Theology Corner

Addressing commonly asked questions about Christianity from the perspective of a non-theologian

1. Aren't all religions essentially the same?
2. Can God's Will be Thwarted?
3. What is the source of evil? Why Do Bad Things Happen to Good People?
4. Is Christianity Compatible with Positive Tolerance?
5. What is Holiness?
6. Are Christians Expected "to do" or Just "to be"?
7. What is Your Theology?
8. What Gifts Does God Give You at the Instant of Salvation?
9. Why is the Protestant Church Dying in the United States?
10. Did God Elect Only a Few for Salvation While Condemning the Greater Part of Mankind to Hell?
11. Is Satan Alive and Well?
12. What are the Attributes of God?
13. What are the Core Beliefs of Christianity?
14. What is the purpose of prayer?

1. Aren't all religions essentially the same?

Can't we reduce the major religions to a lowest common denominator, perhaps "The universal fatherhood of God and the universal brotherhood of man?" At their core, aren't all religions really teaching the same thing although their outward trappings may differ? Don't all religious roads, though they differ in route, ultimately arrive at the same place?

Some core beliefs of Christianity are listed below. Unless you can locate another religion which shares these beliefs, the answer to the question is "no."

• The one true God exists as three distinct, transcendent, immanent, infinite, eternal, and immutable persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
• Jesus Christ is God the Son. Jesus Christ is man. Jesus Christ is one person whose divine and human natures cannot be changed, divided, separated or mixed. Jesus Christ was resurrected bodily from the dead.  Jesus Christ was born of a virgin.
• No human being lives a sinless life.
• Salvation, from the consequences of sin, is possible only by (1) faith, (2) the grace of God and (3) the substitutionary atonement of Jesus Christ.

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2. Can God's Will be Thwarted?

This section of Theology Corner is a systematic, definitive refutation and repudiation of Calvinism based on logic, reason and Scripture, the Achilles tendons of all false teaching.  It is aimed at Bible students who think about what they believe and why they believe it; if needed, basic principles of logic can be found in the “Logical Preliminaries” portion of Christian Handbood of Reason and Insight for Scientists and Technologists.  This section was written because the foundations of the largest Protestant denomination in America are being undermined by aggressive, relentless infiltration of Reformed Theology.  Congregations are asleep in the pews and leaders are kneeling in appeasement as they sacrifice truth at the altar of peace and unity.  Denominational split is the most likely outcome because those who reject the following items cannot comfortably commune with those who embrace them:

• Given two propositions (event happened) and (God willed event), both are true or both are false for every conceivable event.

• Regeneration precedes faith because God elected only certain specific persons for salvation.  These persons alone are unconditionally and irresistibly regenerated by the power of the Holy Spirit and subsequently demonstrate repentance, faith and obedience.  The souls of most men, women, children and babies are, upon death, sent to eternal damnation never having had an opportunity for salvation.  God is self glorified as He watches this plan unfold.

• God is the first-cause of all evil.  All tragedy, suffering, disease, decay, iniquity, corruption, immorality, wickedness and depravity covering the manifold of sin in heaven and earth were decreed by God before anything existed except the Trinity.

• In eternity past, God unchangeably ordained everything; therefore, your prayers can change the outcome of nothing.

As the issue relates to human free will and salvation, the various arguments usually revolve around Total depravity, Unconditional Election, Limited Atonement, Irresistible Grace and Perseverance of the saints.  However, the ramifications of this issue extend far beyond the salvation of souls. For example, did Satan and other spiritual beings rebel against God’s will in the primordial past and do they now abuse their authority over certain aspects of creation?  Does Satan, who holds the power of death (Heb 2:14) and is the prince of this world (John 12:31; 14:30-31; 16:8-11), exercise a pervasive, structural and diabolical influence to the point that the entire creation is in bondage to decay?  Should the pain-ridden, bloodthirsty, sinister and hostile character of nature be attributed to Satan and his army, not to God?  Is God grieved by what has been done to His creation?  Is God permitting, for a time and within limits, certain consequences of rebellion and corruption caused by both fallen angels and the humans who join them?  Or, to somehow glorify Himself, did God simply “will” into being a violent, terrifying and carnivorous "mother nature" dominated by parasitic disease, suffering, decay, corruption and diabolical cruelty?

As the issue relates to human free will and salvation, Calvinists claim all reality is interlocked in a causal chain leading back to God as the first-cause of all things; but humans are "free," even though they are pre-determined, because their choices are executed "willingly."  The Calvinist defines man as a second-cause agent incapable of choosing a path different from that which God would have him choose.  Because man doesn't know he is being manipulated, he believes himself to be a first-cause agent making free will decisions.  This is the historic Calvinist concept of "free will."  It leads to the idea that absolute determinism by God is compatible with the exercise of free will by man; this concept is sometimes called compatibilism or soft determinism.

Arminians agree much of reality is part of a causal chain but claim God does not determine the free will decisions of men or angels.  The idea that men and angels are first-cause agents of choice, is a central concept of Arminianism and is sometimes called libertarian freedom.  The Arminian believes "free will" makes you a first-cause agent of decisions.  The compatibilist believes "free will" makes you a second-cause agent; you have simply been tricked into thinking of yourself as a first-cause agent.  These two definitions of free will are mutually exclusive.

Consider a man who beats his wife, sexually abuses both his daughters and sons, steals from and abuses his parents and subsequently dies without confession of sin, without remorse for his brutality, without repentance and without asking for the mercy of God.  The compatibilist claims each one of these events is God's will because God's sovereignty requires complete determinism of all things; God from all eternity, did, by the most wise and holy counsel of His own will, freely, and unchangeably ordain whatsoever comes to pass.  The man may think he is acting freely but he is actually executing a sinister puppet dance, with God pulling the strings from behind His transcendence.  However, the man is fully responsible for his second-cause sins since they were executed willingly.

The Arminian claims not one of these sins was God's will and God grieves deeply over each of them.  Each sin represents a free will decision by a first-cause agent and is contrary to God's will.  God permits, within limits and for a time, the consequences of rebellion but He is deeply grieved by the evil world in which we live.  The Arminian believes the Calvinist concept of compatibilism is actually incompatible with God's attributes of holiness, justice, goodness and truth and with the clear teaching of Scripture:

• If God credits the unsaved with second-cause sins then, in conflict with Scripture (Eph 2:8-10), He would credit the saved with second-cause good works.
• A just God would not hold a man responsible for a sin which God made him commit.
• If salvation were simply a matter of God exercising His free-will, then a good God would save all men.
• The idea that free will can be exercised by a second-cause agent is logical nonsense. Free will can only be exercised by a first-cause agent. Consequently, the thesis (determinism by God is free-will by man) violates the logical rule of contradictories (b is-not not-b). Such a statement is called a paradox.

The historic Calvinist responds that we must not expect the holiness, justice and goodness of God will always make sense to our limited intellect. Furthermore, true free will can be exercised by second-cause agents; this central concept of historic Calvinism may be logical nonsense to man but not to God who reasons on a higher level using a different kind of logic. As a source of confusion on this issue, some modern Calvinists seem to view man as a first-cause agent of choice thereby abandoning the historic Calvinist concept of compatibilism.  Once again, however, God is viewed as operating with some higher level of logic so the thesis (God as first-cause agent corresponds to man as first-cause agent) only seems to be a paradox but is not a paradox to God.  

Finally, the Calvinist asserts the full weight of Scripture is on his side. However, the Arminian believes the character of God, which emerges from the Bible taken in its entirety as opposed to text out of context, is inconsistent with Calvinism.  For example, the Calvinist contends regeneration precedes faith because God elected only certain specific persons for salvation.  These persons alone are unconditionally and irresistibly regenerated by the power of the Holy Spirit and subsequently demonstrate repentance, faith and obedience.  The rest of mankind is condemned to everlasting punishment.   This brutal plan somehow allows God to glorify Himself as He rejoices in its execution.  To keep this theology afloat, however, the Calvinist must twist Scripture, including the text around the following verses, like Third Reich clergy twisted the Cross into a Swastika.

