John 3:30

He Must Increase, I Must Decrease

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1 John 1:9 – Part 2

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1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

If you haven’t read the first part of this two part series, you can read it here.

As we’ve already noticed, John has written this letter to born-again believers. Christians are his audience. He is telling believers that if they confess their sins, God is faithful and just to forgive those sins. What does this mean?

First, let’s look at the word faithful. This is a pretty well-understood term, I hope. To be faithful essentially means to keep your word. What this is telling us is that God has promised in His Word to forgive the sinners who throw themselves upon Christ. John has exhorted Christians that their lives in Christ should be marked by good works and a decrease in sin already in this letter, and will continue in future chapters. In order to remind the brethren of their security in Christ, John reminds them of God’s faithfulness.

There is an important attribute of God that must be believed and understood in order to truly be able to comprehend this verse. God is eternal; and so is His knowledge. God knows all things. He knew every sin you would ever commit. So when you were born-again, He didn’t do this on the basis that you would be sinless. He didn’t conditionally save you based on your ability to be righteous after your conversion, and He certainly isn’t going to save you by a work of the spirit through faith, and then condemn you for the very sin you still do in your flesh; the sin, as I’ve stated, that He already knew you’d commit. Oh yes, He who knows the beginning and the end has already placed you in secure standing with Him in Christ.

John 10:28-29 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.

Now the next term we must understand is less obvious. Why is it that God is just in forgiving us?

Proverbs 17:15 He who justifies the wicked and he who condemns the righteous are both alike an abomination to the LORD.

According to the verse above, God would Himself be an abomination if He forgave us. He would be absolutely unjust to forgive sin. In fact, God is unjust if He forgives sin! You didn’t read me wrong. God doesn’t forgive sin! God forgives sinners…but EVERY sin will be paid for.

Follow me for a bit. If God could simply forgive sins and willed to forgive sin, then why did Jesus come in the first place? If sin is something that God can overlook and just forget about, then what was the purpose of the shed blood of Christ and the crucifixion? Don’t be deceived, God punishes sin. Every one of them. Some sins will still be punished in a day to come. But brother or sister, your sins are forgiven. And God is JUSTifiied to forgive you your sins because they have already been paid for. Because God Himself came down as a man and BECAME sin for you.

2 Corinthians 5:21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

God’s immensely Holy wrath against sin was fully satisfied on that cross. Your sin debt was NAILED to the cross, and things that gets nailed to a cross DIE. They are no more! So are your sins forgiven? Yes, as far as they pertain to you, they have been. Forgotten: as far as the east is from the west, buried in the deepest sea.

Col 2:14 Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;

There is no fear of condemnation for those who are in Christ; there is no power, no creature that can take you from God’s hands and God Himself put you there and will not allow you to escape.

Yes God has forgiven your sins and will forgive your sins. Must you confess to have them forgiven? Is this a “work?” No, of course not. Will all believers die having some sin they haven’t even named? Or maybe a sin like David speaks of, of which he is not even aware?

Psalms 19:12 Who can understand his errors? cleanse thou me from secret faults.

I think the implication here is that the truly born-again believer WILL confess sin. We are commanded to do so, are we not? (James 5:16) If you are in Christ, failure to confess your sin will not condemn you any more than any other disobedience toward God condemns you. But even though it doesn’t change your eternal standing, it is a command, and they who love the commander will obey the commandments. Dear Christian, if you do not desire to confess your faults, the question is not, “Will God forgive you?” but rather, “Has God forgiven you?”

As far as being cleansed from all unrighteousness, this is a promise for future sanctification as well as forgiveness. Just as all those who are called are justified, all those whom He justifies will be glorified. You will one day receive a sinless body. The flesh that is at enmity with God where your new heart currently dwells will be no more, and you will have no more desire to sin. If this sounds boring or unappealing, it’s probably because you love sin and do not love God. (1 John 2:15)

What does all this mean? What are the practical implications of this?

