Christ Church Snyder

In Matthew 16:23 Jesus turned to Peter and said, "Get thee behind me, Satan!"

It was the Lord's response to Peter getting in the way of the cross.

Jesus went on to explain that not only would he die but his disciples must follow him in the way of the cross. "If any man would be my disciple, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me," he said.

Any doctrine, especially the easy ones like faith alone, once saved always saved, and personal predestination, that do not require the cross as the way of salvation is of the devil.

The easy gospels (faith alone, once saved always saved, and personal predestination) and liturgical idolatry (transubstantiation and praying to Mary) are designed by Satan to keep us from the true faith and experience of Christ:

"If any man would be my disciple, let him deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow me." -Luke 9:23

"Just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification. 20For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. 21But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. 22But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life." -Romans 6

"If you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. 14For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. 15For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” 16The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him." -Romans 8

Antinomianism is to preach, teach, or believe that obeying the law of God is not necessary for salvation, all else being equal. Those doctrines include faith alone, once saved always saved, and personal election to salvation.

Antinomian doctrines are carnal. As Romans 8:7-8 says, "The mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God."

It's all here, Titus 2:11-14:

Salvation offered to "all" people,
Righteousness vs. carnal passions,
Age to come vs. the present age,
The deity of Christ,
Redeemed from "all" lawlessness,
Purifying effect of grace,
Belonging to God,
And zealous for good works.

11For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, 12training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, 13waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, 14who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.

Arguing the consequent is a logical fallacy that makes the conclusion of a syllogism, or the result of a process, a premise or cause, respectively.

If we were to ask, for instance, "What is God's response to sin?" and someone answered, "Forgiveness," that would be arguing the consequence. However desirable forgiveness might be it is not plucked out of thin air.

Forgiveness is the conclusion or end of a matter, not the beginning. Before forgiveness there must be a sacrifice and repentance/confession on our part because God's response to sin is wrath. However unpleasant it might be to contemplate the wrath of God, that is where we must begin the story of redemption.

In order to get past the wrath to forgiveness, two things must happen. There must be a sacrifice to assuage the wrath of God against sin. It must be offered by the sinners. That is why Paul wrote that Christ became sin, who knew no sin, that we might become the righteousness of God in him. He, a man, offered the sacrifice of himself to receive the punishment that all men deserve for sin. The differential between what he deserved and what he experienced is infinite; therefore, his manifest love is infinite. As John wrote, "He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but for the sins of the whole world."

If he suffered the punishment for sin without having sinned, then whence came the punishment? Who punishes sin by his personal and direct infliction of it? That is why Paul wrote, Romans 5:18, "As one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. "

But this is not the false religion of Universalism because a second thing must happen; we must repent and live for Christ in order to secure to ourselves the sacrifice offered.

One might argue, "Well, it was in God's heart to offer a way, so he must must not be all that angry with our sins."

Such an argument completely ignores the sacrifice and death of Christ and vitiates the love we owe him. It also ignores the outcome for those who do not repent, which is explained in the apocalyptic and prophetic literature of the Bible as wrath.

Paul wrote, Ephesians 4:12-16, that God gave us "the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love."

Spiritual formation depends upon a doctrinal system that supports it, nurtures it, explains it, and even requires it. False doctrine denies it, undermines it, discourages it, and explains it away.

That is why doctrine is so important. It helps us to attain unity, grow to maturity in Christ, work properly, and love one another as Christ commands us.

Was it God's will when that guy ran over women and children at the Christmas parade on Sunday?

John Calvin would say it was. In his INSTITUTES he wrote, Book 1, Chapter 17, Paragraph 5, “Thieves and murderers, and other evildoers, are instruments of divine providence, being employed by the Lord himself to execute judgments which he has resolved to inflict.”

If something horrible like that happened to you, would you want a pastor or priest to tell you it was God's will? If you were a pastor or priest, what would you say?

The religion that preaches what Calvinists preach is Islam - everything is God's will.

The truth is that people are free to do evil. We are also free to do good.

We know both categories (good vs. evil) by what Scripture says, confirmed by conscience. Paul wrote in Romans 2, "For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. 15They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them 16on that day when, according to my gospel, God judges the secrets of men by Christ Jesus."

We cannot rightly judge wrongdoers in court and execute judgment upon them if they are totally depraved like the Calvinists say. That is why Calvin's Geneva, and everywhere that Calvinists hold sway, is a nightmare of cognitive dissonance and disfunction.

I would love for everyone in the world to hear the simple message of Jesus Christ in the words of the Apostle Paul in his letter to the Romans:
Romans 2:13 says, "It is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified."
In 7:14 and 22-24, Paul wrote, "We know that the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh, sold under sin ... For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?”
Then we have the answer, the resolution of the problem, in 8:1-4, 13-14, and 17-18, "There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit … For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For whoever is led by the Spirit of God is the child of God ... The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him."

Sanctification means to be cleansed of sin.

It is actually the first act of God when we are converted:

8And God, who knows the heart, showed His approval by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as He did to us. 9 He made no distinction between us and them, for He cleansed their hearts by faith. -Acts 15

The challenge before us now is two-fold:

1) those who have experienced it need to hold onto it lest we fail away and fail to be saved,

2) those who deny it because of man made carnal doctrine must be thoroughly refuted.

“…it is utterly inconsistent to transfer the preparation for destruction to anything but God’s secret plan… God’s secret plan is the cause of hardening.” (John Calvin, Institutes of Christian Religion, Book 2, Chapter 23, Paragraph 1)

There is no secret plan. The mystery hidden for ages has now been revealed through Jesus Christ, that believing Gentiles are fellow heirs through the faith, elect also in Christ, which was God's plan all along, according to Ephesians 3:6 and all other parts of the New Testament. "For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that *whosoever* believes in him should not perish but have eternal life."