• For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16)
• He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world. (1 John 2:2)
• Then Peter began to speak: "I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism but accepts men from every nation who fear him and do what is right. (Acts 10:34-35)
• They came to him and said, "Teacher, we know you are a man of integrity. You aren't swayed by men, because you pay no attention to who they are; but you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. (Mark 12:14)
• This is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance (and for this we labor and strive) that we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, and especially of those who believe. (1 Tim 4:9-10)
• This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. (1 Tim 2:3-4)
• The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. (2 Pet 3:9)
• Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked? declares the Sovereign LORD. Rather, am I not pleased when they turn from their ways and live? (Ezek 18:23)
• Yet you say, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’  Hear, O house of Israel: Is my way unjust?  Is it not your ways that are unjust? (Ezek 18:25)
• Say to them, ‘As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live.  Turn!  Turn from your evil ways!  Why will you die, O house of Israel?’ (Ezek 33:11)
• For he does not willingly bring affliction or grief to the children of men. (Lam 3:33)
• For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes. (Deut 10:17)
• Now let the fear of the LORD be upon you. Judge carefully, for with the LORD our God there is no injustice or partiality or bribery." (2 Chron 19:7)
• Is he not the One who says to kings, ‘You are worthless,’ and to nobles, ‘You are wicked,’  who shows no partiality to princes and does not favor the rich over the poor, for they are all the work of his hands? (Job 34:18-19)
• For God does not show favoritism.  (Rom 2:11)
• And masters, treat your slaves in the same way. Do not threaten them, since you know that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no favoritism with him. (Eph 6:9)

Does the theology you adopt on this issue have any consequences for your daily Christian walk?  When the eyes of your heart look toward the Holy Spirit, you are looking through a lens which has been shaped by some sort of Calvinism or Arminianism.  The face of the Person you see looking back is focused by that lens. The Calvinist sees the face of a God who condemned the greater part of mankind to eternal damnation before the universe was formed.  The Arminian sees a God who desires all to receive the great gift of salvation.  However, the greatest havoc created by the “blueprint” theology of Augustine, Calvin and their theological progeny may be a distortion of the purpose of prayer.  The Calvinist believes God from all eternity, did, by the most wise and holy counsel of His own will, freely, and unchangeably ordain whatsoever comes to pass.  If, before the universe was formed, God unchangeably ordained everything, then your prayers can change the outcome of nothing.  In contrast, the Arminian believes God always responds.  Prayer always makes a difference.  But the difference is not always dramatic and obvious because prayer does not cancel or suspend the particular network of constraints which are bringing some outcome into being.  Prayer is the means through which the specific action of God works in and through that network, bringing some succession of events to what will always be a different outcome from what it would otherwise have been.  This fact alone should make you come alive with commitment to prayer. 

If the Triune God truly ordained all future events before forming the universe then God may be angered by Arminians who consider this particular view of sovereignty as inconsistent with the Biblical presentation of God's character. Scripture is silent on the consequences of such a theological error. Alternately, if Calvinism is a theological error, the consequences of embracing and promulgating this error are given with somewhat greater clarity.

By the 1646 Westminster Confession (God from all eternity, did, by the most wise and holy counsel of His own will, freely, and unchangeably ordain whatsoever comes to pass) and the 1689 London Baptist Confession (God hath decreed in himself, from all eternity, by the most wise and holy counsel of His own will, freely and unchangeably, all things, whatsoever comes to pass), God is the first-cause of all evil.  All tragedy, suffering, disease, decay, iniquity, corruption, immorality, wickedness and depravity covering the manifold of sin in heaven and earth were willed by God before anything existed except the Trinity. Injustice also reigned since the greater part of mankind was predestined to eternal damnation by God's decree before the universe was formed (Mat 7:13, 14).

Matthew 12:31, 32 and Mark 3:29, 30 present the "unpardonable sin" of blaspheming the Holy Spirit.  Attributing, to Satan, Christ's authenticating miracles, done in the power of the Holy Spirit, is one path to blasphemy. What about attributing Satan's evil to the Holy Spirit?  Is that less heinous than attributing the Holy Spirit's goodness to Satan?  Might that be another path to blasphemy?  Is Calvinism just one more arrogant theology concocted by a few Christian elite to create an "elect" aristocracy or is it blasphemy at its core?  How could Augustine, Calvin and their theological progeny embrace such a grievous error?  According to John Wesley's "Serious Considerations on Absolute Predestination":

"This doctrine is novel. In the first four hundred years after Christ, no mention is made of it by any writer, great or small, in any part of the Christian Church.  The foundations of it were laid in the later writings of Augustine, when unguardedly writing against Pelagius.  It was afterward taught by Dominicus, a popish friar, and the monks of his order, and at last, it was unhappily taken up by John Calvin."

Wesley goes on to say:

• This doctrine is injurious to God because it makes Him the author of all sin and represents Him as delighting in the death of sinners, expressly contrary to His own declaration (Ezek. 33:11; I Tim. 2:4).
• This doctrine makes the preaching of the Gospel mere mockery and delusion since many of those to whom it is preached are, by an irrevocable decree, shut out from being benefited by it.
• This doctrine makes the coming of Christ and His sacrifice upon the cross, instead of being a fruit of God's love to the world, to be one of the severest acts of God's indignation against mankind.  God only ordained a very few for salvation while hardening and increasing the damnation of the far greater number of mankind, namely all those who do not believe. The cause of this unbelief is the counsel and decree of God.

In contrast to Calvinism, Wesley affirmed that God has willed all to be saved and sacrificed his unique Son on the cross so that the great gift of salvation would be available to all mankind.  There is hardly any other article of the Christian faith so frequently, plainly and positively asserted.  It is that which makes the preaching of the gospel 'Glad tidings to all.'  Had this offer of salvation been confined to a few, it would be 'Sad tidings of great sorrow' to most people.

But who was John Calvin the man?  Some pastors and scholars claim he was the most brilliant Christian theologian since Paul the apostle.  They extol his Institutes of the Christian Religion as the definitive work that most influenced their Christian formation.  Before enshrining him on the throne of theological greatness, however, should we not examine his life to see if he walked the talk?  If you were inclined to follow the leadership of Mary Baker Eddy, Charles Taze Russel, Joseph Smith, Sun Myung Moon, Charles Sherlock Fillmore, Victor Paul Wierwille or Herbert Armstrong, would you not first examine their fruit?  What about Martin Luther, Aurelius Augustinus, Jacobus Arminius and John Wesley?  Do any of these men get a free pass on behavior?  John Calvin secured a theocratic vice grip on Geneva in 1541.  Failure to join the “elect” aristocracy was hazardous to your health if you lived in Geneva.  Calvin had no love, compassion, patience or tolerance for anyone who objected to the teachings in his Institutes of the Christian Religion or who refused to submit to him personally.  Criticism of his teaching was considered heresy for which the sentence was death.  In the ensuing years, he presided over approximately 58 executions, 76 exiles and numerous commitments to prison.  Most of the hapless victims had dared to be critical of Calvin or his theology but the executions included about 34 women burned at the stake for witchcraft.  For the burning execution of Michael Servetus, Calvin suggested that his men use green wood for the fire because it burned slower.  Servetus was screaming as he was literally baked alive from the feet upward and suffered the heat of the flames for 30 minutes before finally succumbing.  John Calvin was a diabolically cruel dictator incapable of Christian kindness, mercy or love.  Do you believe God plucked a pitiless, ruthless, merciless and brutal man from the dust bin of history to resurrect and extrapolate a theology dormant for eleven centuries, a theology not found in the Christian Church for the first 400 years after Christ?  But if not God, what other powerful authorities might have been instrumental in the empowerment of John Calvin?

Some independent churches and many entire denominations (i.e. Presbyterian, Anglican) are founded on Calvinism.  They view themselves as the keepers of orthodoxy for the Protestant Reformation which most Protestants view as the event in Christian history that rescued the church from the corruption of Roman Catholicism.  Curiously, key personalities of the Reformation (i.e. Calvin and Luther) were at least as sinister, diabolical and cruel as those they sought to replace.  Other churches (i.e. Nazarene, Wesleyan) completely reject Calvinism.  Still others (i.e. Calvary Chapel, Bob Jones) refuse to take a position because they believe only God comprehends the meaning of His own sovereignty.  The Southern Baptist Convention is bipolar on this issue and, like a great pendulum, is slowly swinging back toward its Calvinist roots.  Southern Baptist congregations are discouraged, by pastors, from even discussing Calvinism.  Anyone who raises the issue risks being labeled as “divisive” or “having an agenda.”   Meanwhile, Southern Baptist Seminaries and Bible Colleges are funneling a new generation of Calvinist pastors into the denomination.

