PEACE AND HOLINESS

As believers in Jesus Christ, our lives are to be a light in a world of darkness. We are to be a people of love and nonviolence.

Jesus said blessed are the peacemakers, and if we follow Christ, we are to strive to be at peace with our brothers and sisters in Christ, and even to live in peace with those in the world. Let your life and my life allow people to see that peace with God brings peace within self. And once one has peace with God and peace with self, they will find peace with others.

Peace comes from believers living a holy life before God and others. Holiness is God’s central attribute, and those who claim to love Him and follow Him must demonstrate His holiness to the world. The simplest way to do that is to focus on what is right and what is wrong. People who are trying to be holy before God seek to do what is right. It is as simple as that.

It is simple, but if we fail to do it, we will not see the Lord. We are not in a relationship with Him if we do not strive to live the way that He wants us to live.

The way we treat others and take care of them shows our real relationship with God. If we have truly received the grace of God, it will manifest in having love in our hearts for others. The grace of God always changes how we view ourselves and others.

So do not think you can embrace the grace of Jesus Christ and treat others with contempt. Get rid of every ounce of hatred and bitterness from your heart. Ask God to help you with that. He will, by the power of His Spirit, root it out.

May our lives always reflect the love of God to a lost and dying world. We have the love of God on our side. Let us love Him and serve Him for the rest of our days by loving and serving one another.

“Strive to live in peace with everyone, and strive to live a holy life, for those who are not holy will not see the Lord. Take care of each other so that none of you fails to receive the grace of God. Make sure that no poisonous root of bitterness grows up to trouble you, bringing corruption to many people” (Hebrews 12:14-15).

    Bryan Dewayne Dunaway

CHRIST IS LORD

“That if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10:9).

In order to be saved, according to Paul the apostle of Christ, we must believe that Jesus is Lord, and we must be willing to confess that fact with our words. We must never be ashamed of the Lord Jesus Christ in any way. In our hearts, we must trust in Him as our Savior and follow Him as our Lord.

You cannot be saved without believing in the Lordship of Jesus Christ because of its effect on your life. It brings you into contact with Him in a living, saving way. There is no gain in just mentally assenting to the fact that “Jesus is Lord,” as opposed to some other religious leader or teacher being the Lord and having the authority of God.

It is that you believe JESUS is Lord and entrust your life to that fact that matters. That you accept the fact that Jesus Himself is Lord. Salvation is tied to Christ. Salvation IS Christ. So faith means believing and confessing and accepting and living like you believe that Christ is the Lord and Savior and the only Lord and Savior.

Jesus said all authority has been given to Him in heaven and on earth (Matthew 28:18). That is what His Lordship involves—His power and His authority, as well as His splendor and majesty. Christ is beautiful in every way. He is good in every way. He is Lord in every way.

We can acknowledge this now by choosing to acknowledge it. Anyone who wants to be saved can be saved by making the decision to believe in Jesus. At any point in your life, you may decide to trust in Christ and change your life. You can go from being lost, headed for eternal destruction, to being saved, headed for heaven to spend eternity with the Lord Jesus Christ.

Everyone will eventually confess that Jesus is Lord. Philippians 2:11 says, “every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Those who choose to confess this now in their words and in their way of living will benefit from it by receiving the free gift of salvation.

Gifts must be accepted on the giver’s terms. God’s “term” is turning to Jesus. Loving Him. Living your life for Him. Putting your faith in Him.

Embrace the Lordship of Jesus Christ and all that that involves. Repent of your sins and trust in Christ as Savior and Lord. Confess your faith to the world by being baptized, living for Jesus, confessing Him before others. Jesus said that if we do not confess Him in word and in deed in this world, then He will not know us before the Father (Matthew 10:32-33).

It is a serious matter to reject the Lordship of Jesus. Don’t wait until it is too late. Everyone will confess Christ eventually, but not everyone will be saved by doing so.

When He comes to be glorified (2 Thessalonians 1:10), everyone will know that He is Lord, but it will not save them then. Confess Him now before He comes. Confess Him now before you die. To confess Him as Lord is to believe it, tell others that you believe it, and live like you believe it.

When Peter preached the Pentecost sermon that is recorded in the second chapter of Acts, he summed up his message about Jesus by saying that God has made Him both Lord and Christ (2:36). Christ is Lord!

And when the people heard that Christ Jesus, who died for their sins, was indeed the Lord and the anointed one of God—which is what “Christ” means—they publicly confessed their belief in Jesus and confessed it also by being baptized in His name (2:38-41).

We need to recognize that the Holy Spirit leads us to confess that “Jesus is Lord” (1 Corinthians 12:3). If you are being led by God, truly led by God’s Spirit, then you will believe that Jesus is your Lord and you will act like it. Isn’t that simple? We should say with Thomas that Jesus is, “My Lord and my God” (John 20:28).

Believing that Jesus is Lord, confessing that Jesus is Lord, living like Jesus is Lord, all expresses your faith in Him as a person, and your belief in and confidence in the importance which God the Father has assigned to Him (Hebrews 1:1-3). You are accepting reality and affirming your belief in the divinity and power of Jesus.

You may not understand everything about it, but you choose to believe it because you know that Jesus is the truth. He does not just speak truth. He IS the truth (John 14:6).

“That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation” (Romans 10:9-10).

     Bryan Dewayne Dunaway

A PURPOSEFUL LIFE

Most everyone wants to live their life with purpose. Everyone wants to know the purpose of human life on earth. God has set eternity in our hearts (Ecclesiastes 3:11). That means that everyone knows that they are meant for something more than just mundane temporary existence. We are created in the image of God. Being created in the image of God means that we are a reflection of God’s life. We have a will and feelings. Your life will change when God is a real person with real feelings to you. He loves and cares about you. Do you love and care about Him?

The image of Christ is something that God wants to develop in us. We have lost the image of God in one sense. It is certainly true that everyone is made in the image of God today (Genesis 9:6).

But the perfect image of God has been lost in the fall. Sin took that away. And God is looking to recreate us in His own image. “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared in advance that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10). “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; look! all things have been made new” (2 Corinthians 5:17).

“But you have not learned Christ this way, if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, because the truth is in Jesus: that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness” (Ephesians 4:20-24).

We can be recreated in the image of God. And the purpose of your life is to be like Jesus. God wants us to be conformed to the image of His Son. “Because those He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters” (Romans 8:29).

That is what your life is about. That is what my life is about. Let God make you into the image of Christ. Let God change you from the inside out. God will make you a new creation. A brand new creation.

Everything is new when you come to Jesus. Rejoice in that. Nothing in your past matters. All that matters is that you have Christ right now.

       Bryan Dewayne Dunaway

THE HELP OF GOD IN OUR STRUGGLES

Everyone struggles. Including Christians. Becoming a saved disciple of Jesus Christ does not make you immune from the suffering of this world. God has never promised us that we will not go through extremely difficult times in this world. He has promised to be with us, but He has not promised that trials and tribulations are not going to come. In fact, He said that they definitely will (John 16:33).

Focusing on Christ in your life gives meaning and purpose to everything, including suffering. When we are going through trials, we are reminded of the temporary nature of life. That the things on this earth do not last or give any lasting satisfaction. Therefore, we see our suffering as working for us a far greater glory in heaven than any problem on earth could ever compare with (2 Corinthians 4:17).

It is important to know that God does not turn away from you when you are going through difficult times. It is very common to want to ask why is God far away when we are going through trials. And God understands why we feel that way. The Bible deals with those feelings of despair and isolation. Those times when it seems that God does not care what we are going through.

The reality, however, is that God is with us in the valleys of life. He does not turn away, He draws near. He comes to our aid and help helps us in the problems that we are facing. Jesus came into a world full of suffering and suffered for us. Therefore, we may logically conclude that Christ’s purpose was not to get us out of suffering, but to get into the suffering with us.

