The Biblical Examiner
An Examination of Biblical Precepts Involved in Issues at Hand

 

Christ Only?
From Toloerance to Respect (Rick Warren)
Book Review, “John Clarke and His Legacies”
Personal
The real gangs of thieves
Admitted CFR runs the government
Stop the Violence
Judicial Blindness

Christ Only?

Worldly Wisdom vs Godly Wisdom

1 Corinthians 2:2 For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.

The church at Corinth existed in the then center of Greek culture where much pride was taken in persuasive words, wisdom and rhetoric. Those who did not have the ability with words were looked down upon. Christianity was despised because it did not meet Greek intellectual standards, so the church was compromising, so it could be accepted.

This church had been greatly infiltrated with teachers who stressed the importance of worldly wisdom, Greek thought, Greek philosophy, psychology, self-esteem, self-worth and self-confidence. Really, anything that revolves around man and not God had infiltrated the church. Humanism reigned.

In 1 Corinthians chapters 1:17 through chapter 2, Paul deals with the false idea that worldly wisdom either was necessary or could be used for building the Kingdom of God. The Corinthians' dependance upon the power of the gospel had been undermined.

Paul opens his letter to this church by strongly condemning the use of the world's wisdom, psychology, &c., to solve personal, family, religious, social and political problems. He reminds them of how he came to them, and what he depended on as he preached to them.

There is a tremendous amount of dependence upon natural wisdom and abilities today. How many "Christian" colleges can one go to where they will not be overwhelmed with psychology, even "pastoral psychology" courses? The failure of "Christian" psychology is evident all around us. Even the best known "Christian" psychologist, James Dobson, who has been the chief promoter of the self-esteem gospel, has admitted that Christianity has lost the culture war. Throughout Paul's writings, especially here in Corinth, he has told us that things based in man's wisdom, e.g., psychology, will fail. Why are we surprised when it does fail?

Paul declared all the counsel of God, which alone will produce a godly culture. Acts 20:27.

There is nothing wrong with natural abilities and wisdom. The problem is the dependence upon worldly wisdom rather than dependence upon the Spirit of Christ. How many "religious leaders" today depend upon serious training in the use of Scripture to meet all of the challenges of our day? Paul's gives a requirement to pastors: Apt to teach includes given to study of Scripture. 1 Timothy 3:2, 2 Timothy 2:24.

Godly use of one's abilities should be to use them to apply the wisdom of God into society. There is a small number of men today who have excellent insight into God's word, and develop its implications into every area of society. Yet these men are as one crying in the wilderness, as the mega-churches follow the wisdom of the world.

(Rick Warren is a good, or bad, example of using worldly wisdom and means to build a mega-church.)

Ecclesiastes 12:13 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.

Paul, in the previous chapter, made it clear that God chose not to save the elect through human wisdom, but through the preaching of the foolish message of the Cross. That is, the message considered foolish by the world.

Throughout 1Corinthians 1:17 - 2:5, Paul contrasts the worldly wisdom of the learned men and their persuasive speech with the speech of men considered fools by the world. Yet it is the "fools" who depend upon the Spirit of God who have the power of God to change the world.

That is to say: A common man preaching the clear gospel of Christ in the power of the Spirit will do more for the Kingdom of God than any of the best "Christian" psychologists. However, as we have seen, the psychologist will have the following, because worldly wisdom appeals to human nature.

Paul does not say that he had no excellency of speech, or of wisdom. No doubt Paul was one of the most educated men of his day (as was Moses). Rather, God's grace enabled him to submit his wisdom to the Spirit of God, and use it to develop the implications of the Old Testament law to the New Testament gospel of Christ.

Paul, realizing that God's means of salvation was the preaching of His word, did not come to them with what the Greeks held important; that is, wisdom of words. Paul came to them with the simple testimony of God which was Jesus Christ and him crucified.

Acts 18:5-17 tells us that when Paul visited Corinth, his message was more than simply calling for a profession of faith in Christ. It involved turning to Christ as both Lord and Saviour. His message was the same as the one that got him in such trouble in Thessalonica:

Acts 17:7 Whom Jason hath received: and these all do contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, one Jesus.

He preached loyalty to another king and kingdom—the heavenly kingdom of God, and its laws as found in the Law and Prophets.

V. 2 For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.

Consider:

First, out of its context, v. 2 can reduce the gospel message to a very simple historical message of the cross. That modern message requires no commitment other than professing that one believes the historical fact that Christ died on the cross for the sins of the world. It requires no understanding of the substitutionary work of Christ, nor does it require commitment to the laws and commandments established by the King of the Kingdom of God.

Second, many of those who do preach the proper understanding of the substitutionary work of Christ stop there. Their message is restricted to "Jesus Christ, and him crucified." That is, they do not develop the practical implications of the total of God's law-word into society. One example of that failure is the failure to publically identify the government school system as an evil, wicked system which requires Christian children to be sacrificed to anti-Christ, Molech.

There was an interesting article in the New York Times, July 4th, 2009:

"Tax Bill Appeals Take Rising Toll on Governments

By JACK HEALY, July 4, 2009

Gus Kramer, a California assessor, said those appealing taxes say: "When can I have my refund check? I need to feed my family."

Homeowners across the country are challenging their property tax bills in droves as the value of their homes drop, threatening local governments with another big drain on their budgets.

The requests are coming in record numbers, from owners of $10 million estates and one-bedroom bungalows, from residents of the high-tax enclaves surrounding New York City, and from taxpayers in the Rust Belt and states like Arizona, Florida and California, where whole towns have been devastated by the housing bust. ..."

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/05/business/economy/05appeals.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&th&emc=th

Comment: Certainly, I also "feel the pain." But let us keep in mind that the property tax is the primary financial support of the wicked beyond words government education system. Christians have refused to face the reality of the unspeakable evil, sin, to which they are sacrificing their children, so now the Lord is striking them where it hurts them most–the god of mammon. The Lord is cutting off the funds that have been used to support the anti-Christ education system.

I hate what God hates, especially in the property tax, for the earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof. Man has no right to tax what belongs to the Lord. I, therefore, rejoice in the loss of that income that has been used to destroy our Christian culture.

Another example is the failure of pastors to teach the responsibility of young men to marry, and raise a godly family for the Lord, which includes the failure to encourage large families. Christians must recognize children as a blessing from God, not a curse.

If v. 2 were taken literally by the founding fathers of this nation, as many teachers do today, there would be no United States of America. It was the preachers of the gospel who led in the revolution. And there will be no retaking of America for the Kingdom unless the preachers return to all the counsel of God, which includes the practical applications of the commandments of God.

There are several good books that apply all the counsel of God into society, e.g., Institutes of Biblical Law, by R.J. Rushdoony.

The failure to declare all the counsel of God by godly men has allowed the enemy to usurp society. The fault lies in the Christian pulpits.

