Chapter Five

FRUIT OF LIGHT

Not Propositional Understanding But Experiential Living

Lord Jesus Christ is the light of the world. Nicodemus referred to Him as Teacher. A true spiritual teacher is a product of light and produces the fruit of light. One of the marks of a true teacher is the clarity of their teaching. The gift of a teacher is not just the ability to impart knowledge but also to allow the truth of the gospel to shed the light of Jesus Christ in the lives of those who hear or read what is being taught. For instance, people need to understand the truth of how we are saved through faith in Jesus Christ. It is easy to say that all we have to do is believe, but this does not truly convey how we come to believe in Jesus Christ.

To understand this, we need a way to conceptualize the salvation event so that we know our understanding has been strengthened. This way, in the event of a deceiver trying to trip us up, we will know exactly where we stand in the truth.

To illustrate this point, here is a teaching on how it is possible for us to possess faith in Jesus Christ and become children of God.

In the book of John, we read the following words:

There was the true Light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man. He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. (John 1:9-12)

We do not need to go into the Greek to teach this passage—or any passage of the Bible—if we are a teacher of God’s word. The reason is that knowledge of God’s word must be a living experience before anyone has the authority to teach it. Experiential knowledge is the only knowledge that is valid. Misinformation does not reflect experiential knowledge. Nor is experiential knowledge the same as what is known as propositional truth. Experiential knowledge comes only from the application of truth in our lives. It is true knowledge because it has been proven to be sound. It can be relied upon to provide insight and a better understanding of how to bring about the desired results—because by applying the same principles again, we will produce the same result.

Scientists appreciate experiential knowledge. It can be repeated and verified. Mere theory is simply a possibility, not a demonstrable fact—even if it is true that what the mind can conceive can sometimes be achieved. The possibility of successfully implementing theory should not be dismissed. However, some events will not occur, even though they may be theoretically conceivable. One such idea a person might imagine—but which will never happen—is that God could become unrighteous, unjust, or self-destructive. Someone may claim this is possible, just as it has been stated here, but it will not happen. For God to do this, He would have to deny Himself the privilege of being who He is and act against His own nature. In truth, we must affirm that for God to become unrighteous is contrary to His nature—and therefore impossible.

Sin and Its Origin

People often wonder how sin came into existence—if it did not exist in the first place and was an unknown experience to God. This question has troubled many, but it is not difficult to answer. The short answer is: sin arose because of pride within an individual who, having become aware that he was about to lose his preeminence over all of Creation, became jealous and sought to oppose the Creator by destroying those who were to be elevated above him.

As human beings, we know sin. However, it is inconceivable that God ever intended for us to actually sin, even though it was always a possibility that we might learn what sin could do. Having been made in God’s own image—why would we sin?

There is no need to sin. God does not sin. He knew about the possibility of sin. He even knew what sin would do before it came into existence. We must acknowledge this, because God, being omniscient, possesses knowledge of both good and evil—yet He does not become evil, nor does He commit sin. The Lord God Almighty knows all that can be known at the present time. However, there are things which the Lord God has not brought into existence and has not yet thought about. These things are unknown and will become known when God thinks of them. God is infinite. He has unlimited resources. He has an unlimited ability to create new things—even from what has not yet been conceptualized. To suggest otherwise is to view God as finite and limited.

By contrast, we are limited to what God permits us to discover. Nevertheless, of one thing we can be certain: God will always know more than all of us and all of Creation combined.

The True That Enlightens Every One      

When the Bible states that the True Light, who enlightens every man, was coming into the world, it means exactly what it says. This statement does not refer to some men, but to every man. The term "man" here is generic and includes both genders—every man and woman ever born. Furthermore, this statement does not refer only to those who lived during the time of Jesus on Earth. Even those who do not accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior will be enlightened by Him.  

How can we say this? Because they will be judged, and judgment brings an enlightenment that burns. We see evidence of this in what happened when Jesus died: those in Hades were enlightened by Jesus and made alive. For we read:

For it is better, if it is God’s will, that you suffer for doing well than for doing evil. Because Christ also suffered for sins once, the righteous for the unrighteous, that He might bring you to God; being put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit; in which He also went and preached to the spirits in prison,  who before were disobedient, when God waited patiently in the days of Noah, while the ship was being built. In it, few, that is, eight souls, were saved through water. (1 Peter 3:17-20)

 

They think it is strange that you don’t run with them into the same excess of riot, blaspheming:  who will give account to Him who is ready to judge the living and the dead.  For to this end the Good News was preached even to the dead, that they might be judged indeed as men in the flesh, but live as to God in the spirit.

(1 Peter 4:4-6)

Those who had died, even in the days of Noah, rejected the preaching of the gospel. They did not want to acknowledge the Light. This would have changed when the Light appeared to them in Hell, where Jesus was taken when, on the Cross, He became sin on our behalf.

How did Jesus preach the gospel to those confined to the world of gloom and darkness? Jesus may not have actually spoken to every one of them, but the mere fact that His indestructible Spirit of Holiness shone light in the darkness (like a seed bringing forth the life that is within when it dies) would have been sufficient to let them know who it was that they had rejected (Heb. 7:16; Rom. 1:4; John 10:17; 12:23–25).

This resulted in all those in Hell at the time of Jesus’ death and resurrection being judged. In being judged, they were now able to understand what it means to reject the word of truth—even that which was preached by Noah. They would have been enlightened; whereas prior to Jesus descending into Hell, the spirits of the people who had been killed in the flood would have been unsure of the reason they were consigned to eternal doom.

Jesus’ appearance as the fire of God (Rev. 2:18; Heb. 12:29), consuming the sin that He bore and then letting the light of His glory fill the prison before He left, would have removed all doubt about who is the Light of Life (John 1:4).

Neither need we doubt. Every man will be enlightened—either by the pain of judgment (the result of rejecting the Light) or by accepting the truth of the Gospel of Light to the glory of God.

He Came to His Own, but His Own Knew Him Not

Jesus came into the world, but the world did not know Him. This is because the world was governed by sin—a chaotic state of disobedience—where the Prince of the Power of the Air reigns in the minds and hearts of men and women. This is the spirit of disobedience that is at work in worldly people, trying to get them to follow the lusts of the world: the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life (1 John 2:16).

We can be like Jesus, who was tempted by the Devil in the wilderness after having been led there by the Holy Spirit, following His baptism. The Devil even offered Jesus all the kingdoms of the world if He would bow down and worship him (Matt. 4:8). The Devil could do this because he reigned over the kingdoms of the world. At the time, Jesus did not.

This is why the world did not know Him. Had the world known Jesus at that time, He would have been received as the King of kings and Lord of lords—both of Heaven and Earth. But Jesus was unknown to those who reveled in the ways of the world. The Devil was known. And he is still worshiped by the rulers of the kingdoms of this world.

Even today, a member of a key ruling family within the world of banking is on record as having publicly stated that he is a Devil worshiper and that he loves Satan. This occurred at the Australian TEDx conference in Sydney in 2010.[i] Jesus is unknown to him.

