“He that hath no rule over his own spirit is like a city that
is broken down {has been breached},
and without walls {without
protection from attack}” (Proverbs 25:28).
God divides
humanity into two categories of people by the priorities and practices of their
lives. These two categories are given us
in I Thessalonians 5:1-10. These two
categories are “children of light,” also referred to as “children of the
day.” The other is those who are “in
darkness” or those who live their lives in “the night.” Those people who are of “the night” are those
that live their lives for carnal, selfish, licentiousness. These are the drug addicts, the sexual
perverts, the drunkards.
The one word that
describes those that are of “the night” is the word Hedonism. Hedonism is defined as “the
doctrine that pleasure or happiness is the sole or chief good in life.”[1] Those who believe in and
practice Hedonism are known as Heathens. A Heathen
is defined as “one who has little or no religion and who delights in sensual
pleasures and material goods: an irreligious
or hedonistic person.”[2]
Can a Christian be a Hedonist or a
Heathen? The purist definition of the word Christian
is described by the Apostle Paul in Romans 7:22, “For I delight in the law of God after the inward man.” Therefore, the differentiation between the
Christian and the Hedonist/Heathen is
not about pleasure, but in what we find pleasure or delight. The Hedonist/Heathen
can find pleasure in things God forbids - sin. The Christian finds pleasure solely in doing
the will of God. A
Christian cannot be a Hedonist or a Heathen.
“1 But of the times and the seasons,
brethren {Christians}, ye have no
need that I write unto you. 2 For yourselves know perfectly that the
day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. 3 For when they
shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as
travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. 4 But
ye, brethren, are not in darkness,
that that day should overtake you as a thief. 5 Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. 6
Therefore let us not sleep {while it is
daytime}, as do others; but let us watch and be sober. 7 For
they that sleep sleep in the night {the
righteous}; and they that be drunken {the
unrighteous} are drunken in the
night. 8 But let us {the
redeemed}, who are of the day,
be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the
hope of salvation. 9 For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to
obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, 10 Who died for us, that,
whether we wake or sleep {at all times of
the day}, we should live {presently
in this life} together with him {the
resurrected life in the power of His indwelling Spirit; now as we will in our
glorified state in perfect fellowship with Christ}” (I Thessalonians 5:1-10).
The War Scroll, from the Dead Sea Scrolls, tells us that the faithful
remnant of Israel (the “Sons of Light”) believed they would fight a war in the
last days against the Kittim (most
probably refers to all non-Jews, including even unfaithful Jews). In the War
Scroll, this latter group is referred to as the “Sons of darkness.” These two historical phrases, the “Sons of
Light” and the “Sons of darkness,” give us a view of the understanding of
Scripture by the faithful remnant of believers just before and at the time of the
first advent of Jesus Christ. The term
“sons” reflects and understanding of generations
or descendants. The idea of producing righteous generations,
or children, is reflected in Genesis 6:9.
“These are
the generations {descent or family history/lineage} of
Noah: Noah was a just man {tsaddiyq, tsad-deek’;
righteous, the implication is that he was a redeemed sinner justified by the
grace of God through faith and sincerely trying to live a righteous life before
God} and perfect {without blemish or undefiled} in his generations {posterity; meaning he was a descendant of a line of people of faith and
faithfulness}, and Noah walked with God {The meaning of this is explained in Genesis 6:22; ‘Thus did Noah;
according to all that God commanded him, so did he.’}” (Genesis 6:9).
Obviously, producing a righteous
generation of descendants does not happen by merely producing children. In other words, it is not simply saved
parents living righteous lives that will automatically procreated saved children
who also will live righteous lives. The
Bible is redundant with contradictions to that false idea. Producing a heritage of godly descendants
will require great and consistent effort on the part of the parents within a
carefully controlled corporate ethic.
Children will need to
be brought to understand that they are sinners by nature and condemned under
the curse of God upon sin. They will
need to understand that God expects them to turn from a life of sin to pursue a
life of righteousness (repentance). Children
will need someone to explain to them their need of being “born again” and how
to do so. Therefore, they need someone
to explain faith in God and faith as the means of receiving God’s gift of
redemption. Then, they will need to be
taught their responsibility to engage the forces of evil, including their own
sin natures, in the endless daily struggle against
sin and for righteousness. This is what defines a Son of light. The Sons of light are those decisively joined to the host of Heaven
in combat with evil.
