Anyone who knows anything about my ministry (teaching the Word, preaching the Gospel, writing gospel tracts, making YouTube videos, etc), can at least tell one thing about me: I’M AGAINST SIN. I don’t think anyone should be sinning EVER. I preach an uncompromised message of turning from all sin and living a completely HOLY LIFE before God, walking in the power of the Holy Spirit.
Christians never have to sin and IF they sin, they must repent or they are in danger of dying and going to Hell. Even unbelievers have no excuse for their sins. If they did, then they wouldn’t truly be guilty, they would not deserve punishment and God couldn’t justly send them to Hell forever.
With that in mind, I’ve been thinking about this subject for a long time: REASONS NOT TO SIN…EVER. Even though I preach a message of absolute holiness, that doesn’t mean that holiness is automatic or easy. I need many of the points on this list just as much as the next person. I pray that this list helps to motivate you to live a holy life! I know that it helps me!
I’ve spent over a decade studying Calvinism and talking to Calvinists. I’ve read books from Calvinists, listened to their debates and sermons, and I’ve watched their videos. I’ve had hundreds (if not thousands) of discussions from Calvinists. I ALREADY KNOW that there will be some Calvinists who will read this blog post and saying, “You obviously don’t understand Calvinism!” or “This is a straw man argument against Calvinism!” or “You are misrepresenting Calvinism!” or “The people you’ve been talking to aren’t the real Calvinists!” I’ve heard these things a million times.
You know what I’ve experienced, though? Most people who I’ve talked to, who call themselves Calvinists, don’t even seem to know what Calvinism is. They probably watched some popular video on YouTube, listen to a popular podcast, read a well-known Calvinist’s books and assume that they are some kind of expert on Calvinism. Then I come along and bring out the TRUTH about Calvinism and what it leads to (“Consistent Calvinism”) and they want to act like I don’t know what I’m talking about.
As a father of 8 children, ranging from 15 years old down to 3 years old, my children are constantly on my mind. I pray for them often, disciple them constantly and spend a lot of time with them (corporately and individually). With all of this in mind, their future is on my mind quite a bit. They are growing up so quickly and I must be mindful of their future and not get “stuck in the moment.”
Of course, my greatest joy would be that they all walk in the truth of God’s Word. I preach the gospel to them consistently and my hope is that they all will become born again at some point in time and walk with God the rest of their lives. Three are currently saved. I appreciate your prayers for them all.
YET, there are practical things that I want for each of them as well. They’re growing up before my eyes and will be adults who are out on their own, quicker than I’d like to imagine. Since I’ve been thinking about this, I thought that I would share this with others. It might help someone else out there! Below is a list of 10 Practical Qualities that I want all of my children to learn from me. Of course, as I said above, first and foremost, I want them all to be successful Christians (in God’s eyes). Yet, I believe that all of these things are important as well.
They’re not in any particular order of importance. They’re all important if you ask me. I’ve been around for over 40 years now and have been a Christian for about 21 of those years. I pray that this list helps you to be a better parent in preparing your children to live in this world! Remember, parents, we aren’t always going to be around. We are raising future adults, not perpetual children!
When I have preached on or taught about the Doctrine of Eternal Hell, one objection I have heard often is this: “How can God send someone to Hell for all eternity for something as small as lying, stealing or lusting? Isn’t that a little harsh? That doesn’t sound like something a loving God would do.” That’s not an EXACT quote, but that’s essentially how the objection goes.
In essence, the people who make these kind of objections are saying that sending someone to an eternity in Hell would be unjust of God to do. BUT, what standard of “justice” are they using to say such a thing? Whatever standard of “justice” we have must be derived from God’s Holy Word. Any other standard of “justice” is simply arbitrary. If our definition of “justice” doesn’t line up with God’s Word we are guilty of idolatry – making up a God who is “just” according to our own arbitrary definition of what “justice” is.