The co-existence of Calvinism and Arminianism in a single denomination is being orchestrated by SBC upper echelon elite under the guise of peace and unity.  They believe success might be possible but only if a substantial level of ignorance, on the Calvinism/Arminianism issue, is maintained within local church congregations.  They know a church will be fundamentally divided if the congregation repudiates the following items while church leaders embrace them:

• Given two propositions (event happened) and (God willed event), both are true or both are false for every conceivable event.
• Regeneration precedes faith because God elected only certain specific persons for salvation.  These persons alone are unconditionally and irresistibly regenerated by the power of the Holy Spirit and subsequently demonstrate repentance, faith and obedience.  The souls of most men, women, children and babies are, upon death, sent to eternal damnation never having had an opportunity for salvation.  God is self glorified as He watches this plan unfold.
• God is the first-cause of all evil.  All tragedy, suffering, disease, decay, iniquity, corruption, immorality, wickedness and depravity covering the manifold of sin in heaven and earth were decreed by God before anything existed except the Trinity.
• In eternity past, God unchangeably ordained everything; therefore, your prayers can change the outcome of nothing.

Ironically, local congregations of any non-Calvinist church, if given a choice, almost never choose the framework of Calvinism to define their theological beliefs.  Calvinism usually makes its way into the Church via the vehicle of a new pastor or small group of elders infused with Calvinism by a Bible College or Seminary.  The full face of Calvinism is never taught or preached by these infiltrators because the greater portion of the congregation would find it offensive. Nevertheless, theological threads will gradually be woven into the preaching and teaching of the church.  For example, the tragic death of a child may be framed by saying, "Although we don't understand, we must accept God's will in the death of this child."

What is the position of your church on Calvinism?  What is your position?  If Calvinism is making uninvited, ninja-like infiltrations into your church or denomination and you decide to stand against it, be prepared for certain tactics frequently utilized by those who believe Calvinism should, for the greater good, dominate or at least co-exist.  Once the core conflicts of Calvinism/Arminianism can no longer be suppressed by clever strategies, the proponents of Calvinism will generally maneuver from a tactical playbook that includes some of the following items:

• Avoid admitting you are a Calvinist.
• Avoid engaging your opponents with logic and reason.
• Erect a few “straw-man” arguments, attribute them to your opponents and then show their weaknesses.  (A typical straw-man argument erected by Calvinists is that Arminians believe in salvation by works because the act of free will acceptance is a “work.”  But Scripture never portrays a choice to receive a gift from God as a “work.”)
• Never advocate the full face of Calvinism; instead, gradually weave theological threads into the preaching and teaching of the church.
• Assert that Calvinist men and women are hard working persons of the highest integrity whose motives are beyond reproach.
• Suggest that your opponents are divisive, narrow minded, mean spirited and instruments of discord.
• Assert the intellectual, academic and spiritual superiority of Calvinist theologians and spokespersons.
• Extol the magnificence of the Reformation and the Reformers.
• Teach that peace and unity are more important than some antiquated concept of truth.
  

The opponents of Calvinism need only three items.

• Calvinism is not supported by Scripture taken in its entirety.
• Calvinism is not supported by logic and reason.
• Calvinism is blasphemy at its core.

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3. What is the source of evil? Why Do Bad Things Happen to Good People?

One proposed answer starts with the theodicy premise, "If a person is righteous and God is all-powerful, just and good then the person will not suffer" which is of the form "if (x and y) then not-z." Taking the contrapositive, "if z then (not-x or not-y)," yields "if a person suffers then the person is not righteous or God is not all-powerful, just and good." We all know persons whose godliness is genuine, whose moral character is upright and who, though not sinless, have kept themselves from great transgression, but who nonetheless suffer bitterly. Since the Christian God is all-powerful, just and good, it follows that such persons are not righteous. The problem with this logic is the theodicy premise itself; the premise is false and all conclusions drawn from it are false!

Another proposed answer is that evil is God's will. The Calvinist reasons that God from all eternity, did, by the most wise and holy counsel of His own will, freely, and unchangeably ordain whatsoever comes to pass. This includes all kinds of evil! When a cleric officiating at the funeral of someone who has died a tragic death intones, "We must accept this tragedy as the will of God," he is attributing this tragic death to the immutable will of a holy and loving God.

Other proposed answers include:

• We live in a random universe where things simply happen. But what, then, is the explanation for intentional goodness?
• Evil is simply the absence of goodness. Does this describe a terrorist who kills thousands of persons at random?
• Evil is an illusion, an aberration of our ignorant intellect. Try telling this to someone who is dying of cancer or cystic fibrosis.
• Evil is the mistaken result of the creational activity of a finite, limited god who cannot keep up with his runaway creation. Why would the infinite God of Christianity have difficulty keeping up with anything?

Consider this option. God created angels and humans as first-cause agents with the free will to choose or reject love in every situation. Within limits and for a time, God will permit the consequences of these choices; otherwise, free will is an illusion. God is infinitely, eternally and immutably good and will immediately prevent any evil except that which results from the free will decisions of angels and humans. Therefore, rebellious angels and humans are the first-cause agents of all existing evil. Satan, the ruler of rebellious angels, is the prince of this world and all creation groans under his iron fist.

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4. Is Christianity Compatible with Positive Tolerance?

The conclusion that "Jesus is God" is a natural consequence of classical logic based on the evidence of Scripture, tradition (history) and personal experience. Some in our time fail to be convinced by classical logic because of positive tolerance, a concept taught in many educational institutions and through the media. Positive tolerance is a construction of Hegelian dialectic reasoning in which we synthesize that both a theses and its antithesis are true. In other words, (a is b) is true and (a is-not b) is true; (Jesus is God) is true and (Jesus is-not God) is true. This means every individual's beliefs, values, lifestyle and truth claims are equally valid. Not only does everyone have an equal right to his beliefs but all beliefs are equally true. I may believe (Jesus is God) but I must also believe (Allah is God), (Buddha is God), (Brahman is God) and (God is a fictitious being). The concept of positive tolerance is incompatible with logic and reason. One of God's attributes is absolute truth; positive tolerance is absolute lie.

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5. What is Holiness?

Holiness is the attribute of God which permeates all other attributes. It is the state of who He is and the act of what He does; it is absolute purity of will, intellect, heart and action. Certain words such as love, integrity, righteousness, sanctification, morality, ethics and character, have no meaning aside from the holiness of God. Holiness makes God perfect in being, wisdom, power, justice, goodness and truth.

Since man is created in God's image, every human possesses a soul comprising a will, intellect and heart and every human is capable of action. As with God, holiness in man is both state and act. My state is holy if my will, intellect and heart conform respectively to the will, intellect and heart of God. My acts are holy if they flow from a holy state and are the acts God would do in my place.

Sin is all things not holy. The state of my will, intellect and heart is either holy or sinful; my acts are either holy or sinful. The intersection of sin and holiness is the null or empty set. Holiness and sin are disjoint sets or mutually exclusive events in the sample space of all possible states and actions.

Although much of reality is part of a causal chain, God does not determine my free will decisions and I will not always select the path of holiness. Also, my intellect is finite, my wisdom is flawed and I am fully capable of justifying sin by logic and reason. Finally, my human heart is deceitfully wicked and cannot be trusted (Gen 6:5; Ps 14:1; Prov 12:15, 14:12, 20:9; Isa 32:6; Jer 17:9; Mat 15:19; Mark 7:21; John 5:42; Acts 28:27). Given my flawed human soul, how can I ever hope to be holy?

