Disclaimer: Some postings contain other author's material. All such material is used here for fair use and discussion purposes.

Friday, March 31, 2023

Worm theology - All Nations Church

Found here. Our comments in bold.
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We had never heard of "worm theology in the 40+ years of our Christian experience. In actual fact, we are glad. It is a damaging doctrine that suggests that God despises sinners. It also carries with it the idea that even though we have been saved, regenerated, and seated with Christ in heavenly places, our status remains lowly and worthless.

The danger of this doctrine as we see it is that we put upon God an attitude that He does not possess. But there is no Scripture that tells us God despises humankind. Just the opposite:
Ps. 8:5 You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. 
Ps. 138:6 Though the LORD is on high, he looks upon the lowly, but the proud he knows from afar.
1Co. 1:27-29 But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. 28 He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things — and the things that are not — to nullify the things that are, 29 so that no-one may boast before him.
Further, for the Christian, this false humility, this affectation, means we wallow in regret and we get stuck at the cross, never moving on in sanctification. In fact, sin should be expected. We can do no better, We are is powerless and weak. We cannot stand against the tide of unrighteousness that rises around us. We should anticipate failure. 

Worm theology is in stark contrast to the teaching of the Bible: 
2Co. 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! 
1Co. 15:57 But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 
Ro. 7:5-6 For when we were controlled by the sinful nature, the sinful passions aroused by the law were at work in our bodies, so that we bore fruit for death. 6 But now, by dying to what once bound us, we have been released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code.
Ro. 8:6 The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace...
Ep. 2:10 For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
There is no place in the Bible that teaches worm theology regarding God's view of humanity or the Church.

Thursday, March 30, 2023

What Does it Mean that Jesus “Became Sin” For Us? - By Publisher

Found here. Our comments in bold.
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Again Distnr provides a teaching, but it cannot just simply present its case. Nope, once again a supposed false teacher is dragged in for the purpose of taking a few more shots. In this case the unnamed author gratuitously recycles its criticism of Todd White to no one's benefit. 

We should also note that the only Scripture quoted by the author is subject verse. He does not make his case from the Bible.

Further, the author does manage to make occasional good points, but immediately negates them with undocumented false assumptions. For example, the Calvinistic "Penal Substitutionary Atonement" doctrine is mentioned but never documented.

Lastly, it seems the author wants to assume a scholarly veneer by explaining interpretive methodology and quoting Greek word meanings, but it comes off as posturing. A teacher's job is to explain, not obscure. The author obscures, which make him a bad teacher.

Wednesday, March 29, 2023

Hypocrisy of Religious People Regarding Women - By Bob Johnson

Found here. Our comments in bold.
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Mr. Johnson has appeared in our blog several times. Invariably he writes critically about religion, with particular emphasis on Christianity. His underlying agenda is to push his never-explained deism.

We have found him to be a less than rigorous thinker. Though not an atheist, he might as well be, since his rhetoric conforms particularly well to atheism. Further, he largely contents himself with spurting regurgitated atheist and/or leftist talking points. 

Ironically, he relies on the morality of "revealed religions" to make his pronouncements. So there is a code of right and wrong with him, from which he derives moral imperatives which he happily desires to impose on others. However, he is unable, or unwilling, to explain why his moral pronouncements are self-evident, or why we would want to adopt them for ourselves.

That is, he engages in the very same moralizing he opposes in religious people. That would be hypocrisy, sir.

Today he asserts that religious people are hypocrites regarding women. Oddly, he will never discuss or identify any hypocrisy. We think he meant to use the word "misogyny" rather than "hypocrisy." This can easily happen with leftists because they continually recycle talking points, slogans, and buzzwords. He probably forgot which talking point he was using.
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Tuesday, March 28, 2023

Living the Cessationist Life - by JOHN DIVITO

Found here. Our comments in bold.
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We have commented on many false teachings from supposed Bible teachers in our blog, and previously thought that it couldn't get any worse. Well, it has. 

