Godliness – The Forgotten Result of Grace
Any good thing we experience in this world is a grace thing. The Bible says in Eph. 2:8-9, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.” These verses are very clear that we should not think for a moment that our goodness has earned us any good thing from God. There are some core statements and beliefs that I often share in our church that I want to share with you, all of which are made possible because of grace:
- God is GOOD all the time!
- God’s not mad at you no matter what you’ve done or where you’ve been
- Having a problem is not a problem at FBC
- If it’s not good, it’s not God
- If God was out to get you, He already would’ve
- 453 times the Bible says, “It Came To Pass”, therefore your problems are not going to stay but come to pass
- You can’t make God love you more and you cannot make Him love you less
- God has never caused one moment of pain in your life
Recently I read these statements in one of our services and then posed the following question to our people — and I pose it to you as well. As grace people, are we in love with these statements and concepts of freedom or are we in love with the God who makes them a reality? The truth is that while these statements are true, if all they ever are to us are statements or concepts of freedom, they will not empower grace in our lives. The reality is this: if we are in love with a message of freedom and not the one that gave us our freedom it will be very easy to use our knowledge to justify immoral living in the name of freedom. The only thing that changes our lives is a relationship with our God who loves us with no conditions. Concepts and knowledge of freedom will not change us — in actuality they can lead us to destructive lifestyles and the searing of our conscience.
The Apostle Paul says in 1 Tim. 4:2 that one of the indications that we are in the last days would be that there would be groups of people whose conscience would become seared, calloused and beyond feeling. Webster defines the conscience as the inner sense of what is right or wrong in ones conduct. I have often heard people say, let your conscience be your guide. In reality that may not be a good idea. The Bible is our standard regardless of what our conscience says and is the truth to which we refer in order to see if our conscience is true. 2 Cor. 6:17 says; “So leave the corruption and compromise; leave it for good,” says God. “Don’t link up with those who will pollute you. I want you all for myself.” Sadly, many “grace people” do not know the difference between not being judgmental and compromising their standards. There are two extremes in the body of Christ, one is being judgmental of anyone with a problem and the other says I will compromise my standards for the sake of reaching people. Jesus NEVER compromised His godly character for the sake of reaching people, yet people flocked to Him and loved being in His presence.
Paul writes in 2 Tim. 3:5 that there would come a time when people would have a form of godliness, but would deny the power thereof; and he said from such turn away. All my ministry life I have heard this verse preached like this. In the last days people will have a form of godliness but deny the power of God. As I took a second look at this verse recently I saw something I had not seen before. It says that in the last days people would deny the power that’s in godliness or godly living. There is power in godliness. The power of your witness hinges on godliness. Grace empowers us to live godly lives – lives that reflect the attitude, character, and heart of God. Titus 2:11-12 says, “For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world.” Paul is saying to young Timothy that grace teaches us to stay away from and deny ungodliness and to live with the attitude and character of God. In no way does grace give access into ungodliness. A love for a message and concept will not produce godly living but a love relationship with God will. Grace empowers and brings forth godly lifestyles and this grace is a product of relationship and not concepts.
As believers – recreated in Christ — we are called to demonstrate who God is. When we choose to apply biblical standards by grace, we will show people the God we believe in. But we must always remember that we do good, not to become righteous, but because we are righteous. Paul says in Eph 4:1, “I therefore, the prisoner for the Lord, appeal to and beg you to walk (lead a life) worthy of the [divine] calling to which you have been called — with behavior that is a credit to the summons to God’s service.” (AMP)
We all know that Paul’s revelation of righteousness apart from works brought us to freedom. And yet somehow many “grace people” have skipped over the verses, like the ones below, where he charges us to live godly lives and in which he gives us a picture of what grace should be producing in our lives.