  1. You are eternally secure. Your election unto salvation is not, and was not, based upon your ability to meet the perfect demands of the law, neither before nor after your rebirth. Christ fulfilled the law for you, and you can, in fact, you must, rest upon His work alone. God’s very Word is at stake should He allow you to leave His grasp, and He will be faithful to Himself forever.
  2. Now I’m going to make people mad. I believe this is good evidence for what is commonly called the “Limited Atonement.” God’s faithfulness and justice to forgive sinners based on the righteousness of Christ and the completed work of the cross extends ONLY to a few. How can it be that God spent ALL OF HIS WRATH on Christ on the cross, yet He still has some left for those who will eventually see the Lake of Fire? Was Christ’s sacrifice NOT sufficient for them? Or did God reserve some wrath for the non-elect? Because God is just for forgiving sinners, doesn’t it logically follow that He would be unjust to NOT forgive anyone who’s sins had been paid for? Yes, the atonement is limited. Christ atoned for the elect, paying fully and completely for their sins, even becoming sin on their behalf. There will not be a single person in the Lake of Fire who will have a valid claim that Jesus paid for their sins. Oh brother or sister, you need to love the God who IS, not the God of your mind. Do not let phrases like limited atonement conjure images in your mind of a Jesus that didn’t experience infinite suffering, because that is not what I’m saying. What I’m saying is that when Jesus paid the price for sin, He was most certain to pay it all for those to whom it would apply. The atonement is limited in the fact that it only atones for sins that God has decided it will atone for. An unlimited atonement theology is nothing but a slippery slope to universalism or an open door to another man-centered gospel. Simply put, Jesus did not atone for the sins of those who will not trust Him as Lord and savior; had he, He’d owe them glory.
  3. Finally, this verse is about our relationship with God. Although promised future glorification, present sanctification and a point in time past justification, we are all growing in the Lord each day. Each day as we pray, read His Word and try to live out His will we grow closer to Him. Having a dialogue with someone is an important part of a relationship and we do that with our Heavenly Father through prayer and reading the Word. Confessing to Him is agreeing with him that He is correct. Agreeing with Him that He is worthy, that He is perfect, Holy, merciful and full of Grace. It is our humble way of telling Him we know we have nothing to rely on but Christ. It reminds us as well.

It is, in fact, for us. God does not need us. He certainly doesn’t NEED us to tell Him our sins. But he commands it; thus, we know it is for our best, so we do it. And even though we may not do it cheerfully at first, we find that as we continue, we are blessed, and as we get to know Him better, and see ourselves better, we come to desire more confession, and hunger deeply for the improved relationship we sense each time we do.

1 John 1:9 – Part 1

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1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Take a look at this verse carefully; again, it is packed with theology and practical implications for our daily living. I’ll try to unpack it a bit to see if we can really understand what this verse is communicating. Because of the amazing amount of content packed in a single verse, I’m planning two posts to fully explain.

First, let’s briefly discuss what this verse is NOT: It is not a salvation verse. I believe it is a mistake to use this verse with a nonbeliever in a call to salvation. I’ve heard people say you need to confess all your sins to God to be saved. Impossible! Since salvation is by grace through faith, the work of naming all your sins is not required. Many new converts do not even know all the sin in their life since they often do not know the scripture! To believe we can exhaustively name our sins is absurd and potentially just prideful. Also, many false religious systems encourage followers to confess sins; many of these people with quite repentant hearts I’m sure. The knowledge of sin and the desire to have it removed do not qualify you as a child of God. Even repentance isn’t enough. The sin of unbelief: of rejection of Jesus Christ as the son of God and only intercessor between God and man is the sin that needs to be repented of first!

Reading the 1st chapter of 1 John a few times will give you the clear impression that he is writing to people who’ve already been born again. This letter is written with 2 primary purposes, which build on each other. John is calling the hearers to examine themselves to see that they are of the faith. He is concerned that the people of the church are using grace as a license to sin. He realizes, by the will of the Holy Spirit, that sinful men who hear of the matchless grace of God in Christ will use that as a reason to live lawlessly. Men everywhere will claim justification by faith alone, apart from works as justification for evil. John issues a warning to God’s people, and maybe more so to the false convert, that this is not acceptable: that the new creation believers have become, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, will not fail to manifest these good works which were before-ordained. (Eph 2:10).

A call to examination is the first of the 2 primary purposes John wrote this letter. The second is this: John desires, as does the Holy Spirit, to give real believers assurance of their salvation. Let me restate that in other words to be clear: the Bible is adamant that true children of God ought not to walk in fear of wrath or judgment of God. Again: If you are born again, even though the Bible is clear about the possibility of false conversion, God wants you to know that you are converted.

Rom 8:1-2 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.
1Jn 2:12 I am writing to you, little children, because your sins are forgiven for his name’s sake.
1Jn 5:13 I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life.

Why is this important? Why does God want us to have assurance? Here are three reasons:

  1. God speaks very clearly of false conversion. Read Matthew 7:13-29. There is no doubt that many who profess Christ in this life are not really His. 1Jn 2:19 They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us.

    Nothing is more chilling than the thought of a person believing they will not taste eternal Hell and then living in that torment for eternity. There is no greater fear to them who claim to be reborn than the idea that the very idea they cling to is not true, whether that doubt be in the object of their faith or their faith itself. But John does not write these things to scare the brethren. He writes these things so that we may have discernment when witnessing, so that we may know what false conversion looks like. So if John’s entire book was about them who are NOT truly part of the sphere of salvation, it would be incomplete. Therefore, John writes that we may know that [we] have eternal life.