I begin by requesting an audience with God and saying, "Father, I come into Your presence confessing I am a sinner, having remorse in my heart, wanting to repent, asking for Your mercy, receiving from You the far greater gift of salvation and believing I am saved by faith, the grace of God and the substitutionary atonement of Jesus Christ." God responds by giving me the gift of salvation. Part of this gift is the regeneration or initial sanctification of my soul. By this gift, the Holy Spirit makes known to me the will of God and helps me discern truth from lie. He occupies and purifies all the rooms of my heart into which He is invited. For the first time in my life I am not a prisoner of sin. I am free to pursue the path of righteousness. This is the first day of my Christian life. This new life is a daily dying to sin and living to pursue righteousness; it constitutes a life of repentance, faith and obedience continually reaffirmed and renewed. It means allowing my will and intellect to become increasingly aligned with the will and intellect of God. It means letting the Holy Spirit occupy and purify an increasing number of rooms in my heart. It means works of Christian love flow increasingly from a heart that loves God and loves my neighbor. I am now on the path to holiness.  How far can I travel along this path of sanctification during my life on earth?  Can I achieve, at least for a time:

• Holiness in being and holiness in action
• Purity of heart, will, intellect and action
• Perfect love, integrity, righteousness, morality, ethics, and character

Can I at least allow the Holy Spirit to occupy and purify nearly every room of my heart?  Can my human will be at least somewhat aligned with the will of God?  Can my feeble intellect discern at least many important truths?  Will the Holy Spirit give me a boost toward the top?  Will He occasionally push me up so I can hang from the edge of the precipice?  Can I be holy, for a while, until I am, once again, weighed down by my own

• Concupiscence

• Bad  judgment

•  Inconsistent will

• Weariness caused by the constant struggle against temptation      

causing me to lose my grip and fall from the heights?  Scripture suggests the possibility of, at least, hanging from the edge of the precipice for a time.

• God would not command the impossible.  A mature, complete, continuing response to grace is enjoined repeatedly in Scripture (Ex 19:6; John 5:14; 2 Cor 7:1; Heb 6:1; 1 Pet 1:15).  God would not require holiness in this life (Luke 10:27; Rom 6:11) if it were impossible.

• God would not promise complete responsiveness to grace if it were intrinsically unattainable.  A complete and mature life of loving holiness is clearly promised in scripture (Mat 5:6; 1 Thes 5:23, 24; Heb 7:25; 1 John 1:7, 9).

• The apostles repeatedly prayed for the full and complete life of holiness and perfect love (John 17:20-25; 2 Cor 13:9-11; Eph 3:14-21; Col 4:12; Heb 13:20,21; 1 Pet 5:10).  Were they deluded?

• Scripture identifies a few entirely sanctified persons (Gen 5:18-24; Gen 6:9; Job 1:8).  A single instance establishes attainability.

• Certain texts that appear to argue for un-attainability can be explained on different grounds (Eccles 7:20; 2 Chron 6:36; Job 25:4; 1 John 1:8-10). 

Can persons be easily identified who have been boosted up to entire sanctification (Christian Perfection) or have otherwise been given special empowerment by the Holy Spirit to a peerage above the ranks of the merely saved?  Can some duly elected board of examiners certify such individuals?  Some believe the gift of “tongues” is proof of a particular kind of empowerment.  Others review Scripture covering the twenty “Gifts of the Holy Spirit”  (Rom 12:6-8; 1 Cor 12:4-11; 1 Cor 12:28; Eph 4:11) and conclude God:

• Imparts a variety of gifts according to His divine grace (Eph 4:7,8).
• Chooses these gifts at His own discretion and not according to our desire (1 Cor 12:11).
• Wills every Christian exercise one or more spiritual gifts (1 Cor 12:4-7). 

Perhaps we need to look beyond denominational certifications, personal claims of holiness and personal displays of gifts to identify those who have been boosted up to entire sanctification or have otherwise been given special empowerment by the Holy Spirit to a peerage above the rank and file Christian.  Perhaps we should examine their fruit (Mat 7:16-20; Gal 5:22,23).

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6. Are Christians Expected "to do" or Just "to be"?

Holiness is the state of who God is and the acts that He does. A state of holiness in humans is characterized by absolute purity of heart, intellect and will. Acts of holiness by humans are frequently called "fruit of the Spirit" (Gal 5:22); they represent acts of Christian love performed by one person and received by another. Christians are expected to reflect God's holiness since we are created in His image (Gen 1:26). In fact, we are specifically commanded to be holy because God is holy (Lev 11:44).

What about the option of just "being" in a state of holiness but not "doing" holy acts? For example, I could allocate Sundays for worship and prayer. During the week I could concentrate on avoiding sinful thoughts thereby maintaining the purity of my heart. I could also participate in the church choir and read the Bible regularly. I could even study the deep meaning of Greek and Hebrew text and become skilled at systematic theology and Biblical exegesis. Of course with all this activity, I wouldn't have time to minister to others or be a servant to anyone. Maybe my daily life could serve as a role model for the unsaved but I certainly wouldn't have time to deal with those people directly. Furthermore, my church comprises old time "saints of God" and is just the right size. There is no need to be discipled or to disciple others in my church; we are beyond that sort of thing.

The commandments in Scripture stand in sharp contrast to the option embraced in the previous paragraph. Read the following passages and judge for yourself: Mat 22:36-40; Rom 13:8-10; Gal 5:14; Luke 8:21; Jam 4:17; Eph 4:11-12; John 15:1-2, 8, 13, 16; Mat 7:12, 17-20; Mat 25:14-30.

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7. What is Your Theology?

Many say, "I just believe in God! I don't need a theology or doctrine." If this statement encompasses your Christian beliefs then it defines your theology by default. Unfortunately, this statement doesn't put much separation between you and Satan's minions (Jam 2:19). You may say, "I just have faith; I don't need more." In Christianity, faith must be preceded by repentance and followed by obedience. Faith as an intellectual exercise or emotional experience is meaningless. From the moment you are saved by the grace of God and the substitutionary atonement of Jesus Christ, deeds matter (Jam 2:14-25). Your belief system, or theology, determines your deeds. If you need more detail in your belief system, try the following:

• The Bible is the inspired, infallible and inerrant word of God.
• The one true God exists as three distinct, transcendent, immanent, infinite, eternal, and immutable persons: God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.
• Jesus Christ is God the Son. Jesus Christ is man. Jesus Christ is one person whose divine and human natures cannot be changed, divided, separated or mixed. Jesus Christ was resurrected bodily from the dead. Jesus Christ was born of a virgin.
• Every person since Adam and Eve, except Jesus Christ, was born with a sin nature and no person, except Jesus Christ, has lived a sinless life.
• Salvation from the consequences of sin is offered to all persons by the grace of God and the substitutionary atonement of Jesus Christ.
• The grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all persons (Titus 2:11): (a) the requirements of the law are written by God on every heart (Rom. 2:15), (b) Jesus Christ knocks at the door of every heart (Rev. 3:20), (c) the Holy Spirit calls and convicts each person (John 16:8) and (d) God's eternal power and divine nature are evident in the world around us (Rom 1:20). Nevertheless, many resist the grace of God.
• Each person who responds to God's grace and the substitutionary atonement of Jesus Christ by confession of sin, remorse, repentance, faith and obedience receives the great gift of salvation. Each person who resists God's grace is condemned to everlasting punishment.
• Faith precedes regeneration; faith is an act of human free will responding to the grace of God.

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8. What Gifts Does God Give You at the Instant of Salvation?

Each person who responds to God's grace (Titus 2:11) and the substitutionary atonement of Jesus Christ (Rom 5:8; 1 John 2:2) by confession of sin, remorse, repentance, faith and obedience instantly receives the great gift of salvation. This gift includes but is not limited to the following:

• Redemption (Rom 3:24; 8:23) - You are freed from the bondage of sin for the first time in your life.
• Forgiveness (Mat 6:9-15; 1 John 1:8-10) - You are forgiven your sins by God.
• Justification (Rom 3:24) - You are declared righteous by God; this legal declaration is valid because Christ died to pay the penalty for your sin and lived a life of perfect righteousness that can in turn be imputed to you.
• Adoption (Rom 3:23; Gal 3:26; 1 John 3:2) - You are a joint heir with Jesus to the Kingdom of God.
• Regeneration (John 3:1-21) - The Holy Spirit makes known to you the will of God and helps you discern truth from lie. He occupies and purifies all the rooms of your heart into which He is invited. For the first time in your life you are not a prisoner of sin. You are free to pursue the path of righteousness. This is the first day of your Christian life and you are a new creature in Christ. This is the mechanism of your redemption.
• Sanctification (Heb 6:1; 1 Pet 1:13-16) - You are led by the Holy Spirit along the path toward holiness; this is a lifetime journey.
• Reconciliation ( Eph 2:11-22) - You are reconciled with all other believers.
• Unification (3:1-11) - You are united with all believers in the Church of Jesus Christ.
• Glorification (Rom 8:30) - You will complete the journey along the path of sanctification when your mission in this life is done.

