General Articles

O Foolish Galatians! Who Has Bewitched You…? :: By Brian Lazewski

Published on: by RR7

“O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you that you should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed among you as crucified? This only I want to learn from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh?” (Galatians 3:1-3).

A recent survey taken by Arizona Christian University (ACU) revealed some disconcerting numbers. True Biblical faith in this country has departed. I know this is nothing new, as Rabbi Saul aka the Apostle Paul was combating this while the ink was still wet on the Gospels. What is disturbing is that Biblical Salvation is being rejected in place of works-based faith. Brethren, if I must place my faith in my works, I’m toast (literally in the Lake of Fire). I do not know about you all, but a “Lake of Fire” is no place I want to go. NOT even for 1/1000th of a nano-second, let alone eternity.

If there are ANY of you reading this that believe you can earn your own salvation, we need to talk.

Excerpts from ACU :

Unlike past generations of Americans, who readily recognized the reality of sin and the need for salvation through Jesus Christ, U.S. adults today adopt a “salvation-can-be-earned” perspective, with a near-majority (48%) believing that if a person is generally good, or does enough good things during their life, they will “earn” a place in Heaven.

Only one-third of American adults (35%) continue to embrace the traditional biblical view that salvation comes through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, according to findings from the American Worldview Inventory 2020 from the Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University.

What is even more shocking is that huge proportions of people who attend churches whose official doctrine says eternal salvation comes only from embracing Jesus Christ as savior nonetheless believe that a person can qualify for Heaven by being or doing good. That includes close to half of all adults associated with Pentecostal (46%), mainline Protestant (44%), and evangelical (41%) churches. A much larger share of Catholics (70%) embrace that point of view.

In addition, the relevance of sin is on the wane, with only slightly more than half of U.S. adults (56%) saying they consciously and consistently attempt to avoid sinning because they know it offends God.

Other key findings from the latest AWVI 2020 release include:

  • Fewer Americans (49%) believe they have a personal responsibility, in appropriate situations, to share their religious beliefs with people who possess different religious beliefs. That is down slightly since 1991, when 53% of adults felt they had such an obligation, according to the findings.
  • Only half of Americans (54%) believe they will experience Heaven after they die; 15% said they don’t know what will happen after they die; 13% said there is no life after death; 8% expect to be reincarnated; another 8% believe they will go to a place of purification prior to entering Heaven. Just 2% believe they will go to Hell.
  • Born-again Christians, defined as people who not only claim to be Christian but also believe that when they die they will go to Heaven only because they have confessed their sins and have accepted Jesus Christ as their savior, were least likely to hold the “salvation-can-be-earned” view.
  • Conservatives are much more likely (75%) to “consciously and consistently attempt to avoid sinning because they know it offends God,” compared to liberals (41%) or moderates (49%). –Source

Therefore, if I can give God my best works, He will accept them? Scripture tells us:

“For all of us have become like one who is unclean, And all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment; And all of us wither like a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, take us away” (Isaiah 64:6).

The best I can offer God in my own flesh is nothing more than a polluted garment. That should tell me something, yes? I think so! If I could become saved by my own works, I could boast! But:

“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9).

That should put the issue to bed, yes. But, what of works? Indeed, you cannot have faith without works, as James stated:

“But someone will say, ‘You have faith and I have works.’ Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder! Do you want to be shown, you foolish person, that faith apart from works is useless? Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar? You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works; and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, ‘Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness’—and he was called a friend of God. You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone” (James 2:18-24).

Yes, it is true. If you say, “I have faith but do no works,” you are deceiving yourself. Perhaps test your faith to see if you are indeed saved. Our salvation is in Faith alone by Christ alone. Our works are the fruits of our salvation:

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires” (Galatians 5:22-24).

You see, the greatest battle we all fight is three inches behind our eyes. We wrestle with the flesh daily. So, if someone tells you they are saved, yet continually does detestable things before a Holy God, perhaps they might not be? I am not the fruit tester, or judge of the fruit. That alone belongs to God. He shall separate the sheep from the goats, and the wheat from the tares. We, however, are to discern the trees by their fruits:

“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will recognize them by their fruits” (Matthew 7:15-20).

Take the test?

“Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test!” (2 Corinthians 13:5).

You and I DO NOT want to hear this from our Lord and Judge:

“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. 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'” (Matthew 7:21-23).

Brethren, if there are things about yourselves that bother you about sin in your life, repent. If you fail, repent again. If you YET again fail, repent again. Lord knows, I do.

We ought never to be comfortable in any sin. We must put the flesh to death. But bear this in mind, you do so as a result of your salvation, not as a means toward it. “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). The Name of Jesus (or in Hebrew Yeshua which means salvation).

