| With Gratitude to a Holocaust Survivor |
 LTRP Note: Many of you may be aware of Lighthouse Trails author, Anita Dittman, who survived WW II in Germany as a young Jewish girl and a Christian believer. Her story is told in the book Trapped in Hitler’s Hell (written by Jan Markell and Anita). Today, Anita is nearing 92, and until about a year ago, she regularly spoke to groups throughout the U.S. about her experience as a Holocaust survivor. For decades, she has sacrificially traveled to various places to share the story of God’s amazing grace in her life during one of the most dreadful periods in human history. Because of health issues, Anita had to stop her speaking engagements and interviews. She now spends her days quietly and peacefully, visiting with nearby friends and family. If you have read Anita’s story and would like to send her a card or letter, we believe this would be a wonderful way to bless this dear sister in the Lord during this chapter of her life her on earth. Your letters and cards will send a message to her that she is loved and that her contribution in keeping the memory of the Holocaust alive is appreciated. You can send your letters to: Anita Dittman, c/o Lighthouse Trails, P.O. Box 908, Eureka, MT 59917. We will forward them expediently to her.
The following is an excerpt from Trapped in Hitler’s Hell. This particular episode takes place just as WW II was coming to an end and Anita was about 18; Germany was in havoc and destruction. Anita had suffered a serious leg infection and while in a hospital receiving treatment, a Nazi nurse tried to kill her. But God had other plans for both Anita and the nurse:
By Anita Dittman with Jan Markell
(From chapter 14 of Trapped in Hitler’s Hell)
We had hoped and prayed that the war would end without an invasion of Bautzen, for we continued to be afraid of the Russians, not knowing how they would treat us. Would they pillage, burn, and rape, or would they liberate and restore? We had been fed horrible propaganda about the Reds. According to Hitler, they were as despicable as the Jews. How would the Russians know that my friends Hella, Uschi, and I were victims of the war and not perpetrators? These questions jumbled my thoughts as I lay recuperating [in the hospital].
Hella also told me that President Roosevelt had died that week. I felt so bad that the man who had stepped in and speeded up my freedom hadn’t lived to see our victory celebration.
When I pulled back the covers to show Hella my ugly leg wounds, which would leave lifelong scars, she gasped.
“Don’t worry, Hella,” I said calmly. “Those wounds and scars will be my salvation. God has impressed that on me as I’ve been lying here all these weeks. He says all things work together for our good, and so will these wounds.”
That week Hella came to the hospital every day and helped me learn to walk again. I worked frantically to get back the strength in my leg so that I could make the long journey into Czechoslovakia to find Mother [who was in a concentration camp called Theresienstadt].
More than six weeks after I’d been admitted to the hospital, I was told I could leave. That morning I awakened with renewed enthusiasm for life; the ordeal was over. But before I could even begin to collect myself or my things, I heard [the Nazi nurse] Miss Grete’s frantic voice in the hall.
“Out of bed, all who are able!” she screamed. “Get dressed immediately and go to the air-raid shelter. The Russians are in Bautzen! Hurry up!”
I struggled to get dressed as the frightened hospital staff and patients scurried about, but I was still weak and had very little strength in my leg. Even so, that unexplainable peace from God overcame me again.
As I reached for the cane I’d been given, I heard gunfire in the streets. Intermittently I also heard the sound of cannon fire; we all knew that one blast from a Russian cannon could level a building.
Slowly I moved down the hall, leaning on the wall and balancing on my cane. When Miss Grete saw me with the cane, she yanked it from me; I nearly crashed to the floor.
“That old lady over there needs this!” she insisted. “Go and help her into the shelter.”
“Oh dear God, give me double strength,” I pleaded softly. Only God could strengthen and steady me as I balanced both the elderly patient and myself going down the shelter stairs.
Nearly a hundred patients and staff walked, ran, or were pushed in wheelchairs to the air-raid shelter deep beneath the hospital. Again I heard the pitiful cries of desperate people whose ailing bodies protested the move to the cold, damp shelter.
God had pity on us, for just as the air-raid shelter door closed we heard a blast of mortar tear through the hospital’s first floor. We thought that surely it was an accident, that the Russians wouldn’t knowingly shell a hospital caring for civilians. But then another round of mortar hit the hospital. All day long gunfire sounded in the streets as German soldiers tried to save the city, but there was no stopping the Allies any more.
For eight days we huddled in the candlelit shelter while the Germans tried in vain to save the town. Four of us patients shared one tiny bed. We could hardly move; otherwise, we would push someone on the floor. Some patients cursed while others wept or pleaded for help, but the hospital staff had been able to carry in only a few medical supplies. We had little food, and it seemed that the shelter was pitifully prepared for a long ordeal.
Evidently no one had wanted to admit that a day might come when so many would be crammed into the shelter.
I tried to comfort the three elderly women who shared my bed.
“Do you know Jesus?” I asked them one by one. “Because He has promised us eternal life after death, we needn’t be so afraid. He says that even if we walk through the valley of the shadow of death, we need fear nothing, for He is with us.”
They listened as I comforted them and quoted a few Bible passages I had memorized. I had lost my Bible in the confusion of our earlier prison escape. I reached into my pocket to feel my only possessions: a toothbrush, a small bar of soap, a broken comb, and the last of the money Mother had given me.
“Hitler became my god,” one of the women admitted. “We thought he was the savior of the country. He promised us so much…”
“It was only in the last few months that I realized he was a demagogue,” another confessed. “Such a dream. Such a nightmare. Can God ever forgive us?”
“Yes, He can!” I replied enthusiastically. “That is what He specializes in.
“I believed in God once,” an old lady said, “but it is difficult to believe in Him now. I’ve seen such ugliness. I lived in Berlin but fled to Bautzen to be with my daughter. Berlin is just a shell, you know. Most of my friends died.”
“And what about your daughter?” I asked. “Is she all right?”
“How can I know when I’m trapped down here? I hear the cannon fire and the gunfire outside. How do I know it isn’t meant for my daughter and her family?”
“The gunfire has to be for the German soldiers and not innocent civilians,” I said, trying to comfort the old lady. “I am going to pray for your daughter now. Would you like to pray with me?”
“Yes, I would,” she said.
About the fourth day of the battle, it grew very quiet outside. Obviously the battle had gone one way or another, and we soon received our answer as a dozen or more Russian soldiers stormed into the air-raid shelter. Everyone stood or sat frozen with fear as the Russians surveyed our pitiful lot.
Carrying huge rifles with bayonets on them, they talked among themselves and began to eye the women staff and patients. Then, one by one, they grabbed some of the women and threw them to the floor. While the rest of us looked on in horror, they raped a dozen or more women.
Two of the huge soldiers came right for me. “Oh God, help me,” I pleaded out loud. Pulling me from the bed, they threw me to the floor and started to rip off my clothes. It was a scene right out of hell, as man’s depraved nature was personified before my eyes.
The two soldiers gazed at my unbandaged leg, with its horrible red wounds that were only partially healed. They grimaced as they saw the leg and muttered to each other. Then they shook their heads and walked away from me in search of a more appealing victim. So this was the salvation promised by my wounds!
When the horror ended an hour later, we all sat in a state of semi-shock, wondering what to do and where to go. Found, conquered, abandoned. Was that it? Despair wore many faces that day: fear, confusion, agony, loneliness. Were all Germans suffering like this as they came under the guns of the Allies?
I saw a woman weeping as she sat on the floor in a corner. In the darkness of the shelter I couldn’t make out who it was. I limped over to see if I could help, or at least listen to her problem. It was Miss Grete. I prayed that God might give me humility and compassion to reach out and comfort her.
