Good points Mike. I often hear of Tyndale and his translation work and martyrdom, but can’t recall ever reading someone quoting him! “The greatest number come and ever came and followed even Christ himself for a worldly purpose. As thou mayest well see (John 6) how that almost five thousand followed Christ and would also… Continue reading Why Trouble Follows the Preaching of God’s Truth
Author: Ron Francis
Not Peace but Division
“ What are we to do? We must never stop being peacemakers. (Matthew 5:9) We pray for them continually. We witness to them every chance we get. When war breaks out over the division we always seek to leave a door open in which to do our peace work.”
Greg Koukl and Trey Gowdy have good resources about how to effectively use QUESTIONS when entering into these conversations with family, friend and even strangers. I am trying to learn but struggle.
I’m continuing to read The Westminster Large Catechism, lots of questions there. And the answers are worth reading.
Q. 32. How is the grace of God manifested in the second covenant?
A. The grace of God is manifested in the second covenant, in that he freely provideth and offereth to sinners a mediator, and life and salvation by him; and requiring faith as the condition to interest them in him, promiseth and giveth his Holy Spirit to all his elect, to work in them that faith, with all other saving graces; and to enable them unto all holy obedience, as the evidence of the truth of their faith and thankfulness to God, and as the way which he hath appointed them to salvation.
by Mike Ratliff
34 “Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. 35 For I came to SET A MAN AGAINST HIS FATHER, AND A DAUGHTER AGAINST HER MOTHER, AND A DAUGHTER-IN-LAW AGAINST HER MOTHER-IN-LAW; 36 and A MAN’S ENEMIES WILL BE THE MEMBERS OF HIS HOUSEHOLD. Matthew 10:34-36 (NASB)
The number one accusation against those who proclaim the truth from God’s Word in the face of apostasy is that they are being divisive. I believe we should seek to have peace with all men, but we must be prepared to encounter conflict with those who refuse to submit to God’s truth. We are never called to be at peace with false teachers or false prophets or apostates. From Jesus’ own teachings we learn that the cost of being His disciple is very high. Grace is…
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The Deceit of Human Reason
It seems the definitive work on this today is Tim Keller’s Reasons for God. I had so many friends and family promoting him I had to not only read it, but I listened to his original sermons, which undoubtedly form the basis of the book, read the book and watched the DVD series. IMO he progressively softened the message, and by the time the DVD came out it was hard to find the Truth in it. I observed a lot of waffling and maybe just a bit of truth squeezed in at the end.
I observe other issues with Keller’s messages, I will not go into here.
I like what you wrote here..“They accuse those who teach Biblical Truth of not teaching what the original languages say because they rely on “tainted” translations.”
“William Tyndale was a formidable scholar who knew seven languages including Hebrew and Greek. His translation of the Bible was the basis for both the Geneva Bible and the King James Bible.”
Seven or eight years ago I picked up the most “tainted” of all translations the KJV. Despite knowing that Tyndall and the translators were such horrible scholars. Anyway in my own walk from RSV, to paraphrases, to NASB, to NIV, to ESV I never have gone back. I do appreciate your own translations too. Clearly the KJV is”tainted”. The best example I’ve seen lately, is their translations of the Hebrew words which they put in English as Judgment and Righteousness, while the more modern translations use the word so popular today, “Justice”. But then even today’s liberal or human reasoning advocates love that word. Literally, over a hundred changes.
“They focus on words and logic, but since faith is outside of Human Reason and totally not understandable by an unregenerate mind, they cannot see it nor grasp it.”
Nothing really wrong with words and logic. Gordon Clark was much better than Keller on these, he used logic soundly, and taught that we have to start from God’s Word, the Bible or we can’t have any knowledge of Truth.
Anyway I would agree, keep preaching.
by Mike Ratliff
1 But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. 2 For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, 4 treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; Avoid such men as these. 6 For among them are those who enter into households and captivate weak women weighed down with sins, led on by various impulses, 7 always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. 8 Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so these men also oppose the truth, men of depraved mind, rejected in regard to the faith. 2 Timothy 3:1-8 (NASB)
Genuine Christianity is not a world religion. Instead…
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Therefore Repent
Mike I do find your teaching soooooo useful.
Peter definitely got the messages.
Not only here…where he reflects on their ignorance, not unlike Jesus saying: Luke 23:34 Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots.
Acts 3
Act 3:17 And now, brethren, I wot that through ignorance ye did it, as did also your rulers.
Act 3:18 But those things, which God before had shewed by the mouth of all his prophets, that Christ should suffer, he hath so fulfilled.
Act 3:19 Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord;
Act 3:20 And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you:
Act 3:21 Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.But Peter also was bold in his first speech.
Act 2:22 Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know:
Act 2:23 Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain:
Act 2:24 Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it.Acts 2:36 Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.
As I’ve repeated before, if you read Luke 24, you see that all about Jesus was actually, written and taught before in the Scriptures. Luke 24: 25-27, 44-47
by Mike Ratliff
19 Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord; Acts 3:19 (NASB)
One form of religion that claims to be Christian but isn’t is based in something called “no Lordship” or “easy-believism.” On the other hand, many of the proponents of it will point to what we call “the Gospel” in what follows as the “damnable heresy” of Lordship salvation. I have often shared here using passages such as Acts 3:19 (above) making it clear that the Bible tells us that there is no salvation without repentance and again in Acts 2:38.
38 Peter said to them, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Acts 2:38 (NASB)
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Rainbow Trout 