Paul continually says that he did not depend upon nice sounding words and worldly wisdom to win people for the Kingdom. He presented the word of God from the Old Testament Law and Prophets, as he did everywhere he went, and depended upon the Holy Spirit to change hearts. This message from Scripture is foolish in the eyes of the world, and is hated by them, but it works.

Paul was determined:

1. If we are going to accomplish anything for God and the cause of Christ, we will have to determine to do that in our heart. It is the determination to be faithful to the word of God in our appointed area that will see us through the hard times.

2. If we are going to avoid the pitfalls of this world, we are going to have to determine in our hearts not to fall. Determination needs to be made before we get in the situation, because once we get there, we will have a beautiful, tempting picture presented to us. We must make our determination before we get involved, then by the grace of God, stick with it.

"It has been well remarked that Jesus Christ refers to the person of Christ, and him crucified, to his work; which constitute the sum of the gospel." Hodge (1832-1886)

I find Barnes' comments on this verse misleading:

"We may remark here, (1.) That this should be the resolution of every minister of the gospel. This is his business. It is not to be a politician; not to engage in the strifes and controversies of men; it is not to be a good farmer, or scholar merely; not to mingle with his people in festive circles and enjoyments; not to be a man of taste and philosophy, and distinguished mainly for refinement of manners... (3.) It matters not what are the amusements of society around him; what fields of science, of gain, or ambition, are open before him, the minister of Christ is to know Christ and him crucified alone. If he cultivates science, it is to be that he may the more successfully show to those who cultivate them, the superior beauty and excellency of the cross..."

With this, he effectively removed the word of God from all areas of society except the preaching of the Gospel behind the pulpit. Now, I am not saying that the preacher is required to be involved in any of the above activities, but his responsibility is to make the word of God relevant, so his hearers can apply God's law-word into those areas.

The sad results of Barnes' thinking are all around us as the pastors and Christians have been convinced that the only job of the minister is to preach the historical fact of the Gospel from behind the pulpit.

V. 3. Although Paul does talk about his physical infirmities and weaknesses (2 Cor. 10:10; 12:9, 10; Gal. 4:14), this is not one of those places. Hodge is worth mentioning here:

"The weakness of which he speaks was not bodily weakness;..yet here the whole context shows he refers to his state of mind. It was not in the consciousness of strength, self-confident and self-relying, that he appeared among them, but as oppressed with a sense of his weakness and insufficiency. He had a work to do which he felt to be entirely above his powers.

In fear and trembling, i.e, in anxiety, or solicitude of mind arising out of a sense of his insufficiency, and of the infinite importance of his work, 2 Cor.7, 15. Phil. 2, 12. Eph.6,5."

When Paul went to Corinth in Acts 18, he was overwhelmed with the task and opposition which was laid before him. In fact, the Lord appeared to Paul in the night by a vision and told him not to be afraid, v. 9. It is important to see why he was told not to be afraid. 1. For I am with thee. 2. For I have much people in this city.

Weakness, fear, trembling...

Weakness refers to Paul having a work to do which he felt was entirely above his power and ability.

Fear, trembling refers to anxiety out of a sense of his insufficiency compared with the infinite importance of his work.

1. The promise for us is, Lo, I am with thee alway, even unto the end of the world.

2. Say not there are yet four months until the harvest. Lift up your eyes, the harvest is ready. Pray for labourers to go into the harvest.

Why did the Lord have to appear to Paul in a vision at night and he does not to us? Obviously, because there was no written word yet. We have the same promises which the Lord gave to Paul, only ours are now written down for us. We must claim them and go.

Notice in this section how many times the Lord stands against self-confidence and self-esteem.

Because Paul was overwhelmed at the task which was before him as he saw the ungodliness around him, he was fearful and he trembled at his inadequacies. But the Lord told him to stay there and preach. Therefore, he had to depend upon the word of God to do its work, because he was overwhelmed with the hopeless situation.

We should be overwhelmed with the King's task before us! When we enter into the assigned task (assigned by the Lord), realizing our own inabilities, and even frightened at those inabilities when compared to the task, then we must depend upon the Lord to honor His word and do the job we cannot do.

Entering into the Lord's work dependent upon one's natural abilities fails to bring glory to God, and leads to worldly conversions rather than Godly conversions.

What will happen if we fail to recognize our own weakness in the face of the task for God's glory?

Vv. 4, 5, demonstration...

Demonstration.. The people were moved as a result of the Spirit's work, not the result of any wisdom of man or of this world. The proof was in the results.

The world's crowd rejects any evidence of change from the gospel.

Note that Paul emphasizes the power of God in the preaching of the word of God. This power is effective only on those called of God, the elect. To the world's crowd, there is nothing as foolish as the gospel message. Any message makes more sense than the applied word of God: Buddha, witchcraft, A.A., psychology, medication, whatever we can name, and there are hundreds of these substitutes around us provided by the world's crowd.

The conclusion here is that because the message of the word of God is so foolish to them, no matter what kind of positive results they might see from the preaching of Christ, they will refuse to believe that the Gospel accomplished them. The drunkard is freed from his drink, the harlot is made pure, the doper is freed, the thief is changed, the unconcerned are now concerned with their families, the welfare recipient is now off of welfare. The list goes on and on of the reform which the gospel of Christ does in the life of the individual, therefore society.

But the problem is that because the message which reformed these people from the heart out, is so foolish to the world's crowd, the wise of this world absolutely refuse to believe that it was the gospel which brought change. They will attribute the change to anything except the gospel. This is why they will call Christianity ‘mental illness' even though they can see the change it made in the most hardened sinner.

Their faith in human wisdom demands they reject any positive results of the gospel. Sadly, many professed Christians refuse to admit that the gospel changes individuals, and, therefore, changes nations. Certainly, there is a social aspect to the gospel; that is, to help those in need. But how many have reduced the Christian message to simply helping those in need, laying aside their faith that the gospel will change society?

First, do we depend on enticing words of man's wisdom to accomplish what we have been given by the Lord to do.

Second, where is our fear and trembling that is so needed to force us to seek the power and wisdom of God from his word? Without fear and trembling, we have no need to search His word for answers, and to pray for His power. We have no need to follow the word of God in such things as faithfulness in the public assembly, preaching and fellowship with other believers.

Third, the opposite of fear and trembling is self-confidence and self-sufficiency. Do we have the idea that we can be our own gods, able to determine for our own selves what is right and wrong, able to accomplish good and right without the aid of the Lord? Do we have the idea that we do not really need the instruction from God' sword, and the enabling Spirit of God to do His work? What do our actions reveal about us?

I have found that more often than not, those who attend Bible college and seminary come out very self confident. They no longer need the wisdom and power of God, for they now have the wisdom of men. Certainly, there are exceptions, but my experience has been that the general rule is that college builds self-esteem and self-sufficiency.

Fourth, Paul was fearful that the cross of Christ should be made of none effect. 1:17. In other words, he was concerned that those responding to the wisdom of men would not have genuine conversion — they would not stand in the wisdom of God. 2:5.

