Things New and Old

Ancient truths revealed in the Scriptures are often forgotten, disbelieved or distorted, and therefore lost in the passage of time. Such ancient truths when rediscovered and relearned are 'new' additions to the treasury of ancient truths.

Christ showed many new things to the disciples, things prophesied by the prophets of old but hijacked and perverted by the elders and their traditions, but which Christ reclaimed and returned to His people.

Many things taught by the Apostles of Christ have been perverted or substituted over the centuries. Such fundamental doctrines like salvation by grace and justification have been hijacked and perverted and repudiated by sincere Christians. These doctrines need to be reclaimed and restored to God's people.

There are things both new and old here. "Consider what I say; and the Lord give thee understanding in all things"
2Ti 2:7.

Saturday, January 9, 2021

By Grace are Ye saved

"Even when we were dead in sins,
hath quickened us together with Christ,
(by grace ye are saved)."
You were saved by grace when you were dead in trespasses and sins.
When you were dead in trespasses and sins, you were incapable of believing.

https://www.facebook.com/sing.f.lau/posts/10215414596093577

January 8, 2020 

#By_Grace_are_ye_Saved_through_faith?
#Prejudice_Blinds
#Soundbytes_Deafens

Ephesians 2
5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)...
8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.

Verse 8 is loved and quoted often; nearly every Christian is willing to affirm "by grace are ye saved" even though their idea on the subject repudiates the truth of salvation by the grace of God. Why do I say that?

Their idea of "by grace are ye saved" includes the instrumentality of their act of believing; "through faith" is understood as the believing act of those saved. They necessarily understand "the gift of God" as referring to the faith which is given to those not saved, still dead in sins, for them to utilize the gift, i.e. to be saved through faith.

Such ideas are just plain irrational, i.e. lacking common sense, yes, stupid. The ideas blatantly contradict the plain statement of verse 5, "Even when we were dead in sins, [God] hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)"

It declares that "by grace ye are saved" happens when we were dead in sins, by the quickening activity of the Spirit of God. "By grace are ye saved" happens when we were INCAPABLE of faith, when we were dead in sins; we were in our native state of condemnation and death.

"Through faith" declares the basis of that gift of salvation freely bestowed. Salvation is through the faithfulness of Christ in His work of redemption. Instead of rejoicing in the complete and perfect faithfulness of Christ, so many are obsessed with their faith and then twisting the word of God further by insisting that the gift is the faith.

No, the all-wise God does not give the gift of faith to the dead in sins and expects them to utilize the gift. Let God be true but every man a liar; He quickens the dead instead by bestowing the eternal salvation to them - that is the gift given to the dead at the point of quickening from the dead. The gift is the salvation bestowed freely by God's grace.

Stop believing lies.

p/s: faith is NOT a gift; faith is one of the saving graces worked within a SAVED man by the indwelling Spirit, even the Spirit of adoption. 


Thursday, January 7, 2021

If ye shall still do wickedly...

 

BUT if ye shall STILL do wickedly…

https://www.facebook.com/sing.f.lau/posts/144014145652214

1Samuel 12
22 For the LORD will not forsake his people for his great name’s sake: because it hath pleased the LORD to make you his people.
23 Moreover as for me, God forbid that I should sin against the LORD in ceasing to pray for you: but I will teach you the good and the right way:
24 Only fear the LORD, and serve him in truth with all your heart: for consider how great things he hath done for you.
25 BUT if ye shall still do wickedly…

a. But if ye shall still do wickedly, ye shall be consumed, both ye and your king.
Note:
1. Eternal salvation is by the LORD's free and unconditional grace. Once made His people by His free and sovereign grace, forever His people. None can undo that.... not EVEN the LORD Himself... for He has sworn... 'for His great name sake.'

2. Temporal salvation is conditioned upon the obedience of God's people. If they do learn the good and right way, fear the Lord, and serve Him in truth... they will enjoy many blessings. But if they don't... they shall suffer severe temporal judgment here and now.

 

b. 25 But if ye shall still do wickedly, ye shall be consumed, both ye and your king.

The LORD's people are quite capable of DOING WICKEDLY!
And what constitutes doing wickedly?
- Will not learn the good and the right way of the LORD,
- Will not fear the LORD,
- Will not serve in truth will all the heart,

We do wickedly if we don't respond appropriately in GRATITUDE to all the great things the LORD has done for us.

c. 25 But if ye shall still do wickedly, ye shall be consumed, both ye and your king.

