When it come to browsing through Facebook, indeed the current excess feed on Playbuzz personality quizzes, BBC News, How Stuff Works, post ads for Blogging Circle and I'm a Blogger, as well as Suggested Posts, all this can fill the wall with material which seems to be irrelevant to life in the real world. To add to this, an apparent lack of communion among friends, friends of friends, or even the public, often makes Facebook somewhat impersonal at times. Except for one particular video which appeared a couple of weeks ago.
It was a video posted to the Guardian newspaper about a church planting taking place at El Salvador, a small country in Central America with the highest murder rate in the world. Since the Civil War in the 1980's, two rival gangs began to spring up. One is MS-13, the other 18th Street (from those who fled to Los Angeles and were later deported back to El Salvador). Infinite numbers of teenagers in the 14-15 age realm had died as a result of not obeying their ringleaders. One particular area, Distrito Italia, in a provincial town of Apopa, became so dangerous that Government officials refuse to enter the area to provide services.
Then at an El Salvador prison, many of the inmates were converted to Christ as a result of a visiting preacher. The converts quickly realised that there are only three ways out of the gangland culture - violent street death, death in a hospital, or through faith in God, so one interviewee said.
The video shows a congregation of exclusively male prison inmates singing praises to God and testifying how having faith in Jesus Christ have totally changed their lives. Elsewhere, church-based centres were established, offering dormitory-style accommodation in exchange for domestic duties to ex-gang members who have found themselves homeless. At another location, a church had grown from the initial seventy members to that of 1,500. I would say that the majority of these converts bear tattoos from their former lifestyles, making them look very different from the traditional English middle class churchgoer.
In fact, they admit this themselves. As one pastor quoted: We are not the typical Christian - in a sense if referring to our perception of what a Christian should be. But all testify to a strong love and passion for Jesus and a strong commitment to each other.
It is while dwelling on these things when I began to speculate whether they believe in Eternal Security of the Believer. Actually, if I were to approach any of these converts or their pastors with such a question, the most likely response would be that they would shrug their shoulders as they try to work out what I'm talking about, then simply say they are devoted to God and express their determination not to yield to temptation, simply because of their love and devotion to Christ. The concept of Eternal Security, in all probability, would be unknown to them.
Therefore I consulted a website on the religious background of El Salvador as a nation. According to the statistics (with some minor variances) approximately half the population, around 48-52% are Roman Catholics, a further 28-30% are Protestants, and the remaining 20% or so are of other diverse faiths, including Judaism. Among the Protestants, the vast majority are of the Pentecostal denominations, along with sub-groups including the Assemblies of God, the Church of Christ, some Baptists, even Jehovah's Witnesses and Mormonism making up a small minority, and there are others who have pagan or no religion at all.
If Britain can be regarded as a Western model to go by, chances are that the greater majority of El Salvador Protestants are from the respectable middle classes, worlds away from gangland culture. Their way of life are not much different from our own British Christians (except perhaps a little less reserved), well educated and with respectable careers allowing them to bring home an adequate income to support their families.
Although I cannot be cut and dried on these matters, chances are that these gangsters in general have a Catholic background. Having looked back at my own experiences, along with having spoken to nominal Catholics who were thoroughly hostile to their boyhood faith, together with watching their videos touching on such hostility towards their religious background, my assumption does not appear to look at all out of place. As a Catholic myself, I recall the Church teachings on infused righteousness, received at infant baptism, which means that if I commit a minor sin, then in the afterlife its some time spent in Purgatory, a temporary hell where such sins are purged out before entering Heaven. Then there is always that major or mortal sin knocking on the door, and to die with a mortal sin means Hell for all eternity with no chance of redemption. The trouble is, with no distinction between a "venial" sin and a "mortal" sin, no Catholic can be assured of Heaven after death. Instead, he must spend his whole life confessing to a priest, do penance, partake in the Sacraments, and to lead a sinless life to keep himself out of Hell. Little wonder that the God of the Catholic is either looked upon apathetically, or his existence denied. Or perceived as most feared, if not hated, for his truculence!
Therefore it comes to no surprise to learn that these dangerous gangs of El Salvador were most likely former Catholics. It was only after conversion when they learned that faith in Christ alone brings eternal life, and therefore able to love God with sincerity, rather than debating within their minds about their own fate in the afterlife. Hence the difference between infused and imputed righteousness. The first must be sustained by the believer, the second is being credited with the righteousness of Christ.
Oh, to be credited with the righteousness of Christ! That means God sees us in the same way he sees Jesus Christ. That is the meaning of the word Christian. It literally means Little Christ. Eternally Secure! No wonder I'm an advocate of such a wonderful doctrine. An adopted son of God, never to be disenfranchised. Born anew into God's eternal Kingdom. That is the meaning of Regeneration, the birth of the new man within me, one who is incapable of sin and has a desire for God's holiness.
