This, and Nothing But This, Is True Christianity!

by Edward Griffin, 1770-1837

"You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price!" 1 Corinthians 6:19-20

All that you are and have are His. You owe Him your whole selves!

The Lord Jesus Christ, who created you and redeemed you from eternal damnation, is your Proprietor, Master, and King.

Whom else then should you serve?

To whom else should you devote your lives?

Whose interest should you rather seek?

"For not one of us lives for himself, and not one dies for himself. For if we live, we live for the Lord; or if we die, we die for the Lord. Therefore whether we live or die, we are the Lord's." Romans 14:7-8

Our religion is exactly in proportion as we cease to live for ourselves and live for God alone. We have just as much religion as we have of self-denial. The only evidence of attachment to Him on which we can rely is that we make it our design and care to promote His glory and the accomplishment of His benevolent purposes, not now and then, but in the general tenor of our lives.

To live for God, is to regard His will as the rule and ground of our conduct, and His glory as our supreme object. Not merely one day in a week, but in our general course to act from a reference to His authority.

To live for God, is to choose our calling, to pursue our business, to frame our habits, to regulate our actions from hour to hour from a regard to His will and honor.

To live for God, is to feel and act as those who are not at liberty to live to themselves, but have their work daily assigned them by a heavenly Master.

To live for God, is to live under a sense that we are not our own, not our own masters, not our own proprietors, not at our own disposal.

To live for God, is to live as though our time, talents, influence, property, and all that we are and have are God's.

To live for God, is to hold everything in readiness to use for Him, or resign all things to Him as He shall direct.

To live for God, is to to be submissive under afflictions, and willing to be at His disposal in all our trials.

To live for God, is to to be ready to deny ourselves for Him in every way which His Word or Providence may point out.

To live for God, is to desire life chiefly that we may serve Him.

To live for God, is to make Him the center in which all the lines of our life shall meet.

To live for God, is to make it the business of our lives to please Him and not ourselves.

The very core of all true religion, is not to live for ourselves, but for God; not to consider ourselves our own, but the property and the servants of the Lord Jesus Christ; not to feel as though we are set up in the world to work for ourselves, to spend the most of our time in pursuing what is termed our innocent gratifications, but to hold our time, powers, influence, and property as talents entrusted to us to be used for Christ, keeping our eye on His Word to learn His will, and aiming habitually to please and honor Him.

This, and nothing but this, is true Christianity! Whatever our creed is, if this is not our character, then all our religion is vain!

"So we make it our goal to please Him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it!" 2 Corinthians 5:9

Mormonism's Backward Theology

"For man is spirit." Doctrines & Covenants 93:33

Mormon theology has it exactly backwards. "God is spirit" (John 4:24a). Man is not spirit. God does not have a body, but man does. Man did not become God, but God became a man. Christ Jesus.

"Man was also in the beginning with God." Doctrines & Covenants 93:29

See how backwards Mormonism has it? Their false prophet, Joseph Smith, was quite the imaginative storyteller. He stole what he wanted from the Bible, plagiarizing several chapters word-for-word from the book of Isaiah, and ignored the context and the overall meaning. Not to mention his many blunders where he assumed something from the Bible meant something else (like his use of "Sabaoth," thinking it meant Sabbath). The above "revelation" stands in complete contradiction to what the Word of God says:

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. . . . And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth." John 1:1-2, 14

Man was not in the beginning with God. God eternally exists from past to future. Since God has eternally existed, who knows how long it was before He decided to create man. Man is God's creation, made in His image and likeness. There is nothing eternal about man. Man is finite, mortal, limited. God is infinite, immortal, and limitless.

Mormons fail to grasp the purpose and meaning of cross-references. Cross-references are used to refer to related information in other locations. If you examine the cross-references given in Doctrines & Covenants for the above two verses, neither the biblical references nor the Mormon references have anything to do with each other, other than some similar words being used. In other words, the majority of Mormon cross-references are merely the practice of the exegetical fallacy of Collapsing Context. Doctrines & Covenants 93:33 cross-references John 4:24, yet there is no related content between the two, other than the words "is spirit."

Mormon theology is based on the fantastical storytelling of Joseph Smith, who used to tell the exact same stories around the dinner table when he was a child. Archaeological, historical, and scientific research have all demonstrated that there is no evidence to support any of the information given in the Book of Mormon. No such ethnicities, no such events, no such locations. No history of such things has been found. No monetary units of said groups have been found. Zero, zilch, nada. Everything Mormon is completely and utterly fabricated.

There are numerous similarities between the false religion of Mormonism and the false religion of Islam, as well as the false prophet Joseph Smith and the false prophet Muhammad. Both are claimed to have had little education; both claimed to receive special "revelation" from God; both claimed that God gave them permission to practice polygamy (as other false religions, false prophets, and cult leaders have done, including David Koresh). You can always identify a false prophet and a false religion when it is based on sex. When a "prophet" tries to convince you that in order to make your marriage stronger, God has commanded him to sleep with your wife, do not be a fool and fall for his satanic lies. When a "prophet" tries to convince you that God has commanded him to sleep with your daughters, do not be a fool and fall for his satanic lies. When a "prophet" tries to convince you that God has commanded that he alone is allowed to have sex or to have multiple wives, or that God has commanded that men are allowed to have multiple wives, do not be a fool and fall for his satanic lies. When a "prophet" tries to convince you that God has commanded that in Heaven or Paradise you will have multiple virgins for eternity or you will be having sex for eternity, do not be a fool and fall for his satanic lies. False religions created by men tend to revolve around sex. False religions created by women tend to revolve around emotional experiences and a false, erroneous understanding of "love."

Mormon theology is completely backwards from biblical theology. If you believe and follow Mormonism, then I have a bridge and some swamp land I would like to sell you . . .

A Dangerous Snare For Christians

The Christian has discovered one book truer and more precious than all the rest together. Let the Bible be to us the book of books—the one book in all the world whose every verse is wisdom. In studying it, be sure to take it for what it really is—the revelation of the thoughts of God, given us in the words of God. Knowing that we have divine thoughts embodied in divine words—we sit down to the study of the heavenly volume, assured that we shall find the perfection of wisdom in all of its teachings.

Let us read and re-read the Scriptures—meditating on them day and night.

They never grow old, they never lose their sap, they never run dry.

Though it is right and profitable to read other books, if they are true and good—yet beware of reading too many. Do not let man's book thrust God's book into a corner! Do not let commentaries smother the text—nor let the good, shut out the best.

Especially beware of light reading! Shun novels—they are the literary curse of the age! If you are a parent—keep novels out of the way of your children. Neither read them yourself, nor set an example of novel-reading to others. Do not let novels lie on your table, or be seen in your hand. The reading of the light novels of the day, has done deep injury to many:

    vitiating their taste,

    enervating their minds,

    unfitting them for life's plain work,

    eating out their love for the Bible,

    teaching them a false morality, and

    creating in the soul an unreal standard of truth, and beauty, and love.

