A Root of Poor Theology - Christopher Neiswonger

"Jesus' primary interest was in the personal salvation of those he came to save; his secondary interest was in their personal behavior. He expected everyone that had the first to be concerned about the second. The root of poor theology is to reduce the first to the second, or the second to the first."

-Christopher Neiswonger

Sacrifice and the Christian Life

Here is a new episode of the www.apologetics.com radio featuring Donald McConnell, Jeff Saltzmann, and myself. This show can also be downloaded as a podcast in itunes. Simply search apologetics.com in the itunes store and click the link for the podcast.

Sacrifice and the Christian Life

Over the memorial weekend we take time honor those who sacrifice to defend our freedoms. These men and women choose to protect and defend others even over their own safety. This idea of sacrifice runs all through Christianity. From the Old Testament sacrifices, to the sacrifices made by Christ in taking on flesh and being obedient even unto death. It is in Christ's example that the Christian is to model his or her life. For scripture tells us in 1 Peter 4:1 "Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same way of thinking."

In this show join host Donald McConnell, Dean of Trinity Law school; Jeff Saltzmann, Pastor of Bethel Grace Baptist Church in Bellflower; and Doug Eaton of Trinity Law School as they discuss "Sacrifice and the Christian Life." Join them as they look at questions such as, "Why did God demand the sacrifice of animals in the Old Testament? Did those sacrifices actually atone for sin? What did Paul mean when he said he was filling up what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ, "What apologetic role does suffering play?" The panel will also be spending some time looking at three chapters from Calvin's Institutes that deal with this aspect of the Christian life; On Self-Denial, On Bearing Our Cross, and On Meditating on the future life.

God Bless,

Doug

Christ Our Refuge (Christ in the Cities of Refuge)

Here is a link to a sermon I preached recently on the cities of refuge and how they point to Christ. The text is Joshua 20. The MP3 can also be downloaded at the link.

Christ our Refuge

God Bless,

Doug

Only Those Completely Leperous Can Be Declared Clean

"If men knew themselves, God would heal and pardon them." - Blaise Pascal

God Bless,

Doug

The Opposite of Justice is NOT Mercy

The Cross: Divine Justice Satisfied

"He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree." 1 Peter 2:24

Certainly the whole punishment of body and soul which was
due unto us--Christ our Redeemer suffered. Our blessed Savior
bore all the sins of the elect. He suffered the whole punishment
which was due unto us--which we would have endured, if He had
not atoned for our sins. He felt the anguish of soul, and horror
of God's wrath--and in soul, experienced the torments of hell
for us--and sustained them and vanquished them!

All the pains, torments, curse, and wrath which were due to
the elect--fell on Christ, until divine justice was fully satisfied.
Though Christ did not suffer eternal death for sinners--yet He
suffered that which was equivalent, and therefore the justice
of God is wholly appeased by His death. Christ's infinite
excellency and glory, made His short sufferings to be of
infinite worth, and equivalent to our everlasting sufferings.

Jesus suffered that which was necessary for our redemption,
namely--that torment of hell which we had deserved, and
which the justice of God required that He should endure for
our redemption. He endured that bitter pain which we
deserved to suffer eternally.

Christ, by His death . . .
satisfied divine justice,
pacified divine wrath,
brought in an everlasting righteousness, and
accomplished the eternal salvation of His people!

(Thomas Brooks, "The Golden Key to Open Hidden Treasures")

The Necessity of Christ's Death

Couldn't Jesus have just forgiven us without punishing Jesus? Can we as humans do something that God Cannot when we forgive someone without payment?

-Doug Eaton-

God is Angry Every Day!

Is it true that God is angry every day?

The Cross and the Healing of our Hurts

Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Matt. 5:4

Many people use this verse to speak about life’s tragedies, and when we mourn over these things we will be comforted. But the greatest thing we have to mourn over is our sin, and if Christ can comfort us in this tragedy, then every other tragedy will pale in comparison and be absorbed into that comfort also. The foundation of all our hope and comfort is found in the death and resurrection of our Lord, for on the cross the price for our sin was paid, and in the resurrection the victory is found. There is no tragedy in this life that will bring us to our knees in mourning that is as significant of a problem as our sin, and when our greatest problem is cured, the comfort spreads to the lesser ones like a soothing balm. In vain we search for many medicines to cure our many wounds, when there is only one medicine that is effective and it will comfort them all. It is the balm of Gilead: the Blood of Christ.