One objection Calvinists often pose to non-Calvinists regarding salvation is the involvement of free will in sinners being converted/made right with God. Calvinists would have you believe that the free will of man has absolutely nothing to do with salvation and that if it did, that the man would automatically be prideful or that salvation would automatically be “works salvation,” instead of “salvation by grace.”
In meditating upon this through the years, I have come up with a parable/analogy to show how silly these objections are. Man choosing to be saved does not mean that he is being prideful, nor does it mean that his salvation is now a “works salvation.” In my opinion, these silly objections simply consist in Calvinists engaging in the redefining of Biblical words. They define the terms in light of their theological system, instead of allowing the true definitions of Biblical words to define their theological system.
BOASTFUL BEACH PARABLE/ANALOGY
Two men were at Boastful Beach one day. They loved the beach, because it fulfilled the “lust of their eyes” as they looked at all the bikini clad women. They were enjoying their day basking in the heat of the sun and getting a tan in order to fuel their own “pride of life.” They both knew that in order to get a “hot girl,” they had to have a tan. One of them began to get a little too warm, so he decided to take a swim in the Sea of Sin.
This the second part of proving the doctrine of Conditional Security, from the Bible. If you want to read Part 1, then GO HERE.Last time, I gave plenty of Scripture showing how someone can TRULY know that they are a Christian. God wants us to have assurance of salvation. He doesn’t want us to be insecure about our salvation. I also posted a video where I talk about a number of passages from the Bible, that emphatically prove the doctrine of Conditional Security.
This time, I want to go through some examples in Scripture where people actually departed from the faith. They either stopped following Jesus while He was still alive or they departed from the faith after Jesus rose from the grave. Either way, these are examples of people “losing their salvation” and therefore are Biblical proof that the doctrine of Conditional Security is true.
The Disciples from John 6
John 6:66: “From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more.”
Many DISCIPLES turned back from Him. Keep in mind that in Scripture, “disciple” is synonymous with believer or follower of Christ. One can’t be a “disciple” without being a follower and vice versa. Yet, after a difficult saying from Jesus, these “disciples” ” went back and walked with Him no more.” So, these “disciples” used to “walk with” Jesus and they decided to “go back” or “backslide.” People can twist it any way they like, but the Scripture says what it says.
Many Christians and most Protestants look up to Martin Luther as a “great theologian,” a “great reformer,” and a “hero of the faith” whose writings should be read and quoted. Yet, is he really someone who should be looked up to in such a way? Not according to what I have studied.
Sure, Luther did some good things and had some good things to say. I don’t deny that. Yet, Benny Hinn and the Pope might have good things to say at times as well. Should I then respect them in the same way that many respect Martin Luther? I don’t think so.
Do the good things he said and did automatically do away with the bad? Do we just sweep all of the bad under the rug and consider him some kind of “great Saint,” in spite of all the bad? Well, I’ll let you decide for yourself.
Maybe you’ve never read the below quotes or are ignorant of the bad things he said. Below is a collection of quotes that I have compiled from Luther’s writings. The quotes comes from his books, letters and sermons. You tell me if he should be looked up to in such a way.
Personally, I can’t in good conscience, look up to such a person. Those of you who are reading this who aren’t Calvinists, you really need to reconsider looking up to such a man. I expect this from Calvinists, because it is consistent with their theology, but not from you! Please reconsider promoting such a man or recommending people to read his writings!
Recently, a brother in Christ (and close friend) and I have had an increasing burden to reach out to Muslims more. We have created two gospel tracts in response to this burden. You can find them at the following links:
The second link from above is the most recent one and the subject of this blog post. It focuses on comparing Islam with Christianity on 5 different topics (see below). We basically just gave quotes from the primary source texts from each religion, on these five different topics. Then, at the end of the tract we give a gospel presentation.
These tracts are good for just about anyone. They are good for non-Muslims in order to educate them on the difference between Islam and Christianity. They are good for Christians, to help them understand one of the greatest foes to Christianity at our present time. They are obviously good for Muslims because we want to reach them for Christ’s sake.