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9. Why is the Protestant Church Dying in the United States?

Available evidence suggests most denominations and individual protestant churches have either reached a plateau or are on the decline in the United States. This country may be only one or two generations behind Europe, Australia, New Zealand and other regions in experiencing the essential death of the church. Why is this happening? Is the church afflicted with some Satanic virus for which there is neither treatment nor cure? Is the reason for this spiral into the abyss some great theological mystery?

Chapters 2 and 3 of Ephesians explain that all believers are reconciled with one another and united in the Church of Jesus Christ; authorities in Heaven are observing the church hoping to see the "manifold wisdom of God" at work on earth. To the extent these rulers see a body of believers characterized by:

• Confession of sin, remorse, repentance, faith and obedience
• Spiritual unity in pursuit of the Great Commandment (Mat 22:36-40) and the Great Commission (Mat 28:18-20)

they see the hand of God working through His church. But what ugly characteristics are these authorities also observing in churches across the United States? The list includes but is certainly not limited to the following items. As you read these items, remember that much is expected from those to whom much has been given (Luke 12:48) and much has been given to America; for the United States, the bar has been raised.

• Pastors lacking the courage of their convictions and no longer serving the One who called them but instead serving the ones who pay their salaries and control their careers.  Each pastor who becomes an entertainment director, chief entertainer or master of ceremonies for some introverted, self-serving, country club and each pastor intent on steering his "cruise ship" through calm waters without any rough seas, anxious moments or requirement to reason or act beyond a fourth grade level will be judged by the One who called him/her to ministry.
• Pastors who are terrified by the thought that they may have to reveal and defend their own positions on contested Christian issues such as Calvinism, tongues, entire sanctification, the Holy Trinity, Biblical inspiration, the bodily resurrection, the virgin birth, sin, salvation, same sex unions and many others.  Even though studies have linked the failure of evangelism to ignorance of apologetics, pastors fear their congregations might learn too much.  Excessive knowledge invites division.  An ignorant congregation is a manageable congregation.  After all, isn’t the prime objective to keep the local church cruise ship moving along through calm waters with everyone well fed and entertained and the pastor employed?
• Pastors who have little interest in evangelizing their own communities.  They will invest enormous church resources to construct one room cinder block buildings in third world countries but completely ignore giant apartment complexes next door to their churches.
• Pastors who teach that Christians will achieve health, healing, well being, safety, wealth and prosperity in this life if only they will "confess it and possess it" or "name it and claim it."
• Pastors having neither leadership nor administrative skills but refusing to delegate or relinquish control to those who do.
• Pastors and church leaders growing impatient with God and seeking to do His work by the power of the flesh rather than by the power of the Holy Spirit.  The central problems of Christianity are always in the midst of the people of God and not in the circumstances of the world. Satan strives to cripple the church from within.  Although Christians are useless to God without being empowered by the Holy Spirit, many pastors and church leaders ape the world's wisdom, trust its forms of publicity and imitate its ways of manipulating men.  If we put the world's wisdom at the center of our activities, we may gain the power of the world, but we will forfeit the power of the Holy Spirit. The world, at every level, is at war with the forces of evil.  But we cannot win our portion of the engagement with earthly weapons (Eph 6:10-18).  
  
• Church leaders having neither leadership nor administrative skills. With regard to that old saying -- either lead, follow or get out of the way-- these leaders choose "none of the above."
• Church leaders who wallow in the exercise of power and authority. They have forgotten that when a Christian is extruded by God into a position of leadership, that person becomes a greater servant to all.
• Church leaders who don't know the meaning of corporate prayer.
• Church leaders and Bible scholars who teach non-Biblical concepts such as: (1) the reality of the trinity is false; God exists as one person with three faces or masks, (2) Jesus was not bodily resurrected from the dead, (3) Paul exhibited latent homosexual tendencies, (4) Jesus had a sexual relationship with Mary Magdalene, (5) modern psychology and sociology supercede the Bible with regard to behavioral issues, (6) most people were predestined to Hell by God’s decree before the universe was formed and (7) salvation is universal; all go to Heaven. 
• Churches exercising non-Biblical concepts in the selection of church leaders. Most churches would be pleased to accept John Newton or the apostle Paul as a pastor, elder or deacon even though these men were frequently accessories to murder. These same churches might exclude a 60-year-old Christian, having tremendous leadership skills, because he/she was deserted by a spouse at age 19.
• Churches substituting man made rituals (committees, boards, councils, by-laws, membership) and non-Biblical vision (massive building programs and extensive property ownership) for Biblical leadership and planning; these congregations become obsessed with property ownership and they sacrifice Great Commission work to achieve it.
• Churches that are little more than introverted, self-serving country clubs for a few families. Service has been replaced by serve-us and "it's all about God" has been replaced by "it's all about me."
• Churches having ritualistic, "wooden" worship services; the Holy Spirit is not invited and would not be welcomed if He showed up.
• Churches where "loving your neighbor" is practiced but with subtle exclusivity regarding who constitutes a neighbor.
• Churches with no burden for evangelism because of their belief that persons elected to salvation and persons condemned to hell were chosen by God before the universe was formed.
• Churches where "enlarging the fellowship" means inviting persons just like those already present but, by treatment, excluding others from country club participation.
• Churches where "discipleship" means re-reading the same baby-food Sunday School lessons covered for the past 30 years but never knowing exactly what Christians believe and why.  
• Christian institutions and denominations originally created to preserve theological purity, but over time, morphing into exclusive clubs enabling Christian "insiders" to set themselves apart from the world.  The common name for this malady is legalism and the insiders consider themselves "Christian elite."  After a while, mere separation from the world is not enough.  These Christian elite invent standards of appearance and behavior to elevate themselves above the rank and file Christian.  Their self proclaimed purity lifts them to a peerage above the just barely saved.  To accentuate this separation, they include behavior before salvation in the overall measure of moral worth.  Positions of leadership are restricted to those who have not violated specific, but arbitrary, rules prior to salvation.  It seems that regeneration by the Grace of God can never quite lift the ordinary repentant sinner to the peerage occupied by those who claim pre-salvation lives of moral purity in some category of behavior.  This is a slap in the face to God’s plan of redemption and creates an obstacle for the unsaved.  The corruption that is Christian elitism is invisible to the self proclaimed elite but clear as a bell to outsiders looking in.  Christianity is a redemptive religion based on confession of sin, remorse, repentance, faith and obedience continually reaffirmed and renewed.  It is a daily dying to sin and living to pursue righteousness.  You have no grasp on holiness except that given to you by the grace of God.   God sometimes uses persons who have demonstrated a lifetime of substantial moral purity but, most often, He uses men and women who have desperately responded to the grace of God by confession of sin, remorse, repentance, faith and obedience.  The Church is a hospital for the healing of sinners, not an introverted, self-serving country club for saints.  God used Paul the Apostle and John Newton the pastor, who were each accessories to multiple murders.  God allowed Tamar, Rahab and Bathsheba to be part of the genealogy of Jesus.  Which of us, by our own merit, can be elevated above the sin of this world?

• 2-10 -- ritual prayer for which few expect a response from God
• 20-30 -- musical entertainment (solo, praise team, choir and congregational)
• 2-5 -- announcements from the entertainment staff to the passengers
• 20-30 -- sermon crafted to avoid causing anyone to think or become uneasy

Prayer (Praise, Repentance, Thanksgiving, Mercy)
Restoration (Purification, Regeneration, Transformation, Maintenance)
Truth (Precedent, Reason, Testament, Manifold)
Magnification (Promise, Revelation, Trust, Manifestation)

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10. Did God Elect Only a Few for Salvation While Condemning the Greater Part of Mankind to Hell?

Arminians believe much of reality is part of a causal chain but many human actions are the result of a first-cause, human free will choice between two or more options. Calvinists believe every event in the universe is under God's "sovereign" control including all actions and thoughts of men and angels. Calvinists say you may think your choices are free but God is really the hidden, first-cause behind every decision you make. Calvinists believe God only ordained a few for salvation while hardening and increasing the damnation of the far greater part of mankind, namely all those who do not believe. The cause of this unbelief is the counsel and decree of God.

