Dr. Hook: "I Got Stoned and I Missed it"

The first time I heard this song was on a comedy show called Doctor Demento. It was done by a pianist named Shel Silverstein and it described a druggie who kept missing life's opportunities.

Listen to Dr. Hook performing this song live here.

There are many times in our lives when we miss opportunities. The one I wish nobody would miss is the gospel.

Jesus told a parable about four kinds of soils. Only one grew a good crop. Matthew 13:23 (Bible in Basic English) tells us, "And the seed which was put in good earth, this is he who gives ear to the word, and gets the sense of it; who gives fruit, some a hundred, some sixty, some thirty times as much."

Furthermore, Paul tells us why some accept the gospel while others don't in Romans 8:13 and 14 (BBE). "For if you go in the way of the flesh, death will come on you; but if by the Spirit you put to death the works of the body, you will have life. And all those who are guided by the Spirit of God are sons of God."

Now some folks might be angry with me for including Acts 13:48 (BBE) to show that God planned for only some to be born again. "And the Gentiles, hearing this, were glad and gave glory to the word of God: and those marked out by God for eternal life had faith."

Of course predestination doesn't let us off the hook. As Romans 10:14 (BBE) says, "But how will they give worship to him in whom they have no faith? and how will they have faith in him of whom they have not had news? and how will they have news without a preacher?"

So if the Lord doesn't return by Saturday, I hope to post about how one stupid act can effect so many people.

Why is Christ Delaying His Coming?

It's been about two-thousand years since Christ walked on our planet. He promised to return but we haven't seen any sign of his coming. Additionally, the signs Pentecostal denominations  claim to be indications of his return are so vague.

So, when will our Lord return? Scripture indicates that God has a set number of those who will be saved. As Jesus prayed in John 17:24 (BBE), "Father, it is my desire that these whom you have given to me may be by my side where I am, so that they may see my glory which you have given to me, because you had love for me before the world came into being."

I'm sure that some folks will object, saying that Christ was praying only for those disciples gathered with him at that time. But Jesus said in John 17:20 (BBE) that, "My prayer is not for them only, but for all who will have faith in me through their word;"

Some people believe that the offer of salvation is open-ended, meaning that it depends upon us spiritually dead humans to repent and believe on Christ. One scripture they quote is Acts 2:21 (BBE). "And whoever makes his prayer to the Lord will have salvation." But that doesn't mean that there aren't an unlimited number who can be saved.

One word we Christians use to describe this set number of believers is predestination. It means that God picked some folks to be saved before the world was made. As Paul mentioned in 1 Timothy 2:9 (BBE), referring to Christ, "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,"

Even the plan of salvation was decided before time began. As Titus 1:2 (BBE) mentions, "In the hope of eternal life, which was made certain before eternal time, by the word of God who is ever true;"

In one of Christ's parables, he gave an example of how the end of this sinful age will be. Matthew 13:47 and 48 (BBE) reads, "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net, which was put into the sea and took in every sort of fish: When it was full, they took it up on the sands; and seated there they put the good into vessels, but the bad they put away." Notice that it was only one cast, not many and all the fish in the net were sorted at that time.

This is one topic I'll tackle in my next book called You Think You're Going to Heaven? None of us knows who's predestined to be saved so we need to tell everybody the good news. Some will repent and some won't. that's just the way it is.

I'll be featuring one of my favourite songs on Saturday. Steve Miller recorded one about humanity leaving the Garden of Eden. I think you'll enjoy it, especially the harmony of the voices.

Who Do Some Christians Think They Are?

 I've shown in the previous two posts that both predestination and choice are true in the Bible. God chooses to save some and we also have the ability granted by him  to surrender to him. It's a conundrum which our puny minds can't comprehend.

This paradox reminds me of a fly buzzing against a window pane. It can't figure out what's blocking its way, yet it sees the outside world through the glass. We're like that fly when we strive to grasp the unfathomable and infinite mind of God Almighty.

