#But hey Romans 1:16 says 'I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ' so I am not ashamed

[christinem999]

"Now I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to repentance: for ye were made sorry after a godly manner, that ye might receive damage by us in nothing." - 2 Corinthians 7:9 [KJV]

[rolkientolkien]

Hey so I'm taking a Theology class at my school right now and my professor is Catholic and he ended the last class by saying something along the lines of how 'Once Saved Always Saved' is a ridiculous and false notion, and I was wondering what your thoughts on that are and if you have any resources for me to contradict what he said because I know I disagree with him and I want to bring it up in class because I want to hear his thoughts on it and debate a little with him

Okay, sorry for getting to this question so late!So your teacher is saying that “Once saved always saved,” is false, and he’s a Roman Catholic. I’ll give you a more detailed reason as to why he’s making that statement. The Roman Catholic Church does teach a synergistic view of salvation (ie works salvation), that man contributes something to being saved. For example baptism. When an infant is baptized in the Roman Catholic Church, they are regenerated, meaning God’s grace is now infused in said child, but that grace can be lost by committing mortal sins. So what do you have to do to get this grace back? You need to practice the sacraments, which are baptism, conformation, confession,  penance, partaking of the mass, marriage (or taking up the sacrament of the priesthood), and Last Rites. You constantly need this grace infused, because you can loose it at any time from.

So what does the Bible have to say about this? You should always go to the Bible first, other sources second, and compare notes. Here are some Bible passages and we’ll break them down:

 Romans 1:16-17, ESV, “16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith,[e] as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.”

Romans 8: 28-39, ESV, “28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good,[h] for those who are called according to his purpose. 29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30 And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.

God’s Everlasting Love31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be[i] against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? 33 Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.[j] 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? 36 As it is written,

“For your sake we are being killed all the day long;    we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

John 6:35-40, ESV, “Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. 36 But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe. 37 All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. 38 For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. 39 And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. 40 For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”

Ephesians 2:1-10, ESV, “And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body[a] and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.[b] 4 But[c] God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 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.”

Alright let’s take these step by step. So Romans 1:16-17 states what the Gospel is, that it is the power of Salvation, and that it comes by faith, something that is reiterated in Romans 4, which addresses that Abraham was justified by his faith, “What then shall we say was gained by Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh? 2 For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. 3 For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.” 4 Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due. 5 And to the one who does not work but believes in[a] him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness,“ (Romans 4:1-5, ESV). Paul even brings this point up again in Ephesians 2:1-10, stating that men are dead in their sins, and can only be saved by faith in God, which is a gift of God so that NO WORKS that we do can accredit to our salvation. Paul is trying to hammer in, you can’t be saved by “righteous deeds” you can only be saved by Jesus. That Jesus’ righteousness, His grace, is not infused, but imputed on you. To quote Jonathan Edwards, “You contribute nothing to your salvation except the sin that made it necessary.”

Now let’s address my favorite passage, Romans 8:28-39, which in short says that nothing can separate us from the love of God. Paul makes it quite clear that those who were predestined are justified, and would be glorified. Paul then goes onto present these rhetorical questions: Who justifies: God does, who intercedes for us: Jesus intercedes, what can separate us from God’s love: nothing physical or supernatural. This type of language is also used in John 6:35-40, in which Jesus says that all that the Father gives Him, he’ll never forsake. Not just implying, but flat out stating that if you truly believe in Jesus, then you will never be taken out of God’s hand. And that is even back up by Romans 8:28-39 saying that nothing can separate you from the love of God. Don’t think though, that since your salvation cannot be taken away that you can live a sinful life. Yes even though we are regenerated by the grace of God we will still sin, but it’s not an excuse to keep on sinning. As for sources to further this subject, James White has some great videos and debates on the security of Salvation. I’d also recommend RC Sproul’s “The Sovereignty of God.” Also check out Shai Linne’s song (yes a song) on election. And finally, when you do confront your teacher, do this in a manner of gentleness and respect. Don’t be snide, or cocky. Go in with humble heart, and prayer. Prayer that God will give you the right words, and that God will work in the heart of your teacher. While your teacher is wrong, he’s still your teacher. Hope this helps!    

[nolimitsongrace]

November 30: Not Ashamed of the Gospel of Christ

Not Ashamed of the Gospel of ChristNovember 30, 2019

For I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth…. — Romans 1:16

In the early days of our TV ministry, there was a national journalist who literally despised me because I taught the Bible on television. An avowed atheist, he often took advantage of his deep dislike for me by printing stories of my preaching in the national newspaper. In each of these news stories, he likened my preaching about Jesus and His parables to fairytales, and he particularly delighted in calling me “the Pinocchio preacher.” For years, he had taken every advantage possible to attack me and to deal a blow to the Gospel message.

One day I was flying from Riga to Moscow, and — lo and behold — who was seated on the plane directly across the aisle from me but this journalist who treated me with so much disdain! This man was filled with antagonism and hatred toward the Gospel, and he badgered me the entire flight. But regardless of how hard he tried to pick a fight with me, the peace of God ruled in my heart, and I responded to him in the love of Christ — which I think made him even angrier. He was traveling with a group of like-minded journalists, and he actually stood up on the plane and announced: “Hey, look who we’re flying with — the Pinocchio preacher!”