Calvinism would appear to undermine God's holiness, justice, goodness and truth. But what does Scripture teach? Read the following verses, get a Bible, read the text around each verse and then reach your own conclusion.

• For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16)
• He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world. (1 John 2:2)
• Then Peter began to speak: "I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism but accepts men from every nation who fear him and do what is right. (Acts 10:34-35)
• They came to him and said, "Teacher, we know you are a man of integrity. You aren't swayed by men, because you pay no attention to who they are; but you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. (Mark 12:14)
• This is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance (and for this we labor and strive) that we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, and especially of those who believe. (1 Tim 4:9-10)
• This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. (1 Tim 2:3-4)
• The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. (2 Pet 3:9)
• Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked? declares the Sovereign LORD. Rather, am I not pleased when they turn from their ways and live? (Ezek 18:23)
• Yet you say, 'The way of the Lord is not just.' Hear, O house of Israel: Is my way unjust? Is it not your ways that are unjust? (Ezek 18:25)
• Say to them, 'As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live. Turn! Turn from your evil ways! Why will you die, O house of Israel?' (Ezek 33:11)
• For he does not willingly bring affliction or grief to the children of men. (Lam 3:33)
• For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes. (Deut 10:17)
• Now let the fear of the LORD be upon you. Judge carefully, for with the LORD our God there is no injustice or partiality or bribery. (2 Chron 19:7)
• Is he not the One who says to kings, 'You are worthless,' and to nobles, 'You are wicked,' who shows no partiality to princes and does not favor the rich over the poor, for they are all the work of his hands? (Job 34:18-19)
• For God does not show favoritism. (Rom 2:11)
• And masters, treat your slaves in the same way. Do not threaten them, since you know that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no favoritism with him. (Eph 6:9)

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11. Is Satan Alive and Well?

The outcome of the great war between good and evil was decided by the substitutionary atonement of Jesus Christ. But few would claim Jesus has already repossessed and repaired his corrupted creation. For a time and within limits, Jesus continues to permit the consequences of rebellion and the brutal corruption of all life.

Look around. Did our good, omnipotent God create the inherently violent and terrifying system we see in nature, a system rife with sickness, suffering and death - a system red in tooth and claw? Does nature itself appear to operate contrary to the character of God? Does the world at every level appear to be at war? Does the world appear to be permeated and corrupted at all levels by an evil influence? Did Jesus believe that someone else had been given authority over this world and Jesus Himself must repossess and repair?

• Three times, Jesus referred to Satan as the prince of this world.

Now is the time for judgment on this world; now the prince of this world will be driven out. (John 12:31)

I will not speak with you much longer, for the prince of this world is coming. He has no hold on me, but the world must learn that I love the Father and that I do exactly what my Father has commanded me. "Come now; let us leave. (John 14:30-31)

When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment: in regard to sin, because men do not believe in me; in regard to righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; and in regard to judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned. (John 16:8-11)

• Jesus accepted the concept that Satan had been given authority over this world.

The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. And he said to Him, "I will give you all their authority and splendor, for it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. So if you worship me, it will all be yours." Jesus answered, "It is written: Worship the Lord your God and serve him only." (Luke 4:5-8)

• Jesus addresses the evil prince as the leader of a unified army of spirit beings.

"Then he will say to those on his left, Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels." (Mat 25:41)

• Scripture confirms that Satan has been given control of this world.

We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one. (1 John 5:19)

The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. (2 Cor 4:4)

As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. (Eph 2:1-2)

• Scripture teaches that Satan's control is active not passive.

Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. (1 Peter 5:8)

For this reason, when I could stand it no longer, I sent to find out about your faith. I was afraid that in some way the tempter might have tempted you and our efforts might have been useless. (1 Thes 3:5)

And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. (2 Cor 11:14)

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. (Eph 6:12)

• The entire creation has been subjected to bondage and decay.

For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. (Rom 8:20-22)

Jesus' earthly ministry reflected the belief that the world had been seized by a hostile, sinister lord. Jesus came to begin the process of repossession and repair. According to Scripture the universe was originally good and the glory of God is still evident in it (Rom 1:20). But something else - something frightfully wicked - is evident in it as well. Of their own free will, Satan and other spiritual beings rebelled against God in the primordial past and now abuse their God-given authority over certain aspects of creation. Satan, who holds the power of death (Heb 2:14) exercises a pervasive, structural, diabolical influence to the point that the entire creation is in bondage to decay. The pain-ridden, bloodthirsty, sinister and hostile character of nature should be attributed to Satan and his army, not to God.

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12. What are the Attributes of God?

The attributes of God can be characterized by a finite list of words and phrases so long as we agree that when a word or phrase is applied to God, the true depth of meaning cannot be fathomed. Here are a few attributes arbitrarily grouped in seven categories. Feel free to add or rearrange.

• Being: Transcendence, Immanence, Infinitude, Eternalness, Immutability
• Wisdom: Exhaustively Definite Foreknowledge, Omniscience, Resourcefulness, Patience, Perseverance, Persistence, Discipline, Prudence, Understanding, Discernment, Stewardship, Courage
• Power: Omnipotence, Humility, Meekness, Gentleness, Obedience/yieldedness, Endurance, Long-suffering/Forbearance, Respect, Responsibility, Dependence, Devotion, Surrender, Commitment
• Holiness: The state of who You are and the acts that You do; Holiness in being and Holiness in action; Absolute purity of heart, will, intellect and action; Perfect love, integrity, righteousness, morality, ethics, character; Perfect being, wisdom, power, justice, goodness, truth
• Justice: Punishment for Sinners; Substitutionary Atonement; Redemption; Forgiveness; Justification; Adoption; Regeneration; Sanctification; Reconciliation; Unification; Glorification
• Goodness: Love, Mercy, Grace, Compassion, Kindness, Benevolence, Charity, Faithfulness, Trustworthiness, Peace, Joy, Fulfillment, Fruitfulness, Faith, Hope, Reconciliation, Healing, Encouragement, Comfort, Strength
• Truth: Logic, Honesty

The infinitude of God is a particularly difficult concept for the human mind. What does it mean to say that God is infinite?  How can God be transcendent and immanent at the same time?  How many bits of information can be stored by God?  Would the capacity of God be strained by comprehending

• The past, present and future status of all space, time, matter and energy in our universe?
• The past, present and future thoughts (intellect, heart and will) of all humans and angels?

Consider the meaning of infinity.  The smallest infinity is called aleph-null; its cardinality (n) is the number of elements in the set of all positive integers.  This infinity is, by definition, "countable."  After aleph-null, each element of an infinite set is a subset of elements from its predecessor.  The cardinality (number of elements), for each successive infinity, is the number of subsets in the set of all possible subsets constructed from its predecessor.  For example, the next infinity after aleph-null is aleph-1 or the continuum; its cardinality ( n' = 2ⁿ ) is the number of subsets in the set of all possible subsets constructed from the positive integers.  This happens to be the same as the number of elements in the set of all real numbers.  Aleph-1 is not countable.  The next infinity is aleph-2; its cardinality ( n'' = 2^n' ) is the number of subsets in the set of all possible subsets constructed from the real numbers.  Consider the possibility that God can easily process at least n'''''''^....  bits of information where the number of  ' marks is n.  What sort of concepts might such a God view as trivial while they confound the most brilliant human minds?  Perhaps He could determine the precise array of cosmological parameters that would permit human life to exist in our universe.  We exist because:

• The ratio of electrical force to gravitational force is precisely 10³⁶. 
• The fraction of mass converted to energy by the nuclear fusion of hydrogen to helium in a star is precisely 0.007.
• The ratio of gravitational energy to expansion energy was precisely 1.0 in the early universe.
• The ratio of dispersion energy to rest mass energy for a galaxy of stars is precisely 10^-5.
• On a human scale, the number of spatial dimensions is precisely 3. 

Significant deviations would preclude our existence.  Other concepts which we view as mysterious would likewise be trivially non-mysterious to the mind of an infinite God.

• The ratio of πR to 0.0123456789 where R = (the fine transition radio frequency of hydrogen in space) is remarkably close to the speed of light in a vacuum.
• The location of the seat of consciousness in the human brain is unresolved.
• Holiness cannot be defined separately from God.

