The Lord Jesus as the True Vine

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This is another scheduled post for Maundy Thursday. John 15:1-17 talks about the relationship between Jesus as the vine, the Father as the vinedresser, and the Christians as the branches. We need to understand the context between faith and works. Salvation isn’t faith plus works but faith that results in works. The passage can often be mistaken by the conditional security crowd to say that works are needed for salvation. In contrast, it’s all about works as a result of salvation. Some use James 2 to justify salvation by works but end up ignoring James 2:10-11, a verse that condemns all people regardless of who they are.

Both Calvinists and Non-Calvinists Can (and Should) Agree on the Titus 3:10-11 Principle with Apostates

I stand by what Pastor Paul David Washer said about Calvinism vs. non-Calvinism. Yes, that shouldn’t even be an issue. As I was discussing the pitfalls of non-Calvinism (sometimes called semi-Arminianism), one of them is to just keep witnessing. What’s often ignored is the principle of shaking the dust from one’s feet (Matthew 10:14, Mark 6:11, Luke 9:5,1 10:11). Furthermore, the Apostle Paul later gave this same principle in Titus 3:10-11. The KJV uses the word heretic is translated from the Greek word aihretikos or spelled as haheereteekos. The definition of a heretic is someone who is a schismatic. It means someone who is factious, a follower of false doctrine. The modern translations use terms like divisive person or one who stirs up division.

Apostasy After the Bread of Life Discourse

It’s the first Friday of March and today’s Lenten readings are taken from Mark 6:1-6 and John 6:60-71. My focus for today (and take note I’ll not be writing daily based on the Lenten Reading even if I’ll do the required readings) is John 6:60-71 focuses on the outcome. Many of those who followed Jesus, and heard Him say about the bread of life, soon said in John 6:60, “This is a hard saying, who can listen to it.” The KJV uses the term hear, while the footnote uses the term understand. The very bread of life discourse has been a tough saying.

Some People Only Think They’re Easy Believists (and Against Lordship Salvation) Until They Do Heavy Research and Self-Examination

Back then, I remembered reading the Hylestic site Jesus-is-Savior. Oh yes, some Christians were gullibly sucked into the sinister world of conspiracy theories. How I landed into Jesus-is-Savior was because of Chick Publications. Back then, David J. Stewart promoted Chick Publications and then stopped promoting him. I was sucked into that conspiracy world. It’s very easy to avoid noticing the glaring errors on that page. Conspiracy theories feel so interesting. Sadly, that’s where the KJV Only controversy is built upon. These days, I feel like asking, “Is your best source Chick Publications? Is your best source Jesus is Savior?” Both sites are severely misguided! Even worse, Jesus-is-Savior is run by diehard followers of the late Jack F. Hyles. One of the many issues that the site raised was on lordship salvation. It was more of a severe miswrite.

True Faith Needs Trials and Tribulations, In Order to Grow

This Sunday, I was looking at some of the minor trials I have in doing this blog. Internet speed has been slow and I can’t really write here until the speed is fast enough to load this blogging platform. Before going to church, I read through the Morning and Evening Devotional by Charles H. Spurgeon. I feel that a lot of times, the Church faces persecution for this reason–true faith may be real faith but it’s a dwarfish faith. 1 Peter 1:7 talks about the trials of one ‘s faith saying:

So that the tested genuineness of your faith–more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire–may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. (ESV)

Daily Reformation Through the Seminary of SUFFERING

Today is Reformation Day and John Piper’s devotional talks about the seminary of suffering. A mockery I had many years ago was pretty much, “If you believe in God’s will, why can’t you accept it’s God’s will you suffer?” The people would brag about how many people are without God or Jesus in their lives, that such people are indeed living better lives now. That’s why I don’t buy the garbage theology of Your Best Life Now by Joel Osteen. Since I used to watch the Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN) after I got saved, I believe I listened to a good amount of junk from Osteen in my earlier years. I also had my hopes, back then, that Rome could be reformed. I still flip-flopped about Rome because of the majority while also believing that it’s an apostate church. Many times, I was told that I was suffering because I was punished for leaving Rome. Other times, I was told that I was suffering because Christianity is all about suffering. I was told that it’s God’s will I fail and they happily gloat their temporal success. It’s their best life now but will they have their best life in eternity?

Why Do Christians Do Good Works Even if Works Don’t Save or Keep People Saved?

The common accusation of the one who believes in salvation by works is Sola Fide leads to Antinomianism. If that’s not enough, another question that’s fired at Christians is this, “If you believe you aren’t saved by works, why do you still do good works?” Whether or not the question is fired as a good question or a mockery is now irrelevant. I want to really focus on answering that question by giving answers. This Reformation month, I’m going to show that the reformers defended this stand, “We are saved by faith alone but this faith is never alone.” The reformers never wanted to be reformers but to do the great command of following, “What the Bible says.”