Tag Archives: romans 1

Jul 19 2013

Fuller Seminary, the Progressive?

About Fuller Image

The famous Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California has crossed a line that is becoming increasingly blurry within the lukewarm church today.

The Christian evangelical college has opened its doors to a gay/lesbian student club on campus.  CBN reports that about three dozen students are members in this club, and their mission is to support the  “LGBTQ community at Fuller Seminary,” per their public statement.

Evangelist Charles E. Fuller who founded the school in 1947 must be rolling in his grave by now.

Fuller Seminary like other Christian colleges, is compromising the message of the gospel by endorsing this club.  Fuller is preparing the future wave of evangelists and pastors, and given the current social pressures to “equalize love,” these young ministers-to-be will potentially be swayed to accept the LGBT lifestyle as normative and within scriptural bounds.

Scripture rings true in Romans 1:32 when it tells us that people know God’s decrees (Fuller in this case) and despite knowing God’s decrees they give approval to those who practice such lifestyles, by officially endorsing them.

I am sure there are many born-again students and faculty at Fuller who love God and who are disappointed by this turn of events.  Their school has become a social and political battleground for the progressive wave, and there is not much they can do about it.

Fuller is not alone in this shift.  Azusa Pacific University in California, another Christian college, has been invaded by progressive faculty eager to advance the LGBT agenda.  This trend will continue in the future, and it will encroach even upon conservative churches.

Delight in Truth is writing about this development in order to warn the body of Christ that apostle Paul’s teaching to Timothy regarding the last days stands:

“Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. ” 2 Tim 3:12-13 ESV

image http://www.fuller.edu

Jul 4 2013

Five Questions Christians in American Society Should Ponder

In light of the recent Supreme Court decision which made the Defense of Marriage Act unconstitutional, Christians have reason to be worried.  Justice Kennedy was loud and clear when he wrote that the only possible motive to be against gay marriage is hatred.  That was codified talk by Kennedy targeting Christians as a hateful group.

Delight in Truth feels this will become the underlying motive for hate-speech legislation in our country in the near future.

We must start to really think about these 5 issues as presented by Todd Friel on his show:

1. Will churches lose their tax exempt status because they believe what the Bible teaches about homosexual sin?

2. Will pastors be forced to officiate same-sex marriage against orthodox interpretation of the Bible?

3. Will Christian schools be forced to endorse the progressive agenda or lose accreditation?

4. Will pastors be able to counsel persons struggling with homosexual desires and tell them that such lifestyle is sinful?

5. Will parents be able to tell their children that homosexuality is a sin?

I predict we will see lawsuits against churches claiming discrimination because gay church members will not be given pulpit time or worship leading roles.  It has already happened at Mariner’s church in Irvine, CA when the church fired their gay choir director when he came out of the closet.  After a 6 year legal battle the church won the case.  I foresee many churches losing these types of lawsuits in the future based on discrimination and hate speech laws.

I write about these things because the Church needs to prepare for these events.  We must continue to press forward, make the Gospel our number one mission, and pray that the Holy Spirit will change the lives we touch.

May 29 2013

LeBron James Compared to… God

LEBRON JAMES

Huh?

The judgement and theological statements coming out of the NBA these days must be exposed in order to see the kind of concept folks have about God.

Indiana Pacers point guard George Hill compared LeBron James to God:

“It’s only like one person that’s more scarier than that and that’s God,” Hill said after Pacer’s 97-93 Game 2 win last week against James’ team.

The Miami Heat star responded by saying he is  “nowhere near close” to being God because “I made two mistakes tonight that hurt our team…”

The funny thing here is not the comparison to the Divine.

The funny, ridiculous, crazy, and blasphemous development is that LeBron James actually entertained the concept of being compared to the Great I AM.

This guy might be capable of really thinking he might achieve divinity if he had a perfect game or season.

Being a physical specimen that drives down the lane like a locomotive and having more money than all my readers put together multiplied by 1,000 can certainly awaken the idolatry of Romans 1.

Idolatry of self is at the core of our fallen race.  The idea of being like God put us in our current trouble when two less than content people in Eden decided it would be cool to be like God.

Even the statement “nowhere near close” to being God is irrelevant in this context because it raises the possibility of actually arriving at divinity.

So for now we will just enjoy watching the Bron play (also pray?) above the rim.

