Faith (Evangelism 101.11)

A Christian in Canada Presents - Faith

What is Faith and where does it come from? 

John Calvin's commentary on Eph 2:8-10 is quoted in the video.http://www.ccel.org/ccel/calvin/comment3/comm_vol41/htm/iv.iii.iii.htm 

And here we must advert to a very common error in the interpretation of this passage. Many persons restrict the word gift to faith alone. But Paul is only repeating in other words the former sentiment. His meaning is, not that faith is the gift of God, but that salvation is given to us by God, or, that we obtain it by the gift of God.

God declares, that he owes us nothing; so that salvation is not a reward or recompense, but unmixed grace. The next question is, in what way do men receive that salvation which is offered to them by the hand of God? The answer is, by faith;and hence he concludes that nothing connected with it is our own. If, on the part of God, it is grace alone, and if we bring nothing but faith, which strips us of all commendation, it follows that salvation does not come from us.

When, on the part of man, the act of receiving salvation is made to consist in faith alone, all other means, on which men are accustomed to rely, are discarded. Faith, then, brings a man empty to God, that he may be filled with the blessings of Christ.

Created to good works. They err widely from Paul's intention, who torture this passage for the purpose of injuring the righteousness of faith. Ashamed to affirm in plain terms, and aware that they could gain nothing by affirming, that we are not justified by faith, they shelter themselves under this kind of subterfuge. "We are justified by faith, because faith, by which we receive the grace of God, is the commencement of righteousness; but we are made righteous by regeneration, because, being renewed by the Spirit of God, we walk in good works." In this manner they make faith the door by which we enter into righteousness, but imagine that we obtain it by our works, or, at least, they define righteousness to be that uprightness by which a man is formed anew to a holy life. I care not how old this error may be; but they err egregiously who endeavor to support it by this passage.

When Paul lays down the cause of justification, he dwells chiefly on this point, that our consciences will never enjoy peace till they rely on the propitiation for sins.

The Gospel (Evangelism 101.10)

The bad news is we're all sinners who are going to be judged by a perfect righteous Judge.

The Good News (the Gospel) is that Jesus Christ paid our price!

In this video I review the content of the Gospel to see what "in accordance with the Scriptures" means.

Here's the Gospel as prophesied in the Old Testament.

Christ's substitutionary death (Isa. 53:5), burial (Isa. 53:9), resurrection (Isa.53:10), and manifestation to His offspring (literally "seed," Isa. 53:10; cf. Jn.12:23-24, 14:19, 16:16-22,20:19-23, etc.). David records a similar prophecy outlining the Messiah's death (Ps. 22:14-16), burial (Ps. 22:15; cf. Ps. 104:29), resurrection (Ps. 22:19-21), and manifestation to His brethren (Ps.22:22; cf. Matt. 28:10; Jn. 20:17; Heb. 2:11-13).[3] This is also the gospel according to the apostle Paul (cf. Acts 13:26-41, 26:22-28; 1 Cor. 15:1ff, etc.)

The order of witnessing the Risen Christ:
• Mary -- John 20:10-18
• Mary Magdalene and the other Mary -- Matthew 28:1-10
• Peter (Cephas) -- 1 Corinthians 15:5
• Two Disciples -- Luke 24:13-35
• Ten Apostles -- Luke 24:36-49; John 20:19-23
• Eleven Apostles -- John 20:24-31
• Seven Apostles -- John 21
• All Apostles -- Matthew 28:16-20; Mark 16:14-18
• 500 Brethren -- 1 Corinthians 15:6
• James -- 1 Corinthians 15:7
• All Apostles -- Acts 1:4-8
• Paul -- Acts 9:1-9; 1 Corinthians 15:8

Many more prophecies are detailed at this websitehttp://bible.org/article/messianic-prophecies

I do not endorse this website or the organization that runs it. I have found particular page to be helpful.

I'm a Christian in Canada. What about you?

God Who Cannot Lie?

I've asked a question in other places, and I will ask it here as well.

Can God, who cannot lie, say something that is subjectively true but NOT objectively true? 

I'm most interested in how 5 Point Calvinists will answer this question, but how would YOU answer this question? Are you sure?

Think Different Video

Share this video with those you think it may help reach.

