Jul 12 2010

The Salvation of a Sinner is the Work of God #2


The Bible describes the state of a man without God in several ways. One of those is that a man without God is Dead.

Another picture the Bible paints of the man without God is that he is Depraved. Now, before you jump to a conclusion and assume you know what I am saying or what I believe, just hang in there a bit.

First, what I am not saying. By using the word “depraved” I do not mean that unregenerate man is as wicked as he can get. The Calvinist doctrine of “Total Depravity” usually doesn’t mean that either. There are some “hyper-Calvinists” who might believe that but most Calvinists do not.

What I am saying is exactly what the English word “depraved” means. It is an adjective and simply means, “morally bad; corrupt; perverted”. You would be hard pressed to read the early chapters of the book of Romans and not see this. I can think of no better word to describe the “natural” state of sinful men.

“As it is written: None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one. Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive.
The venom of asps is under their lips. Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.  Their feet are swift to shed blood; in their paths are ruin and misery, and the way of peace they have not known. There is no fear of God before their eyes.” (Romans 3:10-18)

“The heart is deceitful above all things,
and desperately sick;
who can understand it?” (Jeremiah 17:9)

Many other passages could be cited but these two are representative of others that teach the same thing.

So men are not all as evil and wicked as they can be but they are as alienated from God as they can be. They can not be any more lost. Way back in Genesis 6:5 God knew the human heart it is was only evil continually.

Not one person is inherently good according to God. ALL are sinners, ALL are wicked and ungodly. And, not one person can do anything to change his or her moral short comings. Only God, who is rich in mercy can take out the cold stony heart and give one that wants to please God and do good to others. Selfishness, greed, and deception are standard equipment when a person is born. Left alone to do his best, every person will fail.

There is but one cure for depravity, the love and mercy of God. That’s it! Unless natural men are rightly related to God through Jesus they will remain morally undone, corrupt through and through, and perverted.

Royce

Jul 11 2010

The Divine Rescue – A Review


“The gripping drama of a lost world and of
the Creator who will not let it go.”

“The Divine Rescue” is nothing less than the subtitle above promises. It is classic Fudge! This latest book by Edward Fudge is excellent in every way I can measure a book.

Indeed it is a “gripping drama”. I found myself purposefully hurrying through the last paragraphs of pages eager to get to the next. It is the story of all stories told by a master word smith.

Fudge begins the story before the beginning and ends it after the end. He masterfully covers all the bases, hitting all the high points of biblical revelation about God’s pursuit of sinful men, leaving no part of the drama untold.

Few people of faith have been able to have an audience as wide and diverse as Edward Fudge. Christians of many stripes have embraced his teaching and he is a favorite author/teacher/preacher to many denominations of believers including his own churches of Christ. Edward Fudge is not a dogmatist, he just presents the truths he finds in scripture without prejudice.

“The Divine Rescue” doesn’t avoid the controversial themes of the Bible, like election and predestination, but rather presents them and more so that they fold together like the fingers of hands clasped together for prayer.

There is only one Redeemer, one Rescuer, and one rescue, but God allows us to see it from many different perspectives. Sadly, many Christians who favor only one view, from one vantage point, often insist that only the view they see is the correct one.

God’s scheme of redemption (rescue) is not a snapshot, it is rather a panorama. Every part is important, and to refuse to see even one perspective of the whole is an unfortunate loss and partial lack of appreciation for the whole story.

Edward Fudge, as a master artist, begins this word-painting, and chapter after chapter, adds color and depth, clarity and meaning come into view, perfect highlights and the brush strokes of phrases bring to the eye the beauty of the love and grace of the Creator demonstrated in Jesus Christ.

“The Divine Rescue” is God’s story and it is my story. In it you will find yourself, at your worst, and as God’s best completed work, a rescued sinner who in the end is just like Jesus the Rescuer.

From those who are new to the community of faith to the most celebrated Bible scholar, I recommend this latest book from my friend and mentor Edward Fudge. It would be a wonderful gift for a friend who is not yet a Christian as well.

The book is available at Amazon.com, Texas Costco stores, Family Christian book stores, Lifeway Christian stores, Mardel’s, Books-A-Million, and from the author at EdwardFudge.com. I hope it is read around the world.

Royce Ogle

Jul 10 2010

Book, Chapter, and PARAGRAPH – Restoring Context


Author Wayne Newland sent a copy of his book in the mail a few weeks ago. I didn’t expect to find it interesting but boy was I wrong. Once I started reading it I read right through it in two or three days (fast for me).

This book is right on target about the importance of context when it comes to study of the Bible. There is lots of helpful material for any student of the Bible. I think it will be especially helpful and interesting for Restoration Movement people and more narrowly, church of Christ people.

Wayne Newland is a long time member of the church of Christ who now lives and worships in Maine. He loves the Restoration Movement and its people but is honest in his appraisal of the errors in Bible interpretation that are common within the movements so-called “conservative” wing.

I came away very impressed with Wayne’s careful research  and thoughtful approach to making his case. He focuses on some Bible verses that are routinely used by legalists (my description, not the authors) as proof texts. He has not only made the clear case that they are taken out of context but has gone to great lengths to find the first use of some of those verses among church of Christ brothers. Most, if not all of the divisions and splits, in our fellowship are the direct result of poor handling of the Word of God.

I appreciate Wayne and this noble work. I wish every one of our “conservative”brothers would read this book and begin to apply it to their lives. Sadly, most of the readers will likely be people like me, in which case brother Wayne is preaching to people who already agree with him 100%

The book is available from the author for only $12.00. You can contact the author easily at heritage21@maine.rr.com . I recommend you get a copy and enjoy and employ Wayne Newland’s wise words.

Royce Ogle

Jul 5 2010

The Salvation of a Sinner is the Work of God


New Life

If we believe what we profess because it is what the Bible teaches we must conclude that the salvation of sinners is by God alone.

The Bible describes the state of a man without God in several ways. One of those is that a man without God is Dead.

Spiritually Dead

(Colossians 2:13, Ephesians 2:1,5) Just as surely as a man’s body is dead without his spirit (James 2:26), a man’s spirit is dead without the infusion of the life of Jesus by the means of the Holy Spirit of God.

Although this death is spiritual, it is no less true than physical death. A dead man’s greatest need is not religion, not reform, not new dedication, not church membership, no, his greatest need is life!

A dead man is powerless to do anything, and furthest from the realm of possibility is that a dead man can give himself life. Only God can give life! Here is the great overlooked and under appreciated fact of the gospel, God makes dead sinners live!

“But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ, by grace you have been saved” (Ephesians 2:4-5)

Spiritual life is beyond the scope of probability for a dead man, only a merciful and loving God can make us alive together with Christ! There is no spiritual life outside of Christ and every person who is not alive in Him is spiritually dead. He is dead to everything about God and unless God acts in mercy and love this dead sinner will only know God’s anger and fury against sin.

Just as certain as God called Lazarus to life from death he too calls spiritually dead sinners to a resurrected life in Jesus! Only God can do that.

…to be continued…

Royce