Do not be too fond of the newspaper. Extract matter for thought and prayer out of all that you read.

Let your reading be always select—and whatever you read, begin with seeking God's blessing on it.

But see that your relish for the Bible is above every other enjoyment. The moment you begin to feel greater relish for any other book—lay it down until you have sought deliverance from such a snare, and obtained from the Holy Spirit a more intense relish, and a keener appetite for the Word of God!

Horatius Bonar's words are not only true with regard to what we read, but they are also true with regard to what we watch and what we listen to. When we do not exercise discernment over what we watch, what we read, or what we listen to, we allow ourselves to be influenced and corrupted by it. This is absolutely the case even more so when what we consume with our eyes, mind, and ears is done in bulk. The more ungodly, frivolous material that we watch, read, or listen to, the more trash we fill ourselves with. As one of Petra's songs is titled, Garbage In, Garbage Out. What you take in, what you put into yourself, will eventually come out.

Novels might be the literary curse of the age, but movies and television are the visual curse of the age while music is the audible curse of the age. Horatius Bonar's warning, "Neither read them yourself, nor set an example of novel-reading to others," is sound advice even regarding movies and music. Beware of what it is you are watching and what it is you are listening to. Do not subject your eyes, ears, or mind to godless material that will slowly but surely draw you away from the Saviour and into an unholy life of sin.

The watching of light television and the listening of light music has also done deep injury to many:
    vitiating their taste,

    enervating their minds,

    unfitting them for life's plain work,

    eating out their love for the Bible,

    teaching them a false morality, and

    creating in the soul an unreal standard of truth, and beauty, and love.

Television and novels constantly bombard you with all sorts of immorality, pressing it upon you, repeating the lies that a little is okay. Pick any television show or movie and I could point out to you all the subtleties designed to do you harm. If you repeat a lie loud enough, long enough, and often enough, people will eventually believe it. Even Christians, if they have nothing to combat it with. That is what television and novels are designed to do. If you have ever watched Perfect Strangers before, cousin Larry is a pathological liar and schemer, always trying to deceive Balki. The "white lies" and the things that are marginalized as being acceptable slowly influence who and what you are and how you think and behave. And today's television shows are worse than ever! If you do not have more Bible in you than you do television and novels, you are bound to start imitating the world and being just like them, trying to justify your sin in self-righteousness.

Apply Horatius Bonar's wisdom: "Extract matter for thought and prayer out of all that you read." If you can pray the following prayer over the things you watch, then by all means watch them.

"Dear Lord, we invite You to come join us in this time of viewing. As Your children, we commit this time to You as worthy of our attention. May our family be uplifted by this hour before the screen. And, Lord, we pray that families everywhere would have the opportunity to do likewise. We thank You for providing this program for us, and we ask You to bless the men and women who produced this show and those who made it available. May they have Your blessings to do more of the same. In Jesus' name, we thank You, Amen."

This pray can also be applied to what you listen to and what you read. You are what you read; you are what you watch, and you are what you listen to. Garbage in, garbage out. It is not "just a book"; it is not "just a movie"; and it is not "just a song." It is an influence on who and what you are and how you think, behave, and believe. Beware of these dangerous snares to Christians!

A Man Who Hears Many Sermons

by Charles Spurgeon

"Oh, how I love your law! I meditate on it all day long!" Psalm 119:97

It is well to meditate upon the things of God because it is only by pondering the Scriptures that we get the real nutriment out of them. A man who hears many sermons is not necessarily well-instructed in the faith. We may read so many religious books that we overload our brains, and they may be unable to work under the weight of the great mass of paper and of printer's ink.

The man who reads but one book, and that book his Bible, and then meditates much upon it will be a better scholar in Christ's school than he who merely reads hundreds of books, and does not meditate at all!

Oh, that we might get into the very heart of the Word of God—and get that Word into ourselves!

As I have seen the silkworm eat into the leaf and consume it, so ought we to do with the Word of the Lord—not crawl over its surface, but eat right into it until we have taken it into our inmost parts. It is idle merely to let the eye glance over the words, or to recollect the poetic expressions, or the historic facts; but it is blessed to eat into the very soul of the Bible until, at last, you come to talk in Scriptural language, and your very style is fashioned upon Scripture models—and, what is better still, your spirit is redolent with the words of the Lord!

"Your words were found, and I devoured them, and Your words became to me a joy and the delight of my heart!" Jeremiah 15:16

"Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful!" Joshua 1:8

Is Reason Faith's Enemy?

“Reason is a whore, the greatest enemy that faith has; it never comes to the aid of spiritual things, but more frequently than not struggles against the divine Word, treating with contempt all that emanates from God.” —Martin Luther

Certain Christians erroneously think that reason is the basis for Christianity, while other Christians erroneously think that faith is the basis for Christianity. Robert A. Morey argues that the issue is not between reason or faith but between reason or revelation. To be honest, I fail to see what the confusion is all about. The Bible is our final authority on all matters pertaining to life and faith, therefore revelation is the basis for Christianity. Everything begins with God's revelation—not man's faith or reason. God’s Revelation in Scripture is more reliable than even first–hand eyewitness accounts (2 Pet. 1:16-21).

Martin Luther, Robert Morey, and others are wrong when they attack reason. Perhaps it would be more beneficial and productive if they had described or defined the type of "reason" they were addressing and combating. Reason is not the enemy of faith; it is its ally. Logic and reason are thoroughly Christian concepts. Our God is a God of logic and reason, and as such, we being created in His image have the faculties of logic and reason. They are a means with which to determine truth; not the basis of truth itself. As such, it is impossible for them to be the enemy of faith. Logic and reason are used to prove faith. 

Science used to teach that the ocean floors were flat. Believing the revelation of his Bible when it spoke of the oceans having mountains and valleys, using logic and reason alongside faith, Matthew Maury, a Christian, founded oceanography. In life, and especially in apologetics, you use logic and reason all the time. In interpreting the Bible correctly, you need logic and reason. There are different kinds of faith, but faith is not required for everything. People who purport this, using the cliché "Some things you just have to accept by faith," are purporting blind faith. Blind faith does not know, and Scripture says we can know.

If Martin Luther, Robert Morey, and others are referring to philosophical "reason," then they have a right to decry it. Philosophy tends to be complete and utter nonsense the majority of the time. Philosophy in no way determines truth. There is a certain philosophy that suggests that we do not even exist, that we are merely in a matrix or a hologram or some other nonsense. Most philosophy tends to ignore reality and postulate irrational stupidity.

If you are going to determine what is true and what is not, you require the faculties of logic and reason. In order to determine if any religion is true or false, you need to use logic and reason. Faith will not determine which religion is true or false. One has faith that Christianity is true, another has faith that Mormonism is true, and another has faith that Islam is true. Faith is good when it is placed in the correct object, but every object in existence does not require faith. Christianity is the only true religion, while all other religions are false constructs of sinful man and the devil.