“So this I say and solemnly testify in [the name of] the Lord [as in His presence], that you must no longer live as the heathen (the Gentiles) do in their perverseness [in the folly, vanity, and emptiness of their souls and the futility] of their minds. 18 Their moral understanding is darkened and their reasoning is beclouded. [They are] alienated (estranged, self-banished) from the life of God (with no share in it). [This is] because of the ignorance (the want of knowledge and perception, the willful blindness) that is deep-seated in them, due to their hardness of heart [to the insensitiveness of their moral nature]. 19 In their spiritual apathy they have become callous and past feeling and reckless, and have abandoned themselves [a prey] to unbridled sensuality, eager and greedy to indulge in every form of impurity [that their depraved desires may suggest and demand]. 20 But you did not so learn Christ! 21 Assuming that you have really heard Him and been taught by Him, as [all] Truth is in Jesus [embodied and personified in Him], 22 Strip yourselves of your former nature [put off and discard your old unrenewed self] which characterized your previous manner of life and becomes corrupt through lusts and desires that spring from delusion; 23 And be constantly renewed in the spirit of your mind [having a fresh mental and spiritual attitude], 24 And put on the new nature,(the regenerate self) created in God’s image, (Godlike) in true righteousness and holiness. 25 Therefore, rejecting all falsity and being done now with it, let everyone express the truth with his neighbor, for we are all parts of one body and members one of another. 26 When angry, do not sin; do not ever let your wrath, your exasperation, your fury or indignation last until the sun goes down. 27 Leave no such room or foothold for the devil (give no opportunity to him). 28 Let the thief steal no more, but rather let him be industrious, making an honest living with his own hands, so that he may be able to give to those in need. 29 Let no foul or polluting language, nor evil word nor unwholesome or worthless talk [ever] come out of your mouth; but only such [speech] as is good and beneficial to the spiritual progress of others, as is fitting to the need and the occasion, that it may be a blessing and give grace (God’s favor) to those who hear it. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, (do not offend or vex or sadden Him) by Whom you were sealed (marked, branded as God’s own, secured) for the day of redemption (of final deliverance through Christ from evil and the consequences of sin). 31 Let all bitterness and indignation and wrath (passion, rage, bad temper) and resentment (anger, animosity) and quarreling (brawling, clamor, contention) and slander (evil-speaking, abusive or blasphemous language) be banished from you, with all malice (spite, ill will, or baseness of any kind). 32 And become useful and helpful and kind to one another, tenderhearted (compassionate, understanding, loving-hearted), forgiving one another [readily and freely], as God in Christ forgave you.” (Eph. 4:17-32 AMP)
These verses represent standards of moral conduct, but they’re not your righteousness –.they are the product of grace in our lives. We make a decision to live with moral and godly standards because we are righteous, not in order to become righteous. Whether we like it or not our behavior as believers influences people who do not know God. We need to be friends with people who do not know the Lord, but we cannot become like them in order to win them.
How Was Jesus The Friend of Sinners?
1. He did not condemn people with problems.
2. He had something they wanted but did not have.
3. Jesus didn’t become like them in order to win them — He always showed them a better way.
4. He showed them what God was like.
In Matt 5:13-16 Jesus says, “Let me tell you why you are here. You’re here to be salt-seasoning that brings out the God-flavors of this earth. If you lose your saltiness, how will people taste godliness? You’ve lost your usefulness and will end up in the garbage. Here’s another way to put it: You’re here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We’re going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. If I make you light-bearers, you don’t think I’m going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I’m putting you on a light stand. Now that I’ve put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand — shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you’ll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven.” (THE MESSAGE)
Our conduct influences others! We do not have a choice in how we live IF we want to touch people with the good news of God’s love.
I want to challenge you to make some decisions if you have not already done so:
- Never use your freedom as an excuse for ungodly behavior.
- Reevaluate the moral standards in your life and make the needed adjustments.
To live a godly life without allowing it to become your righteousness
Unforced Rhythms of Grace
I am by natural makeup and personality, a person who has always leaned toward and been guilty of trying to force things to happen. I have lived my entire life with the attitude that says, we will either find a way or we will make a way. For the most part this has been a good thing as I have always had a “never give up” mindset which has often worked greatly to my advantage. There are other times, however, when I have tried to force good, and often God-inspired things to happen before “their time” which ended in much frustration and disappointment. As I have gotten older I have come to realize, at least to some degree, that it’s not up to me to “make” things happen, especially when they are God-inspired. I have learned through the school of hard-knocks the meaning of Ps 127:1 when it says, ”If GOD doesn’t build the house, the builders only build shacks. If GOD doesn’t guard the city, the night watchman might as well nap.” (The Message) In this article I want to discuss briefly how to identify when you’re walking in grace (God’s ability) and how to identify when you are not, and then offer suggestions as to what to do about it.