  2. Because God is so clear concerning false conversion, He chooses to provide assurance of true conversion as well.

    God desires His people to have certainty of the hope that is within them. God has a real desire for His people to know they are saved, not just to avoid the fear of false conversion, but because He is a God of goodness and His children ought not to fear that which is irrational. If you are truly saved, it means that your only hope for ultimate glorification and justification for your sins rests upon the finished work of Christ on the cross. If God’s letter depicting false conversions and the fruit thereof would cause you to become too focused on your own works, then you are missing the point. Many people read Matthew 7:21-23 and look at their works to see if they think they are of the faith. But it is faith in your works that Jesus ultimately condemns in that passage! Your faith has found a resting place, not in device nor creed; you trust the ever living one, His wounds FOR YOU WILL PLEAD. Jesus Christ is the object of your faith. John desires to remind people that Jesus paid it all on the cross. So immediately after explaining the type of behavior that will indicate unbelief, John follows that up with “if you confess…” It is important to God and John that you understand that the truly regenerate person who by faith has trusted Christ alone has already been promised forgiveness. That Christ’s atoning death on the cross paid for future sins too. This is similar to Romans 8 where Paul writes:
    Rom 8:33 Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. (Rom 8:38-39) For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, (39) nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

    Yes it is God’s desire that the death of His son is completely trusted for remission of sins. God does not desire His children to constantly focus on themselves and the works of their hands, but to look toward Christ, the author and perfecter of our faith. It is for His glory that dying saints smile and look forward to the end amid suffering. It is for the praise of Christ that sinful men who still possess their Adamic nature will turn to Him and claim Him as their only righteousness when they stumble into sin. It is because of His promise, and His goodness and His faithfulness that any man who comes to Him, he will give him rest. Matthew 11:28, Exodus 33:14

    Psalm 34:22 KJV
    (22) The LORD redeemeth the soul of his servants: and none of them that trust in him shall be desolate.

    Hab 3:18 KJV
    (18) Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation.

    This hope: this unwavering, unshakable foundation of faith in Him brings Him glory. As much as people have commented to me in the past 4 years about “my faith,” I’ve been granted the humility to remind people that “my faith” is irrelevant. It is the OBJECT OF MY FAITH that is relevant. It is God alone who holds me in His hands; and my faith, although strong looking from man’s perspective is NOT a reflection of me, it is a reflection of God! People all over the world have devout, strong faiths! Take the 9/11 WTC plane crashers: that was faith enough to give up their lives! That’s impressive faith! I doubt many professing Christians are ready to die for what they believe, or even give up earthly pleasures; but the biblical Christians faith exhibits that even weak, sinful men can have great faith, because He is worthy! I am not a man of great faith. I am a man of little faith: in an awesome God.

  3. It differentiates God’s people, (sets them apart), from other groups, i.e., false religions.

    I’ve already outlined that God has and will allow many to perish believing they knew Him. This really shouldn’t be absurd. Don’t atheists believe they know the truth? Don’t they have faith that “they know where they’re going after this life?” Buddhists, Hindus, Muslims and all religions have believed in something false. People of these faiths will all die thinking they knew what was right, and then see the true God. Why is it so hard to swallow that many will also believe a false Christ?
    Having established that many will be turned away at the end, and that God does, in fact, desire for his children to have assurance, we can quickly see how this can be a way to set His people apart. Many world religions do not allow believers to have assurance. They die believing something, but often they cannot truly believe they are going to glory.

    For example, in the realm of relative truth, you cannot even state with certainty that you know anything!

    Here are a couple of excerpts from the Catholic Council of Trent:

    Session 6 CANON XVI.-If any one saith, that he will for certain, of an absolute and infallible certainty, have that great gift of perseverance unto the end,-unless he have learned this by special revelation; let him be anathema.

    Session 6 CANON XV.-If any one saith, that a man…, who is born again and justified, is bound of faith to believe that he is assuredly in the number of the predestinate; let him be anathema.

    Now I have heard quite a few irrational arguments for what these statements can mean, but let me be clear: Anathema means a person or thing accursed or consigned to damnation or destruction. In the statements above, the Catholic religion is declaring with certainty that there are those who are condemned. And what are they condemning? Read the Canons: anyone who will say for certain that they have a gift of perseverance to the end; and anyone who believes he is assuredly in the number of the predestinate: these are descriptions of those who have been born again of the spirit of God and have by faith trusted Christ as their only provision for forgiveness of sins. The men and women described here are the same people that John was writing to when he wrote

    1Jn 2:12 I am writing to you, little children, because your sins are forgiven for his name’s sake.
    1Jn 5:13 I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life.

