"The New Creation Has Come: Forever with the Lord"

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!”  (2 Corinthians 5:17 NIV).

The Lord Jehovah grants us to be a new creation, but not because we deserve it.  We are not granted a new creation because we deserve it but because of His glory and grace.

The Lord Omnipotent saves to the uttermost because Jesus Christ saves that which is lost.  We just need to repent and believe the gospel or good news.  This is simply means obedience to God's commands.  Everyone who contritely repents goes to heaven but we are not saved by repentance but by Christ alone by the Father's will through His Holy Spirit.

It's the joy of repentance that is awesome and wonderful.  That is, we can only be obedient to God's commands by His grace, glory and Spirit.  This positive consequences to God's commands is because of the regeneration of the Spirit of holiness and the Word of God. 

Devoted Faithfulness

Faithfulness is making faith a living reality in someone's life.  That is, it is a living and active and working faith.  It is centered on obedience and spiritual life.  It is centered on belief and faith and the good news of Jesus entering the spiritual heart of man. 

Faithfulness is manifested in God's service (Mt. 24:45), declaring God's Word (Jer. 23:38), bearing witness (Prov. 14:5), keeping secrets (Prov. 11:3), helping others (3 Jn 5), doing work (2 Chr. 34:12), positions of trust (Neh. 13:13), reproving others (Prov. 27:6) conveying messages (Prov. 25:13) and smallest things (Lk 16:10-12).  It is illustrated in the lives of OT and NT saints (from Abraham (Gal. 1:9) to Paul (Acts 17: 16, 17).  We are to be focused on faithfulness.  It means abstaining from sin and also repentance.  It means living according to God's commandments and walking before the Lord blameless. 

Balaam: The Error of Gain Through Worngdoing

^{Jude 1:10-25 KJV
10} But these speak evil of those things which they know not: but what they know naturally, as brute beasts, in those things they corrupt themselves.
¹¹ Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Core.
¹² These are spots in your feasts of charity, when they feast with you, feeding themselves without fear: clouds they are without water, carried about of winds; trees whose fruit withereth, without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots;
¹³ Raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness for ever.
¹⁴ And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints,
¹⁵ To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him.
¹⁶ These are murmurers, complainers, walking after their own lusts; and their mouth speaketh great swelling words, having men's persons in admiration because of advantage.
¹⁷ But, beloved, remember ye the words which were spoken before of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ;
¹⁸ How that they told you there should be mockers in the last time, who should walk after their own ungodly lusts.
¹⁹ These be they who separate themselves, sensual, having not the Spirit.
²⁰ But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost,
²¹ Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.
²² And of some have compassion, making a difference:
²³ And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh.
²⁴ Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy,
²⁵ To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.
  
I think Balaam's error was gain through wrongdoing.  I think we can get the gifts of God through an upright life before God and man.  We ought to praise God for everything He does because He ordained it.  He faithful and just to His people.

Psalm 125:4
LORD, do good to those who are good, to those who are upright in heart.
Proverbs 2:7
He holds success in store for the upright, he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless,

Spiritual Godliness

DA Carson wrote on godliness,

People do not drift toward holiness. Apart from grace-driven effort, people do not gravitate toward godliness, prayer, obedience to Scripture, faith, and delight in the Lord.  We drift toward compromise and call it tolerance; we drift toward disobedience and call it freedom; we drift toward superstition and call it faith. We cherish the indiscipline of lost self-control and call it relaxation; we slouch toward prayerlessness and delude ourselves into thinking we have escaped legalism; we slide toward godlessness and convince ourselves we have been liberated.  (D.A. Carson Reflections, Christianity Today, 7-31-00).

Here is a Christian hymn on obedience and faith that would be helpful,
 

Thou dost reign on high with a kingly crown,
Yet thou camest to earth for me,
And in Bethlehem's home was there found no room
For thy holy nativity:
O come to my heart, Lord Jesus,
There is room in my heart for thee.

Heaven's arches rang when the angels sang,
Proclaiming thy royal degree;
But of lowly birth didst thou come to earth,
And in great humility:
O come to my heart, Lord Jesus,
There is room in my heart for thee.

The foxes found rest, and the birds their nest,
In the shade of the forest tree;
But thy couch was the sod,
O thou Son of God, in the deserts of Galilee:
O come to my heart, Lord Jesus,
There is room in my heart for thee.

Thou camest, O Lord, with the living word
That should set thy people free;
But with mocking scorn, and with crown of thorn,
They bore thee to Calvary:
O come to my heart, Lord Jesus,
Thy cross is my only plea.

When heav'n's arches shall ring,
And her choirs shall sing,
At thy coming to victory,
Let thy voice call me home,
Saying, "Yet there is room,
There is room at my side for thee."
And my heart shall rejoice, Lord Jesus,
When thou comest and callest for me.
(TH, 170).

Jesus' Appointed Hour and His Death

We read in the NT that Jesus was not killed because His hour had not yet come.  That means He was appointed to die at a certain time.  We are also told that it was according God's predetermined plan that Jesus died on the Cross.

John 7:30  NASB
So they were seeking to seize Him; and no man laid his hand on Him, because His hour had not yet come.
John 8:20 NASB
These words He spoke in the treasury, as He taught in the temple; and no one seized Him, because His hour had not yet come.

Here we read that God ordains whatsoever comes to pass:

Ephesians 1:11 NASB
also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will,

Here we read about the predetermined plan of God in His atoning death and that there was no other way:

Acts 4 NASB
²⁷ For truly in this city there were gathered together against Your holy servant Jesus, whom You anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, ²⁸ to do whatever Your hand and Your purpose predestined to occur. ²⁹ And now, Lord, take note of their threats, and grant that Your bond-servants may speak Your word with all confidence,

Here we read that the Father wanted no other way for His Son to atone for sin than His sacrifice of the Cross.  That is why Jesus prayed God's will be done:

Matthew 26:42 KJV
He went away again the second time, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done.

The Shed Blood of Jesus VS. The Crucified Jesus

We mean this in a fine distinction.  There is a distinction between His shed blood and His crucified merit.  To be forgiven and cleansed from our sin we must think upon His saving Cross; that is, this is the way sin is forgiven.