Unlike someone who does not believe in Almighty God or entrust themselves to Him, we have someone who is with us in the midst of the storm. Someone who cares and someone who can help us. The peace and help that God gives is real and lasting. It is not a fantasy. In fact, it is only through Christ that we can say that “all things work together for good,” no matter what those things consist of (Rom. 8:28). Our good and God’s glory will be accomplished through the problems of life if we love Jesus.

David knew that God was with him, even though he “walked through the valley of the shadow of death.” He said, “I will fear no evil, for thou art with me” (Psa. 23:4).

God is with us. He is always with us and that does not change. But we have to believe His promise. We are not always going to “feel” His presence. There will be times when the road is dark and difficult and we have to walk by faith and not by sight (2 Cor. 5:7).

God is our constant helper. Our “refuge” and a “very present help in times of trouble” (Psa. 46:1). We must allow the problems of life to drive us to His throne to obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need (Heb. 4:16). No one cares as much about you as God does.

How can He watch you suffer then? The same way He watched His Son suffer. If you read the life of Jesus, especially the last week of His life, you can see that He went through tremendous pain and suffering while calling out to God. God did not remove the suffering, but gave Him the strength that He needed. He will do the same for you and for me.

The Lord is close to those who have a broken heart (Psa. 34:18). There is a “balm in Gilead” (Jer. 8:22) to bring peace and help to us when we need it most. Turn to God and realize that this world and the sufferings in it are temporary.

      Bryan Dewayne Dunaway

SEEKING GOD

The Bible has a lot to say about seeking God and promises great benefits to those who do. We will never seek God in vain. If we seek Him, we will find Him (Jer. 29:13).

But what does this mean? How do we “seek” God. Well, we first have to believe that this is what we are supposed to do. This is the purpose of humanity. Paul said to his pagan listeners in Acts 17 that God created us so that we would “seek after Him and perhaps find their way to Him—though He is not far from any one of us” (v. 27). God created us so that we would seek Him and find Him. So we are here to seek God, and if we do, we will find Him.

But again, what does that mean? God is not hiding from us. God is not lost. So what does the Bible mean by “seeking” God?

To wrap our minds around it, we must realize two things: It is our duty as created beings to do so, and it has to be a simple concept. God does not deal in riddles and puzzles when it comes to what He wants from us.

Every part of the Bible teaches us to put God above all things. We do that today by honoring and serving and loving His Son Jesus Christ. So seeking God has to be another way of saying prioritizing things correctly, with God at the top of the list. Jesus is to have the preeminence in every part of our lives (Col. 1:18).

Seeking speaks of something that is done diligently. There can be no halfhearted attempts here. We are promised that we will find Him if we seek Him “with all of our heart.” To seek God is to put all of our passion and energy into pursuing an intimate relationship with Him. It means realizing why we are here and living accordingly. Heart, mind, soul and body must all be engaged in a sustained relationship of seeking God.

To seek God means to turn our backs on sin (2 Chronicles 7:14). You cannot seek God and go in the direction of sin at the same time. We have spent our lives as sinners seeking to fulfill the desires of the flesh. That is what comes naturally to us. To seek God, we must turn away from all that is evil and begin to be concerned about God’s will, His feelings, the things He wants from us. We are created for our good and God’s glory.

Turning our lives over to God through Jesus Christ is what it means to seek God. We cannot please God without faith (Heb. 11:6), and this faith must be placed entirely in Christ the person and what God has accomplished through Him. It is impossible to please God without faith, because without faith, we will not seek Him.

But if we seek Him, we will be rewarded by Him (Heb. 11:6). The Hebrews writer speaks of “diligently” seeking Him. And that is what we must do. It must be the aim and desire of our lives.

Pursuing God or seeking God is, of course, a metaphor. God is not far from any of us (Acts 17:27). But the concept has to do with seeking intimacy with Him. Desiring to grow closer to Him. And doing whatever is necessary in our lives, making whatever sacrifices we have to make, in order to be close to the one who gave us life.

We are seeking to know Christ in a deeper, more meaningful way. We want to learn about Him so that we can appreciate Him and draw near in our union with Him (James 4:8).

If we “seek His kingdom first,” then everything else in our lives will be taken care of and will fall into place (Matt. 6:33). But he must be sought first. That is the priority of the matter. He will not take second place to anything or anyone. He is God and the only proper place for God is in the top position.

When Jesus said to “seek the kingdom of God first” (Matt. 6:33), He meant to seek the rule of God and the reign of God in our hearts and lives. This is another way of saying growing closer to Jesus and submitting more of our lives to Him. When we do that, we will find Him. That is, we will have the fulfillment that we seek, and we will be close to God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

    Bryan Dwayne Dunaway

RESURRECTION TRUTH

The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the foundation of the Christian faith. It is what separates Christianity from other religions. So many times people ask how we know that Christianity is the one true religion? And the answer is the resurrection of Jesus. Christ came back from the dead. You can believe what He says. And He says that He is the only way to the Father (John 14:6).

The resurrection means that Jesus, crucified on a cross and buried in a tomb, came back to life three days later. He was raised from the dead by God the Father, to prove that He was and is the Son of God and that salvation has been accomplished for all of His people. Anyone who puts their trust in Jesus Christ will be saved. And we know this without a doubt because the resurrection validates all of Jesus’ claims. He claimed to be divine. He claimed to be the Savior of the world. And His claims are true.

Jesus told Martha in John 11, “I am the resurrection and the life.” He not only was raised from the dead, but He Himself is the resurrection. In other words, by believing in Him, focusing on Him, loving Him, we will be raised from the dead ourselves (John 5:28-29). Jesus is the guarantee of our resurrection. It is in 1 Corinthians 15 that Paul says that Christ is the firstfruits of those who will be raised from the dead. That includes you and me if we are faithful and believe in Jesus.

Death is not the end for the believer. The resurrection of Jesus is something that you should believe and must believe (Rom. 10:9-10). But you must believe that it happened for you. Decide to believe that He was raised from the dead for you. When you think about your salvation, think about the empty tomb.

Remember that Thomas became known as “doubting Thomas” because after the resurrection of Jesus, he wasn’t there when Christ appeared to His disciples. “Now Thomas, called the Twin, who was one of the twelve apostles, was not with them when Jesus came. The other disciples therefore told him, We have seen the Lord. So he replied, Unless I see the print of the nails in His hands, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe. And after eight days Jesus’s disciples were again together, and this time Thomas was with them. The doors were shut when Jesus appeared and He stood among them, and said, Peace to you! Then the Lord said to Thomas, Put your finger here, and behold My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Be believing, not unbelieving. And Thomas responded to Him, My Lord and my God! Jesus said to him, Thomas, you have believed because you have seen Me. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” (John 20:24-29).

Notice that Jesus said, “blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” Choosing to believe in the resurrection of Christ is the best decision you will ever make. Love Him, trust Him and trust in His resurrection. Know that He will bring you eternal life and will take you to heaven one day.

       Bryan Dewayne Dunaway

KNOWING AND DOING THE WILL OF GOD

To know and do the will of God is the purpose of human existence. We are here because God created us to be here. He decided that we would exist. Loving God brings the greatest joy and happiness to a human life. There is nothing that can compare. “Reverence God and keep His commandments, for this is mankind’s all” (Ecclesiastes 12:13).

Some people never find happiness or fulfillment in their lives because they do not seek the will of God. When a person is self-centered rather than God-centered, they are like a dog chasing its tail. They never get anywhere in their search for meaning and happiness.

Your entire life is about God. Loving Him, pleasing Him, serving Him. It is to Him that you owe your very existence. And every day we should be thankful to God for the breath in our lungs. The very life that we have. God thought enough of you to create you. You are wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14) in the image of God (Genesis 1:27).