Because if we could see God play, we would die in less than an instant.

image Corey Sipkin

Apr 19 2013

On the Day of Silence, Speak the Gospel!

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April 19th. Day of Silence.

Today is a day of activism in the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) community, when students who subscribe to this lifestyle and their allies will refrain from speaking the entire day at school.

It’s an act to show they are being suppressed, discriminated, bullied and hated for what they label as their natural orientation.

How should a Christian handle the silent treatment from your fellow students?

It is important to realize hate is a sin, so we are forbidden from hating, bullying or discriminating against anyone.

The most logical response for a Christian filled with the Holy Spirit is to speak the Gospel.

Tell them that Jesus loves them and that God put a natural law in their heart that convicts them of their life style. The inner struggle they have is precisely a result of this law.

I believe the reason so many GLBT folks are trying so hard to win the approval of the Church for this lifestyle is because deep, deep down they are struggling with the morality of their lifestyle. They are trying to somehow win support from the ultimate moral authority, God, so they appeal their case to the closest surrogates, us, the Christians.

God may use us to respectfully convey some moral conviction for an unnatural alternative lifestyle.

When they call you a bigot, a backwards idiot, and other names, respond in love and in truth. Shine the light on the Word of God as the reason you hold to your beliefs and reject any anti-gay label.

The truth is out there.

The truth is in every man’s heart according Paul in Romans 1.

The suppression of truth must end for salvation to arrive.

Apr 13 2013

Suppressing the Truth About Modern Infanticide

The trial of Dr. Kermit Gosnell who is accused of killing late-term babies who survived abortions is not receiving mainstream media coverage due to spiritual reasons more than political reasons.

To date, out of all the major news outlets, only the slightly more conservative Fox News has covered it.

Why?

Our godless modern society is tacitly approving Gosnell’s actions.  Abortion is the outcome of self-idolatry which is rampant in our culture.  It so happens that a baby interferes with the interests of the self, and in their mind killing the baby solves the problem.

So they suppress the truth in order to avoid the guilt and the conviction that comes along with acknowledging the truth.

The heathen would rather have a Gosnell-type decapitating a crying 28 week GA baby and suppressing news of the event, then ensuring justice for the murder of that innocent baby!

We know it is so because the Word of God tells in Romans 1:18 that they “suppress the truth by their wickedness.”

The latest ungodly argument is that Gosnell proves the need for abortion in our society.  The liberal left is arguing that abortion must be done ‘right’ to avoid another Gosnell scenario.

To them I say, that committing a crime at home or abroad does not change the fact that it is a crime.  Killing a 24 week baby in-utero or outside the uterus is a mere technicality! Shame on them!

This is happening because they do not know that the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Life.  They do not know that God is pro-Life.  They do not want to know that Jesus died so we may have life, and abundant life!

Even though the truth is suppressed, we must fight on to share the truth and the gospel.

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Apr 3 2013

Abortion Survival: A Miracle of Life in Ohio

In a classic case of Romans 1 suppression of truth, the irony of ironies has taken place.

In a case of darkness, death, and abortion, God has ordained that life will defeat death.

Ariel Knights is a pro-choice 22-year-old woman who sought to abort her second pregnancy due to a medical condition where the uterus is separated into two compartments.  This condition makes the pregnancy high risk due to increased likelihood of preterm labor and other possible complications.

She underwent the brutal procedure in an abortion mill in Akron, Ohio only to find out in a later emergency room visit that she continued to have a baby in her uterus.

And the baby was alive! And unharmed!

This is an absolute physical miracle.  One has to wonder, even with a divided uterus, how can a tiny, fragile life survive the slaughter of the suction cannula and the forceps of the abortionist?

Blinded by the belief that this baby was a threat to her, Knights sought abortion again, but no clinic would take her complicated case, so she opted to carry the pregnancy and eventually deliver a baby who is doing well.  She calls the little girl her “miracle baby.”

Given the amazing miracle this mom experienced, she continues to be pro-choice and open to the idea abortion.

The Bible tells us that God speaks “many times in many ways” (Heb 1:1) but people “in their unrighteousness suppress the truth.”  (Rom 1:18)

This young woman was asked about the irony of the failed abortion, and she revealed that she is turning a blind eye to it:

“That’s a sore subject to think about. I mean, it’s just hard, thinking she’s here and thinking, if they would have done their job. … It’s just something I don’t like to think about.”