Fifth, we have a job to do, just as sure as did Paul. As we face our responsibilities, if we do not have weakness, fear and trembling, about our God-assigned task as did the Apostle, we are victims of pride. Proverbs 16:18.

Question: is it true that using the wisdom of this world, even psychology, always results in the wrong spirit of conversion working? Are the only ones who are saved the ones who respond under a speaker who spoke under the power of the Spirit of God? We must confess that most of the work for Christ is work done under the spirit of wisdom of this world. Does not the Lord honor his word according to His good pleasure?

Psalms 76:10 Surely the wrath of man shall praise thee: the remainder of wrath shalt thou restrain.

If the Lord uses the wrath of wicked men to praise him, he surely uses the worldly spirit of men to praise him. But, shall we sin, therefore, that grace may abound? God forbid.

V. 3 has a couple of positive points:

First, it describes the attitude of humility which is required before God that is needed to have the hand of the Lord upon us, James 4:6-10, 1 Peter 5:5-8.

Second, it describes the attitude of meekness that Paul described to Timothy. 2 Timothy 2:23-26 tells us that the attitude of humility is needed if we expect the Spirit of God to give repentance to those caught in the snare of the devil.

Is using the wisdom of this world to build the Kingdom one reason we see such powerless Christianity today ? Worldly wisdom has not only invaded the "church," it holds the church captive. An in-depth study of 1 & 2 Timothy and Titus should be required of every man who seeks to be a pastor or Christian leader in any way.

Just a short point from 2 Timothy 2.

V. 21 (If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master's use, and prepared unto every good work.) corresponds to Paul's statement, I determined... He made the determination to do his assigned project God's way. The result? The mighty Spirit of God upon him.

V. 21 clearly lays the responsibility upon the individual to determine to be a holy vessel, sanctified, and meet for the master's use. Yet we also know that only the Spirit of God working in us can accomplish such a condition within us.

Fairbairn (Pastoral Epistles, pg 355) sums this up thusly:

"In a word, the thing itself must be done by us: every individual should lay it upon his conscience as a condition he is morally bound to have made good; but when he comes in earnest to attempt it, he finds he can only succeed by throwing himself on the redeeming mercy and sanctifying grace of God."

1 Corinthians 2:3. Without the spirit of weakness, fear and trembling, we will not cast ourselves upon His grace and mercy.

We are seeing the results of the very thing Paul deals with in Corinthians; that is, the control of the church by Greek philosophy and wisdom – humanism.

It might have been easy for Paul to compare the superiority of Christianity with the absurdity of the pagan rites, rituals and ceremonies. Paul could have convinced them of the historical truth of Christianity. But such conviction would have been rational based upon the wisdom of words, rather than the foundation of truth and the power of God.

Hodge makes this statement:

"The conviction thus produced would be rational and important; but it would not be saving faith. Faith founded on such evidence is merely speculative. The true foundation of faith, or rather, the foundation of true faith, is the power of God."

We can imagine that arguments for the historical truth of Christianity is typical of most Christian Colleges, as well as modern churches. Though there may be a place for such arguments, the problem can be that arguments take place of the preaching of the gospel. Faith to come to Christ is a result of the Spirit moving, not a result of persuasive arguments.

1. The natural man likes the argument from history, science, experience and philosophy.

2. Is ‘faith' that is not founded upon preaching the true gospel a saving faith?

"A faith which is founded on the authority of the church, or upon arguments addressed to the understanding, or even on the moral power of the truth as it affects the natural conscience, such as Felix had, is unstable and inoperative." Hodge.

Note: I have found that arguments for infant baptism are "arguments addressed to the understanding," not arguments from Scripture, for there is no Scriptural support.

3. The attitude of the one presenting the message must be a sense of weakness, anxiety and realization of his own inabilities compared to the responsibility at hand. This will cause him to depend completely on the Spirit.

4. The success of the Gospel does not depend upon the skill of the speaker, but upon the faithfulness of God to His word.

5. We must avoid the temptation to dress up the message of Christ in clothing which will make it acceptable to the world's desire for wisdom and reason. This dressed up message holds the promise of prospective results as the objections of the sinner are met with worldly wisdom and human understanding.

The total message of the word of God must be addressed to the heart and not to the head. Anything less will cost us the power of God. And the attitude of the speaker is just as important as is the message, because Paul follows v. 4 with, That your faith..

Conclusion:

First, we must go into all the world and preach the gospel.

Second, we must present the word of God and the work of Christ. To the elect, this is the power of God unto salvation. To the world, this is foolishness.

Third, we must avoid the temptation to dress up the message of Christ in clothing which will make it acceptable to the world's desire for wisdom and reason. The "dressed up message" holds promises of positive results as the objections of the sinner are met with worldly wisdom and human understanding.

2 Peter 2:17 These are wells without water, clouds that are carried with a tempest; to whom the mist of darkness is reserved for ever.

Jude 1:12 These are spots in your feasts of charity, when they feast with you, feeding themselves without fear: clouds they are without water, carried about of winds; trees whose fruit withereth, without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots;

It has been dry up here in WV, as it is in many places. The other day, very dark clouds with lots of lightening moved in. We were confident those clouds held rain for us. We got a few drops, and the clouds moved on. How like the "dressed up" gospel of our day. It promises things it cannot deliver, primarily justification, as well as victory over the power of sin.

The dividing line between using God's wisdom and Greek wisdom is narrow to say the least. Where does answering sincere questions stop and dependence upon worldly wisdom start? Wisdom is promised to us if we will pray and seek this wisdom from the word of God, James 1:5.

Philippians 3:15 Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you.

Interesting:

Psychiatry, mental illness, depression, bipolar disorders, &c. "Bipolar disorder" seems to be the most accepted of the various "illnesses" among Christians. There is absolutely no medical evidence for mental illnesses such as bipolar disorder, nor depression. The "illness" must be identified as sin-sickness. Sin is the problem–always has been, and will be until the end. These titles are simply frauds to separate people from their money, both for the Psychiatrist and Psychologist and the pill pushers, medical industry.

Someone sent me the first link below. When I went to it, there were a good number of additional links along the "Industry of Death" theme. In the first presentation, there was not one "Psychiatrists" at the Psychiatrists' Convention of 2006 who would admit that any mental illness was documentible; that is, had any kind of medical basis. Not one would admit they had cured anyone. They admitted that there is absolutely no way to check for a "chemical imbalance" in the "mentally ill".

People are sure gullible, and will pay any price to keep from having to admit and deal with the real problem, sin.

CCHR on Psychiatry: No Science, No Cures

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UHu7Ik36128&feature=channel

Psychiatry: An Industry of Death

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FPUHUpfDVgY&feature=channel

RICK WARREN:

FROM TOLERANCE TO RESPECT

By Paul Proctor, July 17, 2009, NewsWithViews.com

Christianity's premier change-agent and facilitator, Rick Warren, is now attempting to move the compromised church, again via the Hegelian Dialectic, on to the next step of the global "transformation" toward that long-awaited one-world religion, telling Muslims at the annual convention of the Islamic Society of North America: "Tolerance is not enough."