In addition to giving you life in the first place, God gives you spiritual life. Jesus is our Savior and Lord. He went to the Cross to save us from the wrath of God which we so richly deserve. The decision is yours and mine. Will we follow God? Or will we seek to live a meaningless, shallow existence that leads to the courtroom of God’s justice?

Receive the Lord Jesus Christ. Obey Him in all that you do. He saves all of those who put their faith in Him (John 3:16) and who seek to obey Him (Hebrews 5:9). With one decision, that can be you.

   Bryan Dewayne Dunaway

DO YOU HAVE TO BE BAPTIZED?

The Bible says that Jesus is the “author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him” (Heb. 5:9).  Part of following Jesus is obeying Jesus. We are saved by having faith in Him, trusting in Him alone as our Savior and Lord. But no one truly trusts Him if they do not seek to obey Him.

When it comes to water baptism, there is nothing to argue about. I say that because denominations and religious people have argued over it for centuries. They still argue over it today. But again, there is nothing to argue about. The Bible says to do it. Jesus said to do it. Those who trust in Christ will do it. There is nothing to debate. It is a matter of obedience.

It hurts my ears to hear someone, claiming to represent Jesus, telling people that they “don’t have to be baptized.” It will usually go something like this: “You should be baptized as an act of obedience, but you don’t have to be to go to heaven.”

Why make a statement like that? If you want someone to know that it is by faith in Christ, and not by symbolic acts like baptism, that we are saved, then say that. If you mean that someone will still go to heaven if they truly trust in Christ, but have not yet been baptized, then say that. If you mean that a person of faith goes to heaven if they die before they can be baptized, then say that. All reasonable Bible students would agree with all of that.

But when you use the words, “You don’t have to be baptized,” you are telling someone they don’t have to do something that Jesus has told them to do. You do not have the right to do that. The Gospel of grace does not need your help to keep it pure. Just preach it like it is. Jesus said to be baptized. Case closed.

Do you go to someone’s place of employment and tell them they don’t have to do something their boss has told them to do? What if it is something that they would not get fired over? Do you tell them that since they won’t get fired, they don’t have to do it? “You should. You just don’t have to.” Do you say things like that to your friends and loved ones concerning what their supervisor says?   

Would you tell a child that they don’t have to do something their parents have told them to do? Since their parents won’t “disown them” and they will still be their children, do you say, “You don’t have to” take out the garbage or be home at a certain time. “You should, but you don’t have to.” Who talks that way about authority figures in the lives of others?

Jesus is the boss. He speaks and we obey. Those who love Jesus only need to hear that Jesus said to do it. Nothing else is required to get a person of faith to the water. If you argue about baptism to defend your denomination’s practices or doctrines, then please just stop doing that. That is not necessary. Our allegiance is to Jesus, not to a certain system of beliefs.

God could have clearly separated baptism from the process of conversion to Jesus if that were necessary in order to protect the Gospel of grace. But He did not do that and He did not leave it to me and you to decide to do that for Him. He is the one who consistently tied baptism to being a believer and being converted to Jesus (Rom. 6:3–4; Col. 2:12; 1 Peter 3:21; Gal. 3:27).

In fact, when he was highlighting that salvation is by grace, but that does not mean that we live any way we want to live, He used baptism to substantiate that point. We have risen to a new life through baptism and united with Christ through baptism (Rom. 6:3-4). No one has to understand everything about it, but it is a simple act of faith. And there is far more importance attached to it in the New Testament than there is in most man-made denominations.

According to Jesus and the apostles, baptism signifies that we have stepped across the line and are no longer living for the devil and the world. It declares outwardly the faith that is ours inwardly. It is an identification with the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. And yet, in spite of the theological significance that the New Testament attaches to it, it remains a simple act of obedient faith.

“Do you not know that you were baptized into Christ?” Paul asked the Romans (6:3). So there is a chance they did not even understand the significance of it when they did it. But they still were commanded to do it. Peter at the house of Cornelius “commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord” (Acts 10:48). No one has a right to tell someone they don’t have to obey an apostolic command.

When one is baptized, they are proclaiming that Jesus is their Lord. They are doing something that others can see them doing, something that Jesus told them to do. Baptism says that we have died to self, sin and Satan, and are united with the Savior. We are dead to living in sin and have arisen to live a new life with Jesus (Rom. 6:4).

When it comes to whether or not we “have to be baptized,” we should ask the question Jesus asked about John’s baptism (Matt. 21:25): Is baptism in water, as an act of obedience to Christ, from heaven or from human origin? Who came up with the idea, in other words? If it is from men, then we are free to disregard it. But surely every Bible believer would say that water baptism in the name of Jesus Christ is from heaven. It is God’s will in other words. That should settle the matter. If it is from heaven, then of course you “have to” do it. And when you love Jesus, you see that you “get to” do it.

Baptism comes straight from the command of Jesus. When He told the apostles to make disciples of all nations, He said that everyone who becomes a disciple is to be baptized in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19). Being baptized in the name of God does not refer to something you have to specifically say—although there is nothing wrong with saying it. But this is not a legalistic formula. Rather, it is an awareness of whose authority we are submitting to, and in whom we are trusting by doing what He said.

Whatever the Church of the New Testament did by the authority of the Holy Spirit, led by the apostles, is what we should do. They practiced immediate baptism when people were converted to Jesus (Acts 2:41). To those who had realized their sins and wanted to know what to do about them, Peter said, “Repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins” (Acts 2:38). Of course it was a symbolic “forgiveness.” Forgiveness is already ours by trusting Christ in our hearts before baptism (Acts 10:43-48).

But would you be willing to say what Peter said in Acts 2:38? If not, why not? Because your denomination does not teach it? Whatever Jesus and the apostles would say, we should say. Whether we understand it all or not, nothing Jesus or His apostles said takes away from the fact that it is trust in Christ that saves us or that it is Jesus Himself who saves us.

As with everything else we do by faith, baptism is about Christ. It is not about us. As Galatians 3:27 puts it, “For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.”

   Bryan Dewayne Dunaway

FROM FAITH TO FAITH

The Gospel of Jesus Christ is the power of God unto salvation (Rom. 1:16). Only the Gospel message has the power to save the souls of men and women. It will transform you. It will make you a new creation. It will give you everything that you need to serve God. Knowing the Gospel is about knowing Jesus—knowing the good news about who He is, what He has done for you, what He is doing for you and what He will do for you.

By focusing on the Gospel and learning to love Jesus Christ, we become new people. The Word of God transforms us. God makes us new creatures, and we are pleasing to Him on the basis of Jesus Christ.

Concerning the Christian life, the Bible says that that we live “from faith to faith” (Rom. 1:17). Paul goes on to say that the righteous shall live by faith. Living by faith is living for Jesus. Thinking about Christ, looking to Christ and seeking to please Him in all that we do.

The Christian life begins with faith and ends with faith—therefore it is about faith all the way through. We walk hand-in-hand with a loving, compassionate Savior who is interested in everything that we do. He is our God, our Shepherd, our friend. With Him, life is always worth living.

Make Jesus your life. Live entirely for Him, seeing Him as the total reason for your existence (Philippians 1:21). By doing that, you are living life the way that it was meant to be lived and you are fulfilling your purpose. Trust in Jesus every day. Look to Jesus every day. He will never let you down. All the way through, the Christian life is about focusing on and thinking about Jesus and doing what He wants you to do.

Bryan Dewayne Dunaway

THINKING RIGHT

We need to believe that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is good news. That is what the word “Gospel” literally means: good news. If we have heard the message of redemption through Jesus Christ so many times that it does not fill us with joy, then it is time to step back and begin to reassess the way that we think about it.

By reflecting upon the nature of sin—especially our own personal sin—and the goodness of God in bringing us completely from sin to salvation, we will be ignited with spiritual joy beyond measure. It is all about thinking about Jesus the right way, and thinking about Jesus, period.

