August 4, 2021

PERSEVERANCE OF THE SAINTS Man's words written by C.A. Feenstra

https://www.oldpaths.com/Archive/Feenstra/C/A/1931/ch03.html

Chapter 3

PERSEVERANCE OF THE SAINTS

Man's words

Canons of Dordt - Fifth Head of Doctrine
Article 6

But God, who is rich in mercy, according to His unchangeable purpose of election, does not wholly withdraw the Holy Spirit from His own people even in their grievous falls; nor suffers them to proceed so far as to lose the grace of adoption and forfeit the state of justification, or to commit the sin unto death or against the Holy Spirit; nor does He permit them to be totally deserted, and to plunge themselves into everlasting destruction.

Article 8

Thus it is not in consequence of their own merits or strength, but of God's free mercy, that they neither totally fall from faith and grace nor continue and perish finally in their backslidings; which, with respect to themselves is not only possible, but would undoubtfully happen; but with respect to God, it is utterly impossible, since His counsel cannot be changed nor His promise fail; neither can the call according to His purpose be revoked, nor the merit, intercession, and preservation of Christ be rendered ineffectual, nor the sealing of the Holy Spirit be frustrated or obliterated.

Article 9

Of this preservation of the elect to salvation and of their perseverance in the faith, true believers themselves may and do obtain assurance according to the measure of their faith, whereby they surely believe that they are and ever will continue true and living members of the Church, and that they have the forgiveness of sins and life eternal.

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"The elect are not only redeemed by Christ and renewed by the Spirit; they are kept in faith by the almighty power of God. All those who are spiritually united to Christ through regeneration are eternally secure in Him. Nothing can separate them from the eternal and unchangeable love of God. They have been predestinated unto eternal glory and are therefore assured of heaven." The Five Points of Calvinism, Steele and Thomas, page 56

"By the term "perseverance of the saints" we mean that if a person is once saved he is always saved and can never slip from God's saving grace.

When we confess the perseverance of the saints we confess that there are no "if's" or "but's" about the certainty of our salvation, because it is God who is working in us, and if he has begun a good work there will be no moment of time from then on that he will not work within us. What a glorious comfort the knowledge of this fact brings to one who is a Christian. For he can know that if he really has put his trust in Jesus as his Saviour, then he can never slip away and be lost, whether because of his own sinful weakness and tendency to unbelief, or because of the wiles of the Devil. This is strictly a Reformed doctrine and hangs or falls together with the other four points (of Calvinism) that we have been discussing."

The Five Points of Calvinism, Edwin H. Palmer, Th.D., page 59

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"The Christian Reformed Church teaches that by virtue of their election, the substitutionary atonement of Christ, and his intercession for them, the salvation of God's people is assured; that God will not suffer those who are joined to Christ in true faith to totally fall from faith and grace; and that by reason of the continuous abiding of the Holy Spirit the believers will persevere in the way of salvation to the end."

"The Christian Reformed Church - What it Teaches"
Back to God Tract Committee, Tract No. 86, pages 13-14

Q. Is Calvinism's absolute "Perseverance of the Saints" true, OR does GOD'S WORD teach that a saint or Christian can fall from grace?

"Ye are severed from Christ, ye who would be justified by the law; ye are fallen away from grace." Gal. 5:4

"But the Spirit saith expressly, that in later times some shall fall away from the faith" I Tim. 4:1

"Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall." I Cor. 10:12

"For as touching those who were once enlightened and tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Spirit, and tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the age to come, and then fell away, it is impossible to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame." Heb. 6:4-6

"Ye therefore, beloved, knowing these things beforehand, beware lest, being carried away with the error of the wicked, ye fall from your own stedfastness." II Pet. 3:17

"Take heed, brethren, lest haply there shall be in any one of you an evil heart of unbelief, in falling away from the living God: but exhort one another day by day, so long as it is called To-day; lest any one of you be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin: for we are become partakers of Christ, if we hold fast the beginning of our confidence firm unto the end." Heb 3:12-14

"And those on the rock are they who, when they have heard, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, who for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away." Luke 8:13

"Moreover he (an Elder) must have good testimony from them that are without; lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil." I Tim. 3:7

"To the angel of the church in Ephesus write... But I have this against thee, that thou didst leave thy first love. Remember therefore whence thou art fallen, and repent and do the first works; or else I come to thee, and will remove thy candlestick out of its place, except thou repent." Rev. 2:1, 4-5

"Let us not therefore judge one another any more: but judge ye this rather, that no man put a stumblingblock in his brother's way, or an occasion of falling." Rom. 14:13

"Behold then the goodness and severity of God: toward them that fell, severity; but toward thee, God's goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off." Rom. 11:22

"Follow after peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no man shall see the Lord: looking carefully lest there be any man that falleth short of the grace of God;" Heb. 12:14-15

"...as that the day of the Lord is just at hand; let no man beguile you in any wise: for it will not be, except the falling away come first, and the man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition" II Thess. 2:2-3

Q. Is Calvinism's absolute "Perseverance of the Saints" true, OR does GOD'S WORD teach that the salvation of the saints is conditional upon certain "ifs" as to their continued faithfulness?

"Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man would come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me." Matt. 16:24

"Jesus therefore said to those Jews that had believed him, If ye abide in my word, then are ye truly my disciples; and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." John 8:31-32

"If ye keep my (Jesus') commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love." John 15:10

"Faithful is the saying: For
if we died with him, we shall also live with him:
if we endure, we shall also reign with him:
if we shall deny him, he also will deny us:
if we are faithless, he abideth faithful; for he cannot deny himself." II Tim. 2:11-13

"And you, being in time past alienated and enemies in your mind in your evil works, yet now hath he reconciled in the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and without blemish and unreprovable before him: if so be that ye continue in the faith, grounded and stedfast, and not moved away from the hope of the gospel which ye heard"... Col. 1:21-23

"Wherefore, brethren, give the more diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never stumble: for thus shall be richly supplied unto you the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ." II Peter 1:10-11

"...but Christ as a son, over his house; whose house are we, if we hold fast our boldness and the glorying of our hope firm unto the end." Heb. 3:6

"...for we are become partakers of Christ, if we hold fast the beginning of our confidence firm unto the end: while it is said, To-day if ye shall hear his voice, Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation." Heb. 3:14-15

"Behold then the goodness and severity of God: toward them that fell, severity; but toward thee, God's goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off. And they also, if they continue not in their unbelief, shall be grafted in: for God is able to graft them in again." Rom. 11:22-23

"Now I make known unto you brethren, the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye received, wherein also ye stand, by which also ye are saved, if ye hold fast the word which I preached unto you, except ye believed in vain." I Cor. 15:1-2

"The Spirit himself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are children of God: and if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified with him." Rom. 8:16-17

"And Adam was not beguiled, but the woman being beguiled hath fallen into transgression: but she shall be saved ... if they continue in faith and love and sanctification with sobriety." I Tim. 2:14-15

"Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth unto his own flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth unto the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap eternal life. And let us not be weary in well-doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not." Gal. 6:7-9

Q. Is Calvinism's absolute "Perseverance of the Saints" true, OR does GOD'S WORD teach that the salvation of the saints is conditional upon certain "if's" as to their neglect and unfaithfulness?

"Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost its savor, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out and trodden under foot of men." Matt. 5:13

"Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; so neither can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same beareth much fruit: for apart from me ye can do nothing. If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned." John 15:4-6

"Therefore we (Hebrew saints) ought to give the more earnest heed to the things that were heard, lest haply we drift away from them. For if the word spoken through angels proved stedfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompense of reward; how shall we escape, if we neglect so great a salvation?" Heb. 2:1-3

"For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more a sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and a fierceness of fire which shall devour the adversaries." Heb. 10:26-27

"But my righteous one shall live by faith: And if he shrink back, my soul hath no pleasure in him." Heb. 10:38

Q. Is Calvinism's absolute "Perseverance of the Saints" true, OR does GOD'S WORD teach that it is possible for those who have escaped the sin of the world through the knowledge of Jesus, to again be entangled by and to be overcome by sin?

"For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein and overcome, the last state is become worse with them than the first. For it were better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after knowing it, to turn back from the holy commandment delivered unto them. It has happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog turning to his own vomit again, and the sow that had washed to wallowing in the mire." II Pet. 2:20-22

"For freedom did Christ set us free: stand fast therefore, and be not entangled again in a yoke of bondage." Gal. 5:1

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Q. Is Calvinism's absolute "Perseverance of the Saints" true, OR does GOD'S WORD teach that a saint or Christian can sin wilfully, thus reject God's Son and His salvation, and thus receive vengeance at the hand of the living God?