This is a new low. The author engages all of the bad teaching techniques we have observed elsewhere, and takes them to the nth degree;
  • No Bible quotes
  • No Bible references
  • Undocumented claims
  • Misrepresenting the Bible 
  • Misrepresenting the beliefs of opponents
  • Obtuse prose
  • Bad doctrine
There are some thoughtful cessationists out there, but this author isn't one of them.)
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Monday, March 27, 2023

Should We Celebrate Baptism and the Lord’s Supper at Youth Group? - By Will Standridge

Found here. Our comments in bold.
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The author will attempt to explain why we should not engage in communion or baptisms outside the Sunday morning gathering, but he will not quote a Scripture in support of his belief. Not one.

Probably because there isn't one.

What the author does not seem to understand is the Sunday morning meeting of the saints is no different that the Friday night meeting of the saints at Camp Kenochee-wa. The gathering of Christians is the gathering of the church. The building is irrelevant. The day of the week is irrelevant.
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Friday, March 24, 2023

What is Biblical Worship? - by publisher

Found here. Our comments in bold.
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It seems the nameless author actually wanted to write a criticism of churches he doesn't like, while pretending to explain worship. When he sticks to the topic he does relatively well. But when he wanders off to blast the churches he doesn't like, well...

This is the typical quality of teaching from disntr, (see also here, here, here, and here) too often shallow, error filled, or even flat-out unbiblical. 

We should note that we are not here to defend any and every manifestation of contemporary worship of these unnamed churches, we want to examine the author's presentation.
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Thursday, March 23, 2023

Bad worship songs: Highlands (Song of Ascent)

From time to to we examine the lyrics of worship songs. Our desire is not to mock or humiliate, but rather to honestly examine content with a view to calling forth a better worship expression.

With the great volume and variety of worship music available, none of us should have to settle for bad worship songs. We should be able to select hundreds or even thousands of top notch songs very easily.

What makes a song a good worship song? Is it enough to contain words like God or holy? How about vaguely spiritual sounding phrases? Should Jesus be mentioned? We think an excellent worship song should contain as many as possible of the following elements:

  • A direct expression of adoration (God, you are...)
  • A progression of ideas that culminates in a coherent story
  • A focus on God, not us
  • A certain amount of profundity
  • A singable, interesting melody
  • Scripture quotes or coherent allusions to Scripture
  • Doctrinal soundness
Further, a worship song should not:
  • contain lyrics that create uncertainty or cause confusion
  • be excessively metaphorical
  • be excessively repetitive
  • imply that Jesus is your boyfriend
It's worth noting the most worship songs contain at least something good. That is, there might be a musical idea or a lyric that has merit. Such is the case with today's song, "Highlands." 

Audio link.

Wednesday, March 22, 2023

Does God have Emotions? - By Wyatt Graham

Found here. Our comments in bold.
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We must  admit, up until recently we had not heard of this "doctrine" in the 40 years of our Christian experience. We put the word in quotes since the author doesn't quote a single Scripture in support of it. He quotes theologians and statements of confession, and ancillary Scriptures to document minor claims, but when it comes to citing an actual verse that teaches impassibility, well, he doesn't bother. 

It is a mystery how one can explain a "doctrine" but never quote a Scripture that describes it. Probably because there isn't one.

He could perhaps have discussed this verse: 
Nu. 23:19 God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfil?
Or,
1Sa. 15:29 He who is the Glory of Israel does not lie or change his mind; for he is not a man, that he should change his mind.
Further, it seems to us this is one of those arcane parsings of theology that has no fruit for the Christian walk. It does not speak to the way of salvation, holiness, or Christian service. It holds no benefit to the worshiper, preacher, or evangelist. It does not come to bear on Christ-likeness, the fellowship of the saints, or even the Gospel itself.

