----- Original Message -----
Sent: Sunday, September 06, 2009 8:26 PM
Subject: Re: Undeserved Grace and Mercy: The Coming Judgment
Christianity is defined by doctrine and not by "love". Love is a way of fellowshipping with others and it is a moral obligation. However, to place your human views of what constitutes love above God's teaching on love through the moral law is to put yourself in God's place. Essentially, you are making yourself equal to God, which is the same idolatry Paul condemns in Romans 1:18-32.
While love is certainly one of God's attributes as a perfect and divine being, it is not the only attribute of God. God is also holy and therefore cannot tolerate evil to any degree whatsoever. Those who practice immorality without any conviction by the law or the Holy Spirit reveal themselves as lawless, which Scripture condemns along with legalism and works righteousness. (Galatians 1:6-8). Simply because we are not under the law as a means of meriting our salvation and justification does not mean we have a license to sin all we like. Not at all. Rather, we grieve the Holy Spirit when we sin (Ephesians 4:30) and we pray for more strength to live a life that pleases God and testifies to others that we truly have been regenerated and renewed by the Holy Spirit. (See 1 John 3:1-5).
It gives me little pleasure to be "anathematized" by those who have no understanding of the propositional and doctrinal truths proclaimed in Holy Scripture. On the contrary, it grieves me that such deception is so popular in the so-called "evangelical" world at large. (2 Thessalonians 2:9-12). Much that passes for Christianity and evangelicalism is merely false doctrine repackaged in flashy wrappings.
If you truly love those who are lost, you would be trying to convert them instead of giving them a false assurance in their lack of repentance. The true gift of repentance (Acts 5:31; 11:18) involves the monergistic empowering of the sinner by the Holy Spirit to turn from sin and self-righteousness to a total trust and dependence on Christ and Christ alone to save him or her from their own sin and self destruction. God can and does justly harden the hearts of the reprobate for His own secret purposes. Yet no one can excuse his or her rebellion by saying God made them that way (Romans 9:19-23).
If we understood the horrors of an eternal hell and separation from God's presence, we would crawl on glass for miles to warn others about the coming judgment of God. I speak figuratively, yet the reality of hell is no mere metaphor.
Sincerely in Christ,
Charlie
From: Charlie J. Ray
To: Linsey Loll
Sent: Sunday, September 06, 2009 8:26 PM
Subject: Re: Undeserved Grace and Mercy: The Coming Judgment
Christianity is defined by doctrine and not by "love". Love is a way of fellowshipping with others and it is a moral obligation. However, to place your human views of what constitutes love above God's teaching on love through the moral law is to put yourself in God's place. Essentially, you are making yourself equal to God, which is the same idolatry Paul condemns in Romans 1:18-32.
While love is certainly one of God's attributes as a perfect and divine being, it is not the only attribute of God. God is also holy and therefore cannot tolerate evil to any degree whatsoever. Those who practice immorality without any conviction by the law or the Holy Spirit reveal themselves as lawless, which Scripture condemns along with legalism and works righteousness. (Galatians 1:6-8). Simply because we are not under the law as a means of meriting our salvation and justification does not mean we have a license to sin all we like. Not at all. Rather, we grieve the Holy Spirit when we sin (Ephesians 4:30) and we pray for more strength to live a life that pleases God and testifies to others that we truly have been regenerated and renewed by the Holy Spirit. (See 1 John 3:1-5).
It gives me little pleasure to be "anathematized" by those who have no understanding of the propositional and doctrinal truths proclaimed in Holy Scripture. On the contrary, it grieves me that such deception is so popular in the so-called "evangelical" world at large. (2 Thessalonians 2:9-12). Much that passes for Christianity and evangelicalism is merely false doctrine repackaged in flashy wrappings.
If you truly love those who are lost, you would be trying to convert them instead of giving them a false assurance in their lack of repentance. The true gift of repentance (Acts 5:31; 11:18) involves the monergistic empowering of the sinner by the Holy Spirit to turn from sin and self-righteousness to a total trust and dependence on Christ and Christ alone to save him or her from their own sin and self destruction. God can and does justly harden the hearts of the reprobate for His own secret purposes. Yet no one can excuse his or her rebellion by saying God made them that way (Romans 9:19-23).
If we understood the horrors of an eternal hell and separation from God's presence, we would crawl on glass for miles to warn others about the coming judgment of God. I speak figuratively, yet the reality of hell is no mere metaphor.
Sincerely in Christ,
Charlie
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