Category Salvation

Jan 7 2008

In defense of the gospel of Christ


Brother Edward Fudge, attorney, author, Bible teacher, from Houston, Texas just today sent out the following exchange in one of his “graceEmail” posts. Over the past few years I have communicated with Bro’ Fudge on some issues and have found him to be a kind gentleman whose love for Christ is unmistakable. I have great respect for the way Edward Fudge responds to critics of his view of salvation which rests wholly upon the work and merit of Jesus and not upon human work or merit.

I quote him here word for word with his kind permission. 
                                          _________________________________________

YOU KNOW BETTER

“A church acquaintance with whom I grew up in North Alabama fully a half century ago wrote recently to tell me that I am preaching “another gospel” which is no gospel at all, for which I will be eternally lost, and that he knows that I “know better” than my expressed convictions on a variety of religious issues.

* * *

This unhappy gentleman is representative of a category of people who place their hope in a particular religious organization or in a system of man-made doctrine and whose allegiance naturally follows their hope. Missing is an understanding that Jesus really is our Savior, that he took our place in his own perfect doing and dying to set us right with God, and that our energies now are devoted to responding to God’s grace and not to cobbling together some kind of personal righteousness with which we hope to barter or bargain with the Almighty. In the view of my friend, salvation depends on being in the “right” church and reaching all the “right” conclusions in studying the Bible. Because this understanding of salvation provides no room for error, those who advocate it must pretend that they are now correct on every doctrinal point and persuade themselves of that illusion.

Laboring under this impossible burden, its carriers also feel logically obligated to condemn all who differ with them, who — since they themselves are definitely right — must be absolutely wrong. Wearing these blinders, one might acknowledge that another person generally lives a godly and upright life (as my friend would say of me), yet not hesitate to conclude and to announce to others that the person who differs from himself is willfully twisting God’s Word, knowingly teaching fatal error and consciously misleading others into what he clearly knows to be wrong.

I wrote back to this gentleman and assured him that my theological differences with him resulted from intensive Bible study over many years and are truly spoken in all good faith. I expressed regret that he seemingly trusts in something that can never provide hope or salvation. And I prayed that the God who spoke light out of darkness in the beginning would now shine in this friend’s heart to show him the divine glory in the face of Jesus Christ (2 Cor. 4:6). I understand where my friend is in his thinking. I was there once myself — and still would be, but for the grace of God.”
                                          ___________________________________

….and I would too.

His peace,
Royce Ogle

Dec 4 2007

God-with-us


It is a wonderful thing, but an odd thing, that the Creator God would love His creatures so that He would choose to come and live among them on planet earth. I can’t imagine an earthly king who would one day say to himself “I think it would be good to go out of  the palace, through the courts, and out the gate and go live with the commoners“. Such an idea flies in the face of reason. Why would royalty desire the humble means of those poor souls who are only a harvest away from starvation? How could the one whose servants stand at the ready to care for every detail of need want to come and make his abode with the lowly?

Ah, Christmas, the season when we remember the time when earth was interrupted by the birth of a baby boy. His first hours were lived in the most humble setting, a cattle stall with the smell of dung and odor of the animals near by. Yet this child was a King whose birth had been foretold by the prophets, long years ago. His mother was told He would save His people from their sins, and Matthew reminded the readers of his book that according to Isaiah his name would mean “God-with-us”.

The wonder of Christmas is that not only did a King come for a visit but He came on a mission. Men and women and boys and girls were groping along in the darkness of their sins with no hope of life after the earthly tent was finally folded. But He appeared…”To save His people from their sins”. His life would be short by today’s standards but it was one that perfectly met every holy demand of God the Father’s law. His ministry would be to the human trash of the day to heal brokenness, to give sight to the blind, to make cripples run, jump, and shout for joy. He would raise the dead, feed thousands with enough for only a few.

He would break all the rules of religion, he would squash racial divides, he would talk to the wind….and it would listen. He would round up some unlikely candidates to help Him with His mission. The twelve were truly a cross section of the lower rungs of society. He would laugh and love with them, eat with them, pray with them, minister with them, and then be abandoned by them and even denied and betrayed by them. But, oh how He loved them. But the wonder of this One is that He loved everyone intensely. And, He would die to prove it.