I timidly knelt beside her and put my arm around her shoulder. She didn’t pull away, even though she knew who I was. Instead, she leaned her head against my shoulder and wept. In broken sentences she told me that she had been raped four times by the Russian soldiers.
“God have mercy on them,” I said.
She looked up at me with red, swollen eyes. “How can you comfort me?” she asked. “I really wanted to kill you after you talked on the operating table and we found out that you are Jewish.”
“Jesus tells us to love our enemies and to do good to those who persecute us,” I answered. “He loved even those who drove Him to the Cross, and He begged His Father’s forgiveness for them.”
Miss Grete’s grief was not just from the physical assault she had suffered; it came from the broken vision of the glorious Fatherland—the realization that Hitler, the pied piper she had followed, was a fraud. The Third Reich had finally caused her pain—in its fall.
 Anita, shortly after WW II ended and she came to America
|
| Health Update From Roger Oakland |
Dear Lighthouse Trails Reader:
 A picture taken several years ago of Roger Oakland (left) with the late apologist Dave Hunt taken in Santiago, Chili (photo from Roger’s biography, Let There Be Light) We are so thankful for the report we just received from my Dr. I want to thank all those who have been faithfully praying for me. We believe prayers are being answered.
I have been diagnosed with a blood disorder that involves a high platelet count that is not life threatening. The term used to describe the disease is thrombocythemia. Another term used to describe this disease is idiopathic [a disease for which the cause is unknown].
For now, I am to eat healthy food and get plenty of rest. I am somewhat stronger than I was and my appetite seems to be returning the past few days. I have lost over 25 pounds in the past month as I have not been able to eat. Please continue to pray.
Sincerely In Christ,
Roger Oakland
To learn more about Roger Oakland, visit his author website at www.rogeroakland.com.
|
| Mystical New Age Thrills Enticing Children and 4 Ways to Help Them |
By Berit Kjos
And he caused his children to pass through the fire in the valley of the son of Hinnom: also he observed times, and used enchantments, and used witchcraft, and dealt with a familiar spirit, and with wizards: he wrought much evil in the sight of the Lord. (2 Chronicles 33:6)
“Softening Up” For Occult Revival—Hermetic Magic & Hegel’s Dialectic Process
Why would our country, so richly blessed by God, embrace the occult? What caused this drastic change in values? How could it have happened so seemingly fast?!
Actually, the entire Western world had already been “softened up” by the 1960s when the rising rebellion against God erupted into public view. The century-old pursuit of social solidarity based on Georg Hegel’s occult philosophy and consensus process had been an effective tool for change.
Hegel’s 19th century pattern for “group thinking” denied God’s absolute truths and trained people to adapt to “continual change” and group consensus. By the year 2000, it had been embraced by schools, corporations, community organizations, mainline churches, and political structures throughout America. Through the global media, people around the world have caught Hegel’s vision of spiritual synthesis—an enticing blend of spiritual illusions and practices that appeal to our capricious human nature.
Hegel studied alchemy, Kabbalah (Jewish mysticism), and theosophy, which were all influenced by the heretical teachings of Gnosticism. He “read widely on Mesmerism, psychic phenomena, dowsing, precognition, and sorcery. He publicly associated himself with known occultists . . . and aligned himself, informally, with ‘Hermetic’ societies such as the Freemasons and the Rosicrucians” and embraced their symbolic systems of sacred circles, mystical triangles and astrological signs.1
Considering Hegel’s occult connections, it’s not surprising that his teachings would undermine biblical faith and all opposing facts. Nor is it strange that the postmodern (or some now say pseudo-modern) generation has been, by and large, inoculated and indoctrinated against genuine Christianity. After all, Hegel’s revolutionary dialectic process was the center-piece and hallmark of Soviet brainwashing. It effectively purged God’s unchanging truths and filled the vacuum with evolving “truths” and enticing dreams.
While Communist leaders embraced Hegel’s process, they ignored his occult beliefs. In contrast, the Western world began to restore those pagan roots long before revolutionary baby-boomers began proclaiming and shouting out their demands for sensual freedom and earth-centered spirituality. In other words, the ’60s didn’t initiate this radical change; the turmoil of the ’60s was the result of the psycho-social program of “re-learning” which had begun to transform America decades earlier.
As the old moral and spiritual boundaries were torn down, the mainstream media preached tolerance and acceptance of all kinds of forbidden thrills. Before long, occult secrets emerged from their centuries-old closets and claimed their place in mainstream entertainment.
We who trust God need to recognize our enemy, resist his tempting strategies, and know the truths that counter these deadly deceptions. The very safety of our children depends on it.
Yoga
There’s no arguing it, children in public schools are learning Yoga. According to Yoga instructor, Mark Blanchard, of Progressive Power Yoga, he taught children at Colfax Elementary School in California. On his blog, he wrote: “I will be introducing Yoga to all of the kids at the school as I donate a full Yoga program.”2 Blanchard has been featured in many magazines such as Family Circle and Seventeen and has trained many actors and actresses (like Jennifer Lopez and Drew Barrymore).3 Blanchard plans to “bring Progressive Power Yoga to as many places as [he] can around the states (as well as the globe).”4
Part of Blanchard’s plans include working with Mini Yogis Yoga for Kids. On the Mini Yogis website, they list not only Blanchard’s company but many other organizations as well, many of which are schools like Happy Land Preschool in Culver City and St. Monica’s Elementary School in Santa Monica5 (both in California).
Yoga for kids is on the rise, and if your child attends public school, you may want to check to see if teachers there are teaching him or her Yoga. A program called YogaEd provides Yoga classes under the heading of “health/wellness” programs for schools. These programs take place in several states including California, Colorado, New York, Washington and Washington, D.C.6
In an article titled “Yoga Causes Controversy in Public Schools,” veteran apologist Dave Hunt is referenced and quoted:
Dave Hunt, who has traveled to India to study yoga’s roots and interview gurus, called the practice “a vital part of the largest missionary program in the world” for Hinduism. The Bend, [Oregon] author of Yoga and the Body of Christ: What Position Should Christians Hold? said that, like other religions, the practice has no place in public schools.
“It’s pretty simple: Yoga is a religious practice in Hinduism. It’s the way to reach enlightenment. To bring it to the west and bill it as a scientific practice for fitness is dishonest,” said Hunt.7
Parents whose children are in Christian schools may need to be concerned too. More and more churches and Christian organizations are opening their doors to the practice of Yoga. And the biggest Christian publisher, Thomas Nelson, published a book titled Yoga for Christians in 2006. It’s just a matter of time before kids in Christian schools will be learning Yoga and the “art” of meditation.
It is tragic to know that countless public school children are being taught practices that are rooted in Eastern mysticism and will learn how to say “Namaste” (the god in me greets the god in you) before they learn they can have a relationship with God through Jesus Christ without going into altered states of consciousness through meditation. And it is equally tragic that many Christians will not even be able to help them because they are learning similar practices through their own “Spiritual Formation” (i.e, contemplative spirituality) programs in their churches.
Meditation in the Classroom
Across North America, public school classrooms are opening their doors to welcome mystical meditation.
An article in The Capitol Times titled “Kid Contemplatives: UW Neuroscientist’s Project Aims to Give Middle-Schoolers Tools of ‘Mindfulness’ and Meditation” tells about a pilot project done with middle school students that studied the effects of “contemplation in the classroom.”8 The article states:
Middle school students are being targeted because early adolescence is a time of heightened vulnerability due to body and brain changes. . . .
Centering prayer, meditation, breath work, chanting, sitting in silence, extended concentration on an object and focusing on positive thoughts and images are examples of contemplative exercises that can be taught.9
Neuroscientist Richard Davidson, who was the chair for the project, wants to use his research in meditative practices by studying the brains of Buddhist monks, in the classroom. Davidson, named by Time magazine as one of the world’s 100 most influential people in 2006, and others like him are making inroads into meditation becoming the norm in schoolroom settings.