I love the way Eugene Peterson paraphrases Matt 11:28-30 when he says; "Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me — watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly." (The Message) Jesus made it very clear in this passage that if we are tired, worn out and burned out we cannot be doing ministry His way. I know by experience that when you are doing ministry and you’re tired, worn out and burned out, not only are you not effective but you are miserable at best and will end up despising ministry, people and life in general. Due to the fact that many people are tired, worn out and burned out and have been that way so long that they do not even recognize it, I am listing some of the warning signs that indicate there is need for some adjustments:
* Loss of passion
* Lingering frustration
* Unhappiness
* Sense of dread greets you every morning
* Constantly looking for an escape
* Sense of hopelessness
* Grass looks greener on the other side of the fence
* Emotionally and physically drained
Hopefully, none of the above describes you, but if so please hear the voice of someone who has been there and has overcome it by tapping into the unforced rhythms of grace — there is hope for you and you can overcome and walk out of where you are. Please hear my heart; you must change inwardly before things will ever change outwardly.
In Matt.11 Jesus gave us some very simple yet powerful steps that we can take which will ensure that we are walking in the grace of God that will keep us fresh, alive and full of passion:
Come to me. When I read that one very familiar statement, I ask myself: How many times do I try to carry the load by myself rather than taking it to Jesus? I remember when I first got saved and called to ministry; I knew how much I didn’t know and, therefore, I had no option other than to take my concerns and desires to God. I have to admit, however, that through the years, as I have learned how to solve problems and “do” ministry, I have often fallen into the trap of trying to be more responsible for things than God ever intended me to be. I have learned by experience that when I become overly responsible for results, I will at the same time feel pressure to protect and preserve the ministry God has give me. Don’t get me wrong, I am not in any way suggesting that we be irresponsible. I am only saying that taking our concerns to Jesus should be the first thing we do and not the last. We used to take things to Jesus when we first started and maybe that is one of the main reasons we were so excited and filled with life back then.
Walk with and work with me – watch how I do it. It would do us all good to read the gospels at least once per year with our focus on how Jesus approached ministry. One thing I have learned by doing this is that Jesus did not allow other people’s agendas and expectations for his life to interrupt his call and the way he did ministry.
Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I have often compared the unforced rhythms of grace to the lazy river ride at a water park which just happens to be my favorite ride. The only real effort is getting into the river. Once you’re in, the current takes you where you need to go. I am firmly convinced that this is the way life and ministry are supposed to be. Find God’s river for your life and get in it and enjoy the ride. Sadly, for many, we are living our lives trying to paddle upstream like a kid I once saw at the lazy river at Wet n Wild in Orlando. He was struggling to walk up stream so he could get to the steps to get out when all he needed to do was go with the flow until he came to the next place to get out. Let’s find or rediscover God’s flow for our lives and get in it!
Remember God doesn’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. This should be a continued reminder for us all that while we may, and at times do, go through tough seasons, they are not from God. And we should also remember that our ministry will not be heavy and ill-fitting when we are doing what we are called to do the way we’re called or graced to do it. There’s nothing more draining than doing something good that doesn’t fit what you are graced to do. Often what makes it draining is that it is a good thing we’re doing and good things are difficult to let go of. Because it is good we hold on while thinking there must be something wrong with us, while the truth is it may not be that there is something “wrong” with us but that we’re doing something we are not graced to do. When we do what we are graced to do it fits and we find it very satisfying and even refreshing instead of draining.
I want to challenge you as God has challenged me, to look at the things in your ministry that are ill-fitting and draining and ask the Holy Spirit to reveal if some simple adjustments need to be made or if there are some things that you need to let go of. Letting go of the known can be a bit scary as too often we like to play it safe in our comfort zone – the place in which we can function without being challenged. Open your heart and God will take you into the river of his unforced rhythms of grace where you find, as Max Lucado said, your “sweet spot” in life. And that will make things a lot easier.
How to Have a Merry Christmas
It’s hard to believe it! The holidays are here. While this is a time of celebration and festivities, it also happens that the holidays are when people are most prone to experience depression. Past failures, stress, and financial strains cause many people to go through what should be a joyous time with dread and strain. If the push and pull of this busy time of the year is pulling you down, let’s look at a few things we can all do to ensure that we will enjoy “the most wonderful time of the year,” instead of suffering through it.
Remember why we celebrate. In our family, we celebrate Christmas in a BIG way! There’s lights everywhere, huge Christmas trees, snowmen, Santas, Christmas music, and tons of food. The ornaments and frills are great, but they do not replace, nor overshadow what this time of year is actually about. We must not forget that 2000 years ago, a baby was born and changed the course of history. Jesus came to bring life to a dying world. The baby we sing about and put on our coffee table nativity sets is the hope the world is crying out for.