According to a report posted on the ISNA website, Warren went on to say: "People don't want to be tolerated, they want to be respected, they want to be listened to. They want to be valued."

Adding to that, he said: "I am not interested in interfaith dialogue, I am interested in interfaith projects…Talk is very cheap."

First of all, if "talk is cheap" and Warren is "not interested in dialog," why is he dialoging with the enemies of Christ? And, if "talk is cheap," what's the value in "listening" to the talk of those who reject Jesus as Lord and Savior? This is just a brief example of the disingenuous doublespeak Warren is widely known for.

You see, by doing this from an Islamic stage, many applauding Christians watching him, Christians desperately wanting to be loved and accepted by the world, will be expected to do the same themselves and reciprocate by "listening" to, "respecting" and even "valuing" Muslim beliefs, practices and a pagan god named "Allah."

This is nothing new for Warren. It is business as usual. I have addressed his infamous interfaith activities in previous articles ad nauseam which I will provide links to at the conclusion of this piece so as not to waste time covering old ground. For the same reason, I will also include links to previous articles on the subject of "tolerance."

Tolerance, you see, was merely a transitional tool that the church growth movement employed years ago to uproot Christians from their scriptural stubbornness and move them ever-so-carefully, via the dialectic, away from divisive biblical absolutes (so called "traditions") in order to "unite" them with a more "diverse" (ungodly) world and call it "evangelism" – even though one would be hard pressed to find the word "tolerance" in scripture.

This is how you widen the gate and broaden the way to spiritual success and church growth – by creating imaginary shortcuts to salvation and self-serving end runs around personal sacrifice and suffering that make more people like you in the name of Jesus.

Dictionary.com: "Respect" – (verb) – to hold in esteem or honor

Ten years ago, most Christians would never have considered "respecting" any form of paganism or those who practice it, including Muslims. No, they first had to learn how to tolerate it. And with the help and encouragement of smiley-faced church growth leaders and promoters, Christians now tolerate paganism – so much so, that it has now infiltrated and found a home in the evangelical church. So, that being accomplished, it's apparently time to discard the now obsolete tool of tolerance, move forward, and learn how to "respect" paganism.

This is just a continuation of the same new age "unity in diversity" agenda we've known about for years and have heard gurus and global socialists espouse from academia to Hollywood. As always, the compromised church simply follows along at a distance, doing whatever they're told – always impressed by the charm, cleverness and credentials of worldly men leading them astray.

The CGM refuses to recognize, much less teach or preach, vitally important scripture verses and biblical principles like "Friendship with the world is enmity with God" (James 4:4) and "Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers" (2nd Corinthians 6:14) choosing instead to twist the Apostle Paul's 1st Corinthians 9:22 account of being "made all things to all men" into a license for practicing "whatever it takes" to promote global peace and unity and the brotherhood of man as if the Lord Jesus cares not what Christians do as long as we do it in His name and involve everyone – which is heresy.

As a side note, I was mildly encouraged, if not amused to finally see an article in the Baptist Press this week, titled, When the bubble bursts, criticizing some of the practices and principles of the church growth movement – (be it too little too late) – its author mentioning the damage it's done over the years in the church's search for "relevancy," which frankly, is a ridiculously unbiblical notion in and of itself – something that begs repeated rebukes.

You see, I submitted numerous articles to the Baptist Press and other Christian publications like it from around late 2000 to 2002 in a vain attempt to warn them and their readers about the church growth movement and its leaders. I should also point out that the Baptist Press still publishes pro CGM articles and authors; so, it's not like they have repented or anything – they've only attempted to demonstrate more "balance" in their reporting, if you want to call it that.

Now that the dumbed-down church is practicing "tolerance" as a "biblical" principle, Warren can now move Christians further down the road to ruin by encouraging us to "respect" other religions, beliefs and values as if that too is biblical. After we learn to honor and esteem those who worship Allah, what's next in the transition – embrace Allah? Will Warren then tell us that respect is not enough?

Oh sure, the "America's Pastor" cloaks it all in benevolent lingo – but the new age objective is still the same: Bring all the world's religions together into one big happy family to find common ground and do good works.

Well, blending Christianity with paganism is not a good work. And I would suggest that the "common ground" found will ultimately be worshipping and serving the antichrist whether Warren recognizes that or not.

Comment:

How ungodly can a professed Christian pastor become? He is far worse than an immoral person, for followers will normally depart from immorality. But a moral man with a evil message in the name of Christianity will have many followers, who will not only follow him down but finance his broad road to destruction.

Considering the acclaim and following that not only this ungodly man gets, but others like him receive, who can doubt that God will turn over this once Christian nation to the Muslims, even to a Muslim president?

BOOK REVIEW

"John Clarke and His Legacies"

The Life of A Pioneer Baptist

By Thomas Williamson

The book "John Clarke and His Legacies - Religion and Law in Colonial Rhode Island 1638-1750" is a valuable resource for persons wanting to know more about this man who was the founding pastor of the First Baptist Church in America, planted in Newport, Rhode Island in 1638.

The author is Sydney James. This book, published by Pennsylvania State University Press in 1999, will probably not be found in any Christian bookstore or book catalogue, but it may be found in the public library, and is well worth reading for information about the life and theological beliefs of this great Baptist leader.

Some subjects covered by this book include the persecution in Lynn, Massachusetts in 1651, during which Clarke was briefly imprisoned and his co-worker Obadiah Holmes was whipped; Clarke's negotiations for the Rhode Island charter granted in 1663; and the lengthy dispute over the interpretation of his will after his death.

John Clarke was born in England in 1609, but we know little of his life until his arrival in Massachusetts in 1637. Such details as his conversion, when did he become a Baptist, and when did he receive Baptist baptism, are apparently not known to any historian.

Upon landing at Boston, Massachusetts in 1637, Clarke immediately became embroiled in the biggest controversy of that time, the Antinomian dispute. The Antinomians, led by Anne Hutchinson, agreed with the Puritans on the doctrines of predestination and salvation by faith alone, but disagreed with the Puritan belief that the main evidence of election and salvation was proper conduct and keeping the Law. They insisted that the elect would know of their blessed standing by means of the witness of the Holy Spirit in their hearts, a purely inward experience.

This involved the receipt of direct messages from the Holy Spirit, and for all practical purposes meant that the Antinomians were claiming to receive new, extra-biblical revelations from God. Hutchinson denied that she was against keeping the Law, but maintained that such law-keeping was not the evidence of salvation.

The magistrates regarded such notions as a threat to the public order, and ordered the Antinomians disarmed and expelled from the colony, lest they should try to overthrow the government based on an alleged new revelation from God. John Clarke, who had joined the Antinomians but was not included in the banishment order, took the lead in helping 80 families flee Massachusetts to form a new colony at Newport, Rhode Island.

