Why “Signs and Wonders” should NOT Make Me Happy

Why "Signs and Wonders" Should NOT Make ME Happy

There is a new move in Evangelicalism toward a “Signs and Wonders” orientation. The signs and wonders movement claims to be evangelical, Bible believing, and Christian. They place much hope and emphasis on experiences with signs and wonders. The embracing of the signs and wonders movement is most starkly seen in the widespread Evangelical acceptance of Bethel Church, and its leader Bill Johnson by much of the evangelical world. Although there is a large group of theologians and Evangelical leaders that are critical of the “signs and wonders” movement there is also a large group that have taken on the movement as a truly biblically orthodox movement. 

I would like to share with you why we should not seek signs and wonders, and why any sign or wonder should not make me happy. There are many leaders in this movement, including Bill Johnson[1]that teach that without some sign or wonder that a full proclamation of the gospel has not happened. This belief that the gospel can only be truly proclaimed with signs an wonders, or else it is insufficient as a true gospel proclamation could not be biblical, because of Jesus words that I will share and exegete at the end of this post. But first let me show you what is meant in this movement by signs and wonders.

In the “signs and wonders” movement there is a great pursuit of “miracles” or “signs and wonders” as they are called in the New Apostolic Reformation and the Third Wave Movement. There is a heavy emphasis on these miracles which include healings, speaking in tongues, prophecy, words of knowledge, visions, dreams, being “Slain in the Spirit,” being “in the Spirit.” By which they mean an out of body experience where your spirit has traveled into the spirit realm. There is a pursuit of seemingly occult like practices including practices in the relatively new movements which practice things like “glory clouds” of God’s presence filled with “gold dust,” angel feathers falling, gems appearing, conjuring angel orbs, fire tunnels (in which they employ Kundalini methods), spirit travel, out-of-body experiences, and “healings.” They also practice portal travel (where people claim they can go through portals to other places physically, which is obviously a New Age / Occult practice), extra-biblical revelation. Often a prophet or Apostle will give a “New Revelation.” They try to practice raising the dead, also charismatic praying in tongues, soaking, new wine movement, drunken glory, visualization, laughter (Toronto Blessing), and animal sounds while filled with the Spirit. I do not condemn tongues if done orderly as the Bible explains in 1st Corinthians 14:26-40. 

The many practices that the NAR employs when “Slain in the Spirit” are never mentioned in the Bible. Some other NAR practices are contemplative or meditative, where they teach emptying the mind or repeating one word from the Bible, which is not a historical Christian meditative practice. Meditation for the Christian is filling our minds with Scripture. Some of these practices include chanting and soaking, which are taught in Bethel school’s SOZO ministry. The movement practices contemplative prayers, soaking prayers, labyrinths, the “silence,” centering prayers, breath prayers and what they call the “prophetic act of waking up angels.” 

One of the most beloved shows of NAR leaders and its adherents is the show “Its Supernatural” with Sid Roth which he deals with topics such as angel worship/visitation, portal travel, heaven tourism, eavesdropping on conversations between the Trinity, the Bible Code controversy, teleportation, “downloading the mysteries of money,” seeing the invisible spirit world, language/worship of heaven, dream interpretation, and blood moon prophecy. Most recently the translator of The Passion Translation Brian Simmons appeared on the show “Its Supernatural.” He said he had a vision of Jesus in the “Library of Heaven” in which Jesus said he would give him the 22nd book of John to translate, not now but later. Here is the full interview.

Simmons begins to describe his vision at the 17 minute mark. This emphasis on the supernatural and “signs and wonders” displays patterns in the NAR and Third Wave movement of ministry where they exhibit a boundaryless engagement with supernatural realms. 

To paraphrase the practices of the modern signs and wonders movement, they practice laughter, falling, shaking, prophecy (Psychic Clairvoyance), portal travel, extra-biblical revelation, raising the dead, tongues, soaking or centering prayer, new wine movement, drunken glory, visualization, laughter, animal sounds while “Spirit-filled,” conjuring angel orbs, fire tunnels, spirit travel or out-of-body experiences, angel worship, heaven tourism, teleportation, dream interpretation, and healings. NAR churches also claim that gold dust, oil, glory clouds, angel feathers, and gems have appeared on people.

First, let us be clear that these signs and wonders are not biblical at all. Moreover, they mirror some sort of occult practice, and not biblical signs and wonders that are seen in the New Testament. The list of things practiced in the signs and wonders movement are wholly unbiblical, terrifying, weird, and even a little creepy. Beyond all that they put the emphasis in the wrong place. Jesus is clear in Luke 10:17-20 we should rejoice in our salvation rather than that spirits are subject to us. We should be more grateful for our salvation than signs and wonders. We should rejoice that our names are written in Heaven. How do our names get written in Heaven? How are our names inscribed in the eternal book of life? What is salvation? I would like to describe what salvation actually is so that it becomes quite easy to rejoice in it.