Make it about family. You may be busy in the rat race of life the other eleven months of the year. But I challenge you to make December about spending time with your loved ones.Make new traditions, and celebrate old ones. One of the highlights of my Christmas is that every Christmas Eve, we go to our daughter and son-in-law’s house and have communion together as a family. We read about the birth of Jesus from Luke chapter 2. We go around and tell what we are thankful for. It’s a special and rare time that my wife and I, along with our two daughters, two sons-in-law, and our granddaughter enjoy together. There is no TV, no cell phones… just time when we focus on each other and how thankful we really are.
Don’t spend what you don’t have. What brings smiles and excitement in December can often bring debt and frustration in January! When the credit card statements start coming in the mail, we often regret overextending our finances during the holidays. I challenge you with this… sit down and evaluate your finances this year before you spend. The economy wasn’t kind to many people this year. It may be time to set new budgets and limits, so that come January, you can start your year off right, instead of deeper into debt and regret.
Make Christmas about others. In Acts 20:35, the Message Bible says, “You’re far happier giving than getting.” In a world that is often selfish and self-seeking, kindness is refreshing. Whether it is donating food to a shelter, or inviting a friend to church with you, your show of kindness may be what stands between a person and depression during the holiday season. We can’t forget that the things that matter most are not things we can wrap and put under a tree.
I wish you a very merry Christmas. I pray that this season will be filled with cherished memories and visits from people you love, so that you can carry hope and encouragement with you into 2011.
Over the last month we have seen some AMAZING things happen in the lives of so many people here at FB Church and I wanted to share one of the many testimonies we have received.
Pastor Allen,
I only wanted to extend a very heartfelt thank you for the work that you do. I first came to Family Bible a little over a month ago, during a very dark and difficult time in my life. I’m almost 30 years old and had never really attended any church. I was not raised in a family that had any relationship with God, and so had spent many years questioning and searching, trying to find my way. Out of the blue, I felt an overwhelming need to call my best friend, whom I knew was struggling with her own faith, and tell her that I really wanted to go to church. I asked her to go with me, because I knew that she would and I didn’t want to go alone. She suggested FBC because she didn’t want me to be scared away by a more "traditional" church. 
One of the first things I specifically remember you saying was that "we aren’t in a religion, we’re in a relationship!" That morning I felt as though you were preaching right to me, and I found myself accepting Jesus as my savior that very morning. Since that first service, my life and the lives of my children have changed so dramatically. I find myself with more joy and peace in my heart than I ever hoped to have. I find myself driven to learn and study and grow in my relationship with God, to know Him better and better. Sundays and Wednesdays just can’t come fast enough because I so enjoy the way you preach and the message that you teach. It is certainly contagious, as both I and the two friends I came with have invited others, who have invited others, all of whom just "LOVE that church!" It is amazing to me to see the lives of so many people touched in such a short amount of time. So, THANK YOU, for showing me and so many others that God loves us all the time, and that we are never alone.
Sincerely,
Angel Wright
Every week we’re seeing how powerful the message of God’s unconditional is in the lives of people when it is shared in a language people can understand.
Unforced Rhythms of Grace
I am by natural makeup and personality, a person who has always leaned toward and been guilty of trying to force things to happen. I lived most of my life with the attitude that says, we will either find a way or we will make a way. For the most part this has been a good thing as I have always had a “never give up” mindset which has often worked greatly to my advantage. There are other times, however, when I have tried to force good, and often God-inspired things to happen before “their time” which ended in much frustration and disappointment. As I have gotten older I have come to realize, at least to some degree, that it’s not up to me to “make” things happen, especially when they are God-inspired. I have learned through the school of hard-knocks the meaning of Ps 127:1 when it says, ”If GOD doesn’t build the house, the builders only build shacks. If GOD doesn’t guard the city, the night watchman might as well nap.” (The Message)
I love the way Eugene Peterson paraphrases Matt 11:28-30 when he says; "Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me — watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly." (The Message) Jesus made it very clear in this passage that if we are tired, worn out and burned out we cannot be doing “life” His way. I know by experience that when you are doing “life” and you’re tired, worn out and burned out, not only are you miserable at best but you will end up despising yourself, people and life in general. Due to the fact that many people are tired, worn out and burned out and have been that way so long that they do not even recognize it, I am listing some of the warning signs that indicate there is need for some adjustments:
* Loss of passion
* Lingering frustration
* Unhappiness
* Sense of dread greets you every morning
* Constantly looking for an escape
* Sense of hopelessness
* Grass looks greener on the other side of the fence
* Emotionally and physically drained
If you look at the things listed above and say yes that’s me, there’s hope for you. The hope that I am talking about is finding a way to do life God’s way. Like all other changes this starts by rediscovering the value that God placed on us. Go back and read and think about how valuable you are to God and allow that reality to sink down deep within you so you can once again “feel” loved. Next week I’ll go a bit further with is but for now do the most important step in recovering your life and that is experience God’s love in your life once again.