Clarke became the founder of the first church in Newport in 1638. He based the church firmly on such tenets as rejection of infant baptism and the requirement of baptism by immersion, while allowing open discussion and diversity of opinion on many other subjects. The author hints that Clarke may not have become firm in his Baptist convictions until after the arrival of Mark Lucar, who had become a Baptist in England and arrived in Newport in 1641 or later.

In common with the Puritans, his church accepted predestination. Clarke was never ordained and did not seek to establish himself as the dominant pastor of the congregation, preferring to allow other pastors to share in the preaching duties.

While Anne Hutchinson and her pastor John Cotton believed in direct inspiration from the Holy Spirit, Clarke's view on this subject are vague and he never clearly expressed himself as believing in new revelations.

He was a strong proponent of the separation of church and state, and opposed such trends as required church attendance and taxation to support a church, which were being advanced in Massachusetts.

Late in life, Clarke married Sarah Davis, a Quaker, as his third wife (the 2 previous wives having died) even though such a mixed marriage was frowned upon at the time by Baptists and Quakers alike.

In his later years, the Newport church was torn by 2 controversies. The first was the Six Principle debate - followers of this doctrine insisted on the rite of laying on of hands as a requirement for membership. This may seem like a minor point, but this ritual implied a reliance on the Holy Spirit to provide preaching by direct inspiration. It also added a third requirement for membership, in addition to baptism and congregational approval, which was contrary to Clarke's views on keeping things simple. The dissidents eventually withdrew and formed their own Six Principle churches.

The second was the Sabbatarian dispute, stirred up by those who felt that Saturday should be observed as the Sabbath. Clarke as usual allowed open discussion of the issue but finally came down against the Seventh Day Sabbath observance as a relic of Jewish ceremonial law. Here too the dissenters left and formed their own church.

Many details about Clarke's beliefs are unclear, such as his convictions on eschatology, and just how and when he arrived at clear Baptist convictions. In some ways, Clarke would not fit in the mold from which modern Baptist preachers are produced. He would be out of step with many of us, in his sympathy for the notion that salvation is evidenced by the inner light of the Holy Spirit, as opposed to the visible evidences of sanctification which we rightly emphasize today.

Nevertheless, we can be proud to claim John Clarke as one of the spiritual founders and forebears of the American Baptist movement. He was a firm believer in Baptist soul liberty, allowing for differences of conviction in matters not clearly taught in the Word of God, and free discussion of those differences of opinion within the local church.

This is a principle that has almost been lost sight of in some Baptist circles today, where the emphasis is on enforcement of blind, rigid, unthinking obedience to the Senior Pastor who is cast in the role of an infallible Baptist Pope. Sometimes, total obedience is also demanded on behalf of strong-willed televangelists, Christian Right politicians and radio entertainers.

John Clarke's basic approach to pastoral ministry was irenic and peaceable. He sought to avoid making tests of fellowship out of beliefs that were not clearly taught in the Bible. As fundamentalists we must stand strong for everything that the Bible teaches, rather than trying to boil down the faith to a skimpy list of "Five Fundamentals of Faith," but at the same time we should emulate Clarke's example of avoiding disputes and condemnation over speculative matters that are not rigorous doctrines of the faith.

Other books containing biographical information about John Clarke include "Your Baptist Heritage 1620-1804" by Isaac Backus, "John Clarke: Pioneer in American Medicine, Democratic Ideals, and Champion of Religious Liberty" by Louis Asher, and "The First Baptist Church in America - Not Founded by Roger Williams" by Graves and Adlam (Bogard Press).

Personal

We, and others, I'm sure, are thankful for global warming, or it would be quite cold up here. A strange July, to say the least for those of us east of the Mississippi, and especially in the North East. Our high July 18 was 66o, and the low the next morning was 49o. I wanted to start the wood stove one morning, but my wife would not hear of it in July.

Things have been quiet. The garden is coming in slowly, due to the colder weather, I'm sure. The cool weather is hard on the tomatos. Bettie recovered a couch– she got tired of the old cover.

The deer love most of the flowers my wife has planted around the house. She has tried to plant deer-resistant flowers as much as possible. They come right up to the house to nip the buds and blooms off some of the prettiest flowers, particularly the "Star Gazers." Many folks here in the mountains put electric fences around their gardens. We did this year, and so far, the deer have left it alone, though we have see them sleeping and grazing next to the fence. (We counted 26 the other day grazing just over our back fence and maybe 200 yards south of us. It is not uncommon to see 20-30 grazing in the field across the road, on the next hill. They are pleasant to watch, but they sure are destructive.) The ground is too rocky for row crops, so a lot of hay is grown here. The first cutting of the hay is about the fawning season. We have a friend who works on hay equipment, and it is not uncommon for the hay equipment to "eat" the fawns who are hidden by their mothers in the standing hay. I understand that the mother will tell her fawns to stay still while she is gone, and they do. The ones with spots have no smell, so they are safe from wild animals, but not from hay equipment.

We knew there were bears up here, but our first experience with them was this past month. I left a pair of work shoes and tennis shoes on our back porch. The first time, the right shoe of each pair was missing. Praise the Lord whatever took them did not take the left shoes which had my only two shoe lifts! The following night, the left shoe, and the next night, the left shoe of the other pair was missing. The next weekend, someone was repairing bear vandalism at a cemetery just up the road from us. He found one of the tennis shoes chewed all to pieces. No dog could have done that. We also know there are wild-cats and mountain lions here. I hope they keep their distance better than do the bears.

However, this is the most beautiful place we have ever lived, particularly on clear days when we can see nothing but higher mountains all around us. If you are ever on the East Coast, please make plans to come by to see us. We have an extra room we would love to share with you, and you will enjoy the view as you drive through the mountains to our place.

As many of you remember, I had laser surgery in my left eye about 15 years ago. Of course, I am paranoid now about my eyes. Moreover, last year I received a cortisone shot in my right shoulder, which caused a reaction in my left eye. I went to the VA, and the doctor who examined me had just submitted a paper, and defended it, on the likelihood of cortisone affecting the eyes. And then I showed up with what he had submitted. They made my eye reaction a case study. A few weeks ago and unlike previous changes, my prescription changed dramatically within a very short time. I "pleaded" with the VA to get me in for a check up, fearful of old problems reasserting themselves. After a thorough exam, there were no new difficulties seen, and they decided it is simply a prescription change. You can imagine how disquieting eyes problems can be, especially when you have had problems in the past. The hospital I go to in Martinsburg,, WV (about 90 minutes from us) has very up to date equipment.

It certainly does not seem possible, but my 50th high school reunion is coming up in August in Terre Haute, Indiana. (Our high school is about 15 miles south of Terre Haute, Indiana. Three schools were "consolidated" to make one. My high school in Fairbanks, where my dad was pastoring, had 9 in my class. Our graduating class had 46.) It seems like just the other day that my dad went to his 50th in Jasonville, Indiana.

