"Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life." (Revelation 22:17 NIV)
Our risen Christ has arms stretched out with a free gift in hand. He offers it to all impoverished sinners. The gift is salvation, and it's totally free. What wonderfully good news that is for us all. The offering is free, the taking is free. But was it really free?
The cost of salvation came at the greatest price in all of humanity, ever. "It cost the Word, who from the unbegun beginning was God and face-to-face as an equal in the Holy Trinity, the humiliation of exile from the throne room of the universe, the renunciation of the glory and majesty which had been His, and the acceptance of an identification with humanity so complete that He must forever remain the Son of man-a circumstance from which there can be no retreat in all eternity to come." (1)
This free gift, salvation, not only came at a high price to Jesus Christ, it comes at a great price to us lowly sinners. We who take the free gift of salvation must make a complete surrender of self in order to completely be "crucified with Christ and to live is Christ." Not only is Jesus Savior of the soul, He is Lord of life.
"The Gospel of Christ, though a comfortable Word, is in a sense "a hard gospel." Jesus warned His hearers that the cost of discipleship is dear.... The gift of salvation is costly. It cost God more than heaven can declare. It cost Jesus the cross. It costs everyone who receives it the total submission of self in the acceptance of the rightful claims of Jesus on the lives and souls of all who would be His for time and eternity.
Jesus, I my cross have taken,
All to leave and follow Thee;
Destitute, despised, forsaken-
Thou, from hence, my all shalt be.
Perish every fond ambition,
All I've sought and hoped and known;
Yet how rich is my condition:
God and heaven are now my own!
Henry F. Lyte (adapted)" (2)
1&2: Life in the Son, Robert Shank, Westcott Publishers, Pgs. 14-16
A Hard Gospel
Gethsemane or The Cross
Our beloved, blessed risen Christ came to this physical place, earth, to be a sin offering to God. "Christ in His death fully satisfied the demands of a righteous God for judgment upon sinners and, as their infinite sacrifice, proved a ground not only for the believer's forgiveness, but for his justification and sanctification." (1) As the role and purpose of what a loving Father in Heaven had laid out for this earth shifted, a redeemer was necessary to suffer, bleed, and die for all of mankind. Without a sacrificial lamb for all sinners, the purpose of God for us would have been frustrated. Forever changed. Our Lord covered Himself in an earthly tent to become a ransom for us, and when the time came, suffering had begun.
It is thought by some that the 'true' suffering for our sins came by the way of Gethsemane and not the cross. On the Mount of Olives, within the garden, our Lord chose a solitude place where His petition to a just God commenced. In light of the near future events, the earthly form in which the Savior of the world wore, sustained grievous sorrows in His soul. So agonizing, even to the point of death, was the thought of the crucifixion, Christ fell face down and prayed, "Oh my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless, not as I will, but as thou wilt." (2)
And so it begins. The path from the "oil press" or Gethsemane, opened the gate to the rocky, unforgiving road to a detestable lowly hill, "The place of the Skull," or Mount Calvary. It was at this place where the Savior suffered for our sins. The death of the sacrificial lamb, poured out the blood of that lamb once and for all. Jesus Christ suffered, bled, and died to appease a just God, saving us from certain death.
What love, what compassion, what feeling the Master had for us. "For if, when we were made enemies, now were reconciled to God by the death of His Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by His life." (3)
The cross is where Jesus died and is where our sins were atoned for. The cross is where our blessed Lord and Savior suffered for the sins of the world. "But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world." (4)
Let it be known to all that "at the very instant the blessed Jesus resigned his soul into the hands of his heavenly Father, the veil of the temple was miraculously rent from the top to the bottom..." (5) "It is finished;" that is, the work of man's redemption is accomplished; the great work, which the only-begotten Son of God came into the world, to perform is finished." (6)
It is the Cross not Gethsemane that is significant to God fearing Christians. It is the Cross that carried our Savior through the single most important purpose in His ministry as foretold by the prophets of old. It is the Cross that is forever embedded into a Christan's heart.
1.Jesus Christ our Lord, John F. Walvoord, Moody Press, Chicago, 1977, pgs. 162-163.