1. We were dead in our trespasses and sins you were made alive in Christ. That is the supreme Miracle (Ephesians 2).
2. We were rebels against God (Romans 13:2; Romans 8:7 Romans 5).
3. We were unable to help ourselves or receive God’s grace which is sometimes in theology referred to as “Effectual Calling” (Phil 2:13; John 6:44; 2 Timothy 2:25; 2 Peter 1:3; Matt 22:14; Ephesians 1:4-5).
4. To be saved we must be and were born again. Which is being born from of the water and the Spirit a supernatural birth from above (John 3).
5. We were made children of God and were not born of Human will, but born of God (John 1:12-13 Colossians 3:12-13).
6. God’s kindness led us to repentance (Romans 2:4).
7. He took the blinders off our eyes to be able to see and receive Christ (2 Cor. 3:12-16; John 12:40; Acts 26:18; Eph 1:18).
8. God offered Jesus as the propitiation of our sins. Those same sins that we could have never received forgiveness for outside of Christ (Rom 3:25).
9. He crushed the head of the serpent the devil by “destroying the works of the enemy” (1 John 3:8).
10. He was cursed on our behalf “cursed is everything that is hung from a tree” (Galatians 3:13).
11. God seated us with Christ in the heavenlies (Ephesians 2:6).
12. He was raised for our salvation and culmination as one who will one day received a glorious body like unto his (1 Corinthians 15).
13. He gave us freedom from the effects of the fall (Romans 8:2).
14. God presented Christ as the atoning sacrifice for our sins so that we could have peace with God (Romans 3:25-26).
15. We were adopted into God’s family before the foundations of the earth (Ephesians 1:4).
16. We have been raise with Christ (Colossians 3:1).

This is just a very short list of what God has done for us in Christ by saving us. As you can clearly see salvation that God has accomplished for us in Christ is way more supernatural than any other act. God has made dead men rise to live with Jesus, and called sinners to repentance. 

Jesus describes in Luke 10:17-20 What our posture towards signs and wonders should be. Miracles should not be nearly as important as salvation, and the supernatural nature of what happens when God quickens the hearts of men to salvation. 

“(17) The seventy-two returned with joy, saying, "Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name!" (18) And he said to them, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. (19) Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you. (20) Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.””

Our joy should be in the Lord and his magnificent power to raise the hearts of men and women to respond to God. He has written our names in heaven, he has given us every blessing in the heavenliness, he has raised us up with Christ, and we are co-heirs with Christ. We should not be happy or have joy about Pseudo-miracles, or pretend miracles, or for that matter, even real miracles. As Christ said, we should rather rejoice in the Savior that the miracles point to. 

The word that Luke attributes to Christ’s words and we translate as “written” in heaven is Grapho (γράφω). This word means enrolled, written, inscribed, carved or to engrave something permanently. This word that Jesus uses describes also the eternality of our union with Him and how that salvation will be of an eternal nature, because our names will be forever engraved in the book of life in heaven. When you trusted Christ your name was engraved on the eternal granite of the throne room of heaven. 

The word that Jesus uses for rejoice is Chairo (χαίρω) It means to be cheerful, calmly happy, well-off, to be well, be glad, joyful, or rejoice. Where is the joy in our salvation? Are you glad and better off as a result of your being made a son or daughter of God? Many in this movement would rejoice that someone is “healed,” or that some strange miracle happened, and barely mention salvation found in Christ. The movement also stirs up a craving and desire for more of the same, but Jesus says here quite plainly do not rejoice that demons are subject to you, but that your names are “engraved" in heaven. Of course we should be glad of the authority that we have in Christ over the principalities and powers of the unseen world. By the way that authority is only given to us by God through salvation and His good grace, not through our own effort. I am not saying that we cannot be glad for our authority over principalities and powers, but that gladness should be dwarfed in comparison to the gladness we feel at our salvation. So let us rejoice and be glad that, in Christ, our names are eternally and irreversibly engraved on the granite halls of the throne room of heaven! We can be truly glad, happy, and rejoice that we get to call on His name and that He has saved our souls. We look to the heavens and our help comes from the Lord. He saves your soul, so rejoice!

