceding paragraphs. Firstly, ‘believers’ should never resist correction offered from God’s Word if we are found in contradiction to it. Secondly, The OSAS fruit of, “Never genuinely saved” causes doubts for both the former believers and current believers. Couldn’t people be grafted in again as God’s Word says in Rom 11:19-24? Couldn’t they return to the Lord as He admonishes in the Holy Scripture?
1 Pet 2:24-25 who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed. 25 For you were like sheep going astray, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.
This deadly spiritual mistake is to presume that someone was not born again if they fell away from the faith. This would cause what I have coined the ‘Perpetual Insecurity’ of the believer. If you think carefully about it that is exactly what the OSAS doctrine does in a person’s heart. The former believer can not imagine returning if all of that former experience was not real. Because they have been taught they had a false conversion this only cements their spiritual condition against God. The current believer wonders if they are truly saved because they have internalized this false doctrine, secretly wondering if they are actually in the faith themselves. To compound the problem they must come up with more doctrines like sinful saint, imputed righteousness, etc. to assist understanding of the root of the false doctrine which is OSAS. For a good teaching on this CLICK HERE. These doctrines only try to hold together the fur ball that is being theologically choked upon. Why not just confess your sin IF you sin and be forgiven? Why not just seek the Lord, resist the temptations and devils and obey God in the first place? 1 Cor 10:13 Wouldn’t that be the faithful thing to do? Should we be found faithful or faithless before His Holy Throne?
Thirdly, our Great God and King is an impartial judge. He will not overlook your sin because you have washed it away with theological gymnastics. He commands all to be born again of the Holy Spirit, all to walk according to His Holy Spirit, all to abide in Him and produce good fruit, all to endure to the end. These commands make no sense in light of the ideology of Once Saved, Always Saved. Why walk, abide or endure to the end as He both commands and desires? Has God no power in your life to change the way you act, think, talk and walk?
Saints of God, let us be very careful how we deal with each other in this most Holy faith in which we partake. Glory to Jesus!
Heb 12:12-17
Therefore strengthen the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees, 13 and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be dislocated, but rather be healed.14 Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord: 15 looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled; 16 lest there be any fornicator or profane person like Esau, who for one morsel of food sold his birthright. 17 For you know that afterward, when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought it diligently with tears.
Here is a spiritual tsunami which testifies against OSAS. Please read these verses carefully in context, thank you!
1 Samuel 10:6, 9-10; 1 Samuel 11:6; 1 Samuel 13:13-14; 1 Samuel 15:10-11, 23; 1 Samuel 31:4; 2 Chronicles 15:2; Proverbs 2:13; Isaiah 1:4; Ezekiel 3:20-21; Ezekiel 18:18-31; Ezekiel 33:12-20; Matthew 6:14-15; Matthew 10 (Judas):20; Matthew 18:32-35; Matthew 24:13; Matthew 24:48-51; Matthew 25:1-13; Matthew 25:24-30; Mark 4:16-19; Mark 13:13; Luke 13:23-27; John 6:66; John 8:31; John 15:1-6; John 17:12; Acts 1:24-25; Acts 11:23; Acts 13:43; Acts 14:22; Romans 11:15-24; 1 Corinthians 3:16-17; 1 Corinthians 9:27; 1 Corinthians 10:5-13; 1 Corinthians 15:1-2; Galatians 5:4-9; Galatians 6:7-9; Philippians 1:9,10; Philippians 2:12-13; Philippians 4:1; Colossians 1:21-23; 1 Thessalonians 3:5,8; 1 Thessalonians 4:3-8; 2 Thessalonians 2:3; 1 Timothy 1:5,6; 1 Timothy 1:18-20; 1 Timothy 4:1; 1 Timothy 4:16; 1 Timothy 5:11-12, 15; Timothy 1: 14-15; 2 Timothy 2:3-5, 12, 17-18; 2 Timothy 4:9-10; Hebrews 2:1, 3; Hebrews 3:6, 8-15, 18-19; Hebrews 4:1, 11, 14; Hebrews 6:1, 8, 11-12, 15; Hebrews 10:23, 26-31, 35-39; Hebrews 12:14-15, 25; James 1:13-15; James 5:19-20; 2 Peter 1:9; 2 Peter 2:20-22; 2 Peter 3:17; 1 John 3:15, Jude 20-21; Revelation 2:4-7, 10-11, 17, 25-26; Revelation 3:2-5, 10-12, 16, 19, 21; Revelation 16:15;
Judgment on Individuals
John 3:18 — unbelievers are already condemned
Acts 5:1-11 — judgment on Ananias and Sapphira…
Acts 12:23 — God’s angel smites Herod with a disease for not giving God the glory
Acts 13:10-12 — Paul strikes Elymas Bar Jesus blind for resisting the Gospel
1 Corinthians 11:27-32 — judgment on those who drink the Lord’s table unworthily
2 Thessalonians 1:5-6 — God’s “righteous judgment” on those who persecute believers
Hebrews 10:27-29 — judgment, and fiery indignation of God promised against willful sin
God’s Wrath being shown in this age
Luke 21:23 — God’s wrath to be poured out on Jerusalem in 70 AD
John 3:36 — the wrath of God is presently upon unbelievers
Romans 1:20 — the wrath of God is presently being revealed against ungodliness
Romans 13:4 — governments are God’s minister to execute wrath on evildooers
Ephesians 5:6 — God’s wrath executed upon the disobedient
Colossians 3:6 — God’s wrath executed on the disobedient
1 Thessalonians 2:16 — God’s wrath has come upon those who hinder the Gospel
The question has often been asked about our methods of biblical evangelism when we rebuke and reprove hard sinners is, “Shouldn’t we be gentle in our dealings with the lost? The question begged then becomes, “How can we be gentle and rebuke as the Scriptures obviously require us to do?” The truth is knowable if we seek it. Someone is wrong in this moral dilemma of gentleness and hardness of communication with the sinner.