The key to living for Jesus is thinking the right way. So many believers think in terms of doing things: reading the Bible, going to church, praying “enough.” While these can all be tools to help us in our relationship with God, and we certainly are not going to grow close to God without them, thinking about them primarily is akin to getting the cart before the horse, as they say.

What we need to realize is that what we think is the most important thing about us as far as determining our behavior and the habits by which we live our lives. By thinking correctly about Jesus, we will live correctly. Christianity—true discipleship, following Jesus—is not about what you do as much as it is about what you think. If you think about Jesus on a daily basis—thinking about His love, His grace, what He has done for you and wants to continue to do for you—then your life will follow suit. You will be in the correct lifestyle if you are in the correct mindset.

So live for Jesus. And realize that living for Jesus starts with thinking about Jesus. Think the right way about Him. Believe that He loves you. Believe that He knows your name, that He knows you intimately and loves you. He loves you more than anyone has ever loved you. Keep Christ in mind and your life will follow.

     Bryan Dewayne Dunaway

CALVINISM: “LIMITED ATONEMENT”

We continue our look into the doctrines of “Calvinism” because we want to examine what the Bible teaches and we also want to defend the Gospel message against teachings that we believe corrupt it.

Calvinism is basically summed up in five points known as the TULIP: Total Depravity, Unconditional Election, Limited Atonement, Irresistible Grace, and Perseverance of the Saints. We have an article on Total Depravity, one on Unconditional Election, and now we turn our attention to “Limited Aronement.” And it is as silly and wrong as the other two. All of these dark doctrines basically stand or fall together, and one leads to another.

The easiest way to describe the doctrine of Limited Atonement is to say it teaches that Jesus did not die for everyone. Right there, all Gospel believers should turn it off and reject it outright. Any doctrine that says Jesus did not die for everyone or that God does not love everyone—Calvinism teaches both of these—should be rejected explicitly. Even a simple perusal of the Gospel story would show the utter fallacy of such thinking.

The Bible teaches the universal love of God for everyone and that Jesus died for everyone. Both are taught clearly enough for anyone to understand it. Everyone can be saved.

Calvinism teaches that our Lord died only for what they call “the elect.” Of course, we recognize that the Bible talks about the elect, but what the Bible means by it is not what Calvinism or “Reformed Theology” does.

The most familiar verse in the Bible has to be explained away in some fashion by the Calvinist. The clear meaning of John 3:16 is exactly what it says. “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

Notice the words “the world” and “whosoever.” Whosoever believes in Jesus will not perish, but have everlasting life. Why? Because Jesus died for the world. The verse means exactly what it says.

Limiting the atonement of Christ to a group that God supposedly chose before they were even born is not only a distortion of the Gospel, it is a denial of the Gospel. No, our Calvinistic brothers and sisters likely do not intend to do that. But that is what they are doing.

According to the inspired apostle John—God speaking through him, in other words—Jesus died “not for our sins only, but also for the sins of the whole world” (1 John 2:2). When he says “not for our sins only,” he is referring to believers. But John says He not only died for us who have accepted it, He died for the whole world.

Calvinism says that John means Christ did not die for “us Jews only,” but for people of all races. Although that is true, that is clearly not what John meant here. You cannot limit what John said to fit your theology. Jesus died for all.

Paul said, to people who had never even heard the Gospel before, that God commands “all people everywhere to repent” (Acts 17:30). If Jesus did not die for “all people everywhere,” then what good would it do for “all people everywhere” to repent? Limited Atonement is simply at variance with the Gospel call. Therefore, it is not the Gospel. Calvinism is not the Gospel.

The great invitation of Jesus is for everyone: “Come to me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matt. 11:30). This invitation is not “limited” by anything other than one’s willingness to come to Jesus, a decision that is made by the individual. Jesus is not inviting all to come knowing full well that some cannot come.

Think of that. Calvinism teaches, directly or indirectly, that Jesus invites everyone to come knowing that not everyone can come. Only “the elect” can come to Him. This is silly, foolish and dangerous teaching.

The Bible begins by telling us that all men and women are created in the image of God (Genesis 1: 26–27). And it ends with a universal call to all who were made in His image. All. Revelation 22:17 says anyone who wants may come and take the “free gift of the water of life.”

The requirement is to be spiritually “thirsty,” not to be “one of the elect,” fortunate enough to have God love you. It might feel swell to think that you are one of “the lucky ones” who are loved by God, but that feeling is of the devil. Everyone is loved by God.

God did not create people in His own image just to send them to hell. Everyone is created in the image of God. This the Calvinist will affirm. But being created in the image of God is the same as saying being loved by God. The Calvinist cannot say to everyone, “Jesus loves you. Jesus died for you.” Because he or she does not believe that. They do not believe that Jesus loves everyone and they do not believe that Jesus died for everyone. Let that sink in and think about what that means.

What we see the apostles of Christ, following in the steps of Jesus, doing in the Book of Acts is preaching to everyone. And they preached to everyone that by choosing to accept and follow Christ, they could be saved. Calvinism makes it out to be some sort of game where we preach to everyone, but we know that only “the elect” can come. “But we don’t know who the elect are,” the Calvinist says, “and that is why we preach to everyone.”

This is nonsensical, unnecessary, and again, ridiculous. You tell everyone to come to Christ, believing that not everyone can come to Christ. Nonsense. We preach the Gospel to all because all can be saved. The truth is, we try to persuade people to be saved (2 Cor. 5:11) because we know that they can be saved.

Limited Atonement denies all of this. To say that the blood of Jesus and the death of Jesus is “limited” in its scope is totally false. They say that the power of the cross must be limited in the number of people to whom it applies, or else it is limited in its power. “If Jesus died for everyone,” in other words, “and everyone will not be saved, then His death accomplished nothing.”

What they cannot see, or will not see, is the freedom God has given to everyone to accept the accomplishments of Christ at the cross for themselves. Salvation is accomplished by Jesus, and it does not become a human “achievement” just because there is human “acceptance” involved. Everyone but the Calvinist seems to understand this clearly.

Jesus’s death is not “limited” at all. The only limits in the matter come from an individual’s unwillingness to accept the free gift of salvation. Everyone can choose to accept Christ.

Paul said in 1 Timothy 2:4 that God “desires all people to be saved.” Peter wrote in 2 Peter 3:9 that God is “not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” If Limited Atonement is true, none of the apostles knew about it.

Many of those who espouse Calvinism are highly educated and intellectual and know a lot about the Bible, generally speaking. But it is how they are obsessed with intellectualism and how that affects the way they interpret the Bible that is a serious problem, in my judgment.

They have to spend the bulk of their time explaining Scriptures away using complex “theological logic.” There can hardly be any debate over the fact that Calvinism is a complicated—and I would say convoluted— system that does not make sense to the “common people who heard Jesus gladly” (Mark 12:37). Anything that complicates the Gospel, a message that is simple—and simple for the purpose of reaching everyone—is not a good system of thought.

The Gospel deserves better than that. The Gospel is simple. It was designed by God to be simple and it was designed by God to be for everyone. And it is for everyone.

1 Timothy 4:10 calls God “the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe.” We must not overthink what Paul says here but believe exactly what he says. He is saying exactly what it sounds like he is saying because that fits with his theology and his practice.

Paul preached to everyone that they could be saved and if they rejected salvation, he blamed it on them, not on the fact that they were not “elected” or “predestined.” Saying that God is “the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe” does not refer to God “choosing to save some and not others.”

It means that God is willing to save everyone, and does save everyone if they will believe and accept the Gospel. That is what it can mean, that is the only thing it can mean, and that is what it does mean. Therefore everyone can believe in and accept Christ.