-Doug Eaton-

Crucial Issues for Christians Lecture MP3's

Below are the MP3 downloads of the lectures from the Crucial Issues for Christians Seminar. These lectures can be downloaded by right-clicking the link and selecting, "save target as."

Abortion, Euthanasia, and Embryonic Stem Cell Research - Donald McConnell

The New Atheism - Christopher Neiswonger

Aesthetics and the Christian - Lindsay Brooks

Postmodernism and the Emergent Church - Doug Eaton

Can You Lose Your Salvation? mp3

Here is an MP3 download of two sermons I recently preached on the topic of eternal security and perseverance of the saints.

Kept by the Power of God

Part 1 makes a case from Scripture for the doctrine of the perseverance of the saints.

Part 2 looks at arguments and scriptures used to argue that you can lose your salvation.

Both parts are included in the download. The video above only contains part 1.


God Bless,

Doug

***Updated 6/29/08***



Lane Chaplin has graciously added the full length version of this sermon to his youtube channel. For those of you who do not know Lane, he works with several ministries by uploading video and audio content for them. Because of this work youtube has granted him permission to upload full length video and sermons. His youtube channel is one of the best on the web if you are looking for some great Christian and theological content. Be sure to give him a visit.

Lane's Blog

Lane's Youtube Channel

Doug

Creation, The Fall, and the Promised Redeemer

We Are The Lepers

Then the priest shall look, and if the leprous disease has covered all his body, he shall pronounce him clean of the disease; it has all turned white, and he is clean. Lev 13:13

This verse may seem strange to many of today’s readers, but if leprosy had only covered part of the body and not all of the flesh was white that man would be pronounced unclean. On the other hand if the disease covered his entire body the man would be pronounced clean. This is because the flesh that was not yet white was still contagious, but if his flesh was completely white, the disease was no longer transmittable.

As interesting as this is, this text teaches us something much deeper for leprosy in scripture is often a representation of sin. We are the lepers. We are diseased with sin and completely full of guilt, but in our natural state how we strive to deny that truth. We go to great lengths to deny our unworthiness before God, thinking that we can somehow justify ourselves. Even if we admit that we are partially sinful, how often we still think that God owes us something. But in that condition as we stand before the true high priest Jesus Christ, we are pronounced unclean. It is not until we stand before him in complete poverty of spirit, knowing we have nothing to offer Him, and that we are completely sinful saying, “you have every right to pour your wrath upon me, but I plead the merits of your sacrifice,” does Christ say to us, you are clean.

Though we have nothing to offer
We must go to the High Priest
To present our empty coffer
With self-righteousness deceased

With hearts as black as dross
Filled with the obscene
All paid for on the cross
He’ll there pronounce us clean

Doug Eaton

Reformation Radio Show

Oct. 31, 1571, It was a Wednesday morning and everything seemed normal. Business was going along as usual in the German province of Saxony. In fact, most people were most likely not focusing on this day since the following day was "All Souls Day". A day when Frederick the Wise would bring in religious relics for the city to see, and offer the people a chance to buy indulgences. But little did the world know that an unknown emaciated Augustinian monk with a hammer and a piece of paper with 95 thesis was on his way to the Castle Church in Wittenberg. And God was going to use this hammer to shake the world and call light out of darkness.

This weekend I had the privilege to be a guest on the apologetics.com radio show in Los Angeles with host Chris Neiswonger. The topic was the reformation. We spent the majority of the time discussing the five solas of the Reformation.

Sola Scriptura - Scripture alone
Sola Christus - Christ Alone
Sola Gratia - Grace Alone
Sola Fide - Faith Alone
Soli Deo Gloria - To the Gloria of God Alone

If you would like to listen to the program you can download the mp3 version at the Apologetics.com radio page. Just scroll to the bottom and you should see a link for there. You can also go download it as a podcast in itunes. Simply search for Apologetics.com.

Happy Reformation Day!