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[1]Johnson wrote in His book “When Heaven Invades Earth a Practical Guide to a Life of Miracles,” on page 126 “Without miracles there can never be a full revelation of Jesus.” and on page 127 he wrote, “Miracles provide the grace for repentance.” And further he says, “Here the apostle Paul demonstrates how the Gentiles were brought into obedience through the power of the Spirit of God, expressed in signs and wonders. This was what he considered as fully preaching the gospel. It wasn’t a complete message without a demonstration of the power of God. It’s how God says amen to His own declared word!”

Thoughts for Reflection on Good Friday

Most Kings when it is time for them to die come to some sort of process where they talk to their successor, son, or one taking over power to give them the crown. Sometimes Kings died on the battlefield, but if not they usually have a noble death, where they are surrounded by family and the King that will be coronated at his death. Jesus death was nothing like a kingly death.

Read John 19 it describes the events of Jesus death on a cross

On the cross...

1. Jesus Experienced Physical Suffering

1. Before Jesus had to even go through his day of torture and crucifixion he stayed up all through the night praying and the Bible says he sweat drops of blood. Bleeding through your sweat glands is A real physical condition called Hematidrosis.
2. He was struck with 40 lashes (minus 1) with a cat of nine tails. With balls wrapped up in leather, and glass, and metal, and small bones to do the most damage to people’s flesh.
3. The Roman soldiers pulled His beard, spit on Him, beat Him with rods, punched Him (While Blindfolded) in the face and asked to prophecy who hit Him.
4. They wrapped together a crown of thorns and pressed it into his head to mock him.
5. He was made to carry his own cross.
6. He was crucified at Golgotha. The details of crucifixion are...He was nailed and probably bound so that you had to press upward with your legs and pull with your arms to even breathe. People usually died of asphyxiation when crucified. We get our English word excruciating (someone who has “excruciating pain”) from the word crucifixion. Crucifixion only existed as corporal Roman punishment for the few years preceding and following Jesus life. It is known to this day as one of the most cruel forms of capital punishment known in human history.

2. Jesus Also Experienced Emotional Suffering

Look at the passage where Jesus was in the garden of gethsemane He was so troubled that his emotional state affected his physical state when he sweat drops of blood. We can see clearly emotional torment from the things that he said on the cross. He had to make arrangements for John to take care of Mary his mother, and His Father in heaven turned His back on His son when he "became sin." Jesus said, "Father why have you forsaken me."

3. Jesus aAlso Experienced Spiritual Suffering

Read Isaiah 53:3-12 which is a prophetic explanation of what Jesus would go through in the future. It is AWESOME!!! The cup of God’s wrath was poured out on Christ. That was the suffering for the sins of the whole world. Think about if Jesus had to spiritually suffer for only our worst sins. He not only suffered spiritually for our worst sins, but ALL our sins.

One of the eyewitnesses a Roman Centurion saw the “way in which he died”, and proclaimed “truly this was the son of God.” This would have been an incredible proclamation for a Roman, because a Roman would have believed that Caesar was the son of God. This is not only a proclamation of Jesus as God, but that Caesar was NOT! Here are a few questions for you this Good Friday for your reflection.

1. When you read about the details of the Crucifixion what do you feel? Love, Mercy, Grace, Hope, Sadness, Fear, Wonder, Thankfulness?

2. What is your response to the fact that, “He bore your sins in his body on the cross?”

3. What is your response that the Romans wrote above his cross, “The King of the Jews?”

Pray and thank God that he has sent His Son for us in our place.

“Dear Lord Jesus, Thanks you so much for your sacrifice in my place. Thank you that you suffered in my place that I could be free, forgiven, and be called a child of God. Jesus, you are so wonderful. I thank you so much for your cross. I fall down before your cross so that you would give me forgiveness and freedom from all my sins past, present, and future. Thank you for your grace, and that you died for me, even though I did not deserve it or earn it. You died for me while I was still a sinner. THANK YOU!!!”

Here is a wonderful song by Matt Papa to illustrate the Wondrous Mystery that happened for you and for me on the cross.

THE IMMUTABILITY OF GOD: WHY GOD'S UNCHANGING NATURE MATTERS

The Immutability of God: 
Why God’s Unchanging Nature Matters

By: Richard P Moore

Kandern, Germany January, 2018

Maybe it is because I have been feeling the onset of a midlife crisis, and that things are so rapidly changing around me and I cannot keep up with stuff like I used to anymore, that I want to address the never changing nature of God. Maybe it is because so many artists lately have covered the subject of the immutability of God (see videos below). Maybe it is because I feel myself changing so much. Even since beginning of this writing this I have changed. That is the nature of being human. We change! From the moment we are born, we are changing. Sometimes for better sometimes for worse. I have been intrigued by the immutability of God probably mostly because I sense the change and tumultuous upheaval in my life and even soul and spirit. Recently I have felt my spiritual life changing for the worse. I sense my heart being drawn to the lusts of the flesh more and more. Comfort breeds complacency and complacency breeds comfort. I am feeling spiritually complacent. That is why I would like to address the immutability of God. I want to break my heart of this spiritual upheaval in my life, and whenever I have focused on the character, essence, and person of God I have shaken myself of the trappings and the sin that so easily entangle. That is my hope in contemplating with fresh eyes on the nature of a good and immutable God.