When Jesus went to His own terrestrial home—Jerusalem, where the House of God on Earth had been built—He entered the Temple and created a scene when He drove out the money changers. They were profiting by selling doves and other animals for sacrificial offerings to worshippers, and by exchanging currencies into the temple shekels used by the temple authorities. We read:

He entered into the Temple, and began to drive out those who bought and sold in it, saying to them, “It is written, ‘My house is a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a ‘den of robbers’!” (Luke 19:45-46)

The temple in Jerusalem was a place where God chose to reveal His presence on Earth as a witness to the nations. This was the case even though the name of God was blasphemed among the nations due to the behavior of the Jews, which did not bring honor to His Name (Romans 2:24). The authorities in Jerusalem did not receive Jesus, for this fulfilled what had been written: that the stone that was rejected would become the cornerstone. Thus we read:

But He looked at them, and said, “Then what is this that is written, ‘The stone which the builders rejected, the same was made the chief cornerstone?’  Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces, but it will crush whomever it falls on to dust.” The chief priests and the scribes sought to lay hands on Him that very hour, but they feared the people—for they knew He had spoken this parable against them. They watched Him, and sent out spies, who pretended to be righteous, that they might trap Him in something He said, so as to deliver Him up to the power and authority of the governor. (Luke 20:17-20)

 

Because it is contained in Scripture, “Behold, I lay in Zion a chief cornerstone, chosen, and precious: He who believes in Him will not be disappointed.” For you who believe therefore is the honor, but for those who are disobedient, “The stone which the builders rejected, has become the chief cornerstone,” and, “a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense.” For they stumble at the word, being disobedient, to which also they were appointed. (1 Peter 2:6-8)

A Small Reflection On Predetermination

Jesus was not welcome in Jerusalem; nevertheless, we are told that to as many as receive Him, He gives the right to become children of God. Some like to argue that those who reject Jesus do so because they were appointed to do this before the foundation of the world, whereas those who receive Jesus do so because they were preordained as part of the elect before the foundation of the world. Those who believe that God created humans as robots without free will, and therefore they are not responsible for their sins, are projecting an idea into Scripture that is not found in the Bible. In the passage above, the word "appointed" is isolated from the text to support the erroneous belief in predestination, wherein eternal destiny is predetermined before a person is born. However, in doing this, these false teachers overlook that the statement “he who believes in Him will not be disappointed” indicates an element of uncertainty regarding who will believe. The quoted text informs us that if a person believes, he will not be disappointed, for he will possess eternal salvation; but if a person does not believe, due to his disobedience, he is offended by the need to repent and acknowledge the truth concerning the Word of Life.

As is evident in the text, the reason people stumble at the word is that they are disobedient. The authorities longed to apprehend Jesus because He did not endorse their practices. They had their own traditions, which allowed them to live comfortably under the circumstances and receive accolades from those over whom they ruled. Jesus made them feel uncomfortable. He received accolades without making a pretense; hence, He was unacceptable to them. Inasmuch as Jerusalem had been chosen by the Lord to make His Name known to the nations, the people at that time, who were the custodians of the entrance to the Kingdom of God on Earth, were manipulating matters to their own ends. Thus, people were being discouraged from accessing the truth because, in their disobedience to God, the Jews corrupted the way to the truth. Consequently, people became part of a tradition that taught the philosophy of men rather than the truth of God. When the truth was told, those who practiced such perversions hated the light, fearing that their deeds would be exposed. This is what we read in the Gospel of John:

This is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the light; for their works were evil.  For everyone who does evil hates the light, and doesn’t come to the light, lest his works would be exposed. (John 3:19-20)

The idea that God appoints people to be disobedient is false. Rather, because people are disobedient, their shame prevents them from coming to the light, which we also know as the cornerstone when used in another analogy. Both the light and the cornerstone represent Jesus. In the Gospel of John, we learn that because men love their disobedience, they are appointed to receive the consequences. People are appointed to a position in the same way; however, in this instance, the Apostle is saying that people are appointed to continue in their disobedience, which they have already chosen to participate in.

Love and the World: What They Mean

When we talk about love, we talk about desire. God desires all men to be saved because He loves the world, even if He hates the things that are done in the world (1 Tim. 2:4; Jn. 3:16; Js. 4:4). In saying that God loves the world, what is really meant by the word “world” is the people in the world. Some people want to distort this, but this is the meaning. God so loved the people in the world, which exists on Earth, that He sent His Son so that whosoever believes in Him shall have eternal life. However, if the people in the world prefer to be friends with the ruler of the world and follow his ways, then they are enemies of God. They choose to be dishonest and disobedient to the word of righteousness. In doing so, they dishonor the Creator of life. This is why we read that people who follow the ways of this world are influenced by the Devil, who rules the kingdoms of the world. The Apostle Paul points this truth out when writing to the church at Ephesus, whose members have repented from their wicked ways and are now looking towards the Lord God. This is what he says:

You were made alive when you were dead in transgressions and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the children of disobedience; among whom we also all once lived in the lust of our flesh, doing the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest. (Eph. 2:1-3)

The church members at Ephesus once followed the ways of the world as children of disobedience, and by nature, they were perverted in their thinking because they were caught up in the lusts and desires of the flesh. We know these are common to every person, but when we realize the truth of our own position, we can either repent or continue toward receiving the due penalty that will be afforded to the children of wrath. Like those who refused to acknowledge the truth in the days of Noah, those who do not repent from following the ways of the world face the fearful prospect of eternal punishment after having been judged by the Light of Life, the Lord Jesus Christ. Now that the members of the church of Ephesus have accepted Jesus, they have been made alive; whereas those who had been imprisoned in Hell since the days of Noah were made alive in the spirit after they were judged. This raises the question: How is it that we are made alive?

Being Made Alive and the Role of Pain

Most people will say that we are made alive when we are born again of the Spirit of God. However, we notice that the spirits that were in prison were made alive in the spirit when they became aware of their judgment. This means that being made alive has to do with consciousness and awareness; in other words, knowledge is sufficient to make us alive. The knowledge of right and wrong is what makes us conscious of the fact that we are alive. However, pain is what truly makes us aware that we are alive—not just physical pain, but spiritual pain. Physical pain tends to disappear readily, but spiritual pain persists and can torment us. Often, we refer to spiritual pain as mental anguish, emotional pain, or hurt feelings. When we say that our feelings are hurt, we are expressing that we are alive because we feel pain, even though there is no physical evidence. When we are experiencing no pain, we could be living in an illusion, unaware of anything that needs to be addressed with urgency because we feel no pain. We are conscious of our surroundings but not aware of any pain.

The Distinction Between Conscious and Aware

The words “conscious” and “aware” are often used interchangeably. However, for the purpose of distinguishing between two different states of existence, we need to define them as distinctly as possible.

The American Heritage Dictionary[ii] makes this distinction between the two words:

Aware implies knowledge gained through one's own perceptions or by means of external inform-ation from outside of our bodies.

 

Conscious emphasizes the inner workings of the mind or the direct experience of the senses as opposed to knowledge gained through external information.

We can be conscious of our surroundings but not aware of what they mean until we have received outside information. Hence, the people who were imprisoned in the darkness and gloom of their eternal state, after having drowned in the flood during the days of Noah, were conscious of their existence but not aware of why they were there until the gospel was preached to them, accompanied by Jesus’ judgment. Once these people understood the gospel, they became “consciously aware” of their situation and were made alive in the spirit. Knowledge then makes us aware of our existence.

When Jesus came to His own home, His own people received Him not; this was because they rejected who He claimed to be. Instead of a spiritual kingdom, the Jews in His day were looking for an earthly kingdom that would dominate the rulers of this world. We know the ruler of this world is the Devil, who rules over the world in the spiritual realm, which is eternal; whereas the physical world, which we perceive to be real, is actually temporal. The fact that the spiritual realm is the eternal domain is the reason the Devil was able to show Jesus all the kingdoms of the world, not just what might have been in the immediate physical surroundings, which, being in the wilderness, was not much. Jesus was shown not only the Roman Empire and the other civilizations that existed in His day but also those that would follow, and possibly even more, as the Devil tried to tempt Him. For even though the Temple in Jerusalem was the home of God on Earth, the Devil, the Prince of the Power of the Air, had gained control over it because the people who reigned over the jurisdiction were following him—and, as a consequence, Jesus was rejected.

The Right That Comes by Grace Through Faith

Now, those who received Jesus also received a right that was not obtainable by any other means. This right comes by grace through faith in the promise of God that has been provided through the Lord Jesus Christ. We are talking about the promised inheritance left to all who call upon the Name of the Lord and accept the conditions for receiving the inheritance. This inheritance is available to every person who trusts Him, the One who will not reckon sin but instead covers all iniquity. However, Jesus knocks at everyone’s door. There is a calling card left for every person born into this world who passes a certain age and becomes accountable for having sinned. The question is: What are we going to do about the call?

