This website exists to provide Biblical insight on important topics such as God, human nature, and culture. Given that our world is very confused about these and other fundamental truths, writers must produce quality content that addresses these problems.
I pray that you gain clarity on the wonderful truths that our Creator God gives from the Bible.
Check out my latest post below!
Book Review of
Allen S. Nelson’s Before the Throne: Reflections on God’s Holiness
Reviewed by ClarityArticles.com
Allen S. Nelson is a Christian pastor and author. He penned his first work, From Death to Life: How Salvation Works, in 2018. He followed this effort up with his most recent book, Before the Throne. This book serves as a wonderful exploration of God’s majesty and grandness. Here is a detailed review.
Premise of the book
In Before the Throne, Nelson writes with the goal of exposing readers to various elements of God’s holiness. This exposition serves to bring readers to a grander understanding of God and thus greater worship of Him. As the book description states, Nelson attempts to “warm readers’ hearts toward the awesomeness of the triune God.” What is unique about Nelson’s work is that he writes about God’s holy nature through twelve chapters, with each chapter covering an element of God’s holiness using a word starting with the letter “U.” To list a few examples: “God’s Untamable Holiness, God’s Unchangeable Holiness, God’s Unapproachable Holiness.”
With these realities forming the skeleton of the book, Nelson builds his foundation upon two sections of Scripture: Isaiah 6:1-7 and Revelation 4:5-11. Here are two portions of those passages.
In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. 2 Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. 3 And one called to another and said:
“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts;
the whole earth is full of his glory!”(Isaiah 6:1-3).
From the throne came flashes of lightning, and rumbling and peals of thunder, and before the throne were burning seven torches of fire, which are the seven spirits of God, 6 and before the throne there was as it were a sea of glass, like crystal.
And around the throne, on each side of the throne, are four living creatures, full of eyes in front and behind: 7 the first living creature like a lion, the second living creature like an ox, the third living creature with the face of a man, and the fourth living creature like an eagle in flight. 8 And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and within, and day and night they never cease to say,
“Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty,
who was and is and is to come!” (Rev. 4:5-8).
Nelson provides these two visions from the Bible to remind readers of the Lord’s awesome glory. He further exegetes the passages throughout the book in order to expose readers to multiple elements of God’s holiness. The entire work centers around Nelson’s desire to see men and women grow in their practical, everyday (though never casual) worship of the Most High. He functions from the premise that a real encounter with the living God produces life change by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Highlights of the book
Here are some characteristics of Before the Throne that make it enjoyable and worth the read:
It’s Bible-heavy. Nelson proves his worth as a pastor by consistently supporting his claims with Scripture. Readers will learn much about how to study the Bible simply by analyzing Nelson’s logical writing. What shines through most clearly in this category is Nelson’s supreme confidence in the sufficiency of Scripture. That is, Nelson truly believes that the Bible is the Word of God and provides all any person needs to live a godly life (see 2 Peter 1:3). When writing about God, Nelson thus returns again and again to the perfect, objective source for knowledge of God: the Bible.
Before the Throne contains Biblical theology rather than theological musings. Readers will grow in their understanding of God as they are instructed by His Word.
It’s Worship-oriented. Nelson never loses sight of the fact that the purpose of living in God’s world is to “glorify God and enjoy Him forever” (Westminster Shorter Catechism). Nelson writes to edify readers’ minds in order to move them to greater worship of the Lord. To quote Nelson, “Read these pages with both humility and a hunger to learn more of who God is. Read these pages with an awe as to who He is in all His holy splendor. We were made to adore Him” (Nelson 3). Nelson presents a high view of God so that looking to Christ becomes an absolute pleasure. How wonderful is it that an unapproachable God allows sinner to approach him through his Son, the Great High Priest!? Before the Throne maintains a constant dedication to adoration of God from start to finish.
It’s thorough. Nelson reflects on the holiness of God using multiple angles, defining holiness in various ways. He provides realties such as the Lord being in a category of his own and being set apart. At one point, Nelson profoundly writes, “…in the purest sense of the word, holy, is basically a synonym for God” (35). By exegeting multiple Scripture passages, Nelson provides readers with abundant examples of God’s glory.
It doesn’t pull punches. Many churches today ‘pull punches,’ or pacify God’s holy nature, due to an imbalanced or low view of Him. They rob congregants of heavy conviction of sin, and thus congregants cannot experience the true weight of God’s kindness that leads to repentance and life change! What poses as love proves to be hate. In reality, clarity leads to comfort, even if that clarity initially stings. Just consider the love that it takes to warn a brother against the consequences of adultery. Pulling punches, failing to speak out, and refusing to act may cost that brother his marriage! But a warning, prayer, and wise action may save the relationship. Presenting the truth in love (see Ephesians 4) is what Christ-followers are called to do. Sometimes, this means lovingly presenting harsh realities.