The companions of this journalist all joined in with him, laughing and mocking me. The more hard liquor they drank, the greater the velocity of their insults thrown my way across the aisle. The flight attendant became embarrassed and apologized to me for their behavior, but there was nothing she could do to stop them once they started. They were doing their best to humiliate and embarrass me in front of the other passengers in our section of the plane.

*[If you started reading this from your email, begin reading here.]

Have you ever found yourself in a position where you were mocked because of your faith? It isn’t an enjoyable experience, but if you’ve ever endured such persecution, please know that you are not alone.

On that flight as I suffered the brunt of those men’s words for several hours, I made up my mind to grab hold of and meditate on Romans 1:16. In that verse, Paul says, “For I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth….”

The apostle Paul faced hostile reactions to the Gospel in both the pagan and Jewish worlds. There were times when he was not only poked fun at, but he was physically abused by those whose hearts were filled with antagonism toward him. When Paul said, “I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ,” he used the Greek word epaischunomai — translated as “ashamed” in this verse, which is a compound of epi and aischunomai. The word epi means for, and aischunomai means to be confounded or embarrassed. Literally, Paul declared that he did not find the Gospel a reason for embarrassment. In modern language, Paul did not find the Gospel a reason to feel awkward, self-conscious, or humiliated.

On the contrary, Paul said, “I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation to them that believe.” Paul knew that for those who believed, the Gospel unleashed the power of God! The word “power” is the Greek word dunamis, a word that generally denoted the strength of a whole army. Paul was in fact declaring that when faith is mixed with the Gospel and declared, it releases divine energy equal to the fighting force of an entire army!

A faith that is active releases this power for those who are “believing” — that is, for those whose faith is engaged. Based on the usage of dunamis throughout history, it clearly means that this power of God is like a host of troops placed at the disposal of anyone who has his faith forward-directed and actively working. Why would anyone be ashamed of such power?

I may have looked like one singular man sitting in that section of a plane with many people arrayed against me, mocking me. But inside me, there was an entire “army” of divine strength and power at work — and that’s true for anyone who believes! The power that was in operation that day was far greater than those who were poking fun at me. And it was that dunamis power that enabled me to love them in spite of their ugly behavior.

When I find myself in a difficult situation because of the hurtful actions of people or because life is sometimes tough and I’m tempted to feel isolated and alone, I often stop to meditate on the dunamis power of God that is at work within me. There is a mighty reservoir of divine power residing in me every moment of every day, and that means I never face a truly isolated moment. God has placed a “full army” of dunamis power at my disposal!

This is true for you too. If you feel isolated, alone, and solitary — and it seems like you’re facing troubles with no one at your side — let me remind you that God’s dunamis power is inside you and is continually available to you if you will engage your faith.

I saw that atheist reporter again years later, and he was still hostile toward the Gospel. I felt sorry for him, for the very thing he hated and resisted had the power to completely alter his life, change his disposition, and deliver him from a horrible eternal fate. But as before, his heart was hard like stone, and he wanted nothing to do with the Gospel or with “the Pinocchio preacher.”

Today I want to encourage you that when your faith is forward-directed, it throws open the door for a whole army of divine power to work on your behalf. The Holy Spirit dwells within you. He is the very source of dunamis, and He is just waiting to unleash that power on your behalf! All He needs is for you to be in a state of “believing.” It will throw open the door for that dunamis power to flow through you and strengthen you against any opposition or obstacle you could ever face!

MY PRAYER FOR TODAY

Father, I thank You for the Person of that the Holy Spirit who resides within me. I acknowledge that His presence within me has imparted to me dunamis power — the strength of an entire army. Therefore, with confident assurance I boldly proclaim: the Greater One in me is mightier than any force that opposes me in this world! Father, I ask You to forgive me for times when I’ve retreated and acted in shame about the Gospel. I know I should have engaged my faith and released a flood of divine energy to empower me and overwhelm the enemy. So from this moment on, I make a firm decision that I will not be ashamed of the Gospel of Christ, but I will allow its strengthening might to flow through me, no matter what opposition or obstacle I face!

I pray this in Jesus’ name!

MY CONFESSION FOR TODAY

I declare that there is a whole army of divine power at my disposal because the Holy Spirit indwells me. I believe the Gospel and its claim; therefore, I am strong and courageous knowing that divine signs of God’s presence and approval are manifest in my life. I am not confounded, confused, or embarrassed when others poke fun at my faith. I don’t shrink back or cringe in terror or intimidation. Instead, I simply draw from the supply of the Holy Spirit within me, engage my faith, and let His power strengthen me for what I am confronting at that moment. It is absolutely true that greater is He who is in me than He that is in the world! This dunamis power in me lifts me above any foe around me, and as I continually activate God’s power by faith, I am an overcomer over every challenge that I’ll ever face in this life!

I declare this by faith in Jesus’ name!

QUESTIONS FOR YOU TO CONSIDER

Can you think of a time when you felt bullied or made fun of because of your faith? How did you respond when that event occurred in your life?

Now that you know the dunamis power of God is at your disposal, what will you do differently the next time you’re challenged in your faith?

After your salvation, when were you filled with the Holy Spirit? What was that experience like when you received His supernatural enabling power?