Christ died for everyone who will trust in Him and obey Him. Jesus tasted death for everyone (Hebrews 2:9). He is the source of eternal salvation “to all who obey Him” (Hebrews. 5:9). Something that can be received by everyone has to be offered to everyone. And equally true, something that is offered to everyone has to be available to everyone.

Calvinism makes God out to be a deceiver. “Offering” salvation to everyone, but not really offering it to everyone. But the truth is, the offer of God is sincere. And those who are condemned before God will not be condemned because He did not “elect” them. They will be condemned because they rejected what God has done for them.

God proves His love for all sinners because Jesus died for us, and His grace has appeared to everyone (Rom. 5:8, Titus 2:11). Sin is a universal problem (Rom. 3:23), and therefore the remedy is a universal offer and solution (Rom. 10:13; 2 Cor. 5:19). Limited Atonement puts the love of God into what is perceived by them to be a nice little theological box. But it will not fit in that box. Calvinism must be rejected.

Yes, we are aware of what the Calvinistic answer to much of this is: “If Jesus died for people who will go to hell, then His death did not actually accomplish anything. He merely died to make salvation possible, but we actually save ourselves by choosing to receive it.” And, frankly, that is silly. The Gospel does not need that kind of human “help” to exalt and magnify the work of Christ.

One does not have to go to extremes in any way, shape or form in order to answer the egregious doctrine of Limited Atonement. The reality is this: God’s sovereign plan of salvation means Christ came into the world to save sinners, all of humanity are sinners, and He died for all. The plan also means that it is freely offered, and can be rejected. The free gift is bought and paid for by Christ, but it must be accepted by the believer on the Giver’s terms. God does not do the accepting for you.

I can offer you something that is completely free and still require that you accept it. Everyone would understand this if we were talking about money. For example, if someone said to you, “I will give you $1 million if you will be at my house tomorrow morning at 8 AM to pick it up.” You would not argue about that being illogical. You would not even consider for a moment that it is illogical. You would not enter into a debate with the giver about how that would mean you are earning the money if you have to show up at his house at a designated time.

You would not argue at all. You would likely be too excited about getting the money. But just because you went to the house at that time—i.e., accepted the gift on the giver’s terms—does not mean you earned $1 million. So it should not be confusing at all to say that God has the free gift of salvation accomplished and paid for, and you can have it if you are ready and willing to receive it.

The grace of God has appeared to everyone (Titus 2:11). God desires the salvation of everyone (1 Tim. 2:4) because He “so loves” the world (John 3:16). He wants none to perish, but wants all to be saved (2 Pet. 3:9). Christ is the atoning sacrifice for the sins of the entire world (1 John 2:2).

Limited Atonement teaches that everyone for whom Christ died will be saved. He died only for the elect, and therefore, if Christ died for you, you will definitely be saved because God will give you faith and make you a believer. There are so many ways to refute this ridiculous doctrine, many of which are found in the verses we have cited.

But the death blow to the entire idea is found in 1 Peter chapter 2: “But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction” (2 Peter 2:1).

Notice that Peter speaks of some who “deny the Lord who bought them”—that is, Jesus died for them—and they bring upon themselves destruction. Even though Jesus bought them, they rejected Christ and would be lost if they continued in their “denial.”

Limited Atonement, like all the other points of Calvinism, is a hard-core and ridiculous denial of Gospel truth.

    Bryan Dewayne Dunaway

CHRIST: THE NEW DAVID IN EZEKIEL’S PROPHECY

The prophet Ezekiel had many important things to say that are applicable to the believers’s life. He, of course, did not prophesy primarily to us concerning our day, but to the ancient nation of Israel as they were in bondage to the Babylonians. But He made many messianic promises that were fulfilled in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We learn much about our Lord from some of the things that Ezekiel had to say.

God, through Ezekiel, gave warnings and rebukes, as well as promises and encouragement. God was going to bless the remnant of His people. But Ezekiel looked beyond an imminent return to the physical land of Israel to a time when God would gather His people together under a new leader. This new leader was called by God, “David, my servant” (Ezekiel 34:23, 37:24).

This prophecy is unique in many ways. For one thing, David had been dead for hundreds of years. Therefore, the prophet was not speaking of literal David, as though God were going to bring him back from the dead to rule over God’s people. David is used as the example because he was a faithful king and shepherd. Someone was going to come from David’s kingly line to rule over the people of God as no one ever had before. He would be similar to David in some respects, and the people knew who David was.

But Ezekiel was talking about Jesus, not about David. The name Jesus would not have meant anything to them at the time. But David did, and his name conjured up images of faithfulness and loyalty in leading God’s people. David was a type of Christ, he pointed to Christ, and yet, Christ was the far better man. And leader.

Jesus was not going to be an earthly king like David was. Not ruling and reigning on a literal throne in the literal city of Jerusalem. Jesus, we now know, was and is a spiritual king (John 18:36). But He is the faithful leader of God’s people. He is the loving Shepherd of God’s people. And centuries before He was born, the prophet Ezekiel, by the inspiration of God, saw that Christ was coming and what He would do.

The New Testament calls Jesus the “son of David” many times (Matthew 1:1; 20:30; 21:9; 22:42; Romans 1:3), indicating that He was a descendent of King David, and therefore could fulfill the prophecies concerning one of David’s descendants ruling over God’s people (2 Samuel 7:12-13; Psalm 89:3-4; Isaiah 9:6-7; Jeremiah 33:17; Luke 1:32-33). But He would rule in a much different fashion. Christ rules and reigns in the hearts and lives of His people. God is far more interested in being in a personal relationship with His people than He is in physical, material and military kingdoms.

David was a shepherd and he understood shepherding. He wrote, after all, one of the most famous passages in the Bible—the 23rd Psalm. There he said, “The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want.” He knew about a personal relationship with God. He did not know as much about it as we do now, having received the revelation of God in Christ. But he loved the Lord and he was close to the Lord. And he was a type of Jesus in that Jesus Himself is the good Shepherd over the people of God (John 10:11, 14).

Jesus was born in Bethlehem, the city of David. And he was the royal heir to David (Matthew 1:1, 2:1). His faithfulness to God is far more marvelous than anything David ever put together in his relationship with God. And Christ’s ability to rule over and lead God’s people could never be compared to anyone else’s rule and reign in any literal sense. There is no one like Jesus and there never has been anyone like Jesus.

Jesus was anointed by the Holy Spirit at His baptism (Matthew 3:16). Just as Samuel was sent by God down to the house of Jesse to anoint David as king (1 Samuel 16:1-13), Jesus is the Christ, the real anointed one of God (“Christ” literally means anointed one). Everything concerning David’s kingship was a picture of what was coming in the future.

David was a sinner like the rest of us. He was a man of flesh, but he was also a man of faith, which points to the fact that no matter how badly we may mess up our lives, we can always repent and be faithful to Jesus and live our lives in a way that is pleasing to God. God’s forgiveness is deep and real, and He uses flawed individuals who make the decision to put their faith in Him. He can do this because the one that David foreshadowed and pointed to—Jesus—was a sinless and perfect man who lived and died for us.

So while David was a faithful king over God’s people, Jesus is the eternal, perfect Shepherd-King over the spiritual kingdom of God, where He rules and reigns forever. David ruled for forty years (1 King 2:11). Christ rules until the end of time (1 Corinthians 15:24).

Christ Jesus is the “David” that Ezekiel was talking about, not only because He was from David’s kingly line, a real descendent of David physically, but mainly because He was chosen and anointed to be the one who was adored and exalted by God to reign at His right hand over God’s people (Colossians 3:1-2; Hebrews 1:1-3; 12:1-2). Jesus is ruling and reigning now in the kingdom of God. In Peter’s Pentecost sermon in Acts chapter 2, he interpreted the prophecies concerning Jesus ruling on David’s throne as being spiritually fulfilled in His reign at God’s right hand in heaven (Acts 2:29-36).