Doug

This Is Our Acquittal

This is our acquittal: the guilt that held us liable for punishment has been transferred to the head of the Son of God [Isa. 53:12]. We must, above all, remember this substitution, lest we tremble and remain anxious throughout life--as if God's righteous vengeance, which the Son of God has taken upon himself, still hung over us.

-John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion-

On Witnessing to a Muslim

When it comes to witnessing to a Muslim there are few helpful hints to follow in order keep the conversation focused on giving them the Gospel, without needlessly offending them on less important issues. But before we dig into some specifics of witnessing to a Muslim there are a few general things we need to do when witnessing or doing apologetics with anyone. First you must be spending time in the word of God and in prayer. The strength of your faith is dependent upon God, and there is a direct relationship between it and your time in the word. I’ve heard of too many people who begin to engage in apologetics and with very little resistance they begin to doubt and get confused. In almost every case that person was not diligently studying the scripture and as a result their faith was weak. You must also make sure that the reason you wish to engage them is because you ultimately desire to see them saved. If you are only engaging them because you want to prove yourself right, you may do more harm than good. Now there are times when we have to engage a person in dialogue and debate knowing that they will most likely not come to know the Lord because of an extreme hardness of heart, but we must engage them for the sake of the people they are influencing. But even then, when the debates can become a bit heated, it is important to show the person, and the people watching, that you are doing this because you care, not merely because you think you are right and want everyone to know it.

When dealing directly with Muslims it is also important to have some understanding of what they believe and, as already stated, have a strong understanding of what you believe. It is also important to remember that many Muslims, at least in the United States, are much like many Christians in the fact that they may do their religious things but they might not have a strong understanding of what they believe.

With all of that out of the way, here are some basic points to remember when witnessing to a Muslim.

1. To start with, stay away from arguing about the Koran’s or Mohammad’s validity. It is true that eventually we will have to address these issues, and there is plenty to address, but this is not the place to start. If we start here, the average Muslim will tune you out and reject everything you have to say. Of course if you run into a highly educated Muslim you will end up at this point much more quickly, but avoid the issue for as long as possible. Remember the point of witnessing is to make sure the person you are speaking to hears the Gospel, for it is the power of God unto salvation. And salvation is our ultimate goal.

Also, when handling your Bible, be sure to use one in which you have not written, be sure to not let it drop below your waist, and if you stack it with other books, make sure that it is kept on top. To fail to do these things will be sign of disrespect for the word of God in their eyes, and there is no need to offend them on this issue. The Gospel is offensive enough to the natural man. So if there will be offence let it be because of the Gospel.

2. In order to give them the Gospel bring them to the Scriptures. Do not forget that they believe that Jesus was a prophet and that he was given the Gospel as a Holy book, along with Moses and David. So be ready to use those portions of Scripture to show them the Sacrifice Jesus made for sin.

If they know the Koran, they may try to tell you that the Bible we have today is corrupt by pointing to passages in the Koran. Let them show you the passages, and as you read them be sure to point out that none of those verses say that the Bible is corrupt, they only say some people’s interpretations of it are. Now some may come along and say that it has been corrupted since the time the Koran has been written, but be sure to point out that we thousands of hand written manuscripts from before the time of Muhammad. We know we have what was around during the time of Muhammad.

Once you get through some of these things try to bring them to passages of Scripture that show the Gospel, such as God telling Abraham to sacrifice his son. Now it is true that they believe that the son was Ishmael and not Isaac, but this is not the point you want to make at this time. What you want to show them is that God is demanding a sacrifice for sin. They do not believe Allah requires a sacrifice for sin but that he can forgive arbitrarily. So begin to press upon them the idea that God required a sacrifice, and then ask them why, and begin to show them that God stopped Abraham because he was going to provide a sacrifice for himself. And since they believe that Moses was given the Law, be sure to use all the types and shadows in the Levitical law to point to Christ. You can use the scapegoat, the bull offering, the cities of refuge, and many other things to begin to show them Christ.

Ultimately, we know that taking them to Scripture is the most important since faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. It truly is the seed that we must sow. And many Muslims, with their strong emphasis on law, have come to faith in Christ because they know they have violated the moral law, and the truth of Christ’s sacrifice can give them rest from the burden with which they continually live.

