The Only Hope for a Godless Nation

Is it the End of the World as We Know it?

In some sense I would say, "Yes." But let me explain. In light of the seeming endless cycle of news stories about terrorism, same-sex marriage, racism, and the growing hostility against Christianity, this may be a legitimate question to ask. Things are changing for the worse at a mind-boggling pace. And certainly America is not the same country it was 100 or 50 years ago, or even when I was a child. This does not mean, however, that I have fallen victim to a "gloom and doom" mentality. No, I do not believe the sky is falling or the end is coming. Nevertheless, things have gone south quickly and many Christians are shaking their heads, wondering what has happened to their country. Yes, America has lost its way. Yes, the government has failed. Yes, morality has plummeted to an all-time low. Evil is called good and good is called evil. Everything is upside-down. In fact, I do not even recognize this nation anymore and for the first time in my life, I cannot say I'm proud to be an American. I am a citizen of another country (Phil. 3:20).

Many factors have contributed to this downward spiral, but I am not going to address that here. My purpose is to attempt to offer hope in the midst of troubled times. I will say this, however, and perhaps this is a topic for another post, but a nation who slaughters their own children by the millions and not only condones, but delights in egregious immorality, and whose highest courts have the audacity to redefine the God-ordained institution of marriage, cannot avoid His judgement. I do not claim to be a prophet, but my own personal conviction for America’s moral collapse is because it is under the wrath of God; people have been given over to a depraved mind (Rom. 1:18-28).

So what's the answer? Well, despite popular opinion, there is no political leader that can fix the insanity around us. There is no political party that has all the answers. No amount of right-wing conservativism is going to get the job done. So what should we do? We should look to Jesus. Christians need to stop looking to politics for solutions and look to Christ. He is not confused or scratching His head, wondering what to do next. He is in control and has promised to build His church (Matt 16:18). The true Church will be triumphant because Christ is the head of the church and He will not fail. We cannot look at the circumstances around us through the eyes of the media and expect to be encouraged. We must look to Jesus. We must look at the world through the lens of the gospel. What color are your glasses?

Gospel-Colored Glasses

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. (Rom. 1:16)

For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. (1 Cor. 1:21-24)

There is no hope for this nation outside of the gospel. For it alone has the power to change hearts and minds. Christ crucified is the only answer. The person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ can transform the darkest of hearts; and when hearts change, behavior changes. This is our only hope. If you are looking to anything but Christ as the answer to your problems or the problems of the world around you, you are looking in the wrong direction.

How can we make sense of our surroundings, when it seems like the whole world is in upheaval? We do so by continually going back to the foundation. God is sovereign, He is still on the throne, and Jesus saves sinners like you and me. The way to steel ourselves against the coming tide of darkness is by diving into the Word and prayer. There is no magic formula. We must immerse ourselves in the Word of God; know it, live it, and preach it. What was the message of Jesus even when His own people rejected and hated Him? The gospel. What was Paul's response to persecution, suffering, and imprisonment? The gospel. What was the first century church's answer to Rome's radical depravity, and the threat of martyrdom? The gospel. So what should we do in the midst of a wicked and godless nation? Preach the gospel!

Peace in Persecution

For many of us who have grown up in a very different America, it is difficult to believe Christians could be persecuted for their faith, yet we have already seen the beginnings of this. Whether or not it will increase to the level seen by the early church or to what we are now witnessing in the Middle East, I am not going to speculate; God knows. However, we should not be surprised that the world hates us. In fact, we should expect this. After all, what has light to do with darkness? What has evil to do with good? Isn't this exactly what Jesus said we would face?

And you will be hated by all for my name's sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. (Matt. 10:22)

And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. (John 3:19)

Blessed are you when people hate you and when they exclude you and revile you and spurn your name as evil, on account of the Son of Man! (Luke 6:22)

This should be no surprise to us. Persecution is exactly what we should expect. We haven't really faced persecution in the West so some of us are shocked when we see it. For the most part, we have lived in relative ease, but those days are over.

Too many so-called Christians today want the world to like us; approve of us; share our values, but this cannot be. This is misguided thinking. This is not the teaching of Scripture. Friendship with the world is enmity with God (James 4:4). We cannot expect unbelievers to love God or the things of God because their minds have not been renewed and their hearts are hard. They love darkness rather than light.

Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. (1 John 2:15)

This is the true test isn't it? Loving the things of this world proves that you are not a lover of God. When persecution comes, those who claim to love Christ, but are really friends of the world will be weeded out like tares among wheat. But those who are true disciples of Christ will endure because we have a hope that the world cannot overcome.