In The Capitol Times article, contemplative activist and Catholic priest Thomas Keating is quoted as saying that meditation in the classroom is “not a religious issue” and that “sitting in silence for twenty minutes, twice a day, ‘gradually introduces us to our deeper self.’”10 But the article contradicts Keating’s view that meditation is not religious:
Like Buddhist meditation, centering prayer for Christians is an age-old religious practice that has experienced a revival in contemporary times.11
And as this article reveals, children are being targeted with meditation:
“Most people without a special (contemplative) practice tend to be pushed around by external events,” Keating contends. In classrooms, “the younger the child, the easier it is” to teach contemplation because young participants typically aren’t impeded by as much emotional baggage.12
As one researcher of the New Age explains:
The field of education presents an ideal setting for transformation. In virtually every area of education and instruction, from kindergarten to universities, from weekend workshops to family counseling sessions, the Ancient Wisdom is being taught either up front or covertly. This is largely happening because teachers, principals, and other administrators in particular have become involved in metaphysics.13
While not every public school has introduced meditation in their classrooms yet, more and more schools are implementing Yoga and other forms of Eastern-style meditation practices into students’ lives.
Children truly are being bombarded by New Age spirituality at every turn, and it is happening on a level that is nothing short of epidemic. Unless parents take a pro-active approach to vigilantly protect their children from this onslaught, there is little chance they will escape from being affected and drawn into this global-wide spiritual deception.
Four Practical and Biblical Ways to Help Protect Your Children From Mystical New Age “Thrills”
# One: Help Your Children Put on the Armor of God
Make sure your children know the Scriptures behind each part of the armor of God, so that their faith and understanding will be based on God’s Word. Then pray through the pieces of the armor, simplifying each part to fit the ages of your children. Talk about the opposite viewpoints and how they are contrary to God’s Word and when followed, lead to spiritual deception: the Belt of TRUTH, the Breastplate of RIGHTEOUSNESS, the Sandals of the preparation of the GOSPEL, the Shield of FAITH, the Helmet of SALVATION, and the Sword of the SPIRIT, His WORD.
Belt of TRUTH: His almightiness, love, wisdom, and holiness. (Deuteronomy 4:39; Psalm 18:1-3) Opposite: Pantheistic, monistic, polytheistic gods and goddesses.
Breastplate of RIGHTEOUSNESS: Jesus Christ and His blood, which cleanses us from sin. The cross which frees us from bondage to selfish nature. Opposite: Confidence in the natural goodness, connectedness, and sacredness of all life.
Sandals of the preparation of the GOSPEL of peace: Our peace with God comes from being justified by faith through our Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 5:1). Opposite: Peace through occult practices and union with a cosmic force or nature spirits.
Shield of FAITH: Our continual trust in God, His Word, and His promises. Opposite: Trust in Self, inner wisdom, dreams, visions, gods, goddesses, cosmic force, coincidences, etc.
Sword of the Spirit, His WORD: The power of God’s Word to counter deception and triumph over spiritual foes. Opposite: The power of thoughts, words, and affirmations to change reality and direct spiritual forces.
Step Two: Monitor Your Child’s School & Organizations—You CAN Do Something
In a public elementary school in Aspen, Colorado, Christian parents protested when they learned that the school was going to start teaching the students Yoga. The parents argued that:
[Y]oga’s Hindu roots conflicted with Christian teachings and that using it in school might violate the separation of church and state.14
In Encinitas, California, parents went to school district trustees when they learned that a Yoga program was coming to the school. They explained to officials that by bringing in Yoga, they were introducing the children to Hinduism:
“Yoga practices and poses are not merely exercise; they’re religious practices,” said Marsha Qualls, who has a student at Olivenhain Pioneer Elementary School, calling the techniques “a kind of prayer.”15
Because of these concerned parents, school officials decided to at least wait on the Yoga program until further investigation. The point here is that you can do something to protect your children. Whether your children are in public or private school, keep an eye on new programs coming into the school, and when you find out about New Age/New Spirituality based programs, speak up.
Step Three: Teach Your Children About the Spiritual Anchor in a Time of Change
Let that therefore abide in you, which ye have heard from the beginning. If that which ye have heard from the beginning shall remain in you, ye also shall continue in the Son, and in the Father. (1 John 2:24)
In a busy world, which has so many demands that can rob us of our quiet times with God in His Word, we run the risk of not knowing His will, understanding His truths, or delighting in His promises. Instead, we can become like ships without anchors, drifting along with changing currents. Like the captain of the Titanic, we can become blind to danger and presumptuous in our quest for success.
The world no longer needs the lonely lighthouse that once led ships through dark nights and coastal reefs. Nor does it want God’s absolute truths. To many, the Bible seems as obsolete as that old lighthouse—and far more dangerous to their vision of global peace.
But to those who know Him, His Word shines far brighter than any man-made beacon—lighting our path, keeping us safe, and fixing our hearts on the goal ahead. The Bible says it well, “Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil” (Hebrews 6:19).
What, then, can we do to anchor our children in His unchanging Word? Consider these suggestions:
Pray. For Jesus said, “without me ye can do nothing” (John 15:5).
Understand the nature and tactics of Satan.
Do a Bible study on verses that contrast the New Age version of man (that man is divine and equal to God) and the Bible’s description of man (that his heart is sinful, and he needs a Savior).
Memorize some of God’s important promises.
Help your children understand what it means to put on God’s armor.
Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour. (1 Peter 5:8)
Step Four: Use This Test For “Christian” Media
Today, we are faced with new challenges in protecting our kids from the media available to them. It used to be that we only had to worry about books and movies from the secular media, but now we need to also weigh the things children and teens are exposed to by Christian publishers and film producers.
Media labeled as “Christian” can be even more dangerous for children in two ways: First of all, heretofore when we purchased Christian media, we would expect that these materials could be trusted, but by the day, this is becoming less the case. Secondly, the deception is more subtle. Former New Age follower Warren B. Smith often points out that what makes deception most effective is when you have what is false mixed into a lot of truth.
Oftentimes, you may see the Bible quoted extensively with small portions of false doctrine injected into it; or Bible stories may be utilized where subtle twists are injected into the story that parallels the true account yet alters its meaning and significance.
As parents, teachers, or guardians, the responsibility is now more squarely on our shoulders to review even Christian media presented to our children. Below is a list of things to look for in previewing a “Christian” movie or book. You can use this checklist when you are trying to decide whether something is suitable or not for your child. If your child is age appropriate, go over these points with him or her.
1) What does it tell you about God?
2) Is God’s holy Word used out of context?
3) What does it teach about the invisible forces of evil?
4) Does it demonstrate faith? (What kind? In whom or what?)
5) Might the imagined scenes stir interest in occultic powers?
6) Do the heroes in the story use magic?
7) What does it teach about life and death?
8) Is there a Christ-like person in the story?
9) Why would it be called “redemptive”?
10) What does it teach about good and evil, right and wrong?
Berit Kjos is the founder of Kjos Ministries. You can visit her website at www.crossroad.to for an archive of years of research and writing. She is also a Lighthouse Trails author with several booklets and her book How to Protect Your Child From the New Age & Spiritual Deception.
Endnotes:
1. Glenn Alexander Magee, Hegel, and the Hermetic Tradition (Ithaca and London: Cornell University Press, 2001), pp. 1-3. This Hermetic Tradition originated in Egypt. According to the Gnostic Society, “The Hermetic tradition is usually understood as a form of ‘pagan Gnosticism,’ developing in Egypt during the same historical period that saw the flowering of the Christian Gnostic tradition.” (From: http://www.faculty.umb.edu/gary_zabel/Courses/Phil%20281b/Philosophy%20of%20Magic/Arcana/Gnostic%20Texts/lectures.html). 2. Mark Blanchard, “Family Yoga Practice” (November 4, 2006, http://web.archive.org/web/20090620224738/http://www.progressivepoweryoga.com/blog/2006/11/family-yoga-practice.html).