In our opinion, the issue is barely worth discussing. But since it is coming up rather frequently, we shall address the author's points.
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Tuesday, March 21, 2023

The mailbag asked and answered, 7 - by Michelle Lesley

Excerpted from here. Our comments in bold.
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Here is another micro-doctrine, one of dozens Ms. Lesley has derived from misunderstanding 1 Timothy 2:12. See our thorough explanation of this here.

Today Ms. Lesley incorrectly answers a reader question, while studiously avoiding the quoting of or referencing Scripture.
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Monday, March 20, 2023

Dear Conservatives, I Apologize. My "Team" was Taken in By Full-Spectrum Propaganda - Dr. Naomi Wolf

Found here. No comment needed.
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There is no way to avoid this moment. The formal letter of apology. From me. To Conservatives and to those who “put America first” everywhere.

It’s tempting to sweep this confrontation with my own gullibility under the rug — to “move on” without ever acknowledging that I was duped, and that as a result I made mistakes in judgement, and that these mistakes, multiplied by the tens of thousands and millions on the part of people just like me, hurt millions of other people like you all, in existential ways.

But that erasure of personal and public history would be wrong.

I owe you a full-throated apology.

Disorder in the churches! - By Elizabeth Prata

Found here. Our comments in bold.
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Some more false and superficial teaching from Ms. Prata. Frankly, we have a hard time understanding how someone can so poorly understand the Scriptures and still be regarded as a teacher. Not only that, she calls herself a "Discernment Minister."

Ms. Prata simply parrots the party line about the issue of women teachers. She adds no new information, insight, or even attempts to persuade.

It's a waste of time.
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Friday, March 17, 2023

Doing what is right without needing a new word from the Lord - By Simon Van Bruchem

Found here. Our comments in bold.
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There's no shortage of bad teachers out there. The trouble is, they too often fancy themselves as authoritative commentators on doctrine and practice. They don't seem to be answerable to anyone, for if they did submit their writings to a critical eye, much of it would never make it to publication.

This article may be the worst biblical teaching we've ever read. It is at least in the top ten. The author starts with his doctrinal presumption and looks for Scriptural support, however vague and unrelated. So the author cites an isolated story in the Bible and extrapolates it to the present day church, for the sole purpose of confirming his own doctrine that God does not speak today. 
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Thursday, March 16, 2023

Revival at Asbury: A Cold Take - by Tim Challies

Found here. A refreshingly honest and balanced approach. We do have a few brief comments, but nevertheless a bravo is directed to Mr. Challies.
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Wednesday, March 15, 2023

The trouble with 1 Timothy 2:12: Women teaching men, elders and deacons

 Recently we've been reconsidering many of the things we thought we understood regarding doctrine and faith. We have begun to question certain beliefs, church structures, and practices of the western church. Too often we have discovered what we think are unbiblical doctrines and activities. This causes us concern. We have deemed this our “Rethink.”

Our questions include, how did we arrive at our doctrines? Does the Bible really teach what we think it teaches? Why do churches do what they do? What is the biblical basis of church leadership structure? Why do certain traditions get entrenched?

It's easy to be spoon fed the conventional wisdom, but it's an entirely separate thing to search these things out for one's self. In the past we have read the Bible with these unexamined understandings and interpreted what we read through those lenses. We were too lazy about our Bible study, assuming that pastors and theologians were telling us the truth, but we rarely checked it out for ourselves.

Therefore, these Rethinks are our attempt to remedy the situation.

We should note that there is more than one way to interpret doctrine, more than one way to think about the faith, and more than one way to read the Scriptures. We would not suggest that our way is the only way, or the right way; we are not Bible scholars. But we believe that one doesn't need to be in order to rightly divide the Word of God.

Tuesday, March 14, 2023

A Review of Rising Contemporary Christian Music Artist, Iveth Luna, and Her Popular Music - Disntr

Found here. Our comments in bold.
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The unnamed author levels the same accusations over and over against Ms. Luna, as if by sheer repetition they become true. He insists she's narcissistic and overlooks key doctrines, and she's narcissistic and doesn't sing about key doctrines. Singing about one's experiences is narcissistic, and she violates the doctrine of salvation. She doesn't sing about salvation by grace through faith, and, narcissism and grace and sanctification and, and...