God is immutable. That means that he is unchanging. Put another way God’s nature, essence, and character are all constant. His nature is unchanging. Nothing about Him has ever changed. From eternity past to eternity future He will never change. The Westminster confession describes the immutability of God in this way:

"There is but one only living and true God, who is infinite in being and perfection, a most pure spirit, invisible, without body, parts, or passions, immutable, immense, eternal, incomprehensible, almighty, most wise, most holy, most free, most absolute, working all things according to the counsel of his own immutable and most righteous will, for his own glory; most loving, gracious, merciful, long-suffering, abundant in goodness and truth, forgiving iniquity, transgression, and sin; the rewarder of them that diligently seek him; and withall most just and terrible in his judgments; hating all sin, and who will by no means clear the guilty.”[1]

This makes the nature of God quite clear but let us unpack that a little. He is infinite; never beginning and never ending in that perfect state. He is uncaused therefore, he needs no one. This is seen in his own descriptions of himself like that instance when Moses asks God what his name is. He said, “I am that I am.” This is often referred to in theological terms as “Aseity” which is a term derived from Latin “As” which means "from" and “se” which means “self.” Aseity is the property by which a being exists in and of itself, from itself, or exists as of and from itself. The bottom line here is that God is self-sufficient. However it is not like we define self-sufficiency. A baby is not self-sufficient and an adult is. We are not talking about the self-sufficiency of adulthood, but rather God is of himself and exists outside the necessity or dependence on anything or anyone. This word also means that God contains within Himself the cause of Himself, is the first cause, or rather is simply uncaused. He is the uncaused cause. God is absolutely independent and self-existent. 

            The Westminster confession also describes an immutable God that is “working all things according to the counsel of His own immutable and most righteous will.” This is so comforting to me right now. I am in such upheaval spiritually with change and insecurity, but the Lord, the unchanging God in heaven, is working all these things according to the counsel of His own righteous will. Sometimes, I have to keep that truth right in front of me so that I do not become discouraged and lose heart. The pain, hurt, disease, suffering that we see so often around us He is working and turning to his righteous will! What a hope! What a relief in those most trying of times. God is most at work in the most difficult of times, and even turning your situation of suffering to His righteous immutable purposes (Romans 8:28). Moreover, overwhelming evidence of God’s immutability or unchanging nature are described in the following verses:

“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.”

James 1:17 ESV

We live in a world of shifting shadows. Not just personally, but in our whole existence there is so much that changes and the shadows of this world are deceptive. We many times are confused by all that changes in our lives and worlds. But this verse explains that there is not any variation due to change with God. Not one shifting shadow has been cast by Him because of the setting sun in the afternoon sky. It does not matter where the sun hangs in the sky, he changes not! Not just that he does not change due to circumstance, but more than that His giving nature is tied in this verse to his immutability! He gives good gifts and thus is the most unchanging benevolent being in all the universe!

“"For I the Lord do not change; therefore you, O children of Jacob, are not consumed.”

Malachi 3:6 ESV

The prophet Malachi also describes God’s immutability. His thus saith the Lord is “I do not change” but He goes on to describe the outcome of His own immutability. Which is that the children of Jacob are not consumed. Herein, God ties his immutability to his eternal justice. He is a long-suffering and gracious God, thus He has shown kindness to a thousand generations of those that fear him. He will also display His justice to those who do not fear Him, and that justice has been exhibited throughout biblical history.

“God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?”

Numbers 23:19 ESV

God’s immutability is seen here as contrary to the attributes of man. His immutability is not Anthropomorphic. He is not a man. Thus, He cannot lie or change His mind. His promises are then also immutable. They stand like an immovable rock. Like Martin Luther once said, “The mercy of God is like the immovable Heavens that firmly stay above us. Under this roof, we are safe wherever we are.” The mercy of God is one promise to those who have placed faith in Him, but His mercy is also an attribute of His immutable nature that is not conditional. He is merciful in all His dealings because He is merciful. It is not the action and extension of mercy that makes Him merciful, but because He is merciful, He thus extends mercy.

“Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, for the sake of the faith of God's elect and their knowledge of the truth, which accords with godliness, in hope of eternal life, which God, who never lies, promised before the ages began and at the proper time manifested in his word through the preaching with which I have been entrusted by the command of God our Savior;”

Titus 1:1-3 ESV

This passage shows us the unchanging nature of the truthfulness of God. Again, He does not become truthful because He told the truth a few times. It is His character thus He must tell the truth for He is truth. Jesus prayed to the Father in John 17:17, “Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.” He speaks the truth in His word, because He is truth. He is not like man who has a “eureka!” moment when we finally find the answer or the truth. He needs no eureka moment to find the answer. He is tho one constantly giving the eureka moments to us, because He is the eureka we are looking for.

“For people swear by something greater than themselves, and in all their disputes an oath is final for confirmation. So when God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of his purpose, he guaranteed it with an oath, so that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us. We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain, where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.”

Hebrews 6:16-20 ESV

His immutability also makes Him the greatest being of the universe. This is seen in the covenants that he made with man. A covenant is made against a power or being greater than the one making the covenant so that the promise can be held out against the one making the covenant. This idea can be found in a court of law. A person giving testimony will swear to, “tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth, so help me God.“ After agreeing to tell the truth that person is “under oath.” What do we swear against when we are “under oath?” We promise against something greater than us, namely God. Since there is nothing greater than Himself and His immutability He cannot swear to anything greater, so He swears against the “unchangeable character of His purpose.” The writer of Hebrews then points out that God has sworn in a covenant to us against the two unchanging things, He Himself, and the unchanging character of His purpose. Accordingly, Jesus has gone into the Holy place to effectuate the terms of the covenant. In so doing Jesus also confirmed His immutability as a priest forever in the order of the eternal line of priesthood seen in the archetype of Melchizedek.

“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”

Hebrews 13:8 ESV

            Furthermore, the writer of Hebrews confirms Jesus as that eternal priest that He had previously mentioned. Jesus is proven here and throughout Hebrews to be God, and the same immutable God that has been described throughout Scripture. He is the second person of the Triune Godhead and so He must also have the same qualities and characteristics of the immutable God. Thus, we can throw ourselves onto his great mercy and grace because He is the immutable God that we have come to know and trust who has made a way to Himself through His effectual sacrifice. This verse is a direct claim to deity, for only God is immutable and so this points to Christ as that same immutable God revealed in the scriptures. The immutability of God means that God will follow through with judgment. It also means God will follow through with His promise of salvation. We can know and be sure that God’s certain judgment fell on His Son, Jesus Christ, and thus by faith in Him, men are saved from their sins and from God’s unchanging wrath.

What about the passages of scripture where it appears that God "changes his mind" or “repents?” I would offer a few arguments as to why God does not change His mind or ways as we understand change or repentance.

1. The evidence is overwhelming that God is immutable and does not “change His mind“ or “repent” according to our understanding. There are only a few instances where God appears to be described as changing His mind or described as repenting. I tend to think that those instances are where the writers of scripture are trying to put into the best language that they have to describe what is happening in God’s dealings with man. 

2. The second explanation that I can give is that God is being described in those passages of scripture in Anthropomorphisms. That means that the writers are describing God in terms of what man would do or using the language of man to describe God. I would argue that those passages do not mean that God repents as in what we understand repent to mean in turning from an evil action, or something that we believed to be wrong, but only that the writers are using anthropomorphic language to describe God. 

3. And thirdly, some of these “changes of mind” like Adam’s relationship to God, Ninevah, or Moses “changing God’s mind” in relation to destroying Israel are changes in the orientation or that standing between God and man. God never changes, but we do and so these apparent “changes of mind” occur when man changes or His relationship and repentance toward God change, and that can appear to be God changing His ways or mind.  

I would like to address some of the characteristics of God’s immutability.

1. He is eternal. Time does not apply to Him. He was before time began. We might ask how old is God? That question is not adequate. He is not older than aeons ago, and no younger than yesterday. He simply is not restricted by the confines of time as we calculate it. He was, He is, and He will be. also God is timeless he does not grow or develop. There are no variations in His character due to change. As James writes, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.” (James 1:17) Shadows change due to the position of the sun in relation to the thing casting the shadow during the day. If the sun is high in the noon sky the shadows are not very long. in the late evening right before the setting of the sun the shadows are long. Shadows are shifty and changing. James uses that analogy as a contrast to the character of God. God does not shift like shadows! There is no variation in his character, being, essence, nature, or work according to the shifting sands of time, or the shadows of the day. He is simply outside time. Although he is outside time and not bound by its constraints, he is conscious and aware of our time and is sovereign within human history. He not only knows what is happening in human history, but orchestrates it as a conductor of a symphony that stands outside the symphony. The conductor instructs the symphony while not playing a single note of an instrument. He conducts the whole thing without being constrained by playing a single instrument. God is not only aware that certain events occur, but is sovereignly working those events of all of human history to His glorious plan. He does not get taken by surprise. He has no contingency plan when something does not go His way. 