The Bible speaks to the atonement of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  It was the sole means by which God expiates and propitiates sin.  We are forgiven by the blood of the Cross.   

There was a pope in Roman Catholic history that said if Jesus scratched Himself by a nail and blood proceeded to come forth it would have been sufficient to atone for the sins of mankind; however, the Bible says that Jesus' crucifixion atoned for the sins of all kinds of people in mankind. 

God's Heavy Hand

God's hand gets heavy upon us (Psalm 32:4); that is, we feel His discipline upon us and applied to us.  He has His hands upon us and He will never take His hands off of us.  We ought to bless God for keeping His working hands upon us.  

If God ever took His hands off of us, we would perish eternally.   God always keeps His hands upon us to help us and correct us and instruct us (Psalm 94:12).  We need this to grow in Christ as we fellowship with the saints.  God afflicts us for our betterment and for our good (Psalm 119:67).

Chastening and Correction from God the Father

We may get corrected and chastened by our Heavenly Father.   We had earthly fathers that corrected us; however, there may have been some abuse.  Sometimes we can't think about our earthly fathers and compare them to our Heavenly Father.  We ought to never compare sinners with the sinless One. 

We should not have a hard time in thinking about God as Someone who never harmed a soul.  God will never abuse His beloved and blessed children; however, our Heavenly Father will punish His beloved and blessed children.  There is no doubt God the Father chastens whomever He loves.  We ought to fear the corrective wrath of God the Father. 

We ought to fear God as we do our earthly fathers; that is, we did not want to let him down.   We ought to fear God the Father in respect for Him.  We also ought to fear His wrath and discipline.  We may have disobeyed our earthly fathers and likewise we disobey our Heavenly Father.  We face discipline after we disobey; however, God is waiting to forgive us if we come to Him on the basis of faith.

We must ask, is correction something you are willing to accept?  Have you responded to it properly?  We chastened by a loving God (Hebrews 12:6-7) and chastened for a few days (Hebrews 12:10). 

Getting the Contrite Fear of God in the Christian Life

People are afraid of dying or the process of death.  Death is a glorious pathway and transition to heaven for the Christian believer.  We ought to never fear death.  I personally do not fear death; however, people may fear how they are going to die or what process their death may come about.  I think what frightens us is if there will be pain.  The transition through death to heaven should never make us afraid.  We should never fear heaven.  Everyone who truly repents goes to heaven because Jesus is their Savior.  If there is pain, we know it should never frighten us.  God is working out His purpose according to His good will.  We know that perfect love casts out fear but fear hangs around because our love is imperfect.

We are called to fear God.  I am not talking about a tormentive fear or a fear of punishment.  I am talking about a reverential fear of God in an abandonment to holiness.  Servile fear is a torment of fear.  Filial fear is a fear a child has for its father.  We ought to fear God out of a respect of Him.  We ought to have a fear of reverence.  We should also have a fear of awe and worship.

The Bible says that the fear of God is the forefront of knowledge (Proverbs 1:7), but only fools hate wisdom and instruction.  Proverbs 10:27 speaks of a prolonging of days by the fear of God but the wicked days has been shortened.  Proverbs 16:6 speaks of departing from evil by the contrite fear of God.

Living the Gospel Life in the Presence of God

We are to live in the gaze of the God in His majestic presence.  God is indeed everywhere; that is, only God can be omnipresent.  There is no place where we can escape His presence.   He is in heaven; that is, He is there in personified mercy through His Son.  He is in hell; that is, He is there in the absence of His mercy and the presence of His tormentive wrath. 

We ought to be aware of the presence of God.  To be aware of His presence is to be aware of His sovereignty.  God is God if indeed He is sovereign.  If God is sovereign, it is indeed God.  Paul was confronted with the radiant presence of Christ in His resurrected state.  Saul who later become Paul asked who the Lord was; that is, He was not exactly sure who he was speaking with but Paul knew that He had to be sovereign.  The Bible teaches that the biblical God of the OT and NT is sovereign.

We ought not to submit to the sovereignty because of fear of punishment.  Attrition has no spiritual value in the Christian life.  There is no higher pursuit than to honor and glorify and magnify God alone.  We ought to be living sacrifices to God and set apart for His plan.  We ought to live in practical righteousness, holiness, uprightness, godliness and contrite obedience.

If we live a life set apart for the presence of God, we live a life of spiritual integrity.  We ought to have a spirit of worship and thanksgiving.  We will not please God if we fail to worship Him in spirit and in truth.  We ought not to be inconsistent.  We ought to live life in light of repentance and faith.  We ought not to be in disharmony.  We ought to walk worthy of the gospel because we have received Christ in our hearts.  We ought not to live life in confusion; that is, we ought to know that we belong to Christ.  We ought not to live life in conflict with God; that is, we ought to obey His spiritual commandments.  We ought not to live a life of contradiction; that is, we should not engage in repeated acts of gross corruption and neglect.  We ought not to live a life of chaos; that is, the mark of chaos is no faithful repentance and a practice of doubts. 

We should never divide life between the spiritual and the non-spiritual.  We should never divide life between the religious and the non-religious.  We should apply what the Bible says to our lives.  We should not be someone who engages in a non-religious attitude at work and a spiritual attitude at church.  We should always be spiritual and religious.  Sometimes it is not good to be religious.  It depends on how you use the term.  I would say religiosity can weaken assurance of salvation.   It just depends on the context of how someone uses the term.  We ought to be like David who obeyed God's law when he was a shepherd and when he was a king.  We ought to be like Jesus who was just as devote when He began His three-year ministry than when He was a thirty-year old carpenter. 

We ought to live our life open before God.  He reads our lives as a open book to Him.  We ought to do all we can do for our Lord.  A Christian should live by principle and humility before God.  We ought to have the divine and written Word of God immerse and saturate and control our lives.

We Ought to Live in the Presence of God

We ought to live out of days in the presence of God; that is, in Latin it is Coram Deo.  It means "in the presence of God."   We are invited to live in the presence of God; that is, His very throne room.  We are to spend an intimate time with our Heavenly Father in a personal relationship. 