"For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more a sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and a fierceness of fire which shall devour the adversaries. A man that hath set at nought Moses law dieth without compassion on the word of two or three witnesses: of how much sorer punishment, think ye, shall he be judged worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant wherewith he was sanctified an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace? For we know him that said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense. And again, The Lord shall judge his people. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God." Heb. 10:26-31

"See that ye refuse not him (Jesus) that speaketh. For if they escaped not when they refused him that warned them on earth, much more shall not we escape who turn away from him that warneth from heaven....for our God is a consuming fire." Heb. 12:25, 29

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Q. Is Calvinism's absolute "Perseverance of the Saints" true OR does GOD'S WORD teach that saints can deny the faith and that the faith of the saints can be overthrown?

"But the Spirit saith expressly, that in later times some shall fall away from the faith" I Tim. 4:1

"But if any provideth not for his own, and specially his own household, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an unbeliever." 1 Tim. 5:8

"For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil: which some reaching after have been led astray from the faith...." I Tim. 6:10

"O Timothy, guard that which is committed unto thee, turning away from the profane babblings and oppositions of the knowledge which is falsely so called; which some professing have erred concerning the faith." I Tim. 6:20-21

"...holding faith and a good conscience; which some having thrust from them made shipwreck concerning the faith: of whom is Hymenaeus and Alexander...." I Tim. 1:19-20

"But shun profane babblings: for they will proceed further in ungodliness, and their word will eat as doth a gangrene: of whom is Hymenaeus and Philetus; men who concerning the truth have erred, saying that the resurrection is past already, and overthrow the faith of some." II Tim. 2:16-18

Q. Is Calvinism's absolute "Perseverance of the Saints" true, OR does GOD'S WORD give us a definite example of one who truly believed, was baptized, and continued with the truth, and then fell away into wickedness and iniquity by which he could have perished?

"And Simon (the sorcerer) also himself believed: and being baptized, he continued with Philip; and beholding signs and great miracles wrought, he was amazed....Now when Simon saw that through the laying on of the apostles' hands the Holy Spirit was given, he offered them money, saying, Give me also this power, that on whomsoever I lay my hands, he may receive the Holy Spirit. But Peter said unto him, Thy silver perish with thee, because thou hast thought to obtain the gift of God with money. Thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter: for thy heart is not right before God. Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray the Lord, if perhaps the thought of thy heart shall be forgiven thee. For I see that thou art in the gall of bitterness and in the bond of iniquity. And Simon answered and said, Pray ye for me to the Lord, that none of the things which ye have spoken come upon me." Acts 8:13, 18-24

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Q. Is Calvinism's absolute "Perseverance of the Saints" true, OR does GOD'S WORD teach that members of the true church can do things that will cause them to loose their part of the tree of life and of the holy city?

"I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things for the churches.... I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, if any man shall add unto them, God shall add unto him the plagues which are written in this book: and if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the tree of life, and out of the holy city, which are written in this book." Rev. 22:16, 18-19

Q. According to GOD'S WORD, who was the first to teach,
"Ye shall not surely die",
"The impossibility of apostasy",
"The Perseverance of the Saints"?

"Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which Jehovah God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of any tree of the garden? And the woman said unto the serpent, Of the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat: but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:" Gen. 3:1-4

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Q. Is Calvinism's absolute "Perseverance of the Saints" true, OR does GOD'S WORD warn saints to beware of the devil lest they fall and be devoured by him?

"Be sober, be watchful: your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour, whom withstand stedfast in your faith" I Pet. 5:8-9

"Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil." Eph. 6:11

"Be subject therefore unto God; but resist the devil, and he will flee from you." James 4:7

"Moreover he (an Elder) must have good testimony from them that are without; lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil." 1 Tim. 3:7

"But the Spirit saith expressly, that in later times some shall fall away from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of demons" 1 Tim. 4:1

Q. If Calvinism's absolute "Perseverance of the Saints" is true, and the devil has not caused one saint to fall in 2000 years, why does the devil continue "as a roaring lion, walking about, seeking whom he may devour"?

Q. Is the devil really that stupid?

Q. If Calvinism's absolute "Perseverance of the Saints" is true, why does the devil continue "as a roaring lion, walking about, seeking whom he may devour", when Calvinism tells him that God will give him the non-elect reprobates whether he walks, roars, or does anything at all to get them?

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Q. Is Calvinism's absolute "Perseverance of the Saints" true, OR does GOD'S WORD teach that names can be blotted out of God's book of life?

"And Moses returned unto Jehovah, and said, Oh, this people have sinned a great sin, and have made them gods of gold. Yet now, if thou wilt forgive their sin -- ; and if not, blot me, I pray thee, out of thy book which thou hast written. And Jehovah said unto Moses, Whosoever hath sinned against me, him will I blot out of my book." Ex. 32:31-33

"Add iniquity unto their iniquity;
And let them not come into thy righteousness.
Let them be blotted out of the book of life,
And not be written with the righteous." Psalm 69:27-28

"He that overcometh shall thus be arrayed in white garments; and I will in no wise blot his name out of the book of life, and I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith to the churches." Rev. 3:5-6

"And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book." Rev. 22:19 AV

Q. Is Calvinism's absolute "Perseverance of the Saints" true, OR does GOD'S WORD teach that only those who overcome and are faithful unto death shall be saved?

"He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith to the churches. To him that overcometh, to him will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the Paradise of God." Rev. 2:7

"He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith to the churches. He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death." Rev. 2:11

"He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith to the churches. To him that overcometh, to him will I give of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, and upon the stone a new name written, which no one knoweth but he that receiveth it." Rev. 2:17

"Nevertheless that which ye have, hold fast till I come. And he that overcometh, and he that keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give authority over the nations....He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith to the churches." Rev. 2:25-26, 29

"He that overcometh shall thus be arrayed in white garments; and I will in no wise blot his name out of the book of life, and I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith to the churches." Rev. 3:5-6

"I come quickly: hold fast that which thou hast, that no one take thy crown. He that overcometh, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go out thence no more: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God, and mine own new name. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith to the churches." Rev. 3:11-13

"He that overcometh, I will give to him to sit down with me in my throne, as I also overcame, and sat down with my Father in his throne. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith to the churches." Rev. 3:21-22

"He that overcometh shall inherit these things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son." Rev. 21:7

"Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee the crown of life. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith to the churches." Rev. 2:10-11

"...he that endureth to the end, the same shall be saved." Matt. 10:22

Q. If Calvinism's absolute "Perseverance of the Saints" is true, why does GOD'S WORD tell saints to hold fast, to overcome, to be faithful unto death?

Q. Why does GOD'S WORD give all these warnings and conditions if it is impossible for saints to fall?

Q. Is Calvinism's absolute "Perseverance of the Saints" true, OR does GOD'S WORD teach and warn saints that their salvation is conditional on their "continuing" in the faith and in the Word?

"Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;" John 8:31 AV

"As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love." John 15:9 AV

"And when they had preached the gospel to that city, and had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra, and to Iconium, and to Antioch, confirming the souls of the disciples, exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that through many tribulations we must enter into the kingdom of God." Acts 14:21-22

"...God; Who will render to every man according to his deeds: To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life:" Rom. 2:5-7 AV

"And you, being in time past alienated and enemies in your mind in your evil works, yet now hath he reconciled in the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and without blemish and unreproveable before him: if so be that ye continue in the faith, grounded and stedfast, and not moved away from the hope of the gospel which ye heard...." Col. 1:21-23

"But he that looketh into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and so continueth, being not a hearer that forgetteth but a doer that worketh, this man shall be blessed in his doing." James 1:25

"But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them; And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus." II Tim. 3:14-15 AV

"Take heed to thyself, and to thy teaching. Continue in these things; for in doing this thou shalt save both thyself and them that hear thee." I Tim. 4:16

"For we have not here an abiding city, but we seek after the city which is to come. Through him (Jesus) then let us offer up a sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of lips which make confession to his name." Heb. 13:14-15

Q. Why does GOD'S WORD teach and warn saints to "continue in the faith", if it is impossible for them not to do so?

Q. What happens when a saint stops "continuing" in the faith and in the Word?

Q. Is Calvinism's absolute "Perseverance of the Saints" true, OR does GOD'S WORD teach that even the great apostle Paul was concerned about his own perseverance?

"...but I (Paul) buffet my body, and bring it into bondage: lest by any means, after that I have preached to others, I myself should be rejected." I Cor. 9:27

"Brethren, I (Paul) count not myself yet to have laid hold: but one thing I do, forgetting the things which are behind, and stretching forward to the things which are before, I press on toward the goal unto the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." Phil. 3:13-14

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Q. Is Calvinism's absolute "Perseverance of the Saints" true, OR does GOD'S WORD teach that the apostle Paul was deeply concerned about the perseverance of the saints which were at Colossae?