    God desires to set His people apart from the world. He did it with Israel in a number of ways and He does it with His true church as well, of which Christ is the head. Our confidence in our God and our REAL hope in Him for future glorification is a separator; it makes us distinct from other religions, even the ones that name their idol Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 3:15 reminds us to always be ready to share with others concerning the “hope” or “expectation” that is within us. This is because false hope will fail people!

It is our sincere desire that false hope will fail. For it is the false hope of others that opens the door for them to listen to the real hope Christianity offers. It is the doubt in the minds of the unregenerate that opens their hearts to receiving the gospel. And it is through hearing that they may come to faith. Romans 10:17 And they will not hear if no one is sent (Romans 10:13-15); so go; Go into the entire world and preach the good news!

Read Part 2 here.

Jeremiah 17:9

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Jeremiah 17:9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked. Who can know it?

Let’s face it, we are not good people. Psalm 14:1,3, Romans 3:12. Jesus is explicit about this fact:

Luke 18:18-19 18And a ruler asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 19 And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone.”

It ought to be noted that Jesus did not declare himself to be “not good” nor did He assent to being “not God” with this statement. He simply questioned the man. Interestingly enough, this passage is more proof that knowledge of the Holy and to even mentally assent that Jesus is God is not sufficient for salvation; repentance and faith are the requirement.

Nevertheless, we spend our lives deceiving ourselves with such statements as “I’ve always been a Christian,” and “When I was seeking after God…” Romans 3:11 and Psalms 14:2 are clear that there are none who seek after God. We lie and say we have no sin (1 John 1:8) or we minimize our sin and compare ourselves to the guy next door, instead of God’s standard.

The heart is deceitful above all! That means there is NOTHING MORE deceitful than the human heart. It is the source of your sin and it provides the anesthetization for your conscience that allows you to continue to sin. Every atom of your existence is tainted by sin, cursed, if you will. The word for desperately wicked, sometimes translated “desperately sick,” has the connotation of an incurable illness. It conjures a picture of a hopeless, irreversible disease which will attack the very body it lives in, like cancer, and ultimately kill it. It’s abrasive and corrosive and you will allow it to cause you to deteriorate as it tells you over and over you are not sick. There is no medicine available except that which alleviates the pain temporarily, usually in the form of alcohol or drugs used to palliate the wonderful pain your God-given conscience is trying to inflict upon you as you violate the laws of God. The corruption is absolute.

Hopeless, it leaves you. Devoid of life. Dead. Dead in trespasses and sin, (Eph 1;1-2), chasing the lust of your flesh, believing yourself hedonistic from an humanism standpoint, but seriously deluded and contributing to your own physical death all the while, so your flesh will match your hateful spirit. Dead men do not request life, nor desire it. Dead men cannot effect a birth, much less a rebirth. Only the hand of the God you hate, with each gift of breath keeps your incurably sick heart beating while you reject him, even after hearing the gospel of His grace.

There was another piece of dead flesh that had no power to make itself alive: the corpse of Jesus Christ. It lay in the grave 3 days, lifeless. Absolutely dead. No life in it. But it did not stay that way, it could not. When the spirit of Jesus Christ enters dead flesh, it cannot help but become alive. This is a passive act on the part of the flesh…cooperating, simply because it must. This is what happens to us. Read Ephesians 2:5: Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) By the way, God is not winking at you there, even though He certainly knew emoticons were coming. 😉

So how can an irreversible sickness be cured? It cannot. The dead heart must be replaced. The man must be born-again. John 3:3,6-7. God must do the work to make dead men alive. The desperately sick, deceitful above all things heart CANNOT love Christ. Yes, this is the doctrine called total depravity, sometimes relative depravity. It is the biblical teaching that dead men cannot choose life. It is the doctrine that is in accord with Psalm 14 and Romans 3, quoted above. It is the doctrine which leads to the understanding that our salvation is not dependent upon us, but upon God and His perfect wisdom. It is the understanding that no power of Hell nor scheme of man could ever clutch us from His hand! And it is the humbling, God-glorifying doctrine which reminds us that He alone deserves ALL praise and glory for salvation.

Yes, dead men cannot choose life. But flesh which is indwelt with the spirit of God cannot help but LIVE. Do not say to me you are born-again if your life doesn’t show it. I asked a guy today if he was born-again and he replied, “Pretty much.” Nay! The rebirth is not a process; it is not a progressive move “God-ward,” neither is it a new way of life, an ideology of sorts. It is a singular act whereby God replaces the sick, wicked, deceitful heart we’ve all inherited from Adam, with a new heart: a heart indwelt by the Holy Spirit: a heart which desperately loves Jesus Christ and submits to His truth.