He paid for you, and if you are His, He is Lord. Obey Him! And if you happen to fail in that (I have), run towards Him, not away. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).

Only HE can save you! You cannot save you!

Shalom,

Brian Lazewski

 

 

The Fool Hath Said in His Heart, There Is No God :: By Jim Towers

Published on: by RR7

As much as I like to eat fish, for the fifth or sixth time I went out on the pier to find that the fish weren’t biting, and it was blistering hot in the sun. So once again, I was just in time to give Bill a ride to his apartment. Bill was in the shelter at the end of the pier as is his usual ritual for the past twenty years. Being debilitated because of stomach problems, he spends the early part of each day fishing. I was beginning to wonder if God had sent me there in response to Bill’s prayers, and I asked him so as we walked from the pier to my car.

Bill’s reply was, “I’m an atheist who doesn’t believe in a God who cares. If there is a God, He tried to kill me yesterday with a lightning strike.”

Then I remembered that there was a violent lighting storm yesterday about this same time of day, and he must have gotten caught in the rain on the way to his apartment. After we entered the car, I said to Bill, “Do you know what the Bible says about people that don’t believe in God?”

“No”

“It says, “The fool has said in his heart there is no God.”

Now I know that Bill isn’t a dummy, having aspired to be a medical doctor and was a pi beta kappa in college. I just surmised from this that he was angry at God for his ailments – as so many people are.

I followed up my defense with, “Haven’t you ever considered the wonder of man and woman and their ability to pro-create, and about how plants and trees take in carbon dioxide and give off oxygen for us to breathe?”

I followed up with the miracle of eyesight and asked, “Can you show me a scientist that can make the lowly egg already packaged in a shell?” I could have gone on and on, but I think he got the picture.

Bill was stuck dumb for an answer and was quiet for a little while as he mulled over some possible answers. But then he changed the subject altogether and proceeded to tell me how he doesn’t sleep, and lays awake every night with the television on till the wee hours of the morning.

Just then, we had reached his apartment, and I was prompted to ask him if I could pray for him. “Bill, I’d like to pray for you. Would you mind?”

“Sure, why not; I need all the help I can get.”

So, I proceeded to pray for Bill in a non-condescending way. After all, I had already called him a fool. “Heavenly Father, give Bill the rest and comfort he needs, in Jesus name, Amen.” (Putting on a show of piety is not in my nature, and so I make my prayers for others and myself – short and sweet.)

Bill thanked me as usual and hobbled away in deep thought as I drove away about my business.

There are millions of people just like Bill. People searching for answers for peace of mind and assurance, but the last place they look is in the Bible.

Two days later, and I’m out on the pier again, this time trying to catch some fish to eat. As usual, I encounter a retiree, and I strike up a conversation. This healthy, robust man begins telling me of his fears for his grandchildren what with all that’s taking place in our country. He claims to have studied law and went on and on about how the crazies were ruling the country and how there was chaos everywhere – to which I could only agree.

After letting him have his say, I asked him if he was a Christian. He said he was a Catholic – a lame one at that. This opened the door for me to tell him of my conversion experience with Christ and how I believed we were living in the Last Days. He quit trying to impress me with his doctorates and degrees and became intrigued by what I had to say. His visage said it all: “I didn’t know that!” – I had given him something to think about tonight. Maybe he’ll crack open the family Bible that’s been gathering dust on the shelf.

By now I had rigged up my line and finally said goodbye. I walked toward the middle of the pier. But I no sooner get started than I see Bill come hobbling down the pier toward me. He sat on the bench where I had laid my fishing gear- a small tackle shoulder bag. I could tell he needed a ride home as sweat gathered on his brow, and again the fish weren’t biting, so I offered him a ride. He let out a sigh of relief and said thank you.

I can only assume that God has been working this thing out; the timing was once again perfect.

Books to read

As all my readers know, I usually have a book to recommend, and this time one was sent to me written by one of them.

It was a good read, crisp and clean and better than most self-published work.

The title of the book is Out Giving God, a book that started out to be a reality check on faith in God.

I liked the book because it pulled no punches and didn’t gloss over or make excuses for failures in the life of a Christian.

Like so many author Christians, Russel Bonds was “saved at childhood,” grew up in a church-going family, and tried to do everything right. But the time came when he was finally tested. “These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So, when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world” (I Peter 1:7).

This book is a good testimonial for those who are going through a rough patch in their faith.

You can order the book at www.jekandrusty.com.

(Over the years I’ve talked to some that had left the faith because things didn’t turn out the way they expected. If they had read scripture, they would have found that Jesus said, “Take up your cross and follow me.”)

YBIC

Jim Towers

You can write me at jt.filmmaker@yahoo.com or visit my website www.propheticsignsandwonders.com. or www.dropzonedelta.com.