"Paul...To the saints and faithful brethren in Christ that are at Colossae:" Col. 1:1-2

"For I would have you know how greatly I strive for you..." Col. 2:1

"Take heed lest there shall be any one that maketh spoil of you through his philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ:" Col. 2:8

"Let no man rob you of your prize..." Col. 2:18

Q. Is Calvinism's absolute "Perseverance of the Saints" true, OR does GOD'S WORD teach that the apostle Paul was very much concerned about the perseverance of the saints which were at Philippi?

"Paul ... to all the saints ...that are at Philippi" Phil. 1:1

"Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ: that, whether I come and see you or be absent, I may hear of your state, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one soul striving for the faith of the gospel; and in nothing affrighted by the adversaries:" Phil. 1:27-28

"So then, my beloved, even as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who worketh in you both to will and to work, for his good pleasure... that I may have whereof to glory in the day of Christ, that I did not run in vain neither labor in vain." Phil. 2:12-13, 16

"Wherefore, my brethren beloved and longed for, my joy and crown, so stand fast in the Lord, my beloved." Phil. 4:1

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Q. Is Calvinism's absolute "Perseverance of the Saints" true, OR does GOD'S WORD teach that the apostle Paul was very much concerned about the perseverance of the saints which were in Galatia?

"Paul...unto the churches of Galatia... I marvel that ye are so quickly removing from him that called you in the grace of Christ unto a different gospel;" Gal. 1:1-2, 6

"O foolish Galatians, who did bewitch you...? ...Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now perfected in the flesh? Did ye suffer so many things in vain? " Gal. 3:1, 3-4

"but now that ye have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how turn ye back again to the weak and beggarly rudiments, whereunto ye desire to be in bondage over again? Ye observe days, and months, and seasons, and years. I am afraid of you, lest by any means I have bestowed labor upon you in vain." Gal. 4:9-11

"My little children, of whom I am again in travail until Christ be formed in you -- but I could wish to be present with you now, and to change my tone; for I am perplexed about you." Gal 4:19-20

"For freedom did Christ set us free: stand fast therefore, and be not entangled again in a yoke of bondage." Gal. 5:1

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Q. Is Calvinism's absolute "Perseverance of the Saints" true, OR does GOD'S WORD teach that the apostle Paul was very much concerned about the perseverance of the saints which were at Corinth?

"Paul... unto the church of God which is at Corinth... called to be saints..." I Cor. 1:1-2

"but I (Paul) buffet my body, and bring it into bondage: lest by any means, after that I have preached to others, I myself should be rejected. For I would not, brethren, have you ignorant, that our fathers... lusted ... were idolaters... committed fornication... made trial of the Lord...murmured" I Cor. 9:27-10:10

"Howbeit with most of them God was not well pleased: for they were overthrown in the wilderness...and fell in one day three and twenty thousand... and perished by the serpents... and perished by the destroyer." I Cor. 10:5-10

"Now these things happened unto them by way of example; and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages are come. Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall." I Cor. 10:11-12

Q. When Rom. 8:35-38 says that nothing shall separate us from the love of God, about whom is it speaking?

"them that love God" Rom. 8:28

Q. Does GOD'S WORD teach that man's love for God can become cold and does it warn saints to keep themselves in God's love?

"...the love of the many shall wax cold. But he that endureth to the end, the same shall be saved." Mat. 24:12-13

"...abide ye in my love." John 15:9b

"...keep yourselves in the love of God..." Jude 21

Q. According to GOD'S WORD, how does a man show his love to God and thus keep himself in God's love?

"...abide ye in my love. If ye keep my (Jesus') commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love.... Ye are my friends, if ye do the things which I (Jesus) command you." John 15:9-10, 14

"...if any man serve me (Jesus), him will the Father honor." John 12:26

"If ye love me, ye will keep my (Jesus') commandments.... He that hath my (Jesus') commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me.... Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my word: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him." John 14:15, 21, 23

"...for the Father himself loveth you, because ye have loved me, and have believed that I came forth from the Father." John 16:27

"And hereby we know that we know him, if we keep his (Jesus') commandments. He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his (Jesus') commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him;" I John 2:3-4

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"My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: and I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, and no one shall snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who hath given them unto me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand." John 10:27-29

Q. Does this scripture teach Calvinism's absolute "Perseverance of the Saints", OR does it teach that sheep are safe only as long as they hear the shepherd's voice and follow him?

"My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: and I give unto them eternal life;" John 10:27-28

"...abide ye in my love." John 15:9b

"...keep yourselves in the love of God..." Jude 21

Q. Is Calvinism's absolute "Perseverance of the Saints" true, OR does GOD'S WORD teach that saints are safe and fruitful only as long as they abide in Christ, and that when they cease to abide in Christ they wither, are unfruitful, are gathered, and are burned as dead branches?

"Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; so neither can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same beareth much fruit: for apart from me ye can do nothing. If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned." John 15:4-6

"Well; by their (the Jews') unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by thy faith. Be not highminded, but fear: for if God spared not the natural branches, neither will he spare thee. Behold then the goodness and severity of God: toward them that fell, severity; but toward thee, God's goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off. And they also, if they continue not in their unbelief, shall be grafted in: for God is able to graft them in again." Rom. 11:20-23

Q. If Calvinism's absolute "Perseverance of the Saints" is true, what is the purpose of these and hundreds of other warnings for the saints which we find in GOD'S WORD?

"Watch therefore"	Matt. 24:42
"be ye also ready"	Matt. 24:44
"Watch and pray"	Matt. 26:41
"take ye heed"	Mark 13:23
"Pray that ye enter not into temptation"	Luke 22:40
"Abide in me (Jesus)"	John 15:4
"watch ye"	Acts 20:31
"Let not sin...reign"	Rom. 6:12
"Be not overcome by evil"	Rom. 12:21
"overcome evil with good"	Rom. 12:21
"Overthrow not...the work of God"	Rom. 14:20
"Purge out the old leaven"	I Cor. 5:7
"Be not deceived"	I Cor. 6:9
"take heed"	I Cor. 8:9
"run; that ye may attain"	I Cor. 9:24
"be ye steadfast, unmovable"	I Cor. 15:58
"stand fast in the faith"	I Cor. 16:13
"be not entangled again"	Gal. 5:1
"I forewarn you"	Gal. 5:21
"let each man prove his own work"	Gal. 6:4
"Be not deceived"	Gal. 6:7
"work that which is good"	Gal. 6:10
"Wherefore remember"	Eph. 2:11
"sin not"	Eph. 4:26
"neither give place to the devil"	Eph. 4:27
"grieve not the Holy Spirit of God"	Eph. 4:30
"Let no man deceive you"	Eph. 5:6
"Look...carefully how ye walk"	Eph. 5:15
"be strong"	Eph. 6:10
"Put on the whole armor of God"	Eph. 6:11
"Stand therefore"	Eph. 6:14
"put on the breast-plate of righteousness"	Eph. 6:14
"take the helmet of salvation"	Eph. 6:17
"take...the sword of the Spirit"	Eph. 6:17
"work out your own salvation"	Phil. 2:12
"Beware"	Phil. 3:2
"beware of the evil workers"	Phil. 3:2
"stand fast in the Lord"	Phil. 4:1
"Take heed lest"	Col. 2:8
"Let no man rob you of your prize"	Col. 2:18
"Let the word of Christ dwell in your richly"	Col. 3:16
"Continue steadfastly"	Col. 4:2
"Brethren, we beseech and exhort you"	I Thess. 4:1
"let us not sleep"	I. Thess. 5:6
"let us watch and be sober"	I Thess. 5:6
"Quench not the Spirit"	I Thess. 5:19
"hold fast that which is good"	I Thess. 5:21
"let no man beguile you"	II Thess. 2:3
"brethren, stand fast"	II Thess. 2:15
"be diligent"	I Tim. 4:15
"take heed to thyself"	I Tim. 4:16
"take heed...to thy teaching"	I Tim. 4:16
"Continue"	I Tim. 4:16
"Fight the good fight of faith"	I Tim. 6:12
"guard that which is committed unto thee"	I Tim. 6:20
"Hold the pattern of sound words"	II Tim. 1:13
"Remember Jesus Christ"	II Tim. 2:8
"Give diligence to present thyself approved"	II Tim. 2:15
"know this"	II Tim. 3:1
"shun foolish questionings"	Titus 3:9
"give the more earnest heed"	Heb. 2:1
"Harden not your hearts"	Heb. 3:8
"Take heed, brethren"	Heb. 3:12
"Let us...give diligence"	Heb. 4:11
"Let us press on"	Heb. 6:1
"let us hold fast the confession of our hope"	Heb. 10:23
"let us run...the race"	Heb. 12:1
"wax not weary"	Heb. 12:3
"Be not carried away by . . . strange teachings"	Heb. 13:9
"Be not deceived, my beloved brethren"	James 1:16
"Hearken"	James 2:5
"resist the devil"	James 4:7
"establish your hearts"	James 5:8
"arm ye yourselves"	I Pet. 4:1
"Be sober, be watchful"	I Pet. 5:8
"stand ye fast"	I Pet. 5:12
"make your calling and election sure"	II Pet. 1:10
"remember the words which were spoken"	II Pet. 3:2
"forget not"	II Pet. 3:8
"beware lest...ye fall"	II Pet. 3:17
"abide in him (Christ)"	I John 2:28
"let no man lead you astray"	I John 3:7
"believe not every spirit"	I John 4:1
"prove the spirits"	I John 4:1
"guard yourselves"	I John 5:21
"contend earnestly for the faith"	Jude 3
"remember ye the words"	Jude 17
"keep yourselves in the love of God"	Jude 21
"hear what the Spirit saith to the churches"	Rev. 2:7
"Remember"	Rev. 2:5
"repent and do the first works"	Rev. 2:5
"Be thou faithful unto death"	Rev. 2:10
"Repent therefore; or else"	Rev. 2:16
"Be thou watchful"	Rev. 3:2
"remember ... and repent"	Rev. 3:3
"hold fast that which thou hast"	Rev. 3:11
"be zealous therefore, and repent"	Rev. 3:19
"hear what the Spirit saith to the churches"	Rev. 3:22

Q. If Calvinism's absolute "Perseverance of the Saints" is true, why does GOD'S WORD give these and hundreds of other warnings for the saints?