Kiss The President – By Jill Windham
DISCLAIMER: This post will irritate many and probably cause me to get quite a few emails. But hey, I’m ok with that.
So, recently, I heard Abi our daughter say to a friend of hers, "I love President Obama!" Big gulp and bite my tongue.
Let me say, right up front. I did not vote for Barack Obama. I agree with just about nothing that comes out of his mouth. I am a die-hard Republican, 100% pro-life, and one of the most politically conservative people you will ever meet. But I support the President. Yep, you heard me right.
Respect is a BIG thing in our home. We respect each other with our actions as much as we can. We pray for each other openly every day. We thank each other, compliment each other, and encourage each other as a way of life. To accompany that attitude, Rod and I decided a long time ago that our children would never hear us talk negatively about leaders in their lives. This includes their teachers, their pastors, their relatives, and certainly the President of the United States. I am actually VERY protective of that office, and with good reason. I don’t want to raise a child who has an attitude of ungratefulness and disrespect about her country. Let me explain.
There is a HUGE difference in respecting the office someone holds and respecting the actual person him or herself. I recognize that President Obama and I will never see eye to eye on any political matters. However, I also know that he is the Leader of the government that I live under. As a Christian, I am charged to pray for him. To believe the best about him. To FIND the good in him. Because it IS there. (somewhere…heehee) By talking trash about him and letting my child hear it, I am teaching her that disagreeing with someone means that you don’t have to respect them… that respect is given based on us believing the same way.
Now, with that said, trust is most certainly earned. Has President Obama earned my trust, based on his track record? No. But the office of the Presidency certainly has. A President saw us through a Civil War and helped abolish slavery. A President guided troops through two world wars and assisted in freeing the Jews from generational torment. A President sent my father-in-law to Vietnam and brought him home to a country to didn’t appreciate his service. A President helped end the Cold War. A President saw us through the darkest days of our nation’s history after airplanes crashed into buildings and the sky fell around us.
My dad instilled in me that in life, you can be part of the problem, or part of the solution. Complaining, fault-finding, and bad-mouthing certainly plays a huge part in the problem of raising a generation with no respect for our leaders. See, when my father-in-law went overseas and fought a thankless war and came home to a country that didn’t validate his sacrifice, it was simply because our country forgot that we don’t have to respect the cause… we respect the people who lay their lives down FOR the cause.
So, how do we instill respect in our kids when a President we didn’t vote for is in the office? We refer to him as PRESIDENT Obama… not Obama. We pray for him. We talk about his responsibilities. We talk about the things we don’t agree with, but that America chose him and we want him to be safe and healthy. We talk about how he’s a dad to two little girls. We talk about God’s love for him. Basically, we try to offer her facts without a great deal of emotion attached. As a result, we are raising a little girl who loves her President. She said she’d give him a kiss on the cheek if he came to her school. Far be it from me to tear her innocence away. That will come soon enough, through a vast assortment of people who don’t speak well of him. All she knows is he has the highest office in the world, he lives in a big white house, and we pray for him. Alot.
For more of Jill Windham’s blogs go to http://oldschoolparents.blogspot.com/
God Is With You
When I read or think about the life of Joseph in the Old Testament I often ask myself a question that I want to ask you. What would somebody in your circumstances do if you were absolutely confident that God was with you? In each of these cases, Joseph acts with the confidence that God is with him. He doesn’t get dismayed that things don’t go according to plan. Most of us equate God’s presence with comfortable circumstances. When things are going good, God is good. When things are going bad, where did God go? God, what are you doing, taking a vacation? Are you resting? It leads us to ask this question – what would somebody in your circumstances do if you were absolutely confident that God was with you?
In your marriage, good or bad, together or separated, what would you do if you were confident that God was with you? In your job, or lack thereof, what would you do if you were absolutely confident that God was with you? In your financial situation, or in a broken relationship, in your school, in your family, what would you do if you were absolutely confident that God was with you? Joseph believes that God was with him and he was right and through his great confidence he always overcame his obstacles and so will you when you “know” God is with you.