So Ezekiel’s prophecy was far deeper and more meaningful than just a “new king.” Jesus would be a completely different KIND of king. And He would rule over a united kingdom, which David’s earthly, united kingdom only pointed to. Israel was physically and militarily united under David. But all of God’s people, both Jews and Gentiles, are united in Christ (Galatians 3:28: Ephesians 2:14-22). So what Ezekiel saw in his vision and gave in his prophecy was far more than just a new king, but an entirely new relationship with God through someone who could not only lead us as king, but represent us as priest. And transform us by His Holy Spirit (Ezekiel 36:26-27; 37:26).

God accomplished something through Jesus that could never have been accomplished under an ordinary man like David. The Son of God has done what the old covenant could not do. He takes our sins away completely and makes us new creatures in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17). Everything is new when we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior—as our “King.”

Our relationship to this new “David” is not a political or military one. We live in His spiritual kingdom, the church, the body of Christ. This is what God has been working toward since the Garden of Eden, and, properly understood, throughout eternity: a personal relationship with Him through our Lord Jesus Christ.

                    Bryan Dewayne Dunaway

LOVING BECAUSE HE LOVES

The Bible does not command emotions, but it does command love. So biblical, Christ-like love is more than a feeling. It may involve feelings and lead to feelings, but it is a decision to put the well-being of others above our own. It is doing for others exactly what Christ has done for us– thinking of them first.

This kind of love is only demonstrated by the believer whose dependence is upon Christ. We look to Christ as our example, because He loved us when we did not deserve to be loved. And we still don’t, yet He still does. God’s love was fully shown when “Christ died for us” even “while we were still sinners” (Rom. 5:8).

This kind of sacrificial love stands in contrast to the way that the world views love. This is not something that you “fall into.” It is a decision of the will. We decide to love others, whether we feel like it or not. God’s love for us shown in Christ is not a feeling. It was a decision to take care of us. So this is the way that we are to treat others. We are to “walk in the path of love, just as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us” (Eph. 5:2).

Without love, the best deeds we can do mean nothing (1 Cor. 13:1-3). And true, Christian love is defined by how it deals with others. Paul wrote that “love is patient, love is kind...love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things” (1 Corinthians 13:4,7).

Christ-like love “covers a multitude of sins” (1 Pet. 4:8). It will overlook the faults of others, and it will cause God to judge us with the same mercy and kindness that we show to others (James 2:13; Matt. 7:1-2). You can never love “too much.”

The greatest thing in the world is love. Because “now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love” (1 Cor. 13:13). Yes, if you dedicate yourself to loving Christ Jesus and loving others because of your love for Him, then you will be doing exactly what we are supposed to do on this earth. Loving God and loving others, Jesus said, is what God’s intention for us has always been (Matt. 22:36-40).

We are to love others because our God is love. He defines love. Christ is our salvation, our covenant, and He is our love. “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God” (1 John 4:7). Nothing shows that we belong to God and receive our life from God like love does.

Without this reflection of God’s nature in our lives, we cannot claim to be followers of Christ. “Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love” (1 John 4:8). It is easy to see the logic. God is love itself. Jesus is love embodied. If we claim to be united with Him by faith, which is what being a Christian really means, then we will be people of love.

Let God’s amazing love change you and flow through you to other people.

     Bryan Dewayne Dunaway

DEPARTING TO BE WITH CHRIST

What is death like for the Christian? It is a departure to go and live somewhere else. It is moving from one location to another. That is all it is. It is not something to be feared, it is something to which we should look forward. Until then, we live for Christ for as long as God keeps us on this earth.

To leave the body in death is to go and be with the Lord, something that Paul said was “far better” than remaining on earth (Phil. 1:23). Nothing that this world can offer compares to what the believer has now and will have in Christ Jesus eternally. This is why it is so important to set our mind on things above (Col. 3:1-3). We should lay up for ourselves treasures in heaven rather than on earth (Matt. 6:19-21).

The reason that we think this way is because we know that to be “absent from the body” is to be “present with the Lord” (2 Corinthians 5:8). We are either here on earth or in heaven with Jesus. There is no other place for us. If we are not here, we are there. So when a believer dies, it means that he or she is with the Lord.

Because of the resurrection of Jesus and the promises that He makes, we know that the end of earthly life is a peaceful transition into the presence of Christ (1 John 3:2). There will be no sorrow or suffering there. It is a perfect place prepared for people who have been made perfect by the love of Jesus.

Jesus has promised that He will return from heaven to take us to be where He is (John 14:3). Why do Christians say things like, “This world is not my home”? Because our hearts are wherever Jesus is. He is our treasure, and where our treasure is, our hearts will be (Matt. 6:21). We look forward to heaven because we want to be with Jesus forever.

The reason that we do not sorrow “as those who have no hope” is because the promises of Christ are our consolation that we will live forever (1 Thessalonians 4:17). Focusing on Christ is the greatest adventure in life. We are free to serve Christ for the rest of our lives because we know we love Him and want to be with Him forever. He is our life, and eternal life with Him is what true existence is.

The best is always yet to come for the Christian. Serve Him faithfully for the rest of your life, looking forward to being with Him forever.

      Bryan Dewayne Dunaway

THE WONDERFUL CHRIST

He is the most important man who ever lived. He had the greatest impact on the world that anyone has ever had. The Son of God came into the world to save sinners. And that is exactly what He does. He is a “friend of sinners” (Matthew 11:19; Luke 7:34). And those who will admit their sin—the fact that they have transgressed the will of their Creator, Almighty God—will find in Him the best friend they have ever had. No one has ever loved or cared for you like Jesus does.

“This comes from the Lord Almighty as well— the Lord of hosts is wonderful in counsel and magnificent in wisdom” (Isaiah 28:29). The Lord is perfect and wonderful in every way. The things He knows, the wisdom He shares, the things He has done for us, the things He is doing for us presently, and the things He will do for us in the future and eternally all speak to the wonderful love and magnificence of Jesus.

One of the things that Christ’s earthly life reveals to us is that all of His works are good and mighty and wonderful. He makes no mistakes. He does no wrong. We often hear believers say that “God is good all the time.” And that is a totally accurate statement. It is impossible for God to do something that is not good.

A woman was healed by Jesus from an infirmity she had been dealing with for eighteen years (Luke 13:10-17). Luke described deeds such as this as “glorious things” being done by Jesus. His deeds were glorious and wonderful because His heart was glorious and wonderful. And these things are still true.

Our Lord is wonderful. Nothing can compare to Him. You will never exhaust beautiful things to think about Him. Set your focus today on Christ. Think about His wonderful nature. His unfailing love. His marvelous goodness. The magnificence of His person. Fill your thoughts with these things. The things of Christ.

     Bryan Dewayne Dunaway

SAVED.

Everyone who does not have Christ is lost. What a terrible thought to be separated from God! That is what lost means. Being lost means that you will be separated from your Creator if you do not remedy the matter by being saved. Jesus came into the world to save sinners (1 Tim. 1:15).

What Jesus wants to do is save you. God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved (John 3:17). To be saved is to be rescued by Jesus. And it is a very simple process.

Some people wonder if they can be saved. But this is a foolish way of thinking. Anyone can be saved because Christ came to save anyone who so desires to spend eternity with Him in heaven. If you will repent of your sins – which means to turn away from sinning on purpose, and decide to live for the Son of God – and trust in Christ as your Savior, you will be saved. “Whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved” the Bible says.

Jesus does not try to save you. He saves you to the uttermost (Heb. 7:25). That means that He saves you as fully as anyone could ever be saved. All the salvation that you need is found in Jesus. All that the word salvation encompasses is in Jesus. He is not enough. He is more than enough. He will bring you from captivity to freedom, from being lost to being saved.

Do not look away from the Cross of Jesus Christ. Do not let go of the hand of our tender Shepherd Jesus. He will save you. He is willing and He is able to save to the uttermost. Be saved. There is no reason not to. God wants you to be saved.