Q. Why does GOD'S WORD warn saints to persevere when according to Calvinism it is impossible for them not to persevere?

Published in The Old Paths Archive
(http://www.oldpaths.com)

"NOR IN JERUSALEM" by David Vaughn Elliott

https://steve-finnell.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2016-10-25T06:58:00-07:00&max-results=10

"NOR IN JERUSALEM"
by David Vaughn Elliott

"Nor in Jerusalem" jumped off the page during my morning devotions the other day. Not that I wasn't well acquainted with the verse already. But it struck me anew: prophetic, poignant, and personal. An unnamed woman had a concern we all should have: correct worship. Jesus told her: "An hour is coming when neither in this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father... God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth" (John 4:21-24).

Jerusalem is arguably the most revered as well as the most contested city in the world. There will be no peace accord between Israel and the Palestinians without an agreement on Jerusalem. Jews, Muslims, and various branches of Christianity maintain holy sites within Jerusalem's walls.

Jesus said, "nor in Jerusalem." The Jerusalem Jesus referred to is not the huge spread of modern Jerusalem. Rather, it is a tiny area within modern Jerusalem that is surrounded by walls and called "The Old City." That's the Jerusalem Jesus visited and spoke of. That's the contested Jerusalem with various holy sites. That's the Jerusalem of this Insight. Covering only 220 acres, the Old City is smaller than the National Mall in Washington, DC. The Old City is about one-fourth the size of Central Park in NYC. So tiny, yet so important.

Jerusalem Before Jesus
To appreciate the astounding nature of Jesus' remark, we must go back 1,500 years before Jesus – to Moses. Jesus told the unnamed Samaritan woman, "We [Jews] worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews" (John 4:22). From the time of Moses, the Jews had been taught the correct way to worship God. The first four of the Ten Commandments directly relate to worship of God. So also does the tabernacle, for which God gave Moses detailed instructions.

Many lessons are wrapped up in the tabernacle, but we are only concerned here with its location. Obviously, being a tent-like structure, it was made to be set up and dismantled over and over again as the Israelites wandered in the wilderness for forty years. But there would be a day when that temporary system would cease. God told Moses: "You shall seek the Lord at the place which the Lord your God will choose from all your tribes, to establish His name there for His dwelling, and there you shall come. There you shall bring your burnt offerings, your sacrifices" (Deut. 12:5-6). Ten times in Deuteronomy emphasis is placed on worship in the Promised Land at the place God would choose.

Fast forward 500 years to King Solomon. Solomon built a magnificent permanent temple in Jerusalem. At the great dedication ceremony "when Solomon had finished praying, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the Lord filled the house. The priests could not enter into the house of the Lord because the glory of the Lord filled the Lord's house... Then the Lord appeared to Solomon at night and said to him, 'I have heard your prayer and have chosen this place for Myself as a house of sacrifice' " (2 Chron. 7:1-2, 12).

Jerusalem thus became sacred to the Jews. No city could be compared to it. It was there they sacrificed. It was there they met God. Years later when Jerusalem was devastated by the Babylonians under Nebuchadnezzar, the Jews in captivity were devastated emotionally. "By the Rivers of Babylon," a pop song in the 1970's and 1980's, was taken from a portion of Psalm 137: "By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down and wept, when we remembered Zion [Jerusalem]... there our captors demanded of us songs... saying, 'Sing us one of the songs of Zion.' How can we sing the Lord's song in a foreign land? If I forget you, O Jerusalem, may my right hand forget her skill. May my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth if I do not remember you, if I do not exalt Jerusalem above my chief joy." With such a background, Jesus dared to say, "nor in Jerusalem."

Jesus' View of Jerusalem
It is God who with fire, glory, and spoken word clearly showed the Jews that the temple in Jerusalem was the place He had chosen for His worship. That's why Jesus could tell the Samaritan woman that the Samaritans were wrong and the Jews were right about the worship of God: "You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews" (John 4:22). But just before that, Jesus said what would be astounding to any Jew: "An hour is coming when neither in this mountainnor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father" (vs. 21). The exact place God himself had chosen would no longer be the place to worship Him. Jesus was challenging 1,000 years of Jewishness. One thousand years of what almighty God himself had ordained.

Jesus loved Jerusalem; Jesus wept over Jerusalem. During the Triumphal Entry "when He approached Jerusalem, He saw the city and wept over it, saying, 'If you had known in this day, even you, the things which make for peace! But now they have been hidden from your eyes. For the days will come upon you when your enemies will throw up a barricade against you, and surround you and hem you in on every side, and they will level you to the ground and your children within you, and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not recognize the time of your visitation' " (Luke 19:41-44).

Jesus thus predicted Jerusalem's total destruction, which would become world history just forty years later. And there is a great difference between the former destruction of Jerusalem and the temple by the Babylonians and the coming destruction by the Romans under Titus in A.D. 70. In the former case, there was a promise of rebuilding after 70 years. In the latter case, there is no such promise or prediction.

Jerusalem After Jesus

It was God who chose the temple in Jerusalem. It was God who revoked that choice when his Son died on Calvary. The moment Jesus died "behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth shook and the rocks were split" (Matt. 27:51). The veil separated the holy place from the most holy place. With Jesus' death and shed blood for our sins, the whole old system was done away. "We have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh" (Heb. 10:19-20). Jesus replaced the old way. That is why he could declare "nor in Jerusalem."

In Solomon's time, God had sent fire from heaven to authenticate the worship at the temple in Jerusalem. However, forty years after tearing the veil in two, God sent the Romans to physically wipe the temple from off the face of the earth. It has never been rebuilt, even though attempts have been made.

In A.D. 132, Bar-Cochba led a Jewish uprising, reconquering Jerusalem, intending to rebuild the temple. However, Emperor Hadrian's top commander crushed the revolt. Bar-Cochba was slain, and it was all over. A new idolatrous city, Aelia Capitolina, was built on Jerusalem's ruins. Jews were forbidden to enter Jerusalem upon pain of death. They could only look from afar on each anniversary of Bar-Cochba's defeat.

In A.D. 361, Rome acquired a new emperor, Julian, called the Apostate. As an avowed enemy of Christianity, he had allies in the Jews. "Rebuild the temple," ordered the emperor. Jews flocked to Jerusalem, opened their purses, and rolled up their sleeves. Julian provided great sums of money and assigned one of his ministers to take charge. Their first job was to clear the debris. The Jews were enthralled. But what's that? Fire! They fled. Horrible balls of fire broke out near the foundations. The fire died down. Back to work. Fire again, and again, and again. They could not continue. The work was abandoned. Shortly after, Julian was slain in battle just 18 months after taking office. It was all over. The fire? Some say it was a miracle; some say it was natural. In any case, it is a fact of history attested to by both Christian and pagan contemporary sources. (See Edward Gibbon's Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, Chap. 23, Part 3).

Neither the rebel Bar-Cochba nor the Emperor Julian could frustrate Jesus' solemn prediction: "nor in Jerusalem."

Jerusalem Today
Since the Six-Day War in 1967, the Jews have been back in Jerusalem. And the temple? For over thirteen centuries, the Muslim Dome of the Rock has been on the former temple site. Jews believe that if the temple is to be rebuilt, it can only be built on the exact spot where it stood before. If you know anything about Middle East politics, you know that Israel does not dare touch the Dome of the Rock. Thus, Jews continue to this day without the place of worship that God had chosen.