Examine yourselves, to see that you are of the faith. In all things, give prayer and supplication to God with a thankful heart, love the brethren and preach the Word, in and out of season.

God’s description of the new birth He has promised Israel applies to the new birth offered in Christ.

Ezekiel 11:19 KJV 19 And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them an heart of flesh: 20 That they may walk in my statutes, and keep mine ordinances, and do them: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God. Ezekiel 36:24-27 KJV24 For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land. 25 Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. 26 A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.

Joshua 1:9

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Joshua 1:9 Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid; neither be though dismayed; for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.

Let’s start with a little background on Joshua. He is an Old Testament saint who was appointed by God, through Moses, to take the Israelites into the promised land. Moses forfeited his chance to do the same when he struck the rock at Horeb instead of speaking to it, as God commanded. (Numbers 20:11-12, 26:65)

Joshua showed himself to be faithful when he and Caleb confidently reported that the Israelites, with their God, could easily enter the promised land. (Numbers 13:30, 14:6-8) So we see that Joshua is God’s appointed leader to succeed Moses, (Numbers 27:18,22-23).

What does the Lord expect of His leaders? In other words, what are the identifying or primary marks of a good leader for God? How does this differ from the world’s conventional definition of leadership?

I believe Joshua 1:9 provides insight into these questions. I will also contend that God’s commands to his leader Joshua are applicable also to anyone in any leadership position, whether it is in the church, your family, a group at work or any other situation you can imagine which requires leadership to be assumed. I’m not saying it’s a formula for success; but the obedience to doing things God’s way is the key element for which we are striving. Results-oriented success measurement is NOT how Christians ought to measure their acts of faith! Compare your behavior to scripture and rest in the promise of God to not forget your labor of love.

I think if you asked most Americans what makes an effective leader, you would be able to get a general sense of what people believe. I don’t think if you asked 100 people, you’d get 100 DISTINCTLY different answers. I think a common denominator in all the answers will be something to the effect of: “A leader must be self-sufficient, intelligent, insightful and likable.” Surely, there will be those who don’t agree with this definition in its entirety, but many will agree on several points.

But I will maintain that the human definition of a successful leader is not the same as the definition you would get if you searched the Bible; that the qualities which God desires in his people are seemingly opposite of the qualities upon which men place value.

First let’s consider the command given to Joshua: be strong and courageous. First it is interesting to note that God has repeated this to Joshua. This isn’t a one time event; he is repeatedly being exhorted to be strong and courageous. (Deuteronomy 31:6,7,Joshua 1:6) Leaders must be strong and courageous. Men are to be strong and courageous.

Adding to the positive command to be strong and courageous, God commands that Joshua avoid fear and dismay. What does this mean? That is, I am sure we understand what the words mean: strong, courage, fear, dismay: but what does that look like? How do we apply this to our lives? In other words, if we really believe God commands us in the manner described above, how should we live in order for that faith to manifest? In this case, Joshua is expected to act like a man who is not paralyzed by fear. He is to be immobilized by his own steadfastness when appropriate, unable to be moved by opposition and outside influence. Yet he must be completely mobile when appropriate, never paralyzed by fear, never trembling from intimidation. To be dismayed implies that your ordinary ‘course ‘ has been derailed, in a sense.

Don’t we all experience this? Have you, dear Christian, ever been dismayed? Have your decisions ever been driven by fear, instead of courage? How many times have you planned the conversation with your boss in your head about your rate increase, only to avoid the conversation? What lengths have you gone to in order to keep peace with others, even when you disagree with their conversation? How many times have you planned to boldly proclaim the gospel to a group, or even a single loved one or acquaintance, only to find yourself happily discussing the latest sports score or current event, careful not to even drop a hint of spiritual talk?

You, like myself, are more often than you realize, driven by fear. Your thoughts and deeds are aimed at self-preservation and seeking comfort. You partake in worldly sin and claim liberty. You participate in the world’s sinful activities and call it outreach. You fail to evangelize and say there wasn’t an “open door.” You don’t stand up for God’s laws and you call it tolerance or respect. You avoid confronting falsehood in the workplace and label it prudence. You attempt to sway others’ opinions with the arguments of man instead of the Word of God and consider yourself relevant.