3.http://www.markblanchardsyoga.com/about-mark-blanchard.html
4.Mark Blanchard, “Family Yoga Practice,” op. cit.
5. Mini Yogis: Yoga for Kids: http://www.miniyogis.com/clients.htm.
6.Yoga Ed. in Action: http://www.yogaed.com/action.html.
7.“Yoga Causes Controversy in Public Schools” (Associated Press, January 28, 2007, http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16859368/ns/health-childrens_health/t/yoga-causes-controversy-public-schools/).
8.“Kid Contemplatives: UW Neuroscientist’s Project Aims to Give Middle-Schoolers Tools of ‘Mindfulness’ and Meditation” (Capital Times, November 9, 2007, http://psyphz.psych.wisc.edu/web/News/captimes_11-8-07.html).
9.Ibid.
10. Ibid.
11. Ibid.
12. Ibid.
13. Ray Yungen, For Many Shall Come in My Name (Eureka, MT: Lighthouse Trails),p. 66.
14. “Yoga Causes Controversy in Public Schools” (Associated Press, http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16859368/ns/health-kids_and_parenting).
15. Gail Williams, “Christian Parents Group to Sue School Over Yoga Classes” (Examiner, December 19, 2012, http://www.examiner.com/article/christian-parents-group-to-sue-school-over-yoga-classes).
(photo from bigstockphoto.com; used with permission)
|
| Letter to the Editor: Calvary Chapel, Calvinism (And Created to Choose and Reason) |
|
Dear Lighthouse Trails:
I would like to thank you for your continuing ministry particularly with regards to warning about Calvinism. I left a Calvary Chapel due in part with the leader and his ongoing support of Brian Brodersen who is clearly going down a contemplative route. But, I was interested to note in your current letter, that many Calvary Chapels are embracing Calvinism. While at that fellowship, on many occasions during sermons, weeknight studies, etc, much Calvinistic material was used with quotes from Piper, MacArthur et-al. Instead of the Bible, we would undertake studies of books by the likes of Tim Keller.
We now attend a very small fellowship comprised of folk who left the Calvary we used to attend. A very good friend of ours does most of the teaching, and we are going through John’s Gospel. He took 3 Sundays to teach on the issue of Calvinism and warn against what is in fact a heresy. At the end of the 3 Sunday’s, he distributed a paper put together by a close friend titled the “Protestant Pope” which is, in my opinion, a very good overview. Like me, this very close friend has the book by Kirkland which he has recently received. I have recently purchased the late Dave Hunt’s book “What Love is This” and also have his book “Tulip” to add to my library which also includes my friend’s book.
Keep up the good work and I wish you all a Very Happy New Year. God bless.
A.C.
LTRP Note: As many of our readers know, Lighthouse Trails published a book about Calvinism in 2018. Below is a chapter from that book, None Dare Call It Heresy: A Spotlight on the Teachings of John Calvin by Bob Kirkland. In view of the fast-growing influence of Calvinism and Reformed Theology in the church today (as the letter above illustrates), we are posting this below:
“Created to Choose and to Reason”
By Bob Kirkland
BACK TO THE BEGINNING
Genesis 1:26 says, “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.” To be made in the image and likeness of God is multifaceted. Scripture, of course, makes it clear that man is not divine or a part of God, and it would be wrong for us to think so. However, it would also be wrong to minimize man to something he is not by stripping him of the abilities and attributes God has given him. So, even though Adam fell, man still has a soul. And man still has the ability to choose and to reason. These attributes were not taken from man when Adam fell as is very evident by simple observation. In Scripture, God commands the sinner to reason, to choose, and to repent. God’s grace operates in our lives in a viable active way (not a passive way).
But with Calvinism, grace is actually minimized, and God is made small by saying that the only way God can be sovereign is by allowing no free will at all (i.e., no choices, no reasoning). The Calvinist view has God operating in a way that is contrary to His original and unchanging design.
GOD GAVE ADAM A COMMAND
Genesis 2:15-17 says:
And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.
As I pointed out earlier, A. W. Pink’s book The Sovereignty of God says man is “utterly incapable of willing anything.”1 What does the Bible say? It says, “God commanded the man.” If man was created without a free will and the ability to cause things to happen, there would be no need for this command or any other command found in the Scriptures.
In Genesis 3:6, we find Satan tempting Eve to disobey God. It says, “She took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.”
ADAM AND EVE MADE DECISIONS
Both Adam and Eve made a decision, each of their own free will, to disobey God. To suggest, as the Calvinists do, that God forced them to sin, we would have to change the verse above from “Thou shalt not eat of it” to “I will make you eat of it.” This is foolish and makes God the Author of sin. It is not only heresy, it is blasphemy! The Bible frequently describes God’s character and nature (e.g., Titus 1:2: God cannot lie), and He is described as a holy, righteous, loving, judging, honest, merciful, perfect God. He is never described as a God of sin; on the contrary, Scripture says, “God cannot be tempted with evil neither tempteth he any man” (James 1:13).
God confronted Adam and asked, “Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat?” (Genesis 3:11). Verse 17 of chapter three continues:
And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life.
Adam chose to listen to Eve rather than obey God. As a result of choosing to sin, the spirit of man died and, therefore, must be “born again.” Jesus went into much detail concerning being “born again” in John chapter three. The Bible plainly teaches that when a person is convicted by the Holy Spirit to repent of his or her sin, a decision must be made. If man chooses to trust Christ as Savior, the spirit of man is “born again.” We read in Ephesians 2:1, “And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins.”
ADAM AND EVE SENT FROM THE GARDEN
God sent Adam and Eve from the garden because they could have used their free will to eat of the tree of life and live in their sinful state forever. Genesis 3, verses 22-24 read:
[A]nd now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever: Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken. So he drove out the man and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.
There would have been no need for the Cherubims with the flaming sword if man did not have a free will; it was for the very reason that man had free will that God had to block the way for Adam to get to the tree of life! What kind of game do the Calvinists think God is playing?
CAIN AND ABEL MADE CHOICES
In Genesis 4, we read how Abel decided to follow God and Cain decided to do things his own way. Verse 16 says, “And Cain went out from the presence of the LORD.” Cain also decided to persecute the one who followed God, even to the death. To say God put it in the heart of Cain to go out from the presence of the Lord and then kill his brother is wicked, ridiculous, and attacks the very character of God.
HOW CALVINISTS NEED TO RE-INTERPRET THE CREATION ACCOUNT TO BE CONSISTENT
To support Calvin’s wicked-God theory, we would need to change the creation account to read, “In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth . . . And God said, Let us make people with no free will. And then God said, ‘We will trick them into thinking they have a free will by saying . . . of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat. But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof, thou shalt surely die.’ We will let them think they can choose to disobey.”
Calvin’s distorted account would also need to say, “Because they didn’t really have a free will, God ordained it from the beginning for them to eat the fruit thereof. Then God confronted Adam and asked, Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat? . . . Cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life.” Concerning Cain and Abel, the story would need to be changed to read, “God then forced Cain to kill his brother and then put a curse upon him for doing it.”
It should be noted here that Calvinists (as did John Calvin) confuse God’s foreknowledge with predestination (or even just disregard foreknowledge altogether). God knew that Judas would betray Jesus for thirty pieces of silver ahead of time according to Zechariah 11:12-13, but God had no hand in making these things happen. God also knew that the Jewish people would be scattered throughout the world; and even though they would prosper wherever they went, they would also be hated and persecuted among the nations. But God never sanctioned the persecution and attempted annihilation of the Jews under Hitler’s regime. Instead, we read in Scripture “And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed” (Genesis 12:3) and “he that toucheth you toucheth the apple of his eye” (Zechariah 2:8). The persecutors of the Jews, as in the case of Adolph Hitler, were therefore held fully responsible for what they did.