One more thing: With your broadband, you should look into magicjack as a telephone option. We have used it now for several weeks, and it works fine. Remember, only $20 a year, and only .05 cents a minute for overseas about anywhere in the world. If you are not concerned about your long distance phone bill, then switch anyway, and send the savings to The Biblical Examiner!

Well, one more thing: I understand OpenOffice is putting a hurt on Microsoft as Firefox is on IE. The OpenOffice word processor and data base is compatible with Microsoft. Microsoft stole their products from their competitors, and now OpenOffice is giving away what Microsoft over-charges for. If I remember right, among other things, Microsoft usurped Corel's data base program. OpenOffice is free, and interchanges files with Microsoft products. Though I use an old Word Perfect program because of the "reveal codes" option, I urge those who do not want to pay big bucks for MS office to try OpenOffice. I do use OpenOffice "B" instead of Access to work on the data base at ww2color.com for which I was using Access. That file has over 8200 records in it so far, and OpenOffice "B" does fine. Try it. You'll like it.

Remember, our sermons are posted at sermonaudio.com/providence.

Notice: Paper I used to get for $1.90 a ream (500 sheets), now costs $4.00-$6.00 a ream, delivery charges included. (That is the cost of even cheap paper at Wal-Mart and office supply stores.) If I remember right, when I printed the Examiner myself, I got the paper for .05 cents a pound, or about $5.00 a case of 5000 sheets. It was "scrap" paper from a very large printing company in Crawfordsville, Indiana. The scrap would be left over paper from a big run at the printing company, and came in on large rolls to a man I knew. I can tolerate the cost of the paper, but the shipping on paper, which is very heavy, is placing paper out of reach.

So, e-books are now the way to go. We hope to shortly have all our books, except "Death of the Church Victorious" in a downloadable E book format. As soon as we get the e-book store set up, I will let you know.

The real gangs of thieves

Two Giants Emerge From Wall Street Ruins

Jessica Ebelhar/The New York Times, 7/16/09

JPMorgan Chase posted a $2.7 billion quarterly profit on Thursday, showing its turnaround.

A new order is emerging on Wall Street after the worst crisis since the Great Depression — one in which just a couple of victors are starting to tower over the handful of financial titans that used to dominate the industry.

On Thursday, JPMorgan Chase became the latest big bank to announce stellar second-quarter earnings. Its $2.7 billion profit, after record gains for Goldman Sachs, underscores how the government's effort to halt a collapse has also set the stage for a narrowing concentration of financial power.

"One theme here is that Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan really have emerged as the winners, as the last of the survivors," said Robert Reich, a professor at the University of California, Berkeley, who was secretary of labor in the Clinton administration.

Both banks now stand astride post-bailout Wall Street, having benefitted from billions of dollars in taxpayer support and cheap government financing to climb over banks that continue to struggle. They are capitalizing on the turmoil in financial markets and their rivals' weakness to pull in billions in trading profits....

Mr. Dimon [JPMorgan] is also gearing up for a series of battles in Washington. One is over tighter regulations for derivatives, a business where the bank generates lucrative fees as one of the industry's largest players....

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/17/business/global/17bank.html?_r=1&th&emc=th

Comment: It seems the "crisis" was contrived to wipe out competition. Goldman Sachs has very, very close ties with Obama's administration. Thanks to the (not our, for they do not respond to the voters, but to money and power) elected representatives, multiplied billions of dollars have been downloaded to these big banks. They got the money for free, yet charge high interest rates. What is wrong with this picture?

However, the profits they are reporting are not just from "interest rates on nothing," but "trading profits in derivatives," which brought about the problem in the first place. Though the average man cannot understand these financial "products," we must guarantee and pay for their failures.

Hillary Clinton admits that the CFR runs the Government

Posted by David Kramer on July 17, 2009 10:07 AM

As with a recent blog I did about a Rothschild puppet blatantly promoting a One World Government solution to our "man-made" global warming "crisis," now Secretary of State (and CFR member) Clinton admits in her latest address to the Council on Foreign Relations what Carroll Quigley wrote about in Tragedy and Hope (Chapter 65), Dan Smoot wrote about in The Invisible Government, and Gary Allen wrote about in None Dare Call It Conspiracy:

"Thank you very much, Richard, and I am delighted to be here in these new headquarters. I have been often to, I guess, the mother ship in New York City, but it's good to have an outpost of the Council right here down the street from the State Department. We get a lot of advice from the Council, so this will mean I won't have as far to go to be told what we should be doing and how we should think about the future.

"…we will lead by inducing greater cooperation among a greater number of actors and reducing competition, tilting the balance away from a multi-polar world and toward a multi-partner world…Building the architecture of global cooperation requires us to devise the right policies and use the right tools…Our first approach is to build these stronger mechanisms of cooperation with our historic allies, with emerging powers, and with multilateral institutions…"

I can assure you that when I was in public school in the 1960s and early 1970s, not once did I ever hear about an organization called the Council on Foreign Relations in any of my history classes. If this organization seems to have such a powerful influence on the Federal Government's actions, why have I only been hearing about it in the past decade? Hmmmmm?

Another:

National Security Advisor James L. Jones also admits that the CFR runs the Government

Posted by David Kramer on July 17, 2009 11:14 AM

U.S. National Security Adviser Jones gave these remarks at the 45th Munich Conference on Security Policy at the Hotel Bayerischer Hof on February 8, 2009.

"Thank you for that wonderful tribute to Henry Kissinger yesterday. Congratulations. As the most recent National Security Advisor of the United States, I take my daily orders from Dr. Kissinger, filtered down through Generaal [sic] Brent Scowcroft and Sandy Berger, who is also here. We have a chain of command in the National Security Council that exists today."

Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't Henry Kissinger and Brent Scowcroft retire from government service years ago? Hmmmmm?

Comment: Christians must get their heads out of the sand, and take their Christianity to the polls. They sure did not last time, and look where they, the Christians, have taken us.

See:

Hillary Clinton says CFR tells government what it should be doing and how to think about the future. Really! Read the transcript.

State Dept

http://www.state.gov/secretary/rm/2009a/july/126071.htm

Hillary Clinton admits that the CFR runs the Government

http://www.lewrockwell.com/blog/lewrw/archives/030073.html

National Security Advisor James L. Jones also admits that the CFR runs the Government

http://www.lewrockwell.com/blog/lewrw/archives/030102.html

Stop the Violence — control small arms

"The spread of small arms creates a serious global problem and requires an equally urgent response because the lives and futures of children are at stake. These weapons have extinguished more young lives than they have protected." Carol Bellamy, Executive Director United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF)

The New York Times

Chinese Question Police Absence in Ethnic Riots

By EDWARD WONG, July 18, 2009

URUMQI, China — As this shattered regional capital sorts through the corpses from China's deadliest civil unrest in decades, another loss has become apparent: faith in the government's ability to secure the peace and quell mass disturbances. In many neighborhoods, police officers remained absent for hours as the carnage unfolded, witnesses say.