Think Different

It is terrible news that Steve Jobs died today at age 56. We are handed an opportunity to explain why this world truly has nothing to offer however. Let us remember the severity of the eternity sinners face, and let that terror drive us to reach them, to reason with them, and PLEAD WITH THEM to be reconciled to God.

Asking About Sin (Evangelism 101.9)

Taken from the YouTube description:


In this episode of A Christian in Canada Presents Kevin discusses how he gets to the heart of the issue with people he witnesses to. The tough conversation about sin, righteousness and judgment. Hear the kind of questions he asks and why.

Finally hear how you don't have to leave the Sinner in guilt and shame. In this episode Kevin shares the Gospel of Jesus Christ, with you, and also in the hope that you would share it with everyone else.

Tracts & Arguments (Evangelism 101.8)

A new episode of A Christian in Canada Presents is up on YouTube.

Can One Choose to Believe, or Just to Disbelieve?

Did you make a good choice?

As a sort of follow up to my last article Can One Have a False Faith or Just a Delusion? I am asking you to consider the reversal of a criticism that I hear from Calvinists who hold to the Total Inability understanding of Total Depravity.

In conversations with Calvinists I will often be accused of attributing a person's Eternal Salvation to being the result of a "good choice" that they made to believe the Gospel, or accept Christ or however they want to express how one becomes saved. I invariably point them to Romans 4:16 which shows us that salvation had to be accessible through faith alone in order that it could bey by grace, or unmerited favor. I explain that this shows that no one can boast, or feel good about, having faith. Only works give us reason to brag or expect rewards. Rom 4:1-25, and Eph 2:8-9 show this clearly.

No for me this ends the debate. As far as I'm concerned the question of giving someone something to brag about, or contributing to one's own salvation if that person is responsible and able to bring faith is answered absolutely by the fact that God does not look on faith as something "good" and to be rewarded.

So if my faith is "MY faith" and I'm saved by Grace through that faith, then is salvation "not all of God"?Have I made a "good choice" have I done something "good" by choosing to believe? I actually think the Bible gives us the answer in even more detail than I had previously thought.  Rom 4:16 settles it, but the concept is explored even more.

Romans 1:18-32 shows us that people do know there is a God and choose not to worship Him. Acts 28:24 says that some believed because they were persuaded and others "disbelieved." In John 3:18 the Lord says that those who have "not believed" are condemned but in John 3:20 He explains that those who do not believe actually refuse to believe.

I don't think that one "chooses" to believe. I think one is persuaded (as per Acts 28:24) God and His agencies (Creation, the Bible, Preachers, Situations...) persuade someone and that person then passively believes. Other people will refuse to believe, they will harden their hearts.

Therefore, I believe, it is not that I did something good that resulted in my salvation, nor did I even make a decision. My will was not involved. However, others harden their hearts by wilfully disbelieving and actually make a BAD decision to refuse to believe.

The only human will involved was to make the choice to not believe. Believing is passive, no will required. Rom 9:16 One doesn't choose to believe, they are convinced by whatever God does to convince them. There is no "ability" involved. One does not exercise some skill, ability or goodness to believe. They are persuaded.

Here are some Bible refs to reasoning with the Lost and persuading them. These do not fit with Total Inability.

Reasoning Isa 1:18; Acts 17:2; Acts 17:17; Acts 18:4; Acts 18:19; Acts 19:19; Acts 24:24-25
 Persuade 2Cor 5:11; Luke 16:31; Acts 17:4; Acts 18:4; Acts 19:26; Acts 28:24; Gal 1:10; 

The Supporting Evidence (Evangelism 101.7)

Whatever gets you into an encounter with the lost and gives you the opportunity to witness to them probably isn't what you want to focus on when you're actually sharing Christ. So what should you talk about?

No one has seen the Father, but we can see the Father if we look at the Son.

Can One Have a False Faith, or Just a Delusion?

Do" false converts" stick their head in the sand?

This is a serious question. I write a lot of commentary on the views of Lordship Salvation (LS) proponents. I haven't had anyone really support that view, or challenge my assertions about it here here in a long time. I hope that some of you LS proponents will comment on this article though.

I've asked the following in another location, and have not yet had it answered. I hope someone here will take a stab at it.

LS proponents say you can evaluate to find out if you have really believed in Jesus. Can anyone give another example of something you could only "think" you believe in?  

