For the grace of God
that brings
Salvation has
appeared to all men,
Teaching us that,
denying ungodliness
And worldly lusts, we
should live soberly,
Righteously, and
godly in the present age,
Looking for the
blessed hope and glorious
Appearing of our great
God and Savior
Jesus Christ, who
gave Himself for us,
That He might redeem
us from every
Lawless deed and
purify for Himself
His own special
people, zealous for good works.
Titus 2:11-14
The
Christian Religion has at its foundation Jesus Christ who is our Savior, the
One to destroy sin. The Christian Religion is built upon this truth. There are
those who cavil at such a suggestion that Jesus Christ is the promised Messiah,
the Savior who paid our debt of sin, that which we cannot pay, and gave to His
Church the guardianship, and to be an envoy of the Gospel to the world. The
objections of those who oppose Christianity are not to be a stumbling block.
The Christian is to impart this truth, and to deny this fact is to deny the
truth, that which inherent in every man that God does exist and to deny this is
to protest against the truth of one’s being. Protest long enough and you will
come to believe the lie against your own innate sense that there is a God. For
the Christian, he must answer an important question, a command given to those
who believe upon Him, to dispense the truth regarding God, His Son, and the
Holy Spirit. That question is: How shall a Christian win unbelievers to accept
this Christian truth? As the Apostle Paul iterates: “Now then, we are ambassadors
for Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God” (2Corinthians 5:20). As
ambassadors for Jesus Christ our message to the world, the effort of our
proclamation of the Christian Religion is that sin entered into this world and
the error of sin must have set over against it, truth. This is the
responsibility of an Authentic Biblical Christian as commanded, that we are to
preach, teach, to disciple, and dispensing to the world this truth. We are to
be an ambassador of Jesus Christ. The truth, or the gospel of God is that He
sent His Son, by means of His grace, to destroy sin, and His children are the
recipients of the vicarious death of Jesus Christ. Jesus came to this world to
destroy sin and to establish His kingdom where righteousness and truth reign. There
are two principles at play, and they are opposed to one another. There is a war
between those who fight for truth. This war is not with visible weapons, it is
a spiritual war and we fight with spiritual weapons. History will show when
those claiming to be Christian and aligned themselves with the state, and
allowed secularism ideologies to rule their thinking, to have not fought with
spiritual weapons but with actual objects of physical war. This is a fight
between Satan and Jesus Christ. We are the means for Jesus Christ to fight this
war here on earth and we have the power of the Holy Spirit as our leader and
guide. Authentic Biblical Christians, they stand in opposition to Satan, and
their interest in this war is to bring to Gospel to the world and the winning
of converts to God, His love, and to His Son Jesus Christ.
Jesse De
Boer, a professor of philosophy at the University of Kentucky who opposed much
of Cornelius Van Til speaks correctly when He states that there is a real
danger when terms of war are applied to the Christian’s struggle between truth
and error. This war language has the possibility to be construed that the use
of any weapon to achieve their ends is valid.[1]
Anyone who will take the time to peruse the Scriptures will attest their findings
that there is a struggle, a war, between error of Satan and righteousness, and
truth. This terminology, war, cannot construe as anything else than a war and
be true to Scripture. As we study history and how history has influenced the
concepts that are prevalent in today’s culture, a culture that is coined,
“Modernism,” and “neo-Modernism, or Post-Modernism, we find that “war” between
error and righteousness describes our present condition. We can see the truth
in actions of people, both secular, and in the Church where the application of
Christianity, where the Scriptural truth is not taught, that for man Jesus is a
“buddy” more than God who came to earth. Furthermore, there is not distinction
between that which is false, ant which is true. This “Modern,” or “Post-Modern”
society will be found to be the result of those ancient philosophers. It is
these ancient philosophers that have devised an explanation for this universe,
life, and God. This trickled down philosophical ideologies have had an effect on
the world, and has affected many so-called “Christian” Churches, and Church
leaders. This has led our society, our culture to be pluralistic, that is, your
truth is yours, and my truth is mine, and we cannot dispute each other’s truth.
If that were true then there is not Absolute Truth. Absolute Truth can be found
in only a One, not multiple beings, and that One is God. Absolute Truth must by
necessity stand outside of all supposed truth, and must be the cornerstone for
all truth. Therefore for Authentic Biblical Christians we must present the
truth in terms of God the creator, of the Messiah His Son, and us His
creatures, and of the rebellion against God, the error thrust upon man by the
fall into error by Adam. This requires that we take the Bible story of Adam as
historical. This can only be done if the Bible is recognized, believed, to be
the inerrant and infallible, preserved word of God. It is this word, Scripture,
that God has revealed to man Himself. To be competent in our effort as
ambassadors for Jesus Christ we must distinguish between what was true for
Adam, what is true for the sinner, the natural man, and what is true for the
regenerate, the saint.
In our
study of history the unregenerate man will be seen to have designed theories,
and this is done as a natural man who is in sin, and looks to satisfy himself
with a god that suits his needs and desires. Until man is regenerated and the
truth of God instilled in him, all his theories, philosophies, and
explanations, while many are “good” objectively, they will not lead men into
the truth. God will be determined to be what He is not! Man cannot, as fallen
in their nature, come to the truth unless god enlightens him (Read John chapter
6, cf. Isaiah 54:13).
The men
that I will be listing and giving some elaboration will reveal that they have
developed and proposed many good things, yet with all the good they gave to the
world, they transported into the future and throughout history, contradictions
to the True God; they did not give us the truth. The culture of today is proof
of this point as many have, at least in part, employed their philosophies into
their consciences that have developed their character, their religious views,
and ideologies, and furthermore, is demonstrated in their actions. Why take
this time to discuss these Greek philosophers and Greek men of learning?
Because it is their philosophies, their views of life, of God that has had a
major impact on this world, even Eastern Religions are formed from such
ideologies. It is the Grecian culture that our Savior entered into being,
incarnated as a man. These ancient philosophies are not left behind in history.
Even Authentic Biblical Christians as fallen men and women have some form of
those philosophies embedded in their minds and have need to be removed, this by
sanctification, learning to follow Jesus Christ, and Jesus Christ having first
priority in their lives. In some way then we all have been influenced by
unregenerate men who have left their mark on this world, and until we come to understand
this fact and how we have been influenced, the solution for us and our
sanctification may be at the proverbial roadblock. This influence by such men
is a problem that tends to lead Authentic Biblical Christians into a religion
that is not Authentic. Those non-Authentic Christian Churches have the
appearance of being of God, but as Jesus said: “Come to Me, all you who
labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and
learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for
your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden light” (Matthew 11:28-30). This
is the bottom, the ground floor to sanctify your faith, your life; it is to
learn of Him, to come to know the truth and then you will change from the inside
out.
Next week I
begin to illustrate those philosopher that have had a major impact on the world
and having major influence on the present world.
He who believes and is baptized
Will be
saved; but he who
Does not believe will be condemned.
Mark 16:16
Live life: Love God In All You Do!
Richard L. Crumb
[1]
De Boer, Jesse, “Professor Van Til’s Apologetic: Part I: A Linguistic Bramble
Patch,” The Calvin Forum 19, nos. 1-2 (August-September 1953): 7.
Cornelius Van Til: The Defense of the Faith, Chapter 12, Christian Apologetics,
p. 298.
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