All that Jews have today is a portion of the Western Wall often called the Wailing Wall. Some mistakenly think this is a surviving wall of the temple. Rather, it is a portion of the retaining wall that held up a level area upon which the temple was built. The Wailing Wall is today the most holy place for the Jews. Filled with lament. Filled with hopes. And filled with paper prayers. Not only Jews but people of many religions write prayers and place them in the cracks of the wall. The concept is that the wall is the closest that people can get to God. More than a million prayers are placed in the wall every year. Twice a year they are cleaned out, bagged, and buried. What a vain and superstitious attempt to reach God!

On the temple mount, the Dome of the Rock not only stands in the way of Jewish aspirations for rebuilding their temple, it is an open attack upon Jesus Christ. Arabic inscriptions on the walls repeatedly attack Jesus. Here is a direct quote from an Islamic web site which reproduces the inscriptions in Arabic and provides the English translation. "There is no god but God. He is One. He has no associate... O People of the Book! Do not exaggerate in your religion nor utter aught concerning God save the truth. The Messiah, Jesus son of Mary, was only a Messenger of God, and His Word which He conveyed unto Mary, and a spirit from Him. So believe in God and His messengers, and say not 'Three' - Cease! (it is) better for you! - God is only One God. Far be it removed from His transcendent majesty that He should have a son." A frontal attack on Jesus in the same city that cried, "Crucify him!"

Then there are the "Christian" holy places in Jerusalem today. The main attraction is the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. The main owners/custodians of the complex are the Greek Orthodox, the Armenian Orthodox, and the Roman Catholic churches. On display is the stone of anointing, a limestone slab commemorative of the supposed slab upon which Jesus' dead body was prepared for burial. Pilgrims kneel around it to pray, rub their hands on it, and kiss it. There is the purported rock of Golgotha, which can be seen through glass. At the top of it under an altar, there is a silver plate with a hole through which you can extend your hand to touch the rock. There is the purported tomb of Joseph of Arimathea, the prison where Jesus was held, a piece of the stone rolled away by the angels, Jesus' tomb itself, and much more. It is full of images, burning candles, and altars with masses celebrated daily. Should I mention that under the place of crucifixion is Adam's burial place and that Jesus' blood ran down into the ground and into Adam's skull? House of superstition, myth, and idolatry!

"Nor in Jerusalem," said Jesus. "Worship in spirit and truth," said Jesus. Before Jesus, Jerusalem was God's dwelling place on earth. Jesus' trial, crucifixion, and resurrection took place in and just outside Jerusalem. The true gospel began in Jerusalem less than two months later. Jerusalem was the center of the gospel for many years. In A.D. 70, all that was terminated dramatically. Jerusalem is no longer "the holy city." It is no longer God's dwelling place on earth. There may be some "worship in spirit and truth" somewhere within the walls of the Old City of Jerusalem today, but it would be hard to find. In its place is superstition, myth, idolatry, unbelief, and outright denial of Jesus being the Son of God. Jerusalem is no longer the place to worship God. We must seek Him in spirit and truth through Jesus Christ who is the Truth, no matter where we dwell on this planet.

Scripture quotations taken from the NASB._________________________________________
You can now find all former Insights on this page,
including a section entitled "Jerusalem and Temple":
http://insight2bp.homestead. com/Subject.html

Great Verses of the Bible: 2Chronicles 7:14 by Ken Weliever, The Preacherman

https://thepreachersword.com/2018/07/04/great-verses-of-the-bible-2chronicles-714/#more-12584

Great Verses of the Bible: 2Chronicles 7:14

Today is the 242nd birthday of the United States of America. For the first time in my life, I’m out of the country for the 4th, although just across the border in Ontario, Canada. But I don’t have to be “home” to know that America is hurting.

A recent Gallup poll revealed that the number of US citizens who consider themselves “extremely proud to be an American” has sunk to an 18 year low. In fact, for the first time, the number fell below 50%.

This year’s July 4th celebration comes at a time of increasing political tension. Today, some of our own elected leaders are calling for riots and worse. Incivility seems to be the new social norm. If Facebook posts are any indication, there is sharp social and political polarization between many groups of people, even Christians.

Add to this the alarming increase of mass shootings that are occurring in our country. No place is exempt from violence. Schools. Streets. Social gatherings. The workplace. Even churches.

As our people and political leaders debate illegal immigration, the economy, trade, Supreme Court nominees and a host of other concerns, let us be reminded that our greatest problems are not political or social. As William Bennett expressed it, “the real crisis of our time is spiritual.”

The words of God to King Solomon at the beginning of his reign, when He appeared to him in the night, are appropriate for our age 3,000 years later.

“If my people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and forgive their sin and heal their land. (2 Chron. 7:14)

I understand that America is not God’s people is the same way as Old Testament Israel. In fact, the fondness many have for calling America a “Christian nation” is neither politically or Biblically correct. While there is an influence of Christian principles in our documents, there is nothing in the Constitution that makes such a claim. The name “Christian” is used in the Bible to refer to individual followers of Christ, not nations.

So, let us, as God’s people apply this ancient, Divine counsel to our lives.

(1) Humble ourselves. “A man’s pride will bring him low, but the humble in spirit will retain honor” (Prov. 29:23). We need to be reminded that God has blessed us. Our personal and collective affluence, success and greatness is the result of a benevolent Creator.
(2) Pray. Humility leads to earnest prayer. Pride takes us away from prayer. Paul exhorted that we should pray for those in authority (1 Tim 2:1-2). Would it be too extreme to suggest that prayer might be more effective and efficacious than vitriolic Facebook posts ranting and raving against our leaders?

(3) Seek the Face of God. If our nation is to be healed, we must come to the great Physician for the spiritual balm so badly needed. Our 30th President Calvin Coolidge once said, “We do not need more national development, we need more spiritual development.”

(4) Turn from our Wicked Ways. It is not enough to know what is right, we must do it. We must turn from both the practice of sin and the approval and tolerance of it.

While it is easy to apply these principles to others, perhaps we all should look within our own hearts to see whether we are really being “the light of the world” and the “salt of the earth” (Matt 5:13-16).

Rather than cursing the darkness and criticizing others for our nation’s ills, let us live for the Lord. Love others. Let our light shine. And lead the way.

Happy birthday everyone!

–Ken Weliever, The Preacherman

"THE GOSPEL OF JOHN" The Promise Of The Spirit (7:37-39)

"THE GOSPEL OF JOHN"

The Promise Of The Spirit (7:37-39)

INTRODUCTION

1. During the Feast Of Tabernacles, there was a daily ceremony involving water...
a. Each day, the priests and the people would joyfully make their way
to the pool of Siloam
b. Using a golden pitcher, water was drawn, taken back to the temple,
and poured on the altar of burnt offering
c. The words of Isa 12:3 were then sung: "Therefore with joy you
will draw water from the wells of salvation."

2. On such an occasion Jesus used the opportunity to extend a wonderful promise...
a. Inviting those who thirst to come to Him and drink - Jn 7:37
b. Those who believe in Him will have "rivers of living water" flow
from their hearts - Jn 7:38

3. The apostle John explains that this promise concerns the Holy Spirit... - Jn 7:39
a. Whom those who believe would receive
b. Who had not yet been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified

[What else might we glean from the Scriptures concerning this promise of
the Spirit? Let's first take a closer look at...]

I. THE NATURE OF THE PROMISE

A. FROM THE TEXT...
1. A promise foretold by the Scriptures - Jn 7:38; cf. Isa 44:3;58:11
a. "The reference is not to any single passage, but to the
spirit of the Scripture, notably such passages as Isa 55:1;
58:11; Ps 36:8-9." - B. W. Johnson
b. "...referring not to any particular passage, but to such as
Isa 58:11; Joel 3:18; Zec 14:8; Ezek 47:1-12; in most of
which the idea is that of waters issuing from beneath the
temple, to which our Lord compares Himself and those who
believe in Him." - Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown
2. A promise that makes one a blessing to others - Jn 7:38
a. "out of his heart will flow rivers of living water"
b. "When a man turns himself to the Lord, he shall be as a
fountain filled with living water, and his streams shall
flow to all the nations and tribes of men" - Kuinoel
c. "...those who are Christians shall diffuse large, and
liberal, and constant blessings on their fellowmen" - Barnes
3. A promise offered to believers - Jn 7:39
a. Not to those who have yet to believe
b. Which is why I do not believe it refers to the ministry of
the Spirit through the Word alone, for such occurs even on
those who do not believe - e.g., Jn 16:8
c. Note this observation by Robert Milligan:
1) "He manifestly refers in this passage to something which
had hitherto been enjoyed by no one, and which could be
enjoyed by none until after that he himself was
glorified." - Robert Milligan, Scheme of Redemption, p.283
2) "This, it would seem, could not have reference to the
mediate agency of the Spirit, through the written word
and the ordinary workings of God's providence; for
through these media the Spirit had always operated on the
minds of both Jews and Patriarchs." - ibid.
3) "Christ is speaking here of what is peculiar to his own
personal reign and administration." - ibid.
4. A promise extended to all believers - Jn 7:39
a. Not just to select disciples with special tasks, such as
apostles and prophets
b. Which is why I do not believe it refers to miraculous
manifestations of the Spirit, such as the gifts of the
Spirit, for not all Christians had such; note also:
1) This promise of the Spirit had not yet been given
2) Yet miraculous manifestations of the Spirit had been
experienced prior to the glorification of Jesus - e.g., Lk 1:41,67
5. A promise given after Jesus was "glorified" - Jn 7:39
a. I.e., after His resurrection and ascension to heaven
b. "The first and second chapters of the Book of Acts is the
best comment upon this passage. When Jesus ascended to the
right hand of the Father and was glorified, he sent forth
the Spirit upon his apostles on the day of Pentecost, and
the apostles in turn promised the gift of the Spirit to all
who would believe, repent, and be baptized." - J. W. McGarvey (Fourfold Gospel)