The path of God is the path of life through our Lord and Redeemer Jesus Christ; that is, He is the Incarnate Second Person of the Blessed Trinity.  In His presence is fullness of joy and peace and righteousness.  At His right hand are pleasures forevermore; that is, it is greater than all the worldly pleasures in society (Psalm 16:11).  He hides us in the secret place of His presence (Psalm 31:20).  We ought to come before Him with thanksgiving (Psalm 95:2).  We ought to serve the Lord with gladness and come before Him with singing (Psalm 100:2).  And the upright will dwell in the presence of the Almighty (Psalm 140:13).

If we lived in the conscious presence of God, people would sin less.  It is a presence of holiness; a presence of love; a presence of joy; a presence of compassion; a presence of kindness.  We ought to never forget the holiness; the righteousness; the purity; the light; the uprightness of our Lord.  Jesus lived in the presence of God and He lived a sinless life of pure obedience to God the Father.  May we live in light of how Jesus lived and share the good news with a lost world.  Amen.

A Presentation of the New Testament History of Noah's Ark

The OT speaks of the historical reality of Noah's Ark.  It makes the issue clear: that is, it was a global flood.  There was a man named Noah who built himself an ark to stay afloat in the middle of the greatest catastrophe in human civilization.  There are many cultures around the world that speak of the global flood of Noah. 

We ought to remember that Noah was a righteous man.  He was a righteous man like man become righteous today; that is, it is through the righteousness of Another that we are declared and accounted as righteous by faith and trust.  The NT speaks of the days of Noah; that is, the days of Noah were wicked days that forsook the righteousness of the Almighty and embraced idolatry in utter abandonment to wickedness and corruption. 

There was none righteous but Noah's family.  Jesus of Nazareth speaks of the historical nature of Noah and compares Noah's days like that of Himself.  The people engage in the same wicked behavior.  The flood has no efficacious worth unless God's sanctifies it through His gospel grace.  Noah's family escaped the condemnation of the world through the righteousness of Messiah by faith alone.  Noah's family was saved by water; that is, they were rescued from the condemnation of the world.  Christians today are saved by the washing of rebirth in regeneration; that is, we are born again by the Word and the Spirit. 

The flood came to condemn the world, but Jesus of Nazareth comes to set the world free.  The flood came to destroy mankind, but Jesus of Nazareth came to help the sons and daughters of Noah.  We all ought to be a preacher of righteousness like Noah.  This is a testimony to the walk and talk of Noah.  He lived the gospel out and spoke the divine Word of the gospel.  No one listened to what he said save his family of eight.  Sometimes we fall short of God's divine message; however, we ought to seek to repent and live afresh. 

Matthew 24:37 
But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. 
Luke 17:27 
They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all. 
Hebrews 11:7 
By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith. 
1 Peter 3:20
Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water. 
2 Peter 2:5 
And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly;

The Crisis of Purity Among Men

Holy Lord, I have sinned times without number, and been guilty of pride and unbelief, of failure to find Thy mind in Thy Word, of neglect to seek Thee in my daily life. My transgressions and short-comings present me with a list of accusations, but I bless Thee that they will not stand against me, for all have been laid on Christ. Go on to subdue my corruptions, and grant me grace to live above them. Let not the passions of the flesh nor lustings of the mind bring my spirit into subjection, but do Thou rule over me in liberty and power.
I thank Thee that many of my prayers have been refused. I have asked amiss and do not have, I have prayed from lusts and been rejected, I have longed for Egypt and been given a wilderness. Go on with Thy patient work, answering 'no' to my wrongful prayers, and fitting me to accept it. Purge me from every false desire, every base aspiration, everything contrary to Thy rule. I thank Thee for Thy wisdom and Thy love, for all the acts of discipline to which I am subject, for sometimes putting me into the furnace to refine my gold and remove my dross.
No trial is so hard to bear as a sense of sin. If Thou shouldst give me choice to live in pleasure and keep my sins, or to have them burnt away with trial, give me sanctified affliction. Deliver me from every evil habit, every accretion of former sins, everything that dims the brightness of Thy grace in me, everything that prevents me taking delight in Thee. Then I shall bless Thee, God of jeshurun, for helping me to be upright.  (The Valley of Vision, Confession and Petition).

There is a crisis of purity among men these days.  It has to do with pornography, lust and personal habits with harmful sexual thoughts.  We must understand with a deep conviction that pornography is a threat to the family.  It is a threat to the innocence of children and the marriage bed altogether.  We must live with a conscious conviction of seeking purity in our walk with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  If we live in isolation in gazing at pornography, we will hurt our relationship with our family, friends, children and the Christian church.  We must be held accountable for our actions, thoughts and words.  

It is a good thing to repent of our spiritual crimes of gazing at adult pornography.  We must repent because we recognize that we have done wrong.  There may be a case of deep lust that carries us away for a short time from intimacy with Jesus Christ, but we must live everyday afresh and in faithful repentance.  If we live in repentance of our spiritual crimes of adult impurity, we will grow in humility with our relationship with our God Jesus Christ.  We ought to fight for purity and stand on the rock of our God.  There is so much impurity in the world today.  Impurity is on television, magazines and the Internet.  

The odds are that we have fallen into sin.  We have broken God's commandments.  We have fallen from grace.  We have trodden down the Son of God under our feet.  We have intentionally and deliberately sinned in God's face and we have provoked the Almighty to anger, chastisement and chastening upon us.  

We ought to pray for America that God brings her back to a place of purity.  We ought to pray for a marriage bed of purity, children of purity and a walk with God that is par excellence.  We probably should have more good works than evil works, because we should always end with a prayer of repentance.  We ought to seriously inspect our lives for impurity and destroy it wherever it raises its ugly head.  There is no doubt that impurity which is deep lust is a picture of ugliness.  