Nelson presents God’s holiness in ways that will convict readers of their unworthiness before Him and their need for mercy. In an age where salvation teeters on the edge of becoming rescue from a bad life or low self-esteem, Nelson reminds readers that the salvation Christ provides is rescue from sin and God’s wrath. As Nelson writes, “to separate [God’s] holiness from His Lordship is to gut the gospel proclamation of its true intention and power” (113). One of the most convicting statements is found in the chapter called Unapproachable Holiness: “…what we cannot have as believers is a merely casual relationship with the Lord of hosts” (149). Before the Throne provides the right amount of force to express the weightiness of God’s holy nature.
It’s extremely quotable. Nelson writes in such a way that each chapter contains three or four profound statements that explain important truths concisely. Readers will enjoy these spiritual nuggets and grow by using some of them as they speak to others in their daily lives. Nelson gives insight into his ministry philosophy through this profound statement, for example: “…the church that looks long into the face of God in Scripture will find that the quest for ‘relevancy’ is no longer all that relevant” (2). A confidence in the holiness of God and the sufficiency of His Word to accomplish his purposes for all people for all time will end this quest that Nelson mentions. Nelson displays the ability to articulate what many know to be true based on their careful study of Scripture but cannot express adequately. Consider this statement: “We must resign ourselves to the wonderful truth that God’s holiness is untamable by man, angels, or the power of evil. He will not be manipulated. He cannot be controlled” (57). Before the Throne is full of helpful statements like these.
Unique qualities of the book
Here are some characteristics of Before the Throne that make it unique.
It’s written to individuals. One reader can gain much from reading Before the Throne. Nelson provides the truth of Scripture, which pierces a man’s heart and changes him from within (see Hebrews 4:12). Any person will gain from this reality.
It’s written to groups. A small group Bible study, a work group, or a family can corporately read Before the Throne and benefit.
It contains discussion questions. Every chapter ends with 5-7 discussion questions centered around God’s holiness. These questions would work great for family conversation or personal reflection! The questions serve as one of the best elements of the book.
It provides Scripture review. Each chapter in Before the Throne lists four Scripture passages that summarize what every chapter is about. Readers can memorize these Scriptures to better understand God’s glory.
The only drawback of the book
One reality about Before the Throne that can be overwhelming is the chapter titles. Twelve different chapters are written, all containing very similar names, such as “Unblemishable holiness, Unmatchable holiness, Unborable holiness, and Unapproachable holiness.” There are points where readers may confuse chapters by mistake. With careful reading, however, they can avoid this problem.
Overall Recommendation
Allen S. Nelson provides the body of Christ a wonderful work centered on God’s holiness. Before the Throne is extremely well written and can be enjoyed by both individuals and groups. The discussion questions and Scripture review passages provide great structure to aid in reader learning. In short, Before the Throne is fantastic.
Most importantly, the book magnifies the God of Scripture. Nelson presents God as He truly is: the King on his throne. Readers will grow in their worship of the one true God as they encounter Isaiah 6, Revelation 4, and other Scriptures. Writing about the holiness of God must be one of toughest task a person can take on. The Lord is serious about His own glory, after all! To God’s praise, Nelson “presents [himself] to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth” (2 Tim. 2:15). In Before the Throne, Nelson succeeds in calling readers to bow the knee to the Lord as they look to Christ as their Redeemer. Put this book at the top of your list.
Before the Throne can be purchased on Amazon for $14.99.
The term ‘sexual orientation’ drives much of our society’s discussion regarding sexuality. The idea informs countless opinions on which sexual practices are acceptable and even commendable and how people are supposed to think about them. Christians, then, must examine the term’s meaning and submit it to the authority of God’s Word in order to understand God’s will in this important area. After all, God states that “our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit” (1 Cor. 6:19), so Christians need to know how to properly understand and use their bodies.
Sexual Orientation Definition: a person’s sexual identity or self-identification of their sexuality, including heterosexual, homosexual, asexual, bisexual, etc.
Where to Start
The Word of God does not explicitly use the term ‘sexual orientation,’ so some would say that the Bible is silent on this topic and cannot help believers sort out the truth. This way of thinking is untrue. The Bible speaks clearly about sexual behavior and sexual desires, thus informing correct thinking regarding ‘orientation.’
Behavior
The Biblical narrative describes all sorts of sexual behaviors, including depraved actions from some of God’s most devout followers. Only one type is blessed—the marriage (conventional union) between one man and one woman.
“Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh” (Gen. 2:24).
Before Adam and Eve sinned, God designed sexuality in this glorious way, an expression of unity and love between one man and one woman. When sin entered the world, sexual deviancy took over quickly, leading to fornication, polygamy, rape, adultery, etc. After observing centuries of mankind’s sexual promiscuity, Jesus set the record straight by re-stating what Godly union looks like:
“Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh” (Matt 19:5).