Did we mention narcissism?

But we have read the lyrics. And we consider ourselves to possess a rudimentary level of comprehension. But we are unable to ascertain what the author is talking about. He makes a big stink about some egregious heresy, but never identifies it. 

We have reproduced all the lyrics, since the author only quotes part in an effort to bias the situation. But the full lyrics actually counter some of the author's objections.

[Verse 1]
Who says "I'm with you there in the dark
It won't always be this hard
I'm holding your broken heart"?
And who says "I'm not scared of your fears
All your doubts, bring 'em here
I'm wiping all of your tears"?

He does, He does

[Chorus]
It's just like Jesus
To give me strength when I need it
Hope when I cannot see it
When I'm falling to pieces
It's just like Jesus
To put me back on my feet when
I was out past the deep end
You wanted me when nobody wanted me
Now I just wanna be

Just like Jesus

[Verse 2]
Who is a friend to all of the friendless
Fighting for the defenseless
Merciful in the messes?
And who can make a sinner feel worthy
Lift the head of the hurting
Walk with those who are searching?

[Bridge]
His hands, His feet His arms reaching
He wanted me when nobody wanted me
Now I just wanna be, Now I just wanna be
His hands, His feet
His arms reaching, He wanted me when nobody wanted me
Now I just wanna be Just like Jesus, oh

Just like Jesus


Lastly, we should say that we are not here to defend Ms. Luna. Personally, we don't think the song is particularly interesting. We are here to examine the unnamed author of this article.
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Monday, March 13, 2023

So, You Want to Be a Pastor? - By Sean DeMars

Found here. Our comments in bold.
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This is bad teaching and bad advice. The author gets absolutely nothing correct about the biblical role of pastor. He piles onto pastors the very things that make them fail, as if enduring the negative impact of being a pastor is something noble, expected, and part of the job. In other words, the work of pastoring is definitionally failure.

Even worse, the author doesn't quote a single Scripture. Not even a snippet. Astounding.
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Friday, March 10, 2023

What Exactly is Saving Faith and How do We Know We Have It? - Disntr

Found here. Our comment in bold.
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The author is so beholden to his reformist doctrine that he cannot see past its limitations. He goes to great lengths to restrict salvation to an arcane process that he doesn't explain. He barely acknowledges the Holy Spirit's role in anything. It amounts to a near deification of the Bible.

The thing the author so assiduously avoids is that salvation is supernatural. Regeneration is supernatural. New life in Christ is accomplished supernaturally. We know we are saved supernaturally:
Ro. 8:16 The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.
This does not appear on the author's radar, and as such we must deem the author's presentation as bad Bible teaching.

In addition, the author will eventually come down on the side of faith, versus intellectual process and reason. But what might he think of Dr. MacArthur?
We use reason to solve a math problem, read an engineering schematic, or diagnose an illness. In the same way, Scripture is understood according to the normal patterns of human reason.
If we want to know Him and understand what He has revealed in His Word, we must approach Scripture rationally, following the normal processes of logic and reason with sound hermeneutics to come to a true understanding of its meaning.
Dr. MacArthur thinks that access to the truths of Scripture is subject to human reasoning.
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Thursday, March 9, 2023

Touch Not My Anointed? - by Michelle Lesley

Found here. Our comments in bold.
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There's a lot of bad teaching here. Ms. Lesley misrepresents anointing, leaves out crucial facts, and completely omits the Holy Spirit's role in setting apart people for His purposes.

