Answering Objections

I am one of the teaching elders at Sanford Bible Church. We recently completed a series of messages titled, Answering Objections to Free Grace. Here are the 12 objections that we addressed:

• Objection #1: Free Grace does not teach that an unbeliever must turn from sins (repent) to be saved.
• Objection #2: Free Grace is easy believism.
• Objection #3: Free Grace cheapens grace by not requiring commitment and good works.
• Objection #4: Free Grace teaches that a person can reject Jesus as Lord but still be saved.
• Objection #5: Free Grace teaches that a saved person does not have to show evidence of good works.
• Objection #6: Free Grace leads to false assurance of salvation.
• Objection #7: Free Grace is a recent historical and theological aberration.
• Objection #8: Free Grace is an irrelevant minority movement.
• Objection #9: Free Grace leads to license.
• Objection #10: Free Grace is antinomian.
• Objection #11: Free Grace teaches that faith is merely mental assent.
• Objection #12: Free Grace teaches that a person can apostatize and still be saved.

If you are interested, those messages can be heard on the website for Sanford Bible Church: http://sanfordbiblechurch.org/messages.html.

I did quite a bit of research for the message dealing with the accusation that “free grace is a recent historical and theological aberration.” As a result, I wrote a paper titled A History of Free Grace: Tracing the Controversy. It was submitted to the Grace Research Room. After passing a peer review it was posted there: https://www.gracelife.org/resources/grr/.

As you might imagine, I am not letting the grass grow under my feet.

Blessings,

Bob

* * *

Looking Unto Jesus

By C.H. Spurgeon

It is ever the Holy Spirit’s work to turn our eyes away from self to Jesus; but Satan’s work is just the opposite of this, for he is constantly trying to make us regard ourselves instead of Christ.  He insinuates, “Your sins are too great for pardon; you have no faith; you do not repent enough; you will never be able to continue to the end; you have not the joy of His children; you have such a wavering hold on Jesus.” All these are thoughts about self, and we will never find comfort or assurance by looking within.  But the Holy Spirit turns our eyes entirely away from self: He tells us that we are nothing, but that “Christ is all in all.” Remember, therefore, it is not your hold on Christ that saves you—it is Christ; it is not your joy in Christ that saves you—it is Christ; it is not even faith in Christ, though that be the instrument—it is Christ’s blood and merits; therefore, look not so much to your hand with which you are grasping Christ, as to Christ; look not to your hope, but to Jesus, the source of your hope; look not to your faith, but to Jesus, the author and finisher of your faith.  We will never find happiness by looking at our prayers, our doings, or our feelings; it is what Jesus is, not what we are, that gives rest to the soul.  If we would at once overcome Satan and have peace with God, it must be by “looking unto Jesus.” Keep your eye simply on Him; let His death, His sufferings, His merits, His glories, His intercession, be fresh on your mind; when you wake in the morning look to Him; when you lie down at night look to Him.  Oh! let not your hopes or fears come between you and Jesus; follow hard after Him, and He will never fail you.

 

Bob’s Fall Report

Fall is definitely in the air here in Central Florida. The nighttime temperatures have been dipping into the 60's and the daytime temperatures have been in the 80's rather than 90's. The leaves are falling from the trees as we approach November. Unfortunately, the leaves are not the only thing that has been falling.

Last Friday, I went out to eat with friends. As we were walking in the parking lot of a Mexican restaurant, I tripped over a curb and fell on the pavement. Initially, it looked like my left knee took the brunt of the fall. I scraped it pretty good, and it was beginning to swell. When we got inside, I asked for a baggie with some ice. That took the swelling down right away. I knew that my shoulder and ribs also suffered some damage from the fall. I consulted with one of the nurses here when I got home. She felt like I did not suffer any broken bones. There were no external signs of injury to my torso. But when I would take a deep breath, I felt some pain. The following day the pain to my ribs and shoulder was worse. The level of pain did not begin to subside until Tuesday. On Monday I sneezed, and it felt like someone shot me in the back with a 357 magnum at point blank range. Yesterday I sneezed and the guy only shot me with a 22 that time. I guess that means that I'm getting better. I still have some pain using my left arm, but it is not nearly as bad as it was at the beginning of the week. I have seen progress in the last 7 days as my body recovers from that fall. I would appreciate your prayers for my continued healing.

