Starting today, every Wednesday’s, or maybe some other day of the week, once a week, we will be posting excerpts from the Grace Christian Assembly (Salvation by Grace) Question and Answer section (Of course with Pastor Jim McClarty’s permission to do so).
This particular excerpt is taken from the section entitled What You Believe?.
The Question:
I recently had a conversation with a person who said, ‘I believe that God wants everyone to be saved. That’s what is says in the Bible.’ What do you say to that?
The Answer:
Not to sound unkind, but I’d say, I don’t care what you ‘believe.’ It only matters what God believes and reveals about Himself. We must align ourselves with that; even if we don’t fully comprehend or even agree with it. Whenever our set of beliefs is in contradiction with what Scripture plainly says, one of us is wrong — and, you can guess who that is.
What you “believe” is no more valid than people who think that cannibalism is an acceptable form of religion. Everyone “believes” something. But, everything we “believe” has passed through the filter of our own egocentric, arrogant, prideful, sinful selves. So, we will naturally gravitate toward the notions and ideas that best suit our self-serving purposes. That’s why true, doctrinal Christianity is at a premium.
We live in an age of immediate gratification and self-indulgence. We don’t know the meaning of sacrifice, or patience. If we can’t afford something at this moment, we won’t save for it, sacrifice for it, and wait until we can pay for it. We just yank out the plastic. Presto! Instant gratification. We have one-hour dry cleaning and drive-through food, banking, and mortuaries! No muss, no fuss. We’re a generation of “self-made men” who “look out for number one!”
And, we want our religion that way, too. We want to make one profession of faith, make Jesus our “Lord and Savior” and leave the building that night with the sense of instant salvation. “I’m saved and I know it because I did the formula and said the words and now God is obligated to save me.”
And, of course, the general state of the church is one of Biblical ignorance and manmade doctrines that replace the much more significant Scriptural doctrines.
“That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive.” (Eph. 4:14)
“Preach the word: be instant in season, our of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine: but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; and they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.” (1 Tim. 4:2-4)
“Now, the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, doctrines of devils: Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron.” (1 Tim. 4:1-2)
“If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed; For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds.” (2 John. 1:10-11)
We have to decide what we’re going to use as the “final word.” What’s our plumb line? If what we believe can be shown to be in contradiction with Scripture, who’s going to win? Do we insist on clinging to our favorite theories, or are we brave enough to unlearn what we think is true in favor of what Scripture declares to be true? Someone has to win.
As for – “That’s what is says in the Bible” – I would beg to differ. That’s what your friend thinks it says in the Bible. But, they’d be hard-pressed to prove it. Most people who make such appeals have very little idea what the Bible actually says. They just know what they would like the Bible to say and they impose their ideas on the Bible. Usually, they just assume that it’s somewhere in those 66 books, if we just had time to dig it out. But, it’s too tough to dig it out, so we’ll just assume it’s in there.
But, the fact of the matter is that if God truly desired everyone to be saved, then His purposes are eternally frustrated. He is far from Sovereign, and is in fact quite powerless. The much more powerful will of individual men can upset the very thing that God desires to accomplish. The convoluted thinking goes like this — God wants everyone to be saved, and salvation is a gift from God, but for some inexplicable reason, He just cannot save some people and is forced – despite His will to the contrary – to send them into everlasting punishment. Then, God will spend the rest of eternity trying to get over His massive failure.
There is no such God in the Bible. The God of Scripture says of Himself -
“And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing; and he doeth according to his will in the army of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth; and no one can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou?” (Dan. 4:35)
People cling to their false theology because they have defined God after their traditions and come up with a God of their own imagination, who is not found in the pages of Scripture.
Read the rest from this section. . .
From the section entitled “What You Believe?”.