And a critical junctures her documentation completely disappears. Frankly, it reads like Ms. Lesley simply copied the major points of some Bible teacher that she agreed with.
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Wednesday, March 8, 2023

Gov. DeSantis: You're a history grad. Tell me when systemic racism ended - By Jeff Cohen

Found here. Our comments in bold.
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What's notable here is the author's continual effort to reframe the debate, which is what the Left always wants to do. So according to the author, this is simply about teaching black history. And DeSantis opposes this, which means DeSantis hates blacks and supports white-washed history.

The Left has always debated this ways. They never, ever discuss the issues or even want a back-and-forth. They always will avoid the issue, or attempt to make their position seem innocuous, while simultaneously trying to make their opposition into haters and racists. 

Therefore, the author's purpose is not to inform, explain, or clarify. He's not intending to impart information or understanding. This is not written to contribute to the debate. 

In fact, the Left has no interest in education in Florida. They are not interested in Florida students. Black history doesn't matter. They don't even really care about DeSantis except for how they might use him as a tool. They are solely interested in promulgating The Narrative in service to The Agenda. 

The Narrative is the Leftist talking points of the day, the factoids and verbiage that always appear simultaneously all over the media landscape, designed as a barrage to overcome the intellect so as to facilitate The Agenda. The Agenda is the elimination of the current system to install Marxism.

The Agenda. The goal of every leftist is to dismantle the system and install Marxism. That's it. That's the agenda. 

The bottom line is, systemic racism hasn't ended, because it will never end. It cannot end, because the system is the problem. It must be overthrown and replaced. That's the whole point. The problem cannot and must not be solved.
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Tuesday, March 7, 2023

Should Fallen Pastors Be Restored? - by John MacArthur

Found here. Our comments in bold.
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While we share Dr. MacArthur's concern when these sinning pastors so quickly re-appear in the pulpit, sometimes after very serious sin, we reject the idea that there is no possibility for restoration to the pulpit. We would embrace a broader criteria, since sin of every kind is present in the Church and potentially disqualifying for every person (1Co. 9:27, Col. 2:18), not just pastors.

Dr. MacArthur lists two disqualifiers, failure to be above reproach, and failure to be a one-woman man. He derives these from 1Ti. 3:2:
Now the overseer must be above reproach, the husband of but one wife...
So, a pastor who falls into sexual sin violates these criteria, according to Dr. MacArthur. And from that he concludes that it is a permanent disqualifier. But that is a leap, because there is no Scripture that tells us this. 

In fact, the Bible is replete with examples of leaders who sinned and stumbled, even severely, yet were not disqualified from leadership. David, Samson, Paul, Peter, Noah, Abraham, Jacob... it's a long list. Murders, adulterers, hypocrites, and liars. Yet God used them powerfully. They are historical giants of faith.

Perhaps Dr. MacArthur thinks that the dividing line is when a man is saved. That is, a grievous sinner, once saved and having grown to maturity of faith, is qualified to lead. Like this man, a former porn star who is now a pastor. Or maybe not. Maybe Dr. MacArthur believes that any serious sin in someone's history disqualifies them. But every man who comes into the Kingdom has a past, so it seems clear that past sins should not necessarily disqualify.

What does the Bible tell us about restoration? Dr. MacArthur never tells us. In fact, he manages to quote only a single Scripture in his whole presentation. It seems important to discuss restoration as a concept in an article questioning restoration, particularly the biblical case.

We find that the church has a responsibility to restore:
Ga. 6:1 Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted.
The word "restore" means exactly fit (adjust) to be in good working order, i.e. adjusted exactly "down" to fully function. So a leader or pastor or any Christian who sins needs to be put back to full function, if at all possible. The person needs to be restored to "good working order." That must always be the goal. No sin should disqualify any truly repentant person to return to their God-given gifts.

This requires repentance, counseling, examining of subsequent fruit, and continued accountability and evaluation. It is not done quickly or casually. But there is no hint that restoration isn't possible or isn't permissible.