My new contact lenses are working great for which I am very thankful. God has certainly answered prayer concerning that need.

Our Biblical Resource Group continues to update some old doctrinal papers that were written a number of years ago for New Tribes Mission. We are definitely making good progress. There is an approval process that the papers need to go through before they can be officially posted. Sometimes it feels like getting approval for the papers is the slowest part of the process. 

Blessings,

Bob

* * *

From Effort to Rest

Exhaustive effort brings home the necessity of strengthening rest. The believer will not be ready to enter into his spiritual rest until he is utterly worn out by his unsuccessful efforts to conquer sin and the old man. There is no rest for the "wretched man" of Romans 7—that struggle must lead to the rest of Romans 8. -MJS

Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death? Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. -Rom. 7:24, 8:1

 

 

October Update

Last month I mentioned a problem I have had with one of my contact lenses. CooperVision no longer makes the Hydrasoft lens I have used for years in my left eye. We tried several Bausch and Lomb lenses which correct for astigmatism and none of them worked as well as the discontinued Hydrasoft lens.

I am happy to report that we found the solution to the problem. It has to do with something called “monovision” which I have used for years. With monovision, one lens is prescribed to see better at a distance, and the other lens is prescribed to see better close-up. All we did is change which eye is for distance and which eye is for reading. It worked perfectly. In fact, I am seeing better now than I have for years. PTL!

In last month’s letter I also mentioned an “internal webpage” for Ethnos360 USA that I have been helping to create. The page is done and now it is a matter of adding content. We have a section for doctrinal papers, a section for book reviews, and a section called Voices from the Past which has articles written by many older theologians. Right now we do not have a lot of content there, but we are adding papers and articles on a regular basis. Our Biblical Resource Group is in the process of revising and updating 22 doctrinal papers that were written a number of years ago for New Tribes Mission. We just finished revising the paper on Dispensational and Covenant Theologies.

There are seven fellows who are members of the Biblical Resource Group. Five live here in Sanford Florida, one works at our training institute in Canada, and one works at our training institute in the United Kingdom. We meet once a week to discuss things like the papers that we are working on. The five who live here meet in my living room and the other two meet with us via video conference on the internet. We wanted to make our group available to field doctrinal questions that come from members of Ethnos360 USA. So we set up an email distribution list for our folks to use and posted the email address on our Biblical Resources page. When anyone sends an email to that address, it comes to all 7 of us to see and respond to. We had our first question the other day which came from the chairman of our Papua New Guinea field. The question related to N.T. Wright and the New Perspective on Paul. A few years ago, I wrote a couple of chapters on that topic in the book Navigating the Minefields of Bible Interpretation. I sent him those two chapters and we had a good chat via email.

BTW, that book was not published in a hardcopy format. But you can find the PDF files here: http://www.sanfordbiblechurch.org/articles_issues.html

Blessings,

Bob

* * *

Religion vs Christianity

There is a vast difference between religion and genuine Christianity.

Religion consists of two letters: D-O.

Christianity consists of four letters: D-O-N-E.

So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit. John 19:30

 

The Amazing Human Eye

The human eye is amazing. It is incredible how quickly an eye can heal. I’m told that with proper care, it takes only about 48 hours to repair a minor corneal scratch. Each eye is composed of more than 2 million working parts. It has more than 1 million nerve fibers that connect each eye to the brain. For this reason, doctors cannot do a total eye transplant since they are not able to reconstruct all those connections. They can transplant the cornea, but that is different than transplanting the entire eye.

Just think of it! All these intricate details developed over millions of years by random chance through accidental mutations. At least that is what many believe. But where there is design, there must be a Designer. I mentioned that to my eye doctor the other day and she agreed with me.