3. Begin to show them that God is intimately involved in their lives and even in closer relationship with those He calls His children. The relationship between Allah and a Muslim is one of Master and slave, but they were made to have a relationship with God that is as close as father to child and husband to bride. Whether they admit it or not, you have a point of common ground with them since they were made in the image of the Christian God for the purpose of being in relationship with Him. Ultimately, they have no relationship with Allah, since he cannot be known to them, only his laws can be known. Besides that, he doesn’t exist. So, even though they may be suppressing it, you must appeal to the God shaped vacuum with which they live.

The parables are a good place to turn in order to show them this close relationship. Show them the prodigal son, and that God longs for his return. In their understanding, Allah hates the prodigal. You can also tell them the parable of the lost coin or the lost sheep to help bring this home.

4. If there has been some reception up to this point, you can begin to show them untrustworthiness of serving a God who can change his moral laws at will, and makes no promise to those who are in submission that he will keep them. They believe Allah can take a man or woman who has lived in submission to him all their lives and right before death he can deceive them and send them to hell. Show them that God has promised to be faithful and just to complete the work He has begun in someone who is his child, and that He will never leave them or forsake them.

You can also point out that Allah has abrogated many of the other Holy books, how do they know for sure that he hasn’t abrogated the Koran yet? Simply because he said he wouldn’t has not stopped him from abrogating previous Holy books.

5. Finally remember that they do not know God at all, because they do not know Jesus. Jesus said, "if you do not know me you do not know the father," so be sure not to be blinded by any claim that you really believe in the same God, and that they simply don’t believe Jesus was anything more than a good prophet.

Obviously every encounter you have will be different, so this is not to be read as some kind of formula. But hopefully these points will be helpful next time you share your faith with a Muslim.

God Bless,

Doug

On Francis Beckwith's Move to Roman Catholicism

Here is a thoughtful post by a friend of mine on Beckwith's Move To Rome.

My conversation with Francis Beckwith about his return to Roman Catholicism.

The Kisses of God

But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him. Luke 15:20

What a beautiful picture we have here. The prodigal has returned home, but only after forsaking his father and laying waste to his inheritance. The prodigal, living comfortably in his father’s house wells up with pride and forsakes his father’s government. He requests his inheritance and leaves. Filling his life with riotous living, he takes harlots as his companions, and fills his desires for vanity and squanders his father’s precious gifts.

Oh’ but the child of God is never outside their Father’s providence, and famine hits the foreign land of the prodigal. The prodigal’s hopes are soon dashes upon the rocks of vanity and sin, as he finds himself in bondage. He is joined to a citizen of that country where he is required to feed pigs. In this state, the lords of this country do not offer him anything but to eat and sleep in the pig stalls. Sin brings temporary satisfaction but piles on long lasting burdens, impossible to remove. He is in a state of perpetual dissatisfaction, and insanity. But the grace of God is far reaching, and the prodigal comes to himself and says, “It would be better to be a slave in my father’s house then to live here”. What a shame it is, that many never come to themselves and never feel the burden of sin on their back, and what a shame many that do feel it, never venture to go home. They die in their despair, seeking some way to have the burden removed. They sink ever slowly into the “slough of despond”. What a shame, many have even taken their own lives in this despair.

But, In his unworthy state, covered in the stains and wounds of the foreign land that he had desire to live, the prodigal walks slowly home, crestfallen, seeking only servitude in the house of his father. But unworthy of even that, for not honoring your father and mother is a crime worthy of death under the law.

But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion. Our Father’s eyes are ever on us, even when we can’t see Him. When our heads are down dejected from our sin, He looks and has compassion. How His heart aches when His children hurt, even from their self-inflicted wounds. He then ran and fell on his neck and kissed him. Before the son could say a word, the father had placed his lips upon his son. He did not wait until the filth was washed. Nor was he concerned with any of the scoffing that the community might bring.