B. FROM OTHER TEXTS...
1. We conclude that it refers to the gift of the Holy Spirit
a. Promised to all who repent and are baptized - cf. Ac 2:38-39
b. Given to all who obey - cf. Ac 5:32
c. Imbibed by all who are baptized - cf. 1Co 12:13
d. Sent into our hearts because we are God's children - cf. Ga 4:6
2. We conclude that it refers to the indwelling of the Holy Spirit
a. Who indwells all that belong to Christ - cf. Ro 8:9-10
b. Making their bodies a temple of the Spirit - cf. 1Co 6:19

[That this promise refers to the gift or indwelling of the Spirit given
to all Christians becomes more apparent as we now focus our attention on...]

II. THE BLESSINGS OF THE PROMISE

A. THE FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT...
1. Remember what Jesus said of those who receive the Spirit - Jn 7:38
a. "out of his heart will flow rivers of living water"
b. I.e., they will become a blessing to others; note again:
1) "When a man turns himself to the Lord, he shall be as a
fountain filled with living water, and his streams shall
flow to all the nations and tribes of men" - Kuinoel
2) "...those who are Christians shall diffuse large, and
liberal, and constant blessings on their fellowmen"- Barnes
2. Especially when they bear the fruit of the Spirit in their lives- Ga 5:22-23
a. Such as love, joy, peace
b. Such as longsuffering, kindness, goodness
c. Such as gentleness, faithfulness, self-control
-- Bearing such fruit of the Spirit, they bless the lives of others!

B. THE AID OF THE SPIRIT...
1. The fruit of the Spirit becomes possible with the aid of the Spirit
a. Who helps us to put to death the deeds of the body - Ro 8:12-13; cf. Col 3:5-8
b. Who enables us to be filled with joy and peace, abounding in hope - Ro 15:13
2. For the Spirit is God's instrumental agent to strengthen the Christian
a. Strengthening with might through the Spirit in the inner man - Ep 3:16
b. With a power working in us - Ep 3:20
-- We are able to be a blessing to others, with the aid of the Spirit
working in us!

[Jesus therefore offers us the opportunity to be blessed by the Spirit's
indwelling, so we can be useful in blessing the lives of those around
us. But to ensure that we receive this blessing of the Spirit, let's be careful to consider...]

III. THE RECEPTION OF THE PROMISE

A. GIVEN TO THOSE WHO OBEY...
1. By believing in Jesus Christ
a. The need to believe emphasized twice in our text - Jn 7:38-39
b. For faith is necessary to receive "life in His name" - cf. Jn 20:31
2. By repenting of our sins
a. The gift of the Spirit promised to those who repent - Ac 2:38-39
b. Those who repent will experience "times of refreshing" (what
could be more refreshing than "rivers of living water"?)- cf. Ac 3:19
3. By being baptized for the remission of our sins
a. Those baptized are promised the gift of the Spirit - Ac 2:38-39
b. They are made to drink into one Spirit - cf. 1Co 12:13
-- As Peter put it, God gives the Holy Spirit to those who obey Him - Ac 5:32

B. EXPERIENCED BY THOSE WHO GROW...
1. By singing psalms, hymns, spiritual songs
a. We are to be filled with the Spirit - Ep 5:18
b. Which we can do by singing - Ep 5:19
2. By studying the Word of God
a. Which is the sword of the Spirit - Ep 6:17
b. The means by which the Spirit teaches and instructs the
Christian, for it contains the revelation of God given by
the Spirit to inspired men who wrote it for our benefit- cf.1Co 2:9-13; Ep 3:5-7
3. By praying, making requests regarding the Spirit
a. That God would fill one with all joy and peace in believing,
abounding in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit - Ro 15:13
b. That God would strengthen one with might through His Spirit
in the inner man - Ep 3:16
4. By turning away from sin
a. Lest they grieve the Spirit - cf. Ep 4:29-31
b. Lest they quench the Spirit - cf. 1Th 5:19

CONCLUSION

1. What a wonderful promise Jesus offers in our text...
a. The Holy Spirit to those who believe in Him
b. A refreshing drink that can become rivers of living water
1) First refreshing our souls
2) Then refreshing the souls around us by His impact on our lives

2. How sad if we quench the Spirit Who is intended to quench our thirst...
a. By failing to obey the Lord
b. By failing to grow in the Lord

May our attitude and heart's felt desire be similar to that of the
Samaritan woman, when Jesus spoke to her at Jacob's well...

"Jesus answered and said to her, 'Whoever drinks of this water
will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall
give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him
will become in him a fountain of water springing up into
everlasting life.' The woman said to Him, 'Sir, give me this
water, that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw.'" (Jn 4:13-15)

Are you willing to say to Jesus, "Sir, give me this water, that I may
not thirst" by coming to Him in faithful obedience...?

Executable Outlines, Copyright © Mark A. Copeland, 2016

The Problem of Evil by Dave Miller, Ph.D. Kyle Butt, M.Div.

The Problem of Evil

by	Dave Miller, Ph.D. Kyle Butt, M.Div.

On February 12, 2009, in a debate with Kyle Butt, Dan Barker affirmed the proposition that the God of the Bible does not exist. Three minutes and 15 seconds into his opening speech, he stated that one reason he believes God does not exist is because “there are no good replies to the arguments against the existence of God, such as the problem of evil. All you have to do is walk into any children’s hospital and you know there is no God. Prayer doesn’t make any difference. Those people pray for their beloved children to live, and they die” (Butt and Barker, 2009). Barker suggested that “the problem of evil” is one of the strongest positive arguments against the existence of God.

What, precisely, is the so-called “problem of evil”? Atheists like Barker note that the Bible depicts God as all-loving as well as all-powerful. This observation is certainly correct (e.g., 1 John 4:8; Genesis 17:1; Job 42:2; Matthew 19:26). Yet everyone admits that evil exists in the world. For God to allow evil and suffering either implies that He is not all-loving, or if He is all-loving, He lacks the power to eliminate them. In either case, the God of the Bible would not exist. To phrase the “problem of evil” more precisely, the atheist contends that the biblical theist cannot consistently affirm all three of the following propositions:

God is omnipotent.
God is perfect in goodness.
Evil exists.

Again, the atheist insists that if God is omnipotent (as the Bible affirms), He is not perfect in goodness since He permits evil and suffering to run rampant in the world. If, on the other hand, He is perfect in goodness, He lacks omnipotence since His goodness would move Him to exercise His power to eliminate evil on the Earth. Since the Christian affirms all three of the propositions, the atheist claims that Christians are guilty of affirming a logical contradiction, making their position false. Supposedly, the “problem of evil” presents an insurmountable problem for the Christian theist.

In truth, however, the “problem of evil” is a problem for the atheist—not the Christian theist. First, atheistic philosophy cannot provide a definition of “evil.” There is no rational way that atheism can accurately label anything as “evil” or “good.” On February 12, 1998, William Provine, a professor in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the distinguished Cornell University, delivered the keynote address at the second annual Darwin Day. In an abstract of that speech on the Darwin Day Web site, Dr. Provine asserted: “Naturalistic evolution has clear consequences that Charles Darwin understood perfectly. 1) No gods worth having exist; 2) no life after death exists; 3) no ultimate foundation for ethics exists; 4) no ultimate meaning in life exists; and 5) human free will is nonexistent” (Provine, 1998, emp. added). Provine’s ensuing message centered on his fifth statement regarding human free will. Prior to delving into the “meat” of his message, however, he noted: “The first 4 implications are so obvious to modern naturalistic evolutionists that I will spend little time defending them” (1998, emp. added). If there is no foundation upon which to base any ethical conclusions, then how could an atheist label any action or occurrence as “evil,” “bad,” or “wrong”?