Heb 13:5 For He [God] Himself has said, I will not in any way fail you nor give you up nor leave you without support. [I will] not,[I will] not, [I will] not in any degree leave you helpless nor forsake nor let [you] down ( relax My hold on you)! [Assuredly not!] AMP
Recently Jim Richards and I sat down a and talked about The Error of Ultimate Reconciliation. Since that time Jim wrote a blog on the subject that I wanted to share with you that will hopefully encourage and challenge you as you consider the message of grace that many of us teach today.
The Error of Ultimate Reconciliation
George Santayana, the Spanish philosopher once said, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it!” Solomon, the wisest man in the world, once said, That which has been is what will be, That which is done is what will be done, And there is nothing new under the sun. (Eccl. 1:9) Sadly, those who don’t know history are doomed to repeat the failures of the past.
Church history is one of those topics that the “hyper-spiritual” deem to have little value. Putting down the study of church history ranks right up there in the “ignorant Christian” poll with those who boldly declare, “I don’t want to study theology or doctrine; I just want to read the Bible!” Jesus knew the history of His people and He knew the doctrines of the day, as did the Apostle Paul. It was their knowledge of these practical areas that made them so powerful in so many different cultural settings and doctrinal conflicts. This lack of knowledge is the doorway for error to cycle through the Church repeatedly and be welcomed by unsuspecting generations as “new revelation.”
The prophet Isaiah boldly declared, Therefore my people have gone into captivity, Because they have no knowledge. (Isa. 5:13) While the Spirit-filled movements have introduced incredible truth into the body of Christ, they have, as a whole, been very poor theologians. The inconsistency of doctrine is a major reason Spirit-filled believers can’t get what they believe to actually work in real life. Our covenants are mixed, our doctrine is self contradictory, and we know nothing of how we got where we are! The 21st century church is a breeding ground for doctrinal error – not the kind that simply causes an argument between you and other believers; this is the type of error that could affect every part of your life!
Error, like all trends, tends to circulate every few years. When error emerges those who don’t know history, specifically church history, think they have a revelation. They see it as a “scrumptious morsel,” unaware of the damage it has wreaked in the past. In the race to have the next new revelation some preachers rush to their pulpits, or in the case of traveling preachers, they rush to your pulpit and create havoc in the hearts of believers.
One doctrine that emerges every few years is ultimate reconciliation, sometimes called Universalism. Regardless of the name it goes by its message is the same: everyone is going to Heaven, whether they believe or not. This is an appealing message to people who will not reconcile their life and beliefs with particular aspects of truth. What seems like a message of endless love is actually a message of death, deceit, and depravity.
Years ago I traveled with a man who began the slide into Universalism. At first it seemed as if he was only preaching a mildly irresponsible grace message. People approached me after our meetings and said, “When I hear you preach about grace I believe I can live godly and I’m inspired to godly living. When I hear him preach about grace I feel like it’s just alright to sin.” In time, he was openly declaring that sin had no effect and he began rejecting any portions of Scripture that promoted responsibility and godliness. Ultimately he succumbed to a battle with sin that he no longer chose to resist! The way we know when the message of grace, peace, and faith righteousness has gone too far is when they inspire irresponsible living!
All deadly truth has an element of truth; however, that truth is extrapolated into something that is no longer true. Extrapolation is how Lucifer became Satan. He followed a flawed reasoning. (Ez. 28:17) Based on his brightness and splendor he began to build a logic that departed from reality. In the end he felt he could overthrow the One who gave him his splendor. God has given us grace, love, mercy, and the gift of righteousness so we can have the power to live a godly life, not to excuse us from godly living.
Extrapolation is the process of ultimate reconciliation. It starts with some basic truths. First, it capitalizes on God’s unconditional love. It couples that with the fact (and it is a fact) that Jesus died for the sins of the entire world, not for the few. Add this with some humanistic logic that exalts man and his needs above God and His plan, and you have a recipe for devastating error.
Jesus died for the sins of the world, not just for those who would believe and receive, but also for those who would not. (1 John 2:2) God was proactive and preemptive in His limitless love. Because of Jesus becoming the sin of the world, all men were free from the wrath of God. No man in this life has experienced God’s wrath. The apostle John said in this the propitiation we see the love of God. (1 John 4:9-10) Many people respond to His expression of love with love and trust and many others see it as a free pass for irresponsible living.