One can have faith that the Bible is absolutely true, and there is nothing wrong with that. Perhaps that is the extent of that person's faculties. Using logic and reason alongside faith (not replacing it), consulting archaeology, history, and science, we can prove the Bible is absolutely true. 

How do I know that God is a God of logic and reason? How do I know that God wants us to use our faculties of logic and reason? Because He pleads with us, "Come now, and let us reason together" (Isaiah 1:18a).

Justification ≠ Salvation

". . . (by grace you have been saved)" Ephesians 2:5

"For by grace you have been saved . . ." Ephesians 2:8

Have you ever noticed how there are no verses in Scripture that say we are saved by faith? Why do you think that is? Do not make the mistake of confusing justification with salvation. They are not the same thing. Justification is a part of salvation, as are sanctification and glorification, but justification is not salvation. Justification is to declare judicially that one is in harmony with the law and free from condemnation due to sin. Justification is the opposite of condemnation, as witnessed from Romans 8:33-34a: "Who will bring a charge against God's elect [those whom God has chosen]? God is the one who justifies; who is the one who condemns?" Justification is to declare one righteous.

Salvation is the divine act of delivering an individual from the power and curse of sin and restoring that individual to fellowship with God. Salvation encompasses justification, sanctification, and glorification; everything from the moment God grants us faith so that we will believe until He returns and bids us to enter the kingdom prepared for us. Salvation consists of various aspects: repentance, conversion, regeneration, union with Christ, justification, adoption, sanctification, perseverance, and glorification. None of these equals salvation by themselves, but all of them are part of salvation. 

Unfortunately, those who wield the false "proof texts" for sola fide tend to treat those texts as if they equate the whole of salvation. Those "proof texts" consist of legal speech. They pertain to justification as opposed to condemnation, which is what we deserve. If you attempt to replace "justification" in these verses with "salvation," you are guilty of creating a false doctrine and another gospel. Justification is a part of salvation; it does not equal salvation. Do not confuse the two!

I think that because of these people's false belief in sola fide, they must view these passages as the whole of salvation in order to escape having to undergo sanctification. There are many who bear no fruit whatsoever of salvation, yet will argue for their supposed faith. They will argue that anything beyond faith alone is legalism and works righteousness. Dispensationalists treat repentance in this way, despite repentance being a requirement of salvation. Forcing those "proof text" passages to mean we are saved by faith alone eliminates repentance, sanctification, etc.

You cannot be justified without repentance and without sanctification! In order to be judicially declared in harmony with the law and free from condemnation due to sin, one needs to repent of their former ways and to be sanctified from them. Without all of this, there can be no salvation! God will not grant salvation to a man who is unrepentant of his sinful ways and who will not change from those ways. Unfortunately, the false belief that nothing is required for salvation is becoming rampant throughout the present-day church.

Just to be clear (for the willfully ignorant), repentance and sanctification are not means by which we can earn our salvation. If one is attempting to earn salvation from God by repentance, it is not godly repentance. If one is attempting to earn salvation from God by sanctification, it is merely behavioural modification. God is not fooled. You can play all the games you want and you will still find yourself in Hell for all eternity. If you want salvation, pursue the Lord until He grants it to you. Godly repentance is granted from the Lord, and sanctification is carried out by the Holy Spirit. If one argues that God has not granted him repentance and sanctification, then God has not granted him salvation either.

We Contribute NOTHING To Our Salvation

With my past and recent blog entries on justification and the false doctrine of sola fide, it is important to reign in those slow of learning with their mental blinders in place who refuse to pay attention to what is being said and to think clearly and critically (with logic, reason, and common sense) about what is being said rather than making blind assumptions, running full speed ahead with them, and jumping off a cliff.

You see, many of my fellow Reformers and Baptists are hung up on their traditions with their blinders set in place that they refuse to pay attention to what it is I am saying or to even think deeply upon what it is that I am saying. They choose to remain ignorant and play the ignorance card, trying to falsely claim that I am trying to teach a Roman Catholic doctrine. By arguing such nonsense, they demonstrate the fact of their ignorance clearly as I have repeatedly made it clear that that is not my position.

We can contribute nothing to our salvation! Why do we contribute nothing to our salvation? Because we are saved entirely by God's grace and nothing else.

". . . (by grace you have been saved)" Ephesians 2:5

"For by grace you have been saved . . ." Ephesians 2:8

There is nothing you or I can do to add to or ensure our salvation. The moment we think that there is, we are on dangerous ground, engaging in works righteousness. When I address the fact that it is faith + works (faith in action, living faith) = justification, I imply in no way that we are to do certain works as a means of earning our salvation. Using Abraham as the example, I pose two questions:

1. When Abraham was offering Isaac as a sacrifice, was he performing some work of the Law?

2. When Abraham was offering Isaac as a sacrifice, was he performing some good deed?

If Abraham was not performing some work of the Law or some good deed, then clearly he was not doing any kind of work as a means of earning his salvation. The work he was doing is a necessary part of genuine faith. It must accompany genuine faith, working alongside it, perfecting and completing faith, proving its genuineness. The "works" I have been consistently talking about is what I like to call "faith in action," or what others might call "living faith." You see, faith without corresponding "works" (faith in action, living faith) and not resulting in good deeds is useless, dead, imperfect, and incomplete.

Genuine faith should produce good deeds, such as feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, etc. Good deeds are a result of genuine faith. But genuine faith also has works that are accomplished simultaneously in order to evidence that it is genuine faith. These works must work in tandem with faith to evidence its genuineness. Without these works, it is impossible for your faith to be genuine. As John Owen has said, "Obedient faith is what saves." These works, however, have nothing to do with attempting to earn one's own salvation. They are merely evidence that your faith is genuine and not merely lip service. I have used these examples before:

1. When the bronze serpent was raised, it was not enough that people simply believe that looking at it would heal them. They had to actually look at it. If they merely looked at it without belief, it would do nothing for them either.
    
2. The woman who had the issue of blood believed that if she simply touched Jesus' clothing she would be healed. She had to actually touch His clothes. If she merely believed it and then walked away, she would not have been healed. If she merely touched His clothes without believing, she would not have been healed.
    
3. When Peter asked Jesus to call to him for him to walk on the water, believing that he could do so was not enough. He had to follow through by actually stepping out on the water. If he stepped out without believing, he would have sank, which is what happened the moment he took his eyes of Jesus.
    
4. Imagine you are hanging from a ledge, about to fall and hurt yourself. I come beneath you and say, "Let go of the ledge and I will catch you." If you merely believe (faith alone) that I will catch you, but do nothing, your faith means absolutely nothing. It is dead, it is useless, it is imperfect/incomplete, and it is in vain. You MUST let go (works, faith in action, living faith) of the ledge in order to perfect/complete your faith. By doing so, your faith and works are working together.

I could even include Abraham alongside these examples. If you truly and honestly believe that God sees everything you do, hears everything you say, and knows everything you think, you will live your life in such a way that evidences that belief. By doing so, your "works" (faith in action, living faith) prove that your faith is genuine. If you believe that a chair will support you and not just collapse underneath you, you actually have to sit in the chair. Sitting in the chair is the "works," the faith in action, the living faith. It proves that your faith in the sturdiness of the chair is genuine. If you refused to sit down in it, despite claiming such a faith, people would doubt the genuineness of your faith.