We have already established that there is a distinction between being conscious and being consciously aware. The difference is not just a matter of existence but a matter of realization. Once we are aware of the existence of something (like a child seeing the night sky for the first time), we have received information different from that which we may have previously possessed. This is because of our perception of what something might be (even for a child, the darkness of the night is not so scary; after all, the night sky is a place of wonder). We look into the night sky and are aware that the light shines in the darkness. During the day, we are not aware of this, even though we have become conscious of the phenomenon’s existence. During the night, we are conscious of the day, but we do not possess the same awareness of what is happening in our immediate surroundings as we would during daylight hours. Nevertheless, the Psalmist tells us that the night brings the knowledge of God’s glory.

The heavens declare the glory of God. The expanse shows His handiwork. Day after day they pour out speech, and night after night they display knowledge. There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard. Their voice has gone out through all the earth, their words to the end of the world. (Psalm 19:1-4)

We can be conscious of the day, and even the night sky, but when we see the distinction between the lights and the darkness, we possess knowledge. This is because knowledge divides one thing from another. Knowledge enables us to arrange shapes. Knowledge enables us to conceptualize and categorize items and ideas. Knowledge enables us to compare one thing with another so that we know the difference between what is good and evil, right and wrong, true and false. This is because knowledge derives from the boundaries of a thing’s existence.

Consciousness is not so much a matter of faith, but a state of being. Many see consciousness as a state of being wherein we are able to communicate the awareness of our existence, as opposed to being irrational creatures of instinct who are unconscious of their existence. Animals are not considered conscious because they have not demonstrated evidence of intelligent language that enables them to conceptualize ideas and be creative. Only humans have evidence of this, and according to the Bible, this is because we are made in the image of God. Consciousness is the ability to perceive intuitively what a situation may require, whereas awareness only comes from information that is transmitted to us from another source.

We may be aware of the wind once we feel it. But if we are not touched by the wind ourselves, because we are enclosed within a building and looking out the window, we are really only conscious of its existence, even though we see its effects in the trees—awareness really requires more compelling information. By being conscious of the wind, we perceive that it is windy based on the information we are being fed through our eyes that enables us to grasp the idea that there is a wind blowing. However, if we have never seen the effects of wind before and are not aware of how it feels, we would only be conscious of the fact that something is causing the branches of the trees to bend. In truth, we might be better off saying that consciousness is not the elemental factor that makes us different from animals and irrational creatures of instinct—knowledge is!

About Communication

When we hear the sound of God, we hear His voice. In Psalm 19, we learn that there is no speech nor language where the voice of God is not heard. So hearing is a critical element in understanding knowledge.

We can train animals to respond to the sound of our voice. Sound can be used even to break glass. More than this, sound can be used to move heavy objects. Sound results from the vibration of molecules at different frequencies that is detectable by an apparatus or organ of hearing. Animals are trained to respond to our voice and recognize that certain sounds to which they respond will bring rewards. Young animals learn to recognize the sound of our voice and, in response, will become obedient. Consequently, animals taught to perform various acts within their natural capacity—even though unnatural—will obey the voice of their trainers (owners), but not another’s voice.

Creativity: The Distinction Between Animals and Humans

Humans are given the ability to recognize sound and distinguish between good and evil, and to demonstrate possession of knowledge. Animals may be taught to do various tasks—even display what are considered to be psychotic behaviors—but they possess no language that enables them to be creative, display intelligence, and thereby demonstrate possession of knowledge. Animals and other creatures possess abilities to communicate among themselves, but not the ability to think and discern moral concepts, nor to create technologies outside of their natural capacity to imitate and perform actions within the limitations they possess.

Humans, on the other hand, have the capacity to reorganize and transform the environment in which they live, as evidenced by the cities of the world. This is because we humans possess a spirit that enables us to process information, formulate possibilities, and make moral decisions.

If anybody speaks to us in a foreign language, we will not be able to understand that person. In order for two foreign speakers to understand each other, they will have to begin communicating in the same language. This requires effort from both parties. It also means one party, at least, has to learn a new language if they are to both communicate and understand each other. But before this can happen, there has to be an interest expressed in learning another language. One of the parties has to be willing to learn the language of the other for anything truly meaningful to take place. Otherwise, the two individuals will be alienated from each other and will not be able to accomplish as much as they possibly could if they were on the same wavelength.

Being on the same wavelength requires the person receiving the vibrations through the ear canal to also understand what is meant by them and then acknowledge this by responding in the appropriate manner. If the vibrations that create the sound are misunderstood or not heard, then communication is impossible. For language to be effective, the recipients need to understand what is being communicated to them.

The language of faith is no different. Faith is the means by which God communicates. Yet faith is a substance. Faith is like the molecules that are around us—very real, even though not seen. Hence, when people hear the voice of God, they either respond positively, as a consequence of faith, and feel themselves arising to the occasion, or they find themselves desiring to flee in fear—the disintegration of faith.

Faith Comes by Hearing

The Bible says faith comes from hearing, and hearing comes from the preaching of the Anointed One (Romans 10:17). Some translations opt for one Greek text that says hearing comes from the word of God. This allows for a different interpretation with respect to what is heard, because many claim that reading the Bible is the same as hearing the word of God.

However, reading is not quite the same as hearing the anointed word of God spoken by someone speaking in the power of the Holy Spirit. There is a distinction between hearing the voice of the Living God with whom we have a relationship and interpreting what we read in the Bible according to human philosophy and faulty definition.

Hearing God’s voice means being tuned into the right wavelength. This requires a relationship, rather than mere knowledge of the historical record of God’s dealings with mankind, as recorded in the Bible.

Intellectual Faith and Real Faith       

There is  a difference  between having faith in one’s relationship with the Lord God and having faith in concepts based on what is taken from the Bible. Many individuals think that this is impossible because they attribute their faith to the Bible, even though they are believing doctrines that are only based on certain ideas drawn from the sacred text.                

In reality, a person can have faith in something other than the written word of God, or even God Himself. For instance, people can have faith in their friends to be reliable. This faith is based on the knowledge of the trustworthiness of each friend that the person has accrued over time—this faith can also be shattered.

Understanding Faith

Understanding what faith means is important, because we learn from the Scriptures that faith comes from hearing, whereas walking by sight is not a matter of faith (2 Corinthians 5:7). We also learn that it is by faith that we secure salvation (2 Tim. 3:15; 1 Pet. 1:9). Nevertheless, at this point in our discussion, we are looking at distinguishing knowledge from faith and understanding the element of sound in respect to language.

Knowledge, Consciousness, and Awareness

What we have established is that knowledge comes from being able to distinguish the difference between two things, such as a tree and a rock, or phenomena such as light and darkness. We have also acknowledged that knowledge comes from sound. While we might be conscious of the night sky, the sounds around us are what make us aware of the surrounding environment. The sounds contribute to possessing a deeper understanding than what was previously possessed from conscious knowledge alone. Our understanding is made complete when informed via the ear and the situation at hand.

For instance, if we were in an African savanna, we might be conscious of the fact that hungry lions are on the prowl during the night but not aware of their exact presence until we hear them immediately behind us. Sound makes us more aware of what is happening, rather than merely being conscious of what could be happening. Likewise, when it comes to distinguishing truth from falsehood, good from evil, and right from wrong, we need to be consciously aware of the Devil’s wiles. Not everybody is wise to the Devil’s tactics. Many are caught in his web of deceit.

For instance, when we read the term “the host of Heaven” in the Bible, many think that this refers to the stars only, when in fact this language has connotations and implications with respect to other entities within the spirit realm.