2 Tim 4:2-5
Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. 3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; 4 and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. 5 But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.
2 Tim 2:24-26
And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient, 25 in humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth, 26 and that they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will.
This question arises within the same letter from Paul to Timothy.
Here is the answer in simplest terms. In regards to rebuking and gentleness of our Christian witness, it is a both/and not an either or depending on the condition of the soil of the heart of the listener/s.
James 4:5-7
5 Or do you think that the Scripture says in vain, “The Spirit who dwells in us yearns jealously”? 6 But He gives more grace. Therefore He says:
“God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.” 7 Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.
Prov 3:33-35
The curse of the Lord is on the house of the wicked,
But He blesses the home of the just.
Surely He scorns the scornful,
But gives grace to the humble.
35 The wise shall inherit glory,
But shame shall be the legacy of fools
1 Pet 5:4-6
4 and when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away. Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for “God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.” Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time,
So, the Holy Spirit who dwells in us gives the law/rebukes/warnings of hell/etc to the proud sinners, but His grace is given to those who humble themselves during or after our witness of Christ to them. If you read the writeup for my Grandmother’s funeral preach video you would find out a lot of information about how long I have been witnessing to this group of people called my earthly family. One2one, small groups, tracts, emails, etc I have been witnessing to my family over sixteen years, My first witness to them was Aug 3, 1996 when I was born again I called everyone in my family and asked them if they knew of or had been saved by Jesus Christ.
Now I want to parallel my experiences of my witness to my family to the witnesses we give to strangers to see if there is any correlation between the two. In trying to reach my family most of them were haughty and resistant from the beginning of my testimonies to them. Only my ‘saved’ sister and my maternal grandmother were interested at all in the things I desired to say of Jesus and His great salvation offered to the world. So, over the years as I learned that when speaking of the love of Jesus demonstrated at the cross for them, they neglected and even mocked it. To this, I would tell them they were headed to hell. This of course, is very offensive to the carnal person still living in sin. I learned about ten years ago that I needed to show them the law which is written upon the conscience and that it would bear witness as I did. Well, glory hallelujah this did make some inroads with some of my family but most still hardened their hearts. But, the law is not all we need to use as our witness. We need to use: 1. Creation which points to a Creator 2. The Judgments of God which points out the horrors of dying in a sinful state. 3. Sin which everyone is guilty of to point to the need for forgiveness. 4. His Righteousness which means He won’t neglect what He has threatened and or promised against and for all of humanity. 5. His love which was demonstrated on the cross in suffering and dying for all sinners and sin. 6. His Word which is an eternal testimony of Himself to a lost and dying world. 7. His Spirit which indwells every believer as we walk according to His directions in our communications with the lost.
If you think about it, our earthly family are just family members that are closer than the rest of our family which is the human race. Why do we make special provision, excuses, or justifications for those that we know better or have more worldly experiences with, than the rest of our family? I prove that point with one Scripture which I love to cite especially when people are racist in their thinking.
Acts 17:26-31
And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings, 27 so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; 28 for in Him we live and move and have our being, as also some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are also His offspring.’ 29 Therefore, since we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, something shaped by art and man’s devising. 30 Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent, 31 because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead.”
In summary, we should not treat our close family members differently than the rest of our human family in our testimony of Jesus. We should be consistent across the board not being preferential in the way we witness to them. If we are, we need to repent of this arbitrary thinking and behavior. One danger we have is to lose sight of the fact that Jesus will condemn them no matter what we say or do, if they do not repent, seek forgiveness, and become born again of the Holy Spirit. Let us comfort no sinner in sin, whether they be a stranger on the street, or the closest brother, cousin, mother or father we have many fond carnal memories with….
1 Pet 1:13-19
Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; 14 as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; 15 but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, 16 because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.17 And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear; 18 knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.
We should consider both God’s goodness and severity as well!
Rom 11:22-23
Therefore consider the goodness and severity of God: on those who fell, severity; but toward you, goodness, if you continue in His goodness. Otherwise you also will be cut off. 23 And they also, if they do not continue in unbelief, will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again.