Children “of darkness” will be the natural
consequence of parents living unrighteous and worldly lives. Being children
of darkness will certainly be the natural consequence of parents who are
unredeemed, carnal, selfish, and reject the Word of God as authoritative in
their lives. The governing principle of
both physical and spiritual procreation is that everything produces “after his
kind” (Genesis 1:24-25). It will require
great effort and consistency on the part of sinners, even though “born again,”
to produce a godly seed of “born again” righteous living children.
When most people
think of Antichristism, they think in
terms of demonic forces that oppose anything that is righteous and godly. That is certainly true of all that is antichrist. However, seldom does anyone really consider
that Satan has infected every human being with the nature of Antichristism at the fall of mankind
into sin. This Antichristism that lies
within every human being is described in Romans chapter five. We all are described as:
1. “Ungodly” (Romans 5:6)
2. “Sinners” (Romans 5:8)
3. “Enemies” of God (Romans
5:10)
4. Carriers and
transmitters of “death” (Romans 5:13)
Salvation is not a magic wand waved over our lives
automatically correcting all our deficiencies.
The victory over Antichristism
must begin within our own hearts and lives as “born again” believers in Jesus
Christ. The greatest hindrance to
victory over Antichristism is
biblical ignorance and the selfish carnality that continue to dominate the
lives of professing believers.
Professing Christians are easily led astray because they are ignorant of
Bible doctrine, especially the doctrines of grace, of holiness, of separation
from worldliness, and of the priesthood of all believers. They know enough to pray a prayer and perhaps
get their souls saved, but they are never genuinely invested in learning
doctrine to the degree they get their lives saved. Even though they are “born again,” Antichristism continues to reign as
their slave master because they have
not learned to habitually yield to the indwelling Christ.
Since Antichristism resides within every
Christian in our fallen natures (the “old man,” Romans 6:6), the solution to
the domination of Antichristism in a
believer’s life is found in I John 2:24-27.
The key to victory is found in the repeated use of the words “abide” and
“abideth.” Therefore, John concentrates
his first chapter of his first epistle upon the essentials of what is necessary
for “fellowship” with God. Learning to
“abide” in Christ is essential to overcoming the Antichristism that resides in us in our fallen natures.
“6
Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen
him, neither known him. 7 Little children, let no man deceive you:
he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous. 8
He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the
beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might
destroy the works of the devil. 9 Whosoever is born of God doth not
commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is
born of God. 10 In this the children of God are manifest, and the
children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither
he that loveth not his brother” (I John 3:6-10).
The word
“committeth” in I John 3:4 and 8 is a present
active participle. The words
“transgresseth” in I John 3:4, “sinneth” in I John 3:6, and “commit” in I John
3:9 are present active indicatives.
What this
means is that these verbs are referring to practices that are continuous in a person’s life. We might insert the word habitually before each of these words to clarify the meaning. Although the believer will commit occasional
acts of sin, if he habitually lives
in sin and is unrepentant, he should
question the reality of his professed salvation. Habitual
sin is not a question of carnality. Habitual sin is a question of salvation.
The whole Gospel message extends
far beyond the salvation of the soul from the curse and from Hell. As already stated, any gospel that does not connect the “born again” sinner to his
responsibilities in practical sanctification before God is a false gospel. It is often said that the epistle to the
Romans is the “Gospel of God” asking and answering the question, “Where shall
righteousness be found?” Understanding
this is important in that the Good News
of God does not end with the mere salvation of our souls from the curse and
from Hell. The salvation of our souls
from the curse and from Hell is merely a beginning of our “so great salvation”
(Hebrews 2:3).
Misunderstanding the
different aspects of salvation has led to numerous errors in the doctrine of
salvation. Augustine saw salvation as a process
rather than an event. This was
due to understanding texts that pertained to progressive sanctification as
pertaining to progressive justification.