2. He never changes and this remains the same as he has eternally existed

3. He is not like us. We are fickle and change consistently 

4. His character, will, nature, and essence stay the same

5. Christ’s character also stays the same although he was not man before, He was always the eternal son. When He took on flesh that did not change His character or his personhood in any way as the second person of the trinity the eternal son was, always is, and will always be the eternal son. 

6. The Holy Spirit also has eternally existed and His character never changes. He works as the Ruhach (Hebrew for Spirit or life force) of God from eternity past into eternity future.

7. God the father has also eternally existed and his character stays consistent throughout all eternity.

8. He exhibits certain traits simultaneously with the same fervor and zeal unchangeably, eternally, and equally. He exhibits sovereignty, pureness and holiness, love and grace, wrath and mercy, glory, supremacy, magnificence, transcendence, authority, excellence and faithfulness.

He is all seeing: He sees all movements and activity of the universe and He controls it all at the same time, never losing sight of one single activity of man or one microscopic detail of the movements that take place in the universe at any given time. It is all under his all seeing caring, and all powerful eye. 

He is all knowing (omniscient): Jesus said that not a sparrow can fall to the ground without the Father’s will (Matt 10:29), and even the hairs of the disciples heads are numbered (verse 30), and before Him no creature is hidden (Hebrews 4:13).Everything is completely transparent before God. He knows all truth completely even those things we have not yet discovered, because He built them into all creation as the great architect. He knows all the possibilities even when they are infinite; for He is infinitely possible. His knowledge is never taxed by our infinite list of impossibilities.  

He is all powerful (omnipotent): This means that God is able to do all things which are proper. He is known as El Shaddai. God almighty as He was know to Abraham. God overcomes insurmountable problems with ease as Jeremiah 32:17 says, “Ah, Lord God! It is you who have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm! Nothing is too hard for you.” And in Matthew 19:26 “but with God all things are possible.” His power is expressed in scripture over nature, as creator, as controller of the course of history, and the omnipotence to change man’s nature through salvation. God’s power is also never frustrated. The psalmist writes, “Our God is in the heavens, He does whatever he pleases.” (115:3) There are limits to His power however. He cannot do anything that we as humans can imagine. He shall only do things that are in line with the objects of his power. He cannot do absurd, illogical, or contradictory things. Like things against His creative order, against His own holiness, or undoing history, etc.

He is all present (omnipresent): He is present everywhere all at the same time. However that does not mean that He is like some sort of divine superman darting here and there in creation to give us access to himself across all of his creation, he simply is present and accessible across the whole of creation at all times. 

9. God‘s extension of grace then must also be immutable. Charles Spurgeon said it this way,

"I do not believe we can preach the gospel, if we do not preach justification by faith, without works; nor unless we preach the sovereignty of God in His dispensation of grace; nor unless we exalt the electing, unchangeable, eternal, immutable, conquering love of Jehovah; nor do I think we can preach the gospel, unless we base it upon the special and particular redemption of His elect and chosen people which Christ wrought out upon the cross; nor can I comprehend a gospel which lets saints fall away after they are called."

In Conclusion, it seems rather apparent from insurmountable scriptural evidence that God is immutable. Why does that matter? I would like to give a few reasons in conclusion why the immutability of God matters. First, the immutability of God means that fellowship with God, how man is made right with God, being able to trust in His word, living by faith as a Christian, are fundamentally the same realities and truths for us today as they were for Old and New Testament believers. Since God has not changed, how man is made right with Him also remains the same throughout the ages. We do not have to guess or uncover some mystic secrets, we are made right with God by faith as Hebrews 11 and the great men and women of the faith have showed us for generations. Amidst all the uncertainties of our current day and age. Political, cultural, social, and economic unrest, we can know and worship the eternal God by faith, as the saints have done for all time. Amongst all the tumult in this world God has stayed the same, and how we approach Him has stayed constant throughout the ages.