I went in for an eye exam at the beginning of August. I wear contact lenses and have astigmatism. Toric contact lenses will correct for astigmatism, but not all toric lenses are created equal. And my eyes are very finicky. The new toric lens for my right eye works great. But the new toric lens for my left eye, is really not working for me. It does not work as well as my old toric lens. Here’s the problem. CooperVision has discontinued that type of contact lens. My dilemma is to find another contact lens that will correct as well as my old CooperVision Hydrasoft lens. So far, I am not having much success. I would appreciate prayer for this. It is frustrating to have an old lens that works perfectly but needs to be replaced only to find out that new replacement lenses that I have tried do not work as well as the old standby.

Last month I mentioned that our Biblical Resources and Theology group was working on a paper for Ethnos360. The paper stresses the importance of following sound principles of Bible interpretation. So far it has had good reviews by those who have read it. We are also working on revising some old doctrinal papers that really need to be updated. We have 22 papers to review and revise, so this project could take a while. I am also helping to create an “internal webpage,” so to speak, where our folks will be able to access these papers as well as other Biblical resources that we are making available.

Blessings,

Bob

* * *

God’s Purpose

The one purpose our Father has in view, in all His ways, is to conform us to the image of His Son. This may explain our perplexities as to the past; it will govern our behavior in the present; it is to be our guide in the future. The chief concern of our Lord is not to instruct us about a multitude of details, not to explain to us the reason for the trials which we are called to pass through. He is working out everything to serve His one supreme aim in manifesting the character of His Son in His saints.

—Henry Frost (Director of China Inland Mission)

 

The importance of Bible interpretation

I love this verse in the book of Nehemiah:

So they read distinctly from the book, in the Law of God; and they gave the sense, and helped them to understand the reading. (Neh. 8:8)

The Hebrew word sekel, which is translated “sense” could also be rendered insight, understanding or meaning.

Why was it necessary to give the sense or meaning to the people? The Aramaic language replaced Hebrew after the captivity. Therefore, it was necessary to explain many words of the Hebrew Scriptures.

The importance of sound principles for Bible interpretation cannot be overstated. Most doctrinal error can be traced back to erroneous methods of Bible interpretation.

Our Biblical Resources and Theology group is currently working on a paper for Ethnos360. The paper stresses the importance of following sound principles of interpretation. We begin the paper with this introduction:

Paul told Timothy, “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth (2 Tim. 2:15).” It is critical that we handle God’s Word accurately. That begins with how we interpret the Bible. If we get that wrong, we are in danger of going off track.

As students of God’s Word, we need some principles and guidelines that will help us obtain objectivity in our interpretation of Scripture.

We will be presenting that paper to our organizational leadership team for approval. Once approved, the paper will be made available to all our members. We would appreciate your prayers regarding that approval process and any revisions that might need to be made to the paper.

Blessings,

Bob

* * *

Literal Interpretation

“About the time of the End, a body of men will be raised up who will turn their attention to the prophecies, and insist upon their literal interpretation in the midst of much clamor and opposition.” —Sir Isaac Newton

 

A shelter in the time of storm

I am told that “hurricane season” for Florida begins around June 1^st. Each year before “hurricane season” we have a chapel here on “hurricane preparation.” It is a good reminder to stock up on emergency supplies before the shelves in the stores are bare.

I play guitar and sing tenor for a little gospel band called “Homemade Jam.” We sang a few songs before our “hurricane preparation” chapel back in May. One of the songs we did was quite fitting—A Shelter in the Time of Storm. The last line in the chorus goes:

“Oh, Jesus is a Rock in a weary land, a Shelter in the time of storm.”

But we modified the words a bit:

“Oh, Jesus is a Rock in a weary land, a Shelter in a hurricane.”

So we have been into “hurricane season” for 1 month and I see that tropical storm Elsa is now brewing in the Caribbean and might be headed our way. We would sure appreciate your prayers concerning that.