A child was born, a son given, a life lived, a live given. He defeated the forces of darkness by defeating death, by satisfying God’s demands about sin and its penalty, and offers to all who will accept the gift, eternal life. He is the only human who could have justly condemned, but He didn’t come for that. For you see, people were already condemned. No, He came to give life, and forgiveness, and peace.

There are still those who deny Him. Some even declare with their lips that He never even existed. But every one of them declares His life and death every time they write a date on a check, or a note to a friend. No other person in human history has been so opposed as this man. The ultimate oddity is that this man of all men who ever lived would have had opposition. He only gave, and gave, and then gave Himself as a complete payment for every man’s sins and today lives so we too can live.

God-with-us! Merry Christmas.

His peace,
Royce Ogle

Nov 15 2007

The throne of grace


“Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” (Hebrews 4:16)

What a wonderful invitation! Invited to enter the throne room and to approach the One who sits upon the throne “boldly”. How can such a thing be? I, a mere man, sinful and weak, and wholly undeserving should “boldly” come to my God? Yes, for I am a child of this King. I am not a commoner, my position in the kingdom is greater by far than that of a subject, I am a son!

When I approach this throne, I can do so without fear or reservation for it is not a seat of judgment but one of grace! A one word description of this throne of God given in the above text is not holiness, although He is holy, it is not justice although He is just, it is not righteousness although He is righteous, no, here it is characterized as a throne of grace! It is a place where the unmeasured favor of the God of is lavished upon those who come to Him. Grace? What does it mean?

I fear that we have been short sighted in regard to grace. The usual answer given when someone is asked for a definition is “God’s unmerited favor”. It surely is that but most of the time we have in mind the forgiveness of our sins only. God’s grace toward us does encompass forgiveness, justification, sanctification, and even one day glorification. But most of the time when grace is mentioned in the Bible it means much more than a perfect salvation given to imperfect people.

In Luke’s gospel he wrote of the child Jesus and said, “And the Child grew and became strong in spirit, filled with wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him.” (Luke 2:40)From this verse we can be sure that grace meant something far different than having to do with salvation. “…And the grace of God was upon Him.” Every day of His life on earth He walked in the favor of His Father in heaven. Every good thing He needed His Father provided. It is one thing to have the favor of a public official. You might possibly get some special treatment that other citizens do not enjoy. But this is the Creator God who loves us without measure and is extravagant in how He provides for us. We can’t imagine what bad things would have come our way except for His love in caring for us. We know for sure that every good and perfect gift comes from His loving hand of grace.

Do you have lack? Paul said, “And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.” (2 Corinthians 9:8) Do you need help witnessing for Christ? Grace is the answer. “And with great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And great grace was upon them all.” (Acts 4:33) It is to this God of grace we can come as dear children. Why do we come? “..To obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need”. How wonderful are the benefits of being a child of God! (Psalm 103)

It is at our point of want that we need God’s lavish favor upon our coming and going. And we find it accompanied with mercy. By God’s grace he delights to give us what is good and best for us, to simply “help” us. But then by God’s mercy He stays what should be ours if we received what we deserved.

What would God do such a thing? Because He is love.

In His final statement to mankind about His love, Jesus Christ the Righteous took upon himself our sin, or brokenness, and because He could do nothing more for us and could offer nothing more to the Father, there He died in my place and yours. God’s fiery wrath for sin was poured out upon Christ to the last drop.

He looks on Christ and pardons sinners, declaring them “right” with Him. “To those who received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God”. Have you received Him? He is full of grace for you. He will not always wait.

Christian have you been living on less than God’s gracious provision? Shake it off! Run to the throne of grace, your Father waits to pour out His love into your life and circumstances.

His peace,

Royce Ogle

Nov 5 2007

The Gospel of Christ Perverted?


In his letter to the churches of Galatia Paul used some of his strongest language and a warning worth repeating to those who would “pervert” the gospel of Christ. “I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel, which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed.” (Galatians 2:6-9 NKJV)

What offence was so egregious that Paul would make such an accusation with such a strict warning? How had the gospel been perverted? What was this “other gospel” that was really not another? And finally, is the gospel of Christ Jesus being perverted today in much the same way and if so how?

Grace to you,
Royce Ogle