Answering the Question of Existence

Knowledge can come from observing the night sky. Merely recognizing that the stars shine in the darkness provides us with knowledge. However, language enables us to understand more of what we observe as we deepen our knowledge base through contemplation—as does communication and considering the insights others have gained from their experiences.

The Bible informs us that this additional knowledge comes in the realm of sound. In order to recognize the sound of the voice of God coming our way from the call that goes out to all of Creation, we need to be interested in life and the reason for our existence. If we are not interested in our own eternal survival, but only our present survival as a creature of the Earth, we will not respond to the call of God.

The Impact of Pain

For us to become interested in anything, there has to be information that arouses our senses sufficiently to respond. Knowledge has its own growth pattern based on interest and curiosity. Surprisingly, the more we know about something, the more our interest grows—and the more we find we need to know.

This continues until we find ourselves experiencing pain or in a psychological state where we become fearful of what could happen if we were to learn more. After all, fear is a painful reaction that occurs when we are presented with the unknown and believe we have insufficient information about what to do under the circumstances. Most of the time, fear has to do with feeling uncomfortable in a situation because the information we are processing is not being understood. To illustrate the point, we will consider the following scenarios.

Two Stories by Way of Illustration

Story 1: The Woman Raised in a Slum

A woman has been raised in a slum. She has been used and abused by every Tom, Dick, and Harry. Some high-society do-gooders decide the woman ought to be given a better chance in life and give her (what they believe is) the opportunity of a lifetime by inviting her to live with them.

However, she finds mixing with people who talk in multi-syllabic words—even though English—and converse about politics, economics, philosophy, history, and the arts, very boring. Besides, she finds the protocols of high society too restrictive.

Feeling uncomfortable about not being able to communicate freely with the people she meets in her new social setting, she begins to experience paranoia about what she thinks they are saying about her among themselves. These feelings are intensified whenever someone asks her about which college she attended, where she grew up, or what her current line of work is.

Much to the amazement of her do-gooder friends, the woman returns to her life in the slums—not because she does not appreciate what they attempted to do for her, but because the social environment was such that she felt like a fish out of water.

Story 2: Kidnapped Woman Taken into the Jungle

Now for our second scenario. Extortionists kidnap a woman and take her to live with a tribe in the Amazon jungle until the requested ransom is paid. The woman has never had to work. She had a nanny from birth. Her life was like that of pampered royalty.

She is the sole survivor of her immediate family. Unless she is found, her father’s brother is now the heir to the family fortune. However, her uncle is not too keen on finding her, and every attempt by the kidnappers to prove she is alive is dismissed as a ruse.

Nevertheless, they keep her alive rather than kill her. The woman is distressed. She finds living in a hut in the middle of the jungle depressing. She is only able to communicate with one of the natives in a limited fashion.

Fearful of being maimed and then killed, she decides to run into the jungle and fend for herself. Unfortunately, she disappears attempting to cross a river—presumably eaten by an anaconda, alligator, or piranha.

Processing the Results

The above fictitious stories have some basis in fact—not only because similar incidents have occurred, but because people who do not have the appropriate skills find it very difficult to survive in social settings or environments to which they are not accustomed.

The psychological stresses are such that these persons’ fears will torment them, and they will eventually have to break free. The woman raised in the slums would probably find living with the Indians more suitable than living where she had grown up as a child.

The woman who had been raised as a spoiled child in high society and pampered all her life, if she had no servants to bathe her and attend to her every need, would be like a fish out of water anywhere else—unless she grew up fast.

In respect to the information each of these women was provided with, one was being told that she had been given the opportunity of a lifetime. The other, while being held captive, believed there was no opportunity for her to return to the lifestyle to which she had been accustomed while growing up. Instead, she faced the prospect of uncertain death.

The pain each individual experienced caused them to flee.

Pain is usually the quickest means to get our attention, and a solution to resolve the pain is the fastest means to garner our gratitude. Information that causes us pain can do one of two things: cause us to flee out of fear, or seek a solution to resolve the pain. Our reaction depends upon what has occurred previously. If we receive information that upsets our peace, we are likely to demonstrate our displeasure. Depending on the information we receive while in a state of displeasure, we could be calmed or enraged.

If we are living a life where we mistake temporary relief of internalized pain as peace, this might cause us to break out into uncontrollable bouts of ecstasy when we find some relief—but not for long. Manic depression is not a state to be envied. Coming out of it is rather hard to do, unless we are delivered by the power of God. For the many who are manic-depressive (otherwise known as bipolar disorder), they find themselves spending the rest of their lives on medication.

The Emotional Range

For the majority of us, the extremes of mania and depression are not something we experience. Our inner dissatisfaction nags at us but does not produce the extreme manifestations of irrational behavior associated with states of manic excitement or severe depression. This is because we are able to bring our feelings of irrational exuberance under control. When we are feeling depressed, we are able to channel our thoughts onto external matters that distract us from reflecting upon our perceptions of personal misery.

We experience many emotions that are made up of what we perceive to be love, joy, peace, hate, anger, and fear. As we have briefly considered previously, these emotions are the basis for every other emotion—which is a variation of these six—and go to make what are probably thousands of minor differences in the basic states of our moods.

While these are opposites, it is possible to have hate tinged with love, joy tinged with anger, and peace tinged with fear. Our knowledge of this helps us to realize the complexity of our existence and yet, strange as it may sound, helps us understand the simplicity of our origins.

Salvation, Peace, and Joy

If we are frequently agitated but have experienced what it is like to have peace, it is possible that the anticipation of peace returning will manifest in a form of joy. Ultimately, if we are constantly agitated by events, this could result in us having a strong desire to know the joy that comes from discovering an everlasting peace.

Nevertheless, the joy we experience from expectations being fulfilled is not the same as the joy we can and will experience when we secure eternal salvation and assuredly pass from death into life. The joy of salvation is an ever-abiding state of being that is only known when experienced.

Those who possess the joy of salvation do so perpetually. This joy never leaves. Those who have tasted the joy of salvation only to lose it have yet to be saved. There is a big difference between being saved while we believe—when looking to the cross—and actually having been nailed to the cross, where we are being raised in newness of life with Lord Jesus.

On the Cross or Walking Toward It?

If we find ourselves becoming angry at events, this is because we have not yet handed over aspects of our life to the Lord so that they can be taken away. If we are walking toward the cross, as the majority of believers are, we may find ourselves becoming angry more frequently than if we were on the cross.

The majority of believers are definitely not on the cross because they are striving against sin rather than resting in the Lord, knowing that their sin has been dealt with and that they have the power within to overcome it. However, when we realize that within the context of the environment in which we live, there is a ruler whose aim is to bind us up with attitudes and habits that are evil, then we understand the hope of a simple life of peace is shattered by the complexities of worldliness. This need not be the case—but more often than not, it is.

Worldliness brings with it dissatisfaction that causes us internal pain. This pain can be cloaked by attending to the miseries of others, or by gratifying one’s senses through seeing others in agony or begging for mercy. Unfortunately, these distractions do not really ease the pain.

If we gratify our senses by enjoying the suffering of others, we are creating more pain for ourselves without realizing it. The knowledge of how others have suffered compounds our own misery when we are forced to acknowledge the internalized pain we experience from being separated from the source of life—our Heavenly Father.

Possessing this knowledge contributes to the worm that never dies, which is unlike anything we might hear about or see. We hear of people suffering horrific pain and it has no effect on us. We may be desensitized to the pain of the many we see suffering on television or in videos, but when we are experiencing pain ourselves, the reality can become unbearable.

Yet bear our own cross we must. Fortunately, we who are wise have acknowledged our own inability to bear our cross, and for help, we have called upon the name of the Lord. Nevertheless, constantly reliving our experiences of pain forever—while possessing the knowledge of the truth—is a terrifying thought.