The only way we can escape is through responsibility and a serious and deep desire to live right before God.  It may take some time, but He is there to help us.  He has come not to destroy us but to help the sons and daughters of Abraham.  There is nothing good that dwells in our flesh, but only goodness comes from God alone.  We ought to pray for God's goodness to cover us and overshadow us.  I think there is not a righteous man on earth that does not sin.  We ought to rightly comprehend that godliness is turning from sin to God and asking for pardon to live out holiness by the working of love in our hearts. 

Satan: The Adversary

We ought to know God the Son came to crush the work of the Devil, but Satan comes to undo God's work (Mk 4:15), and he makes human beings turn away from God (Job 2:4, 5).  He also instigates evil (Jn 13:2, 27) and gets men to worship him (Lk 4:6-8; 2 Thess. 2:3, 4). 

His character is to deceive (Rev. 12:9), he is the father of lies (Jn 8:44) and the Christian's adversary (1 Pet. 5:8).  His methods are he disguises himself (2 Cor. 11:14), gets people to doubt God and His promises (Gen. 3:1), misuses the Bible (Matt. 4:6), uses evil schemes (2 Cor. 2:11) and afflicts the believer (Lk 13:16).  

We know by the divine Word that Satan is bound (Mk 3:27), cast out (Jn 12:31), judged (John 16:11), bruised (Rom. 16:20) assigned to hell forever without condition (Matt. 25:41).  This means that under no circumstances will the Devil be forgiven; that is, he will never be pardoned by God because there is no redeemer for the angelic race.  God came to redemptively help the offspring of Abraham not angels. 

The Truth of the Virgin Birth

The Bible teaches the truth of the Virgin Birth.  Here is a good quote by Dr. Charles Stanley on the Virgin Birth:

I find it interesting that people choose parts of the Bible to accept as true. The virgin birth is often a rejected miracle—the argument I hear is, “As long as I believe in Jesus, the rest doesn’t matter.” But that rationale isn’t logical. Apart from the virgin birth, Jesus would have been just another man and therefore unworthy of anyone’s faith.

Consider the implications if Mary were not a virgin. If that were the case, then the following things would be true: 1) She was a liar who claimed to have been visited by an angel and told that she would bear the Son of God; 2) She was unfaithful to her intended husband and, consequently, 3) Jesus was an illegitimate child with no divine nature. Not only that, but if the virgin birth were a lie, then Jesus was a crazy man who claimed to be the Son of God and died a martyr’s death trying to prove it.

In fact, for Jesus’ death to provide atonement, the virgin birth had to be true. A child born of a man and woman comes into the world with a sinful “flesh” nature (Rom. 5:12), but God required a perfect sacrifice to pay for sin. That message is all through the Old Testament (Deut. 17:1). Only Jesus, who was born of the Holy Spirit (Matt. 1:18), could have paid our penalty in our place.

We cannot treat God’s Word like a religious buffet, where we choose the parts we will believe. Every fact, promise, and principle is included for a reason. The Father placed His Son in the womb of a virgin so that no one could doubt He was something special—the Lamb of God, Savior of the world.

Let Us Be Faithful: A Small Study of Faithfulness

I think we ought to live a life of genuine obedience before God.  We ought to live with the fruit of holiness in our lives to better display faithfulness.  

C.H. Spurgeon wrote,

I know of nothing which I would choose to have as the subject of my ambition for life than to be kept faithful to my God till death, still to be a soul winner, still to be a true herald of the cross, and testify the name of Jesus to the last hour. It is only such who in the ministry shall be saved.

Dr. MacArthur wrote,

Our need is not to prove God’s faithfulness but to demonstrate our own, by trusting Him both to determine and to supply our needs according to His will.  (John MacArthur The MacArthur New Testament Commentary Matthew 1-7, Moody, 1985, p. 95).

J. Hampton Keathley III wrote,

The Christian life with the gifts and opportunities God gives us is a stewardship – a trust from God with precious responsibilities that call for faithfulness. But it is important to realize that faithfulness in the smaller responsibilities forms the basis for being entrusted with greater responsibilities. The Lord pointed to this basic principle in Luke 16:10, “The one who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much; and the one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much.” How one handles the smaller responsibilities of life demonstrates character and the capacity for faithfulness in greater responsibilities. They serve as stepping stones for the privilege of serving in areas of greater responsibility.  (J. Hampton Keathley III, Faithfulness, http://bible.org/seriespage/mark-14-faithfulness,Copyright ©1996-2005, All rights reserved).

I think faithfulness depends on the sovereign, divine and holy grace of God alone through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior by His Holy Spirit.  The Bible teaches that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.  It teaches that there is not a righteous man on earth that does not sin.  We are only faithful in faith and repentance towards God, Christ and His Spirit because He is faithful to us.  We must live faithfully and obediently before God and man.  I do not think faithfulness means a life of no sin; that is, it is apart of our nature to sin but we embrace faithful repentance; however, it also does not mean a life of not abstaining from sin; that is, we must abstain from all kinds of sin.  I think faithfulness is repenting over our sins and seeking to live an obedient life by the Divine Scriptures. 

Suffering and Faith

David Powlison wrote on suffering and faith,

[When suffering] you need to seek help. This help comes first and finally from the living God. He hears, helps, strengthens, and vindicates those who rely on Him. If you look anywhere else first, you will set yourself up for a fall. You will get snared in bitterness and revenge (spurning God for your pride). You will flee in avoidance and addiction (spurning God for your false refuges and comforts). You will develop a perverted dependency on others (spurning God for your trust in man). Sadly, our culture has awakened countless people to think about what evil-doers (“abusers”) have done to them, but it has cast them upon their own resources as “abuse victims.” Yet victims can properly understand their own sins and sufferings, and God’s grace.  (David Powlison Seeing With New Eyes, P&R Publishers, 2003, p. 107).

The Bible's Teaching of Faith Alone

The Bible's teaching is by faith alone.  That is, it is the instrument by which we are saved in justification or how we are right with God.  Let's see what the Bible says about faith alone.