2.Matthew 26:39
3.Romans 5:10
4.Galatians 6:14
5.Life of Christ, John Fleetwood, publisher and year unknown, pgs. 138-139.
6.IBID
Mormon Home Evening-I Am Not Christian?
Mormon Home Evening |
I Love Jesus; How Can You Say I Am Not Christian?
Posted: 06 Sep 2010 10:36 AM PDT
One of the most difficult things about witnessing to a Mormon is how they want to show that we are in agreement. In fact, it's hard to even know where to begin showing them that we are not agreeing. We are conversing with the same terminology after all, right? We use the same words like God, Jesus, Holy Spirit, repentance, scripture, faith and heaven. We both believe that Jesus was born in the Jerusalem area, that He lived a perfect life and that He died on the cross and rose three days later. We both claim to be Christian. But our ‘agreement’ is effectively keeping us from a meaningful discussion, and the Mormon from true salvation.
You see, each of the words listed above (and many others) have been redefined in Mormonism. According to Mormonism, God is not the God, but a god; god's name is Elohim and we are his literal spirit children by one of his many goddess wives. Jesus is not God but the eldest of Elohim's children; he's our and Satan's spirit-brother. Repentance is the process of turning from each specific sin, to never repeat it again, and making restitution when possible. Scripture includes the books written by Joseph Smith and latter-day prophets.
I was Mormon, so I when I finally read the Bible without trying to find my LDS beliefs in it, it got a lot easier to understand... and told a different story than I expected. The Bible only allows for one God- YHWH - who is eternally self-existent in three 'persons', one of which is the virgin-born Hebrew Yeshua (YHWH becomes Salvation). Repentance is not abandonment of sin, but the change of heart/mind that accompanies realizing that Jesus is God come to earth to take the punishment we deserve and believing on Him as Savior. Heaven is not layered, with divisions according to the righteousness we displayed in our 'mortal probation', but it is where God is, which is why it is Paradise.
The LDS will chalk these differences in meaning up to a different interpretation of scripture. They believe that Christians are the ones who do not understand; that when Joseph Smith restored true Christianity to the earth, he corrected what had been ruined and/or misunderstood. LDS will also try to point to specific Bible verses they've been taught, to justify their beliefs. But the differences cannot be explained away by simple misinterpretation; and Smith's 'restoration' is completely contrary to the most fundamental truths of the Bible. Mormons do not even know that they are taught a system of Biblical eisegesis which injects LDS beliefs into the Bible, instead of searching the Bible to see what it teaches.
And there's more.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints gives people a false Jesus not just by redefining Him, but by allowing Mormons to simply incorporate Christ into their lives. In Mormonism (as perhaps in many religions), a person can begin to do what they think is more Christ-like -- donating money to charity, visiting the sick, praying, etc. -- without ever having to personally meet and go up against God one-on-one.
Christianity is not this way. There is no making Jesus a part of the life you already have. When I first was saved, I tried to do that. I wanted my worldly life and God's grace, too. But God was emphatic. He absolutely broke me down until all there was left to do - and I knew it - was to say, "I surrender. You are God." I was not good; I finally understood that. He alone is good; and He expected me to die to myself, to kill my fleshly desires, so that I could have the ONE THING that I was really looking for - Him.
Mormonism gives people the right words to hold, the good ideals to shoot for. What it does not and cannot give its people is GOD Almighty. Believing God is my father and Jesus is my brother makes salvation/atonement not as significant an issue. The belief that I can become a god(dess) keeps me from prostrating myself before the One unimaginably Worthy and Holy God that there ever is and ever will be, in fear, admiration, and utter awe and worthlessness. My salvation came when I finally saw God for who He truly is, and myself for who I truly am – this is the truth that has set me free. And I had to fully reject my Mormon thinking to do come to that place.