Everyone knows about good works resultant from faith. None of these can ever contribute to our salvation, which is something the Roman Catholics believe. The thing that is difficult to explain are works corresponding to faith, that work in tandem with faith, thereby proving that the faith is genuine. These works are inseparable from genuine faith. Christians, including myself, pay a great deal of lip service to God by claiming we believe certain things yet our actions saying otherwise about those professed beliefs.

When I look at Scripture, I see three different kinds of works: (1) works of the Law, (2) good works, or good deeds, and (3) faith in action, or living faith; works that prove the faith is genuine, perfecting and completing that faith. Good deeds can prove that particular aspects of faith are genuine, too, perfecting and completing those aspects of faith (such as the belief to feed the hungry), but good deeds can easily be turned into works righteousness, being looked at as a means of trying to earn salvation, as the Roman Catholics do. If someone mistakenly looks at good deeds in this way, the answer is not to avoid doing good deeds because somehow it is "legalistic." That is jumping to the polar opposite, swinging to the other side of the pendulum. The answer is to correct the flawed understanding. We are constantly plagued with the desire to believe that we need to do something in order to contribute to our salvation. Nevertheless, we need to accept the fact that there is nothing we can do that can contribute to our salvation in the least! We need to accept the fact that salvation is a free gift from God, one that we do not deserve and that we have not earned and cannot earn.

Anyone who reads the New Testament honestly and truthfully will admit that there are dozens of things that we as Christians are supposed to do. By being required to do these things, are we somehow trying to earn our salvation? No! God demands holiness from us, and we are to pursue holiness. Are we somehow trying to earn our salvation by striving to live holy and blameless lives the way we are commanded to? Only a fool would claim this was the case! As Christians, saved by grace, we are to be different from the world. In order to be different, that means there are certain things we are to do and certain things we are not to do. None of this is "legalism" or "works righteousness." Can we turn these things into works righteousness? We sure can! The second we think that anything we do might contribute to our salvation, we ought to be repenting and trusting Jesus alone for our salvation.

Instead of trying to put words into my mouth which I have not spoken, try paying attention to what it is that I have said and carefully looking at the examples I have provided, as well as every other instance of faith throughout Scripture. Just so that we are clear as to what I am not saying, there is nothing (zero, zilch, nada) that we can contribute to our salvation in order to earn it! Because there is nothing we can contribute to our salvation, that does not mean that you sit around doing nothing, professing faith, doing no good deeds, and bearing no fruit whatsoever as evidence of genuine faith.

Why should we ditch sola fide? Because we are not saved by faith alone, we are saved by grace alone. Our faith has nothing to do with our salvation. Faith must be granted to us from the Father in order for us to believe. If it was something that was in and of ourselves that we could do at will, then faith becomes works, of which we can boast: "Look how great my faith is! My faith saved me from the pits of Hell! My faith earned my salvation from God!" Faith, as with grace (and a great many other things), is a gift from God. Since God must first grant us faith in order for us to believe, sola fide is ridiculous. It just goes to prove that we are not saved by faith alone. Faith is merely the conduit through which God grants salvation, but He must first grant us the faith. All salvation rests in the grace of God.

". . . (by grace you have been saved)" Ephesians 2:5

"For by grace you have been saved . . ." Ephesians 2:8

Was the Serpent Satan?

"Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, "Indeed, has God said, 'You shall not eat from any tree of the garden'?" The woman said to the serpent, "From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat; but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, 'You shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die.'" The serpent said to the woman, "You surely will not die! For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."
. . .
Then the LORD God said to the woman, "What is this you have done?" And the woman said, "The serpent deceived me, and I ate." The LORD God said to the serpent, "Because you have done this, Cursed are you more than all cattle, And more than every beast of the field; On your belly you will go, And dust you will eat All the days of your life; And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, And you shall bruise him on the heel." . . ." Genesis 3:1-19

False teachers like Kevin Dunn teach that the Genesis account of the fall of humanity is a phantom passage, insisting that the typical teaching of this passage is unbiblical. Dunn argues, "Genesis mentions nothing but a serpent," denying that it was Satan who tempted Eve to eat of the forbidden fruit. He then goes on to claim, "Not only does the text not mention Satan, the very idea of Satan as a devilish tempter postdates the composition of the Garden of Eden story by at least 500 years."

If you are beginning with creation and calculating by the earliest mention of Satan in the manuscripts, Dunn is wrong because the book of Job is dated around 2000 B.C., during the lifetime of Abraham, which is more than 500 years since the Garden of Eden. If you are calculating by the dates of the manuscripts, Dunn is wrong because Job is the oldest book in the Bible. The book of Genesis is presumed to have been written by Moses somewhere around 1480 B.C. Therefore, the mention of Satan predates the composition of the Garden of Eden account by about 1500 years.

Furthermore, serpents cannot speak. How does the fact of a talking serpent not trip up Dunn and his colleagues? We are all intelligent enough to realize that this is impossible. It is not illogical for animals to talk, they just simply do not do so. Logic has nothing to do with whether animals can or cannot talk. If Scripture stated that animals cannot talk, and then we had an account of a talking animal, then it would be illogical. Since it is not something we encounter, there is nothing logical or illogical about it.

If it was an actual serpent who deceived Eve, why did it do so? Why would any of the animals God created tempt Eve into disobeying God and eating of the forbidden fruit? Is Kevin Dunn and his like-minded imbeciles claiming that this serpent, one of God's created animals, somehow fell into sin? That animals are full of sin, too? How preposterous and absurd! Dunn's position raises more questions than it gives answers.

When Balaam's donkey spoke, it was because the Lord gave her a voice. The donkey itself did not speak. How do we know this? If you read the passage in Numbers 22:22-33, it repeatedly states that his donkey was a female, yet in 2 Peter 2:16 it informs us that his donkey spoke with a male's voice. If the donkey did not speak until God spoke through it, or allowed an angel to speak through it, why would this serpent speak without God doing the same thing? The serpent could not have spoken if God Himself did not speak through it, or allowed one of His angels (elect or fallen) to speak through it. It certainly would not have been God Himself, and it certainly would not have been one of His elect angels enticing Eve into sin. Ergo, according to Occam's Razor, what is the most logical conclusion as to who tempted and deceived Eve? Satan.

If Dunn and his colleagues paid close attention to the details of the account, they would see all sorts of evidence that allows us to conclude that it was Satan speaking through the serpent who deceived Eve. The serpent asks Eve, "Has God said?" Who is it that denies what God says, twists what God says, and tempts by misquoting what God says? Satan! He tried these tactics on Jesus in the wilderness. How can a mere serpent, an animal created by God, do this? In John 8:44, even Jesus identifies Satan as the father of all lies. If you look at the details of Genesis 3, according to everything we know about Satan from Scripture, it is reasonable to conclude that Satan tempted Eve and deceived her.