The bloodletting here on July 5, in which ethnic Uighurs pummeled and stabbed ethnic Han to death, was just the latest episode in a nationwide upswing in large-scale street violence that had already prompted concerned officials in Beijing to look for new ways to defuse such outbursts. In all of the recent cases, not only were officials and security forces unable to contain the violence, but average people clashed with the police en masse — a sign of the profound distrust of local authority throughout much of China.

"In the last several years, the level of violence and speed with which these incidents can turn violent has increased," said Murray Scot Tanner, an analyst of Chinese security. "It raises a very, very serious question: To what extent are the Chinese people afraid of their police anymore?"

In parts of the Uighur quarter and in poorer, mixed areas of south Urumqi, young Uighur men with sticks, knives and stones went on a bloody rampage for about five hours while police officers remained mostly absent, according to interviews with dozens of residents. In some areas where police officers arrived but were outnumbered by rioters, the officers stood around or fled, witnesses said.

"Where were the police while people were being killed?" said Cheng Wei, 41, a landscaper whose neighbors, poor fruit vendors from Henan Province, lost a son in the riots. "They were completely useless."

Large street protests that turn violent, and that officials and security forces have been powerless to stop, have been on the rise in recent years, analysts say. The government usually avoids reporting the number of protests or riots in China, but an article in January in Outlook Weekly, a policy magazine published by Xinhua, the state news agency, said there were 90,000 such events in 2006, up from 60,000 in 2003. ...

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/18/world/asia/18xinjiang.html?th&emc=th

Comments:

The Chinese people are disarmed by their government out of self-protection of the government, so men use sticks, knives and stones to kill one another. With no police protection, those attacked were helpless.

Outlaw knives, men will use sticks. Outlaw sticks, man will use rocks. Outlaw rocks and men will use their bare hands. Change men's hearts with the gospel, and the violence will stop.

Stop the Violence—take away small arms.

Only the weak-minded and fools believe such lies. The goal of gun control is not to restrain violence against one another, for guns are a primary means of self-protection.

The goal of gun control is to stop the violence against oppressive, despotic civil governments by those who have had enough. Gun control is a self-protection move by those who want total control over the people.

I do not know about your state, but here they have "gun" classes in our local schools, and hunting without a license for those 16 and under with a licensed hunter before deer season opens.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/18/world/asia/18xinjiang.html?th&emc=th

Faith for All of Life (Chalcedon publication) had an article, Exodus "Report Card" Jabs Big Ministries, May/June, 2009.

Exodus Mandate issued a "report card" grading how various and well known ministries' commitment to Christian Schooling. (Exodus Mandate is working toward urging Christian parents to see that their children receive a Christian education, which is not available from the state. http://www.exodusmandate.org/)

"We're asking these leaders to take a sabbatical from politics and join us," Moore [EM's director] said. "It's better to drain the swamp than to try to kill all the mosquitoes. Unless Christian children get a Christian education, we can't even maintain our culture—much less take it back." ...

"Sending our kids to the public schools," Aman [speaking for Coral Ridge Ministries] said, "is a bit like when the Turks used to capture Christian children and raise them to be Muslim janissaries."...

Comment: Mr. Aman is even more right as time goes on, for the Muslims are gaining more and more influence in the government schools, as the system works to make the Muslims happy in the system. Christians have willingly and willfully lost the culture war by sending their children to the "public" schools. No doubt, there are many good, Christian teachers in the class rooms, if those teachers make their Christian faith public in the class room, how long will they last. Try praying in the name of Christ... Pastors who refuse to speak out against the sins of their people in allowing the anti-Christ train the children, and parents who allow the anti-Christian instruction will answer to God for their sins.

I believe a reason Christian parents refuse to remove their children is because of money. The system will baby sit their children while the parents make as much money as possible. Thus, they sacrifice their children not only to the state, but to the god of mammon.

The Supreme Court nomination deserves a word: "The Republicans are Dead." I do not know of one who has strongly stood against the nominee. How sad that they fear the Spanish vote so much they will not stand for right.

The way Obama is rushing his plans for destroying America through Congress, he seems to be afraid of people finding the truth about his birth or the truth of his plans for destruction, or both.

I have never seen so many people overlook so many lies. Why?

Judicial Blindness

Exodus 5 opens the conflict between the Living God and the might and power of this world. There are at least three reasons for the hardness of Pharaoh's heart towards the command-word of God and the ensuing conflict, namely:

1) To establish for all the earth to see for all time that the One True God was indeed the Lord of the whole earth. (Exodus 9:14, Romans 9:17.) The fact that the Lord did indeed harden Pharaoh's heart for His own glory is hard to accept for those who deny God's sovereignty.

2) The conflict establishes God as the Covenant-keeping God. He will move heaven and earth (shake is the term used by Paul in Hebrews 12) in order to keep His covenant-promise to, A) His Son, B) Abraham and C) His people.

Psalms 2. He promised the Son that all power and authority will be subdued unto the Son. (1 Corinthians 15:25.),The conflict with Egypt proves that the Father will fulfill His covenant with His people in His good time and in the manner pleasing to Himself.

3) To bring judgment against Egypt. Pharaoh, and thus Egypt, was blinded (hardened) by God for the purpose that He might bring judgment against them for their sin against Him and against His people. This is called JUDICIAL BLINDNESS, i.e. blindness from God so just judgment can fall. There are severe results of Judicial Blindness, and they are all prevalent today.

First, it prohibits men from seeing cause and effect, especially in their own lives. (Hosea 8:7, Galatians 6:7.)

Second, it prohibits men from seeing any need to repent, to turn or to obey His word. (2 Corinthians 4:1-6.).

The result of Judicial Blindness can be summed up: It is an escape from reality on the part of those blinded. Those who are not caught in Judicial Blindness are astounded at the blindness of those who, including God's people, are unable to see any cause and effect in their lives or in society.

We could thus define Judicial Blindness as a God-sent blindness so that either He can bring judgment against sin, or so sin can have its natural results of destruction, both in the church, family, and in society in general.

As I have contact with people, including pastors, there are times that I have been amazed at their blindness: They seem to be totally oblivious of any connection between their attitudes toward God and His law-word and what they see happening in their families and all around them in society. To further complicate matters, if anyone says anything to them, even their pastor speaking, they become offended, and, many times, even seek another church.

I have found that most people want someone who will tell them what they want to hear. (Jeremiah 5:31.) The Scriptures say a great deal about this Supernatural Blindness, e.g. Exodus 5:2, Deuteronomy 29:4, 32:28.