I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world. (John 16:33)

We have a certain hope that suffering cannot take away. Jesus didn't promise that there wouldn't be tribulation, in fact He said, "You will have tribulation," but He did promise that He would be with us. We can have peace in the midst of suffering and persecution because of Jesus Christ the victor, who has conquered sin and the grave by His death and resurrection! No matter what we may face, whether hardship or death, we shall prevail because God is for us! So be encouraged and remember Paul's words in Romans chapter 8:

What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written,

“For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 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. (Rom. 8:31-39)

Jesus Defines Marriage

Jesus already defined what marriage is so regardless of the Supreme Court's decision to spit in God's face, marriage is still what it always has been. But to those who claim the name of Christ and yet support so-called same sex marriage, I have several questions and concerns that you might want to consider.

Which passages of Scripture reinforce your point of view? Where do you go in the Bible to find a positive case for homosexuality? Where does Scripture affirm a union between those of the same gender? I guarantee you won't find it, rather you will find just the opposite. What then is the basis for your approval? How do you explain Jesus' reaffirmation of God's intention for marriage to be between a man and a woman in Matthew 19:4-5?

He answered, “Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’?

The Supreme Court is not ultimately supreme; Jesus is. And since He is God and proved it by rising from the dead, He alone has the authority to define marriage.

Such Were Some of You

To those who think one can be gay and a Christian, how do you explain Paul's words in 1 Corinthians 6:9-11? When listing various sins including homosexuality, Paul said, "Such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified." Some of the Corinthian believers used to be idolaters, adulterers, thieves, and homosexuals. But Paul said they no longer do these things because now they are washed and sanctified and justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.

In Romans 1:26-27, Paul speaks of women exchanging "natural relations for those that are contrary to nature," and men giving up "natural relations with women and [being] consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error." What does "contrary to nature" mean? What about “the due penalty for their error”? If homosexuality is natural, what is Paul referring to here?

Despite the rhetoric, homosexuality is not natural. In fact, you have to deny your own nature to behave in this way. A Ph.D. in biology is not required to see this. Homosexuals cannot produce life; they cannot procreate, which should be their first clue. They cannot raise their own children as God intended. They need outside intervention from people of the opposite sex because it requires a male and a female to reproduce. This is so blatantly obvious that I shouldn't even have to say it! Not to mention the myriad of diseases associated with this behavior. Ever wonder why a man and a woman in a committed monogamous marriage never get sexually transmitted diseases?

Does Love Win?

If we should all just love one another, as we so often hear, how do we define love? Does Jesus' love for sinners mean He condones their sin, or did He call sinners to repentance? (Luke 5:32) What about the many times Jesus spoke of hell? Does that mean He's unloving? What about Revelation 6:16, which speaks of the "wrath of the Lamb"? He is not only a God of love, but also a God of wrath.

Yes, Jesus loves sinners. He came to save sinners like you and me, however, He calls sinners to turn from their sin and be holy. Jesus offers mercy to the penitent; those who deny themselves and take up their cross and follow Him. Those who rebel, however, will be condemned. (John 3:18, 5:28-29) Love speaks the truth; it doesn't condone sin. Love pleads with people to turn from their destructive behavior.

Oh, and by the way, disagreeing with homosexuality isn't hatred; it's called having a different opinion. But since our country seems to be comprised of three-year-olds who are offended by everything and pitch a royal fit if you tell them, "No," I guess disagreement isn't tolerated anymore.

That's Not a Slope, It's a Cliff

Further, where do those who approve of so-called same sex marriage draw the line? Should anyone be allowed to get married? If consenting adults of the same sex should have "equality" why should minors be discriminated against? Why should polyamory be discriminated against, why should incest be discriminated against? Why not? Isn't it bigoted to say otherwise? If one considers these relationships to be perverse, on what basis is that judgment made? If they love one another, isn't that enough? Don't these types of relationships deserve equality too? By the same logic used to justify homosexual marriage, these types of relationships should also be considered equal, and good. Those who approve of the redefinition of marriage have no logical or moral reason to say otherwise.

Mark my words, polygamy, intergenerational relationships, and all other kinds of perversion are next on the list. It's not a slippery slope, it's a cliff.

God's Word is the Authority

You see, when the Bible is no longer the objective moral standard, anything goes. If you claim to be a Christian, that means you are a follower of Christ and His Word.

The Bible is clear on this issue (1 Cor. 6:9, 1 Tim. 1:10). Christianity and homosexuality cannot be harmonized. What has light to do with darkness? (2 Cor. 6:14) Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, (Isa. 5:20). Do we celebrate fornication? Do we revel in adultery? Of course not. Christians still sin, yes, but the difference between an unbeliever and a believer is that we weep over our sin and plead for God's mercy. We don't embrace it. We don't rejoice in it. We look to Christ who shed His own blood to cover our sin and bore the punishment we deserved.