But the Calvinist is locked into a fatalistic view where God preordains everything and therefore approves of everything. Hence, Scripture, like the above verses, must be twisted and distorted to accommodate a malicious “God.”
GOD COMMANDS PEOPLE TO TRUST HIM—Psalm 4:5: “put your trust in the LORD.”
Trust in the LORD. (Psalm 37:3)
GOD FORCES NOBODY TO TRUST HIM
. . . trusted not in his salvation. (Psalm 78:22)
. . . trusted in thy wickedness. (Isaiah 47:10)
. . . trusted in falsehood. (Jeremiah 13:25)
. . . trusted in thy works. (Jeremiah 48:7)
. . . trusted in her treasures. (Jeremiah 49:4)
MAN IS COMMANDED TO SUBMIT
. . . submit yourselves. (1 Corinthians 16:16)
. . . submit yourselves. (Ephesians 5:22)
. . . submit yourselves. (Colossians 3:18)
. . . submit yourselves. (Hebrews 13:17)
. . . submit yourselves. (James 4:7)
. . . submit yourselves. (1 Peter 2:13)
. . . submit yourselves. (1 Peter 5:5)
GOD NEVER FORCES ANYONE TO SUBMIT
. . . they hearkened not. (Exodus 6:9)
. . . they hearkened not. (Exodus 16:20)
. . . they hearkened not. (1 Samuel 2:25)
. . . they hearkened not. (2 Kings 21:9)
. . . they hearkened not. (Jeremiah 7:24)
. . . they hearkened not. (Jeremiah 7:26)
. . . they hearkened not. (Jeremiah 36:31)
MAN IS COMMANDED TO “REASON” ABOUT SALVATION
Isaiah 1:18 says:
Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.
Matthew 16:7 says, “. . . they reasoned.”
Matthew 21:25 says, “. . . they reasoned.”
Mark 2:8 says, “. . . they reasoned.”
Mark 8:16 says, “. . . they reasoned.”
Mark 11:31 says, “. . . they reasoned.”
Luke 20:5 says, “. . . they reasoned.”
Luke 20:14 says, “. . . they reasoned.”
Acts 18:4 says, “. . . he reasoned and persuaded.”
Acts 24:25 says, “. . . he reasoned . . . Felix trembled.”
Acts 28:29 says, “. . . the Jews departed, and had great reasoning among themselves.”
AFTER REASONING, MAN HAS A FREE WILL TO COME TO HiS OWN DECISION
We read in Mark 2:6 that the scribes Jesus spoke to were, “. . . reasoning in their hearts.” Mark 7:9 tells us after their reasoning, they made a decision. Jesus rebuked them for their decision (but did not force them to change) saying, “[Y]e reject the commandment of God.” Hosea 4:6 refers to those who “rejected knowledge.” Second Kings 17:15 says, “They rejected his statutes, and his covenant.” Contrary to Calvinism, man can reason concerning salvation, and man can reject or receive the salvation God offers him through the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
GOD COMMANDS MAN TO WALK IN HIS WAYS, BUT HE FORCES NO ONE
Isaiah 30:21 says, “This is the way, walk ye in it.” Psalm 81:12 states, “. . . they walked in their own counsels.”
GOD COMMANDS MAN TO BE HOLY BUT HE FORCES NOBODY
Leviticus 20:7 says “[B]e ye holy: for I am the LORD your God.” Deuteronomy 9:12 says, “. . . [they] corrupted themselves.”
FREE WILL AND THE TEN COMMANDMENTS
Thou shalt have no other gods before me. (Exodus 20:3)
. . . served other gods. (Deuteronomy 17:3)
Thou shalt not make . . . any graven image. (Exodus 20:4)
. . . moved him to jealousy with their graven images. (Psalm 78:58)
Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain. (Exodus 20:7)
For they . . . take thy name in vain. (Psalm 139:20)
Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. (Exodus 20:8)
. . . ye do, and profane the sabbath day? (Nehemiah 13:17)
Honour thy father and thy mother. (Exodus 20:12)
. . . children . . . rise up against their parents. (Matthew 10:21)
Thou shalt not kill. (Exodus 20:13)
They . . . murder the fatherless. (Psalm 94:6)
Thou shalt not commit adultery. (Exodus 20:14)
[T]hey commit adultery. (Jeremiah 23:14)
Thou shalt not steal. (Exodus 20:15)
[S]teal no more. (Ephesians 4:28)
Thou shalt not bear false witness. (Exodus 20:16)
[F]alse witnesses are risen up against me. (Psalm 27:12)
Thou shalt not covet. (Exodus 20:17)
I coveted them, and took them. (Joshua 7:21)
CALVIN’S TEACHING OF UNCONDITIONAL ELECTION
According to Calvinism, if we are to be saved, God chooses (elects) us to salvation. Calvinism teaches, “A man is not saved because he believes in Christ; he believes in Christ because he is saved.” In other words,
The elect of God are chosen by Him to be His children, in order that they might be made to believe, not because He foresaw that they would believe.2 (emphasis added)
MORE HERESY
By his unconditional election theory, Calvin meant that some are elected to Heaven while others are elected to Hell. It is wholly on God’s part, and we have nothing to do with our eternal destiny. This means God decided before we were born that we are going to burn in Hell forever or be in Heaven forever. We are simply a pawn in God’s big chess game. Calvinism further teaches that God could be glorified by bringing your family into the world for the express purpose of tormenting them in Hell for eternity. This is wickedness and is not the God of the Bible!
Lest you think I have misrepresented John Calvin, we will let him speak for himself. In his Institutes of the Christian Religion, Volume 3, Calvin stated:
[S]ome are preordained to eternal life, others to eternal damnation; and, accordingly, as each has been created for one or other of these ends, we say that he has been predestinated to life or to death.3
This is the view you will find throughout the teachings and sermons of Calvinist preachers and authors.
Why Are People Even Drawn to Calvinism?
As we are witnessing today, many people are being drawn to Calvinism (including many young people). In our age of uncertainty, Calvinism seems to offer some security in the thought that God has preordained everything. This would presumably put some order into our chaotic world.
Unfortunately, once someone has become fully engulfed in Calvinism, it offers no true security. It leaves a person without knowing what direction things will go but with clinging to nothing more than a fatalistic view of life—where things are locked in, and there is nothing anyone can do about it.
Unfortunately, Calvinism is a direct attack on the Gospel. The Gospel is activated by faith (whosoever believeth) but the fatalism of Calvinism can say no more than “what will be will be.” This is not biblical faith but actually a form of unbelief in that it leaves the recipient in doubt of his future. Although Calvinism seems to offer hope, in reality and in truth, it leaves a person in a lifelong quest of wondering if he is one of the elect. How totally opposite this is to the Gospel the Bible offers where the Good News of Jesus Christ offers hope and belief in it offers certainty:
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. (Hebrews 11:1)
These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God. (1 John 5:13)
Endnotes:
1. A.W. Pink, The Sovereignty of God, op. cit., p. 113.
2. Lorraine Boettner, The Reformed Doctrine of Predestination (Phillipsburg, NJ: Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing Company, 1932, 14th printing), page 101, citing Augustine.
3. John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, Vol. 3, op. cit., chapter 21, section 5, Kindle location 17221.
Bob Kirkland’s book, None Dare Call It Heresy was published by Lighthouse Trails in 2018. It is available in print, PDF, epub, and mobi on the Lighthouse Trails web store and can also be purchased through many online and walk-in stores.