As far as I can discern, only delusions are false beliefs. Belief in vain, in something that isn't real or true. That's Paul's point in 1Cor 15 wrt to believing in vain.  

Even in the case of a delusion the person really believes it.  

Can you not be sure if you believe 2+2=4? I can see not having confidence in it... if you don't know yet - but that is the definition of NOT believing. Not "thinking" you believe.  

So can anyone give another example other than faith in Jesus where it would be possible to only think you believe in something?  

I don't buy it.

Is there an example of something that a person might truly believe they believe to be true, and yet somehow they don't actually believe it?

If the answer is what I expect it to be: No there is no example of something that someone could believe they believe, but somehow not actually believe it - then what use is evaluating your faith to find out if you have truly believed? There is no such thing as a false faith, there can only be faith and delusion. Both are equal in quality, but a delusion is a true faith in something that is false. The person has been deluded into believing a lie.

I hope someone has an interesting answer.

Tithing and Circumcision

Really? A cleaner, fresher soul?
10% or more for "best results"?

Galatians 5:1-6

¹ Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.  

² Indeed I, Paul, say to you that if you become circumcised, Christ will profit you nothing. ³And I testify again to every man who becomes circumcised that he is a debtor to keep the whole law. ⁴ You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace.  

⁵ For we through the Spirit eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness by faith. ⁶ For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but faith working through love.

Have you ever been in a discussion about Tithing where the idea comes up that while it is true a Christian is not under "The Law" but that Tithing was instituted prior to "The Law" so "it has always been God's plan/requirement"? Have you ever heard someone give that argument, or given it yourself?

I've discussed this subject many times and I categorically hold to the view that a Christian is not to be compelled to "tithe." As I point out often, the person claiming a Christian must or should Tithe often has little idea what a "Tithe" is. They think it is 10% of a person's income. I've often been satisfied (because I'm sometimes needlessly rude) by asking a person to define the Tithe using the Scriptures. Can you? To be honest, I can only do so in a very rudimentary way myself. It's actually a pretty complicated system with lots of if/then type clauses. Go ahead, do an honest study of the subject. What did the Jews really have to do in order to fulfill the Tithe? Once you know the answer, then try to figure out how a Christian is supposed to do all of that, and who exactly the Tithe is supposed to be given to. OK so that's a complicated, and actually somewhat rude way of killing the argument. Not only is it rude, it is only partially helpful, and much too complicated to even be practical in most normal conversations.

Galatians 5:1

Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage. 

Stand fast in the Liberty Christ provides and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage. Since a specific yoke is not identified this means any yoke of bondage - including some religious system that includes following rules about giving.

So this is all well and good, but what about the idea that Tithing was instituted before "The Law" was given and therefore just because a Christian is not under "The Law" we still must follow what God has always required? Well firstly, the Christian is not under law, not just not under "The Law" Rom 6:14. Further, "The Law" means Torah, not just the 10 Commandments. There is no revelation, practice or requirement instituted by God for Mankind prior to Torah. So that argument is dead. But.... I want to nail the coffin shut because bad teaching tends to get resurrected by men all to often; many times with good intent.

Galatians 5:2-4

² Indeed I, Paul, say to you that if you become circumcised, Christ will profit you nothing. ³And I testify again to every man who becomes circumcised that he is a debtor to keep the whole law. ⁴ You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace. 

Here Paul is telling us that if one becomes circumcised that one is in debt to keep the whole law. How often have we read this and not thought about Tithing? Pretty often I'd bet!

When people talk about Tithing (or their understanding of Tithing anyway) being instituted or recognized or accepted (depending on the person's level of faithfulness to what the Text actually says) before The 10 Commandments were given in Exodus 20:1-17 they are talking about Jacob's vow to God.

Genesis 28:18-22

¹⁸ Then Jacob rose early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put at his head, set it up as a pillar, and poured oil on top of it. ¹⁹ And he called the name of that place Bethel; but the name of that city had been Luz previously.

²⁰ Then Jacob made a vow, saying, “If God will be with me, and keep me in this way that I am going, and give me bread to eat and clothing to put on, ²¹ so that I come back to my father’s house in peace, then the LORD shall be my God. ²² And this stone which I have set as a pillar shall be God’s house, and of all that You give me I will surely give a tenth to You.”