Gay Christianity is an oxymoron; a non sequitur. There is no such thing. On the other hand, a believer who struggles with homosexual desire yet recognizes it as sin, and wants to live their life according to God's principles, deserves our love and prayers. But those who claim to be followers of Christ and embrace homosexual practice and so called "gay marriage," have abandoned the God they claim to worship and trampled His holy Word.

Why Do I Harp on Arminianism?

In this post, as before, I am using the term Arminianism as an umbrella term for non-Reformed Christianity. I realize that many modern evangelicals do not agree with every point of classical Arminian doctrine such as what’s generally called the doctrine of eternal security, which classic Arminianism denies, however, for the sake of brevity I will use this title. If theology can be divided into categories, the chief point of contention is on the way of salvation, which modern and historic Arminianism are in agreement on, and this will be my focus.

First, before I delve into this, a word about my motivation. Some may wonder why I harp on Arminianism so much, especially when I unwittingly believed its tenets for so long. Well the short answer to that question is because theology matters. What you think about God and the Christian life affects everything. It is for this very reason that I harp on Arminianism, because when your eyes are opened to the truth; you cannot help but speak about what you have seen. Can a blind man, after his eyes are opened, remain silent? Can a deaf man who suddenly hears, not shout for joy? My eyes have been opened to see the truth in God’s word which has always been there, yet I somehow missed. My “conversion” to Reformed theology was so transformational; it was almost as if I was saved all over again. I cannot help talking about it. I cannot stop defending it. I cannot quench the fire burning in my heart to see Reformed, biblical truth proclaimed. I will not!

Doctrine Divides

We hear this over and over; to the point that many people don’t even want to discuss doctrine. They just want to get along. They claim we are splitting hairs over an in-house debate that isn't overly important. The mantra goes something like this: "We should all just love Jesus and love one another." I agree with this wholeheartedly as far as it goes, yet the minute you ask, who is Jesus?, you're up to your neck in doctrine. Yes, doctrine does divide, but that is the whole point. For example: if we take the view that doctrine is divisive and should therefore be avoided, then was there no need for the Protestant Reformation? Didn't the Reformation divide people? Should we just try to get along with Roman Catholics and not discuss the whole reason we are Protestants? No, we should not sweep our theological differences under the rug; we should evangelize Roman Catholics because they are preaching a different gospel.

Was there no need for the apostles to preach the gospel of grace over against the Judaizers? For the sake of unity, should they have ignored the fact that we are not justified by works, but by the righteousness of Christ imputed by faith? Didn't this teaching cause division? Just read the book of Galatians. Even Jesus Himself said He had come to bring a sword, so that family members would be divided against themselves, (Matt. 10:35-36).

Sound doctrine is what separates us from cults and false religions. Mormons and Jehovah's Witnesses believe in Jesus you know. Should we therefore allow them to become members of churches and preach in our pulpits all in the name of unity? Of course not, we should call them to repentance and show them the truth about Jesus, which of course, involves doctrine.

A Gospel Issue

Most Christians today reject Pelagianism and believe that grace is necessary for salvation; however, non-Reformed Christians believe the grace given in salvation can be resisted. In other words, grace is necessary, but not sufficient to save. Reformed Christians believe in saving grace, that is, grace that actually saves. When God effectually calls someone unto salvation, He accomplishes it. His grace does not fail.

If you ask an Arminian if he was saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ alone, he will emphatically say, “Yes!” Arminians rightly believe in salvation by grace, through faith, in Christ alone. So what's the big deal? Why split hairs? The problem is, they are not consistent. On the one hand they affirm correct soteriology, but on the other hand they champion free will. So their doctrine of salvation leads to the conclusion that we are not really saved by grace alone, because we are saved partly by our own free will.

Many people don’t take their theology to its logical conclusion, but with Arminianism you are forced to conclude that apart from the will of the creature cooperating with the grace of God, Jesus is powerless to save. He wants to save people, but if they won’t give in, then He is thwarted. You are left with an impotent God who is contingent upon the will of His own creations.

Arminians also cannot explain why they believed the gospel but their neighbor didn’t. If we are saved by God’s grace alone, and everyone is receiving this “prevenient” grace; everyone is being "wooed" by the Holy Spirit, then why did you have the power to overcome your sin nature and respond in faith? Why did your neighbor reject the gospel but you embraced it? Arminian theology simply has no answer for this. If you responded positively to the grace of God, but the person in the pew next to you rejected it, then grace wasn’t the cause of your salvation, you were.

