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 - Endorsed - Indifferent - Contested
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| The Nashville Statement
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Name:Daniel
Home: Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
About Me: I used to believe that evolution was reasonable, that homosexuality was genetic, and that people became Christians because they couldn't deal with the 'reality' that this life was all there was. I used to believe, that if there was a heaven - I could get there by being good - and I used to think I was more or less a good person. I was wrong on all counts. One day I finally had my eyes opened and I saw that I was not going to go to heaven, but that I was certainly going to suffer the wrath of God for all my sin. I saw myself as a treasonous rebel at heart - I hated God for creating me just to send me to Hell - and I was wretched beyond my own comprehension. Into this spiritual vacuum Jesus Christ came and he opened my understanding - delivering me from God's wrath into God's grace. I was "saved" as an adult, and now my life is hid in Christ. I am by no means sinless, but by God's grace I am a repenting believer - a born again Christian.
My complete profile...
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Daniel's posts are almost always pastoral and God centered. I appreciate and am challenged by them frequently. He has a great sense of humor as well.
- Marc Heinrich
His posts are either funny or challenging. He is very friendly and nice.
- Rose Cole
[He has] good posts, both the serious like this one, and the humorous like yesterday. [He is] the reason that I have restrained myself from making Canadian jokes in my posts.
- C-Train
This post contains nothing that is of any use to me. What were you thinking? Anyway, it's probably the best I've read all day.
- David Kjos
Daniel, nicely done and much more original than Frank the Turk.
- Jonathan Moorhead
There are some people who are smart, deep, or funny. There are not very many people that are all 3. Daniel is one of those people. His opinion, insight and humor have kept me coming back to his blog since I first visited earlier this year.
- Carla Rolfe
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| Job 11:13-14, John 1:12 |
 "If you would direct your heart right
And spread out your hand to Him,
If iniquity is in your hand, put it far away,
And do not let wickedness dwell in your tents" - [Job 11:13-4, NASB]
"But as many as received Him,
to them He gave the right to become children of God,
even to those who believe in His name," [John 1:12, NASB]
I like how John ties together the idea of believing into (εις) the name of Christ, with receiving Christ. It isn't supposed to be subtle - but some people miss it nonetheless. The verse from Job identifies a truth that remains true even on this side of the cross - no one comes to God who is not surrendered to God - that is: anyone who openly rejects God by holding onto the very iniquity that is separating them from God - cannot soberly claim (at least not with any intellectual integrity) that they are receiving God - since the very rejection of God demonstrates that He is not being received - and if the Spirit of Christ is not being received then there is no genuine belief.
The student who doesn't hand in their term paper on time is graciously given an extension by the professor. He promises to receive the paper and mark if even if it comes in late. The student "believes" the professors promise to be genuine and true, but unless the student hands in the paper, the fact that the student believes in a legitimate and real promise in no way applies the benefits of that promise to the student. To enter into the promise, the student must surrender the paper.
There is a kind of 'belief' that is perhaps best described as an incomplete faith in that it does not enter into the promise that we call the gospel (a faith that doesn't receive Christ) but does acknowledge that the gospel is true etc. Without a doubt one --must-- believe that the promise is true in order to receive it - no one denies that - surely if the student doesn't believe the promise of the professor, the same student cannot benefit from the promise even if the student loudly acknowledges the validity of the promise! Can this kind of faith save someone from sin? Um, no. It cannot. It is a dead faith - knowledge does not save, it puffs up. Christ saves. Knowing that Christ saves doesn't save me, but turning to Christ does.
The question becomes then, "Is it possible to turn to Christ on the one hand and reject Him on the other hand -- at the same time?", and the answer is, "No, it is not possible." No one can receive Christ who doesn't turn to Christ - that is, no one can enter into the promise without repenting of the rebellious self rule of their own life. Jesus -is- Lord, and unless your knee bows, you don't enter into the kingdom.
Period.
If you haven't at some point in your life, understood God's right to rule in your life - if you haven't surrendered your life to that rule at some point, then I have a passage from scripture for you, it comes from Luke 19, the parable of the minas; The one speaking is the nobleman who went to a far country to receive a kingdom for himself, and has returned after receiving the kingdom (picturing the death and resurrection of Christ) - the "King" says,:'I tell you that to everyone who has, more will be given, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. But as for these enemies of mine, who did not want me to reign over them, bring them here and slaughter them before me.' - [Luke 19:26-27, ESV] (emphasis added) Consider therefore, and tremble, if your faith is of that halfway variety. Choose for yourself whom you will obey - and then obey Him while it is still called today. |
posted by Daniel @
11:10 AM
 
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| 6 Comments: |
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All right already, someone interact with this, I'm dyin' over here...Daniel if no one does I will come on board again soon, but I wanted to see what some others think first...
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JD - traffic has been quite slow these last few weeks. I suspect that I no longer have anything relevant or interesting to say. You can only dress this up so many times before people start to get bored.
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I know, how about some "new measures"...I was reading this Finney guy and...
Ooohh, I know, we could change the music, like to the new fangled stuff the kids would dig it...
We could give 'em some candy coupons, a clown day, and let everyone come to the pulpit, ya' know, an open mic day, yeah that would go over great...
Yeah, yeah, let's take down the cross, it offends people, let's get a couple more services goin', like a Hawaiian (sp?)service, a cowboy service, a NASCAR service, and, and ..... Daniel, why do you have that look on your face, don't you think that this would work?
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I don't even have to gamble - if you want the world to come to church, you have to be in the world. I mean that is plain enough.
It is trying to get the church to come to church that is difficult...
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I'm still lurking about, Daniel. I just don't say much. I don't even say much at my own blog these days. But I'm here, and I enjoy reading.
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Brad - you have a great excuse however!
I wish there was a conservative and biblical seminary near where I live (read - within travelling distance). I wish TMS offered correspondance courses. That would be sweet.
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All right already, someone interact with this, I'm dyin' over here...Daniel if no one does I will come on board again soon, but I wanted to see what some others think first...