You are a coward, like I am. You are a sin-cursed, self-seeking child of Adam, and you still carry with you the nature we inherited from him. You, like me, do not live each moment as if the God of the universe is watching. You do not live each moment as if you love the God who’s holy hatred for sin caused the greatest atrocity in the history of time, the murder of God himself, Jesus Christ.

We are cowards. You and me both. And if it is a pattern in life, your problem might be bigger than you think, to steal phraseology from the Lawman, Tony Miano.

Revelation 21:8 But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”

If you find yourself to be any of the things described, your biggest problem may be a need to repent and believe the gospel!

So how do we overcome this fear? How do we “be strong and courageous?” How do we avoid dismay and walk in the strength and confidence of God? Again, dear brother or sister, turn to scripture as your guide. “for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.” You can be courageous; and you can be not afraid because God is with you. Mouse over this list of verses and take time to see what God has said with such amazing frequency:

Deuteronomy 4:31, 31:6, 31:8, Josh 1:5, 1 Samuel 12:22, 1 Kings 6:13, 1 Kings 8:57, 1 Chronicles 28:20, Nehemiah 9:31, Psalm 27:9.

It’s staggering. God has promised NOT to leave his people, nor forsake them. That is the essence of the Lord thy God being with thee, whithersoever thou goest! He is with you, dear Christian; He loves you and will never leave you. What about the New Testament? Does it testify to the same as the Old? See Hebrews 13:5 and
Matthew 28:20 b …and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.

Emmanuel, God with us! What a wonderful gift! Do not fear men; do not fear the power of the devil or his demons; do not fear your own sinfulness. Instead, focus on the steadfast love of God who has promised to be with you. The God who already knows your trials and tribulations before they occur: the God who is with you wherever you go!

So what qualities does God expect in a good leader? Is reliance upon yourself, with an unwavering confidence in your intelligence and plans, the primary, or even secondary, requirement? I tell you the answer is “No.” You will find nowhere in scripture an instance where God selects his leaders or his servants that way. God’s only use for His creatures is based solely on their deep need for Him. Reliance upon God is the mark of a good leader. A Godly leader, and ultimately an effective leader will, without exception, be utterly needy as it pertains to the provision of God. His confidence will be focused on God’s faithfulness and power, rather than in himself. (Philippians 3:3)

A man who believes that God is with him ‘whithersoever he goest” will not act out of fear of the rejection of men. He will not be dismayed when his plans are derailed. Instead, the calm confidence that the sovereign God of the universe’s plans can never be thwarted will be the persistent theme in his heart which will provide the strength and courage needed to endure affliction, accept rejection, and proceed in the face of failure.

Please, if you did not already, go back through the post and mouse over the scriptures and read them. They are vital to the post and more important than anything I could write.

Habakkuk 1:13

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Habakkuk 1:13 Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity: wherefore lookest thou upon them that deal treacherously, and holdest thy tongue when the wicked devoureth the man that is more righteous than he?

To hear the audio “The Eyes of God,” click here! Given almost 4 years to the date later, it deals with this verse as well.

For this verse, we are content to focus on the glorious holiness of God and trust in His sovereignty. You can probably spend less than 15 minutes and read through the entire book of Habakkuk for a more in depth understanding. That is time better spent than reading this blog, to be sure! What are you missing if you do? Is there another tab on your computer with Facebook or MySpace or ESPN or something else you are wishing to get back to? Contemplate and study God’s Word, dear reader!

Let’s deal with the first part of the verse, Habakkuk 1:13 “You who are of purer eyes than to see evil and cannot look at wrong.” Wow. Looking at this simply (the best way to interpret scripture), we can see that Habakkuk is saying that God is so holy that His eyes are too pure to even look upon evil. This part of the verse is about our utter depravity and His incomprehensible Holiness. I’ll quickly dispose of the notion that there is anything that God “doesn’t see.” This verse is not an admission that God is not omniscient; He is all-knowing. This is a common practice employed in the bible called anthropomorphizing. God, being so different and set apart from us, has chosen in his wisdom to reveal himself to us in terms we can comprehend. To imply that there is something God doesn’t know is sinful, so how do we reconcile that he cannot look upon wrong? Does His “not looking” imply that He is unaware of it? Or does it limit His power, which many believe must be infinite for him to be God?

Certainly not! God’s power is perfect, meaning that he possesses sufficient power to effect His will. It is not limited by any outside force, but it is limited, or more likely “restrained,” by the good pleasure of His will. So throw away the “Can God build a fence he cannot jump over?” or “Can God lie?” arguments for the impossibility of His infinite power. He will not violate His own nature or Holiness. He will not violate His perfect will!