I’ve said this before, and I’ll say it again. Either you were saved because you were better than someone, or you were saved because of the sovereign grace of God alone! There is no other option.

Further, I have yet to hear a consistent, biblical answer from a non-Reformed believer as to how an unregenerate person who is dead in sin can freely respond to the gospel and produce saving faith. How can slaves of sin choose righteousness prior to regeneration? Slaves of sin cannot unshackle themselves. Only God can do that. Why do those who love darkness suddenly love light (John 3:19)? Where does their faith come from? If we have the power to repent and believe prior to regeneration, then we aren't totally corrupt. If we aren't totally corrupt, then why do they need grace to believe? But if grace is necessary for salvation, why is it insufficient?

Arminian theology chokes on these questions, and when they really start trying to answer them, they end up sounding like Calvinists, which is highly amusing.

Our will is not unimportant. Reformed Christians certainly believe that we are the ones who willingly choose Christ, but only because He has first chosen us (Eph.1:4-5, 1 John 4:19) and only because we have been regenerated first. As Jesus said in John 3:3, "unless a man is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God," yet Arminians would have us believe that unregenerate people can not only see, but choose the kingdom while they are still dead in their trespasses and sins.

As I’ve said before John 1:13 should be the end of the discussion forever. Believers are those: “who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.”

Now let me be very clear. I'm not saying Arminian Christians don't preach the gospel, of course they do. Many of them are passionate for souls and are doing great evangelistic works, but if you analyze their theology carefully you find inconsistencies and confusion. As Christians we need to be clear and consistent. We need to be precise in our communication, especially when it comes to the gospel. In Colossians 4:3-4, even Paul himself asks for prayer that he might preach the gospel clearly. If the Apostle Paul was concerned about preaching with clarity, how much more should we be?

I harp on Arminianism for the sake of the gospel, because it must be clear. I bring these things up to make people analyze what they believe and why. As I like to say, theology matters, and Reformed theology matters more.

Impoverished Theology

As R. C. Sproul has said, Arminian theology is an impoverished theology; it is a blight upon the church. In fact, he minces no words and calls it out right heresy. Lest you think he is overstating the case, the Synod of Dort in 1618-19 agreed with this. The entire synod unanimously denounced the teachings of Jacobus Arminius, which were delineated in the Remonstrance of 1610, as heretical. This is no small matter. I find it highly ironic that from a historical perspective, Arminians today are aligning themselves with heresy and they don't even realize it.

I agree with Dr. Sproul, Arminianism is an impoverished theology. It demeans the sovereignty of God, unduly promotes the freedom of man, waters down humanity’s sinful nature, and confuses the gospel of grace. These are serious errors that cannot be ignored. Plus, it is hopelessly inconsistent. As James White often says, "The only consistent Arminianism is open theism." But that is a topic for another post.

Now Arminians, or Semi-Pelagians, or non-Calvinists, or whatever you want to call those who are not Reformed, would deny what I have just said. But if you listen to their teaching carefully, and read their books you will see the fallacies. They claim that God is sovereign, but their view of free will undermines it. They claim God is omniscient, but deny His decree; as if foreknowledge is based upon God passively looking into the future. They claim that man is utterly sinful, but they believe sinners can choose Christ prior to regeneration. They claim to believe in salvation by grace alone, but they believe grace is insufficient.

Finally, Arminianism is a man-centered theology. Again, they will deny this, but when was the last time you heard an Arminian preach a sermon on God’s freedom? I've listened to Arminian preachers for over thirty years and I never once heard a sermon on God’s absolute freedom to do as He pleases in all of creation and save whom He wills; His freedom to manifest His glory through the display of both His mercy and justice, although this is exactly what Romans 9:22-24 teaches. Instead, they are far more interested in their own freedom. In fact, I would say that free will should really be the god of the Arminian, because even the Almighty is subject to it. Even God cannot overcome it. In their view, God has somehow limited Himself because He gave His creatures free will that He cannot violate. Yet if God Himself cannot overcome my free will, how is He then omnipotent? If God limits Himself in any way, He is no longer God.

Reformed theology on the other hand is a vast, deep, biblically faithful, God-glorifying theology. It has a rich historical tradition, a wealth of literature, and some of the greatest theologians, evangelists, and teachers in church history. We begin and end with God; God's glory, God's purposes, God's self revelation, and the display of all His attributes culminating in the redemption of a people unto Himself through the incarnation, death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Reformers weren't inventing something new, they were recapturing something old. They recovered the teachings of Paul and the Apostles and Jesus Himself. In short, Reformed theology is synonymous with biblical theology. Anyone who faithfully reads their Bible, lays down their presuppositions, and uses a consistent hermeneutic will see this.