“”Collin, don’t you think it is about time for you to turn your eyes away from yourself and stop looking inwardly to yourself and rather cast them on Jesus Christ who has done all these wonderful things for you? Trust me, looking inwardly to yourself all day long will only cause you to sink deeper and deeper into despondency and despair. Look unto Jesus, the Author and Finisher of your faith, and He will see you through. Why? Because in Him you are a new creation and all the old things have passed away (2 Corinthians 5: 17).””

Dit is presies wat ek ervaar sodra ek mee gevoer word deur verskeie ‘self-help’ ministries, deliverance ministries , vroue-bedieninge, kom ervaar God -bedieninge, ens ens ens…. Ek het altyd gevoel die fokus bly terugkom na ‘my’ of ‘ons’ maarDie Woord bly agter. Ek kan getuig dat om God se Woord te lees die Waarheid bring en Vrymaak

The Truth Will Set You Free

Joh 8:31  En Jesus sê vir die Jode wat in Hom geglo het: As julle in my woord bly, is julle waarlik my dissipels.
Joh 8:32  En julle sal die waarheid ken, en die waarheid sal julle vrymaak.
Joh 8:55  En julle ken Hom nie, maar Ek ken Hom; en as Ek sê dat Ek Hom nie ken nie, sal Ek soos julle ‘n leuenaar wees. Maar Ek ken Hom en bewaar sy woord 

Ek is moeg vir ander ‘predikers’ se interpretasie van ‘christenskap’.

• Lees die Bybel in konteks
• Lees vers vir vers
• Volg die parallele skrif verwysings
• So word die ware Bybelse Leringe duidelik uiteengesit!
• ‘when in doubt’ En bid dat die HeiligeGees jou leer en herinner

Joh 14:26  maar die Trooster, die Heilige Gees, wat die Vader in my Naam sal stuur, Hy sal julle alles leer en sal julle herinner aan alles wat Ek vir julle gesê het 

It lifts my spirit to be reminded of these things. And some I have been shown only just now for the first time. The only thing that still troubles me are verses when Christ is declaring something like that unless they [ the Laodiceans] repent he will spew them out. And again the parable of the new wineskins. And again the matter that to love the world is to be at enmity with God. And again that unless a man “hate father, mother, brother, and sister and even his own life he can’t be his disciples.” There are still beautiful things that I enjoy in this world and sometimes I am sad to see them go, knowing they must burn in the End of Days. And I find it hard to hate my family. And a big struggle I have had is with a work of fiction I have been writing. I find it hard to give it up. I find it hard to give up music and art as well. But I do not want enmity with God, nor to insult him with the works of my hands. Especially seeing as these works are not good. How would you advise?

Colin

You have answered most of your questions, if not all, yourself in your assertion, “I believe in the finished work of Christ on the cross, . . ..” His cry “It is finished” (Tetelestai) as you know, means “paid in full” which in turn means that He has paid the ransom for all your sins, past, present and future. I notice that you use the singular “sin” and not the plural “sins” when you say “but I still struggle with sin. Where have I gone wrong?” We all struggle with sin (our old Adamic nature). It is a struggle until our dying day. We will only be free of this struggle when we receive our new bodies like unto that of Jesus at the resurrection. This is what Hebrews 7: 25 proclaims shall take place at the resurrection, “Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.” I have already discussed with you in detail what the baptism of the Holy Ghost means from Romans 6 in my previous comment on baptism. We are exhorted to reckon that we have died with Christ (died to sin – our old Adamic nature) and have received the new resurrected life in Christ by being raised with Him. This truth can only be appropriated by faith alone in the finished work of Christ on the cross and the fact that He ever lives to intercede for you, and not for you alone but all true believers in Him. Therefore, the question “Where have I gone wrong” is no longer relevant because He has righted our wrongs forever by accrediting to us his right-eousness. When God the Father looks at you He sees you in his Son being made righteous, so utterly righteous that it seems as though you have never sinned. Please do not misunderstand me. Yes, we sin, but I am trying to portray to you how God Himself sees you in his Son.

This brings me to your question, “How must I approach God?” Once again, you have answered your own question in your understanding of the blood of Christ. Listen to this magnanimous truth, “Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh; And having an high priest over the house of God; Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.” (Hebrew 10:19-22). How must you approach God? – With boldness and full assurance of faith in all his promises. (2 Corinthians 1:20). He did not only wash away your sins with his blood; He has also washed you from an evil conscience. This simply means that neither, you, someone else nor Satan and his host can maltreat your conscience, by, for instance saying to you, “You say you are saved. Look what you have done in the past. You ask, ‘Where have I gone wrong?’ I will tell you where you have gone wrong. Do you remember such and such a day when you did so and so?” No, no, God says when you have asked for forgiveness, he casts all your sins behind his back (Isaiah 38: 17). Does He say “some sins?” No, He says all your sins. He does not only cast our sins behind his back, He also remembers them no more (Isaiah 43:25). No one, not even Satan and his hordes, can accuse you of anything because God says to them, “What did you say? I cannot remember a thing you are accusing my saints of. Not a single thing. Go away.”