            Second, God’s immutability means that the things He says must also be true. This means that His word must have the same qualities of His immutable character. What does that mean? We can trust that His word is true, it is accurate, and we can take it as the eternal message that He wanted to deliver to man. A common trend in preaching and teaching is to sort of soften the word of God to make it more palatable for the everyday person. While that is all good, it overlooks the fact that God’s word is never out of date, never old-fashioned, or irrelevant. What is written is what we can know that God wanted said to man through the writers of the Old and New Testaments. Thus, we do not need to make it more palatable or relevant. We need to strive to make it understandable, but we don’t need to make it more relevant. It is already relevant, as it has been for ages.

            Third, I appreciate the immutability of God as an assurance to me as a Christian that God will do what He says He will do. In regards to salvation He says He will save me and “remember my sins no more.” That is of utmost importance to the Christian. He is constant in uncertain times. His promises of His presence and help are of highest importance in the life of the everyday Christian. We are called children of God, a priesthood forever, co-heirs with Christ, and the unchanging Jesus calls us friends. These positions of our salvation cannot change. What a comfort. The God of the universe calls us sons and daughters and that cannot change because He cannot change!

            Fourth, God’s immutability is a great comfort to the Christian in our deepest times of trouble. We can be assured that He hears us and at any time that we call on Him He is there to comfort us. One of my favorite psalms is 34:17-18 which says, “When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles. The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.” What a promise! I am particularly glad for this promise that God is near to me in the valley of the shadow of death! It is there that the good shepherd's rod and staff protect me. That is what is so unique to Christianity. We grow more toward maturity in the hardship than we do in times of success and prosperity. I have learned more in the valley of the shadow of death about deepened faith and spiritual maturity than I have ever learned in the green pastures (Psalm 23). God is most true in our most trying times of life. These truths altogether about the unchanging nature of God can carry us in our deepest and darkest times. I am so glad for an immutable God aren’t you? 

The following is a spoken word piece that is a powerful declaration of God’s immutability.

The Damsel and the Villain from Desiring God on Vimeo.

In the beginning there was the Hero,
And the Hero was the Father,
And the Hero was the Spirit,
And the Hero was the Son,
And if this hurts your head already,
Welcome to the kingdom. 

Immutable, inscrutable, infinitely
Glad-hearted, triune perfection
His ancient love reverberated off each Member with no hint of dissension,
Perfect in unity,
Perfect in diversity,
Holy Trinity.

---

[1] Williamson, G. I. 2004. The Westminster Confession of Faith for Study Classes. Phillipsburg, NJ: P & R Pub. Page 23