Lord willing and the creek don’t rise, the Free Grace Alliance will be having their annual Summit in Daytona Beach next week—July 9^th through 11^th. The theme of the Summit is “Our Identity in Christ.” I will be speaking on Saturday the 10^th regarding “The Importance of Our Identity in Christ.” Then on Sunday the 11^th I will be bringing the morning message at Sanford Bible Church. Between a possible hurricane/tropical storm and message preparation, it could make for an interesting week. To top things off, I have been without an internet connection since a lightning storm on Saturday fried the cable that goes into my modem. That actually got fixed yesterday afternoon and I was back online for about 3 hours. And then another storm knocked out the internet for all of us on our property.

We are definitely in rainy season here in central Florida. We have rainstorms with lightning most every afternoon. My poor plants have actually been getting too much rain. The leaves on my pepper plants have been turning yellow and curling which is a sign of too much water. But I was able to pick a bunch of Jalapeno and Hungarian Wax peppers so that I could pickle them. I have also harvested a bunch of Tabasco and Chiltepin peppers to dry in my food dehydrator. I am finding that my “gallbladderless” stomach is now able to handle hot peppers! Yippee!

Blessings,

Bob

* * *

Can You Sleep When the Wind Blows?

Years ago, a farmer owned land along the Atlantic seacoast. He constantly advertised for hired hands. Most people were reluctant to work on farms along the Atlantic. They dreaded the awful storms that raged across the Atlantic, wreaking havoc on the buildings and crops. As the farmer interviewed applicants for the job, he received a steady stream of refusals.

Finally, a short, thin man, well past middle age, approached the farmer. “Are you a good farm hand?” the farmer asked him. “Well, I can sleep when the wind blows,” answered the little man.

Although puzzled by this answer, the farmer, desperate for help, hired him. The little man worked well around the farm, busy from dawn to dusk, and the farmer felt satisfied with the man’s work. Then one night the wind howled loudly in from offshore. Jumping out of bed, the farmer grabbed a lantern and rushed next door to the hired hand’s sleeping quarters. He shook the little man and yelled, “Get up! A storm is coming! Tie things down before they blow away!” The little man rolled over in bed and said firmly, “No sir. I told you, I can sleep when the wind blows.”

Enraged by the response, the farmer was tempted to fire him on the spot. Instead, he hurried outside to prepare for the storm. To his amazement, he discovered that all of the haystacks had been covered with tarpaulins. The cows were in the barn, the chickens were in the coops, and the doors were barred. The shutters were tightly secured. Everything was tied down.

Nothing could blow away. The farmer then understood what his hired hand meant, so he returned to his bed to also sleep while the wind blew.

Moral: When you’re prepared, spiritually, mentally, and physically, you have nothing to fear. Can you sleep when the wind blows through your life? The hired hand in the story was able to sleep because he had secured the farm against the storm. We secure ourselves against the storms of life by grounding ourselves in the Word of God. We don’t need to understand, we just need to hold His hand to have peace in the middle of storms.

 

They began well but

Something grabbed my attention in Exodus 24 this morning. In verses 9-11, we read “Then Moses went up, also Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, and they saw the God of Israel. And there was under His feet as it were a paved work of sapphire stone, and it was like the very heavens in its clarity. But on the nobles of the children of Israel He did not lay His hand. So they saw God, and they ate and drank.”

The scene that lay before these select men must have been awe-inspiring. Out of the whole nation of Israel, only 74 men were privileged to witness this amazing sight. That elite group included Moses, Aaron and Aaron’s two oldest sons Nadab and Abihu who served as priests in Israel.

But John 1:18 tells us that “no one has seen God at any time.” So how is this possible that these men saw God and lived? Dr. Constable explains, “We must understand the statement that the leaders of Israel saw God in the light of other passages. Perhaps they only saw His feet or, more exactly, a representation of part of God in human form.”

Not only did these men witness this wonderful scene, but they also participated in a meal with the God of the Universe! This was no ordinary meal. The meal was part of the ratification ceremony of God’s covenant with Israel. What a privilege to be chosen to participate in this amazing event!

I don’t know how old Nadab and Abihu were when they witnessed this ceremony. But if this was the beginning of their ministries as priests, I cannot think of a more auspicious commencement to their priestly office.

Although Nadab and Abihu began well, their lives ended tragically!