Have you ever seen something so horrifying that you must look away? For some people, just a drop of blood makes them queasy. Others turn away from movies when they see violence. Some hard-hearted men actually enjoy the depravity depicted by Hollywood. The point is that the God of the universe is so utterly, perfectly sinless, that He desires NOT to look upon a single sin. Habakkuk is pleading with God at this time to destroy the evil around him. He is appealing to his knowledge that God hates sin so much he cannot look upon it to beg God to end the wicked uprising of the ungodly people around him. He is questioning God, saying WHY do You allow all this evil in the world. Not a new question at all!

Look at Habakkuk’s question: Habakkuk 1:13 b: why do you idly look at traitors and remain silent when the wicked swallows up the man more righteous than he? The point of this verse is not what God sees or doesn’t see; the point of this verse, even this book is to direct the reader to oft hated doctrine of the sovereignty of God in all things. There is a false doctrine, dear Christian, that will tell you there is a struggle for good and evil in the world. It manifests itself in nearly every movie we ever see and make believe tale. It will tell you that evil and good are like a yin and yang, two sides of a different coin, in fact. This satanic doctrine will lead you to believe that God is not “allowing” evil, but rather that God is battling evil. In essence, this falsehood states that evil is outside God’s control, even though many will profess God will conquer. It will allow you to believe that Satan, all the demons and any other evil force gets its power from a source other than God. But the Bible is clear that there is ONE sovereign over all. One God, eternally existent as the three coequals, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit: who, in his infinite wisdom (Ps 147:5) has chosen to allow wickedness, sin, rebellion and utter hatred for Him and His laws; who is the ONLY source of all power. (e.g., John 19:11 ) Habakkuk wants to know why, and it comes out more like a complaining accusation than a real question. But let’s give the man of God the benefit that 1) maybe he was really “just asking,” and 2) that he is not alone in his unbelief. Are we really any different from Habakkuk? Do you spend every minute acting as if you know God is in control? Do your utterances belie dissatisfaction with the way God has allowed things to transpire?

“If we cannot believe God when circumstances seem to be against us, we do not believe Him at all.” –Charles Spurgeon

“As sure as God puts His children in the furnace he will be in the furnace with them” –Charles Spurgeon

So keep in the context, Habakkuk whines a little it seems; Yes. And this is wrong (God hates complaining (Philippians 2:14), but he later gets the revelation that the righteous shall live by faith! (Habakkuk 2:4 “Behold the proud, His soul is not upright in him; But the just shall live by his faith.) God commands that His people trust Him in all things, not just for fire-insurance! And he completes his tiny (compared to many) yet significant contribution to the eternal Word of God with Habakkuk 3:18 “Yet I will rejoice in the LORD; I will take joy in the God of my salvation. Yes dear brother or sister, you can rejoice in the Lord. Take joy in the God of your salvation. Hate sin and unrighteousness, yes; but if the Lord wills it to continue, and you shall taste death before He returns, it is your responsibility AND privilege to be OK with that. Enjoy each moment that you wish judgment on the evil in this world that you are not the one to be judged. Rejoice the right judgment for your sins has been imputed to Christ alone, who is sufficient for your atonement.

When you memorize this verse, you can memorize just the first part if you want, but remember the meaning and context. God is Holy, beyond comprehension; and He is sovereign, in ALL things.

Proverbs 26:4-5

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If you have not read my Introduction to Logic, you may want to do so now and then read my Basic Logic Structure post as well.

So how do we spot logical fallacies and prove untrue statements wrong? Refer to scripture!

We’re going to employ the biblical practice of answering a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own eyes. It is described in Proverbs 26:5 and is a way of showing someone an argument ad absurdum or proof by contradiction. What you do is start with the beliefs of a viewpoint, and then follow those views logically to their conclusions or deductions. If you find a contradiction to the original assumption (or another known truth) or an obvious absurdity (usually defined by a contradiction to known truth) then you know you can deny the original assumption.

Let me show you by example; here is a logical argument.

1. Assume that 2+2 = 5.
2. Add to that the knowledge that 2+3=5
3. Subtract “1” from both sides of the equation, 2+3-1=5-1
4. Conclude that 2+2=4

And we have a contradiction! As soon as we find a conclusion which logically follows from the argument, but contradicts another known fact, (or in this case, the assumption), we know that at least one of our assumptions must be false. So the assumption that 2+2=5 is FALSE! The point is this: if your assumption leads to a contradiction itself, then it must be false. How does this relate to Proverbs 26:5? The meaning of this verse is that we are to help to show people where their statements of belief logically lead. So if a person tells you they believe in anything at all, and you know that belief to be false, you can show them through sound logic that their belief leads to a contradiction. Here is a good example: there are many who claim today that ALL religious views are true. Well, if this is true, then biblical Christianity is true. Biblical Christianity claims that Jesus is the only way to God and that all other religions are false. This is clearly a contradiction to the first statement (assumption) that all religions are true. All religions cannot be true and at the same time only one religion be true. In many cases, you will find that the person did not believe their original statement was an assumption. They likely believe it is a fact, or consider it axiomatic, or self-evident. Often people will get very angry when you do this, so you must do it with meekness and fear. But it is an important task. An equally valid way to proceed would have been to prove to the person they really cannot believe what they said about all religions being true. You can point out that Christianity states only Christianity is true, and that by their own admission, they believe Christianity to be true, which then contradicts their stated belief.