Everything God offers us must be received, (lambano) taken hold of, by our trust (faith) in God. (Rom. 1:16) Everything of God is given freely but our personal participation is a choice, thus the idea of free will. The Universalist denies free will and insists that everyone is saved whether they know it or not, whether they want it or not. By lifting a few Scriptures out of context and ignoring dozens more personal responsibility is glossed over as a moot point!
You see, the Universalists, much like the Spirit-filled community, actually miss the ultimate point: Jesus came so we could know, (experience, be intimate) with God. For some, God is just the One we run to when we have needs. We really have no desire to know Him or His ways; we simply want His benefits. It may be this corrupt version of Christianity that creates such a breeding ground for an impersonal faith!
Extrapolation is based on a logic that creates non-existent formulas. “This equals that.” When questioned about the basis of their process of reasoning it usually comes back to, “That’s what I believe.” or, “That’s how I see it.” It doesn’t matter how we see it if it’s not supported by the truth of God’s Word. We are called to cast down vain imaginations and reasoning that exalt themselves against the knowledge of God. (2 Cor. 10:4-5) This process is called subjective reasoning. A reasoning that is based on how it makes you feel regardless of all the other facts. Subjective reasoning places “me” at the center of the equation. I fall prey to the original temptation to be as God and choose good and evil from my own judgments.
One of the well known modern day proponents of Universalism is Carlton Pearson. I met personally with Carlton when he first made his exit from the faith. According to our discussion his subjective reasoning seemed to peek when he held his newborn baby in his arms and said, “I would never send my child to Hell if he did something wrong.” That very statement and the doctrine that Carlton had been preaching made it clear he already had error in his theology. But even if God would do such a thing, who are we to say to the Potter, “You can’t do it that way.”
The Universalists are basically taking a stand that they are more righteous, more compassionate, and more merciful than God. They, too, have exalted themselves above God by exalting their own logic and condemning His! It’s in this very attitude that we may see the real root of the problem. We are called to surrender to Jesus as Lord. We are compelled to renew our minds and put on the mind of Christ. It seems that too many seek Jesus as Savior but not as Teacher and Lord.
Failure to cling to Jesus as Lord of our logic leads us down destructive, unfulfilling paths. In the absence of a meaningful relationship we search for knowledge to give what is missing in our heart. Maybe it is, in fact, the lack of an intimate relationship with God that spills over into an incredible sense of lack and insecurity that spurs the desperate search for something to bring us the peace that only comes through relationship.
It was Mike Williams who introduced or finally convinced Carlton Pearson in the doctrine of Universalism. Mike was a long time friend and associate. He is a man I loved deeply and grieved for as he made his departure from the faith. Mike came from a life of homosexuality and at the time he turned to Ultimate Reconciliation he had fallen back into an immoral lifestyle. As his life degenerated his message grew more and more compromising.
As someone close to Mike said, “You always know what Mike is going through, he always preaches his life.” And that’s true; Mike’s doctrine changed every time his life changed. When he couldn’t get grace to work in his life he simply changed his doctrine of grace. Like many, he developed circumstance theology that justified his own life. This is a common tendency among those who lean toward permissive doctrine. They need a “revelation” that justifies their failing life!
In an interview with Allen Speegle we discussed why grace preachers would be susceptible to the doctrine of Ultimate Reconciliation. It is my observation that there are three primary reasons for this. First, most grace preachers simply embrace grace as a doctrine, not as a means to a more powerful life. This, of course, means they are not experiencing grace. Grace is God’s power to live in righteousness, to live as it really should be. The doctrine is a sad replacement for the reality!
The power of grace is experienced to support the belief of faith righteousness. Faith righteousness began by Jesus obtaining righteousness by His faith; it is brought to fruition by us experiencing that righteousness by faith. As Romans 1:17 says, it is revealed from faith to faith. If Jesus’ righteousness is received by faith, then righteousness has to be the object of our faith.
This brings another basic theological flaw to the forefront. The primary reason for receiving Jesus as Savior and Lord is not just to save us from the penalty of our sin but to save us from the power of sin. We are set free from the power of sin to live a righteous life. It’s in righteousness that we enjoy life as it was meant to be. When we forget the destruction of sin in our lives, we forget why we came to Jesus.