Bryan Dewayne Dunaway

THE LORD’S SUPPER

Jesus established the Lord’s Supper on the night He was betrayed and arrested. It is a memorial to the death and resurrection of Jesus, pre-pictured and foreshadowed by the Jewish Passover meal.

It was during a Passover celebration with his disciples that Jesus took bread and gave it to them. He said, “This is my body, which is given for you; remember me when you do this” (1 Corinthians 11:24). After they had finished eating, He took the wine and said, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; whenever you drink this, do it in remembrance of me” (1 Corinthians 11:25). It is a sermon of sorts, because every time we partake of the Lord’s Supper, Paul said, we proclaim the return of Christ until it happens (1 Corinthians 11:26).

The new covenant of Christ was sealed with His blood. Jesus died to save us and to initiate the covenant that was prophesied in Jeremiah 31:31. Because Jesus died for us, we do not live under a law system where we depend on our ability to get things “right.” We live in a relationship of love and acceptance with the Christ who died for us.

As sinful creatures often do, the Lord’s Supper had been corrupted by the church in Corinth, and Paul wrote to them to correct those abuses. To partake of the bread and the cup means that you believe in Christ in a personal relationship and you realize that it is a “participation in the blood of Christ and in the body of Christ” (1 Corinthians 10:16).

Partaking of the bread means that we are one in Christ (1 Corinthians 10:17). There is a serious warning from the apostle about taking the Lord’s Supper in an “unworthy manner” because it displays a failure to seriously and soberly “discern the body” (1 Corinthians 11:27, 29). So believers are warned to “examine themselves” before participating (1 Corinthians 11:28).

This command is not meant to drive you away from the Lord’s Supper. On the contrary, it causes you to look away from yourself and your sin to Christ, to put your faith in Him and to recognize your unity in Jesus with every other believer. You honor the sacrifice of Christ’s body on the cross, and you honor the unity of Christ’s spiritual body, the church.

Being a part of this memorial to Jesus has tremendous significance and power in the Christian life. But it is a simple memorial to be done in a simple way: in appreciation for what Christ has done for you and in appreciation for what He has done for all of your brothers and sisters in Christ.

Jesus is the “bread of life,” the giver of eternal life to all who put their trust in Him (John 6:35, 48, 51). One of the most challenging things our Lord ever said was that we as believers eat His flesh and drink His blood. If we do, we are in a relationship with Him and have eternal life (John 6:54, 56).

Jesus was not talking about the Lord’s Supper when He spoke of eating His flesh and drinking His blood. But the metaphor He used there points to the same thing to which the Lord’s Supper points: we are saved and sustained by the finished work of Christ. We feed on Him by having faith in Him in a daily relationship of trust and obedience. This is where our spiritual sustenance comes from.

All of these things are about “communion” with Jesus and with one another. And they point to the eternal communion we will have with Christ and His people in heaven (Matthew 26:29; Revelation 19:9).

So the Lord’s Supper is a concrete way to remember and celebrate the salvation that we have in Jesus and the unity that we share with one another. It is a beautiful act of faith that is done in remembrance of and in honor of Jesus. It points to the fact that Jesus died so that we can have our sins forgiven (Matthew 26:28), and it establishes the new covenant which His blood has brought about (Luke 22:20).

The church that was established by Christ in the New Testament “continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread and in prayers” (Acts 2:42). We do the same thing today because we want to share fellowship with one another and celebrate the blood of Jesus that makes that possible (1 John 1:3).

Assembling together in faith and sharing in the Lord’s Supper encourages us to continue serving Christ (Hebrews 10:25). We are to draw closer to Christ, and we are to appreciate one another and draw closer to one another in the unified body of believers (Romans 12:5). And that is what the Lord’s Supper is all about.

             Bryan Dewayne Dunaway

FIGHTING THE GOOD FIGHT

Near the end of his life, Paul summed up the way that he had lived by saying that he had fought the good fight (2 Tim. 4:7). He saw his life as a battleground. Every day was a fight to do what was right.

Paul knew, as we should all know, that there is a devil and many demonic forces in association with him looking to destroy us and keep us from following Christ. “Be alert and vigilant because your enemy the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Pet. 5:8).

The devil was after Paul, but the devil was not going to stop him from fulfilling his mission. Rather than looking at the devil, Paul looked to Jesus. He kept his focus on Jesus and he endured tremendous suffering and adversity for the name and cause of Christ Jesus. Paul was no superhero. He was a regular man who depended on the same strength that is available to us.

The only “secret” that Paul knew was to focus on Jesus. By focusing on Christ, he was able to live his life for Jesus, to sustain his faithfulness over the course of his Christian walk. He did not look back or turn back to the world because he had truth and he had the power of Christ.

You can have the same thing. Fighting the good fight of faith means to continue to trust Jesus no matter how hard things get. We need to realize that life is not, nor has it ever been, nor will it ever be, a picnic or a walk in the park. We are in enemy territory, and living for Jesus is difficult. So difficult that we cannot do it ourselves. We must rely on the power of the living God. Everything that we need is already ours in Jesus. What we must do is stay connected to Christ by faith.

Your life is not going to be easy, but you can fight the good fight. Paul not only did it himself, but he told others to do it. “Fight the good fight of faith,” he told Timothy. And he would say the same thing to us. This is God’s cause. Fight. Fight for what is good, fight what is evil.

Realize that you do not fight against other people, other humans made in the image of God (Ephesians 6:12) but against the spiritual forces of darkness in this evil world. And we fight for the cause of our Lord Jesus Christ by staying close to Him, and depending upon Him rather than upon ourselves. Faith is the victory that overcomes the world (1 John 5:4).

       Bryan Dewayne Dunaway

CALVINISM: “TOTAL DEPRAVITY”

Those who hold to the Calvinistic doctrine of “total depravity” go too far in their interpretation of the fallen state of humanity. This view contradicts many plain Bible passages, as well as causes some to think that they cannot exercise their will and their choice to make things right with God through Jesus. Which everyone can do.

The fall of humanity in the Garden of Eden must be taken seriously, because it has resulted in the corruption of everyone’s mind and will to an extent (Romans 5:12, 19). We go much too far, however, when we imply or state that because mankind is “fallen,” that therefore means that they/we cannot do anything good, not even make our own choice about whether or not we will follow Christ. Without God choosing for us, “total depravity” teaches, we cannot accept Christ. Think of that. Is that what the Bible really teaches? That people are so evil they cannot even exercise their choice to accept Christ? Is that what you really think? Have you read the book?

“Total depravity” is where “Calvinism,” a false system of belief and teaching, starts. There are five basic points to Calvinism and this one is the first. It teaches that a person who is not saved is so corrupt that they cannot choose to believe in Jesus. This, of course, contradicts many Bible statements and examples concerning people who exercised the human choice God has given to all of us to make our own decisions about whether or not we will receive or reject Christ.

It is true that the Bible says that there are “none who seek after God” (Romans 3:11). This is why Jesus came to seek and save the lost (Luke 19:10). But He would not have had to seek and save the lost if the lost had already been “elected” in advance as individuals to be saved. That is totally illogical and silly. Jesus came to seek people who had already been chosen? Then that is not real seeking. He just “pretended” to seek according to Calvinism. No they do not say it that way, and most of them probably do not realize that is the logical conclusion of their views. But it is.

No, the truth is Jesus is seeking to save everyone who is lost. Which necessarily means that everyone can be saved. God seeks us first, but He seeks us through the Gospel message of Christ, not by making our decisions for us. That is not “seeking.”

Rather than interpreting Paul’s statement and the Old Testament quotation from which it comes—“there are none who seek after God”— as indicative of a complete and total, utter depravity on the part of all individuals, we should do better than that. Paul clearly meant it as an indictment of those who reject God for themselves, particularly those who reject the Gospel, since the Gospel is what the Book of Romans is about.