In Leviticus 10:1-2 we read, “Then Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, each took his censer and put fire in it, put incense on it, and offered profane fire before the LORD, which He had not commanded them. So fire went out from the LORD and devoured them, and they died before the LORD.”

Somehow, their lives got off track. Paul warned Timothy about some who had suffered shipwreck with regard to their faith (1 Tim. 1:19). That certainly describes Nadab and Abihu. Thankfully, we have One who is able to keep us from stumbling, and to present us faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy (Jude 24). Let’s keep looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith (Heb. 12:2)!

Blessings,

Bob

* * *

Abide Above

But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us … made us alive together with Christ … and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus. (Eph. 2:4-6).

Believers are not occupying their position! At best, most are trying to attain a victorious position by means of prayer, Bible study, commitment, reconsecration, surrender, and so forth. But the answer is simply to abide where we have already been placed—in our risen Lord Jesus Christ. Abide above, and keep looking down!

Let the facts of your position overwhelm the feelings of your condition.

—Miles Stanford

 

Ice Cream and Hot Peppers

It was about a month ago, that I was in the hospital having my gallbladder removed. This last month has been interesting as I have been navigating life without a gallbladder.

When I found out that I needed to have surgery to remove my gallbladder, I figured that my diet would probably have to change. So, I looked at the websites of Mayo Clinic and Johns Hopkins to get an idea of what changes I would need to make after surgery. Both recommended a low-fat diet and to avoid spicy foods. That was not exactly what I wanted to hear. What was I going to do with all the hot peppers growing in my garden?! Then I began talking with folks who had their gallbladder removed. They pretty much said that their diet really did not change all that much.

When I left the hospital, I had a decision to make. Do I follow the advice of the “medical experts” changing to a low-fat diet and letting all my hot peppers go to waste? Or do I go with the “word on the street” of those who actually have had their gallbladder removed?

You guessed it. I went with the “word on the street,” and I paid dearly!

Enter the bowl of ice cream from hell! Less than 24 hours after being discharged from the hospital a kindly neighbor brought me over some “comfort food.” It was only 2 small scoops of ice cream. After being on a 5-day liquid diet in the hospital, my shriveled-up stomach could only handle 2 small scoops. After suffering several hours of indigestion, those 2 small scoops ended up in the toilet as I vomited up that high-fat ticking timebomb. I learned the hard way that Mayo Clinic and Johns Hopkins, probably knew what they were talking about.

Later it dawned on me that my informal “word on the street” survey did not factor in one important part of the equation. I asked, “How has your diet changed since having your gallbladder removed.” Their answer was based on their current diet 2-years, 5-years, or 10-years after the surgery. It was not based on 3-days after having their gallbladder removed.

Actually, I am eating things now, 30-days after the surgery, that would have caused me problems 3-days after the surgery. I am still trying to figure out what I can and cannot eat.

Recently, I have been able to help some folks out with their computer issues. I feel like I am getting my strength back and it is a blessing to climb back into the saddle and help out with computer issues.

Blessings,

Bob

* * *

God’s Delays

“And when forty years were expired, there appeared to him in the wilderness of Mount Sinai an angel of the Lord in a flame of fire in a bush…saying…I have seen the affliction of my people which is in Egypt, and I have heard their groaning, and am come down to deliver them. And now come, I will send thee into Egypt” (Acts 7:30, 32, 34).

That was a long wait in preparation for a great mission. When God delays, He is not inactive. He is getting ready His instruments, He is ripening our powers; and at the appointed moment we shall arise equal to our task. Even Jesus of Nazareth was thirty years in privacy, growing in wisdom before He began His work. —Dr. Jowett

God is never in a hurry but spends years with those He expects to greatly use. He never thinks the days of preparation too long or too dull.