As I sat at a Costa Coffee in Reading earlier this week, I felt my soul lift as I meditated on the love of Christ, and I expressed my longing for him to take me into his heart and be forever united with God. And by thanking him for my retirement, my wife and for all daily provisions. Even toward those who hate me, at that moment I felt no antagonism towards them. Instead, I felt wonderful peace and joy, an awareness of God's presence. My request is that I'll get closer and closer to God throughout the rest of my life. This is the fruit of Eternal Security. Knowing never to be lost again, ever. Is it this what those ex-gangsters are experiencing at El Salvador? After all, their love and commitment to God and to each other seem to reflect this.
The wonderful truth is that when a sinner turns to Jesus Christ for forgiveness, he is forever saved, whether he realises it or not. A Christian may not believe in Eternal Security, not too sure, or is unaware of it, but that does not change the facts. It's a bit like questioning whether my heart keeps on beating while I'm asleep. Despite my doubts, it still beats on as long as I remain alive.
And the problem of sin is why I have eternal security through the righteousness of Christ imputed into my account. James 2:10 says that if I keep the whole Law but stumble at just one point, then I'm guilty of breaking the whole law. Hence the massive problem facing Catholics. It takes just one sin committed and already he's in big trouble. Therefore Eternal Security as a result of a spiritual rebirth in Christ can only in itself satisfy.
Therefore I can't help but pity those Christians who are convinced that salvation can be lost after believing. Known as Arminians, from the 16th Century Dutch theologian Jacob Arminius, they are faced with a massive problem when confronting sin. Arminius taught that by turning from the faith or to commit a serious sin or a large number of sins, salvation can be forfeited and the person ends up in Hell. Here lies the problem. Nobody knows where the line is drawn when once crossed, it's past the point of no return. Yet the Bible teaches that just one minor sin is enough for disenfranchisement. After all, the sin committed by Adam and Eve for eating the fruit of a certain tree does not look very serious, yet it was enough to bring about the Fall, and death to all men thereafter.
This leads to a very perverse view of God, not unlike with those gangsters before their conversion. If God is seen as truculent, then the believer will behave the same way. One striking example of this occurred a few weeks ago. When I greeted this Arminian with a light body touch, he immediately turned to me and shouted that he does not want to know me and I should consult the elders, thus disgracing himself before anyone who might be watching. He is certainly not unique. I have come across this sort of anger among Arminians quite a number of times before. What amazes me about all this is that by such action he has already sinned against God, therefore according to his theological viewpoint he might have already lost his salvation.
What a contrast between all this and the attitude of these El Salvador converts! These ex-gangsters are unlikely to be aware of Eternal Security of the Believer yet they act as if they were aware. They revel in God's love with a lasting wish for further closeness with God and the willingness to testify of his salvation. Among them there is no debate on eternal security - a debate which they may be better off without.
On top of their love and commitment to God, they were committed to each other as well as having concerns for the lost around them. And that has always been one of my concerns about unbelievers. Day by day I cross paths with other men, women, families, children. I watch television, listen to the radio, read newspapers, browse the Internet. To one blogger friend I have expressed my concern on her comments forum. In it I admitted my difficulty in praising God knowing that Hell exists and the lost are heading straight towards it. I think of my parents and my brother. My father has passed away a few years ago after admitting that he doesn't believe in the same way that I believe. My mother is still alive but suffering severe memory loss. My brother, once an atheist, might have second thoughts about God, especially after Dad died. Yet everyone who knows me, within the family circle and outside, are aware on where I stand in the faith.
My blogging friend's response was interesting. She wrote that since none of us are fit for Heaven, for a sinner to be saved is an even bigger question, with her explanation that entry into Heaven through the imputed righteousness of Christ is indeed worthy of praise. Such a response had altered my perception of God and his love. I guess I naturally take after my father, tending to see the glass as half empty. The grace of God is about the glass being half full, or better still, completely full. A sinner is saved because God loves him and is willing to show mercy. It's from this new perception that I have enjoyed the peace and joy of God whilst sitting alone at Costa Coffee.
And for his sake, not ours. I believed, received mercy and was saved for his sake. All the ex-gangsters at El Salvador were saved for his sake, not merely theirs. Really, I hope they all realise this and believe this. Because to know that we are all saved by grace for his sake and for the glory of God brings eternal security, and so the Bible tell us (for example: Ezekiel 36:22-28, Ephesians 1:3-14). We are saved for his sake. This truth is a good enough foundation for believing in Eternal Security of the Believer.
The video shows a congregation of exclusively male prison inmates singing praises to God and testifying how having faith in Jesus Christ have totally changed their lives. Elsewhere, church-based centres were established, offering dormitory-style accommodation in exchange for domestic duties to ex-gang members who have found themselves homeless. At another location, a church had grown from the initial seventy members to that of 1,500. I would say that the majority of these converts bear tattoos from their former lifestyles, making them look very different from the traditional English middle class churchgoer.