Frederick Nietzsche understood atheistic philosophy so well that he suggested that the bulk of humanity has misunderstood concepts such as “evil” and “good.” In his work Beyond Good and Evil, Nietzsche wrote: “We believe that severity, violence, slavery, danger in the street and in the heart, secrecy, stoicism, tempter’s art and devilry of every kind—that everything wicked, terrible, tyrannical, predatory, and serpentine in man, serves as well for the elevation of the human species as its opposite” (2007, p. 35, emp. added). Nietzsche’s point simply was that what we might call morally “evil,” actually helps humans evolve higher thinking capacities, quicker reflexes, or greater problem-solving skills. Thus, if an “evil” occurrence helps humanity “evolve,” then there can be no legitimate grounds for labeling that occurrence as “evil.” In fact, according to atheistic evolution, anything that furthers the human species should be deemed as “good.”

As C.S. Lewis made his journey from atheism to theism, he realized that the “problem of evil” presented more of a problem for atheism than it did for theism. He stated:

My argument against God was that the universe seemed so cruel and unjust. But how had I got this idea of just and unjust? A man does not call a line crooked unless he has some idea of a straight line. What was I comparing this universe with when I called it unjust...? Of course, I could have given up my idea of justice by saying it was nothing but a private idea of my own. But if I did that, then my argument against God collapsed too—for the argument depended on saying that the world was really unjust, not simply that it did not happen to please my private fancies. Thus in the very act of trying to prove that God did not exist—in other words, that the whole of reality was senseless—I found I was forced to assume that one part of reality—namely my idea of justice—was full of sense. Consequently, atheism turns out to be too simple (Lewis, 1952, p. 45-46, italics in orig.).

Theistic apologist, William Lane Craig, has summarized the issue quite well:

I think that evil, paradoxically, actually proves the existence of God. My argument would go like this: If God does not exist then objective moral values do not exist. (2) Evil exists, (3) therefore objective moral values exist, that is to say, some things are really evil. Therefore, God exists. Thus, although evil and suffering at one level seem to call into question God’s existence, on a deeper more fundamental level, they actually prove God’s existence (n.d.).

Craig and Lewis are correct. If evil actually exists in the world, and some things are not the way they “should” be, then there must be a standard outside of the natural world that would give meaning to the terms “evil” and “good”—and the atheistic assumption proves false.

AN EMOTIONAL APPEAL

In addition to the fact that “evil” cannot even be discussed without reference to God, Barker rested the force of his statement on an emotional appeal. He said: “All you have to do is walk into any children’s hospital and you know there is no God.” Is it really the case that anyone who walks into a children’s hospital is immediately struck by the overwhelming force of atheism? No, it is not true. In fact, it is the farthest thing from the truth. Anticipating Barker’s tactics, one of us [KB] visited the children’s hospital in Columbia, South Carolina and met a lady who volunteered there. When asked why she volunteered, she pointed to a bullet hole in her skull. She said that it was a blessing she was still alive and she wanted to give something back since God had allowed her to live. When asked if many of the volunteers in the hospital were religious, she responded that many of them were from churches in the area, i.e., churches that believe in the God of the Bible.

According to Barker’s “line of reasoning,” the lady with whom we talked should not believe in a loving God, the volunteers that gave their time to the hospital should not believe in a loving God, we should no longer believe in a loving God (since we walked through the hospital), nor should any other person who has visited that facility. The falsity of such reasoning is apparent. Seeing the suffering in a children’s hospital does not necessarily drive a person to atheism. Truth be told, most people who visit a children’s hospital, and even have children who are patients there, believe in the God of the Bible. Barker’s assertion does not stand up to rational criticism.

Furthermore, Barker’s emotional appeal can easily be turned on its head: Walk through any children’s hospital and observe the love, care, and concern that the parents, doctors, and volunteers show the children, and you know atheistic evolution cannot be true. After all, evolution is about the survival of the fittest, in which the strong struggle against the weak to survive in a never-ending contest to pass on their genes. If evolution were true, parents and doctors would not waste their valuable resources on children who will not pass on their genes. Only theism can account for the selfless devotion and care that you see in children’s hospitals.

SOME SUFFERING IS ACCEPTABLE

When the “problem of evil” is presented, it quickly becomes apparent that the term “evil” cannot be used in any meaningful way by an atheist. The tactic, therefore, is to swap the terms “suffering,” “pain,” or “harm” for the word “evil,” and contend that the world is filled with too much pain, harm, and suffering. Since it is evident that countless people suffer physical, emotional, and psychological harm, the atheist contends that, even though there is no real “evil,” a loving God would not allow such suffering. [NOTE: The atheist’s argument has not really changed. He is still contending that suffering is “bad” or “evil” and would not be present in a “good” world. In truth, he remains in the same dilemma of proving that evil exists and that suffering is objectively evil.]

At first glance, it seems that the atheist is claiming that a loving, moral God would not allow His creatures, the objects of His love, to suffer at all. Again, the atheist reasons that humans are supposed to be the objects of God’s love, yet they suffer. Thus, God does not love or does not have the power to stop the suffering—and therefore does not exist.

The thoughtful observer soon sees the problem with this line of reasoning, which even the skeptic is forced to admit: it is morally right to allow some suffering in order to bring about greater good. On numerous occasions, Dan Barker and his fellow atheists have admitted the validity of this truth. During the cross-examination period of the Butt/Barker Debate, Barker stated:

You can’t get through life without some harm.... I think we all agree that it is wrong to stick a needle into a baby. That’s horrible. But, if that baby needs a life-saving injection, we will cause that harm, we will do that. The baby won’t understand it, but we will do that because there is a greater good. So, humanistic morality understands that within certain situations, there is harm, and there’s a trade off of values (Butt and Barker, 2009, emp. added).

In his debate with Peter Payne, Barker stated: “Often ethics involves creating harm. Sometimes harm is good” (Barker and Payne, 2005, emp. added). In his book, Maybe Right, Maybe Wrong: A Guide for Young Thinkers, Barker wrote: “When possible, you should try to stop the pain of others. If you have to hurt someone, then hurt them as little as possible.... If you do have to hurt someone, then try to stop as soon as possible. A good person does not enjoy causing pain” (1992, p. 33, emp. added).

It becomes evident that the atheist cannot argue against the concept of God based on the mere existence of suffering, because atheists are forced to admit that there can be morally justifiable reasons for suffering. Once again, the argument has been altered. No longer are we dealing with the “problem of evil,” since without the concept of God, the term “evil” means nothing. Furthermore, no longer are we dealing with a “problem of suffering,” since the atheist must admit that some suffering could be morally justifiable in order to produce a greater good. The atheist must add an additional term to qualify suffering: “pointless.”

POINTLESS OR UNNECESSARY SUFFERING

Since the skeptic knows that some suffering could be morally justified, he is forced to argue against the biblical concept of God by claiming that at least some of the suffering in this world is pointless or unnecessary. The skeptic then maintains that any being that allows pointless suffering cannot be loving or moral. In his book The Miracle of Theism, J.L. Mackie noted that if the theist could legitimately show that the suffering in the world is in some way useful, then the concept of the God of the Bible “is formally possible, and its principle involves no real abandonment of our ordinary view of the opposition between good and evil” (1982, p. 154). In light of this fact, Mackie admitted: “[W]e can concede that the problem of evil does not, after all, show that the central doctrines of theism are logically inconsistent with one another” (p. 154). Did Mackie throw in the proverbial towel and admit that the “problem” of evil and suffering does not militate against God? On the contrary, he contended that even though some suffering or evil might be necessary or useful, there is far too much pointless evil (he terms it “unabsorbed evil”) in the world for the traditional God of the Bible to exist. He then concluded: “The problem, therefore, now recurs as the problem of unabsorbed evils, and we have as yet no way of reconciling their existence with that of a god of the traditional sort” (p. 155, emp. added). Notice how Mackie was forced to change the “problem of evil” to the “problem of unabsorbed evil.”

Dan Barker understands this alteration in the “problem of evil” and has used it himself. In a debate with Rubel Shelly, Dan used his standard argument that the suffering in a children’s hospital is enough to show God does not exist. Shelly responded with a lengthy rebuttal, bringing to light the idea that suffering in this world can be consistently reconciled with God’s purposes for mankind. In concluding his comments, Shelly stated: “The kind of world, apparently, that unbelief wants is a world where no wrong action could have bad effects or where we just couldn’t make wrong actions” (Barker and Shelly, 1999). Barker responded to Shelly’s comments, saying:

I’m not asking for a world that’s free of pain.... No atheist is asking that the world be changed or requiring that if there is a God, He be able to change it. I’m not asking for a world that’s free of consequences. I think pain and consequences are important to a rational education.... What I am asking for is for human beings to strive as much as possible for a world that is free of unnecessary harm (1999, emp. added).