If we know what it is to feel pain when a person says something to us that we do not like, then it is fortuitous for us if we understand that we have just had a taste of eternal torment. In like manner, we may have had a taste of eternal love or joy or peace on other occasions—but what a joy to know Lord Jesus Christ in person, and not merely have a taste of salvation.

Indeed, we may get some self-gratification from feelings of superiority that come from subjugating others, or from expressing haughtiness by showing contempt for people’s misfortune, or by condescendingly providing relief to the impoverished and those feeling miserable; but this is not going to benefit us in the eternal realm.

While feelings of superiority and self-sufficiency may mask pain in the current hour, this will not mask the pain of eternal punishment. When the presence of the Holy Spirit departs Earth, those who remain will begin to feel the impact of what it is like not to have goodness in this temporal world.

Pleasure and pain are part of this world, but they are only tastes of what could be to come—eternity beckons, where we will know only the pleasure of God’s presence or the pain of His absence.

On Wealth, Status and Recognition

What we have now is a complex world system that consists of individuals who hold different statuses within society. Some of these individuals will be wealthy and pursue the comforts that wealth brings. Others will pursue power with their wealth. Some people will pursue power even though they have no wealth. The pursuit of power and wealth are prime motivators for many people. Others seek recognition, rather than power or wealth, believing that wealth will follow, along with the power to influence. Of those who seek recognition, there will be some, because of their conceit, who do so for purely vain, egotistical reasons.

These individuals eschew any responsibility that goes with the acquisition and management of wealth, or the execution of power and maintaining an influence over people; such individuals are the Devil’s delight. Nevertheless, there exists a status pyramid, and those at the bottom desire to get closer to the top; whereas those in the middle struggle to maintain their status quo by keeping those below them down, as they too attempt to acquire more freedom by gravitating toward the pyramid’s apex. Along the way, casualties drop out of the world system and become open to something better.

This festering, pain-filled world system into which the Son of God came was not receptive of its only hope for peace. The Son of God appeared only to find that the world did not know Him, and His own people did not receive Him. Nevertheless, to those who receive Jesus Christ, the Light of the world, He gives the right to become legitimate children of our Father in Heaven by being born into the Kingdom of God.

The Difference Between Consciousness and Awareness

As we have noted, knowledge is the key element to understanding life and being consciously aware of who we are in respect to the world around us. We have come to learn that awareness is different from being conscious of something, because awareness draws from external information rather than internal perception.

We might perceive that we are in need of help, but not be aware of where to get help. We might perceive that we are always dissatisfied but not be aware of how we can be satisfied. We might perceive that we are spiritually impoverished, but not be aware of how to find enrichment. We might perceive that we are suffering from grievances and not be aware of what—or who—will comfort us. We might perceive that we possess nothing and not be aware that we are not dispossessed.

We might perceive that, along with others, we are judgmental, but not be aware that we also face judgment. We might perceive that we are innocent but be unaware that we need to be holy. We might perceive that others desire to harm us, but not be aware that we are the ones arousing that violent desire by what we say and do. We might perceive that there has to be something better in life, but not be aware that all we have to do is open the door.

Salvation Is Not Instant: It Is a Process

Technically, salvation for all was made available once Jesus had died and rose from the dead. Nevertheless, many people have difficulty understanding that salvation is a process that can take longer to complete than expected. People speak of such things as being saved by grace or confession or baptism as if it is something instant, like two-minute noodles or a quick cup of coffee.

Repeat the words heard from another and make a profession of faith, and salvation is secured. However, there is much ignorance attached to this. Too many make the mistake of thinking that once they have performed the required rituals, this is sufficient for salvation—as noodles swell with water, so does their head with a form of knowledge—however, it is not knowledge that saves; rather, it is the outworking of faith.

The difference is like light and twilight. One is light. The other does not shine in the darkness. Even if salvation is a now thing and can be obtained immediately, it still requires a right attitude of heart toward God. For salvation is obtained by all who express no doubt in Lord Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection.

Rick Warren and John Piper on Unconditional Election

Rick Warren is a famous author and Christian pastor. John Piper is a theologian who teaches unconditional election as the means of salvation. In a short video clip I watched, John Piper was interviewing Rick Warren and asking him whether he taught unconditional election as a means of salvation.

Warren said that he did, but with a qualifier: that he also accepted that whosoever believed in Jesus could be saved. In effect, Warren was saying that he was not sure how people are saved. Piper, on the other hand, is absolutely convinced that certain people were chosen to be saved by God before the foundation of the world, and they have no say in their salvation. The rest of humankind go to Hell and suffer for eternity.

The Bible tells us that whoever receives Jesus and believes on His name, He gives the right to be saved. Now, to receive something means to become aware of information that is external to what we possess. Regardless of what we are receiving, we go from being conscious of a thing’s existence to being aware of what it is that we are receiving.

Many claim that God has already chosen those whom He is going to save. Others say that God chooses whom He is going to save based on their response of faith toward Him. In either case, it is God doing the choosing, and we are not the ones who inadvertently determine our own worthiness for salvation. Nevertheless, there is a distinction between having been chosen to be saved before we are born and having been chosen to be saved after we are born again. This is the case, even though many believe that they have no responsibility for their own decision regarding salvation.

Predetermination?

If we were already saved before we were born, there is no need for any responsibility whatsoever. Regardless of what we do, we are going to be saved—no matter how evil we are. Although those who argue for this position would claim that evildoers would never have been set aside before the foundation of the world to be saved, for this is contradictory.

Effectively, those who argue for this position (people like John Piper) are saying we are robots and have no free will. Mind you, Piper and his ilk will say that we can make choices, but have no free will when it comes to being saved because the Devil has taken our free will captive. Piper and those who hold to the same heresies present plausible arguments—until other Scriptures are consulted.

When examined under the light of truth, the assumptions for the philosophies Piper and his ilk propagate are based on texts taken out of context.

Salvation Cannot Be Rejected?

Piper asserts correctly that we receive our salvation because it is given to us by the grace of God. However, the words “as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become God’s children, to those who believe in His Name” (John 1:12), according to Piper, do not indicate any possibility of rejection.

The gift is irrevocable (Romans 11:29) and therefore cannot be rejected. To back this contention up, another verse is consulted from the book of Acts. This reads:

As the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of God. As many as were appointed to eternal life believed. (Acts 13:48)         

Based on what is written in the above verse, the claim is made that only those who are appointed to eternal life can believe, while those who have not been appointed to eternal life cannot believe. The contention is that this is the reason Jesus said that as many as received Him, who believed in His name, were given the right to eternal life. These were the ones who were chosen before the foundation of the world. There is no free will involved; people cannot reject the call of God or any gift that comes from Him. According to Piper and others who share his beliefs, the people who are to possess eternal life are saved by grace alone before the foundation of the world, and this gift of grace is an irrevocable gift. Unfortunately, Piper and his followers overlook that if a gift is irrevocable, this does not mean that the gift cannot be rejected; it simply means that it will not be taken back by the giver. For only those who believe receive.

The Argument Against Salvation by Grace Alone

The “salvation by grace alone” argument is convincing to a point. Once we begin to look at other Scriptures that point to certain criteria being required for salvation and realize that a gift is not a form of coercion, we become aware that salvation is not by grace alone, but by grace through faith in the promises of God. Jesus does the choosing in real time, and we possess free will to accept or reject the offer of the gift of salvation. There is no dispute that a gift is on offer, for we read:

But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if many died through one man’s trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift in the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many. And the free gift is not like the effect of that one man’s sin. For the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses brings justification. If, because of one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ. (Romans 5:15-17)

We have already acknowledged that the world did not know Jesus when He came into it. However, Jesus was not received by His own people; instead, they rejected Him—they rejected the free gift, even though they had been chosen. These individuals were born into the appointed nation that was chosen to come from the loins of Jacob, rather than Esau, long before they existed as individuals. The people believed that they could not lose their status as a chosen nation and that this also applied to themselves as individuals since they were chosen before they were born to be members of the nation of Israel, when in the loins of Jacob.