Oh’ the kisses of the Father say so much. The kiss shows much love for the son. There has been no loss of love in the heart of the father. No uncertainty in the value of his child has occurred due to his son’s crimes. The kiss demonstrates full forgiveness, as it speaks of absolution. The debt the son incurred has been forgotten, and the burden of sin and guilt is gone. In the kisses of God we see full restoration. The son is as much a son as he had ever been; the thoughts of servitude are to be done away with. No more food fit for swine, nor clothes fit for prisoners. For there shall be a feast fit for royalty, a new robe is to be placed upon him, and a ring to signify to the world, that he is part of his father’s family. The son has full restoration, and all this before he can speak his confession, which he has undoubtedly been rehearsing.

There is a beauty in true humility for it does not flow from our natural self, but is the direct result of the working of the Spirit of God. Nevertheless, the son proceeds to confess before his father. True repentance is shown in this way, that even those accepted by the father long to confess. It is almost as if the son is making sure the father realizes what he has done. He wants to make sure his sin is fully realized, before accepting the welcome. Oh, but the father knows, and this kiss was no mistake.

Those who come to the father by faith, in repentance will receive all the kisses of God. We are given the kiss of a new heart and new spirit as our hearts of stone are turned to hearts of flesh by the very grace of God. And we are kissed with strong assurance. Though the prodigal may have intense fears of walking away again, we see that the father is not apprehensive that son may disgrace his mercy and forgiveness. For the Father knows that, of those who are His, He will not loose one of them.

There is also the kiss of intimate communion. The kisses that God gives are not like the kisses of Judas. These kisses, He only gives to those that are in an intimate relationship with Him. Our Father, looks at us and sees everything we are, all of our depravity, yet He places His lips upon us and kisses us with intimate communion. The kiss He gives is more intimate than any kiss a husband could give his wife, or a wife could give her husband.

Children of God and those who long to be, run to your father while there is still time. Satan tells you that you are unworthy of the kisses of God, and the truth is you have never been worthy nor will you ever be. But that is the very reason you must go. Only the kisses of your father can offer you anything. The world will offer you its kisses but they are the kisses of Judas. Betraying kisses that will lead to your demise. Reject the kisses of this world and run to your Father.

There are kisses for every one of your despairs. Every wound and disease that eats at your soul can be addressed by the kisses of God. It would be worthwhile to quote Charles Spurgeon at length here, for much of this was drawn from his influence.

“Perhaps one whom I am addressing says, “even though I confess my sin, and seek God’s mercy, I shall still be in sore trouble for through my sin, I have brought myself down to poverty.” “There is a kiss for you,” says the Lord: “Thy bread shall be given thee, and water shall be sure.” “But I have even brought disease upon myself by sin,” says another. “There is a kiss for you, for I am Jehovah-Rophi, the Lord that healeth thee, who forgiveth all thine iniquities, who healeth all thy diseases.” “But I am dreadfully down at the heel,” says another. The Lord gives you also a kiss, and says, “I will lift you up, and provide for all your needs. No good thing will I withhold for them that walk uprightly.” All the promises in this Book belong to every repentant sinner, who returns to God believing in Jesus Christ, his son.”

Child of God, let the world scoff and the consequences of your sin run their course. You have the kisses of God. For every trial, even the self-inflicted ones, can now do you no harm. All things work together for the good of those who love Him, even the effects of our sin we now life with. And everything in this world will pass away, and we will one day enter the kingdom of our Lord. Where every tear will be dried and sadness will be no more. The world may continue to wound, and people may even look at you with disdainful eyes, remember it is not their approval you need, you have the kisses of God.

It would beneficial to address those sit and ponder their sin. Feeling proud that they are not like the great sinners being spoken of here. For they feel that they have not done such a great evil that they should drop their heads in shame. May God be merciful and show you your misery. For like the Pharisee, you fulfill your ritual of prayer in the public places, but remember the Pharisee walked away unforgiven. It was the tax collector that beat his own breast as if to say, “it is I who should be accursed”. The image of beating his breast symbolizes that he did not see his sin as intellectual mistakes, but flowing from his very soul. For that is what sin is, our very nature mocking the Holiness of God. He cried to God, “have mercy on me a sinner”, and how lovingly the Father kisses Him with forgiveness and acceptance.

There are still others who started out strong but have begun to be choked out by the cares of this world. Pleasures, promotions, and the search for prestige has taken you captive, and begun to steal your time away from the things of God. May God grant you repentance for many start strong down the narrow path only to taken away by such lusts never to return. They become like the man despairing in the cage in Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress, who took the hand of his lusts and could not repent because he loved them so. They overtook him and blinded him of his need for salvation, and he proved never to be a child of God.