(photo from bigstockphoto.com; used with permission)
|
| Jesus Calling— “Co-creating” with God |
By Warren B. Smith
In Jesus Calling, “Jesus” mentions a key New Age term: co-creation. Many people do not realize that co-creation is a New Age evolutionary concept that teaches that man as God co-creates with God because man is God also. But man is not God.
Co-creation is a New Age concept that entails the necessity of man recognizing that he is God and then acting as God to co-create a positive future. The means to accomplishing this has been laid out by the New Age “Christ” in top New Age leader Barbara Marx Hubbard’s book The Revelation—which essentially rewrites the Holy Bible’s book of Revelation. The New Age “Christ” has a plan and is promising the world that Armageddon is avoidable and that world peace is possible if everyone collaborates and co-creates with him. He and humanity together can thus save the world. Speaking through Hubbard in The Revelation, the New Age “Christ” uses the terms co-create, co-creation, co-creative, co-creator, and co-creatorship over 100 times. Co-creation is the key to his counterfeit plan of salvation for planet Earth.
Webster’s New World Dictionary’s sole definition of a collaborationist is “a person who cooperates with an enemy invader.”1 And the “Jesus” of Jesus Calling uses the terms collaborate, collaborating, or collaboration at least ten times. For example, he states:
This is a very practical way of collaborating with Me. I, the Creator of the universe, have deigned to co-create with you.2 (emphasis added)
In Jesus Calling, “Jesus” plays into this ultimate New Age collaboration when he talks of humanity collaborating and co-creating with him. Again, co-creation is the key to the spirit world’s counterfeit plan of salvation for planet Earth. Occult/New Age author Neale Donald Walsch has been taking spiritual dictation from his New Age “God” for many years now. “God”—speaking through Walsch—has proclaimed that “The era of the Single Savior” is to be replaced with “co-creation”:
Yet let me make something clear. The era of the Single Savior is over. What is needed now is joint action, combined effort, collective co-creation.3 (emphasis added)
And Hubbard’s New Age “Christ” states:
Here we are, now poised either on the brink of destruction greater than the world has ever seen—a destruction which will cripple planet Earth forever and release only the few to go on—or on the threshold of global co-creation wherein each person on Earth will be attracted to participate in his or her own evolution to godliness.4 (emphasis added)
In “Reimagining” God, Tamara Hartzell underscores the connection between co-creation, meditation, and contemplative prayer by quoting the following from Hubbard’s book The Revelation:
We too shall all be changed. . . . the next stage of evolution, the shift from creature to co-creative human. . . .
We draw from all great avatars and paths, but we know that our challenge is to be the co-creative human ourselves. There is no outside person or power that can do this for us. Each of us chooses the disciplines and practices that are most compatible with our temperament. We become faithful to those practices, whether they be meditation, yoga, prayer, contemplation—whatever inner work works, we do faithfully.5
Hartzell also points out the striking similarities of the dictated messages given to both Young and Hubbard by their Presence:
[I]n Jesus Calling, Young’s “Presence” of “Jesus” that wants to “reprogram your thinking” looks for “an awakened soul” in order “to co-create with you.” Young’s “Presence” that also says, “I am all around you, like a cocoon of Light,” wants you to “[l]earn to tune in to My living Presence by seeking Me in silence,” “[a]ttune yourself to My voice,” and “do not relinquish your attentiveness to Me.” Likewise, in The Revelation, Hubbard’s “Christ presence” that refers to “humanity awakening” as “co-creators with Christ” wants you to: “Create the cocoon of light. Materialize my body of light in your mind’s eye.” And also: “Keep your attention on me at all times. Practice continually tuning in.”6
Speaking through Hubbard in The Revelation, the New Age “Christ” states:
At the moment of cosmic contact, I will appear to you both through inner experience and through external communication in your mass media—the nervous system of the world.
You will all feel, hear, and see my presence at one instant in time, each in your own way.7 (emphasis added)
This New Age “Christ” further elaborates on this co-creative process by describing the moment of experiencing his presence as the Quantum Instant. He also describes the judgment that will come with it, which will be based on people’s willingness to co-create the future with him. He states:
At the time of the Quantum Instant there will be a judgment of the quick and the dead. That is, there will be an evolutionary selection process based on your qualifications for co-creative power.8 (emphasis added)
Those of you who happen to be alive at the time of the actual Quantum Instant, will be changed while still alive. . . .
Your co-creative system will turn on. It is being prepared now.9 (emphasis added)
There is a definite overlap of terms as the “Jesus” of Jesus Calling uses this same co-creative term to describe how he will transform people’s lives. And Hartzell explains why both Sarah Young’s “Christ” and Barbara Marx Hubbard’s “Christ” contradict Scripture when they talk of man co-creating with God:
It is Jesus Christ of Nazareth—and He alone is Christ—that is one with God. Jesus said, “I and my Father are one” (John 10:30). And it is Jesus Christ of Nazareth, Who alone is Christ, that is the Father’s (“co-”) Creator. God’s Word also tells us: “God, who created all things by Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 3:9). Man is neither one with God nor God’s “co-creator.” Man never has been and never will be a “natural Christ.”10
This is an excerpt from Warren B. Smith’s book, “Another Jesus” Calling.
Endnotes:
1. Victoria Neufeldt, Editor in Chief, Webster’s New World Dictionary (New York, NY: Simon & Schuster., Inc 1988, Third College Ed.), p. 273.
2. Sarah Young, Jesus Calling: Enjoying Peace in His Presence (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2004), p. 362.
3. Neale Donald Walsch, The New Revelations: A Conversation with God (New York, NY: Atria Books, 2002), p. 157.
4.arbara Marx Hubbard, The Revelation: A Message of Hope for the New Millennium (Novato, CA: Nataraj Publishing, 1995), p. 174.
5. Ibid., pp. 312-313.
6. Tamara Hartzell, “Reimagining” God: Turning the Light off to Look for “Truth” in the Corner of a Dark Round Room, Volume 2, (North Charleston, SC: CreateSpace, an Amazon company, 2013), pp. 408-409.
7. Barbara Marx Hubbard, The Revelation, op. cit., p. 245.
8. Ibid., p. 111.
9. Ibid., p. 197.
10. Tamara Hartzell, “Reimagining” God, op. cit., p. 406.
Related Articles:
Would Jesus Magnify His Presence Above the Word of God?
Letter to the Editor: Her Pastor: “Warren B. Smith Not in Communion With Holy Spirit Because of “Another Jesus” Calling” | LT: “Church Will Bear Brunt of Pastor’s Negligence”
The New Age Implications of “Jesus Calling”
(Photo from bigstockphoto; used with permission)
|
| New Booklet: Legalism or License Versus The Treasure of Living Water |
NEW BOOKLET: Legalism or License Versus The Treasure of Living Water by David Dombrowski is our newest Lighthouse Trails Booklet. The Booklet is 14 pages long and sells for $1.95 for single copies. Quantity discounts are available. Our Booklets are designed to give away to others or for your own personal use. Below is the content of the booklet. To order copies of Legalism or License Versus The Treasure of Living Water, click here.
Legalism or License Versus The Treasure of Living Water
By David Dombrowski
As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God. (Psalm 42:1)
Since 2002, Lighthouse Trails editors have conversed, either through e-mail, mail, or phone, with thousands of people. A good number of these people have come out of churches whose pastors and leaders have been trained in the seminaries and Christian colleges, which have, in large part, become havens for unbiblical teachings. These ill-equipped, misled pastors have brought their unscriptural teachings with them to the churches. We have heard the stories from so many of our readers of Christians they know who became caught under the bondage of legalism, and then went to the opposite pole of turning grace into a license for sin. Many times when this happened, these confused Christians became involved with a dangerous mystical practice called contemplative prayer and joined emerging churches, thinking esoteric experiences and “new” freedoms were from God, especially when they compared them to their legalist backgrounds.
