Argent, "Hold Your Head Up"

What a great song this was from the summer of 1970. Ron Argent had a hit with his band but never had another. Take a listen to this encouraging song performed live here:

We Christians need to hold our heads up too, but not because of pride. We read in 1 Peter 2:9 (Bible in Basic English) how we have been set apart from those who rejected Christ. "But you are a special people, a holy nation, priests and kings, a people given up completely to God, so that you may make clear the virtues of him who took you out of the dark into the light of heaven."

Not only that but we were chosen from before time began. Paul wrote of our special selection by God in 2 Timothy 1:9 (BBE) when he wrote of the Lord, "Who gave us salvation, marking us out for his purpose, not on account of our works, but in the measure of his purpose and his grace, which was given to us in Christ Jesus before times eternal,"

Better still, we can rely upon what Christ said to his Father regarding his disciples in John 17:12 (BBE). "While I was with them I kept them safe in your name which you have given to me: I took care of them and not one of them has come to destruction, but only the son of destruction, so that the Writings might come true."

Being the Good Shepherd, Christ promised us who follow him in John 10:27 and 28 (BBE(, "My sheep give ear to my voice, and I have knowledge of them, and they come after me: And I give them eternal life; they will never come to destruction, and no one will ever take them out of my hand."

Finally, our confidence isn't in our works and outward appearance but in our heavenly Father. As 1 Corinthians 1:30 and 31 (BBE) proclaims, "But God has given you a place in Christ Jesus, through whom God has given us wisdom and righteousness and salvation, and made us holy: So that, as it is said in the holy Writings, Whoever has a desire for glory, let his glory be in the Lord."

And if our Lord hasn't returned by Saturday, I hope to post about a lovely ballad which we can all apply to Christ.

Parsing 2 Peter 3:9

Our Bible certainly is a remarkable tome. No matter how long and hard we study it, we discover truths which we never realized before.

I've been a Christian since 1969. After learning error from an aberrant house church, I had to unlearn their lies and learn the truth. For decades, I thought 2 Peter 3:9 was about God's wish that everybody would be born again. It was also one scripture which the cultic church I attended claimed meant that everybody would be eventually saved.

So, what does this verse actually mean? A preacher named Voddie Baucham showed in one sermon that this scripture doesn't mean God's permissive will but that God's waiting for all the believers to come to faith in Christ.

This verse in the Bible in Basic English reads, "The Lord is not slow in keeping his word, as he seems to some, but he is waiting in mercy for you, not desiring the destruction of any, but that all may be turned from their evil ways."

In the previous verses, Peter was speaking of those mockers who doubted God's future judgement upon them. As he wrote in 2 Peter 3:3 and 4 (BBE) that, "Having first of all the knowledge that in the last days there will be men who, ruled by their evil desires, will make sport of holy things, Saying, 'Where is the hope of his coming? From the death of the fathers till now everything has gone on as it was from the making of the world.'"

After pointing out that the world was destroyed in the flood, he wrote in 2 Peter 3:7 (BBE), "But the present heaven and the present earth have been kept for destruction by fire, which is waiting for them on the day of the judging and destruction of evil men."

Then we learn that time is no problem for our Father. As 2 Peter 3:8 (BBE) says, "But, my loved ones, keep in mind this one thing, that with the Lord one day is the same as a thousand years, and a thousand years are no more than one day."

This verse changes the focus from the scoffers to the "loved ones" to whom he was writing. It reassures them, and us, that the seaming slowness of God to punish the scoffers is done for a good reason. That reason is revealed in verse nine.

For decades, I was taught that 2 Peter 3:9 was addressing sinners. Now, by Voddie Baucham's use of simple grammar, I realize that Peter was speaking of those who our Lord chose for Christ. Look at what John 17:9 and 10 (BBE) says. "My prayer is for them: my prayer is not for the world, but for those whom you have given to me, because they are yours. All mine are yours, and yours are mine) and I have glory in them."

We learn about these "loved ones" whom our Lord chose in 2 Timothy 1:9 and 10 (BBE), "Who gave us salvation, marking us out for his purpose, not on account of our works, but in the measure of his purpose and his grace, which was given to us in Christ Jesus before times eternal, But has now been made clear by the revelation of our Saviour Christ Jesus, who put an end to death and made life unending come to light through the good news,"

What a joy it is then that our Master will lose none of the people whom his Father has predestined for salvation. We need not fear losing our place in heaven because of some kind of damning sin.

I'll be writing about our assurance of salvation in my next book called You Think You're Going to Heaven? As John MacArthur observed, he would have lost his salvation long ago if it were possible to lose it.


On Thursday, I'll deal with another misunderstood passage of scripture.

How Does God's Omniscience Work?

This sounds like a complex question but it's really quite simple. As Isaiah 40:28 (KJV) says, "Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding."

Prophesies fulfilled also prove that the Lord has planned everything out from the beginning. Revelation 1:8 KJV) tells us, "I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty."

Proverbs 22:2 (KJV) also explains, "The rich and poor meet together: the LORD is the maker of them all." He knows us thoroughly so he also knows what he has planned for us to do.

The Apostle Paul also wrote of God's omniscience in 1 Corinthians 2:7 (KJV). "But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory:"

Paul likewise wrote about God in 2 Timothy 1:9 (KJV). "Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,"

God knows even what we think and what future generations will believe. Isaiah 66:18 (KJV) prophesies, "For I know their works and their thoughts: it shall come, that I will gather all nations and tongues; and they shall come, and see my glory."

I'll write more about how God is omniscient in my next book called You Think You're Going to Heaven? Because we can't explain everything about God doesn't mean those things aren't true. His ways are far above ours.

Who Called Whom?

As I promised in my previous post, I now deal with the thorny issue of predestination. Some Christians believe that it's up to us to call upon Christ for salvation and he doesn't predestinate, choose beforehand, whom he will save. Others believe that we had no part in being chosen by God. I agree with John MacArthur that both are true. The fact that we can't wrap our pea-brain minds around both ideas being simultaneously true doesn't cancel them out.

Consider all the scriptures which state that God called us. Here's but a few of them:

(1 Corinthians 1:2 KJV)  Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours:

(1 Peter 2:9 KJV)  But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:

(Jude 1:1 KJV)  Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, to them that are sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ, and called:

(Revelation 19:9 KJV)  And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God.

(2 Timothy 1:9 KJV)  Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,

It's plain to see that the Lord chose some to be saved. In my next post, I'll show how we are also expected to call upon Christ for salvation. Watch this space.