The fact that a nation is chosen and then rejected presents a predicament for many that appears too difficult to solve. Yet there must be a rationale that makes sense, for we know God keeps His word—of this, we can be sure! The answer has to do with understanding the difference between a corporate body (as a nation, which is made up of individuals) and individual assent. A nation follows its leaders, who are given their power by those over whom they rule. The leaders represent the voice of the majority, even in cases where they are ruled by an emperor, who may face many dissenters. If the emperor does not have the support of the essential majority, then he will lose his power. Likewise, a nation can reject a gift because of the majority, even though many individuals are willing to receive the gift. Those who receive the gift will have to leave the nation in order to do so, for they cannot openly claim to receive and reject it at the same time. The gift is either received or rejected. This is what happened with the nation of Judah: a Jew had to renounce Judaism, with its many laws and regulations (cf. Galatians 3:10), to become a Christian by receiving the gift of eternal life through the Lord Jesus Christ. Those who remained Jews attempted to kill the Christians (Acts 5:27-32).

In fact, we learn that the reason why those members of the nation, chosen before they were born, did not receive Jesus is that they lacked faith. This is what the Apostle Paul writes:

What shall we say then? That the Gentiles, who didn’t follow after righteousness, attained to righteousness, even the righteousness which is of faith; but Israel, following after a law of righteousness, didn’t arrive at the law of righteousness. Why? Because they didn’t seek it by faith, but as it were by works of the law. They stumbled over the stumbling stone; even as it is written, “Behold, I lay in Zion a stumbling stone and a rock of offense; and no one who believes in Him will be disappointed. (Romans 9:30-33)

Faith: An Expression Of Freewill

The Apostle Paul points to “faith” as the requirement for salvation. Those who reject the Lord Jesus Christ are the ones who will be disappointed. Those who receive Jesus must do so by faith, and this is the criterion that enables them to believe in His name. The exercising of faith is an expression of free will. There is no salvation for the individual by appointment. The nation of Israel was appointed exclusively to be a witness to the salvation of God. If the people who make up the nation of Israel, according to physical descent, do not pursue the righteousness that enables them to be saved by faith, they themselves will be disappointed. Instead of being appointed to salvation, each individual would be disappointed because of his or her own disobedience. It goes without saying that there would be no need to pursue righteousness unto salvation if the people were already saved. This means that those who are to be saved are chosen by some qualification, even though the gift of salvation is free. We are told that this qualification is faith, for it takes faith to accept the gift and respond in the requisite manner. The irony of all this is that faith itself is also a gift. Nevertheless, when we understand this key truth, it is no longer a mystery. All we need is the initial faith, weak as it may be, to do something simple. So then, how do we obtain faith?

In the book of Revelation, we read the following:

I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined by fire, that you may become rich; and white garments, that you may clothe yourself, and that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and eye salve to anoint your eyes, that you may see. As many as I love, I reprove and chasten. Be zealous therefore, and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, then I will come in to him, and will dine with him, and he with Me. He who overcomes, I will give to him to sit down with Me on My throne, as I also overcame, and sat down with My Father on His throne. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the assemblies.” (Revelation 3:18-22)

In the context of this passage, we see that there are some key words. These words indicate that not only is there a call going out, but there is also a knocking on the door with a request to open up. Moreover, we learn that those who overcome, as the Lord Jesus overcame, are the ones who are chosen.

About Knowledge and Trust

When we consider that it is “as many as receive Jesus and believe in His name” (John 1:12), in relation to what we read here from the book of Revelation, it is clear that unless we open the door, He is not going to force His way in. Now, why would anybody open the door to another person, and Jesus in particular?

If we hear a knock on the door and look through the peephole or out of a window to see who it is, unless we know the person or feel safe, we are not going to open the door. If someone calls to us, unless we recognize the person’s voice, we are not always going to respond and acknowledge that person. Before we can have faith in the person calling to us, we need knowledge to discern the voice. Before we have the faith to trust the person knocking on the door, we require knowledge that we will be safe. So, knowledge is the basis of faith—but not misinformation, as this will lead us into doubt and unbelief. Knowledge has to be true, and this means it needs to be tested experientially if we are to accept it as trustworthy.

If we perceive any information incorrectly, we make a misinterpretation of this knowledge, and the next thing we know, we are making assumptions that are, in fact, fantasies. This is what the Jews did. They interpreted how the Law of Moses was to be practiced. What was required for salvation, they saw as being works based on the law, rather than practicing the weightier matters of the Law. As Jesus said:

Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint, dill, and cumin, and have left undone the weightier matters of the law: justice, mercy, and faith. But you ought to have done these, and not to have left the other undone. (Matthew 23:23)

The authorities of the day were more intent on appearing good in the eyes of man rather than doing what the Law of Moses truly required. These individuals tithed because of the blessings associated with the tithe and the prestige that came with being wealthy, but they neglected justice, mercy, and faith. Faith and tithing are connected, but not when it is done to appear righteous in the eyes of people. This misunderstanding of what the Law of Moses was about caused the teachers and other authorities to miss out on the salvation that is available to all who have faith in the Son of God: the Lord Jesus Christ.

About Options and Receiving Jesus

When we receive Jesus into our lives, we begin by gaining knowledge of Him. We learn about what Jesus has to offer. If what Jesus offers us suits our liking, we will acknowledge Him and welcome Him into our lives. By doing this, and then believing in His name, we have the right to become children of God. This does not mean we are chosen as children of God; it simply means that we have the right to become children of God. Having the right to something does not necessarily mean ownership. Likewise, in this case, having the right to become children of God is like having an option that has been given to us. In other words, it is optional for us to believe and continue believing in the Lord Jesus Christ. We can forgo our right at any time. This is what having a right means. In the material world, when we take up a right to buy something, there is usually a limit on the right, and then it expires. These are called options in the business world. People can take an option to buy a house and then forfeit the right to buy. This is possible with any form of property or financial instrument, such as shares, contracts, or leases. Jesus offers us an option in that if we receive Him and believe in His name, we have the right to become children of God.

Options and the Parable of the Sower

This idea that we have the right to take up the option to become a saved person is evident in the parable about The Farmer and His Seed. This is the parable:

“The farmer went out to sow his seed. As he sowed, some fell along the road, and it was trampled under foot, and the birds of the sky devoured it.  Other seed fell on the rock, and as soon as it grew, it withered away, because it had no moisture. Other fell amid the thorns, and the thorns grew with it, and choked it.  Other fell into the good ground, and grew, and produced one hundred times as much fruit.” As He said these things, He called out, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”

Then His disciples asked Him, “What does this parable mean?”

He said, “To you it is given to know the mysteries of God’s Kingdom, but to the rest in parables; that ‘seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand. ‘Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. Those along the road are those who hear, then the Devil comes, and takes away the word from their heart, that they may not believe and be saved. Those on the rock are they who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; but these have no root, who believe for a while, then fall away in time of temptation. That which fell among the thorns, these are those who have heard, and as they go on their way they are choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to maturity. That in the good ground, these are such as in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, hold it tightly, and produces fruit with patience. (Luke 8:5-15)

The Explanation Of The Parable

Jesus explains the parable, and we learn that the seed is the word of God. The hard ground is similar to having Jesus knock at the door of one’s house and refusing to open up to Him. If we open up to Jesus, we welcome Him inside and rejoice for a while in the fact that we know Him. We have received Him into our home, but when it comes to believing on His name, we are not so sure—because when persecution comes our way, instead of demonstrating a commitment to Jesus, we throw in the towel. Why would we give up on believing in the name of the Son of God?

Evidence for Belief

When it comes to believing in something, we need to have evidence. There is no doubt about this. We will not believe in anything if we do not have the conviction of its truth. Now we might believe that Jesus is the Son of God, and when we are in trouble, having no one else to help us, we will pray to Him. But we do not really believe sufficiently to take up the option that has been given to us—that we can become children of God; that is, if we take up the right.