God accepts Jacob's vow, and people use this as a precedence for requiring the Christian to "give God" 10% of their income. Because God accepted this one might make the case that we are required to follow suit.

Yet we read in Galatians 5:1-6 that if a person becomes circumcised that they are in debt to keep the whole law which Christians are not under (as we read in multiple places in the NT).

It's interesting that Circumcision wasn't just recognized or accepted by God it was commanded by Him. Further it was commanded by Him 11 chapters prior to His accepting Jacob's vow. (*see update) This command was given to our spiritual father - Abraham (Abram). Another argument used to support Tithing is that Abraham paid "a tenth part" to Melchizedek Heb 7:1-10 and so we must also do likewise.

*UPDATE: I did make an error here. Abram is recorded giving a tithe to Melchizedek in Genesis 14:18-24, several chapters earlier than Circumcision is commanded. I do not believe this changes the argument, or lessens it's accuracy. However, it does take away some of the emotional impact of stating "11 chapters prior"... 

Yet, Circumcision was commanded by God to Abram for him and all his descendants.

Genesis 17: 9-11 

⁹ And God said to Abraham: “As for you, you shall keep My covenant, you and your descendants after you throughout their generations. ¹⁰ This is My covenant which you shall keep, between Me and you and your descendants after you: Every male child among you shall be circumcised; ¹¹ and you shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskins, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between Me and you.

This is a command, not just an accepted vow, and Paul tells us unequivocally that if we attempt to follow this instruction that Christ will profit us nothing. While my mistake (*see update) is most real, both events happen well before the giving of "The Law." I strongly believe therefore that Paul's warning applies to both.

My Brethren, do not again subject yourself to a yoke of bondage thinking that somehow you are honoring God through your supposed obedience. You are reducing the perfect sacrifice of Christ from complete fulfillment to a mere enabler.

How can a Christian decide how much to give, and who to give it to?

2Cor 9:6-15 and 1Tim 5:17-18 can be of considerable help, but you'll notice there is no rule (neither law nor Law) to follow in either passage. Not even a suggested minimum...

The Defense Team (Evangelism 101.4)

Criminal Defense Lawyers get a bad rap, but the defense we go up against when we're witnessing with God to the Lost is truly evil.

Meet the Defense Team.

Evangelism 101: The Preliminary Trial

Here's another episode of A Christian in Canada Presents!

When we're witnessing with God to the lost we have no right to put them on trial. It is however, in their absolute best interest that we help them through a sort of preliminary hearing of the evidence that will be presented against them at their ultimate judgment if they don't plead guilty while they can. If one sees their guilt, then hears how that guilt has been paid for at the Cross, believes in the Gospel of Jesus Christ 1Cor 15:1-11 then they will be saved.

That's why we help them judge themselves, but never judge them ourselves.

Make sure you watch in HD! 

Spent the night in the hospital

So I hit the trails on my mountain bike really hard last night. I wanted to impress my wife, who is an athlete, with my best possible time on a 24KM route that we really enjoy. I was out by myself and going as fast as I possibly could. I got home and was able to take a moment to brag, and then things started to go south. Eventually I collapsed and she had to call 911.

As I lay on the floor in the recovery position try to stay conscious we prayed. The Gospel I preach is the same Gospel that gave me comfort in those moments as we waited for the ambulance to arrive. I can tell you there is no assurance like the assurance that comes from full and complete confidence in the shed blood of Jesus Christ.

The ambulance showed up and they went to work on me... then they took me to the hospital were my wife I spent the night. As I laid there in my emergency room bed I was very uncomfortable, but the man in the next bed beside me was in agony. He was very scared and the pain was wearing him down.

Late in the night/morning he said something that really struck a nerve with me. It scared me. I started to think again about why I share the Gospel with people. Here's what he said to his wife:

"Dear this hurts too much. It hurts too much.... (pause)... OK that's it that's all I can take I can't take any more. We have to get out of here. It hurts too much I have to get out of here."

I wonder if this is what it will be like for those who suffer eternally in the Lake of Fire. Will they say these same words, and mean them, and yet not be able to escape? We have a pure and holy Gospel which offers people salvation from such a unthinkable eternity.

We MUST get it to them!