Ariel Knights is suppressing the truth by refusing to be convicted by the miracle that has taken place in her life.

She knows that abortion is murder, but she is not willing to think about it.  This would identify her sinful state which she is currently suppressing, as apostle Paul explains in Romans 1.

Judgement and conviction in our hearts with respect to sin is the work of the Holy Spirit.

I pray that God will use this amazing, awesome miracle to make Ariel realize her need for a Savior.

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Jan 12 2013

Less Americans Believe Alternative Life Styles are a Sin

In just 14 months there was 7 point drop in the percent of Americans who believe that homosexuality is a sin from 44% to 37%.

LifeWay Research conducted these studies, and their president commented that the country is rapidly shifting position on this issue, partly due to president Obama’s “evolving” view on gay marriage.

“There is little doubt that the President’s evolution on homosexuality probably impacted the evolution of cultural values.  This is a real and substantive shift, surprisingly large for a one-year time frame – though this was hardly a normal year on this issue’

These findings are revealed in the wake of pastor Louie Giglio’s withdrawal from the presidential inauguration prayer.  The White House has already announced that Giglio will be replaced by a pro-gay pastor as a means to not alienate anyone.

Christians believers who hold to the inerrancy and infallibility of the Bible will now be a rapidly shrinking minority in the US.

I am writing this to warn the body of Christ of our status in modern society.  Even though the Constitution gives us the right to believe the Bible as it is written, without taking Romans 1, 1 Corinthians 6, and many other pages out, we will be labeled as bigots, anti-social retros, and obstacles to progress.

Will this lead to religious persecution?  I believe yes.  Especially if Congress working with this Administration takes up “hate-speech” legislation which will prevent preaching from church pulpits from the above mentioned Bible passages.

At this point I do not envision pastors being put in jail for preaching against homosexuality.  But there is a real possibility of other legal methods being used to curtail religious freedom and free speech if such legislation is used.  Canada has already experimented with “hate-speech” legislation, and pastors there have confessed they are being pressured to not expose anti-sin views from the pulpit.

The world is changing.  Views are evolving.  A constant and confusing flux of public opinion is inundating us everyday.

Despite this we must remain anchored in the Word of God.  Anchored in Truth.

Dec 17 2012

Is Human Free Will Really Free?

Which pill will you swallow?

Which doctrine will you embrace?

The one which teaches that God is sovereign in all details including the deepest crevices of the human soul?  Or the teaching that human free will is ultimately responsible for our decision to follow Christ?

I would argue using the Bible that for believers, their freedom and free will is hidden in God’s sovereignty.  Paul tells Christians in Colossians 3:3: “For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.”  Discussing the “when” this happens is a matter of technicality… we know that from God’s perspective the past, present and future matter not.  From His point of view, which ultimately is the only point of view of importance, our choices, our decisions, and final outcomes are hidden with Christ in Him.

When it comes to free will, I believe that absolute human free will is not found on the pages of the Bible.  But interestingly, human responsibility is found on every page of the Bible.  If absolute free will were found in the Bible, then we would also find our ability to NOT sin.  If a man or woman had absolute freedom of choice, they should be able to choose to NOT sin!  But sadly this is not the case.

There is a multitude of biblical texts showing that while unregenerated by the Holy Spirit, we are enslaved to sin, captured and bound by our sinful nature, and the only freedom we have IS to sin.  Any attempt to rid ourselves of sin is unsustainable.  That is biblical truth.  Then how can anyone say that they have absolute free will?

I personally know people who live in sin and cannot stop sinning even though they know the depravity of their actions.  They know the truth to a large degree.  Paul tells us in Romans 1 that such people know the truth but they are suppressing it.   No matter how much these people want to give up sin in theoretical terms, they are unable to do it.  They do not have the absolute freedom to do it because they are not free.  They are chained.  Their will is not free at all.

What the children of God have is not an absolute free will but a will that is subordinate to God.  Paul teaches this in Philippians 2:13 “it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.”  And the previous verse implicates the human responsibility: “continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling…”

Our free will is subordinate to God’s sovereignty while maintaining personal human responsibility.

So, the next time you think that your own freedom of choice lifted you out of sin and unto salvation, meditate on our incontestable inability to break the chain of sin on our own.

This is the mystery of all ages, the way God the Father draws his children unto Him through the work of God the Holy Spirit, all made possible by the death and resurrection of God the Son.  And to see that He found it appropriate to reveal to us this great mystery of salvation makes us stand in awe.