The reasons we will not take up the right to become a child of God may be either: we do not possess sufficient evidence that we have that right, or we have insufficient desire because we see no reason for the need. Without sufficient desire and evidence, we will find that we are just not motivated enough to open the door to Lord Jesus.

As we discussed earlier, more than anything else, motivation comes from pain. We can be motivated by a reward, but pain is the greatest motivator of all. The more we hurt, the more we are motivated to ease the pain. For us to seek something to ease our pain or provide absolute relief, we need to be convinced that it will work. When we are in pain, we will try anything to rid ourselves of the pain—but sometimes we find ourselves adjusting to levels of pain and accepting the pain as normal.

When this happens, a person might come to us and offer the means for us to be relieved of pain forever, but when we consider the cost, we say that it is not a done deal. This is because the cost now becomes an issue, for we have learned to live with the pain. Now the cost looks like it is going to provide more pain. Knowledge is the key element in all of this.

An Anecdote on Healing

There was a man I knew who suffered from multiple sclerosis. The disease was gaining more control over his body. I knew of a particular product that had helped one person who was bedridden with multiple sclerosis and, as a result of consuming the product, she went from being ninety percent incapacitated to five percent. Moreover, she became pregnant and gave birth to her baby.

Now I shared this with the man and provided the relevant testimonials and people for him to contact so he could talk to them about how they benefited from the product. He began taking the product, which was a proportionally mixed vitamin and mineral supplement with detoxifying herbs. The man who invented the product was able to get well. He got out of his wheelchair and walked after consuming it for four years—but not the man to whom I introduced the product.

He had a couple of cans of the herbal mix but did not take it as recommended. His wife was not so convinced about the product, since the advancing disease merely halted. There was nothing spectacular happening after a couple of months and no miracle in the fact his multiple sclerosis stopped progressing. Besides, his wife felt the product was too expensive—although not as expensive as her hairdos! She convinced her husband not to take the product anymore. Soon the multiple sclerosis began to progress again.

One year later, Benny Hinn came to Australia. This man and his family scrimped and saved and borrowed some three thousand dollars to pay for his airfares to the distant city and the accommodation to attend the convention centre where the meetings were being held, so he could be healed by the power of God through Benny Hinn. The man was not healed and three thousand dollars worse off; whereas to take a proven product as recommended for three months, and spend three hundred dollars doing so, was too much money.

The point of this anecdote is this: the man believed that he would be healed by attending a Benny Hinn meeting because of the information he was receiving from other people. Naturally, he truly wanted to be healed. But he was looking for a quick fix regardless of cost—three days for three thousand dollars—rather than apply himself for three years to see how much the products would help him, as they have helped so many people be restored back to health over time.

The man in question suffered from a lack of faith in the value of the product, because he was not convinced he was getting sufficient results for him to justify the cost of the product—especially when his wife kept complaining about it. The question of cost was an issue because she did not believe in the value of the product, and he himself was not sufficiently committed to withstand the pressures from the naysayers and the mockers. But all these people were up for a quick fix and prepared to pay one hundred times more for a failure, not realizing that growing in faith is not something that happens from gambling. Needless to say, his multiple sclerosis seriously incapacitated him.

Insufficient Knowledge for Salvation

We cannot grow in salvation faith when our underlying understanding of why we need to know Jesus is insufficient for any one of us to take up the right to become a child of God. A quick fix is not what taking up the right to become a child of God is about.

This is because the call of God goes out, and we respond. Then a partnership begins when Jesus knocks on our door and we open up to Him. We are not robots who have no responsibility for our own salvation, and neither do we have all the responsibility for our salvation that we need to perform acts of merit to obtain it. Rather, it is a matter of learning what God requires of us and how we can grow in the kind of faith required to secure our rights and become children of God.

We put our faith in the knowledge that we possess. If we possess misinformation, we will deceive ourselves by putting our faith in it. Nevertheless, this is what people do.

When it comes to receiving Jesus as Lord of our lives, this requires more faith than simply acknowledging that the Bible states we can possess salvation through His death and resurrection. Many believe we are sinners saved by grace alone, and when we die, we will have eternal life, if we believe on His Name. These people like the idea that they are saved by grace and were chosen before the foundation of the world, and regardless of what happens, because they profess a belief in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, they will be saved.

In fact, many who subscribe to the “saved by grace alone” idea tend to put Lord Jesus Christ on the back burner and then pursue their worldly activities and interests. Although there are a minority who become embroiled in what they call defending the faith—which is really defending their beliefs—this is not what the Bible teaches we are to do. Rather than defend our beliefs, we need to take up the option to become children of God. This requires commitment if we are to secure the rights to our inheritance.

The reason why we open the door of our lives to Jesus is of critical importance when it comes to working out our own salvation. Indeed, working out our own salvation is what we have to do. This is what is written in the book of Philippians:

So then, my beloved, even as you have always obeyed, not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God who works in you both to will and to work, for His good pleasure. (Philippians 2:12-13)

Working Out Salvation And Predetermination?

The idea that we have to work out our salvation contradicts any claim to having been chosen before the foundation of the world to be saved. Somewhat surprisingly, those who claim their salvation was secured before they were born, see no contradiction in having to now work out their salvation. For those of us who realize that once we have accepted the reality of our existence, and have asked Jesus into our lives because we recognize our inability to overcome death and sin, there is no contradiction. Working with God to bring about a better outcome in our lives is a natural progression. We understand that by believing in Jesus Christ we possess salvation. We understand that we can be overcomers. We understand that being an overcomer is essential if we are to sit on the same throne as Jesus. We also accept that we overcome the world by faith that is active and not by grace alone. How do we know we overcome the world by faith? This is what the Bible states:

Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God. Whoever loves the Father also loves the child who is born of Him. By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. His commandments are not grievous. For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world: your faith. Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? (1 Jn 5:1-5) 

About Regeneration And Being Born Again

There is a teaching that we need to be born again before we can believe in Jesus. This teaching is based on a text from the Epistle of First John. In effect, these individuals claim that God must cause a person to be born again before that person can accept the truth that Jesus died on the Cross. Subscribers to this teaching do not believe that we possess free will. They assert that we were saved by grace before the foundation of the world and that God causes us to be born again so that we can believe. However, as we have already discussed, we must open the door to the Lord Jesus before anything can happen. Once we have opened the door, we have the option to take up the right to become children of God, even though we are born of Him. Once anyone believes that Jesus is the Christ and welcomes Him into his or her life, that person is born of God because regeneration takes place. Then the rest follows: by working with the Holy Spirit, we keep His commandments and overcome the world because of our obedience of faith.

Motivations for Response

When we respond to the gospel call, we may do so initially out of curiosity to learn about the message. However, we respond to the call of God for different reasons, depending on what has happened in our lives. We may have suffered financial loss, the loss of a loved one, or the end of a marriage. We may have been persecuted for standing up for what is right, searching for answers to existence, or seeking fulfillment in life. We may desire healing for ourselves or a family member. These are just some reasons that make people receptive to the message of hope within the promises of God. Nevertheless, we still have to open the door and let the Lord Jesus in if we are to secure our hope of eternal salvation and be saved from eternal judgment. How can we be born again if we have not opened the door of our hearts to receive the Lord Jesus into our lives? How can we open the closed doors of our hearts without making a decision to do so?