 

The Blessing of Extra Eggs

It shall come to pass That before they call, I will answer; And while they are still speaking, I will hear. —Is. 65:24

A number of months ago, I was told by my doctor to schedule a blood test in April. Last week I went to the website of Quest Diagnostics and made an appointment to have my blood drawn on Tuesday morning. Quest is inside the Walmart in Osteen Florida. That is where I also do my grocery shopping. Since COVID hit, I have been using Walmart’s pickup service. I put in my order online and then schedule a time slot to pick it up. I love it. Before using the pickup service, I would spend half my time wandering up and down the isles of Walmart trying to find things on my shopping list. To me, that is really frustrating. And then I have to wait in the checkout line, and I hate waiting in lines. I always pick the line where the person ahead of me wants to carry on a 2-hour debate with the cashier over the price of an item. Using the pickup service, I park in the designated lot and they bring my groceries out to me and load them into my Jeep. So yesterday, I had my blood drawn at Quest. Then I jumped into my Jeep, drove around to the side of Walmart and picked up my groceries and I was on the road back home. How convenient!

This morning I received an email informing me that the results of my blood test were in. So, I logged into my account on Quest and read the report. There were several items related to my blood cells that seemed out of whack. Not being a medical expert, I did not know how to make heads or tails out of the numbers. The first item was that my red cell count was low. In the recesses of my mind, I thought that might be an indication of anemia. So, I did a search and sure enough I was right. I researched all the other out-of-whack numbers and every one of those pointed to anemia. Then I thought to myself, “that explains why I have been feeling weak and have no energy!” I just thought that having a gallbladder removed saps your energy. I had no idea about the connection to anemia.

Then I began researching anemia. What do I need to eat in order to increase my red cell count?

Spinach. Check—I have that growing in my garden and it is ready to harvest.

Salmon. Check—I have that in the freezer as well as some canned salmon in my kitchen.

Eggs. Check—I have plenty of those also because that was part of my Walmart order that I picked up yesterday. Hang on! Eggs? Are you kidding me?! Those will help to increase my red cell count?

The pieces of the puzzle began to come together. Lights began to flash, and sirens started going off in my head.

You see, I do not eat eggs very often. A dozen eggs can seriously last me for 2 months before I will buy more. In my Walmart order, I had selected a dozen large eggs. Every now and then Walmart will make substitutions to your order if they do not have something in stock. And they will usually upgrade you to the next best thing without charging you anything extra. So, instead of receiving a dozen large eggs, I was given 18 large eggs for the same price as I would have paid for a dozen. I drove away as a happy camper. I thought to myself: “Thank you Walmart, but 18 eggs in my fridge could last an awful long time!”

Now if I could look into the mind of Jehovah Jireh (the God Who Provides), I imagine He might have been thinking: “Bob really needs to be eating more eggs to get his red cell count up. He should have ordered 18 eggs rather than just a dozen. So, I better help him out and put in an extra half dozen eggs even though he does not understand why just now!”

Thank you, Lord! And thank you Walmart!

Blessings,

Bob

Baby Steps

It is 2am and I cannot sleep. I am suffering from horrible stomach cramps, gas and bloating. Why, oh why did I eat that…

Let me backup and explain.

I was wondering how my diet would have to change after having my gallbladder removed. So, I looked at websites like Mayo Clinic and Johns Hopkins. They all said that without a gallbladder, your stomach has a hard time processing foods with high fat content. That means a low-fat diet. And that’s NOT what I wanted to hear.

So, I asked real people who have had their gallbladder removed about their dietary restrictions. Pretty much everyone said that they could eat most anything that they wanted. Now, that’s what I wanted to hear. I decided that I am going with the “word on the street.” What do these medical experts know anyway?!

BIG mistake!!!

At least initially, it is better to ease into the shallow end of the pool rather than jump into the deep end.

Enter the culprit.

Attention baseball fans, now taking the mound is Smokin’ Joe Ice-cream. His stats are off the charts. With an ERA of just under 1.00 he has a fat content of 20 grams. He is unhittable.

My poor little stomach was not ready to face Major League pitching. I need to go back to T-Ball.

Of course, my favorite movie is “What About Bob.” And the theme of that movie is “baby steps.” I definitely need to implement “baby steps” as I learn to adjust to life without a gallbladder.

I appreciate your prayers for learning how to adjust.

Blessings,

Bob