Over one thousand years after God created Adam and Eve, Jesus maintained the same explanation of true, godly, sexuality: one man, one woman, dedicated to each other, accountable to God.
Desires
What our culture calls ‘orientation,’ the Bible calls ‘desires.’ Orientation implies a fixed, nearly unchangeable state. It is a crucial part of a person’s identity. Desires imply a flame of inclination that a person can either fan or quench based on his own volition. Desires leave a man morally responsible for how he handles them, either allowing them to grow, or killing them.
Two types of desires exist: desires that are of God and desires rooted in sin. If a desire or intention of a person’s heart is founded upon God’s created design (which can be observed from Scripture), then it is a good desire. If a desire violates God’s moral will, it is sinful and should be replaced by a pure heart toward God.
-A desire to eat dinner, for instance, stems from man’s need for sustenance in order to live in God’s world, so it is a good, acceptable inclination. In other words, God has created people with a need to eat. Eating does not violate God’s character, principles, or any of his explicit laws, so it is a desire that honors God.
-A desire to murder an enemy is evil, however, since it violates God’s explicit command not to murder. Christians can say, then, that this is a ‘sinful desire.’
Just as the Bible calls inward inclinations of all types ‘desires,’ the same concept is true in the realm of sexuality. A sexual desire is either of God (part of his created design) or founded on sin. ‘Orientation’ is a myth in the area of sexuality just as it is a myth in the realms of anger, murder, greed, and theft. A murderer does not have a ‘murderous’ orientation. He simply has evil desires which, instead of repenting of, he acts on. There is no homosexual orientation, pedophiliac orientation, pornographic orientation, or adulterous orientation. There are simply desires. Some sexual desires are God-given and meant to be enjoyed in the context of monogamous, heterosexual marriage, and some desires run contrary to God’s design, and believers must mortify them.
Paul writes in Colossians:
“Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. 6 On account of these the wrath of God is coming” (Col 3:5-6).
Here, Paul mentions no kind of orientation, making, or wiring. Instead, he identifies sinful intentions of the heart that believers must kill. The idea of sexual orientation, then, is a scheme of the devil to undermine God’s Word about sin and pacify man’s culpability for nurturing evil inclinations in his heart.
Hope
Sexual orientation is made up. It is no thing. Sexual desires, on the other hand, are very real, and the Bible dictates how to understand godly desires from evil ones. For anyone and everyone who harbors evil desires, there is hope found in Jesus, who came to make people new, saving them from the clutches of evil. As Paul writes,
“Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God” (1 Cor. 6:9-11).
God offers forgiveness for all our evil desires based on the atoning sacrifice of Jesus, who paid our penalty before God and earned our right-standing with him, provided we repent of our sin and place our faith in Christ. The most perverted and sick among us is ripe for new life in Christ, who came to seek and save the lost.
According to the Bible, Christians are called by God to perform works that build up Christ’s church, both globally and locally (Ephesians 4:11-12). These works help Christians mature in their understanding of God and, therefore, their obedience to him. Essentially, Christ-followers help one another grow while pointing a lost world to Jesus. In addition to the service God ordains all Christians to perform, the Lord calls some men to live as ministers of the Gospel, dedicating their entire livelihood to this action. Ministry means service, specifically service to God. A minister, then, lives to care for Christ’s church as he serves God.
In this series of three articles, we will look at Paul the Apostle as he ministered in the ancient Greek city of Thessalonica. We will examine his motive, message, and lifestyle. Key principles exist that Christians can take with them for ministry. Part 1 will focus on Paul’s motive for service. Part 2 will cover his message, and part 3 his lifestyle.
The Passage
“For you yourselves know, brothers, that our coming to you was not in vain. 2 But though we had already suffered and been shamefully treated at Philippi, as you know, we had boldness in our God to declare to you the gospel of God in the midst of much conflict. 3 For our appeal does not spring from error or impurity or any attempt to deceive, 4 but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not to please man, but to please God who tests our hearts.5 For we never came with words of flattery as you know, nor with a pretext for greed—God is witness. 6 Nor did we seek glory from people, whether from you or from others, though we could have made demands as apostles of Christ. (1 Thess. 2:1-6)
Part 1: Motive
Paul, who brought the good news of salvation in Jesus Christ to the city of Thessalonica (see chapter 1 for evidence of this fact), lays out his true reason for ministry beginning in 1 Thessalonians 2. Understanding Paul’s purpose is vitally important in living a victorious Christian life.
What his Motives were not:
We’ll start with what Paul’s motives were not. Paul states in verse 5-6,
“We never came with words of flattery, as you know, nor with a pretext for greed—God is witness. 6 Nor did we seek glory from people, whether from you or from others, though we could have made demands as apostles of Christ” (1 Thess. 2:5-6).