In fact, they admit this themselves. As one pastor quoted: We are not the typical Christian - in a sense if referring to our perception of what a Christian should be. But all testify to a strong love and passion for Jesus and a strong commitment to each other.
It is while dwelling on these things when I began to speculate whether they believe in Eternal Security of the Believer. Actually, if I were to approach any of these converts or their pastors with such a question, the most likely response would be that they would shrug their shoulders as they try to work out what I'm talking about, then simply say they are devoted to God and express their determination not to yield to temptation, simply because of their love and devotion to Christ. The concept of Eternal Security, in all probability, would be unknown to them.
Therefore I consulted a website on the religious background of El Salvador as a nation. According to the statistics (with some minor variances) approximately half the population, around 48-52% are Roman Catholics, a further 28-30% are Protestants, and the remaining 20% or so are of other diverse faiths, including Judaism. Among the Protestants, the vast majority are of the Pentecostal denominations, along with sub-groups including the Assemblies of God, the Church of Christ, some Baptists, even Jehovah's Witnesses and Mormonism making up a small minority, and there are others who have pagan or no religion at all.
If Britain can be regarded as a Western model to go by, chances are that the greater majority of El Salvador Protestants are from the respectable middle classes, worlds away from gangland culture. Their way of life are not much different from our own British Christians (except perhaps a little less reserved), well educated and with respectable careers allowing them to bring home an adequate income to support their families.
Although I cannot be cut and dried on these matters, chances are that these gangsters in general have a Catholic background. Having looked back at my own experiences, along with having spoken to nominal Catholics who were thoroughly hostile to their boyhood faith, together with watching their videos touching on such hostility towards their religious background, my assumption does not appear to look at all out of place. As a Catholic myself, I recall the Church teachings on infused righteousness, received at infant baptism, which means that if I commit a minor sin, then in the afterlife its some time spent in Purgatory, a temporary hell where such sins are purged out before entering Heaven. Then there is always that major or mortal sin knocking on the door, and to die with a mortal sin means Hell for all eternity with no chance of redemption. The trouble is, with no distinction between a "venial" sin and a "mortal" sin, no Catholic can be assured of Heaven after death. Instead, he must spend his whole life confessing to a priest, do penance, partake in the Sacraments, and to lead a sinless life to keep himself out of Hell. Little wonder that the God of the Catholic is either looked upon apathetically, or his existence denied. Or perceived as most feared, if not hated, for his truculence!
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| Basilica San Pietro, Rome. |
Therefore it comes to no surprise to learn that these dangerous gangs of El Salvador were most likely former Catholics. It was only after conversion when they learned that faith in Christ alone brings eternal life, and therefore able to love God with sincerity, rather than debating within their minds about their own fate in the afterlife. Hence the difference between infused and imputed righteousness. The first must be sustained by the believer, the second is being credited with the righteousness of Christ.
Oh, to be credited with the righteousness of Christ! That means God sees us in the same way he sees Jesus Christ. That is the meaning of the word Christian. It literally means Little Christ. Eternally Secure! No wonder I'm an advocate of such a wonderful doctrine. An adopted son of God, never to be disenfranchised. Born anew into God's eternal Kingdom. That is the meaning of Regeneration, the birth of the new man within me, one who is incapable of sin and has a desire for God's holiness.
As I sat at a Costa Coffee in Reading earlier this week, I felt my soul lift as I meditated on the love of Christ, and I expressed my longing for him to take me into his heart and be forever united with God. And by thanking him for my retirement, my wife and for all daily provisions. Even toward those who hate me, at that moment I felt no antagonism towards them. Instead, I felt wonderful peace and joy, an awareness of God's presence. My request is that I'll get closer and closer to God throughout the rest of my life. This is the fruit of Eternal Security. Knowing never to be lost again, ever. Is it this what those ex-gangsters are experiencing at El Salvador? After all, their love and commitment to God and to each other seem to reflect this.
The wonderful truth is that when a sinner turns to Jesus Christ for forgiveness, he is forever saved, whether he realises it or not. A Christian may not believe in Eternal Security, not too sure, or is unaware of it, but that does not change the facts. It's a bit like questioning whether my heart keeps on beating while I'm asleep. Despite my doubts, it still beats on as long as I remain alive.
And the problem of sin is why I have eternal security through the righteousness of Christ imputed into my account. James 2:10 says that if I keep the whole Law but stumble at just one point, then I'm guilty of breaking the whole law. Hence the massive problem facing Catholics. It takes just one sin committed and already he's in big trouble. Therefore Eternal Security as a result of a spiritual rebirth in Christ can only in itself satisfy.