Romans 3:28 NIV
For we maintain that a person is justified by faith apart from the works of the law.
Romans 4 KJV
 What shall we say then that Abraham our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath found?
² For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God.
³ For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.
⁴ Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt.
⁵ But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.
⁶ Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works,
⁷ Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered.
Ephesians 2 KJV
⁴ But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,
⁵ Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)
⁶ And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:
⁷ That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.
⁸ For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
⁹ Not of works, lest any man should boast.
¹⁰ For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

Not Personal Merit but the Merit of Christ Alone

We are justified through Christ alone by faith alone.  We are not justified through our works.  Luther said we have nothing to give God of our personal merit.  It is the work of Christ alone in His unified merit of His life and death alone.  This is by whom we are justified: it is by Christ and Christ alone.   The Holy Spirit comes and gives us a new heart with Jesus' unified merit imputed to us through the spiritual application of the righteousness of Christ alone.  The righteousness of Christ alone covers us.  We desperately need His imputation of unified merit.  May God teach us about His sole righteousness and goodness that comes from Him alone throughout the ages.  Amen.

Romans 3
²¹ But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets;
²² Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:
²³ For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
²⁴ Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:
²⁵ Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;
²⁶ To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.
²⁷ Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith.
²⁸ Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.
²⁹ Is he the God of the Jews only? is he not also of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also:
³⁰ Seeing it is one God, which shall justify the circumcision by faith, and uncircumcision through faith.
³¹ Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law.

Galatians 2
¹⁶ Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.
¹⁷ But if, while we seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves also are found sinners, is therefore Christ the minister of sin? God forbid.
¹⁸ For if I build again the things which I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor.
¹⁹ For I through the law am dead to the law, that I might live unto God.
²⁰ I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.
²¹ I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.

Thoughts on Imputation

Psalm 32:2
Blessed is the man unto whom the LORD imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile.
Romans 4:6
Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works, 
Romans 4:8 
Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin. 
Romans 4:11 
And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had yet being uncircumcised: that he might be the father of all them that believe, though they be not circumcised; that righteousness might be imputed unto them also: 
Romans 4:22 
And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness. 
Romans 4:23 
Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him;

The Bible speaks of the imputed righteousness of Christ or the imputation of sin.  We receive the imputed righteousness of Christ alone in His unified merit of His active and passive obedience by faith alone.  The choice is a cosmic choice by God alone; that is, He decides who receives His imputed merit or who receives imputed sin.  The post-converted elect have His imputed righteousness while unbelievers do not.  

Thoughts on Presdestination

"In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will..."  (Ephesians 1:11 KJV).

We ought to take notice of this verse in the holy Scriptures.  God refers to all things in circumstances and works all of it together according to His own immutable will.  Everything is included in His preordained plan.  He works the bad and good after His purpose, plan and desires, but God's motive is always good.  He causes the rain and the sun shine; He causes the good and bad; He causes the sin and the sorrow, but He does it all of it for the good of His people and without being the author of sin. 

Meditations on Sola Scriptura

^{2 Timothy 3:16-17 KJV
16} All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
¹⁷ That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.

The Bible is all-sufficient; that is, it is what we need to know for spiritual salvation, faith, and morals.  It provides us with accurate wisdom of God that is divine truth.  The divine written Word of God is God-Breathed and it is sufficient for all good works.  What can be devoid of "all good works?"  The Bible is good enough to suffice for all good deeds.  Good deeds are not to be confused with merit.  There is no merit besides the unified merit of Jesus Christ in His life and death alone by faith alone.  We must stand by the merit of Christ alone and do good deeds to demonstrate our faith.  Good works do not add to our faith in God but it is through grace alone. 

Purity Meditations: A Reformed Baptist Teaching, Pt 1

Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.  (1 Timothy 4:12 KJV).

We ought to be an example in purity.  I think it means an abstaining from sexual filth.  I think that when believers in Christ sin a sexual evil, they ought to repent of that sin immediately.  I would say that lust is a sin that violates purity.  We ought to repent of lust in our lives.  I would say that masturbation violates purity.  We ought to repent of that if it emerges in our life.  Here is a quotation on lust and purity,

The man who carries on an act of impurity is not simply breaking a human code, nor even sinning against the God who at some time in the past gave him the gift of the Spirit. He is sinning against the God who is present at that moment, against One who continually gives the Spirit.  The impure act is an act of despite against God’s good gift at the very moment it is being proffered… This sin is seen in its true light only when it is seen as a preference for impurity rather than a Spirit who is holy.  (Leon Morris, The First and Second Epistles to the Thessalonians, Eerdmans, 1959, p. 128).

Here is another quotation,

 A person who gratifies himself (masturbates) is totally self-focused. This act is clearly not the right use of our intimate parts. Our bodies do not belong to us but to God and to our spouse; otherwise, we’re being selfish (1 Corinthians 7:4; 13:5). Another reason masturbation is wrong is because it usually involves engaging in lustful thoughts (Philippians 4:8). A third reason is that it becomes a very enslaving activity (1 Corinthians 6:12). Finally, it removes any need of self-control in the sexual area (1 Corinthians 7:1-2; Galatians 5:22-23).  (Stuart Scott The Exemplary Husband, Focus, 200, p. 150).

It's in the true light of the Spirit of God that we conquer lust; however, lust will probably always be there to harm us but we can conquer it through faith and repentance toward God through Christ crucified.  

Compensation In Light of the World, the flesh and the devil

Luther spoke of compensation in light of the flesh; that is, God has given us His Word and Spirit in light of the world, the flesh and the devil.  

The Word gives us instruction, truth and comfort but the Spirit guides and directs us into His Word; that is, His truth is awesome and eternal truth.   The Scripture changes lives because it is divine truth.  Truth impacts lives for eternity.  

Wisdom is always living wisdom, conditioned by the times in which people live. Christian truth is eternal truth, but it is never timeless truth. It is always timely truth, addressed to specific people facing specific problems. It is not an assemblage of disembodied propositions, abstract principles, nameless and placeless verities. Almost every page of Scripture contains the names of specific people, places, and circumstances. That’s for a reason. Jesus Christ, who is the same yesterday, today, and forever, is forever meeting us, whoever we are right where we are.   (David Powlison Seeing With New Eyes, P&R Publishers, 2003, p. 257).