The key term in these verses is “flattery.” Paul specifically says that he did not travel to Thessalonica to flatter its people, but rather to declare the Gospel of god. Since Paul strongly sets himself against the idea of flattering speech, it is important to know what the term means. Flattery is telling people what you know they want to hear. It is buttering others up in order to manipulate emotions. In a ministry context, flattering speech avoids the topic of sin, thus watering down the Gospel message. At the heart of flattery are two core desires, listed in verses 5-6.
Greed
Greed is the love of money and the love of the power and control money brings. When money becomes an idol, a man will commit all sorts of sins—theft, cheating, murder, etc.—to gain more of it. Because of this fact, Paul writes, “the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils” (1 Tim. 6:10). Greedy ministers will devour those they serve because money is God to them. Paul, then, was not a man overcome by greed.
Glory
Glory is adoration from others. It is praise and even worship from other people. This desire for personal glory, which is different than a healthy thankfulness for God’s blessings, is a deadly, poisonous sin. At the heart of this sin is the evil attitude of pride, or putting oneself above God. Pride motivated Adam and Eve to sin in the Garden of Eden as they were deceived by the prideful serpent, Satan, who later audaciously asked Jesus to worship him (see Luke 4:7)! Adam and Eve transgressed the boundaries set by God, displaying a God-complex in their actions. Ever since the Garden of Eden, a glory-battle has existed. The perfect Creator God deserves to be worshiped, and he created man to live by worshiping him. The sin that lies in the heart of man, however, seeks to reverse these roles, with the glory belonging to man rather than God. The unworthy creature desires to be treated like the Creator. Paul connects the sin of flattery to sinful pride (glory-seeking) because those who flatter others ultimately live to serve themselves. Paul saw the folly in this mindset and avoided it.
Money, power, and fame did not control Paul, so he freely ministered to the Thessalonians without using manipulation or deceit. Believers should take note of Paul’s wariness of greed and glory. Kill these desires, replacing them with a pure heart before God.
Paul’s True Motive
Paul reveals his motivation for ministry in verse 4, saying “just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not to please man, but to please God who tests our hearts” (1 Thess. 2:4). Paul ultimately brought the Gospel to Thessalonica not for personal recognition or even out of love for its people, but first and foremost to please God. It was love for God and the desire to bring him glory that motivated Paul to make this journey. Paul understood a very key principle: he could only love others because God, through Christ, first loved him (see 1 John 4:19). And Paul, in wondrous response to the love of the Lord Jesus, displayed his love for Christ by obeying him (see John 14:15,21), in this context by preaching the Gospel and caring for the Thessalonian people.
Peter echoes the same idea of glorifying God when he writes about the use of spiritual gifts:
“As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace: 11 whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen” (1 Peter 4:10-11).
Notice that Peter states believers exercise spiritual gifts to serve one another. A servant of Christ must love others, and this is a good and noble desire to have! At the same time, though, love for others is working toward a grander purpose—to magnify God’s name. A love for God and thus a desire to please him inevitably leads to a ministry that cares for others. But love for God must come first. God designed the Christian life this way. This is why, among many other reasons, Jesus lists the Greatest Two Commandments in a specific order:
Praise God that Paul latched on so closely to this reality! He lived to please our great, Almighty God. If Paul had worked out of any other core motivation, he would have been guilty of idolatry, and the Lord’s name would have been blasphemed. By ministering out of a desire to please God, Paul guaranteed that his work would move toward the goal of building up Christ’s church. And what a lesson this is for Christians to learn regarding their service in the community, workplace, family, and church. A service done solely to please God. God blessed Paul’s love for Christ with a fruitful ministry, and He desires you to bear much fruit as well.
Come back soon to read Lessons from the Apostle Paul Part 2: his Message.
The State of the Church: Two-Class Christianity
In this article, I present what I believe to be an important diagnosis of what is going on in the American Church today. The future direction of churches and Christian ministries hangs in the balance based on the faithfulness, or lack-thereof, of Christ-followers in the present. So this subject is no laughing matter.
Here in the U.S., the church is being infiltrated with the larger debates surrounding cultural issues and racial injustice. As a nation that has experienced tremendous triumphs as well as devastating lows, the conversations are understandably filled with raw emotion and even vitriol. To be clear, living justly is a product of following God, who is just, and is about seeing God’s image-bearers treated with dignity. Because of this reality, believers should take this conversation very seriously.
I believe, however, that much evil is entering the church under the banner of concepts such as love, justice, reconciliation, and unity. All these concepts are Biblical, but often the way that they are promoted today is not based on a Biblical standard, but a worldy one.
The standard used, while very few would admit it, is a standard I call Two-Class Christianity. The idea is that many leaders and influencers place followers of Christ into one of two categories, then make decisions from there. I believe that if you understand this framework, then you understand so much of the direction that many churches and ministries are taking.