Therefore I can't help but pity those Christians who are convinced that salvation can be lost after believing. Known as Arminians, from the 16th Century Dutch theologian Jacob Arminius, they are faced with a massive problem when confronting sin. Arminius taught that by turning from the faith or to commit a serious sin or a large number of sins, salvation can be forfeited and the person ends up in Hell. Here lies the problem. Nobody knows where the line is drawn when once crossed, it's past the point of no return. Yet the Bible teaches that just one minor sin is enough for disenfranchisement. After all, the sin committed by Adam and Eve for eating the fruit of a certain tree does not look very serious, yet it was enough to bring about the Fall, and death to all men thereafter.
This leads to a very perverse view of God, not unlike with those gangsters before their conversion. If God is seen as truculent, then the believer will behave the same way. One striking example of this occurred a few weeks ago. When I greeted this Arminian with a light body touch, he immediately turned to me and shouted that he does not want to know me and I should consult the elders, thus disgracing himself before anyone who might be watching. He is certainly not unique. I have come across this sort of anger among Arminians quite a number of times before. What amazes me about all this is that by such action he has already sinned against God, therefore according to his theological viewpoint he might have already lost his salvation.
What a contrast between all this and the attitude of these El Salvador converts! These ex-gangsters are unlikely to be aware of Eternal Security of the Believer yet they act as if they were aware. They revel in God's love with a lasting wish for further closeness with God and the willingness to testify of his salvation. Among them there is no debate on eternal security - a debate which they may be better off without.
On top of their love and commitment to God, they were committed to each other as well as having concerns for the lost around them. And that has always been one of my concerns about unbelievers. Day by day I cross paths with other men, women, families, children. I watch television, listen to the radio, read newspapers, browse the Internet. To one blogger friend I have expressed my concern on her comments forum. In it I admitted my difficulty in praising God knowing that Hell exists and the lost are heading straight towards it. I think of my parents and my brother. My father has passed away a few years ago after admitting that he doesn't believe in the same way that I believe. My mother is still alive but suffering severe memory loss. My brother, once an atheist, might have second thoughts about God, especially after Dad died. Yet everyone who knows me, within the family circle and outside, are aware on where I stand in the faith.
My blogging friend's response was interesting. She wrote that since none of us are fit for Heaven, for a sinner to be saved is an even bigger question, with her explanation that entry into Heaven through the imputed righteousness of Christ is indeed worthy of praise. Such a response had altered my perception of God and his love. I guess I naturally take after my father, tending to see the glass as half empty. The grace of God is about the glass being half full, or better still, completely full. A sinner is saved because God loves him and is willing to show mercy. It's from this new perception that I have enjoyed the peace and joy of God whilst sitting alone at Costa Coffee.
And for his sake, not ours. I believed, received mercy and was saved for his sake. All the ex-gangsters at El Salvador were saved for his sake, not merely theirs. Really, I hope they all realise this and believe this. Because to know that we are all saved by grace for his sake and for the glory of God brings eternal security, and so the Bible tell us (for example: Ezekiel 36:22-28, Ephesians 1:3-14). We are saved for his sake. This truth is a good enough foundation for believing in Eternal Security of the Believer.
Dear Frank,
ReplyDeletePraise the Lord for this amazing conversion in El Salvador! And praise the Lord for His imputed righteousness to all who trust Him! In Heaven all our theological questions will be answered, perhaps through discussion, but I believe more likely instantaneously, as we shall then be as He is, and I believe He will impart all His wondrous knowledge to us!
I am blessed to hear your comments about our interchange in cyberspace. It is amazing how God uses the Internet to bring believers together and to encourage one another throughout the world. Thank you for the excellent post and for your faithful witness of God's Word.
God bless,
Laurie
It is so vital we understand we were saved for Christ's sake, not just because we were good enough. Dependence on us being good enough leaves us running on treadmill constantly trying to keep up, with no way to rest or enjoy what Christ has done for us. Those who simply believe God's promise never have to get on the treadmill.
ReplyDeleteI listened to a debate a few days ago. The debate was between a Catholic convert and James White. They were discussing the topic of eternal security of the believer. TheCatholic made some very good comments of why he feels he can lose, or walk away from, his salvation, and I began to agree with some of his thoughts....and then I began getting very uncomfortable and depressed. Then James White tried to answer all of the Catholic’s arguments against eternal security, and as he spoke about the truth of it, the solid ground of knowing that our salvation is based on Jesus’ finished work and not our own, and that none of us could ever meet all the demands that would give us the right to be with the Lord, a peace washed over me once again, that peace that is beyond human understanding. What a love that loves us who are, in truth, not very loveable.
ReplyDeleteWe could never earn salvation. What could we give? Thank God, Jesus paid the price on the cross. God came to save sinners, not the (self?) righteous.
ReplyDelete