We should also mention that the Bible does not teach that pastors lead churches, the elders do (1Pe. 5:1-3). We therefore think the greatest problem is not that pastors fall, it's that pastors are placed too high. They occupy unbiblical positions at the top of the pyramid. They have too much power, they are subject to too many expectations, and they carry a burden God never put on them. Of course they would tend to fail in such an environment.

Churches are to be led by a plurality of godly men, not a CEO pastor. This fact could be a least a part of the solution to pastoral missteps.
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Monday, March 6, 2023

Meme: Open your Bibles with me to Romans 9 (predestination)

We found this supposedly fun meme here. Protestia is a reformationist "discernment" website. 


It seems like Protestia thinks that Romans 9 is problematic for non-Calvinists. But we are not troubled by the contents of any Bible verse. Calvinism doesn't burn against us, but it does rub us the wrong way.

Since it's a meme, we don't know any details why they might think it's problematic for non-Calvinists, but we suppose it has to do with predestination. Predestination is one of the central principles of Calvinism, roughly represented as an acronym TULIP. TULIP stands for:

  • Total depravity
  • Unconditional election
  • Limited atonement
  • Irresistible grace
  • Perseverance of the saints
Two of these, unconditional election and irresistible grace, combine to form the idea that God chose who would be saved, and there is nothing anyone can do to thwart God's sovereign choice to save some and not save others. Predestination, then, is God choosing in advance to save certain people, the "elect."

We don't believe the Bible teaches this, and in our view Romans chapter 9 doesn't present a problem. 

Context

Let's take some time to examine what Paul wrote in chapter 9. But first, we need to note that Paul is writing to Jewish Christians in Rome (Ro. 2:17). The audience is important, as we will note later. 

Paul's whole thrust is to make the case that being Jewish is not enough to be saved (Ro. 2:28). Observing the law isn't sufficient (Ro. 3:20). Every man must be justified via faith, whether Jew or gentile (Ro. 3:28). Even Abraham was justified by faith (Ro. 4:22), and that same justification by faith is available to us (Ro. 4:24). That faith frees us from the condemnation of the law (Ro. 8:1-2).

Justification by faith means we have Christ in us (Ro. 8:10) and the Spirit living in us (Ro. 8:11). And His Spirit living in us makes us sons (Ro. 8:15) and heirs (Ro. 8:17).

Now we have arrived at chapter 9. Paul opens with a statement about his countryman: 
Ro. 9:3-4 For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, those of my own race, 4 the people of Israel. Theirs is the adoption as sons; theirs the divine glory, the covenants, the receiving of the law, the temple worship and the promises.
Israel is special. They enjoy all the blessings, promises, and glory. Jesus descended from the Jews. Paul's passion is for his own people to be saved. Israel's status is the premise used to set up the idea that they have always been God's people, but now a righteousness by faith has been revealed (Ro. 10:6). His whole thrust is to compare what God intends for the Jews as contrasted with gentiles. 

This argument continues all the way through to chapter 11. 

Children of Promise

Paul writes:
Ro. 9:6, 8 ...For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel... 8 it is not the natural children who are God’s children, but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as Abraham’s offspring.
Paul notes that the "children of promise." excludes some of Israel. Only Isaac's sons are the "children of promise." The Jews regard Abraham as their father (Jn. 8:39). But their lineage as descendants goes specifically from Abraham to Isaac to Jacob. These are the "children of promise (Ro. 9:8)." Therefore, the "children of promise" were Jews who were sovereignly chosen by God through the lineage of Abraham's seed. That's why Jews call him "father Abraham. Those who trace their lineage back to Abraham are the children of promise, the elect.

Eventually, Paul concludes his argument with a plain statement:
Ro. 11:2 God did not reject his people, whom he foreknew.
God's people are the Jews. They are those whom he foreknew, and came through a particular lineage.  