But before we look at this Two-Class framework, I want to point your attention to some foundational Scriptures regarding unity and justice.
Racial Unity in the Church
Foundation Scriptures
9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. -1 Peter 2:9
28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. -Galatians 3:28
*Lesson: God has declared and made all believers one people through the blood of Jesus Christ. As Christians, we are to see each other as equals under Christ’s headship and should fight for unity based on our being in one spiritual family. If an individual or group sinfully marginalizes another, this situation should be dealt with for the sake of unity. (See Galatians 2). This includes racial dynamics. Of course, the Holy Spirit has given a diversity of gifts and measures of those gifts; so, unity does not mean uniformity. The two concepts should not be confused.
Justice
Foundation Scriptures
2 For if a man wearing a gold ring and fine clothing comes into your assembly, and a poor man in shabby clothing also comes in, 3 and if you pay attention to the one who wears the fine clothing and say, “You sit here in a good place,” while you say to the poor man, “You stand over there,” or, “Sit down at my feet,” 4 have you not then made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts? – James 2:2-4
“‘Do not pervert justice; do not show partiality to the poor or favoritism to the great but judge your neighbor fairly. – Leviticus 19:15
*Lesson– living rightly in light of God’s character, and viewing others as righteous or unrighteous, requires us to not give favor based on wealth, skin color, cultural background, etc. We are to judge scenarios and people rightly. Then act accordingly. This is justice.
The Two-Class Framework
Two-Class Christianity is a framework that places Christians in one of two categories, and then judges accordingly. (Judges based on appearances and assumptions). For the most part, the two categories are based on one’s ethnicity.
A lens based on this system directly violates the Bible’s law of not judging based on appearance. Therefore, this framework is based on the sin of showing partiality and should be opposed.
I have tried to identify the two classes and then list the implications and logical progressions built into each category. If a believer falls into Category A, for example, then certain things must be true about him, leading to other realities about his life, and so on.
Here are the two classes:
This two-class framework is destroying the Church from within by creating a system of division. It is teaching that division and evil should be assumed, on account of white Christians and ‘white institutions,’ even when there is no evidence and sometimes when no real division is even present! When there is systemic, evil practices that benefit whites and hurt other ethnicities (or vice-versa), of course they should be accurately defined and dealt with. However, the two-class system, which builds itself on the sin of favoritism (and oftentimes racism), is killing the Church.
A Perfect Verse
Here is a verse that sums this ideology’s proponents up perfectly:
“I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them. For such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites, and by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naïve (Romans 16:17-18).
I write this in love. In no way am I saying that there aren’t problems among various ethnic groups within the church. There are, as ‘racism’ is really a hate problem that starts in the heart (see Matthew 5:21-26) and makes its way into institutions such as elder-ship, youth ministry, large outreaches, etc. But, the answer to these problems is not to show favoritism toward one skin color or against another. This is, by God’s definition, unjust. Hatred moves in multiple directions, and whites don’t own the premium on this sin.
Scripture teaches that as the body of Christ, we are not to “be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good” (Romans 12:21). Many historic evils and injustices exist and continue to haunt the church, but the way to fix evil is not to replace it with another type of evil! New creatures in Christ are now one new race! When we have this foundation in mind, we can work out the implications in regard to ethnicity in our local church settings as we seek the wisdom of God (see James 1:5-6). There is hope, and that is in the peace that Christ brings. I certainly have hope that the body of Christ can be united in truth and love, and I hope you do as well.
Last, if you are unsure if these ideas are being promoted, I have provided some example sources that contain some of the themes covered in this article. I am not saying that the articles or their authors promote ever last idea I have presented, but I believe they promote at least some at different points.
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/ray-ortlund/three-compelling-questions-for-us-all/
https://sojo.net/articles/white-church-has-been-steady-oppressor
An issue of debate in many Christian circles is whether or not a believer in Christ can lose his salvation. In other words, can someone who was once, by faith in Christ, an adopted child of God (John 1:12) lose that status and be cast out of God’s kingdom? The stakes for the Christian are never higher than they are with this question. It is a matter of eternal life or death. In this article, I will present a very under-utilized Bible verse that, in context, ends the debate, provides the Biblical answer on this crucial topic, and brings glory to God.
To be clear, the Bible presents a mountain of evidence on this subject, not simply one verse. But my life has been deeply impacted by 1 John 3:9, and that is why I am going there.
Salvation
To begin, we first need to define salvation. Without a proper view of the concept as it’s presented in the Word of God, we won’t be able to understand what it actually means and, therefore, whether a believer could lose it if he had it. Defining it is everything. So, Biblically, salvation means rescue or deliverance, to be saved. Specifically, saved from the guilt and power of our sin and brought into fellowship with God. Let’s look at the elements of guilt and power.