It is so simple that even I can see it!

Romans 2:13 says, "It is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified."

In Romans 7:14 and 22-24, Paul wrote, "We know that the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh, sold under sin ... For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?

Then we have the answer in Romans 8:1-4, "There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit."

The Spirit is the key. The Spirit sets us free from sin and makes us alive to God through Christ. Whoever is led by the Spirit is the child of God, according to Romans 8:14.

Anglicans are on the move, though the C of E is a problem: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rRNultkhbAY

Anglican Unscripted 676 - Who stole ACNA Diocese? Lots of news this week and Kevin Kallsen and George Conger start off with a good new story and end the show with a very crazy ACNA story. https://en.wikiped...

8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. -Ephesians 2

What does this verse mean?

First, grace does not mean unmerited favor. Grace means the power of God at work to save us. In this case it is God's power at work through Paul to save Gentiles, calling us to believe in Christ. He explains, "Of this gospel I was made a minister according to the gift of God's grace, which was given me by the working of his power. To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ." -Ephesians 3:7-8

The entire epistle to the Ephesians is about God's work in the Gentile mission, a mystery before but now made known, according to Ephesians 1:9, 3:3, 3:4, 3:6, 3:9, and 6:19.

Second, therefore, the gift of God is that salvation has come to the Gentiles, which was always God's plan, according to Ephesians 1:10-11 (see especially "also" in v. 11, meaning that believing Gentiles are now "also" chosen people along with faithful Jews). The Gentiles had never done anything for God. It is a pure gift. We Gentiles were dead in our sins and trespasses, but are now made alive in Christ (verses 1-4).

Third, we were created in Christ Jesus "for good works, that we should walk in them." If any of us do not walk in good works we can reasonably assume we have fallen short of this passage and have not yet become fully part of God's plan of salvation.

Years ago there was a guy on religious TV, John Ankerberg, who said, "If we try to be saved in a way that we cannot be saved, then we will not be saved."
Is that true?
What if a person has been taught wrongly but is sincerely trying to be saved in the way taught?
What if on the last day the preachers, teachers, bishops, and priests will be last in line?
The Lord will have heard the testimony of all those ahead in the line, who believed and sincerely followed what they were taught in the name of Christ.
What will happen to those preachers, teachers, bishops, and priests who taught the wrong thing?

The English Reformation had a flavor distinctly different from the dish served on the continent of Europe.

In what way?

It retained a catholic view of what it means to be saved by faith. This is found in the Homilies of the Church of England, specifically #4, "The True and Lively and Christian Faith".

I have smoothed out the antiquated English in favor of readability and published it to my blog: https://michaeldeshanehinton.blogspot.com/2021/07/homily-four-of-church-of-england-true.html

Michael DeShane Hinton

The true Gospel is simple: We must obey God to be saved but we cannot without his help. Our past sins must be forgiven through the blood of Christ, a sacrifice to be received by faith. We should repent, be baptized, and receive the Spirit. Then we have access to the grace in which we stand, that being, the work of the Spirit, who empowers us to overcome sin and inspires us to the love and good works that fulfill the law, making us pleasing to God.

Let us memorize that and begin refuting cheap grace and easy believe-ism. We will find that God strengthens those that bear true witness to his saving work for and in us.

On the last day we will each be judged by what we have done, according to Matthew 16:27, Romans 2:6-11, 2 Corinthians 5:10, and Revelation 20:11-15.

https://anchor.fm/bob-biermann/episodes/Show-Me-Your-Papers-e11p40t

Show Me Your Papers! by Truth 2 Ponder • A podcast on Anchor I’m sure by now many have seen the story about the State of Oregon requiring that people in workplaces, businesses, and religious sites show proof of COVID-19 vaccination in order to be allowed maskless entry to the facilities. Even now when nobody truly knows the long-term effect of these experim...

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The interpretive method for justifying women's ordination is the same as that justifying homosexuality: pit one passage of Scripture against the other:
God loves everyone; so, he would not reject a homosexual.
In Christ there is no male or female; so, God calls women as easily as men.
The logical fallacy is called ultra vires, or beyond the scope -- a strong statement in furtherance of a general principle does not apply to all specific matters. It is the opposite of another fallacy called generalization.
The truth in these matters is that any idea, however sublime it might be, comes with limiting principles. Freedom in Christ is an example. We are free to do anything -
Except what God forbids.
Paul said it this way, "For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another." -Galatians 5:13
Limiting principles require right-thinking persons to say no in the face of emotional blow-ups. What happens in both of these church problems is emotional extortion: go along with us or we'll make a scene, we'll make it uncomfortable for you.
We are in this place because we have not as Christian people properly defined the full range of what it means to love someone.
We think of love only as pleasant mutually shared feelings and positive regard (eros, storge, and phileo) rather than seeking the spiritual welfare of the other (agape).

Check out my interview on Bishop Biermann's radio program earlier this week:https://anchor.fm/bob-biermann/episodes/The-Fallen-Witness-The-Social-Justice-Church-evh92j

The Fallen Witness-The Social Justice Church by Truth 2 Ponder • A podcast on Anchor There is no doubt that many people that call themselves Christians are truly NOT Christians at all. They have rejected the truth of God’s Word and adopted a very secular world view. Many formerly vibrant and believing “Main-Line” Church bodies have traded in the true Gospel of Jesus Christ for...