According to God's curse, which says this serpent will go on its belly and eat dust, obviously this serpent did not go by its belly before, which makes one wonder what it looked like. Regardless of how it might have looked before and/or after, nevertheless arguing that it was a serpent who deceived Eve and not Satan is extremely problematic. Why would one of God's animals tempt her into sin? Why would one of God's animals question what God had said and deny it? Why would one of God's animals turn against its Creator? Animals were not created in the image of God, with a will. The only person with enough hatred toward mankind to see them fall is Satan. Not some serpent!

A WORD STUDY FOR YOUR OWN PERSONAL BIBLE STUDY

Obviously each of the following passages do not all have to do with Satan. The following verses are for a word study. The ones that do have to do with Satan, how do they inform you of his character and how does that relate to what we read in Genesis 3? There are several other passages that have to do with Satan that do not use any of these words, but descriptions, titles, and positions. You can look those up for yourselves.

SATAN:

Satan (שׂטן) [H7854] denotes Satan or opponent or adversary.

"Then Satan stood up against Israel and moved David to number Israel." 1 Chronicles 21:1
"Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came among them." Job 1:6
"The LORD said to Satan, "From where do you come?" Then Satan answered the LORD and said, "From roaming about on the earth and walking around on it."" Job 1:7
"The LORD said to Satan, "Have you considered My servant Job? For there is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, fearing God and turning away from evil."" Job 1:8
"Then Satan answered the LORD, "Does Job fear God for nothing?"" Job 1:9
"Then the LORD said to Satan, "Behold, all that he has is in your power, only do not put forth your hand on him." So Satan departed from the presence of the LORD."" Job 1:12
"Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came among them to present himself before the LORD." Job 2:1
"The LORD said to Satan, "Where have you come from?" Then Satan answered the LORD and said, "From roaming about on the earth and walking around on it."" Job 2:2
"The LORD said to Satan, "Have you considered My servant Job? For there is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man fearing God and turning away from evil. And he still holds fast his integrity, although you incited Me against him to ruin him without cause."" Job 2:3
"Satan answered the LORD and said, "Skin for skin! Yes, all that a man has he will give for his life."" Job 2:4
"So the LORD said to Satan, "Behold, he is in your power, only spare his life."" Job 2:6
"Then Satan went out from the presence of the LORD and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head." Job 2:7
"Appoint a wicked man over him, And let an accuser stand at his right hand." Psalm 109:6
"Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand to accuse him." Zechariah 3:1
"The LORD said to Satan, "The LORD rebuke you, Satan! Indeed, the LORD who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is this not a brand plucked from the fire?"" Zechariah 3:2

Satan (σαταν) [G4566] denotes Satan or the devil.

"Because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me--to keep me from exalting myself!" 2 Corinthians 12:7

Satanas (σατανας) [G4567] denotes Satan or accuser.

"Then Jesus said to him, "Go, Satan! For it is written, 'YOU SHALL WORSHIP THE LORD YOUR GOD, AND SERVE HIM ONLY.'"" Matthew 4:10
"If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself; how then will his kingdom stand?" Matthew 12:26
"But He turned and said to Peter, "Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me; for you are not setting your mind on God's interests, but man's."" Matthew 16:23
"And He was in the wilderness forty days being tempted by Satan; and He was with the wild beasts, and the angels were ministering to Him." Mark 1:13
"And He called them to Himself and began speaking to them in parables, "How can Satan cast out Satan?"" Mark 3:23
"If Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but he is finished!" Mark 3:26
"These are the ones who are beside the road where the word is sown; and when they hear, immediately Satan comes and takes away the word which has been sown in them." Mark 4:15
"But turning around and seeing His disciples, He rebuked Peter and said, "Get behind Me, Satan; for you are not setting your mind on God's interests, but man's."" Mark 8:33
"Jesus answered him, "[Get behind Me, Satan!] It is written, 'YOU SHALL WORSHIP THE LORD YOUR GOD AND SERVE HIM ONLY.'"" Luke 4:8
"And He said to them, "I was watching Satan fall from heaven like lightning."" Luke 10:18
"If Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? For you say that I cast out demons by Beelzebul." Luke 11:18
"And this woman, a daughter of Abraham as she is, whom Satan has bound for eighteen long years, should she not have been released from this bond on the Sabbath day?" Luke 13:16
"And Satan entered into Judas who was called Iscariot, belonging to the number of the twelve." Luke 22:3
"Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has demanded permission to sift you like wheat;" Luke 22:31
"After the morsel, Satan then entered into him. Therefore Jesus said to him, "What you do, do quickly."" John 13:27
"But Peter said, "Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back some of the price of the land?"" Acts 5:3
"to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the dominion of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in Me." Acts 26:18
"The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you." Romans 16:20
"I have decided to deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of his flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus." 1 Corinthians 5:5
"Stop depriving one another, except by agreement for a time, so that you may devote yourselves to prayer, and come together again so that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self-control." 1 Corinthians 7:5
"so that no advantage would be taken of us by Satan, for we are not ignorant of his schemes." 2 Corinthians 2:11
"No wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light." 2 Corinthians 11:14
"Because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me—to keep me from exalting myself!" 2 Corinthians 12:7
"For we wanted to come to you—I, Paul, more than once—and yet Satan hindered us." 1 Thessalonians 2:18
"that is, the one whose coming is in accord with the activity of Satan, with all power and signs and false wonders," 2 Thessalonians 2:9
"Among these are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan, so that they will be taught not to blaspheme." 1 Timothy 1:20
"for some have already turned aside to follow Satan." 1 Timothy 5:15
"I know your tribulation and your poverty (but you are rich), and the blasphemy by those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan." Revelation 2:9
"I know where you dwell, where Satan's throne is; and you hold fast My name, and did not deny My faith even in the days of Antipas, My witness, My faithful one, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells." Revelation 2:13
"But I say to you, the rest who are in Thyatira, who do not hold this teaching, who have not known the deep things of Satan, as they call them—I place no other burden on you." Revelation 2:24
"Behold, I will cause those of the synagogue of Satan, who say that they are Jews and are not, but lie—I will make them come and bow down at your feet, and make them know that I have loved you." Revelation 3:9
"And the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him." Revelation 12:9
"And he laid hold of the dragon, the serpent of old, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years;" Revelation 20:2
"When the thousand years are completed, Satan will be released from his prison," Revelation 20:7

DEVIL:

Diablos (διαβλος) [G1228] denotes devil or false accuser or slanderer.

"Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil." Matthew 4:1
"Then the devil took Him into the holy city and had Him stand on the pinnacle of the temple," Matthew 4:5
"Again, the devil took Him to a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory;" Matthew 4:8
"Then the devil left Him; and behold, angels came and began to minister to Him." Matthew 4:11
"and the enemy who sowed them is the devil, and the harvest is the end of the age; and the reapers are angels." Matthew 13:39
"Then He will also say to those on His left, 'Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels;" Matthew 25:41
"for forty days, being tempted by the devil. And He ate nothing during those days, and when they had ended, He became hungry." Luke 4:2
"And the devil said to Him, "If You are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread." Luke 4:3
"And [the devil] led Him up and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time." Luke 4:5
"And the devil said to Him, "I will give You all this domain and its glory; for it has been handed over to me, and I give it to whomever I wish." Luke 4:6
"When the devil had finished every temptation, he left Him until an opportune time." Luke 4:13
"Those beside the road are those who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their heart, so that they will not believe and be saved." Luke 8:12
"Jesus answered them, "Did I Myself not choose you, the twelve, and yet one of you is a devil?"" John 6:70
"You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies." John 8:44
"During supper, the devil having already put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, to betray Him," John 13:2
"You know of Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him." Acts 10:38
"and said, "You who are full of all deceit and fraud, you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, will you not cease to make crooked the straight ways of the Lord?"" Acts 13:10
"and do not give the devil an opportunity." Ephesians 4:27
"Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil." Ephesians 6:11
"and not a new convert, so that he will not become conceited and fall into the condemnation incurred by the devil." 1 Timothy 3:6
"And he must have a good reputation with those outside the church, so that he will not fall into reproach and the snare of the devil." 1 Timothy 3:7
"Women must likewise be dignified, not malicious gossips, but temperate, faithful in all things." 1 Timothy 3:11
"and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will." 2 Timothy 2:26
"unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good," 2 Timothy 3:3
"Older women likewise are to be reverent in their behavior, not malicious gossips nor enslaved to much wine, teaching what is good," Titus 2:3
"Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil," Hebrews 2:14
"Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you." James 4:7
"Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour." 1 Peter 5:8
"the one who practices sin is of the devil; for the devil has sinned from the beginning. The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil." 1 John 3:8
"By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother." 1 John 3:10
"But Michael the archangel, when he disputed with the devil and argued about the body of Moses, did not dare pronounce against him a railing judgment, but said, "The Lord rebuke you!"" Jude 1:9
"Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to cast some of you into prison, so that you will be tested, and you will have tribulation for ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life." Revelation 2:10
"And the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him." Revelation 12:9
"For this reason, rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them. Woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, knowing that he has only a short time." Revelation 12:12
"And he laid hold of the dragon, the serpent of old, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years;" Revelation 20:2
"And the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are also; and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever." Revelation 20:10

WICKED ONE/EVIL ONE:

Poneros (πονερος) [G4190] denotes evil.

Should it be translated "evil one" or simply "evil"?

"When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is the one on whom seed was sown beside the road." Matthew 13:19
"and the field is the world; and as for the good seed, these are the sons of the kingdom; and the tares are the sons of the evil one;" Matthew 13:38
"I do not ask You to take them out of the world, but to keep them from the evil one." John 17:15
"in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one." Ephesians 6:16
"But the Lord is faithful, and He will strengthen and protect you from the evil one." 2 Thessalonians 3:3
"I am writing to you, fathers, because you know Him who has been from the beginning. I am writing to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil one. I have written to you, children, because you know the Father." 1 John 2:13
"I have written to you, fathers, because you know Him who has been from the beginning. I have written to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the evil one." 1 John 2:14
"not as Cain, who was of the evil one and slew his brother. And for what reason did he slay him? Because his deeds were evil, and his brother's were righteous." 1 John 3:12
"We know that no one who is born of God sins; but He who was born of God keeps him, and the evil one does not touch him." 1 John 5:18
"We know that we are of God, and that the whole world lies in the power of the evil one." 1 John 5:19

BEELZEBUL (BEELZEBUB):
Beelzeboul (βεελζεβουλ) [G954] denotes dung-god, a name of Satan.

"It is enough for the disciple that he become like his teacher, and the slave like his master. If they have called the head of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign the members of his household!" Matthew 10:25
"But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, "This man casts out demons only by Beelzebul the ruler of the demons."" Matthew 12:24
"If I by Beelzebul cast out demons, by whom do your sons cast them out? For this reason they will be your judges." Matthew 12:27
"The scribes who came down from Jerusalem were saying, "He is possessed by Beelzebul," and "He casts out the demons by the ruler of the demons."" Mark 3:22
"But some of them said, "He casts out demons by Beelzebul, the ruler of the demons."" Luke 11:15
"If Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? For you say that I cast out demons by Beelzebul." Luke 11:18
"And if I by Beelzebul cast out demons, by whom do your sons cast them out? So they will be your judges." Luke 11:19

PASSAGES SUPPOSEDLY PERTAINING TO SATAN, THE DEVIL: 

Heylel (הילל) [H1966] denotes morning star or day star.
Occurs once in the O.T. Why was it translated as "Lucifer"?
"How you have fallen from heaven, O star of the morning, son of the dawn! You have been cut down to the earth, You who have weakened the nations! But you said in your heart, 'I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God, And I will sit on the mount of assembly In the recesses of the north. 'I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.' Nevertheless you will be thrust down to Sheol, To the recesses of the pit. Those who see you will gaze at you, They will ponder over you, saying, 'Is this the man who made the earth tremble, Who shook kingdoms, Who made the world like a wilderness And overthrew its cities, Who did not allow his prisoners to go home?'" Isaiah 14:12-17

"Again the word of the LORD came to me saying, "Son of man, take up a lamentation over the king of Tyre and say to him, 'Thus says the Lord GOD, "You had the seal of perfection, Full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. You were in Eden, the garden of God; Every precious stone was your covering: The ruby, the topaz and the diamond; The beryl, the onyx and the jasper; The lapis lazuli, the turquoise and the emerald; And the gold, the workmanship of your settings and sockets, Was in you. On the day that you were created They were prepared. You were the anointed cherub who covers, And I placed you there. You were on the holy mountain of God; You walked in the midst of the stones of fire. You were blameless in your ways From the day you were created Until unrighteousness was found in you. By the abundance of your trade You were internally filled with violence, And you sinned; Therefore I have cast you as profane From the mountain of God. And I have destroyed you, O covering cherub, From the midst of the stones of fire. Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty; You corrupted your wisdom by reason of your splendor. I cast you to the ground; I put you before kings, That they may see you. By the multitude of your iniquities, In the unrighteousness of your trade You profaned your sanctuaries. Therefore I have brought fire from the midst of you; It has consumed you, And I have turned you to ashes on the earth In the eyes of all who see you. All who know you among the peoples Are appalled at you; You have become terrified And you will cease to be forever."'"" Ezekiel 28:11-19

Clearly the Ezekiel passage cannot be speaking of a mere human being. The information given goes beyond the possibility of this passage actually referring to the king of Tyre. Especially when it says, "You were the anointed cherub who covers." No human being is a cherub. With the Isaiah passage, however, there is nothing in this passage that cannot be ascribed to a mere human being. However, one wonders where "Lucifer" ever came from in order to be placed in this passage. The literal translation of the Hebrew word heylel is "morning star" or "day star." So where did they come up with "Lucifer" as a translation?