Guilt
Sin, being any action or attitude that contradicts God’s perfect character, leads to an objective guilt before God that demands punishment. Christ solved this problem for us:
“And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross” (Colossians 2:13-14)
The phrase “canceling the record of debt” speaks to our guilt being taken away. And how was this accomplished? The answer is given at the end of 14. It was “nail[ed]… to the cross” (Christ, taking on our guilt, was killed in our place.) So, Jesus paid the penalty in full, and we are credited with his perfect righteousness, the perfect and right-standing before God. For this reason, the Apostle Paul is able to write, “there is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1). ‘Condemnation’ means legal judgement. It’s gone! In an act of amazing love, Christ lifted our guilt from us.
Power
Not only did Christ rescue us from the guilt of our sin and God’s judgement, he also gave us the gift of his Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit indwells us and makes us new, replacing our sinful desires with hearts desiring to please God. The old sinner died; a new infant in Christ came. And, being freed from our slavery to sin (see John 8), this new life allows us to pursue God, liberated from the clutches of sin’s power. On freedom from the power of sin:
“What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life” (Romans 6:1-4)
It’s this reality, “newness of life,” that the Christian can and must now walk in! As Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 5:17, “if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.” Jesus speaks on this crucial concept in John 3. He tells Nicodemus that no one can see the Kingdom of God unless he is born again, meaning born from above (by God). So, only God can produce this life change. Overcoming sin’s dominion is founded on the reality that a true believer in Christ is marked by the gift of the Holy Spirit, who indwells the believer and produces new spiritual life in him. Out of this reality, the Christian will defeat the practical hold of sin, progressively.
True Salvation
Based on what we’ve look at so far, a true salvation, a true relationship with God, is marked by Christ taking on our guilt, forgiving our sin, and giving us his Holy Spirit. If a person never receives the Holy Spirit, he is not saved (see Romans 8:9b). Or, to put it another way, receiving the Holy Spirit is true salvation. This is key.
The Real Question and the Real Answer
The question becomes, then: can a person who has received the Holy Spirt, the guarantee of the believer’s future inheritance with God (Ephesians 1:14), lose this status (and lose the Holy Spirit)? Let’s look to the book of 1 John. For context, the Apostle John penned this letter to a group of believers who dealt with the false teaching of Gnosticism, particularly taking the form of denying Christ’s humanity. He wrote to provide these disciples a series of tests that distinguish the true children of God from the children of the Devil. Growing in a general life pattern that conforms to these realities, namely love for others, obedience to Christ, and a true view of God as he has revealed himself gives the believer the privilege of having assurance of his salvation.
In chapters 2 and 3, John writes about the salvation criterion of obeying Christ, or the behavioral test. A true salvation results in a lifestyle that generally shows behavior consistent with Christ’s character. Sinless perfection is not in view, but John clearly shows that a true follower of Jesus “practices righteousness” (1 John 2:29). Again, think of practicing righteousness as a general, growing, life pattern. As John develops his argument, he writes that Christ came to take away sin, leading to a lifestyle of righteousness. After contrasting the behavior of those ‘of the devil’ with those ‘born of God,’ John comes to the verse I want to focus on.
“No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him; and he cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born of God” (1 John 3:9).
The term “born of God” is synonymous with “born of the Spirit.” John, then, presents a non-negotiable reality for those who have truly been saved: none of them make a practice of sinning. None of them live a life generally marked by sin and rebellion from God. It’s impossible. And why is it impossible? Because God’s seed abides in them. God’s seed is his Holy Spirit. Just as a good seed inevitably produces good fruit, the Holy Spirit inevitably produces a life of obedience in those he indwells. When God regenerates someone, making him a new creation, the Lord always ensures that the new person grows in godliness. The Lord is undefeated in this endeavor. So, everyone for all time who receives the Spirit lives a life, in some measure, that honors God and kills sin.
We must ask the question, though, why would someone theoretically lose his salvation to begin with? Would it be because he is too obedient? Too holy? Would the Lord one day say, “You, Jerry, have loved me too wholeheartedly and loved your neighbor perfectly. Therefore, I cast you out of my kingdom!” Of course not! That’s ridiculous. So here’s the answer– if a believer could lose his salvation, it would be due to his persistent disobedience and sin, running God’s patience dry. In essence, the believer would sin his way out of God’s kingdom. This idea is important to think about. Losing salvation would result from an unrepentant lifestyle over a long amount of time…
But remember what we read in 1 John 3:9: the believer “cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born of God.” So, since this verse teaches that a true Christian cannot fall into persistent, unrepentant sin, what must we conclude about the possibility of the Christian sinning his way out of God’s grace? We have to conclude that this scenario is impossible! It could never happen! The Holy Spirit is too powerful, the Lord is too good, to allow one of his own to fall away. As Jesus states,
My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. I and the Father are one” (John 10:27-30).