Some Reasons Why People Do Not Come To Christ

There are four reasons why people will not come to Christ or why people reject Christ.  People are born with stubborn hearts.  By nature, people are stiff-necked.  We are all born with a natural inability.  We are totally depraved people by nature; however, some would dare to say that we have some goodness.   Some would say that claim the name “Christian” that they are people who limp with that as their spiritual nature.  By nature we are fallen creatures in original sin. People do not come to Christ that they may be saved.  We are fully accountable and responsible to Him.  We must come to Christ to repent of our sins and yield our allegiance to Him alone.  My desire in writing this is so that you would come to Christ and repent.  The religious people of Jesus’ day did not embrace Jesus because He claimed to be equal with God.  He also healed in the Sabbath Day; that is, the religious leaders of His day believed that it was sin to do any kind of work on the Sabbath.  They were convicted that Jesus was a sinner; however, Christ knew that He was sinless and the people knew that only a sinless Man could heal in the manner that He did.  We must come to God Incarnate and confess our sins to Him.  He alone can forgiven our sins and make us well in a spiritual sense.

Section 1:  No Knowledge of Christ

We ought to refer to ourselves as “the sinner.”  That is, we are the greatest sinner on the face of the earth.  We have sinned greatly.  If we have broken one commandment, we have broken them all.  How is that not total depravity?   We are ignorant of Christ and His saving unified merit because of our sin.  We are inexcusable for our sin.  The conscience is not a reliable guide to teach us about Christ; however, when we do wrong sometimes it will teach us that it is wrong or it may excuse us.  It is not a safe guide.   If our conscience is guided by the Holy Spirit and the written Word of God, we may act rightly.  We ought to repent of any thought of goodness in us, because there is no goodness in us.  We are children of wrath and we were conceived in sin.  We are neither righteous nor good before God and man.  All goodness comes from God alone.  No goodness comes from man.  The mere ignorance of Christ teaches us that man is no good.  Christ came to call those that are ill.   He called them to repentance.   It is a command of the written text.   It does not save us but Christ alone saves us.  We ought to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ and in wisdom and in submission to Him.  It is wrong to say that if a false religion has an element of truth to it that they are saved and unregenerate people.   There is no unsaved saved persons in the world.   The Bible commands us full and exclusive faith in our Lord and Deliverer Jesus Christ.  Without exclusive faith and trust in Him as Incarnate Jehovah, there is no hope for the sinner. 

Section 2:  No Repentance Before God and Following Him

We cannot by nature repent of our sins.  We are devoid of the divine grace of repentance.  We are not born with this holy gift.  We need to be divorced from our sins.  We must repent of our sins.  If we fail to repent of our sins we will enter up in eternal torment.  That does not mean if we miss a sin God will send us to hell.  We must repent according to the Spirit's lovingkindnesses.  We must behold Christ at the Cross and we will know our sin.  We must deny ourselves and take up our Cross and follow Him.  It is an actuality if we do not repent, Jesus will deny us on the Last Day.  He will say, “Depart from Me, you cursed” (Mt. 25:41).  We must come to Jesus on His terms.  We must follow Him in repenting of our sins.  There is no peace for the wicked but there way is hard because they are of transgressors.  We must understand that Jesus is a greater Savior than we are sinners.  It is also good to understand that grace is greater than sin.

Section 3:  No Trust in God’s Promises

It is possible that you are guilty of great sin.  All sin is offense against God and His Person.  Do not repent because of fear of punishment.  You ought to repent because You have offended His person and injured His tender heart.  If you have forsaken sin for your own good and for the sake of others, but failed to renounce them before God you have failed the test.  There is still hope but you need the grace of Jesus.  The evidence of the grace of Jesus is faith toward Jehovah and repentance toward Jesus our Savior.  There is three distinct Jehovah's in the one true being of God; that is, the Father is Jehovah, the Son is Jehovah and the Spirit is Jehovah, but there are not three separate Jehovah's but one Jehovah.  Maybe there is sin in your life you have not noticed.  Sin is exposed by the written Word of God.  Unbelief is a great sin against God.  People do not believe His promises that are required to believe.  It will keep you from entering heaven.  The promises of Jesus are free from conditions and qualifications (Mt. 11:28; Rm. 10:12-13; Jn. 5:24; 6:37).   God says His spiritual salvation is like a wedding feast and all we need to do is come (Mt. 22:4).  God has made all the preparations and He has done all the work that needs to be done.  Jesus in His active obedience (His sinless life) and passive obedience (His sinless death) has completed all that was needed to be done.  If we see His promises and how free they are, we can see how inexcusable our sin is.  We must never refuse God’s free gift of salvation.  We must not linger.  We ought to freely accept His loving gift of His Son and listen to Him (Mk. 9:7).  We must have union with Jesus by faith alone.  There will be no unbelievers in heaven, but heaven will have all kinds of sinners who embraced Jesus (Rev. 21:8).  We ought to practice belief in Jesus.  We need to focus on Him alone.  Jesus in Jn 16:9 speaks of the unbelief of them that did not know Him.   If we remain faithless, He remains faithful to see us through.   But have you repented and trusted Christ?  Have you gone to Christ to be set free of your burden?

Section 4:  Additions to the Bible Alone

Maybe you want to place your face in Jesus but you want a personal word from Him.   However, the Bible alone correctly and infallibly teaches us that it is sufficient to understand faith and morals for life.   That is, only His elect and chosen ones come to Christ.  A personal encounter with Jesus is rare but His Word never fails us.  By God’s Word through His Spirit, you must be convinced that You are of God’s elect.   Some wait for a message from God.  Others wait to see if they have marks of genuine regeneration in their lives.  The words of Divine Scripture are all-sufficient to come to Jesus.  The rich man in hell heard about the testimony of the all-sufficiency of Christ (Lk. 16:29).  Abraham gave the rich man in hell testimony that the Scriptures are enough.  He did not need to hear from the church, a church leader, a council, or a word from heaven.  Do you see that waiting for an additional revelation is inexcusable?  All you need to do is come to Jesus Christ for forgiveness and cleansing.  Jesus is the “friend of sinners” and He welcomes all hell-deserving sinners to Him.  Everyone of God’s creation is a hell-deserving sinner.  We are commanded to believe Jesus (1 Jn. 3:23).  He will never cast out anyone who comes to Him.  He will never leave nor forsake you.  Behold, the sinner’s prayer to Jesus, and after this continue to bring every sin before Him,