Collin, don’t you think it is about time for you to turn your eyes away from yourself and stop looking inwardly to yourself and rather cast them on Jesus Christ who has done all these wonderful things for you? Trust me, looking inwardly to yourself all day long will only cause you to sink deeper and deeper into despondency and despair. Look unto Jesus, the Author and Finisher of your faith, and He will see you through. Why? Because in Him you are a new creation and all the old things have passed away (2 Corinthians 5: 17).

I am not too sure why you asked me “What do you think my experience as a child was?” Do you have any doubts? If you have any doubts, it is best to go to the Lord Jesus and ask Him why you are in doubt. The maxim “When in doubt, DON’T” is very appropriate, especially in spiritual matters.

1) What do you think my experience as a child was?

2) Is it possible for a child to genuinely believe and have faith? 2b) Why was I shaken in my belief after that time?

3) What is it that Paul refers to in 1 Corinthians 1:13-15 ?

4) I was not baptized by charismatics, I did not and have not spoken in tongues in the way Biblically described. ( I have some glossolalia as a result of autism, but it is not as a signification of the work of the Holy Spirit – it is a condition of my infirm flesh – and I never did it publicly and rather bite my tongue often so as to not give a wrong impression. It is not the language of angels or the language of men: Those who spoke at Pentecost spoke clearly and in languages known to the gathered peoples. )

5) Is it possible to be deluded into thinking you have faith when you don’t have faith? ( Please answer this one especially with Scripture. )

6) I believe in the finished work of Christ on the cross, and do so contrary to any personal gain, but I still struggle with sin. Where have I gone wrong?

7) As a corollary to 5, what do I do if I don’t actually have faith, the Holy Spirit, or love ( αγαπη )? How must I approach God? Is it wrong to ask him again and again for greater faith and to be untroubled by doubts? Is it possible for Satan to deceive someone about the state of their salvation? If I am so deceived believing myself to be what I am not how do I become what I want to be? That is: A Son of God, adopted into the brotherhood established by God ( Romans 8:29 ) whereby Jesus – whose came in the flesh, fulfilled the Law, and bled out entirely ( at least that is my understanding of the blood and water per John 19:31-33 ) as a sacrifice for sin ( take your pick, there’s dozens of verses that say that ) – is the first of many brethren. To whom correspond the many promises of God. Them that will praise God eternally, live with him and he with them, be free of sin and death, their tears wiped away, and so on according to the many promises snd prophecies – some clear and some as-yet unclear, at least to me. I have earnest reason to hope for the resurrection because I have an illness that seems to be that it will worsen until I go into an untimely grave if God doesn’t heal me. And I ultimately know there’s no enduring hope elsewise as I have not fulfilled the law, nor have I any secret knowledge, and so if there is not this promise or if I have no part in it then I perish one way or another. I have many, many other questions, but this is already a lot. Regarding “secret knowledge”, one of the things I like best about the God of Israel is his promises that all will be revealed one day. Cos I’m very weary of the occult and of conspiracies and of hypocrites. ( And I’m scared to be one… It worries me to think that I am running in vain. Although my run is more of a sluggish shamble. ) Thank you again for your patience.

Hi Collin. For what it is worth, here is my response to your question on baptism. Please bear with me; it is a very lengthy answer.

Ey Tom.
I saw you speak much on baptism and its purpose and function of [water-]baptism. I am from America and do not speak Afrikaans, so I must rely on translation. However the machine translation is not much good. Please be patient with me and explain in English what you were explaining in Afrikaans to Johan because I do not understand. The teaching I have been taught is that this is not done to confer the new birth or the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, but as a signification of it after public profession of faith. I was not taught that I would receive any special ability of God, but that it was something you do when you believe.