God, in his love and through his unshakeable power, preserves those who are his. As we can see in these verses, maintaining a true fellowship with God is not about the believer’s ability to follow God perfectly; rather, it is about God’s ability to keep those who are his sheep! The perspective to take is one of God-centeredness, not man-centeredness.
Can a believer lose his salvation? No. Not if it is a true faith. Because a true faith is grounded in regeneration by the Holy Spirit, who ensures that the believer will not “keep on sinning” (1 John 3:9), but will “overcome the world” (1 John 5:4). I pray that this article helps you rejoice in the Lord!
In a culture and time in which one’s ethnicity is viewed as his or her primary identity marker and sense of meaning, we will explore what the Bible says about the proper view of ethnicity using the example of Paul, the Apostle. Given the climate we live in, this is a vital subject to explore. I pray that you, the reader, grow in you knowledge and love of Jesus Christ as a result of this article.
(An ethnic group is a people group with a shared ancestry, culture, and heritage. The Han Chinese, Italian Americans, and Irish Americans are all examples of ethnic groups.)
The Backdrop
To set the stage, here is what Paul, the writer of nearly two-thirds of the New Testament, writes about his own ethnic/religious heritage:
“circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless” (Philippians 3:5-6).
Essentially, Paul was ethnically Jewish, of the people of Israel. He was a good Jew, an ideal Jew, the archetype of an accomplished Jewish male. He ascended to the highest levels of Judaism, and, of course, saw himself as a “Hebrew of Hebrews.” All these facts point to this idea: if anyone qualified as an ethnic expert, Paul did. So, Paul’s inspired writings in Scripture give us important insights into the subject of viewing ethnicity correctly. Let’s see what he had to say.
Celebrate?
Many believe a person must take pride in their ethnicity. The history, the values, academic achievements, famous cuisine, etc. But what does the Bible say about this kind of celebration? Here we look no further than Romans 3. Paul writes,
“Then what advantage has the Jew? Or what is the value of circumcision? Much in every way. To begin with, the Jews were entrusted with the oracles of God” (Romans 3:1-2).
The Jews were a people marked by a religious and cultural tradition set apart to serve the Lord. And here, Paul freely acknowledges the positive gifts and traits that God gave to the Jewish people. There is, therefore, Biblical precedent to showing a proper pride for one’s people. This pride, however, must be in the context of thankfulness to God as the provider. In other words, it must be God-focused. If it is not, then a person’s people group/ancestry becomes an idol, an object of worship. And God is clear that he will have no other gods before him.
Inherent to rejoicing in the noble characteristics of a people is the ability to distinguish what is truly good (of God) from what is bad (whatever contradicts God’s will according to Scripture). We can differentiate the noble from the ignoble by meditating on the image of God, the fact that all men are created by God and are created to reflect him. So, knowing God’s character allows us to find this difference. Think about your ethnic group. What are some positive traits, generally describing your people, that reflect the image of God? Examples could be a high amount of creativity, ingenuity, a love of beauty, a respect for creation, etc. This exercise will not only allow you to understand your people more fully, but it will also increase your worship of our God.
The God-honoring View
While there is room to celebrate one’s people group (which we should do), the leash is short in regard to how far this praise should go and how much it should be in focus. Paul proves this principle when he writes about his deepest desire for the Jewish people:
“I am speaking the truth in Christ—I am not lying; my conscience bears me witness in the Holy Spirit— that I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen according to the flesh” (Romans 9:1-4).
So, although Paul knew the positive aspects of Jewish culture, he understood his people’s far greater need: salvation from sin through Jesus Christ. This need is expressed when he states, “cut off for the sake of my brothers.” Essentially, Paul was willing to sacrifice his own self if that meant his race could taste the salvation of Christ. What love Paul had for the Jews by recognizing their true need! This mindset, the mindset of saving his people from sin, was the code Paul lived by. We must take the same view of our own ethnic group; that is, taking a healthy pride, but in far greater measure (and far more importantly) seeking to bring those of our people to Jesus. Any mindset less than this cheapens the gospel and fails to take the gospel and its eternal implications seriously.
Liberation?
These days, our culture teaches that the mission of an ethnic group should be freedom from oppression, economic hardship, injustice, etc. But is this the primary focus of the Bible? No, it is not. That being said, God hates injustice. So, of course there is room for these pursuits in some measure. But we can’t forget that the ultimate plight of humanity and every people group in history is slavery to sin and judgement from God. Only the message of the gospel, the message of Christ dying and receiving God’s wrath, in our place for our sin, addresses this problem. After all, “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners” (1 Timothy 1:15). The message of eternal salvation, not temporary liberation, is the gospel of Christ. The main thing must stay the main thing. If it doesn’t, then the true problem will never be solved. Without the gospel of Christ and his rich mercy remaining the core aim of ethnic issues, we guarantee people’s destiny of hell. What a sobering thought.