Perhaps all these things are so trivial to God that they occupy an infinitesimally small portion of his thoughts.  More consuming issues might be the need for our confession of sin, remorse repentance, faith and obedience.

But wouldn’t the sheer size of the known universe -- 100 billion stars in each of 100 billion galaxies -- overwhelm even the most infinite God?  Consider the following hypothetical exercise just to put things in perspective.  Divide the universe into an ordered (numbered) array of volumes each equal to the cube of the Planck Length (1.6 x10^-35 meter).  These volumes may be visualized as volumetric pixels or “voxels” of variable shape similar to finite elements.  Assume the state of each voxel is 1 or 0.  Then the state of the entire universe is defined by a countably infinite sequence of binary digits or, in other words, a single real number.  The possible 3-D geometric arrangements of 1’s and 0’s would be more than sufficient to accommodate the complexity of any “Theory of Everything” that might be devised including those based on Lie Group E8 symmetry.

Now imagine God allows the state of each voxel to change at time intervals equal to the Planck Time (5.4 x 10^-44 seconds).  At the end of each time interval, a new real number defines the state of the universe.  Nestled among the elements of aleph-3 are particular subsets of aleph-2 that track all possible histories of the universe from the big bang onward.  An immanent God would only have to comprehend infinity at a cardinality of  n''' to avoid being overwhelmed by this universe.  The Christian God understands infinity at least to a cardinality of  n'''''''^....  where the number of  ' marks is n.

God would essentially have the ability to “fast forward” and “slow motion” the universe without leaving any evidence detectible by us.

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13. What are the Core Beliefs of Christianity?

The Bible is the inspired, infallible and inerrant word of God.

• This concept is discussed in Chapter 10 of Christian Handbook of Reason and Insight for Scientists and Technologists.

The one true God exists as three distinct, transcendent, immanent, infinite, eternal, and immutable persons: God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.

• The one true God (Deut 4:35, 6:4; Isa 43:10, 44:6-8; I Cor 8:6; 1 Tim 2:5) exists as three distinct,
• transcendent (1 Kings 8:27),
• immanent (Acts 17:27,28; Col 1:16-17),
• infinite (1 Kings 8:27),
• eternal (Isa 57:15),
• and immutable (Mal 3:6) persons:
  • God the Father (John 5:18, 10:29, 14:28, 17:1-3; 1 Cor 8:6; Phil 2:11),
  • God the Son (Isa 7:14, 44:6; John 1:1-14, 5:18, 10:30, 20:28, 8:58 cf Ex 3:14; Rom 9:5; Phil 2:5-11; Col 1:15-18; Titus 2:13, Heb 1:8; 1 John 5:20; Rev 22:13-18) and
  • God the Holy Spirit (Ex 17:7 cf Heb 3:7-9; Mat 28:19; Acts 5:3-4, 13:2 cf Gal 1:1 and 1 Tim 1:1; 1 Cor 3:16; 2 Cor 13:14; 2 Tim 3:16 cf 2 Pet 1:21; Heb 9:14)

Some have claimed the Holy Spirit is not a person. This claim is refuted by the following Scriptures: (John 14:26, 15:26, 16:7-11, 14; Acts 5:3, 13:2, 16:7; Rom 8:16, 26; 1 Cor 12:11; Eph 1:14, 4:30)

Jesus Christ is God the Son. Jesus Christ is man. Jesus Christ is one person who’s divine and human natures cannot be changed, divided, separated or mixed. Jesus Christ was resurrected bodily from the dead. Jesus Christ was born of a virgin.

• Jesus Christ is God the Son (Isa 7:14 cf Mat 1:23, 44:6; John 1:1-14, 5:18, 10:30, 20:28, 8:58 cf Ex 3:14; Rom 9:5; Phil 2:5-11; Col 1:15-18; Titus 2:13, Heb 1:8; 1 John 5:20; Rev 22:13-18).
• Jesus Christ is man (Mark 2:27,28; John 1:14; Rom 1:3; Phil 2:5-11; 1 Tim 2:5; 1 John 4:1-4).
• Jesus Christ is one person whose divine and human natures cannot be changed, divided, separated or mixed (John 1:14; Rom 1:3,4, 8:3, 9:5; Gal 4:4,5; Phil 2:5-7; 1 Tim 3:16; Heb 2:11-14; 1 John 4:2,3).
• Jesus Christ was resurrected bodily from the dead (Luke 24:36-47; John 2:19-21; Rom 8:11; 1 Cor 15:3-7; 1 John 3:2)
• Jesus Christ was born of a virgin (Isa 7:14; Mat 1:23)

Every person since Adam and Eve, except Jesus Christ, was born with a sin nature and no person, except Jesus Christ, has lived a sinless life.

• Every person since Adam and Eve (Gen 3:6-19; Rom 7:14-25), except Jesus Christ (Luke 1:35), was born with a sin nature,
• and no person (Rom 3:23, 5:12-18, 6:23; 1 John 1:8-10), except Jesus Christ (John 8:46; 2 Cor 5:21; Heb 4:15; 1 Pet 1:18-19, 2:21-22; 1 John 2:1, 3:3) has lived a sinless life.

The spotless lamb, “without blemish,” was required for the Passover (Ex 12:5) and the words, “without blemish,” constantly recur in the descriptions of the sacrifices which pointed forward to the atonement accomplished by Christ.

The Scriptures are completely unanimous in declaring the perfect sinlessness of Christ under all circumstances. The sinlessness of Christ is not merely a personal attribute, characteristic of His human nature as well as His divine nature, but it is an attribute which is absolutely essential to the atonement.

Salvation from the consequences of sin is offered to all persons by the grace of God and the substitutionary atonement of Jesus Christ.

• Salvation from the consequences of sin is offered to all persons by the grace of God and the substitutionary atonement of Jesus Christ (John 1:29, 14:6; Acts 4:10-12; Rom 3:21-25, 5:12-18; Eph 2:8-10; 1 Tim 2:5; Heb 9:14-15)

The grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all persons: (a) the requirements of the law are written by God on every heart, (b) Jesus Christ knocks at the door of every heart, (c) the Holy Spirit calls and convicts each person and (d) God’s eternal power and divine nature are evident in the world around us. Nevertheless, many resist the grace of God.

• The grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all persons (Titus 2:11):
• (a) the requirements of the law are written by God on every heart (Rom. 2:15),
• (b) Jesus Christ knocks at the door of every heart (Rev. 3:20),
• (c) the Holy Spirit calls and convicts each person (John 16:8) and
• (d) God’s eternal power and divine nature are evident in the world around us (Rom 1:20).
• Nevertheless, many resist the grace of God ((Mat 25:46; 2 Thes 1:8-9).

Each person who responds to God’s grace and the substitutionary atonement of Jesus Christ by confession of sin, remorse, repentance, faith and obedience receives the great gift of salvation. Each person who resists God’s grace is condemned to everlasting punishment.

• Each person who responds to God’s grace and the substitutionary atonement of Jesus Christ by
• confession of sin (Ps 32:3-5; 1 John 1:8-10),
• remorse (Ps 66:18; Luke 18:13),
• repentance (Mat 3:8; Rom 12:2, 13:14; Eph 4:23-24; Rev 2:5, 16, 3:3, 19),
• faith (John 6:29, 3:16-17; Acts 16:31; Eph 2:8-10) and
• obedience (Mat 28:20; Luke 11:28; John 14:15; Rom 1:5, 6:16; Heb 5:9)
• receives the great gift of salvation (Acts 4:12; Rom 1:16; 2 Cor 7:10; 1 Thes 5:9; Heb 5:9; 1 Pet 1:9, 18-19).
• Each person who resists God’s grace is condemned to everlasting punishment (Mat 25:46; 2 Thes 1:8-9).

Christian belief must be preceded by repentance and followed by obedience to qualify as faith. Faith is not just an intellectual exercise (Jam 2:19) or an emotional experience (Jer 17:9).

Faith precedes regeneration; faith is an act of human free will responding to the grace of God.