It is this issue we desire to address in this booklet, with the hopes it may draw some back to the true living water that only Jesus Christ can give. Perhaps these words can alleviate some confusion to those who are held in bondage by either of these extremes.
In previous writings, we have demonstrated how the Gospel is the greatest of all treasures. Throughout the ages, man has been out digging for treasure. From the earth, we have been able to extract many of the things that we prize most highly including silver, gold, diamonds, gems, metal ores for making innumerable things made of iron or steel, copper or brass, and aluminum, while massive amounts of oil and coal have been extracted propelling us into an industrialized world. Yet, the human heart remains empty, and only God can fill that void.
Scripture likens our need for the Gospel to our need for water. Water is actually the most precious commodity on the planet. But most of us, if we have plenty of it, take it for granted. When scarce, it can be a matter of life and death. Water is life-giving, as we could only survive without it for a few days. So, in one sense, it is a priceless treasure; yet, in another sense, it is free. All this makes water a very suitable illustration for the Gospel because the Gospel is priceless in value, though it comes freely from the hand of God. Isaiah spoke of the Gospel and that it is both priceless and free. Consider his plea to his people to receive the gift of salvation:
Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? and your labour for that which satisfieth not? hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness. Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David. (Isaiah 55:1-3)
Already, in previous chapters of the book of Isaiah, he shared details of Jesus’ suffering and consequent death on a cross as an atonement for sin (see especially Isaiah chapter 53). Jesus paid the price for all our sins so that all who believe and put their trust in Him may go free and partake of the “sure mercies of David.”
The psalmist wrote, “As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God” (Psalm 42:1). And just as a deer is driven by thirst to drink of the cool water brooks, so we, like the psalmist, should hunger and thirst after God. But most Christians today, especially those in the Western world, seek to quench that thirst in all the wrong places, and what they attain never really satisfies because it is not the living water that is able to give us life and renew us.
The Gospel has been with us for a very long time, but of the world’s population, relatively few have chosen to dip into that water of life. The Scripture beckons, “the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely” (Revelation 22:17). Though the offer is made to all, there are so few who seem to listen. Consequently, so many choose to live in a perpetual drought, fearing the water of life that is able to save men’s souls.
Now, how long has the Gospel been with us? Paul tells us that Abraham received the Gospel:
And the scripture, forseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed. (Galatians 3:8)
God made a covenant with Abraham based on a promise to send a “seed” (namely Christ), and in that seed, the promises would be fulfilled (see Galatians 3:16). It is here that a date is given of four hundred thirty years before God gave the Law to Moses. And while the date is of no real significance, what is significant is that the New Covenant (the Gospel) came before the Old Covenant (the Law). Paul’s letter to the Galatians vividly portrays how the Law was never given to save anyone; rather it was given to lead us to the Savior:
Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. (Galatians 3:24)
The Law, a Way of Salvation?
Abraham was justified by faith and faith alone as Paul recounts that “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness” (Galatians 3:6). Paul then emphatically states that no one is justified by the law when he says, “But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith” (Galatians 3:11, emphasis added). In fact, the Law was an impossible system for salvation because to break any of it even only once meant to break the whole Law:
For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them. (Galatians 3:10)
James reiterates the power of the Law when he states: “For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all” (James 2:10). It is clear, therefore, that the Law has power, but not the power to save—unless, of course, a person keeps all of the Law, at every point, perfectly; and no one has ever done that (except Jesus Christ). The power of the Law is to show us that because of sin, our righteousness is as filthy rags and consequently we remain under the curse of the Law until we come to Christ. The Law demonstrates that, without question, we are in need of a Redeemer; and that is why in Old Testament law, lambs and bullocks were sacrificed year after year, not because they saved at all but because they served as a continual reminder of the need of a Savior who was to come. Even though the temple sacrifices were done at God’s command, they could never in themselves take away sin because they were only symbols of what was to come (i.e., Jesus’ sacrifice at Calvary). Chapter ten of Hebrews expounds on this point, as we look at the following:
For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect. For then would they not have ceased to be offered? because that the worshippers once purged should have had no more conscience of sins. But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year. For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins. (Hebrews 10:1-4)
And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins: But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God. (Hebrews 10:11-12)
One teaching that is spread today is that the Jews are exempt from the Gospel because God gave them the Old Testament. But if that were true Paul would not have written “no man is justified by the law in the sight of God” (Galatians 3:11). On the contrary, it was to the Jews first that the apostles preached the Gospel until later when God showed them that it was to be preached to the Gentiles also. The Gospel is for all people everywhere, Jew or Gentile. This is why the proclamation of the Gospel is so very important because, under God’s plan, the way of salvation comes in only one way.
For if the inheritance be of the law, it is no more of promise: but God gave it to Abraham by promise. (Galatians 3:18)
And when we think about it, the religions of the world believe we can be saved by our own goodness or that we already have God’s divinity within and consequently have no need of a Savior. But God chose to show Abraham a different way, and all who come to God must come to Him in the same way:
As for me, behold, my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations. (Genesis 17:4)
So, when God made Abraham a father of many nations, He made it clear that this covenant, based on faith in a promise (i.e., Christ the Redeemer), was to be available to all people everywhere. Then came the Law four hundred and thirty years later to direct everyone, like a schoolmaster, to their need of a Redeemer as it exposes our sinfulness. In this sense, the Law can be likened to the test equipment in a doctor’s office. After performing various tests, the doctor is able to identify a particular ailment, but the tests themselves have only exposed the problem and done nothing to render the cure. The doctor can then prescribe the proper medicine or refer the patient to a surgeon. Once that prescription or surgeon’s referral has been made, the patient is bound rather than cured by his doctor’s orders until the proper steps have been taken. Likewise, we remain bound under the curse of the Law until we come to Christ. Then He, as the Great Physician, cleanses us from our sin and imparts new life in us. That is why the Scripture says:
Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. (2 Corinthians 5:17)
This is also why Jesus said to the Samaritan woman at the well:
Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life. (John 4:13-14)
This woman was acquainted with the problem, but now she had found the cure.
Likewise, Jesus’ offer of “living water” (John 4:10) goes out to all people with the Holy Spirit’s call: “whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely” (Revelation 22:17). I find it rather puzzling, though, that while countless numbers from all over the world have found that living water, many have the tendency to go back to the Law to find comfort and assurance there. Like the patient who is now cured but feels compelled to stay indefinitely in the doctor’s office or the hospital when all that doctor can really do is to test and prescribe, if the Great Physician has already cured us, why would we want to go back into the Law that was designed to diagnose but not to cure? Furthermore, the Law can never be fulfilled by adherence to a set of rules; that is why Paul said, “Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law” (Romans 13:10). Somehow, we get to thinking that mechanically observing a set of rules pleases God, but God is concerned with the condition of our hearts. So, while we can fulfill the Law by love, we cannot do it by merely observing a set of rules. Like the patient holding onto the prescription, the Law is for those bound by sin, directing them to the Savior. The Law is good insomuch as it exposes our sin and brings us to our Savior, but it has no power to save. This is why Paul was so startled in hearing that the Galatians were going back into the Law and why he was compelled to write:
O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you? This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh? (Galatians 3:1-3)
Now, a License to Sin?