I have done this with postmodernists as well. Often you will hear someone say that they don’t believe it is anyone’s right to “push their beliefs onto others.” Interestingly enough, you can point out that if they TRULY believed this, they would never actually tell you, because in the act of telling you, they are pushing their belief onto you! An honest pacifist or postmodernist must be careful, because that worldview is so contradictory that they can hardly leave the house without contradicting their own stated beliefs.

The other way to “show a fool their own folly, lest he be wise in his own eyes” is by taking the person’s argument logically to the point of absurdity. This is another valid logical practice whereby you show that a person’s beliefs logically lead to absurdity. This is called a Reductio ad absurdum and is more common in mathematical proofs than in daily speaking engagements, but can be effective nonetheless. Any argument that leads the assumptions to absurdity, ultimately only leads to absurdity because it contradicts a known fact. But sometimes the result is so absurd that it doesn’t deserve further discussion. Usually, it is obvious that a logical conclusion is absurd, but sometimes we can’t spot the fallacy or recall the known fact that is being contradicted. You will be able to use sound logic to help people to see error, and to find errors in your own beliefs. Just remember that a lot of people do not enjoy being told they are wrong, so do this in love, with a spirit of humility. The goal isn’t to be argumentative or to “win,” but rather to be boldly proclaiming truth and winning souls for Christ. So don’t back down or compromise, but always remember that people can be sensitive, and that many folks hold very dear to themselves the things they believe. Dear Christian, you ought to also do so! For if someone was to shake the foundation of your belief, it should cause much fear and shuddering, for it is your only hope. Remember this when you are shaking the foundations of other’s hope.

The first part of the verse for this week is advice as to how NOT to argue. What this verse is saying is that we ought not to argue following the assumptions and rules of others. A good example is that a Christian should never allow for an argument that isn’t allowed to use the bible. By throwing away the most important assumption of your argument, what do you expect to prove? This refutes of the neutrality fallacy. Many people believe you can be neutral to the Bible, that is, that there is a platform on which you can stand where you are neither standing for God’s Word, nor are you standing against it. This is a fallacy for the exact reason that if the Bible is true, then to argue without it would be to be choosing not to use your most valuable weapon and only essential weapon! If somehow your assumption that you can rely on biblical authority is not true, then you will lead yourself to contradiction or fallacy.

One of the reasons we make sure to don’t answer a fool according to his folly, is that it usually leads to self-contradiction and we do not want to suffer that contradiction. So for example, if a person tells you that you shouldn’t force your beliefs on others, you can tell them that based on their own stated values, they ought not force that belief on you (answer, lest he be wise), but you may also proceed in stating you personally do not subscribe to that belief, so you are not in error to continue sharing your faith (don’t answer, lest you be like).

I wrote a blog about judging a few months ago that you might read with joy if you want. One of the points I made is that if a person ever calls you judgmental (in the sense that they are telling you that you are doing something wrong by judging), you can very easily respond by letting them know that their act of accusing you of judging is judgmental, and that if they are allowed to do it, you should be allowed as well. And if they ought not to judge, then they ought not to tell you not to. You can see that it is actually impossible to ever hold the positive that “there is no absolute truth” or “people should never judge” since these ideas are clearly so self-contradictory. If there is no absolute truth, how can I ever state truthfully that there is no absolute truth? Absurdity.

The idea is this, when you make a positive argument, you always rely on your presupposition that God is, that He spoke through His Word, and that His Word is true. (Hebrews 11:7) When you are evaluating the argument of another, you can politely state that you deny their assumptions, so their deductions are invalid to you, (Proverbs 26:4 “Don’t Answer”), then you can confidently show them that their assumptions lead to foolishness (Proverbs 26:5, Proverbs 14:12). This is true of both Christians and non-Christians with whom you may discuss doctrine, or good teaching. Your reliance on God’s Word as your ultimate authority will be your only chance to avoid false presuppositions which will cause you to fall on your face, and it just might be the impetus for a person deciding to read it with the assumption that it may be true.