The Cup

“Then said Jesus unto Peter, Put up thy sword into the sheath: the cup which my Father hath given me, shall I not drink it?” — John 18:11

“For in the hand of the Lord there is a cup, and the wine is red; it is full of mixture; and he poureth out of the same: but the dregs thereof, all the wicked of the earth shall wring them out, and drink them.”

— Psalm 75:8

Christian, that cup of wrath is our well-deserved portion for all eternity, but God who is so rich in mercy sent his own Son to drink that cup and endure that punishment in our stead.

Unlike what dispensationalists teach, Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection from the dead was always the first and only plan of salvation for the only true Israel — the Israel of God.[1]

The cup which my Father hath given me, shall I not drink it? Jesus asks rhetorically. If He did not, there would be no hope for Peter, or John, or any of us. Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished[2].

Human reason unaided by the Holy Spirit does not understand how the death of Christ guarantees eternal life. But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise[3]… and Jesus says that His hour, the crucifixion, is in fact his triumph and glory, not his defeat.

“The hour is come that the Son of man should be glorified… Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour: but for this cause came I unto this hour.[4]”

So there is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus[5], but that cup is still waiting for everyone who rejects the gospel. The wicked spoken of in Psalm 75 are all those who are not ordained to eternal life.[6]

Selah.

Scriptures: [1] Gal 6:16 [2] 1st Cor 15:18 [3] 1st Cor 1:27 [4] John 12: 23,27 [5] Rom 8:1 [6] Acts 13:48

The Gospel is a Gift

The Independent Fundamental Baptist movement is popular because the preachers espouse “conservative” beliefs while delivering fiery sermons with lots of audience interaction. I understand the appeal of this and even admit that I’m entertained by the wild statements, the stories, and the theatrical meetings.

IFB sermons are laced with some truths, but it’s important to listen carefully, because these fiery and theatrical sermons often fail to convey the simple truths and the pure beauty of the everlasting Gospel.

Some IFBs claim that there are multiple conflicting gospels between Peter, Paul, and Jesus, some say there was no gospel at all in the Old Testament, and some say the gospel is about faith alone, while neglecting God’s grace entirely.

Sure, you’ll hear Ephesians 2:8 repeatedly, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God…”, but the words “grace” and “gift of God” are overlooked while emphasis is placed on the human will to put faith in Jesus.

First, there are no conflicts. There is only one everlasting Gospel from the beginning of time to the end, with multiple administrations and Jesus Christ as the culmination of them all. Jesus Christ is God in flesh. He is the ultimate sacrifice and he has existed since the beginning of time. This is the Gospel.

Second, faith is a gift of God and it is bestowed on us by God himself. We must not get this backwards, thinking that because we had the sense to put faith in Jesus Christ, we are then saved. We are saved by God’s grace alone, which grants us the ability to live by faith in our Lord and Savior. It is not that we made a choice to put faith in a thing. It is that God graced us with the ability to act on faith.

Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you…

-John 15:16

"When thou saidst, Seek ye my face; my heart said unto thee, Thy face, LORD, will I seek..."

-Psalm 27:8

I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word.

-John 17:6

I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine.

-John 17:9

God has chosen those on earth who will come to the Christ by faith. If we believe this to be offensive to the idea of free will, then we should continue to Ephesians 2:9, “Not of works, lest any man should boast.”

Salvation is not a personal achievement and there is no place for boasting as if we were accepted into Harvard Law School. When we are called, we are called to turn our eyes to the Lord and not to ourselves.

“But he that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.”

-2 Corinthians 10:17

And this is the danger of free-will faith. You are able to glory in yourself, that you were wise enough, humble enough, self-aware enough on your own to "choose" Christ, as if your conscience were unspotted by sin. Theologians call this darkened understanding the noetic effects of sin. Our reasoning is darkened by sin prior to conversion. Jesus said that "Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." How can you choose what you are not even able to begin to see?

Once you believe you’re good enough to say that sinner’s prayer (under the pressure of a somber hymn and a fast-talking deacon of course) and to make that choice for Jesus, you’ve just put the weight of salvation on your own shoulders rather than attributing it to God.

There may come a time after when you are tried and you will think of how good and strong you were that day, but you will fall because your faith will have been misplaced.

Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.

-1 Corinthians 10:12

I have learned that it is a great error to neglect God’s free grace and I pray that God would use erroneous teachings to magnify the truth, the simplicity, and the beauty of the everlasting Gospel in his Word.

Amen

The Contrite Ones

“I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.” — Isaiah 57:15

“Verily, verily, I say unto you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live.” — John 5:25

The psalmist asks in Psalm 24, Who shall ascend in the hill of the LORD? or who shall stand in his holy place? The answer given is, He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully[1]. Meaning that those that are fit to enter heaven are those who are perfectly righteous in all their thoughts, words, and actions.

Why then in Isaiah is it showing us those that have had their hearts revived? To be revived implies that they were once dead. For I was alive without the law once: but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died.[2]The wages of sin is death[3].

There is some debate among Christians as to the nature and extent of the Holy Spirit’s work and conversion in the Old Testament. The only answer to this question I can derive from Scripture is that salvation was always by grace through faith and always lead to a regenerated or “circumcised” heart[4]. Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight.[5]

Turning to John 5, Jesus says that the hour is coming and now is when the dead are being brought to life. He is not a God of the dead, but of the living: for all live unto him.[6]Notice that a few verses later he does not say that the hour is coming and now is that the dead shall come out of the grave.[7]That hour is not yet. But the scripture is very careful to distinguish between spiritual resurrection and bodily resurrection as well as between spiritual death and bodily death[8]. For dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.[9]

But surely the hour was and continues to be the day of salvation, in which people dead in trespasses and sins are being quickened together with Christ…to sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus[10].

Hallelujah and amen!

Scriptures: [1] Ps 24:3-4 [2] Romans 7:9 [3] Romans 6:23 [4] Deuteronomy 30:6 [5] Romans 3:20 [6] Luke 20:38 [7] John 5:28-29 [8] Matthew 10:28 [9] Genesis 3:19 [10] Ephesians 2:1-6