As I mentioned in the beginning of this booklet, many Christians who were raised in legalism, at some point, swung like a pendulum to the opposite extreme and began embracing not only a license to sin but also an entirely so-called “progressive” or emergent view of Christianity.1 Instead of clinging to a set of legalistic rules that, they were told, are necessary to “complete” their salvation, they now adhere to a new set of rules that basically say there are no rules. In other words, all will be saved regardless of what they believe; and it doesn’t really matter what a person does or how he lives—as long as he “has a good heart” and loves everyone. And now the Bible becomes an archaic book that might have some nice poetry in it, but it is no longer considered the inerrant word of God that we use as a guide to our spiritual lives.
For many who were raised in legalism and then made the leap to the opposite side of the spectrum, they have never actually tasted or taken a drink of the living water offered by Christ. In their effort to correct an erroneous system, they missed that which gives life altogether, not realizing that where they landed is just as much a life-killer as that from which they fled.
That Well of Living Water
Contrary to what many might teach, Paul was not offering the Galatians a license to sin but a fundamental truth of Scripture—that the Christian life can only be lived out as that well of living water springs up from our hearts. It is imperative, therefore, that we be found in Christ because Jesus alone is that well from which the springs of life flow. The theologian and preacher Harry Ironside explains that well of living water that we so desperately need like this:
A great many people make the mistake of trying to live the life before they receive the life. The hardest thing I know is to try to live the Christian life when you do not have it to live. There must be a Christian life first before you can exemplify and manifest it. To try to live a Christian life when you have never been born again is just as hopeless as for a chimpanzee to try and live a human life. I have seen some chimpanzees that could copy things people do in a remarkable way. At a zoo in Philadelphia, one of the worker’s once said to me, “Come along and see a couple of your ancestors.” I went along; there were two trained chimpanzees who had learned to mimic human beings to a remarkable degree. They wore clothes, sat at a table, ate, and drank, and in a clumsy way handled a knife and fork. When they got all through, they settled back and put cigarettes in their mouths, and a keeper lit them, and they looked to me exactly like a lot of our own people do when smoking cigarettes. I never was in such difficulty in assuring myself that there is no truth in evolution.
Although those chimps could do all those things, they did not know anything about real human life. They did not know anything of the principles controlling men and women. They were simply imitators. Many people imitate Christians and try to behave like them. They do not know anything of the power of the Christian life. They have never been born again. Jesus said, “Except a man be born again, he cannot see the Kingdom of God” (John 3:3).
Some people are seeking holiness of life when they need to be born again. They have joined the church; they have observed certain ordinances. They hear people talk of a deeper, more wonderful life, and they say, “That is what I want. I must go on and get into this richer, more blessed life.” They try and try, and never get anywhere, because they have never begun right. They did not get in by the wicket gate.
You remember in John Bunyan’s immortal allegory how Christian is going along a road, and a couple of fellows come jumping over the wall. “Who are you, and where do you come from,” he asked.
“We come from the town of Carnal Security,” they say to him. “We are going to the Celestial City.”
“Well, you didn’t get in where I did,” says Christian in surprise, “I got in at the wicket gate.”
“Oh, that is the old-fashioned way,” they reply, “we have a short cut over the wall. After we are over the wall, what difference does it make? You are in the way, and we are in the way, and we are all headed for the same place. You’ll see we will come out just as well as you.”
But they didn’t have the seal on their forehead. They had never been to the Cross; they did not have the robe of righteousness. You remember one fell over the cliff, and the other was lost in the forest. They never made their way to the Celestial City.
A lot of people get over the wall and not in by the wicket gate; never born again, they go striving for holiness, purity, and higher life, but it will be all in vain until they confess their sins in the presence of God and trust the Savior for themselves. They must give up all hope of righteousness in themselves, of being able to do anything to retrieve their condition, casting themselves wholly on Divine mercy. Then they are in the way and can grow in grace.2
Jesus Christ is the well of living water, offered freely to whosoever will invite Him into his life and heart to become his Savior. To the unbeliever, He is the invitation—“let him that is athirst come” (Revelation 22:17). To the new believer, He is that new life where, “old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17). But to those who have known Christ for a while, even a long while, He is the reminder to come back and be refreshed again with the only water that “shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life” (John 4:14).
Whether you have been caught in the vast sea of legalism or in the tsunami of “progressive” Christianity and you find your Christian life has become meaningless, tiresome, and without any real direction, why not come to the true living water? When we partake of that water, it does us much good. And when we share that water with others, it does no harm to our neighbor. It is the only water that is clean and pure and flows from the throne of God, and it is free for the taking.
To order copies of Legalism or License Versus The Treasure of Living Water, click here.
Endnotes:
- To understand more about the emerging church and emergent views, read Roger Oakland’s article, “How to Know When the Emerging Church Shows Signs of Emerging Into Your Church” at: https://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com/blog/?p=11043.
- Harry Ironside, Changed by Beholding (Eureka, MT: Lighthouse Trails Publishing, 2018 edition), pp. 14-16. You can read more by Harry Ironside by visiting www.harryironside.com.
To order copies of Legalism or License Versus The Treasure of Living Water, click here. |
| Two 2018 New Release Value Packs! |
|
  We are offering all of our 2018 new releases in two separate value packs.
The first is the 2018 New Release Booklet Pack with 12 new booklets for $17.52 (a savings of nearly $6). Click here to see which booklets are in the pack or to order the pack.
The second pack is the 2018 New Release Book Pack with all 9 books we published in 2018. The pack price is $74.95 (a savings of $43.60) Click here to see which books are in this pack or to order the pack.
Of course, any of these books and booklets can be ordered individually as well. Just go to either pack on the store through the links above, scroll down each page until you see the items you are interested in and click on the image, which will take you to that individual product page.
|
| Leave a Review and Get Discount Coupon and Check Out New Release |
|
If you have ever purchased or been given any Lighthouse Trails products, we invite you to leave a review (or reviews) on our Lighthouse Trails store site. If you do, you will receive a 10%-off coupon that you can use on your next purchase at Lighthouse Trails. Even if you don't plan to buy anything on the store, we hope you will still consider leaving a review (or reviews) as this helps readers when they can read what other people have to say about our resources.
Leaving a review is easy. Just visit our store, use the search engine to find a particular product. When you get to a product page, you will see a box that says "Rate This Product!" You will have to have an account to rate any product, but that is easy too. Just click this link to create an account.
Thank you in advance,
The Editors at Lighthouse Trails
|
| Donating to Lighthouse Trails |
|
SUPPORTING LIGHTHOUSE TRAILS: For those who would like to support Lighthouse Trails, we always appreciate both your prayers and your giving. And for those who have faithfully done that over the years, we thank you with all of our hearts. We know that some people may have the impression that Lighthouse Trails does quite well financially because we sell products that we publish and because our resources have had such a far reach; but, the truth is, it takes everything made through sales to keep Lighthouse Trails operating. Publishing, at least for small presses such as ours, is rarely a high-profit business. It would take a best seller to see that, one that the masses of people love. And because we are not just a business, but even more so a ministry, we keep our prices as low as we can, give away many resources, and have also made much of our material available for free on the research site and blog. That's not how big corporations run things as that would hurt the bottom line (profit), but we see the needs out there, and we trust God to keep us going as long as He sees fit.
We thank you in advance for seeing the value in a ministry like Lighthouse Trails and coming along side us with your prayers and support.
It is our prayer that we will faithfully be humble servants of the Lord’s work for years to come should the Lord tarry. If you would like to donate to Lighthouse Trails, you may send a donation by mailing it to: Lighthouse Trails, P.O. Box 908, Eureka, MT 59917. Or you may call 866/876-3910. There is also a donate option on our store website. (There is also a PayPal option on that page.)
Lighthouse Trails is not a non-profit 501 (c) 3 organization, so your donations will not be tax deductible.
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
Photo from "The Cross and the Marijuana Leaf" booklet
Linnaeus’s two-toed sloth (Choloepus didactylus), also known as the southern two-toed sloth.