The Objects

So, we have contextualized Paul's argument, which is, God's purpose is for the Jews and then for the Church. So when we get to Ro. 9:22-25, we are in the middle of his argument:
22 What if God, choosing to show his wrath and make his power known, bore with great patience the objects of his wrath — prepared for destruction? 23 What if he did this to make the riches of his glory known to the objects of his mercy, whom he prepared in advance for glory — 24 even us, whom he also called, not only from the Jews but also from the Gentiles? 25 As he says in Hosea: “I will call them `my people’ who are not my people; and I will call her `my loved one’ who is not my loved one,” [Hosea 2:23]
Notice there are two categories of people found here:
  • objects of his wrath (vs. 22) - these were prepared for destruction, but received great patience
  • objects of his mercy (vs. 23) - these were prepared for mercy, intended for glory
These two categories are identified in verse 24, gentiles and Jews. Gentiles were prepared for destruction, and Jews were intended for glory (They are the elect, Ro. 11:28).

The word "objects" is not actually plural in the Greek. The word is skeuos, a vessel or container. The gentiles are a vessel (singular), the object (singular) of His wrath. His wrath is prepared for the gentiles as a whole, while His blessing is for Israel as a whole.

"Prepared" is katartizó, which is
b. to fit out, equip, put in order, arrange, adjust 
So the gentiles are fitted or arranged as a container for the wrath of God (vs. 22), while the Jews are fitted or arranged as a container for the mercy of God (vs.23). One is His people, the other is not.

Paul's meaning now starts to emerge. First, the gentiles, the object (singular) of His wrath, are recipients of His great patience, specifically to show the riches of his glory to the object (singular) of his mercy, the Jews. God is merciful to the gentiles as a demonstration to His chosen people, the Jews.

Second, notice that the category of people who are the vessel of wrath are subject to His "great patience." A critical point: If indeed the vessel fitted for destruction is predestined for that fate, why would God be patient with them unless their fate is not actually predestined?

Third, Paul discusses Jews and gentiles, with the distinction being that one was elect and blessed while the other was excluded and doomed. Paul uses the vessel idea to convey that the gentiles, who previously did not have access to the Promise, became the object of His mercy. Or we could say, they were grafted in to the root (Ro. 11:17). These branches are either connected or broken off according to faith, not by birthright (Ro. 11:20).

This passage is clearly not referring to individual predestination.

Who is "Us?"

Note the way Paul uses “we” and “us.” Paul refers to those whom he prepared in advance for glory — even us, whom he also called… (vs. 24). Once again we need to consider, who is this "us?" Paul writes that they are the objects of his mercy, whom he prepared in advance for glory. Israel. Paul is writing to the Jewish Christians in Rome. "Us" is his audience (Jews), and Paul. This means "us" is not "you and me." "Us" is particular to his subject of his discussion.

Paul’s point is that this mercy is no longer just for the Jews. That blessing is now for those who are also from the Gentiles… (vs. 24)

Then Paul cements his point by quoting Hosea:
I will call them `my people’ who are not my people; and I will call her `my loved one’ who is not my loved one… (vs. 25)
This is “us.” A few verse later, Paul notes that those who previously were the object of His wrath have obtained righteousness by faith:
Ro. 9:30 What then shall we say? That the Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have obtained it, a righteousness that is by faith…
However, regarding the Jews, Paul writes
Ro. 9:31 but Israel, who pursued a law of righteousness, has not attained it.
We gentiles have been grafted into the promise (Ro. 11:17), and some Jews have been broken off, which made a place for us (Ro. 11:19). Formerly we were the object of God's wrath, but because of the unbelief of Israel (Ro. 11:20), and because of a righteousness that comes by faith (Ro. 9:30), we are now partakers of the Promise (Ro. 9:8).

Conclusion

So, to put it all together, God's purpose was to display His glory to the Jews by showing His great patience to save the gentiles. The gentiles by faith obtain the promise and are no longer subject to God's wrath. In fact, this display of His glory is intended to provoke the Jews to jealously (Ro. 11:14).