How also do you receive the Holy Spirit baptism? I was very young ( no older than 11 ) when I converted, hearing but not comprehending the Gospel, but felt once an urge and a calling accompanied by seeing in my mind an image of the cross. I came forward then and answered. A preacher asked me some questions and guided me to say a prayer and I did. Thereafter, I made a public profession of faith, but I do not remember what I professed as a child. I was not instructed well when I was a child because shortly after this my family was broken up by divorce. I have had much confusion about the matter because I was so young when I came forward and because my instruction was so broken off. I believed then I had been saved after I went to God in earnest prayer and I had an experience where it was though I was very small but in the presence of something very large and wonderful. I did not fear after that. And I did much wrong after, but I have felt a drawing to God and I am seeking him again. How do I know if this is the work of the Holy Spirit already indwelling or if it is the knock at the door? How do I know if that initial experience was the Holy Spirit baptism? I am trying to learn and understand and have been reading much here and much in my Bible and spending much time in prayer. The Bible warns against people who think they are something and are not. I struggle with doubts attacking and warring against what I believe. And how do I discern God’s Assurance from the Devil’s Presumptuousness? Please do not be angry with me.

OK, let’s begin with your statement, “The teaching I have been taught is that this is not done to confer the new birth or the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, but as a signification of it after public profession of faith. I was not taught that I would receive any special ability of God, but that it was something you do when you believe.”

First off I would like to refer you to an article written by The Berean Call some years ago to illustrate why you were told to be baptized subsequent to salvation as a believer. The TBC Staff wrote:

“While baptism doesn’t save, it is an act of obedience on the part of believers who are saved, a declaration to the world that they have been saved not by their good works but by the death, burial and resurrection of Christ, of which baptism is a symbol: “Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life” (Rom:6:4). Baptism is therefore inappropriate for infants who have made no choice to believe the gospel. Paul makes it clear in 1 Corinthians 1:14-17 that baptism is not part of the gospel; one is saved without being baptized. But those who believe are baptized and since salvation is for all, baptism is for all, Gentiles as well as Jews.”

You may have spotted the two things about water baptism that stand out like a sore thumb in the above paragraph. They are:

Both are true and yet it has caused havoc among many thousands of people throughout church history. If baptism by immersion in 30 to 60 thousand liters of water (the normal capacity of domestic swimming pools) or in the Jordan River in Israel, cannot save, and if it is not part of the Gospel, why are so many people taught that they should be baptized after their salvation? It’s like saying to someone, “OK, now that you are saved, you need to do something that has nothing to do with salvation or the Gospel. You must be baptized to show the world that you are obedient to God and that you are now a Christian, buried with him by baptism into [His] death . . . [and] raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father.” Anything void of any spiritual significance goes against or is contrary to the Gospel. Yet we are told that water baptism is “an act of obedience.” How can anything that cannot save and is not part of the Gospel (the Good News) be “an act of obedience?” Why would Christ, the essence of Truth, command anyone to do something when it has no Gospel import whatsoever?

As you may have noticed TBC refers to Romans 6:4 to substantiate water baptism. But, let us look at it more carefully. Paul says, “Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ [and not into water) were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. (Romans 6:3-4). Paul is not talking about water baptism per se. His main focus is to remind them that sin has been dealt with in the most radical way possible. God was put to death on a cursed tree (for our redemption) and raised from the dead (for our sanctification), and sanctification, like salvation, is incumbent on faith, and faith alone. Nonetheless, some of the Christians in Rome began to believe that sin was not such a big issue because God’s grace always abounds in far greater degrees than our sins, “where sin abounded, grace did much more abound.” (Romans 5:20).

In other words, they used God’s much more abounding grace as an excuse for their sins. There seems to be a glimmer of shock in Paul’s question, as if he said, “What? What are you saying? Don’t you know that the day when you were saved by faith in the finished work of Christ on the cross, you were baptized with the Holy Spirit into Him and were henceforth fully covered (enmeshed, immersed) in everything He accomplished by his death, his resurrection, his ascension into heaven, his position at the right hand of God, and his imminent return for his own? Isn’t this what Paul meant when he wrote, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ”? (Ephesians 1:3). And yet, we are advised to go back to a sacrament in and with water that John the Baptist performed as a sign unto repentance and had absolutely nothing in common with the burial and resurrection of the saints together with Christ in Romans 6?

Oh, wait a bit, baptism in water (lots and lots of water) can only be administered by an ordained minister, pastor or priest. You never hear of lay Christians baptizing others who had been saved left, right, and center in their homes. They always do it in a church. At any rate, why is it necessary to be baptized in a church, supposedly as a witness that he/she is buried and resurrected with Christ when the church members should know that the redeemed sinner was already baptized into Christ Jesus (not in water) when he/she got saved? It’s like saying to the redeemed sinner, “Ok, we know and believe that you were saved, but now we want to see with our own eyes that you have been buried and raised with Christ to a new life. Show us the evidence.”