Merciful Lord,

Pardon all my sins of this day, week, year, all the sins of my life, sins of early, middle, and advanced years, of omissions and commission, or morose, peevish and angry tempers, of lip, life and walk, of hard-heartedness, unbelief, presumption, pride, of unfaithfulness to the souls of men, of want of bold decision in the cause of Christ, of deficiency in outspoken zeal for his glory, of bringing dishonor upon thy great name, of deception, injustice, untruthfulness in my dealings with others, of impurity in thought, word and deed, of covetousness is idolatry, of substance unduly hoarded, improvidently squandered, not consecrated to the glory of thee, the great Giver; sins in private and in the family, in study and recreation, in busy haunts of men, in the study of thy Word and in the neglect of it, in prayer irreverently offered and coldly withheld, in time misspent, in yielding to Satan’s wiles, in opening my heart to his temptations, in being watchful when I know him nigh, in quenching the Holy Spirit; sins against light and knowledge, against conscience and the restraints of thy Spirit, against the law of eternal love.  Pardon all my sins, known and unknown, felt and unfelt, confessed and not confessed, remembered or forgotten.  Good Lord, hear; and hearing, forgive.  (The Valley of Vision, 158-159).

Quotes on Thanksgiving

John MacArthur wrote,

A thankful heart is one of the primary identifying characteristics of a believer. It stands in stark contrast to pride, selfishness, and worry. And it helps fortify the believer’s trust in the Lord and reliance of His provision, even in the toughest times. No matter how choppy the seas become, a believer’s heart is buoyed by constant praise and gratefulness to the Lord  (John MacArthur, Grace to You, Newsletter, March 2009, © 1969-2008. www.gty.org, Grace to You. All rights reserved. Used by permission).

William Law wrote,

For if [a Christian] cannot thank and praise God as well in calamities and sufferings as in prosperity and happiness, he is as far from the piety of a Christian as he that only loves them that love him is from the charity of a Christian. For to thank God only for such things as you like is no more a proper act of piety than to believe only what you see is an act of faith.  Resignation and thanksgiving to God are only acts of piety when they are acts of faith, trust and confidence in the divine goodness.

William Temple wrote,

It is probable that in most of us the spiritual life is impoverished and stunted because we give so little place to gratitude. It is more important to thank God for blessings received than to pray for them beforehand. For that forward-looking prayer, though right as an expression of dependence upon God, is still self-centered in part, at least, of its interest; there is something we hope to gain by our prayer. But the backward-looking act of thanksgiving is quite free from this. In itself it is quite selfless. Thus it is akin to love. All our love to God is in response to his love for us; it never starts on our side. "We love, because he first loved us" (1 John 4:19).  (William Temple, 3000 Quotations on Christian Themes. Christianity Today, v. 32, n. 17).

Christ and Christ Alone

AW Tozer wrote,

The cross…always has its way. It wins by defeating its opponent and imposing its will upon him. It always dominates. It never compromises, never dickers nor confers, never surrenders a point for the sake of peace. It cares not for peace; it cares only to end its opposition as fast as possible. With perfect knowledge of all this, Christ said, “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.” So the cross not only brings Christ’s life to an end, it ends also the first life, the old life, of every one of His true followers. It destroys the old pattern, the Adam pattern, in the believer’s life, and brings it to an end. Then the God who raised Christ from the dead raises the believer and a new life begins. This, and nothing less, is true Christianity… We must do something about the cross, and one of two things only we can do – flee it or die upon it.  (A.W. Tozer,  The Root of the Righteous, Harrisburg, PA: Christian Publications, 1955, p. 61-63).

Here is the Christian hymn that many know of:

In Christ alone my hope is found
He is my light, my strength, my song
This Cornerstone, this solid ground
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm

What heights of love, what depths of peace
When fears are stilled, when strivings cease
My Comforter, my All in All
Here in the love of Christ I stand

In Christ alone, who took on flesh
Fullness of God in helpless Babe
This gift of love and righteousness
Scorned by the ones He came to save

?Til on that cross as Jesus died
The wrath of God was satisfied
For every sin on Him was laid
Here in the death of Christ I live, I live

There in the ground His body lay
Light of the world by darkness slain
Then bursting forth in glorious Day
Up from the grave He rose again

And as He stands in victory
Sin?s curse has lost its grip on me
For I am His and He is mine
Bought with the precious blood of Christ

No guilt in life, no fear in death
This is the power of Christ in me
From a life?s first cry to final breath
Jesus commands my destiny

No power of hell, no scheme of man
Could ever pluck me from His hand
?Til He returns or calls me home
Here in the power of Christ I stand

I will stand, I will stand
All other ground is sinking sand
All other ground, all other ground
Is sinking sand, is sinking sand
So I stand

Quotations on the Bodily Resurrection of our Lord and Deliverer Jesus Christ

JC Ryle wrote,

We need not wonder that so much importance is attached to our Lord’s resurrection. It is the seal and headstone of the great work of redemption, which He came to do. It is the crowning proof that He has paid the debt which He undertook to pay on our behalf, won the battle which He fought to deliver us from hell, and is accepted as our Surety and our Substitute by our Father in heaven. Had He never come forth from the prison of the grave, how could we ever have been sure that our ransom had been fully paid? (1 Cor. 15:17.) Had He never risen from His conflict with the last enemy, how could we have felt confident, that He has overcome death, and him that had the power of death, that is the devil? (Heb. 2:14.) But thanks be unto God, we are not left in doubt. The Lord Jesus really “rose again for our justification.” True Christians are “begotten again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.” They may boldly say with Paul, “Who is he that condemns – it is Christ that died, yes rather that is risen again” (Rom. 8:34. Rom. 4:25. 1 Pet. 1:3).  (Matthew Commentary, Chapter 28).

John MacArthur wrote,

The basic truth of the resurrection undergirds a number of other truths.