Friends, let us make sure we represent Him properly to a lost world which is in rebellion to Him and His Holy authority. I had a friend of mine recently say,
A sinner asked, “Why should we fear God?” I said, “Because He is HORRIFYINGLY HOLY! He burns people! Alive! Forever!” ”
When we preach in the open air, original sin, sinful nature, and once saved always saved doctrines consistently permeate the crowd no matter where we go or to whom we preach. Sinners seek to justify themselves and others with these false doctrines in the light of holiness preaching. I came across this blogpost of a man who was a Christian born again from the age of 18. He was well studied earning several theological degrees. But, alas he did not persevere to the end, even denying His Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
2 Pet 2:1
But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction.
He writes, “One of the difficulties within evangelical theology relates to what happens to infants when they die. Because evangelicals believe in original sin, they believe that infants are born corrupt and sinful.”
Not all evangelicals believe in original sin. Though we do know that most hold to this hideous doctrine. We don’t believe that God makes baby sinners but that they are made in His image. 1 Cor 11:7 For a man indeed ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God; but woman is the glory of man.
We also believe that God makes them perfect and they have not done good or evil.
Ps 139:13-15 For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb. I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well. My frame was not hidden from You, When I was made in secret, And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.
Babies are wonderfully made? If original sin is true, then God would be the very cause of all the lying, murders, rapes, etc in this world. Where is the sin that God puts in, or allows from Adam’s blood to corrupt the child in utero?
Rom 9:11 “for the children not yet being born, nor having done any good or evil,…”
As Christians we must be willing to examine every doctrine or tradition we have been taught in ‘Christendom’ in light of the Holy Spirit teaching us all things from the Holy Bible.
A few rhetorical questions for the reader to ponder:
1. How could a Holy God make everyone sinners without making Himself unholy?
2. How does it make sense that God would create humans in a sinful state which He must eternally destroy on Judgment day?
3. If God stated that He tempts no man, how could he make us sinners from birth without putting a stumbling block before humanity?
4. Wouldn’t Satan desire to propagate such a doctrine that pleases mankind to justify himself in his sin and falsely accuses God throughout this age?
5. Why would Jesus tell people to, “Go and sin no more…” If He created the problem of sin in the first place?
6. Is God double minded that He in His sovereignty creates a problem He must cure with the blood of Jesus?
7. Was Jesus born a sinner? Was He not born in the flesh as we are, yet without sin? If Jesus was not born a sinner, does the Romish doctrine of immaculate conception apply here?
8. If babies are born sinners and the child dies before being born again of the Holy Spirit, do they go to eternal fire?
9. Didn’t Jesus teach that we should become like ‘children’ to enter the Kingdom of God? Why promote that idea if children are just sinners that He made to destroy?
The history of this false doctrine is clear. ‘Saint’ Augustine of Hippo, formally a Manichean gnostic originated this devilish doctrine and Calvin perfected it many centuries later. I think vast multitudes of true believers have fallen for this deception which falsely accuses God and excuses sinners.
Romans 6:5-7 For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him,that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. For he who has died has been freed from sin.
Friends,
What did you spend your last year doing? On Facebook they have a feature that gives you a page of summary of your activities for that past year. When I opened mine, I was pleased to see that most all of my FB was centered on Jesus, His Gospel, getting that published and my family!
This new year as I contemplate how God has so drastically changed my life, heart, mind and soul for Him in the last sixteen I am amazed. I want to run with more fervor and endurance in the next, then next, and next, if the Lord wills until my physical body is completely poured out for Him.
Rom 12:1-3 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.
In light of that thought, as my family is spiritually and physically preparing themselves to go out for about four hours of driving and four hours of preaching in 30 degree weather. I am so thankful for the work the Lord has done in our children in preparing them to count the cost of being a disciple of Jesus. They will endure the hardness of this environment as a demonstration of love to all the sin loving God hating multitudes that will swarm in the downtown area of Nashville, to party, lust, drink booze, fight, and generally whoop it up for the devil.
The irony is that of the seven children that went out yesterday in the same kind of weather yesterday, they all wanted to go back out today. They were threatened, cursed at, called names, and generally despised for Jesus while I preached at the Music City Bowl. All they were doing was standing there handing out tracts, ,holding signs, and wearing gospel hoodies from www.preachinggear.com. Not only were they despised by the sinners, but they brought their children out to the ball game and made them endure the weather for their parents lust of football, beer, and fun. The sinners tried to get our children to repent of their repentance! You don’t have to come out here! He can’t make you do this! Is your daddy forcing you to do this? Someone should call the police! I turned to our youth and calmly asked, “Children, did I make you come out here, or did you choose? They resoundingly spoke up, we choose! Why do my children care so much for the lost? Because they were once lost themselves and know the weight of sin and the freedom Christ has brought them by the Holy Spirit! Hallelujah! Pray for us saint as we make our final preparations to head back into the fray for souls, where the naysayers will preach: 1. You’re doing it wrong 2. This isn’t the Gospel 3. You’re sinners too! 4. No one obeys God. While we preach verse upon verse, line upon line that the blind may grope after Christ and be found in Him on that Great and Terrible Day of JUDGMENT.