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Nov 30 2012

A Closer Look at Romans 1: the Nature of Human Relations

Rom 1:26 “Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones.  27 In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another.  Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion.”

I will preface this article by saying that the Bible forbids us from hating any group of people.  We are commanded to love our neighbor, and at the same time to preach the truth about God’s love, and the repentance from any and all sin.

Whenever an in-depth look is undertaken into any Bible passage, one must use a word-for-word translation like the ESV or the NASB, and possibly look at the Hebrew or Greek text using tools such as Strong’s dictionary among others.  We will take a look at this passage and focus on the way apostle Paul uses the derivatives of the word “nature” in the context of homosexual relations.

One of the most important points of the gay agenda is to proclaim the idea that homosexual relations come naturally to the persons who subscribe to that orientation.  This has been implied even by some evangelical leaders like Rick Warren… but not in so many words.  A closer look in Romans 1 reveals that same-sex relations are not only sinful, but they are against nature the way God ordained it.

The context of Romans 1:18-32 is very important because it further solidifies this position.  The theme here is God’s wrath against the depravity of mankind, making the point that idolatry is unnatural.  It says that men committed an unnatural act in that they “exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man. (verse 23)”  We see the contrast here between the natural and the unnatural, the glory of the immortal God and the images resembling mortal man, respectively.

Paul points to the transition between the natural worship of God, and the unnatural worship of man and idols.  He also points to how men unnaturally “exchanged the truth about God for a lie (verse 25).”

Continuing in the same pattern of natural vs unnatural, Paul gives an example of human depravity: homosexuality.  Just like the exchange of the “glory of the immortal God” for idolatry, and truth for lie was presented earlier, Paul now presents two more unnatural exchanges:

1. The phrase “their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones” references lesbianism as being unnatural, therefore against nature

2. The phrase “men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another” references homosexual relations among men and specifies that these men abandoned the natural state, that is the relationship ordained by God between man and woman in Gen 2:24.  Paul makes a clear case that an unnatural relationship is now taking place between members of the same sex.

The final analysis is the result of depravity: “the due penalty for their perversion” which is the result of God giving  “them up in the lusts of their hearts.”

Romans 1:26-27 is abundantly clear that homosexuality is not only sinful, but unnatural in the context of human relations ordained by God.  The argument that homosexual desires are natural, as any other sinful desire like lust, hate, anger, and greed directly contradicts Romans 1 Scripture.

Related click here: Can one repent of these unnatural desires?

Also: Biblical case against gay marriage

Nov 29 2012

Rick Warren on Homosexuality: “not everything natural is good…”

I do not dislike Rick Warren.  He is a big celebrity, a nice  guy, and almost everyone in this country seems to like him.  But there lies the problem… You cannot be a pastor who proclaims the Gospel, and at the same time make sinners feel good, because the Word of God is a two-edged sword that must convict the sinner and lead him to repentance.

Continuing his wildly successful book tour, Warren again presented false teaching on the issue of homosexuality while being interviewed by left-wing host Piers Morgan.

Morgan: “Do you personally believe that gay people are born gay? Or, do they become gay? Are they made gay?”

Warren:  “You know what — I think the jury’s still out on that. It wouldn’t bother me if there was a ‘gay gene’ found,” 

“Here’s what we know about life: I have all kinds of natural feelings in my life and it doesn’t necessarily mean that I should act on every feeling. Sometimes I get angry and I feel like punching a guy in the nose. It doesn’t mean I act on it. Sometimes I feel attracted to women who are not my wife. I don’t act on it,”

“Just because I have a feeling doesn’t make it right. Not everything natural is good for me.”

Going against biblical truth, Warren strongly implies that homosexuality is natural, which ultimately means it is furnished by the Creator.  This is the agenda that the gay community has been pushing for years in suppressing the truth found in the Word of God, and Rick Warren seems to be fanning their flame.

Let’s get back to the Bible to see what Paul really teaches about the natural vs unnatural aspect of homosexual relations in Romans 1:

24 Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, 25 because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.

26 For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; 27 and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error.

28 And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done.

The problem here is that Rick Warren knows this passage in the Bible.  He also knows that if he reads this passage on Piers Morgan’s show, his book will no longer $ell in that audience.

It is so difficult to serve both God and Mammon.

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