Justification

The Old Testament word typically translated "justify" is the Hebrew word hitsdiq. According to the Brown, Driver, and Briggs Hebrew-English Lexicon, there is only one instance where this word may mean "to make righteous." All other instances of this word are always used in the forensic or legal sense meaning "to pronounce or declare one righteous." The New Testament word translated "justify" is the Greek word dikaioō, used 39 times. All instances of this word are always used in the forensic or legal sense meaning "to pronounce or declare one righteous." Especially in the writings of Paul. In other words, "to justify" throughout the Bible means "to declare judicially that one is in harmony with the law and free from condemnation due to sin."

Justification is the opposite of condemnation, as witnessed from Romans 8:33-34a: "Who will bring a charge against God's elect [those whom God has chosen]? God is the one who justifies; who is the one who condemns?" The opposite of condemnation is not "making one righteous" but "declaring one righteous." "To make one righteous" implies an infusion of grace or moral qualities, which simply is not true.

When Paul quotes Genesis 15:6 in Romans 4:3 and 22, and Galatians 3:6, he does so to illustrate how Abraham was justified by faith and not by works of the law. "Of the law" is an integral part of our understanding. To leave it out leads us to assumptions and false conclusions drawn from assumptions, which many of my fellow Reformers and Baptists are guilty of committing by blindly following traditions instead of paying attention to what Scripture says. It leads to eisegesis. Here are some of the typical passages cited as "proof texts" for the false doctrine of Sola Fide:

"For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law. Or is God the God of Jews only? Is He not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also, since indeed God who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith is one." Romans 3:28-30

"But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is reckoned as righteousness." Romans 4:5

"For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes." Romans 10:4

"But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works, otherwise grace is no longer grace." Romans 11:6

"Nevertheless knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we may be justified by faith in Christ, and not by the works of the Law; since by the works of the Law shall no flesh be justified." Galatians 2:16

"I do not nullify the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the Law, then Christ died needlessly." Galatians 2:21

"Does He then, who provides you with the Spirit and works miracles among you, do it by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith? Even so Abraham BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS RECKONED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS." Galatians 3:5-6

"Therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, that we may be justified by faith." Galatians 3:24

"For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works [of the Law], that no one should boast." Ephesians 2:8-9

"And may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith." Philippians 3:9

Notice that faith is not contrasted against works in these passages. It is contrasted against works of the Law! We cannot leave out the "of the law" that is so prevalent within these passages. Everything here needs to be understood through forensic or legal lenses. It is all legal talk.  Throughout Romans 4, the Greek word logizetai, translated as "credit," is a legal term.

Paul makes it abundantly clear that "by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight" (Rom. 3:20). That is, no human being will be declared righteous in God's sight by observing the Law. In Genesis 15:6, was Abraham performing some kind of work of the Law? Obviously not since the Law did not exist at that time. What Paul is so clearly speaking of is works done as a means of earning salvation. In James' writing, does he say anything about works done as a means of earning salvation? Not in the least. The "works" which James writes about are not the same "works" that Paul writes about. Paul always uses, or implies, the expression "works of the law." James, on the other hand, never calls them "works of the law," but simply "works."

The works James is speaking of are works accompanying faith and works resultant from faith. Works resultant from faith are good deeds. Good deeds should be the result of faith, but, as with the Roman Catholic Church, can quickly be done as a means of earning salvation. Anything done as a means of earning salvation is wrong. In Genesis 15:6, was Abraham performing some kind of good deed? Obviously not. If he was not performing a work of the Law, and if he was not performing a good deed, then what kind of "work" was Abraham doing? Abraham was demonstrating what I like to call "faith in action," works accompanying faith, or "living faith." These works are inseparable from faith and must accompany faith. Ergo, it is these works that are in view (or at least it should be) when it is correctly stated that faith + works = justification.

Faith + Works of the Law ≠ Justification

Faith + Good Deeds ≠ Justification

Both of the above equations are true. Neither of them results in justification. We cannot lump all works together, the way many Reformers and Baptists fallaciously and falsely do. We must understand the difference between them. I have given numerous examples before demonstrating the fact that we can see both faith and works (faith in action, living faith) side-by-side in every instance of faith throughout the entire Bible. Exactly as James indicated: "faith was working with his works, and as a result of the works, faith was perfected [or completed]" (James 2:22). The two must be working in tandem; they must be working together. Here are a couple examples to think about:

1. When the bronze serpent was raised, it was not enough that people simply believe that looking at it would heal them. They had to actually look at it. If they merely looked at it without belief, it would do nothing for them either.
2. The woman who had the issue of blood believed that if she simply touched Jesus' clothing she would be healed. She had to actually touch His clothes. If she merely believed it and then walked away, she would not have been healed. If she merely touched His clothes without believing, she would not have been healed.
3. When Peter asked Jesus to call to him for him to walk on the water, believing that he could do so was not enough. He had to follow through by actually stepping out on the water. If he stepped out without believing, he would have sank, which is what happened the moment he took his eyes of Jesus.

As I have said repeatedly before, if you examine every instance of faith in Scripture, you will see both faith and works working side-by-side together. You cannot have one without the other. Again, for the slow of learning, I am not referring to "works of the Law" or to "good deeds" here. I am not talking about the false doctrine of the Roman Catholic Church. If you are unteachable and unwilling to learn, then go stick your head in the sand and stubbornly believe whatever it is that you want to believe. For those who truly want to learn what the Scriptures have to say, continue studying, "rightly dividing the word of truth" (2 Tim. 2:15).

Remember, majority opinion does not equal truth! Truth is not a consensus, and consensus is not truth. Truth is following Jesus and being led by the Spirit, no matter where it may lead or what others may think of you. As long as you are in humble submission to the Spirit's leading, you have nothing to fear from others. As crucial as the Reformers were, nevertheless they were not omniscient nor infallible. While they may have gotten many things right, they also got some things wrong. One of those things is their erroneous interpretation of Romans 7 based on human experience rather than exegesis of what is being said in the text. Christians are not supposed to blindly accept and follow traditions handed down for generations, which tend to lose their meanings and become drone-ish in their practice, but are to study the Word of God and test those traditions against Scripture. Because both are important to hear again and again, I will provide two favourite quotes that spur me on in my study of Scripture:

Even though there are none to few definitions in the Bible, Scripture, not any theological definition, is our ultimate authority. Theological definitions must measure up to Scripture, not the other way around. [Emphasis mine.]

—John M. Frame

Our only rule of faith and practice is the Word of God. We have . . .
   no creed to defend,
   no denomination to maintain, and
   no confession to bind our minds.

"What do the Scriptures teach?" That is and must be our only concern. If the plain teachings of Holy Scripture appear to destroy or contradict our understanding of any doctrine, then let us relinquish the doctrine, or acknowledge the fact that our minds are both depraved and minuscule, and bow to the revelation of God.