Right Decisions for Right Reasons

There is no doubt that a decision is required for us to open any door, especially that of our hearts, so we can receive Jesus into our lives. If the reason for opening the door to Jesus is sound, we will be able to build strong faith because we acknowledge who Jesus really is. However, if our decision to open up to Jesus is not for the right reasons, our faith may become faulty. The prophet Isaiah wrote:

Hear Yahweh’s word, you rulers of Sodom! Listen to the law of our God, you people of Gomorrah! “What are the multitude of your sacrifices to Me?” says Yahweh. “I have had enough of the burnt offerings of rams, and the fat of fed animals. I don’t delight in the blood of bulls, or of lambs, or of male goats. When you come to appear before Me, who has required this at your hand, to trample my courts? Bring no more vain offerings. Incense is an abomination to Me; new moons, Sabbaths, and convocations: I can’t bear with evil assemblies. My soul hates your New Moons and your appointed feasts.  They are a burden to Me.  I am weary of bearing them. When you spread out your hands, I will hide My eyes from you.  Yes, when you make many prayers, I will not hear. Your hands are full of blood. Wash yourselves, make yourself clean. Put away the evil of your doings from before My eyes.  Cease to do evil. Learn to do well. Seek justice. Relieve the oppressed. Judge the fatherless.  Plead for the widow.

“Come now, and let us reason together,” says Yahweh: “Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow. Though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land; but if you refuse and rebel, you shall be devoured with the sword; for the mouth of Yahweh has spoken it.” (Isaiah 1:10-20)

Losing Salvation?

Clearly, it is evident in this passage that people can lose out on their salvation, as is the case with many passages within the Bible. Here is the Lord God addressing the chosen people of Israel and telling them that they are not really His people but just religionists who profess a belief in Him.

For those of us who are born into a Christian household, or a household that claims to be religious in some way and professes a belief in God, this address to Israel particularly applies to us. It is easy to go through the motions as we grow up going to church, hearing the sermons, singing in the choir, and doing various tasks to find ourselves doing well in the world. We profess to believe in God and Jesus, but we have never really opened our heart up to Him. We have never gotten to reasoning out why we would need to have a relationship with God through faith in His Son, Lord Jesus Christ.

We may have offered Jesus an invitation to come into our hearts because we heard His knock, but we have not recognized His voice yet. We do our best to practice what we are taught, but we find ourselves getting caught up in worldly pursuits. The cares and riches of the world begin to take on greater importance in our lives. We might even start saying, “God helps those who help themselves.” We might believe that our faith is evidenced by the fact that we are succeeding in our careers.

We believe in the name of Jesus and we do well, but we neglect justice—one of the weightier matters of the Law. Our prayers for many things, such as people being healed, always seem to be on the waiting list; but since we believe God has provided doctors as an answer to our prayers, we are appeased. We may even be willing to help out in projects and support missions and do good works with the money that we earn.         

The one thing we have not done, even though we believe on the Lord Jesus, is take up our option to become one of the children of God. Instead, we believe each one of us is positionally (provisionally placed as) a child of God. We do not accept that the option to become a child of God is valid for today; rather, we see this as something that we will receive when we enter Heaven and are told, “Well done, faithful servant”—thy works have saved thee.

Provisional and Positional Salvation

Surprisingly, the concept of being “provisionally saved” and having to work to prove one’s salvation is very much a part of the mindset of many people claiming to be Christians—even though many are not aware that this is the case.

Alongside this also comes the idea of people who call themselves Christians being “positionally saved” because their names have been placed in the book of life, and they are now seated in Heaven, even though they are on Earth.

The provisionally saved are saved, providing they meet the requirements of salvation by continuing to look to Jesus on the Cross for having paid the price for their redemption from sin. The positionally saved are saved because they believe their names are in the book of life, and because of this, they continue to look toward spending eternity with the Lord.

The truth is, the ideas of “provisionally saved” and “positionally saved” are upheld by Jesus when He said that those who continue in His word will know the truth (John 8:31–32). For Jesus did not say that they would be set free from their sin by continuing in His word, but that they would definitely know the truth. We can only be set free from sin when the Son of God sets us free (John 8:36). When this happens, then we are truly saved. This event can occur on Earth, but only for those who are earnest enough to desire the will of God.

The Effect of the Cares and Riches of This World

The problem for many people, as Jesus explained in the parable of the farmer sowing seed, is that the cares and the riches of the world have a habit of choking the word of life within them, and it does not produce fruit for eternal life.

When Jesus is speaking in the book of Revelation about knocking on the doors of our hearts, just as in the parable of the farmer, we need to hear—that is, understand—what is being said. If we do not have ears to hear what the Spirit is saying, we cannot be overcomers; our faith will not grow; we will not bear fruit for eternal life. Unless we are working in partnership with the Lord God, we cannot hope to overcome the world.

One person, whom I told about Jesus Christ, received Him with much joy. Later, he told me that all he needs is the knowledge that he is assured of eternal life by having prayed the sinner’s prayer, but for the time being, he wants to enjoy what this world has to offer.

While the grace of God extends beyond our imagination, the Bible also tells us that it is a fearful thing to fall foul of it.  We read in the Book of Hebrews:

How much worse punishment do you think he will be judged worthy of who has trodden under foot the Son of God, and has counted the blood of the covenant with which he was sanctified an unholy thing, and has insulted the Spirit of grace? (Hebrews 10:29) 

As we have read in the books of Romans and First Peter, disobedience can produce an unbelieving heart. Merely claiming to have made a decision without following through can be costly. If we believe that simply saying a prayer to ask Jesus into our lives and receiving forgiveness for our sins is sufficient to cover all our actions and other sins, this is not what the Prophet Isaiah advocated. He warned against such lethargy. He exhorted people to come and establish the reasons for their salvation and work them out with God, so they might understand why they need to be saved and discover how to be saved. What we do know is that salvation is an outcome of faith, which needs to grow until it overflows into actions that bring glory to God.

Philosophical Concepts Accepted as Biblical Theology

Many people become Christians and then seek to learn about various aspects of theology that have no bearing on establishing a faithful walk with the resurrected Lord Jesus Christ. Only applied knowledge brings forth faith. Yet the number of people who possess beliefs based on human philosophical assumptions outnumbers those who have a humble and abiding faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. It is easier for those trained in intellectual exercises to grasp philosophical concepts and mistake them for the truth. This is because they sound plausible and provide an easy fit for the lifestyle they wish to live. Moreover, they feel accomplished if they have a piece of paper to hang in a frame on the wall. Yet, they may suffer frustration in their lives and not know the joy of salvation or the surpassing peace of God. Bearing fruit in the Kingdom is what living for the Lord God is about. We who bear fruit in the Kingdom of God do so because we apply ourselves to seeking God and asking Him to show us the truth. We also desire the Lord to remove the log from our own eye so that we might see clearly what is required and how we can help remove the speck from another’s eye.

Conclusion: The Fruit of Light is Testifying

The fruit of light is found in all that is good, right, and true. When we understand what God has wrought in our lives, we are capable of passing on this information so that others can see more clearly the path to life that lies ahead of them. Knowledge comes as we grow in God and walk in His ways; as we meditate on the Law of God and ponder what our Heavenly Father would have us do to bring Him glory. While there are teachers who are gifts to the body of Christ, providing instruction in the truths of God, we are all to grow in the knowledge of our salvation and become immovable trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, bearing fruit in due season and displaying leaves of healing that do not wither.

This chapter ought to be evidence of the fruit of light. The knowledge of how to be saved has been presented. Although much more can be stated, what has been written should be sufficient for you to realize that your eternal salvation is not solely up to God, nor is it solely up to you. Rather, it is up to you to work out your own salvation together with the Lord your God, through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit.

---

[i] This was at the beginning of David de Rothschild’s Sydney “Tedx Talk” presentation, where he said: “Nature is Satan’s church. I want to use this opportunity to say that if this (pointing to a slide of tropical trees).is Satan’s church, I am a Devil worshiper. I want to do it now! (raising his hands upwards) I love Satan!”  The audience thought he was joking. Great Pacific Garbage Patch  November 6, 2010. https://youtu.be/Z_RvOB0T6Q4  -retrieved April 11, 2022.

[ii] American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.