Then, the second reason grace preachers may succumb to this error is that our life often facilitates the need for self-justification. When preachers don’t reach the lost, when they don’t make their churches relevant, when they are seeking to build a ministry before building people, they need a doctrine that justifies the departure from New Testament goals and agendas. You see, it’s not the erroneous doctrine that leads to the compromised ministry and life. No! It’s the compromised life that needs a doctrine to justify itself!
The third reason is all too common. People who are not experiencing the grace of God, those who do not believe the Gospel of Peace in a way that leads to an intimate love life with God, tend to miss the point. In the absence of a life experience they think it’s the new revelation that gets people excited about their ministry. They fail to realize the excitement isn’t in the message; it’s in the power of the message. In their shallow insecurity they think they need to be ever finding new revelation to preach to people with itching ears. (2 Tim. 4:3) The preacher who is trying to impress will always end up in error!
The church desperately needs the message of grace, peace, and faith righteousness. But we need to live and model this message through our life, our character, and our commitment to the true cause of Christ. It’s those who misuse and misapply these cornerstone truths that give the legalists the opportunity to decry the message.
One of the greatest ways you can tell that grace, peace, and faith righteousness are no more than a message is when the life doesn’t change. Ultimate reconciliation misses the point that we have a predestined purpose to be transformed into the likeness of Jesus. (Rom. 8:29) That is our destiny. Being delivered from wrath and being unconditionally loved doesn’t equate salvation and righteousness by faith; it does, however, facilitate the opportunity. In the absence of fear and in the presence of love we can come unafraid. When we know everything God does is for our good we have every reason to trust and follow Him. If we continue in the same sins as before we knew Jesus, they accomplish the same destruction. That destruction is not the product of God’s wrath; it’s the fruit of sin.
In my meeting with Carlton Pearson and in discussions with Mike Williams and many others who began to follow this erroneous path, I asked the question, “Do you not believe there is any benefit to living a godly life? Do you not see the destruction of sin? If so, then why is the focus of your message the permissiveness of sin?” Paul, Peter, James, and John all echoed these sentiments in various terminologies: flee every type of sin, don’t yield to the flesh, don’t use your freedom as an excuse for sin, and don’t suffer for unrighteousness. The message is clear: sin still kills. While the beginning of Ultimate Reconciliation is not a blanket invitation to a reckless life, in the end that is the fruit.
Churches that embrace even the slightest hint of this doctrine lose sight of biblical agendas and ultimately their purpose. The need for relevancy evaporates. The passion to win the lost becomes needless. The value for the most basic ministry needs disappear with the idea that all men are ultimately going to Heaven so what’s the urgency?
We live in a day when people need God’s power working in them more than ever! The need for Spirit-empowered grace to take us to a life beyond our strength is imminent. We may be in what the Bible calls the “beginning of sorrows”; but whether we are or not, be assured we are living in difficult times, the likes of which the world has never seen. Our nation is disturbingly close to facing the horrors others nations have faced for generations. The church in America isn’t ready! We are poised for a great falling away! The only cure is a Gospel that works which will require leaders that experience it.
Fresh new revelation doesn’t come because we discover what has never been seen. Revelation is when we look at a truth in a new way, a way that empowers us to live in victory. People don’t need their lives complicated by a lot of new doctrines; they need to know how to get these doctrines we have to work. People need to be led into a relationship with Jesus. They need mentors and models. They don’t need to hear a message of grace; they need to see a lifestyle of grace.
This righteousness of God is by faith from first to last. Jesus obtained it by faith; we take hold of it by faith; and it empowers our life by faith. Inspire people to a better life than they ever imagined – a life of knowing and experiencing God’s love, grace, and righteousness.
Click here to watch the video, The Error of Ultimate Reconciliation, by Allen Speegle and Jim Richards. Ultimate Reconciliation (Inclusion)
When you think Pat Robertson can’t say anything more stupid than he has in the past he does… He has no doubt accomplished some great things but to keep blaming God for tragedies is beyond belief. He has repeatedly said through the years "God said" certain things would happen that did not so you would think he would learn to keep quiet in times like this. Don’t be drawn into this thing Pat said about Haiti being cursed. Gal 3:13 says Christ has redeemed us from the curse by being made a curse for us… God never causes pain in our lives, NEVER! James 1:16-18 says;
Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers. 17 Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.
My staff told that I could not call Pat stupid even though one of the definitions is annoying or irritating so I guess I’ll listen to them this time.
What are you Forgetting?
Often in life we forget the things we should remember and remember the things we should forget. Have you forgotten the good things you have in your life? Take a moment and remember what’s right and it will help you forget that which is wrong.