1.    It gives evidence that the Word of God is totally true and reliable. Jesus precisely when and in the way He had predicted (see Mt. 12:40; 16:21; 17:9, 23).

2.    The resurrection means that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, as He claimed to be, and that He has power over life and death.

3.    The resurrection proves that salvation is complete, that on the cross Christ conquered sin, death, and hell and rose victorious.

4.    The resurrection proves that the church has been established. Jesus had declared, "I will build My church; and the gates of Hades shall not overpower it" (Mt. 16:8)... His resurrection proved that death itself could not prevent Christ from establishing His church.

5.    The resurrection proves that judgment is coming. Jesus declared that the heavenly Father "has given all judgment to the Son" (Jn. 5:22), and since the Son is now risen and alive, His judgment is certain.

6.    The resurrection of Jesus Christ proves that heaven is waiting. Jesus promised, "In My house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you" (Jn. 14:2). Because Christ is alive by the resurrection, believers have the assurance that He is now preparing a heavenly dwelling for them.  (Matthew 24-28, Moody, 1989, p. 314-315).

CH Spurgeon,

      We gather together on the first rather than the seventh day of the week because redemption is even a greater work than creation and more worthy of commemoration and because the rest which followed creation is far outdone by the rest which ensues upon the completion of redemption. Like the Apostles, we meet on the first day of the week and hope that Jesus may stand in our midst and say, “Peace be unto you.” Our Lord has lifted the Sabbath from the old and rusty hinges where on the law had placed it long before and set it on the new golden hinges which His love has fashioned. He has placed our rest day not at the end of a week of toil but at the beginning of the rest which remains for the people of God. Every first day of the week we should meditate on the rising of our Lord and seek to enter into the fellowship with Him in His risen life.

Practice Abstinence

Most of us hear the word “will” and instinctively envision a celestial frown. The phrase “will of God” often conjures up the mental impression of an inflexible and colorless lawgiver whose sole concern is for his own reputation. But when I hear Paul speak of God’s “will” for human sexuality I think of his heart’s desire, his yearning, his fatherly passion for our maximum enjoyment of one of his most precious gifts. I hear God saying, “This is what I long for you to experience as a sexual being. I made you. I put those sexual impulses in your spirit and in your body. I created hormones. Trust me when I say that I know far better than you what will bring the greatest joy and optimum pleasure.” The point is simply that God’s “will” for you and me is always an expression of his love. So what exactly is it that God “wants” of us when it comes to our sexual behavior?
(Sam Storms, Sexual Morality, November 6, 2006, www.enjoyinggodministries.com. Used by Permission).

  

Many men think of the call to give themselves for a woman solely in terms of her protection. They say, “I would defend her if there was trouble. If someone attacked her I would step up for her protection.” But they fail to realize that when a woman enters a dating relationship, she mainly needs to be protected from the sins of the very man to whom she is offering her heart. The enemy that men need to stand up to is the one who lives within themselves: the one who is selfish, insensitive, and uncommitted. It is when that man is put to death that the woman will be safe and will be blessed in the relationship.  (Richard D. Phillips and Sharon L. Phillips, Holding Hands and Holding Hearts, P&R, 2006, p. 72. Used by Permission).

We Are Called to Love Our Enemies

CH Spurgeon wrote,

Earnest intercession will be sure to bring love with it.  I do not believe you can hate a man for whom you habitually pray.  If you dislike any brother Christian, pray for him doubly, not only for his sake, but for your own, that you may be cured of prejudice and saved from all unkind feeling.

Edward T. Welch said,

God may define some people as enemies, but He says that we are to treat them as friends.  Our duty is to consider how to serve them in such a way that they would be pointed to Jesus and repent from their sins… How can we even begin this impossible process?…  Do we realize that we were Christ’s enemies?  If we do, then we have no choice but to treat enemies the way God has treated us.  Our conscience would rebel if we felt smug in a self-righteous judgment of our enemies.  (Edward T. Welch, When People are Big and God is Small, P&R Publishing, 1997, p. 188. Used by Permission).

John Gerstner wrote,

As the Lord says, He makes the sun to shine and the rain to fall on the unjust and the wicked as well as on the godly.  And His followers are required to act accordingly.  Christ commands us to love our enemies, and uses as His model the fact that God from heaven showers His blessings on the wicked.  We see that God actually hates and is infinitely angry with persons upon whom He pours great blessings.  We are not allowed to hate persons, but are commanded to love them.  We cannot, of course, be pleased with persons who hate God and hate us, but we can behave lovingly toward them and pray for them.  In so doing, we follow the model of God.  (John Gerstner, The Problem of Pleasure, Soli Deo Gloria, 2002, p. 17).

John Piper wrote,

Can we pray for justice, and yet love our enemy at the same time?  The answer is yes…We will magnify the mercy of God by praying for our enemies to be saved and reconciled to God.  At the personal level we will be willing to suffer for their everlasting good, and we will give them food and drink.  We will put away malicious hatred and private vengeance.  But at the public level we will also magnify the justice of God by praying and working for justice to be done on earth, if necessary through wise and measured force from God-ordained authority.  (John Piper, World Magazine, September 22, 2001).

Statements of the Reformed Confessions on Pope Being Antichrist

The Westminster Confession of Faith says in Chapter XXV: Of the Church,

 VI. There is no other head of the Church but the Lord Jesus Christ.[13] Nor can the Pope of Rome, in any sense, be head thereof; but is that Antichrist, that man of sin, and son of perdition, that exalts himself, in the Church, against Christ and all that is called God.[14]

 The London Confession of Faith of 1689 says in Chapter 26: Of the Church,

 4._____ The Lord Jesus Christ is the Head of the church, in whom, by the appointment of the Father, all power for the calling, institution, order or government of the church, is invested in a supreme and sovereign manner; neither can the Pope of Rome in any sense be head thereof, but is that antichrist, that man of sin, and son of perdition, that exalteth himself in the church against Christ, and all that is called God; whom the Lord shall destroy with the brightness of his coming. (Colossians 1:18; Matthew 28:18-20; Ephesians 4:11, 12; 2 Thessalonians 2:2-9)