The LORD's people are quite capable of DOING WICKEDLY!
And what constitutes doing wickedly?
- Persist in the bad and wrong ways we have inherited...
- Fear men and pleasing women
- Serve yourself first, then serve the LORD with the left-overs, and grudgingly and quarter-heartedly.


Tuesday, January 5, 2021

Predestination - Single versus Double


https://www.facebook.com/notes/sing-f-lau/there-is-a-distinct-difference-are-you-aware/10152138323323484/

The WCF on God's Decrees
3. By the decree of God, for the manifestation of his glory, some men and angels are predestinated unto everlasting life, and others foreordained to everlasting death.

The Calvinists teach Double Predestination - election (God actively predestinated some to eternal salvation) and reprobation (God actively foreordained the rest to eternal damnation.) Reformed Baptists, being Calvinists, believe this lie too.

The 1689 on God's Decrees
3. By the decree of God, for the manifestation of his glory, some men and angels are predestinated, or foreordained to eternal life through Jesus Christ, to the praise of his glorious grace; others being left to act in their sin to their just condemnation, to the praise of his glorious justice.

The Calvinistic Baptists teach Double Predestination - election (God actively predestinated some to eternal salvation) and reprobation (God actively predestinated the rest to eternal damnation.)  Reformed Baptists, being Calvinists, believe this lie too.

The Old Baptists teach Single Predestination - election. (God actively predestinated some to eternal salvation, and preterition (the rest are passively by-passed and left to their just condemnation). The Old Baptists were no Calvinists! They were distinctly Old School Baptists!


On Brutality and Hypocrisy - he is mac!

These geese are grand and graceful birds.
They bellow loud and clear;
and this may offend and annoy many.
I love them! It is music to the ears!

https://www.facebook.com/sing.f.lau/posts/10204056715193653

 "Truth without love has no decency; it's just brutality. On the other hand, love without truth has no character; it's just hypocrisy." ~ John Mac

==============

Truth, in and of itself is beautiful, however it is packaged and delivered. But there will always be people who can't deal with the truth and they will kick up all sorts of scruples. To many, the truth, however well packaged and delivered in the most winsome way, is still hateful to them.

The opposition to Jesus Christ and His ministry - marked by both truth, and love in their absolute purity - is a classic proof of that.

Love without truth is NOT hypocrisy, it is just sentimentalism.

To say love without truth is hypocrisy is a horrid slander against the loving who couldn't care less about the truth. They are sincerely loving, and sincerely thoughtless of the truth.

Truth is never decent to those who love darkness.

Those who find scruples against the truth because of its messenger are certainly indecent themselves!


A Church like a Headless Chicken

 

Many churches are headless like this chicken



"Behold, I stand at the door, and knock..."

https://www.facebook.com/sing.f.lau/posts/10215398423609275

#Locking_Out_the_Head
#A_Church_like_a_Headless_Chicken

Sometimes, brave and prudent wives lockout their mad husbands for good reasons.

Not infrequently, even churches lock out their Head, the Lord Christ Jesus. Just look at a church that actually did such a heinous act,  Rev 3:14-22. BEHOLD, and tremble at the devastating effects, despite all the impressive appearance to the contrary!

The headless church's assessment of herself:

"I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing." So well-off, respectable, and self-sufficient; she's impressed with herself.

Dr. Faithful's diagnosis of her:
"... Knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked."

How to explain such delusion and self-conceit; why is she so mistaken about herself? What has brought her down to such a tragic state?

The answer is found in these solemn words, "Behold, I stand at the door, and knock, if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me."

She has locked out her Head; in doing so, she has become like a headless chicken - "wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked" - but still impressive in her own eyes and in that of the world.

Some wives/mothers wisely lock out their husbands because their husbands have turned abusive and beastly; they did it for safety and well-being.

But why would churches lock out their Lord and Saviour? That heinous wickedness has happened before, is still happening, and will yet happen. And the devastating effects have been spelled out.

BUT what is manifested at the corporate level has first occurred at the individual level.

The Lord and Saviour  says, "He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches." Rev 3:22