God sent Judicial Blindness upon Pharaoh that He might bring His judgment against Egypt for its sin against His covenant-people. Judicial Blindness was also sent upon Israel, so God could judge them for their sin against Him (they rebelled against His man, Moses, and had absorbed a lot of Egypt's ungodly culture), and thus they refused to go into Canaan. All of the Egyptian generation had to die because they were Egyptian slaves at heart.

There are a few things that enable us to recognize Judicial Blindness, and that Blindness IS NOT limited to the unsaved. Rather, it is in relationship to the law-word of God. Accordingly, both professed Christians and pagans can be blinded to the cause and effect in their lives in relationship to His word, e.g., Christians unable to see the devastating results of the government school system upon their children, upon society in general and upon the cause of Christ.

1) The purpose of Judicial Blindness is so the Lord can take flaming vengeance upon the disobedient to His law-word; i.e. that God might judge sin, 2 Thessalonians 1:8, 2:11, 12 (cf. Titus 1:16; 1 John 3:4). (Psalms 79:6, Proverbs 4:19, 10:21, 13:18, 14:12, Isaiah 6:9, 10 [Matthew 13:14, John 12:38-41], Isaiah 29:10-12, Amos 9:10' Matthew 15:14, Romans 11:25, 2 Corinthians 3:14, 2 Thessalonians 1:8, 2:11, 12.)

2) A result of blindness is that people cannot understand (or they ignore) Moses, 2 Corinthians 3:14. (See 1 Kings 2:3, Deuteronomy 29:9, Joshua 1:7, 22:5, Psalms 1, &c. & 1 John 1:6, 2:4-9, 3:1. All these verses, plus a great many more, all fit into the same category—that is, rejecting Moses rejects God's blessings upon the rejecters)

3) Blindness replaces the wisdom of God with the wisdom of this world, 1 Corinthians 1:18-20.

4) Only by God's supernatural intervention can one be delivered out of the kingdom of blindness (darkness) and into the kingdom of light, Acts 26:18, Ephesians 4:18, Colossians 1:13. Therefore the answer to this blindness is to sincerely seek the Lord, Proverbs 28:5, Philippians 3:15.

5) Our Lord warned us that from His time on, Judicial Blindness will increase; therefore, we should not surprised, 2 Timothy 3:13, 2 Thessalonians 2:11.

When Christ said, For judgment I am come into this world, that they which see not might see; and that they which see might be made blind (John 9:29-39), He was speaking specifically of and to the nation of Israel of His day. In Matthew 23:34-39, Christ said that Jerusalem was going to be judged for all of the innocent blood which had been shed upon the earth from Abel unto Zacharias. Thus, He came not only to redeem His people (Isaiah 53:8), but to judge those who rejected Him and the one who sent Him, the Heavenly Father. He returned in judgment against the blinded nation of Israel, Jerusalem, AD 70. (The dispensationalists have been looking for His return for years. Throughout Scripture, judgment against evil has been referred to as a "coming of the Lord." Has He now returned in judgment upon a nation that at one time honored him?)

In other words, Israel was supernaturally blinded to Christ. Among other things, the purpose of that blindness was so:

A) carnal Israel would crucify the Son of God (Acts 2:23), providing redemption and salvation for His own (Ephesians 1, Colossians 1:20);

B) God could judge them for all the innocent blood that had been shed upon the earth (Matthew 23:34-36);

C) He could fulfill the Old Testament prophets (Luke 31:33), and

D) He could replace the carnal nation of Israel with a spiritual nation of Israel, the Gospel Church (Jeremiah 31:31-34/2 Corinthians 3, Hebrews 8:8-12, 10:16, 17, Galatians 6;16). Israel's murder of Christ resulted in Israel's destruction as God judged her evil ways.

Consider that it took about 4000 years for God to avenge the blood of Abel. How long will it take Him to avenge the innocent blood from 70 A.D. to the present? And there is plenty of innocent blood being shed. The land spued out carnal Israel for its rebellion, Leviticus 18:28. Is it any wonder why church men vainly want to be released from the godly principles of the Old Testament, and placed only under an "age of grace", where there is no standard of judgment according to the precepts laid down by God's law?

6) We are left with this question regarding Judicial Blindness: "Why does blindness increase instead of decrease?" Though there are abundant passages which deal with this question, we will only look at a few.

A) Isaiah 42 (v. 21), it is through His judgment against sin that a) men forsake their false gods and graven images; b) His law is magnified and made honorable (the time-frame of Isaiah 42 is important: it was set in motion at the time of Christ, vv. 1-4, and c) men know that He is the Lord (Exodus 7:5, Ezekiel 6:7, Revelation 2:23, and many more passages).

B) Isaiah 48, it is through His judgment against sin that the hypocrite turns from his hypocrisy.

C) Isaiah 51 defines His salvation as His judgment against sin, eradicating sin (v. 4-6).

Furthermore, Isaiah 11:4 tells us that His righteous judgment against sin (the rod of his mount, which is His law-word—see Revelation 1:16, 2:16, 19:15, 19:21) will result in the slaying of the wicked, the exaltation of righteousness and the earth being filled with the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.

Psalms 72 (& 96 along with Isaiah 55:10), tells us that as His righteous judgment against sin descends like the rain, righteousness and peace will flourish like the new mown grass.

Moreover, His judgment against sin establishes His dominion from sea to sea, unto the ends of the earth; it causes all kings to bow before Him and all nations to serve Him. Furthermore, His deliverance of the needy, the poor and those who have no help depends upon His judgment falling against sin. (Check also Acts 14:17.)

D) James 1:22, blindness increases as God's people refuse to follow the word of God. They are requesting God's judgment upon themselves and upon their society. Hosea 13:9

The purpose of Judicial Blindness

Why does blindness increase instead of decrease? So the Lord can bring in His righteous reign and justice here on this earth. As time progresses from Christ on, men grow harder and harder in their refusal to turn to the law of the Lord. The result will be that the Lord's goodness, forbearance and longsuffering expires, His wrath will be revealed from heaven against all ungodliness, His law exalted and magnified and, finally, righteousness and salvation springs up as the new mown grass after a rain storm. (Cf. Romans 2.)

Judicial Blindness is prevalent today not only among those who make no profession of Christ, but among the vast majority of God's people. People are unable to make any connection between their personal relationship with the Lord and His law, their personal lives - attitudes and decisions – and what is taking place around them in society. People are unable to see that society only reflects their attitude toward the Lord and His word. Hosea (4:9) and Isaiah (24:2) both point out that the Lord gives leaders after the hearts of the people. People who disregard God and His word will beget leaders, both spiritual and civil, who disregard law.

The result is two-fold:

First, men, even "Christian men," seek answers everywhere except where the answer lies: renewed faithfulness to the Lord and to His total word.

Second, the situation only worsens, hastening God's judgment against sin.

Yet in spite of the apparent impending flood of fiery wrath against sin, we have a sure promise: judgment descends like the rain so that righteousness, justice and salvation might flourish as the crops in the field. What a marvelous day for the faithful servant of God to live in.