plodblog

Just to make it clear . . .

Christianity does not save.
Grace does not save.
Election/Predestination does not save.
Being called by God does not save.
Being regenerated by God does not save.
Being illuminated by God does not save.
Being convicted of sin does not save.
Your faith does not save.
Your repentance does not save.

Christ saves.

All of these are necessary parts of the means of salvation – required parts of the way God makes salvation a reality in a persons life. This is the only way God gets salvation to a person.

Grace is part of God’s motivation and means of saving a person.
Election/predestination is a prerequisite to faith, it counteracts total depravity and ensures salvation is God’s work from beginning to end.
Being called by God begins the application of salvation.
Being regenerated by God enables a person to understand the gospel.
God illuminating a person’s mind to the truth of the gospel is the beginning of salvation being worked in a person. It is realization and understanding of the gospel.
Conviction of sin is the result of illumination. It is realization and agreement with the gospel.
Faith is the conduit through which all the blessings of God come to a person. It is the first mental decision of a person who has received grace and has been elected, called, illuminated, and convicted by God. It is also a gift and it is acceptance of the gospel and trust in God.
Repentance is the first outward action taken by a person with true faith and will accompany faith.

But, none of these pay for a person’s sin. Only the atonement – the death of Jesus Christ – pays for a person’s sin. The atonement includes our sinfulness imputed to Christ, the Father’s wrath outpoured and suffered by Christ, expiation, propitiation and redemption. If your debt of sin is not paid for you will not be allowed into heaven.

All these are required for righteousness to be imputed to us, for forgiveness, justification, reconciliation, deliverance, receiving the Holy Spirit, union with Christ, adoption, peace with God, sanctification, perseverance, preservation and for glorification. These are the effects of salvation for us.

But, none of these means of salvation, nor effects of salvation, died for you. None of these paid your debt of sin. None of these rose from the grave. None of these intercede for you at the throne of God. The death of Jesus Christ pays the debt for sinners. Jesus saves. Nothing else.

He will become a stone of offense (Isa. 8:14)
And they took offense at him (Mat. 13:57)
Blessed is the one who is not offended by me (Jesus in Matt. 11:6)
The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him (1Cor. 1:23)

The truth of God is not only folly to unbelievers, but offensive as well. All of God’s truth must be so. The world believes and desires all that is not from God and wants to remain in that fallen and sinful condition. Thus, God’s truth and His people and His Son are offensive to the world and always will be.

In the four gospels people are repeatedly challenged by an offensive Jesus. But, these people are themselves an offence to God because they have rejected Him and have followed Satan. The only way for them to escape from their offensiveness to God is for them to accept Jesus’ offensiveness.

Those who remain offended at Jesus remain in their sin and will be lost. This is why Jesus said Blessed is the one who is not offended by me (Jesus in Matt. 11:6). The one who is not offended by Jesus has come to accept what is offensive to the world. But, in the end, the world remained offended at Christ and so they crucified Him. He is still offensive because the cross is itself an offense that must not be removed (Gal. 5:11).

For someone to be forgiven for their offense against God they must agree with what is naturally offensive to them. And, to grow in Christ a Christian must continue to agree with what their flesh and unredeemed minds find offensive.

The gospel, and all of god’s truth, is a direct contradiction and challenge to a person’s most fundamental and cherished beliefs and feelings. God’s truth violates all of the accepted norms and niceties of human culture, even church culture.

Proclaim the truth of God, even in a kind and gentle way, and you will be offensive, even to the church. Live like Jesus and you will be offensive to everyone. Act just once in such a manner that your actions show you fear God alone and not man nor culture and you will immediately cause a scandal and be offensive. But, dear saints, We must obey God rather than men (Acts 5:29).

Christ mocked the Pharisees. Imagine mocking false religious leaders today. It would be the Christians who would have a fit, not the followers of the false teachers. They’d say, “That’s not very Christ-like…to mock them.” Rubbish! Let me tell you something, Christ-likeness is not what some apostate professor says Christ was like. Nor is Christ-likeness what some hyper-sensitive, easily offended, self-centered, immature Christian says it is. Christ-likeness is not what polite church culture says it is. Christ-likeness is not what some maneuvering, posing, schmoozing elder or pastor who never offends says it is. Christ-likeness is what the Bible says He was like (from Ian Paisley).

Read the gospels sometime and notice how discourteous and offensive Christ was. A nice gospel is a weak gospel. A gospel that never offends is not the true gospel. But, keep in mind that it is our message, not ourselves, that must be offensive to the world, Give no offense to Jews or to Greeks or to the church of God (1Cor. 10:32). Though, even if you speak the truth in love and your speech is seasoned with salt, you will be accused of being offensive because of the message you proclaim.