To understand the Bible, you must interpret statements in their context. And in the context, Paul had already noted the fact that Gentiles, although without the Law, can “do by nature what the Law requires” (Romans 2:14). Before they come to Christ, they are not “totally depraved” as Calvinists teach it.

It is certainly a Bible truth that we, at our core, do not care about God while we are living in rebellion against Him. Until we are confronted with the power of the Gospel, no one comes to Jesus. The Gospel is the power of God unto salvation (Romans 1:16). And the Gospel is a message that people are free to receive or reject. When a person hears the Gospel, they are not so corrupt that they can’t understand it or receive it unless they have been “elected” by God in advance. We are corrupt and sinful, but Calvinism uses this Bible truth to catapult into things that are NOT true.

The same man who wrote Romans chapter 3 told a group of unbelievers in Acts 17 that God created all of us so that we would “seek Him and find Him, because He is not far from any of us.” What is the matter with Paul? Can’t he keep his “theology” straight? Well, the fact of the matter is, Paul wasn’t worried about being a “dignified theologian.” He was a simple man of faith, following Christ and sharing Christ with everyone because he knew that everyone can be saved.

So, according to Calvinism, God created mankind so He could elect some to salvation and to elect others—whether “passively” or “actively”—to damnation in hell. Paul, however, said that God created mankind to seek Him and to find Him. Which means that they CAN find Him. He would not be expecting us and requiring us to seek Him if it were impossible for us to seek Him.

So the two ideas must be balanced. There is a sense in which there is none that seek after God. That describes the sinfulness of humanity. But Calvinism wants to “help the Gospel out” by taking it further than Paul intended. Paul said that people can seek God and find Him. Everyone can do that, not just some He “chose” in eternity past while NOT “choosing” others.

Without the Gospel, we cannot seek God. But with the Gospel, we can. The grace of God allows us to. God has predestined that those who will choose to trust in Jesus will be saved. Anyone can do that. But we don’t deserve salvation when we believe. We never deserve salvation. We are saved because God graciously saves us if we choose to believe. Grace enables us to be saved, but it does not coerce us to (Acts 17:30, 34).

Calvinism likes to rely on verses like Genesis 6:5, which says that the thoughts of mankind’s hearts was “only evil continually.” They say that that is literally true of everyone. But they are wrong. Noah, who lived in that corrupt society, is described as “a man of righteousness, blameless in his generation” who “walked with God” (Genesis 6:9). Was he just a puppet whom God made to walk with Him? Of course not. The thoughts of HIS heart were not ONLY “evil continually.” He willingly sought after God.

Abraham’s faith was credited as righteousness (Genesis 15:6), and he made his own choice to follow God (Genesis 22:18). Job is described as "blameless and upright" (Job 1:1). Daniel is also recognized for the fact that he was not corrupt (Daniel 6:4).

These people were not robots. They were people who knew right from wrong and made the decision to do what is right. To say that people cannot choose to do right and accept Christ is against the Bible and against any rational notion of human psychology and behavior.

If people cannot choose to do right, then why should unbelievers be punished for breaking the law? Even human law is not “totally depraved,” because it does not hold people responsible for things they cannot help. A traffic accident where someone’s life is taken, for example, is far different from someone willfully taking another’s life. Why does human law make that distinction? And we are supposed to believe that God Almighty does not make that distinction? That God condemns people for doing something they cannot do unless He does it for them? And that He chooses not to do it for everyone?

Maybe the lawbreaker has not been “elected” by God, and therefore he cannot do anything good, so he constantly does bad and breaks the law. If it is not his fault, why should he go to jail? But even Calvinists say it IS his fault. Because they know, as we all know, that everyone has the capacity to choose to do right or wrong in their lives. And they have the capacity to choose to accept Christ as their Savior, as well.

The Bible does not teach that EVERYTHING people do is evil. We have all done enough evil to be lost and we all need a Savior. But it is NOT true that mankind cannot choose to do things that are right. And it is certainly not true that one cannot choose to accept Christ.

There is a call to mankind to repent and this necessitates a human response that we can choose to make (Acts 17:30). Christ’s parable of the sower (Matthew 13:3-8) illustrates that people hear the same Gospel message, but they choose to respond to it differently. Some choose to receive it and some choose to reject it because everyone has the capacity to do both (Hebrews 4:7). We make the choice who we will serve—God or the devil (Joshua 24:15).

A biblical and simple view of the corruption of mankind through sin reveals that we can only be saved because God is gracious enough to save us (Ephesians 2:1, 8). But this is not the “depravity” of Calvinism. Calvinism says you are so corrupt that you cannot choose to follow Jesus unless God makes that choice for you. Which means you really make no choice at all.

But mankind does not possess a complete inability to do any good whatsoever. “Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do the things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law. They demonstrate that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts sometimes accusing them and at other times even defending them” (Romans 2:14-15). This statement was made by Paul before he wrote that there are “none who seek after God” and he was talking about people before they receive Christ and who had not received Christ. Paul certainly did not believe in Calvinism’s “total depravity.“

The correct view of the Bible is to say that all people have been extremely affected by sin, but they still have the image of God in them (Genesis 9:6). All have the ability to accept His salvation (Revelation 3:20). Jesus Himself said that those who “hunger and thirst for righteousness” will be filled (Matthew 5:6). He was talking to the general population.

Even after the fall of man, and in spite of it, God has graciously endowed all with the capacity to do good and to make independent choices about following Christ.

        Bryan Dewayne Dunaway

YOU MUST BE FAITHFUL UNTIL THE END

You cannot quit. You cannot receive Jesus and live like the world. You cannot accept Christ, serve Him for a while and then go back to the world. If you do, you will forfeit salvation.

We must be devoted to Christ for the rest of our lives. While we cannot live perfectly, we can live faithfully. That is something that we can decide to do and must decide to do. God does not save those who return to the devil’s side.

The Bible tells us that we must “fight the good fight of faith” (1 Timothy 6:12). That fight is ongoing for the rest of our lives. We cannot quit the fight. We are also admonished to “run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith” (Hebrews 12:1-2). Endurance means that you keep on going until the end.

If what Jesus said about Himself is true, then His very nature demands sustained faithfulness. “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). The truth is, He IS the way, and you cannot quit going His way if you expect to have life.

Jesus said of His followers, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; without me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). This means at least two things. The only way that we can do the work of God and be His people is by the strength that He provides. Without Him, we can do nothing. And it also means that we must remain in Him. You cannot remain in something you never had in the first place. And He would not tell us to remain in Him if it were impossible for us NOT to remain in Him.

The spiritual and biblical declaration that “he who endures to the end will be saved” (Matthew 24:13) is definitely true and should be accepted and taught by everyone who claims to be a Christ follower. If someone thinks they do not have the strength to be faithful, then focus on HIS faithfulness. If you want to stay saves, He will keep you saved. “The Lord is faithful; He will give you strength and guard you from the evil one” (2 Thessalonians 3:3). But He will not do this for those who do not remain in a faithful relationship with Him.

Only those who are “faithful, even to the point of death” will receive the “crown of life” (Revelation 2:10). There is no heaven, no eternal salvation, promised to those who quit. But, since quitting on Jesus is a choice, that means you don’t ever have to do it. You can decide to stay faithful. And if you have gone away from Jesus and have stopped following Him, then you can decide to come back and He will receive you.

Jesus’s parable of the talents teaches that the Master will say to some, “Well done, good and faithful servant!” (Matthew 25:21). Obviously, if you have not been faithful to Him until death, you will not hear that. Faithfulness to Jesus is required for salvation. You SHOULD do it, you MUST do it, and you CAN do it. Start from where you are and decide that you will be faithful to Jesus for the rest of your life.

        Bryan Dewayne Dunaway