Isaiah 64:8 (KJV) aptly shows our relationship to the Lord. "But now, O LORD, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand." Therefore, who do people think they are to question his omniscient will?

Jeremiah 18:6 (KJV) is another example of God likening himself to a master potter and we as being mere clay. "O house of Israel, cannot I do with you as this potter? saith the LORD. Behold, as the clay is in the potter's hand, so are ye in mine hand, O house of Israel."

Lest anybody think this is just an Old Testament mandate, look at what Paul wrote in Romans 9:21 (KJV). "Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour?" This, by the way,  is the reason that he favoured Jacob over Esau.

Job sure learned his lesson regarding questioning God's intelligence and wisdom. The final three chapters of the book of Job show how the Lord showed through questions that we mere humans are as nothing compared to the Almighty. Like Paul wrote in Romans 9:20 (KJV), "Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus?"

I likewise learned my lesson regarding judging God's motives, though not in such a dramatic way as Job did. In How I Was Razed, I showed how misinformed I was about the Lord and how he graciously led me to know him as he truly is. Please check out my wondrous testimony memoir at Amazon.

 

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.

Why Hasn't Christ Come Yet?

Remember how I said in my previous post that God predestinated some people to be born again? This ties in with today's topic. I believe that there are a set number of individuals who will be saved before Christ returns to judge the world. This is why he seems to be taking a long time before returning to put the world right.

Why do I think this? First of all, Jesus mentioned several times during his ministry on earth that the Father had given him followers who became his disciples. He had lost none but Judas who wasn't really genuinely saved. By extension, we can see that all who follow the Lord willingly and with all their hearts will be on his right hand at the Judgement Day. From all the studying I've done, there is no extension to his limited time offer of salvation.

John also pointed out in his epistles that some Christians stopped believing in him because they really didn't believe in the first place. In the sixth chapter of John's gospel, a large crowd followed Jesus until he spoke metaphorically about consuming his flesh and drinking his blood. Those who left were only interested in earthly food and to make Christ a military leader. Devoting themselves spiritually to him and his teachings was out of the question.

Fickle followers left because Jesus stressed following him and taking up of the cross for his disciples. This doesn't mean putting up with a disability or a chronic difficulty. Instead, we identify with him though it might mean being martyred. The title "Lord" isn't some nice complement we say to butter him up but a declaration that he owns us. He purchased souls on the cross through his atoning death, therefore all who believe in him are his possessions.

In my next post, I'll reveal the answer to the question of why Christ did miracles. After all, most of Christ's followers  turned away once they realized that the free food and healings wouldn't go on forever. Watch this space.

Which is it, Predestination or Free Will?

Now that you know how God could forgive even seemingly unforgivable sins, have you thought about how he chooses  us verses how we choose to follow Christ? This subject has caused theologians to metaphorically chase their tails for millennia.

Even my nephew Logan Huard asked me about free will verses predestination. John MacArthur's answer makes the most sense to me, even if I can't explain how it could be.

According to the Bible, both are true. How so? There are verses which state that before the world began, God determined to save certain individuals. The sign of their predestination is their willingness to follow Christ and surrender all to him. Furthermore, Jesus thanked his father, God, for all those he had given him. This implies that there are a certain number of followers who would put their trust in Christ.

On the other hand, the Bible is filled with verses exhorting people to believe in the Lord. Jesus said in John 3:16 that whosoever believed on the son should be saved. The word "whosoever" means anybody who lets Jesus be Lord of their lives and who follows him.

"But how could it be both?" I'm sure somebody is asking. The short answer is that it is what it is. Just as a triune being makes no sense to our puny minds, so does having choice and predestination at the same time makes no sense. It's like light being both made of waves and particles.

My next book will be dealing with subjects like this, thanks to excellent Bible scholars whom I've learned from.

Speaking of these expert expositors, I'll share the reason why Jesus Christ hasn't returned yet. Preachers keep predicting his return but end up being a hundred percent wrong every time.