Here is the content of the tract, on the five different topics:
Muhammad Was A Sinner
Bukhari 8:319 Narrated by Abu Huraira: I heard Allah’s Apostle saying. “By Allah! I ask for forgiveness from Allah and turn to Him in repentance more than seventy times a day.”Bukhari 9:482 Narrated by Ibn Abbas: “…O Allah! Forgive me the sins that I did in the past or will do in the future, and also the sins that I did in secret or in public.”Surah 40:55 “So be patient, surely the promise of Allah is true, and ask forgiveness for your sin and praise with your lord’s praise evening and morning.”Muhammad’s Final Words…
Bukhari 5:724 “O Allah! Forgive me, and bestow Your Mercy on me, and let me meet the companions.”
When it comes to reading, I definitely read the Bible more than anything else. I do read other books, though! However, my favorite type of book is not a book on apologetics, systematic theology, comparative religions or Church history. My favorite kind of book to read besides the Bible is a good Christian biography.
I don’t know exactly how many I have read at this point, but it has to be somewhere around 75-100 over the last 18 years or so. They are so edifying to me. When I read about other Saints of God and what God did in them and through them, it stirs up hope, faith and zeal in me. It makes me believe God for more than I currently am and pushes me further in the faith.
Often times I will get deeply challenged by the faith of some of these past Saints. The things that they trusted God for and the different miraculous things that God did on their behalf, amazes me. I thank God for these precious Saints and look forward to hearing more of their stories in the Kingdom of God.
Many people ask me about books I would recommend for them to read. Below is a list of biographies that I would recommend every and any Christian read. They are in no particular order. These are my favorite biographies. I do believe that God will bless you through them. In my mind, short of being “inspired by God” as Scripture, these books are like an extension on the Book of Acts.
Divorce and remarriage is a very sensitive subject, for many different reasons. It effects adults, it effects children, it could effect where you will spend eternity, it could effect what Church you are able to be a part of and it could effect friendships you have. When it comes to different viewpoints on this subject from the Bible, there is one that seems to be “on the rise.”
The view that I am referring to, is the one that states the following: If you have been divorced from your first spouse, you cannot remarry at all unless the first spouse has died. And if you have already remarried someone else (with your first spouse still alive), then you must now divorce them or you are in perpetual adultery and on your way to Hell. It doesn’t matter how long you were married to the first spouse or what reasons you had for divorcing him/her. It doesn’t matter how many children you have or how long you have been married to the current spouse. It doesn’t matter if your first spouse has remarried someone else or not.
It also doesn’t matter, according to this view, if you were a non-believer when you got divorced and have since become a believer who is now married to another believer. It doesn’t even matter if your first spouse is still a non-Christian, according to this view. You should still seek to be reconciled to them or remain single (after you get divorced from current spouse).
This view basically says that any other marriages while the first spouse is still alive are not legitimate marriages in God’s eyes. This view has been responsible for breaking up lots of Godly marriages through false doctrine and false guilt. Many people are now single and either waiting to be rejoined to their first spouse or waiting for that spouse to die. Some of them are lonely and burning, but are told they would be in sin if the were to marry someone else.
Is this really the way God planned things to be? Is this position really the Biblical position on divorce and remarriage? I came really close to believing in it and close to “putting my stake down” on the position. Fortunately, I continued to study things out and came to different conclusions. Here’s the first video, where I was basically teaching the view that I have been describing above:
And here’s the second video, where I had changed my mind after studying it out much more thoroughly:
If you want to know what I believe and how it is backed up with Scriptures, the second video is the one you should watch. My intention in writing this blog post is not to bring up all of the Scriptures in that video and try to prove my current position. Such is already done in the second video from above. The point of this blog post is to address one of the many objections I have received, from the “no remarriage allowed unless the first spouse has died” group.
Kerrigan Skelly's Blog - Evangelist & Pastor 