Come to His feet in repentance, for it is our only hope. The wrath of God will be poured out on sinners. Lest we accept the sacrifice of Christ Jesus, who did what we could not and lived a sinless life, yet was crucified in our place. For scripture states “He was wounded for our transgressions and bruised for our iniquities. The repenting sinner is the only one who can receive a crown of righteousness, and it is not our righteousness but Christ’s.

How can we neglect so great a salvation? Make your election sure. May all those who are children of God, and those who long to be, come to Him today and be ravished by His kisses.

-Doug Eaton-

What is Justification?

What is Justification?

As short video explaining that justification is more than Christ paying the penalty for our sins (as wonderful as that is).

God Bless,

Doug

The Covenant of Redemption - Spurgeon

The covenant of redemption is the theological term for the agreement that was made between the God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit in how they were going to redeem for themselves the elect. This covenant is not mentioned by name in scripture but it is clearly implied that an agreement had been made between the Godhead. Much like the term Trinity does not apear in scripture but is clearly seen.

Below is a transcript from a Spurgeon sermon where he describes this covenant and then wonders what it would have been like to be to hear this covenant being made.

“Now, in this covenant of grace, we must first of all observe the high contracting parties between whom it was made. The covenant of grace was made before the foundation of the world between God the Father, and God the Son; or to put it in a yet more scriptural light, it was made mutually between the three divine persons of the adorable Trinity.”

“I cannot tell you it in the glorious celestial tongue in which it was written: I am fain to bring it down to the speech which suiteth to the ear of flesh, and to the heart of the mortal. Thus, I say, run the covenant, in ones like these:”

"I, the Most High Jehovah, do hereby give unto my only begotten and well-beloved Son, a people, countless beyond the number of stars, who shall be by him washed from sin, by him preserved, and kept, and led, and by him, at last, presented before my throne, without spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing. I covenant by oath, and swear by myself, because I can swear by no greater, that these whom I now give to Christ shall be for ever the objects of my eternal love. Them I will forgive through the merit of the blood. To these will I give a perfect righteousness; these will I adopt and make my sons and daughters, and these shall reign with me through Christ eternally." Thus run that glorious side of the covenant. The Holy Spirit also, as one of the high contracting parties on this side of the covenant, gave his declaration, "I hereby covenant," saith he, "that all whom the Father giveth to the Son, I will in due time quicken. I will show them their need of redemption; I will cut off from them all groundless hope, and destroy their refuges of lies. I will bring them to the blood of sprinkling; I will give them faith whereby this blood shall be applied to them, I will work in them every grace; I will keep their faith alive; I will cleanse them and drive out all depravity from them, and they shall be presented at last spotless and faultless." This was the one side of the covenant, which is at this very day being fulfilled and scrupulously kept. As for the other side of the covenant this was the part of it, engaged and covenanted by Christ. He thus declared, and covenanted with his Father: "My Father, on my part I covenant that in the fullness of time I will become man. I will take upon myself the form and nature of the fallen race. I will live in their wretched world, and for my people I will keep the law perfectly. I will work out a spotless righteousness, which shall be acceptable to the demands of thy just and holy law. In due time I will bear the sins of all my people. Thou shalt exact their debts on me; the chastisement of their peace I will endure, and by my stripes they shall be healed. My Father, I covenant and promise that I will be obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. I will magnify thy law, and make it honourable. I will suffer all they ought to have suffered. I will endure the curse of thy law, and all the vials of thy wrath shall be emptied and spent upon my head. I will then rise again; I will ascend into heaven; I will intercede for them at thy right hand; and I will make myself responsible for every one of them, that not one of those whom thou hast given me shall ever be lost, but I will bring all my sheep of whom, by thy blood, thou hast constituted me the shepherd—I will bring every one safe to thee at last."

-Charles Spurgeon-

Imagine, that for all who believe, our names were written in the Lamb’s book of life since before the foundations of the world. The Triune God has covenanted to save us, and who can stay His hand. This is eternal security,

God Bless,

Doug