Now What?

I assume that I am not the only Hockey Fan in the blogosphere but now I am back to watching TV less which is probably a good thing as it is not that edifying most of the time. Oh yeah I keep up with the news and such but there are not really that many exciting things on at a good time slot; I am an early to bed early to rise guy the job demands it.

 However what really upset me was that the Bruins won and Tampa Bay did not get a chance at a second cup. I did not have a dog in the fight so I am not really upset about this one even though I am not a Bruin fan.

Congrats Bruins we will be coming for you next year, Go Devils!

An apologetic on Hell.

 There seems to be a lot of talk lately about the existence of Hell. There are some who still choose to affirm it as truth and some are truthful about it and dwell on it and then others who choose to say it does not exist or that it is empty. So what is the proper way to treat the subject. Do we ignore it and say that it doesn't matter because " Love Wins" or do we continue to affirm and drag down the sinner who has not yet come to faith, by insisting on their damnation as a certainty when we are not sure of what their fate will be (they may come to faith and there is no gospel in double predestination).

  In answer to the first question , Love Won That Is Why Jesus Died!(John 3:16) However, in love Jesus warns his people and those outside of grace that there is a Hell( John 3:17-18). As stated in the Scripture below, Hell is a real place and to quote the Lutheran Theologian Quenstedt who quotes Chrysostom "Let us not speak where it is, but how we may escape it." Christ words warn us below.

Luke 16:23-24
²³ And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.
²⁴ “Then he cried and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.’

Matthew 7:13
¹³ “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.

 So here is the question: Is Jesus still love even though he clearly declares Hell as an actual place? Well my answer to this is that this is the prime reason why Jesus came was to save us from this certain fate outside of Him. Without him we are dead in our sins which are our just wages and Hell our reward(curse). If God had another plan then our works may be enough to save us . The performance and reliance on any works is prideful and entering through the wide gate is exactly what the false teachers propose. That is not what Christ proposes because he is paradoxically the "Narrow Gate". Most would feel that a narrow door is the harder way but if you know the "narrow way" is the only way then it is not the hardest way because you know how to get there.

The Old Testament is used by Jesus demonstrating his complete consistency in the use of God's Word as these truths about Hell are clearly used by him.

Isaiah 66:24

²⁴ “And they will go out and look on the dead bodies of those who rebelled against me; the worms that eat them will not die, the fire that burns them will not be quenched, and they will be loathsome to all mankind.” ( referenced in Luke 16:23-24, Mark 9:44)

Daniel 12:22

²And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. ( referenced to in the Last Judgment Matthew 25:31,43)

Jesus is clearly affirming the same teaching in the Gospels that is in the Old Testament. So it can be said that Christ is being perfectly consistent in these declarations. Jesus firmly speaks of Hell and warns us because he loves us and does not want us to send ourselves there by refusing to believe he is the only way. This navel gazing being done by doubting what Christ says or choosing your own religion because you can be a good person and locking arms with religious leaders who are Marxists is only serving to do one thing and that is shipwreck those who are non discerning in faith.

 I wonder if someone thought of asking Bell this question. Since everything in the Bible is up for grabs and discussion; Is there a heaven? It seems people like him want to pick and choose which portions of the Bible they like and cross out other ones they don't like. Perhaps, Christ does not exist as we don't need salvation from hell? I am using a skeptics argument here. Such errorists as Bell create this type of questioning by and usher people to apostasy.

 So in the end analysis it is obvious Hell is a real place. It is also obvious that Christ's sacrifice is why "Love Wins in Christ" but in because a belief in Him is what keeps us from going there; and if it is a belief in Christ that keeps me from going there then Universalism is what will take me there. Universalism is the broad road and wide gate that shall lead the church to destruction as there is no God to believe in but any idol that you choose. It is really no different than affirming a moral atheism.

 I plan on writing more about this subject in the near future and how I am learning to talk about it with others.

Christians and Muslims Worship the Same God. That is according to Miroslav Wolf.

   The information for this post was taken from the Christian News who gleaned their information from (Christianity Today?) I use the parentheses and  a? because I sometimes wonder Christiananity Today  stands. This is my first post regarding this interview with false teacher Miroslav Wolf. I plan on continuing posts on this article until I cover the points Dr. Wolf made in this interview.

 I often comment on things that should seem obvious to all; but is what I say obvious to all? I think it should be obvious to all but may not be because there is so much of a mess that has been made trying to denigrate True Christianity. I am sure that many of us would like to believe that our Jewish neighbor, Muslim associate at work and Mormon and Buddhist friends are all going to be saved when it is all said and done.This is of course,  not the case and would make the true Christian faith irrelevant as all would be saved because of there works . This mindset also calls Jesus a liar and questions the veracity of the Scriptures themselves and in the end results in socially moral atheism, if there is such a thing (because it doen't matter what you believe you can even be your own God as long as you are a good person and everything is ok!) even Satan is saved because in this scheme of things he does not exist or is forgiven. This is precisely why the Reformation started in the first place which the Emergent Movement is trying to unravel. This would seem to be what Miroslav Wolf , a theological professor at Yale Divinity School and formerly Fuller Seminary Professor ( no surprise here either) would suggest and being that it itches the ears it just feels so good! Just because it feels good does not mean we do it .

Wolf believes that it is important that Christians and Muslims realize that they worship the same God because 1: They make up two of the world's largest religions and comprise more than half of the people in the world
2: Christians and Muslims are at each other's throats literally if not figuratively and we need to find ways to live peaceably together.

These are his quotes by the way!

Well  hug a tree and free to be you and me!

 Tell that to the Coptics and Catholics in the Middle East who have asked for nothing more than to live in equality and peace. Not only does Dr. Wolf get it wrong theologically but geopolitically( Geopolitics takes the backseat here). In my area, there are a lot of Copts who have told me what is happening in Egypt and it is not good and that as a minority and Christians they have always wanted peace and this pursuit of peace is not the doctrine and practice

Here comes the Cortisone  the itch is about to disappear.

Christ did not come to this world to bring peace but to save it from sin. Christ says in Matthew 10:34-35 Think not that Iam come to send peace on earth. I came not to send peace but a sword . For I am come to set a man against his father a daughter against her mother , and the daughter in law against her mother in law.(KJV) So much for peace ! So Christ does not promise peace and if we do not believe that He is the only way to Heaven we are accusing Him of being a liar. If we say he is lying then His Word has no place in our lives and we have no salvation.