I hope that you can see why I believe a Mormon who believes the LDS doctrine is not a Christian. I have no doubts that there are some LDS who, in their hearts, worship only One God, and will be saved. But it is in spite of their religion that they do this, not because of it. I've been told by some Mormons that I am trying to create my own super-exclusive definition of the word "Christian" - but I am only trying to put the right words to my understanding of the term as I find it in the Bible. A family-oriented, hard-working, good-as-can-be, church-attendee is not, by biblical definition, a Christian. A person who knows they deserve to die because of their sin against YHWH, who has turned to the Jesus of the Bible as the only solution and believes He alone is the way to be reconciled with God... is.
A few pertinent verses: Luke 18:19; Mark 10:18; Romans 3:9-13,23, 5:8, 6:23; John 1:12-13, 3:15-17, 5:24,28, 11:25,26,27, 12:24-25, 14:16; Galatians 2:16, 3:10-14; Colossians 1:15-17, 2:4-20; Hebrews 10:10-12; 1 John 1:1,5,8-10, 2:1-2, 5:10-13; 1 Corinthians 15:1-4; Ephesians 2:8-9.
[Please go their web site and read more from Mormon Home Evening. Just click on the heading and it will take you there!]
The Weird Middle-American Mormon Ad Campaign
Mormons are at it again. They are trying real hard to deceive the Christians and the general public into thinking that they too are Christians. Just in time for the up coming elections.
Click on the heading and read more about what the Mormons are doing.
*If you can't get into that particular article, go to the War Room for August 09, 2010. The article is under the same heading I have here on my blog.
Perseverance in Trials
"Consider it pure joy, my brother, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does. The brother in humble circumstances ought to take pride in his high position. But the one who is rich should take pride in his low position, because he will pass away like a wild flower. For the sun rises with scorching heat and withers the plant; its blossom falls and its beauty is destroyed. In the same way, the rich man will fade away even while he goes about his business. Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him." (JAMES 1:2-12) (italics added)
As a Christian, trials are a part of the walk towards Christian maturity. Trials are a way for God to test our faith in Him. If there is difficulty along the path of perseverance, God has given us a way to get His help. Usually it's the inability to understand what is going on at the time that causes a multitude of emotions and indecision. God tells us that if we lack the wisdom, or the practical insight, we are to go to Him in prayer in order for that wisdom to be made known. The catch is, doubt must not be in the Christian's heart and mind. You must believe whole heartedly that God will answer your petition. The answer may or may not be what you're after, but it's what God knows you need. He gives you the strength to get through the unpleasant hardships. We should not, however, think that we will receive anything from the Lord. We need to be humble and undeserving, yet believe and not doubt in the Lord. We will be blessed through our perseverance and receive the crown of life that has been promised us. Perseverance must finish its work first. Like James states, "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds...".
Every Mormon (or anyone else for that matter) who reads the passages in James chapter one needs to understand the full meaning of verse five. That particular verse is for Christians to pray to God for wisdom while persevering through their trials. This verse is not to be taken out of context and applied to the Book of Mormon. The Mormon missionaries like to present James 1:5 in their introduction to the Book of Mormon to non-Mormons. They encourage potential members to pray for the wisdom of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon (this particular verse is used out of its true meaning), and if they do not doubt, the non-Mormon will get the "truthfulness of the Book of Mormon." This passage of scripture is not to be applied to the Book of Mormon. The Bible does not teach us to pray for the "truthfulness of the Book of Mormon."
I encourage all Christians to study the scriptures, so when you are approached by the Mormon missionaries, you will show yourself approved in the wisdom of truth and error.
I'm Sorry, Glenn...It's Over
Click on the heading and read an article written by Sola Sisters viewed on the web site, Worldview Times News. Great read. And so true.
From Moroni to Moron-Glen Beck, A Higher Being
This is such a wonder.
It looks to me that the Mormon church has a very new, aggressive athletic supporter!
The Mormon church is going way out on a limb to make their cult appear like a loving Christian church, and Glen Beck is pinnacle for the cause!
Mid-term Elections--Just a Reminder
This article put out by Concerned Christians is a huge reminder that the Mormon church should not have control in the white house.
Please click on the images and read it for yourself. Please click on the heading and it will take you to Concerned Christians' web site. A must read for all who need and want to know the true Jesus Christ.
