Yes, Even to Avoid the Appearance of Evil

"All the days of his separation he shall eat nothing that is produced by the grapevine, not even the seeds or the skins" (Numbers 6:4).

"Nazarites had taken, among other vows, one that debarred them from the use of wine. In order that they might not violate the obligation, they were forbidden to drink the vinegar of wine or strong liquors; and to make the rule even clearer, they were not to touch the unfermented juice of grapes, nor even to eat the fruit either fresh or dried. In order to secure the integrity of the vow, they were not even allowed anything that had to do with the vine; they were, in fact, to avoid the appearance of evil. Surely this is a lesson to the Lord's separated ones, teaching them to come away from sin in every form, to avoid not merely its grosser shapes but even its spirit and likeness. Such strict walkingis much despised in these days, but rest assured, dear reader, it is the safest and happiest path. He who yields a point or two to the world is in fearful peril; he who eats the grapes of Sodom will soon drink the wine of Gomorrah. A little crevice in the seawall in Holland lets in the sea, and the gap soon swells until a province is drowned. Worldly conformity, in any degree, is a snare to the soul and makes it more and more liable to presumptuous sins. The Nazirite who drank grape juice could not be completely certain whether or not it had been fermented and consequently could not be clear in heart that his vow was intact. In a similar way the yielding, vacillating Christian cannot have a clear conscience but is constantly aware of his double standard. Doubtful things we need not wonder about; they are wrong for us. Tempting things we must not play with, but run from them speedily. Better to be sneered at as a Puritan than to be despised as a hypocrite. Careful walking may involve much self-denial, but it has pleasures of its own that are more than a sufficient reward."



Taken from Charles Spurgeon's Evening by Evening devotional for August 29th.

I Am Not Ashamed of the TRUE Gospel

It is time to take salvation seriously and stop distorting the Biblical view of salvation which is salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ alone. Take heed!!

Ten Shekels and a Shirt - Paris Reidhead

Real Christians or False Converts?

I remember reading a statistic (I'm not much on statistics but this was fascinating) that recorded that only 4% of professing "Christians" are true Bible believing Christians. "Bible believing" meaning a non-compromising adherence to the non-negotiables (fundamentals) of Biblical Christian faith such as the Deity of our Lord Jesus Christ (John 1:1; John 20:28; Hebrews 1:8-9), the Virgin Birth (Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:23; Luke 1:27), the Blood Atonement (Acts 20:28; Romans 3:25, 5:9; Ephesians 1:7; Hebrews 9:12-14), the Bodily Resurrection (Luke 24:36-46; 1 Corinthians 15:1-4, 15:14-15), the inerrancy of the Scriptures themselves (Psalm 12:6-7; Romans 15:4; 2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:20), and the Second Coming of Jesus Christ (Zechariah 14; Matthew 24:4-31; Luke 17:20-37; Revelation 19). "Bible believing" meaning that one wholly believes that the Bible is true (including those tough and essential Doctrines, such as the doctrine of election and justification is by faith alone in Christ alone apart from works, to name a few), is breathed out by God (Divinely inspired), is the only written Word of God, is immutable, is inerrant, is infallible, is authoritative, and is relevant in any society or culture (that it doesn't need added to or detracted from). "Bible believing Christian" meaning also that the Christian is truly born-again (repentance, justification, regeneration, etc.) according the Scriptures and is separated (sanctified) out of the world. I could go on and on here, but this is a sufficient introduction to this most important concept. For a clear view on salvation and what being born again looks like go to the Word of God first and then pick up the book Justification and Regeneration by Charles Leiter at Monergism Books (Click Here). Look at this article: Are You Born Again?" (Click Here!).

Listen! Revival is of God!!

This one is kind of long (35 minutes) but very well worth the time. Praise God for this type of preaching!! Emerging Churches, Postmodern Churches, Purpose-Driven Churches be gone!! We need to get back to Biblical preaching!!

God Have Mercy - Does Any of This Look Familiar to Anyone?

I'm going to be sick!! What an abomination!! After viewing this sickening activity, look at the video on my blog posted August 23, 2008 for a look into true Christianity!!

Unashamed to tell the truth!!

John 10:10 - The Abundant Life

John 10:10 says, "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they might have life and have it more abundantly."

I want to start by saying that it is crucial that we all tread carefully when dealing with the words of the Most Holy God of Scripture!! I tremble with reverence for His glory. My only desire is to do His will and to give all the glory to God Almighty through the worhip and praise of His Son Jesus Christ. I am writing my thoughts here with utmost reverence and diligence to be careful not to depart from or alter what God intended in His Word.