—Don Fortner

By the way... 
Faith = Justification + Good Deeds is a false equation. What that equation is saying is that being declared righteous + doing good deeds will result in faith. That is completely absurd! Christians! Stop making ridiculous equations if you are not going to stop and ponder the ramifications of what they mean! If you were to say that faith + being declared righteous will result in good deeds, then I accept that equation: Faith + Justification =  Good Deeds.

Faith + Nothing = Justification is also a false equation. You need demonstrative evidence that your faith is living faith. "His faith was working with his works, and as a result of the works, faith was perfected [or completed]" (James 2:22). You might also say, "His faith was working through his works," demonstrating that it was living faith. For example; take the old cliché of God seeing all you do, hearing all you say, and knowing all you think. Do you believe it? Every Christian says they do, but how many of them actually live like it? Their actions reveal what it is they truly believe. Faith + Faith in Action (Works) = Justification.

A Message To All Immigrants (But Especially Muslims)

Every immigrant from one country to another country must adapt, assimilate, and integrate into the culture and society of their new country! Britain, Canada, the United States, and Australia each have different laws and regulations. If a citizen of Britain, Canada, the United States, or Australia, whose family has lived there for generations, decides that he/she wants to move and become a citizen in Britain, Canada, the United States, or Australia, he/she must adapt, assimilate, and integrate into the culture and society of his/her new country, obeying the laws and regulations of his/her new land. If he/she wanted to move and become a citizen in some other country in Europe, Africa, Asia, or the Middle East, the exact same conditions would be required! You do not get to choose which country you would like to live in, and then demand that they accommodate you and change their laws to suit you. If you do not like their laws and regulations, you have the freedom to leave!

Everyone immigrating from one country to another country should be required to undergo naturalization into that country. Anyone who fails to fulfill the conditions of naturalization violates the law and therefore should not be naturalized. The policy of rejecting citizenship to those who do not want to assimilate and integrate into their new society is something that all countries need to be doing. This should be done regardless of ethnicity, colour, or religion, and there should be no way to appeal the decision once it has been made. Muslims think they can move into a new country and then shout and bully authorities into getting their own way. You live in our countries. You obey our laws. If you do not like it, you have the freedom to leave!

If anyone wishes to become part of another country's society, they must learn the language! You do not get to come into that country, ignore its language, refusing to learn, and demand that they accommodate you. If you do not want to learn a new language, then go back to your own country or choose to live in another country that speaks your language! If the culture of the country you wish to become part of offends you, then consider another part of the world as your new home. Individual cultures are not required to bow down and accommodate you. You are required to adapt, assimilate, and integrate into their cultures. If you do not want to do this, then go back to your own country or choose to live in another country that is similar to your culture!

People everywhere have differing beliefs. If aspects of your beliefs do not violate the laws of the country you wish to be part of, and if you can live in harmony and peace with the rest of its citizens, then you are welcome to migrate. Most civilized countries have laws against murder. Therefore, because "honour killings" are a natural part of Islamic teachings, the majority of Muslims should not be allowed to migrate to any other countries! It would be like allowing someone to migrate into your country who believes that the practice of child sacrifice is acceptable.

If you are not happy with the country you choose to migrate to, then leave! Nobody forced you to come to that country. You asked to be there. Either you accept the country that you accepted, or else use your freedom to leave! You do not get to choose a new country to live in and then gripe, whine, and complain about every aspect of their country. If you do not like the country, its culture, its customs, it society, its laws, or anything else about the country, then leave!

Muslims who follow and obey the teachings of Islam are not capable of adapting, assimilating, and integrating into the societies of the countries they choose to migrate to. Muslims who follow and obey the teachings of Islam have no intentions of living peacefully in harmony with others. They want to subjugate everyone else to Sharia Law, making the lives of everyone else as depressing and hellish as their own. Muslims think that everything is a violation of their "religious" principles and demand that everyone else should change to accommodate them. They apply for jobs and then demand time from in the midst of those jobs in order to go and do their "prayers." Why is it that no other religion is allowed to do these things? Not Judaism, not Christianity, not Hinduism, not Buddhism. They demand that our public schools, high schools, colleges, and universities allow them to teach their own curriculum of hate to their children. Why is it that no other religion is allowed to have their own curriculum? Not the Jews, not the Christians, not the Hindus, not the Buddhists. Why are Muslims granted "religious" freedoms that no other religions are granted? Why is it that every time Muslims want their own way, it is somehow a violation of their "religious" principles?

Muslims are not very different from their false prophet, Muhammad. Every time Muhammad wanted to get his own way, his imaginary friend, Allah, would suddenly and magically give him a "revelation" that appealed exactly to Muhammad's own personal desires.

• Muhammad wanted to have more than four wives—Allah gave him a revelation (surah 33:50).
• Muhammad wanted to have sex with Aishah—Allah gave him a revelation.
• Muhammad wanted to marry the divorced wife of his own adopted son—Allah gave him a revelation (surah 33:37).
• Muhammad wanted his followers to quit coming over early and staying late after a meal, asking him all sorts of questions—Allah gave him a revelation (surah 33:53).

The list goes on. Apparently, Allah had nothing better to do with his time than to sit around all day waiting to make Muhammad's most neurotic and perverse fantasies come true. The fact is, Allah is nothing more than a figment of Muhammad's insane imagination, a mouth-piece for Muhammad to get his own way, a puppet on strings pulled by Muhammad.

Can a good Muslim be a good Briton? or a good Canadian? or a good American? or a good Australian? or a good citizen of any other non-Muslim country?

Theologically	No!... Because his allegiance is to Allah, the moon god of Arabia.
Religiously	No!... Because no other religion is accepted by his Allah except Islam (Quran 2:256).
Scripturally	No!... Because his allegiance is to the five Pillars of Islam and the Qur'an.
Geographically	No!... Because his allegiance is to Mecca, to which he turns in prayer five times a day.
Socially	No!.. Because his allegiance to Islam forbids him to make friends with Christians or Jews.
Politically	No!... Because he must submit to the mullahs (spiritual leaders), who teach annihilation of Israel and destruction of America, the great Satan.
Domestically	No!... Because he is instructed to marry four (4) women and beat and scourge his wife when she disobeys him (Qur'an 4:34).
Intellectually	No!... Because he cannot accept the American Constitution (or equivalent) since it is based on biblical principles and he believes the Bible to be corrupt.
Philosophically	No!... Because Islam, Muhammad, and the Qur'an do not allow freedom of religion, freedom of speech, or freedom of expression. Democracy and Islam cannot co-exist. Every Muslim government is either dictatorial or autocratic.
Spiritually	No!... Because when we declare "one nation under God," the Christian's God is loving and kind, while Allah is never referred to as a Heavenly Father, nor is he ever called "love" in the Qur'an's 99 excellent names.

The fact is, Muslims are incapable of being good Britons, or good Canadians, or good Americans, or good Australians. They are incapble of being a good citizen in any non-Muslim country. Since both they and their religion conflict with our laws and regulations, they ought not to be allowed to migrate into our countries until or unless they denounce the teachings and practices of Islam.