Calvinists reject this doctrine. Calvinists contend regeneration precedes faith because God elected only certain persons for salvation. Those persons alone are regenerated by the power of the Holy Spirit and subsequently demonstrate repentance, faith and obedience. The rest of mankind is condemned to everlasting punishment. Calvinism represents theological error. It is inconsistent with God’s holiness, justice, goodness and truth and it is refuted by Scripture.

• For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16)
• He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world. (1 John 2:2)
• Then Peter began to speak: "I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism but accepts men from every nation who fear him and do what is right. (Acts 10:34-35)
• They came to him and said, "Teacher, we know you are a man of integrity. You aren't swayed by men, because you pay no attention to who they are; but you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. (Mark 12:14)
• This is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance (and for this we labor and strive) that we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, and especially of those who believe. (1 Tim 4:9-10)
• This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. (1 Tim 2:3-4)
• The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. (2 Pet 3:9)
• Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked? declares the Sovereign LORD. Rather, am I not pleased when they turn from their ways and live? (Ezek 18:23)
• Yet you say, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’ Hear, O house of Israel: Is my way unjust? Is it not your ways that are unjust? (Ezek 18:25)
• Say to them, ‘As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live. Turn! Turn from your evil ways! Why will you die, O house of Israel?’ (Ezek 33:11)
• For he does not willingly bring affliction or grief to the children of men. (Lam 3:33)
• For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes. (Deut 10:17)
• Now let the fear of the LORD be upon you. Judge carefully, for with the LORD our God there is no injustice or partiality or bribery." (2 Chron 19:7)
• Is he not the One who says to kings, ‘You are worthless,’ and to nobles, ‘You are wicked,’ who shows no partiality to princes and does not favor the rich over the poor, for they are all the work of his hands? (Job 34:18-19)
• For God does not show favoritism. (Rom 2:11)
• And masters, treat your slaves in the same way. Do not threaten them, since you know that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no favoritism with him. (Eph 6:9)

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14. What is the purpose of prayer?

The "unpardonable sin" of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is defined (Mat 12:31, 32; Mark 3:29, 30) as attributing the goodness of the Holy Spirit to Satan. Calvinists may have found another path to blasphemy by attributing all Satan’s evil to God. But the greatest havoc created by the "blueprint" theology of Augustine, Calvin and their theological progeny may be a distortion of the purpose of prayer. The Calvinist believes: "God from all eternity, did, by the most wise and holy counsel of His own will, freely, and unchangeably ordain whatsoever comes to pass." If, before the universe was formed, God unchangeably ordained everything, then your prayers can change the outcome of nothing. Allow me to suggest another view, one that permeated the Christian community before the time of Augustine.

God created both angels and humans as first-cause agents of choice with the free will to accept or reject God’s wishes in every situation. God placed certain angels in charge of his creation. Some began to oppose God under the leadership of Satan, the most powerful and intelligent of all rebellious angels. They began to corrupt God’s work and exercise a pervasive, structural and diabolical influence so that all of creation was in bondage to decay. That which God created as good began to exhibit a pain-ridden, bloodthirsty, sinister and hostile demeanor. "Mother Nature," became an inherently violent and terrifying system dominated by disease, suffering and death – a system red in tooth and claw. Not wanting free will to be an illusion, God is permitting, for a time and within limits, certain consequences of rebellion and corruption caused by both fallen angels and the humans who join them. Rebellious angels and humans, under the leadership of Satan, are the first-cause of all evil.

The world, at every level, is at war. We are on the front lines of this Great War whether we like it or not. The substitutionary atonement of Jesus Christ began a new phase of warfare. God the Son began the process of taking back his creation. The outcome of the war was decided completely by the substitutionary atonement but the process of repossession and reconstruction of creation only began. Jesus expects his people to engage the enemy and be soldiers in His army.

Because God decided not to exercise his omnipotence to end the war in an instant, the spiritual forces of good and evil negotiate "Allowed Weapons" and "Constraints on Effectiveness" for each weapon. The power of each weapon is constrained by Rules of Engagement.  The primary allowed weapon for God’s human soldiers is prayer because, alone, we don’t stand a chance against the dark powers. The constraints on effectiveness for this weapon are shrouded in mystery. We know only that God always does the most He can do given: (a) prayer as our primary weapon, (b) the constraints on effectiveness for this weapon and (c) the complex and evil powers arrayed against Him.  Where free agents are involved, God’s omnipotent will can be thwarted. What God is able to do in the world is hindered by evil powers exercising free will and using weapons beyond our comprehension. The reason why some prayers are not answered generally has nothing to do with what God wills or the depth of your faith.  It is the result of: (a) the forces of evil exercising their freedom to wage battle and (b) a myriad of constraints on the effectiveness of prayer far beyond the depth of your faith. There is no mystery about God’s character. All evil proceeds from wills other than God’s. The mystery of evil stems from the complexity of creation and the warfare that engulfs it, not from some distorted definition of God’s sovereignty.

God always responds. Prayer always makes a difference. But the difference is not always dramatic and obvious because prayer does not cancel or suspend the particular network of constraints which are bringing some outcome into being. Prayer is the means through which the specific action of God works in and through that network, bringing some succession of events to what will always be a different outcome from what it would otherwise have been. This fact alone should make you come alive with commitment to prayer.

Some soldiers can use weapons of war more effectively than others. The use of prayer for maximum effectiveness is somewhat clouded in mystery. But the effective prayer warrior is generally characterized by all or at least some of the following attributes:

• Confessor of Sin (Ps 32:3-5; 1 John 1:8-10)
• Remorseful (Ps 66:18; Luke 18:13)
• Repentant (Acts 20:21)
• Faithful (Mat 17:20; 21:21)
• Obedient (I John 3:22)
• Humble (Dan 9:3)
• Forgiving (Mark 11:25)
• Sincere (Acts 12:5; Heb 5:7)
• Spirit Filled (Rom 8:26)
• Persistent (Luke 11:5-13, 18:1-8; I Thes 5:17)
• Desiring of United Corporate Prayer (Mat 18:19)
• Confident (Jam 1:5-7)
• Abiding in Christ (John 15:7)
• Fervently committed to communion with God (Acts 12:5)

Prayer itself frequently includes:

• Praise: worshiping and communing with God (Heb 13:15)
• Repentance: confessing and turning away from sin (1 John 1:8-10)
• Thanksgiving: honoring God for our blessings (Phil 4:6,7)
• Mercy: requesting God will deliver us from evil and grant our petitions (Phil 4:6,7)

However, my prayer petitions may not be granted even if I have the attributes of a prayer warrior and my prayers are appropriate.  For example, I may be certain my faith is larger than a mustard seed but I cannot move mountains (Mat 17:20 cf 21:21, 22) nor can I place my hands on the sick and see them healed (Acts 28:8).  The Holy Spirit may want to grant my petitions in such matters but He is thwarted by forces of darkness exercising free will, using powerful weapons and a utilizing a complex network of constraints (Dan 10:12-13, 20-21); but also, the Holy Spirit is thwarted by my own inadequate personal attributes as a prayer warrior.

Curiously, many churches have little commitment to united corporate prayer and even less inclination toward confession of individual sin while praying. Prayer has become a tired ritual, which is performed with no real expectation. A prayer may be offered during worship service to accommodate tradition. Then, if nothing happens, some ask, "Whose unconfessed sin caused God to ignore this prayer?" or "Was this prayer ignored by God because it was inconsistent with His unchangeable blueprint established before the world was formed?"  Most churches preach and teach the importance of praying together as a united body of Christ but most churches seldom do it!  It is difficult to identify a church whose foundation is corporate prayer.

Our spiritual opponents in this Great War are powerful beyond comprehension; they would destroy us in an instant were it not for God’s restraint.  Even God's angels seem to be reluctant to enter the fray (Dan 10:21).  Why didn’t God give us "superhero" personal power against these adversaries to make an even fight? Perhaps because the struggle is ultimately about ideas rather than brute power. Satan wants to convince all the angels in Heaven that God’s plan of salvation for mankind is flawed. He wants to expose God’s entire enterprise of creation and redemption as the product of radically flawed wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness and truth. The accusation, once raised, could not be removed, not even by destroying the accuser. The divine purpose hung in the balance. The bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ was a fatal blow to him who holds the power of death (Heb 2:14) and sealed the ultimate outcome of the war. But Jesus wants his army to stand beside him as He reclaims and restores His creation.

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