I need to begin by getting something off my chest here. Excuse me. I do NOT want to hear about how this passage (John 10:10) is about us having an "abundant life" here on earth while millions of people all over the planet are suffering beyond anything we (most American's particularly) can fathom!! Try in good conscience preaching "Your Best Life Now" to the dying, the poor, the diseased, etc. Forget about it!! It makes me sick to think that any pastor (or any other student of the Bible for that matter) would have the audacity to propagate this heresy! I am not a scholar by any stretch of the imagination, but I know that when taken in context to the rest of Scripture this passage is referring to abundant eternal life with Jesus Christ. Uh... do we not remember Paul writing in Philippians 1:21, "For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain."?? What about "Denying yourself?" In Luke 9:23 and Matthew 16:24, Jesus says, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me." Jesus continues in Luke 9:24-25 and Matthew 16:25-26 saying, "For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself?" Can we just read the Bible and get back to the Word of God instead of feeding our insatiable appetites for self advancement and enhancement!! Dying is gain!! Living is Christ!! NOT one's best life now!! Thank you.

I have increasingly become more aware that many people have approached and are approaching this passage (John 10:10) with the incorrect presupposition (even an expectation) that God is vehemently concerned about us having an "abundant life" now in the form of happiness, painlessness, and a life with little or no trials. Many of the comments about this verse follow the "Your Best Life Now" and the "Purpose-Driven Life" false teaching movements (among others). It is important to understand that the Gospel, the True Gospel that is from the Word of God, should be able to be preached to all the world. If it is the true Gospel message, it will able to be preached the same everywhere! How can someone who believes in this false hermeneutic of John 10:10 preach or witness this verse (or any part of the Gospel) to someone who is experiencing famine in a third-world country or someone who is a young adult who has a deadly disease or any of the millions who are not experiencing their so-called "best?" Is someone who is dying (especially at a young age) having their best life now? Listen closely here! We are not called to have abundant life in any worldly sense, but we are called to become children of God by way of true repentance and ultimately through complete trust and faith in Jesus Christ alone as Lord and Savior!! This is the only way that we "might have life and have it more abundantly." A false view of the Biblical "abundant life" can, and most certainly will, lead to eternal damnation--Hell. When a person is having their "best life now" or are living the abundant worldly life here on Earth, it is clear that their eternal life is in serious jeopardy. The Gospel message IS Good News, however it is not the good news of "having our best lives now." The Gospel is to be taken to ALL the world unaltered and devoid of eisigetical infusion or delusion. It is destructive to manipulate (or use eisigesis, instead of exegesis) the Word of God to fit someone's anthropocentric presupposition or their selfish, whimsical, and worldly desires.

One exegetical web commentary correctly writes, "With this verse many incorrectly teach that Jesus came to give life, not just ordinary existence, but life in fullness, abundance, and prosperity in this world. There is a great problem with this perspective. First, let's take a look at the word "life". In the Greek it is "Zoe" (S# 2222) referring to the principle of life in the spirit and soul. Distinguished from "bios" (S# 979), which refers to duration, means, and manner of life.So we find that the life (zoe) that Jesus referred to are the things of the spirit, the things which are not seen. Not the things of the flesh or of the world which are seen. Jesus here is talking about eternal life, not about having good things on this earth" (TheWordsofEternalLife.Com/John_10.html).

The life that Jesus is referring to here is not the temporal life but the eternal life through Him. The Reformation Study Bible (ESV) commentary explains that "The life that Jesus gives is unique because it is eternal, and He gives this life in ever-growing abundance to His redeemed." John MacArthur writes in his commentary, referring to verses 9 and 10, that "These two verses are a proverbial way of insisting that belief in Jesus as the Messiah and Son of God is the only way of being 'saved' from sin and hell and receiving eternal life. Only Jesus Christ is the one true source for the knowledge of God and the one basis for spiritual security." The believer's abundant life (the assurance of eternal life) comes by way of salvation through the blood of Jesus Christ.

If one's abundance is here on earth (the abundance of this world) are they receiving the true abundance of eternal life? We are called to be "in the world", but not "of the world." Jesus Said, "If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you" (John 15:19). Jesus also said, "I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world" (John 17:14).

How does the wrong interpretation of John 10:10 correlate with 2 Timothy 3:12 which tells us, "Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted" or Colossians 3:1-4 where God says to us, "If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory." Are these verses talking about "your abundant life now here on earth?" No! How about 1 John 2:15-17, "Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world— the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever."

It would behoove us to heed the warning breathed out by God in James 4:4 where we learn, "You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God."

"For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come" (Hebrews 13:14).

(More to be added later)

-Jason

Note: All verses are from English Standard Bible (ESV).