Barker went on to describe a scenario in which a forest fire forces a baby fawn to flee its home. In the process, the fawn catches its leg in a snare and is consumed by the flames. Barker then stated that he believed no one’s soul or character was edified by the fawn’s suffering, thus it would be an example of unnecessary or useless suffering. Barker further admitted that even though some suffering is acceptable, there simply is far too much to be reconciled with a loving God. Here again, it is important to notice that Barker’s entire argument has been altered. It is no longer a “problem of evil (harm)” but now he has amended it to the “problem of unnecessary evil (harm).”

The next question that must be asked is: What would classify as “pointless,” “unnecessary,” or “unabsorbed” suffering? The simple answer that the atheistic position must suggest is that any suffering that the atheist does not deem necessary is pointless. As Timothy Keller points out, the fact is that Mackie and others use the term “pointless” to mean that they, themselves cannot see the point of it. Keller stated: “Tucked away within the assertion that the world is filled with pointless evil is a hidden premise, namely that if evil appears pointless to me, then it must be pointless” (2008, p. 23, italics in orig.). Keller further noted:

This reasoning is, of course, fallacious. Just because you can’t see or imagine a good reason why God might allow something to happen doesn’t mean there can’t be one. Again we see lurking within supposedly hard-nosed skepticism an enormous faith in one’s own cognitive faculties. If our minds can’t plumb the depths of the universe for good answers to suffering, well, then, there can’t be any! This is blind faith of a high order (p. 23).

Indeed, it is the atheist who lives by the blind faith that he mistakenly attributes to the theist.

THE PURPOSE OF HUMAN EXISTENCE

In his monumental volume, Have Atheists Proved There Is No God?, philosopher Thomas B. Warren undercut completely the atheist’s use of the problem of evil. He insightfully demonstrated that the Bible teaches that “God has a morally justifiable reason for having created the world...in which evil can (and does) occur” (1972, p. 16). What is that reason? God created the planet to be “the ideal environment for soul-making” (p. 16). God specifically created humans to be immortal, free moral agents, responsible for their own actions, with this earthly life being their one and only probationary period in which their eternal fate is determined by their response to God’s will during earthly life (p. 19). Hence, the world “is as good (for the purpose God had in creating it) as any possible world” since it was designed to function as man’s “vale of soul-making” (p. 19). The physical environment in which humans were to reside was specifically created with the necessary characteristics for achieving that central purpose. This environment would have to be so arranged that it would allow humans to be free moral agents, provide them with their basic physical needs, allow them to be challenged, and enable them to learn those things they most need to learn (p. 47).

Whereas the atheist typically defines “evil” as physical pain and suffering, the Bible, quite logically, defines evil as violation of God’s law (1 John 3:4). Observe, therefore, that the only intrinsic evil is sin, i.e., disobeying or transgressing the laws of God. Hence, pain and suffering are not intrinsically evil. (“[I]ntrinsic evil on the purely physical level does not exist” [p. 93]). In fact, animal pain, natural calamities, and human suffering are all necessary constituent variables in the overall environment designed for spiritual development. Such variables, for example, impress upon humans the very critical realizations that life on Earth is uncertain, precarious, and temporary. They also demonstrate that life on Earth is brief—that it will soon end (p. 58). Such realizations not only propel people to consider their spiritual condition, and the necessity of using this life to prepare for the afterlife, they prod people to contemplate God! Suffering, pain, and hardship encourage people to cultivate their spirits and to grow in moral character—acquiring virtuous attributes such as courage, patience, humility, and fortitude. Suffering can serve as discipline and motivation to spur spiritual growth and strength. It literally stimulates people to develop compassion, sympathy, love, and empathy for their fellowman (p. 81).

WHO IS IN THE BEST POSITION TO KNOW?

Since atheists cannot say that real, moral evil exists, they must adjust their objection and say that a loving God would not allow suffering. This position quickly becomes indefensible, so again the position is altered to posit that some suffering is morally permissible, but not pointless or unnecessary suffering. Who, then, is to determine if there truly exists unnecessary suffering that would negate the concept of God? Some atheists, such as Barker, are quick to set themselves up as the final judges who alone can set the proper limits of suffering. Yet, when those limits are analyzed, it again becomes apparent that the “problem of evil” is a legitimate problem only for the atheist.

In his book godless, Dan Barker stated: “There is no big mystery to morality. Morality is simply acting with the intention to minimize harm” (2008, p. 214). In his explanation about how to minimize harm, Barker wrote: “And the way to avoid making a mistake is to try to be as informed as possible about the likely consequences of the actions being considered” (p. 214). Reasoning from Barker’s comments about morality, if there truly is an omniscient God Who knows every consequence of every action that ever has been or ever will be taken, then that Being, and only that Being, would be in a position to speak with absolute authority about the amount and kind of suffering that is “necessary.” Barker and his fellow atheists may object to God’s tolerance for suffering, but were God to condescend to speak directly to them, He could simply respond by saying: “What you do not know is...,” and He could fill in the blank with a thousand reasons about future consequences that would legitimize the suffering He allows.

Indeed, this is precisely the tact God employed with Job, when He challenged Job’s knowledge and comprehension of the mysteries of the Universe:

Who is this who darkens counsel by words without knowledge? Now prepare yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer Me. Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding. Have you comprehended the breadth of the earth? Tell Me, if you know all this. Do you know it, because you were born then, or because the number of your days is great? Shall the one who contends with the Almighty correct Him? He who rebukes God, let him answer it. Would you indeed annul My judgment? Would you condemn Me that you may be justified? (Job 38:2-4,18,21; 40:2,8).

God’s interrogation of Job elucidated the fact of humanity’s limited knowledge, especially as it relates to suffering. In contrast to this, Barker wrote:

Why should the mind of a deity—an outsider—be better able to judge human actions than the minds of humans themselves? Which mind is in a better position to make judgments about human actions and feelings? Which mind has more credibility? Which has more experience in the real world? Which mind has more of a right? (2008, p. 211).

Of course, Barker’s rhetorical questions were supposed to force the reader to respond that humans are in a better position to understand what actions are moral, or how much suffering is permissable. In light of his comments about knowing the consequences of actions, however, Barker’s position falls flat. Whose mind knows more about the consequences of all actions? Whose mind is in a better position to know what will happen if this action is permitted? Whose mind has the ability to see the bigger picture? And Who alone is in the position to know how much suffering is permissible to bring about the ultimate good for humankind? That would be the infinite, eternal, omniscient Creator—the God of the Bible.

REFERENCES

Barker, Dan (2008), godless (Berkeley, CA: Ulysses Press).

Barker, Dan (1992), Maybe Right, Maybe Wrong: A Guide for Young Thinkers (Amherst, NY: Prometheus).

Barker, Dan and Rubel Shelly (1999), Barker/Shelly Debate: Does God Exist? (Brentwood, TN: Faith Matters).

Barker, Dan and Peter Payne (2005), Barker/Payne Debate: Does Ethics Require God?, [On-line], URL: http://www.ffrf.org/about/bybarker/ethics_debate.php.

Butt, Kyle and Dan Barker (2009), Butt/Barker Debate: Does the God of the Bible Exist? (Montgomery, AL: Apologetics Press).

Craig, William Lane (no date), Pain and Suffering Debate, Part 1, [On-line], URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ZTG5xyefEo.

Keller, Timothy (2008), The Reason for God (New York: Dutton).

Lewis, C.S. (1952), Mere Christianity (New York: Simon and Schuster).

Mackie, J.L. (1982), The Miracle of Theism: Arguments For and Against the Existence of God (Oxford: Clarendon Press).

Nietzsche, Friedrich (2007 reprint), Beyond Good and Evil (Raleigh, NC: Hayes Barton Press), [On-line], URL: http://books.google.com/books?id=C7sRYOPWke0C&pg=PA1&source=gbs_selected_pages&cad=0_1#PPP1,M1.

Provine, William (1998), “Evolution: Free Will and Punishment and Meaning in Life,” [On-line], URL: http://eeb.bio.utk.edu/darwin/DarwinDayProvineAddress.htm.

Warren, Thomas B. (1972), Have Atheists Proved There Is No God? (Ramer, TN: National Christian Press).

August 4, 2021

PERSEVERANCE OF THE SAINTS Man's words written by C.A. Feenstra

Published in The Old Paths Archive (http://www.oldpaths.com)

"NOR IN JERUSALEM" by David Vaughn Elliott

Great Verses of the Bible: 2Chronicles 7:14 by Ken Weliever, The Preacherman

"THE GOSPEL OF JOHN" The Promise Of The Spirit (7:37-39)

The Problem of Evil by Dave Miller, Ph.D. Kyle Butt, M.Div.

The Problem of Evil

AN EMOTIONAL APPEAL

SOME SUFFERING IS ACCEPTABLE

POINTLESS OR UNNECESSARY SUFFERING

THE PURPOSE OF HUMAN EXISTENCE

WHO IS IN THE BEST POSITION TO KNOW?

REFERENCES

Published in The Old Paths Archive
(http://www.oldpaths.com)