The Jews are the people of God, but not all Israel are Israel. But they enjoyed the blessings while the gentiles were excluded and doomed. Paul uses the vessel idea to convey that the gentiles, who previously did not have access to the Promise, became an object of His mercy, and have been grafted into the promise (Ro. 11:17)

It is on this basis that we conclude that predestination referred specifically to the earliest Jewish believers, the firstfruits, while the rest of us enter by faith (Ep. 1:13). Which means that we are not predestined in the sense that the firstfruits were.

We do not intend to suggest that these very precious Scriptures do not apply to us 2000 years later. We certainly can gain information from them and apply them appropriately to our lives. We'll leave it to the reader to determine what that application might be.

Friday, March 3, 2023

"This is how much Social Security adds to our national deficit: $0" - Katie Porter

314 Action, a Democrat funding raising group, sent an email with this:



Transcript:

This is how much Social Security adds to our national deficit: $0!

Social Security isn't debt financed. In fact we currently have over $2.9 trillion in surplus.

It's nuts to blame working Americans who pay for the program and suggest that Social Security is in any way responsible for the national debt.
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Every single part of this is wrong. Every bit. It's astonishing, in fact, the ignorance (Or deception) presented here. Let's parse it:

Thursday, March 2, 2023

Greg Laurie’s “Jesus Revolution” Presents a False Gospel That Forgoes Real Repentance - Disntr

Found here. Our comments in bold.
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Having now seen "Jesus Revolution," we are equipped to deal with this unnamed author's criticism of the movie and the real life people portrayed in it.

The author makes several claims about the movie, most of which are simply undocumented opinions. Further, some claims are simply false. Much of this article comes across as sour grapes, since the movie itself does an excellent job of portraying the journey of its characters into the faith.

We think the author's real problems are that the Jesus Movement was charismatic, and that its leader, Lonnie Frisbee, was a deeply flawed character. These are more like excuses, however. the real issue are, the author and people like him believe that there must be lock-step agreement with his doctrine in order for people to be used of God. He believes a "sinner" cannot be used of God. He believes that the people who happen to admire the movement reflect negatively on the movement.

There is no biblical basis for these objections, however. The author manages to quote a single snippet of a Scripture. That's it.  

Also, we should mention that we are not here to defend Laurie, the Jesus Movement, or Frisbee. Our purpose is to examine the shortcomings of the author's presentation.
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Wednesday, March 1, 2023

A saying that sounds pious but isn’t- “Let Go and Let God” - By Elizabeth Prata

Found here. Our comments in bold.
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Ms. Prata comes to our attention once again, and inevitably she misunderstands, misrepresents, or flat-out doesn't quote Scripture. She is also given to nit-picking doctrine and making up all sorts of provisos, exceptions, and micro-details about Scripture verses.

Today she takes on a saying some people use to negate worrying, striving, and human effort. The saying is not a doctrinal statement, however, nor is it a treatise on the Bible. It's a general statement about a general condition applicable to many Christians who attempt to overcome obstacles or struggles using their own strength.

Of course the Christian is called to make every effort to enter the narrow door (Lk. 13:24), be at peace (Ro. 14:19), maintain the unity of the body (Ep. 4:3), entering God's rest (He. 4:11), adding spiritual fruit to our lives (2Pe. 1:5), and to be found blameless (2Pe. 3:14). 

Yet we are also instructed to lead a quiet life (1Th. 4:11), to live at peace (Ro. 12:18), to give our weariness and burdens to Christ (Mt. 11:28), and carry one another's burdens (Ga. 6:2).

Ms. Prata attempts to make it an either/or situation, which is the binary thinking of western culture.

Here are some Scriptures that contradict her:
Mt. 6:25-27 Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?
Ro. 9:16 It does not, therefore, depend on man’s desire or effort, but on God’s mercy. 
2Co. 1:9 Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead.
Ga. 3:3 Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort?
Ep. 2:8-9 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith — and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God — 9 not by works, so that no-one can boast.
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