FEARLESS: JESUS

Fearless: Jesus
Jesus was fearless in the face of the cross
1. What was the cross?
     Physically the cross was excruciating and we actually get the term 'excruciating' from the word 'crucify'.  The night before the cross Jesus spent the whole night praying and the scripture says his sweat was 'as drops of blood'.  This is actually a physical condition called Hematidrosis. It is a very rare condition in which a human being sweats blood. It may occur when a person is suffering extreme levels of stress, for example, facing his or her own death. Several historical references have been described; notably by Leonardo da Vinci: describing a soldier who sweated blood before battle, men unexpectedly given a death sentence, as well as descriptions in the Bible, that Jesus experienced hematidrosis when he was praying in the garden of Gethsemane (Luke 22:44).  So before His trial even started He had lost a lot of blood.  So He then was sent to the high priest's palace, later that night. The arresting party brings Jesus to the Sanhedrin (Jewish supreme court); according to Luke's Gospel, Jesus is beaten up by his Jewish guards prior to his examination. The court then examines him, in the course of which, according to John's Gospel, Jesus is struck in the face by one of the Jewish officials; the court then determines he deserves to die. According to Matthew's Gospel, the court then "spat in his face and struck him with their fists". They then send him to Pontius Pilate. At the governor's palace, early morning. Pilate, the Roman governor, examines Jesus, decides he is innocent; so to try to appease the crowd Pilate flogs Jesus.  This practice was commonly called 40 lashes minus one.  The Romans had perfected a way to torture someone, and leave them at death's door but not kill them.  They would whip or flog a person with a whip called a "cat of nine tails".  This had dried clay, glass, bone, metal, and other sharp objects within it to produce the most severe amount of carnage possible.  Doctors have researched this form of torture and have concluded that much of a persons flesh would be removed during the process (the Journal of the American Medical Association, March 21, 1986, Volume 256, William D. Edwards, MD; Wesley J. Gabel, MDiv; Floyd E Hosmer, MS, AMI).  Jesus returns to trial, Pilate hoping that the punishment would appease the Jews, but the Jewish leaders and the crowd demand Jesus’ death; Pilate gives them the choice of saving Barabbas, a criminal, or saving Jesus. In response to the screaming mob Pilate sends Jesus out to be crucified.  Jesus then is made to carry his cross to Golgotha (which means 'place of the skull') and there is crucified.  Crucifixion was a slow and painful death.  When hung on a cross you would have to pull yourself up to even catch a breath, and then fall back down, and typically a person would not be able to pull themselves up anymore from the exhaustion and then die a slow death of asphyxiation (not being able to breathe). Jesus is crucified and the same day dies.  This is just a picture of the physical side of the pain of the cross.  I cannot do it justice in a blog. 
     Then came the emotional side of the cross.  Why should there be an emotional side of the cross?  Because God is an emotional being.  It says in John 3:16 "For God so loved..."  Love is an emotion no mater how you want to spin it. So if God is an emotional being than Jesus is as well.  The scripture says that Jesus on the cross cried (shouted, screamed, with tears I imagine), "My God, My God, why have you forsaken me"?  This has to be more painful than even the physical torture of the cross.  He was emotionally stricken as well.  Seperation from a Father that can only be known as the best relationship in the universe must have been emotionally painful.  God at this point must turn his back on his Son because he is carrying our sins.  Which leads me to the spiritual side of the cross.
     If you take the worst thing that you have ever done in your life...Think hard...Think really hard...you got it?  Then take the worst thing that everyone in the whole world has done, rapes, murders, torture, molestations, thievery, corruptions, Genocides, abortions, adulteries, etc, etc, and put all those sins into a cup, lets call it the 'cup of wrath' or 'suffering', and Jesus drinks that cup, that is just a fraction of the 'sins of man' and Jesus drank in all the pain and spiritual suffering of all that sin combined.  Just take rape or murder for instance people's lives are ruined from the consequences of these sins, and I am just thinking about the victims and what they go through.  What about drinking a cup of the wrath of God for the sins of the world!  This is too much even to grasp, but he did it for us. To free us from the penalty, power, and persuasiveness of sin for all time!
2. Why the cross?
     So why does Jesus need to die on the cross for us?  because of that great sin that we have committed and that we inherited from Adam, we are separated from God.  We cannot have a relationship with God, "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God". God cannot relate to us because of our sin.  We need a sin substitute.  Because of the broken relationship we are needy, and God wants to have us back again.  "The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance." (2 Peter 3:9). So God desires a relationship with you through Jesus Christ as seen in John 3:16 "For God so loved...the world that He gave his only begotten son that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life".  and The eternal life that is described here is a ralationship with Him in unity forever.
3. Why was Jesus fearless in the face of the cross?
     He was fearless in the face of a terrible cross for YOU and for ME!  As it says in Isaiah "Yet it was the lord's will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the lord makes his life an offering for sin, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the lord will prosper in his hand." Isaiah 53:10.  Who is Christ's offspring?  YOU and ME! Put your faith in him today.  Come to the foot of the cross and place your life in Him at His feet, and you will find true life!  Maybe as you watch this video below you can say with the music, "Lead me to the Cross!"

Repentance as an Outcome of Belief

Repentance as an Outcome of Belief

Scripture after scripture displays the affect of belief as leading to repentance. I have a hard time with repentance in my own life. If we truly hold to the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord of our lives we will live a life of constant and consistent repentance. It seems to me that if one is resistant to repentance that they have truly not believed the Lord of the Scriptures. He says, “If anyone would come after me he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.” That seems like a pretty selfless lifestyle of constant realignment of oneself away from selflessness and toward Christ likeness. How can one move away from self and more towards Christ without constant repentance? I don’t believe it is possible. Jesus also said, “Why do you call me Lord, Lord and do not do what I say?” It is not possible to have Jesus as Lord of your life and to resist doing what he says (i.e. repenting from dead works, “faith without works is dead” James 2:26; Read the whole passage in James 2:14-26).
So then I have to in my own life constantly check the fruit in my life to see that it is keeping with deeds of repentance. Salvation has happened in my life once for all when I believed in Christ, realized my sinfulness, and repented. This is not the end of the story though I must move on to the second step of sanctification (fancy word for becoming like Jesus). That scripture there tells me that I cannot claim him as Lord and do not do what He says. I have to constantly be moving against stagnation in my faith and belief. If that goes unchecked it could lead to an unrepentant heart! And that would be the worst of all outcomes. Romans 2:4 shook me today, “Don’t you realize how kind, tolerant, and patient God is with you? Or don’t you care? Can’t you see how kind he has been in giving you time to turn from your sins?” Will it be today that I finally turn all the way? No, I will not see the perfection of my body until that day when I receive my new tent, and God completely redeems my body! I will wait with joyful repentant expectation until that day!

What is Salvation

Cool way to share the gospel with people and know what salvation is and how someone can be saved