What does God say? “A wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given unto it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas. And he left them, and departed.” (Matthew 16:4). Most Christians who have been baptized in this way (in lots and lots of water) usually put their trust in the sign of their baptism (and almost always in tandem with the speaking in tongues) and not Jesus Christ. Some time ago I had a WhatsApp chat with one of my wife’s friends which eventually led me to ask her how she was saved. Even before she had responded to my question I told my wife, “I bet you she is going to say, “I was baptized with the Holy Ghost in water and spoke in tongues.” The words had scarcely left my lips when she answered back, “I was radically saved when I was completely immersed in water, and baptized with the Holy Ghost, and spoke in tongues for three solid days.” No mention of sin, of Jesus, of God’s gracious mercy, of forgiveness, of being lost eternally? Nothing?

In conclusion, it is imperative to explain that water baptism was intrinsically a rite performed by John the Baptist. His very name proves that water baptism was uniquely something he was called to perform among the Jews, mainly because the Jews continually sought signs (1 Corinthians 1: 22-24). Henceforth, his cry in the wilderness was not a cry unto water baptism, subsequent to salvation as a sign that they had been buried and raised from the dead with Christ. It was a cry unto repentance. In other words, he urged the Jews to stop thinking that their water cleansing baptism rites which they and their forefathers had been doing so long, had salvific properties, but that they needed to repent (change their mind for the better, the better being salvific faith in Jesus Christ). Therefore, John the Baptist’s water baptism was merely a token, a sign if you will, that those whom he baptized were willing and eager to change their minds about their need for salvation through their Messiah, Jesus Christ.

Do you see how they have changed the meaning of John the Baptist’s water baptism? John said to the Jews, “OK, so you want a sign. God has granted you something you have been doing all along in your religion (water cleansing rituals) without really understanding its true significance. (His cry was not for baptism, as they do today, but repentance). Listen up, it means nothing without repentance and faith toward God. Repent ye therefore, Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (Matthew 3:2). Nowadays they tell you, “Welcome! You are now in the Kingdom of God, saved (Colossians 1: 13), and as a sign that you are obedient to God and have died, been buried and raised with Christ, you must be baptized and dunked in lots of water, and to ratify your salvation, you must speak in tongues.” No wonder Jesus once warned, “A wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given unto it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas. And he left them, and departed.” (Matthew 16:4).

Be payient. I am working on it.

I think I get some idea from this article:
https://www.discerningtheworld.com/2018/08/29/hyper-dispensationalism/
But I’d still like to get the clarification you have in store there. Thank you in advance. 🙂

Merriam-Webster

Definition of insipid
1: lacking in qualities that interest, stimulate, or challenge: DULL, FLAT
insipid prose
2: lacking taste or savor: TASTELESS
insipid food

As you can see it has two applications. I used it in the sense of DULL and FLAT (unintelligent).

Dear KvdR

Nope there are not 5 different versions of Calvinism. You are getting confused by thinking that the doctrine of TULIP (5 points of Calvinism) makes up 5 different types of Calvinists; thinking that if a person only believes in 4 points that makes him a 4 point Calvinist. There is one version of Calvinism and that is based on Predestination, that one is Elect by God before the foundation of the earth to go to heaven and the rest God dooms to hell because it pleases Him. And mankind has no free will to choose God, as they can’t do any good whatsoever, include muster up any faith in God, that is why the ‘Elect’ have to mongeristically be given the gift of faith by God first to believe…in Calvinism.

Each point in the so called ‘doctrines of grace’ (TULIP) is like a house of cards, one point relies on the other to be correct. You can’t say you are a 3 or 4 point Calvinist, there is no such thing. If you remove one doctrine (or Letter from TULIP) from the deck the whole thing crumbles.

You said “1. God loves all humans and therefore gives each individual equal opportunity to believe and repent and be saved. Because He knows all things, He knows who will choose Him and who not – but because He is fair and just and because of His long suffering love, He gives us ample time and opportunity. The world is also like a training ground, training us to be able to discern between good and evil, with the help of the Holy Spirit, because someday we will judge angels. It is also a testing ground, in which we are being made pure as gold.”

Calvinists do not believe this at all. Calvinists believe that God loves His chosen only (those that follow Calvinism) and He hates those whom he has not chosen.

You said “2. I think when the Bible refers to the very elect, it is referring to those people who made a choice to serve God. Because they choose to serve God, they are His elect. How I understood the teaching is that God knows who will choose Him and this might be part and parcel of why He disciplines those He loves. But election is NOT BASED on God choosing us (His choice would always entail that ALL people be saved), He elected those that would love Him at the foundation of the earth but that doesn’t absolve human beings from the choice they have to make for or against God.”

Everyone is predestined to be saved, but as you so wonderfully stated “Because they choose to serve God, they are His elect.”

John MacArthur believes nothing of the above.

Carry on studying KvdR, carry on seeking the truth… :nod: