The Good News

It has been so long since I have posted a blog that I am not sure where to pick up again. I feel like I have been around the back side of the moon. I lost signal for a while due to a mass of stuff in space.

Honestly I can tell you that this year has been the hardest in my christian life. I have not doubted God but I have doubted myself.

I want to talk about God and the gospel. In fact if I continue blogging I want this to be the main topic. I was reading in google reader the gospel blog http://gospelblog.net/ on the Perversion of the Gospel. As I was reading I was thinking about a friend that I have invested lots of time in telling him the truth and putting lots of effort into showing him the way but he seems to be going away from the purity of the gospel and with Paul I say, "I fear for you, that somehow I have wasted my efforts on you." (Galatians 4:11 NIV) But in some ways I am responsible. Some of his errors come originally from me. That is what this year has been all about. God has corrected me. God has made me see my own error. God has caused me to doubt in myself. That is a good place to be because that means that you can then trust in another. Anything else is legalism. I have begun to see that while I recognised the most obveous form of legalism I failed to see the more subtle form.

1. Legalism in its more obvious form is "The attempt to acquire merit before God through the performance of various rituals and practices"[1]

2. The more subtle version states that merit before God is by grace through faith maintained through the performance of various rituals and practices.

Biblical liberty states however, that merit before God is by grace through faith. (period) Nothing else added. No Law, Nothing.[2]

How does this work out in life? Well someone will point to some commandment and say that the bible says the people who break this one go to hell. Immediately you think, "Wow I have broken that one that must mean that I will go to hell unless I do not continue in that." The SDA's will use the fourth commandment to get Christians to turn from true biblical liberty to salvation maintained through works. They claim that God does not change and that sin is disobeying the commandments. We know that sinners do not go to heaven. So in order to go to heaven you have to have faith plus keep the commandments especially the fourth. But if salvation depends on works in any way then grace is not grace. "But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace." (Rom 11:6 ESV)

What then is sin? Sin is anything that does not proceed from faith. The New Covenant has given us a new command that is to believe the Gospel and anyone who does not is condemned already. "For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin."(Rom 14:23 ESV) see also John 16:8-9.


What then counts? Faith working itself in love. (Galatians 5:6 ESV)
"For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love."

[1] J. R. Wagner, Dictionary of New Testament Background, electronic edition, Editors: C. A. Evans, S. E. Porter IVP, 2000

[2] The Bible is clear in James that faith is not independent from works but that the proof of faith is works. This in no way makes salvation by works but only shows works as evidence of faith.  Some people would ask, "Is this grace of God an excuse to sin?" There is no way! Salvation is begun and finished by faith. And living faith produces works (James 2:26 ESV) "For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead." Be careful of the distinction between merit by faith maintained by works and merit by living faith producing good works. There is a world of difference between the two.