Why are ye saved?

Wifey Alice prepared a scrumptious lunch for us. 
What a blessed time of fellowship with our beloved children and a few precious guests. 

Sunday 20, March

#Why_ye_are_saved
#that_we_might_serve_Him
#all_the_days_of_our_life

Luke 1 KJT
68 Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for he hath visited and redeemed his people...
74 That he would grant unto us, that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies might serve him without fear,
75 In holiness and righteousness before him, all the days of our life.

1. "that we might serve him..."
- One chief end of our deliverance by Christ from our spiritual enemies is that we might serve God. - Nothing gives a greater motivation or lays a greater obligation on the redeemed to serve their Redeemer, the Lord Jesus Christ,  and glorify Him, than the free and gracious redemption by Christ.
- We are His purchased possession; we are not our own.

2. The acceptable manner of serving Him:

i. "... without fear"
- this service is without fear because this service is rendered in the blessed name of Christ, the Redeemer and Propitiator of our sins.

ii. "... in holiness and righteousness" -
- the saints serve from the principles of righteousness and true holiness, out of the new man created in Jesus Christ.
- This is the substance of the perfect and acceptable will of God.

iii "... before Him"
- it is one thing to serve the Lord with an outward appearance of holiness and righteousness before men, and another thing to be righteous before God, and to walk in all His commandments and ordinances, as in His sight.

iv. "... all the days of our life." 
- This indicates the constancy and continuance of this service, in season and out of season; we must be all-weather servants.
- Not just the best days of our life but all the days of our life; not just the shameful leftovers but all the days of our short and fleeting life. Amen.

What a timely reminder to each one of us who is among the redeemed of the Lord. Amen.

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Khaw Eng Sun

Pastor, the lovely spiritual notes (2 main points & 4 sub points) are sumptuous for our souls in this pilgrimage. Then the display of the colourful dishes on the table fit for a hungry saint eagerly feasting on God's word. What a blessedness indeed.

Believing in Christ is a Work God Requires of His Children

 

Believing in Christ is a Work God Requires of His Children

Are you saved by grace through faith in Christ?
Then you are saved through works!!!
Believing in Christ is work! Christ, Himself said so!

Why do so many carelessly contradict Him?

The act of believing in Jesus Christ is MOST CERTAINLY a work. Jesus Christ HIMSELF told men to do this work! 

John 6:28 ¶ Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? 29 Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.

The men inquired: ''what shall WE DO, THAT WE MIGHT WORK the works of   God?" Christ replied: The work that God wanted them to do is: 'that ye   believe on him whom he hath sent.' They were interested in WORKING the   WORKS (PLURAL) of God, i.e. the WORKS that God requires of His children.  [His children are those elect whom God has effectually called  out of  their native state of sin and condemnation to grace and  salvation)

Christ points them to the FIRST and CHIEF work God requires of them.   Christ said, 'First thing first... believe on Him whom God has sent.'    Please don't contradict Christ and speak blasphemy that believing in   Christ is not work! Christ said it is a work God requires His children to work!

The Lord God said, "This is my beloved Son: hear him" - it is a  command to DO something, i.e. to believe Him! And ONLY God's children,  i.e. regenerated elect, are able to do that work!

Even so, the popular slogan 'justification by faith alone through grace alone' - commonly understood, is an oxymoron. Justification is not by faith, i.e. man's work of believing in Christ Jesus. Justification is by the faith of Christ, i.e. Christ's faithfulness in discharging  His work of redemption.

Apostle Paul states it so plainly in Romans:
The righteousness needed for the justification of a condemned criminal is the righteousness provided by God Himself through His Son  Jesus  Christ. It is stated as plain as noonday sun here:

Romans 3:
21 But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets;
22 Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ   unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:
23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:

He who ears to hear, let him hear!
You are saved by grace through the faith of Christ!
You are not saved by grace through your faith in Christ!

The former is the gospel; the latter a lie of the devil!

Some comments on the Calvinist's Order of Salvation

 

March 8, 2018

Mr Joel, a Calvinist stated this:

Progressive Sanctification is not conversion. It is true that Definite sanctification takes place during Regeneration but they are not one and the same. Conversion is the direct effect of Regeneration. In the Ordo Salutis, Conversion logically takes place right after Regeneration but that is [a] logical priority and should not be understood chronologically. Whenever there is regeneration then conversion takes place.

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Few OBVIOUS errors here:

1. Progressive sanctification is conversion.
- Since conversion is a lifelong process beginning with the initial conversion to Christ through the gospel ministry and goes on till the last breath of a child of God. No conversion, no ongoing sanctification!

2. Definitive sanctification does not take place during regeneration.
- Regeneration takes place at definitive sanctification. Regeneration is ONE PART of the definitive sanctification by God's free grace at effectual calling, i.e. God's act of calling an elect who is in his native state of condemnation, death, and alienation to that state of grace and salvation in Jesus Christ. Calling one that is condemned, dead and alienated to grace and salvation in Jesus Christ necessarily requires JUSTIFICATION, REGENERATION, and ADOPTION. Without these necessary divine activities, one is not in the state of grace and salvation.

3. "Conversion logically takes place right after Regeneration".
- Wrong. Conversion takes place after regeneration - that is the correct chronological order. BUT it is PLAIN WRONG to say that conversion takes place RIGHT AFTER regeneration. Look at Cornelius. His conversion took place after the gospel ministered by Peter. But Cornelius was obviously regenerated long before Peter came to the scene. His devout life of prayers and works of righteousness, and acceptance with God, are indisputable evidence that Cornelius was regenerated long before, not just right before his conversion!

4. "Whenever there is regeneration then conversion takes place."
- Plain wrong too. Some regeneration is never accompanied by conversion through the gospel ministry. Some of God's children are incapable of being reached by the gospel ministry.

SO ALSO there are God's justified people who are incapable of being reached with the gospel and therefore not justified by their faith. But everyone is justified by the free grace of God in effectual calling. This alone ensures that the promised salvation is SURE to every elect.

FOUR popular errors in one short paragraph...

PHEW! And you are a Calvinistic teacher in Israel! I tremble!