The Mindset of Christ
But how did Christ, a Jewish man and the Messiah, view the Jewish people? Was he a revolutionary, set on restoring racial balance and uprooting the Roman governmental system? Was he determined to use political power to achieve his goals? Hardly. Christ simply set the standard that Paul later adopted. Jesus did acknowledge the gifts that God gave the Jews (see John 4:22), but he ultimately preached the need for his people to “repent and believe the gospel” (Mark 1:15). In fact, in so badly longing for the Jews’ salvation, Jesus passionately lamented his people’s stubbornness:
“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!” (Matthew 23:27).
Christ continually displayed a laser-like focus on his people’s true need, namely rescue from sin and reconciliation to God.
Ethnicity is a gift from God to be used for his glory. You live in your specific location at this specific time and are of a certain people group for a reason. Let’s look to the example set by Jesus and echoed by Paul: love your people, but don’t idolize them. Pray for and seek their salvation, all to the glory of God. As you think over these issues, I pray that you will continue to find joy in the one who gives true life, the Lord Jesus Christ.
In this article, I give the Biblical view of human nature. Are we good, evil, neutral, or something else? Specifically, we will look at the Israelites of the Bible.
Human Nature
Here is the answer regarding humanity: we are sinful.
The Bible continually proclaims the evil and sinfulness of all men (See Romans 3:10-18). Our thoughts, intentions of the heart, speech, and behavior are dominated by wickedness and rebellion. We are lawbreakers; moreover, we have evil lying within us. This is the state of man. And God, being perfect, will not stand for it.
To believe that anyone is good, then, is to woefully underestimate God’s standards, woefully underestimate the wickedness of our own minds, and woefully ignore the endless evidences of evil all around us (Think about the hate people show each other, the viscous sexual and violent crimes that occur every day, and the thoughts that swirl around in your own mind, just to name a few).
” The heart is deceitful above all things,
and desperately sick;
who can understand it? ” (Jer 17:9, ESV).
You cannot clean up your own heart. You are sinful. And your actions prove it.
Israel’s Sin
Now to ancient Israel. Israel’s chief sin was pride; that is, they believed they could achieve right-standing with God through self-effort and ritual. (In reality, their hearts loved everything except the Lord.) Israel made themselves out to be God. Faith, being the full weight of one’s trust in the Lord, was completely absent. Instead, Israel fell into the trap of self-deification. Their faith was in themselves.
“ In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes” (Judges 17:6, ESV).
Thus, the Israelites in the Bible, called to represent the Almighty God, led lives marked by evil, sexual promiscuity, worship of foreign gods, mistreatment of the poor, and injustice. Israel replaced their true Rescuer with themselves, and this decision resulted in the deplorable lifestyles I just mentioned. Israel often willingly forgot God and believed they could get away with this god-of-self lifestyle. But the reality of human sinfulness led the the inevitable: self-destruction. Self-deification (living as if one is God) always leads to self-destruction. This happens because sin always finds a way to creep in, rule you, and eventually overtake you. And God, in his judgement, often allows sin to take its course. Think of a drug addict: he starts small, later increases the dosage, becomes addicted, and eventually starts selling. The drug addiction controls him, ruins his life, destroys his family, and ravages his community. In the same way, sin spreads. It never stops. Pride, which is the act of placing ones-self above above God, is an attitude founded on sin. It will overpower and destroy you as it destroyed ancient Israel.
Or scan the book of Exodus and see what becomes of the Egyptian Pharaoh, a man full of pride, ego, and thus a god-complex (Pharaoh would have gained his pride over time, a result of military conquests and constant success). The Lord humbles him and the Egyptians in a series of nearly-indescribable plagues. So, self-destruction is rooted in a greater reality, that God destroys those who oppose him. Specifically, God punishes sin, and the penalty for sin is always death (see Romans 6:23).
Christ’s Solution
So how does Christ fit into this equation, the equation of proud Israel? The answer is that Christ came into the world to save sinners. He did not descend to earth to stroke the ego of self-deified Israel. Rather, he came to pronounce judgement on Israel’s sinfulness and offer true rescue as the unblemished Lamb of God.
According to the Bible, Christ has and will save a remnant of ethnic Israel. This salvation comes through confessing Jesus’ Lordship and truly, inwardly believing in his status as risen Son of God (Romans 10:9). It is achieved by turning away from the sinful lifestyle of the god-of-self and turning to the risen Lord, Jesus Christ. It is a rescue obtained by faith in the person of Christ. Throughout the Old Testament, God’s true followers lived by a faith in God. Communion with God has always been established by faith. Abraham serves as the archetype of this wonderful reality. The majority of Israel, however, simply missed the whole point. They serve as a warning and reminder for us. Let us beware of pride, the god-of-self mentality that Israel lived by. Instead, let us look only to Christ, our true righteousness and the one who changes hearts.
Clarity on Life's Issues, from a Biblical Worldview. 