This misunderstanding led to salvation being a process involving
religious rituals or sacraments and personal works that contributed to a
person’s salvation.
Men like Luther and
Calvin took a progressive view of justification. In fact, perseverance of
the saints is really a progressive view of justification. In fact, in Calvin’s Institutes of Religion,
he has dedicated the whole fourteenth chapter to the discussion of progressive
justification, which is just an extension of his false doctrine of Monergism
(if you are not familiar with this term, be sure to educate yourself about
it). If you are willing to read through
all of Calvin’s convoluted nonsense, you will discover that he believed that
justification “by grace through faith” is not an event, but rather a progressive process. Calvin and Luther both believed
in an extreme form of the false doctrine of Monergism that confused or
comingled justification with progressive sanctification. This is a common problem within traditional
Calvinism and New Calvinism. Calvin
said:
“On the contrary, though we may be redeemed by Christ, still, until we are
ingrafted into union with him by the calling of the Father, we are darkness,
the heirs of death, and the enemies of God.
For Paul declares that we are not purged and washed from our impurities
by the blood of Christ until the Spirit accomplishes that cleansing in us (1
Cor. 6:11). Peter, intending to say the
same thing, declares that the sanctification of the Spirit avails “unto
obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ,” (1 Pet. 1:2). If the sprinkling of the blood of Christ by
the Spirit gives us purification, let us not think that, previous to this
sprinkling, we are anything but sinners without Christ. Let us, therefore, hold it as certain, that the beginning of our salvation is as it were a
resurrection from death unto life, because, when it is given us on behalf of
Christ to believe on him (Phil. 1:29), then only do we begin to pass from death unto life.”[3]
(underlining added)
The problem of the strife between righteousness (light) and unrighteousness (darkness)
lays in the fallen nature of every human being born into this world. The problem is that we all have a fallen
nature that has a propensity for the things of the darkness. This darkness exists where people are
ignorant of God’s existence and God’s revealed will that comes to us through
His inspired Word. Darkness is ignorance of God’s will. People walk
in darkness when they live within that ignorance pursuing the pleasures
offered by satanic deception and corruption of God’s revealed will. The true believer has repented of sin and no
longer wants to “walk in darkness.”
“5 This then is the message which we have heard of Him,
and declare unto you, that God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all. 6 If we say that we have
fellowship with Him, and walk in
darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: 7 But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the
blood of Jesus Christ {the once and for
all offering} his Son {perpetually}
cleanseth {present tense; this is for
fellowship with God, not salvation} us from all sin” (I John 1:5-7).
A
predominant theme of all the prophets and their messages from God is a call to
repentance and revival of prayer and pure worship of God in love and from the
heart. This theme of repentance and
revival would have been the constant emphasis of the remnant returning from the
chastisement of Babylonian captivity.
These people wanted to ensure that God would have a faithful remnant of
Jews through which He could fulfill His promises to Abraham.
We can only know of the
will of God when we accept the revelation of that will by trusting (faith) in
the inspired Words of God. Hebrews 11:6 defines
those that delight in the Law of the Lord as those that “diligently seek him.” The words “diligently seek” are from the
Greek word ekzeteo (ek-zay-the’-o),
meaning to search out or investigate so as to offer worship
through observance and practice of the will of the One searched out.
Faith is both the knowledge of, and obedience
to, the known will of God revealed through the inspired Words of God in
Scripture. True Biblical worship of God
can only exist within the scope of knowledge of, and obedience to, the revealed
and known will of God. This is what the
Bible means by the words “walk in the light as he is in the light” (I John
1:7). Genuine faith will “diligently
seek” to know and practice the will of God and will delight in doing so.
“But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he
that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of
them that diligently seek him”
(Hebrews 11:6).
In most
part, the ministry of the Church is ministry to people professing to be
saved. That does not necessarily mean we
minister to “good” people just trying to be better. In my almost fifty years of ministry, that
ministry to people within the Church has involved trying to help people in deep
sexual addiction (fornication and pornography), adultery, spousal abuse (both
husbands and wives), child abuse where the child was blinded with extreme brain
damage, sexual molestation of children, incest of a father and brother with a
young daughter and younger sister, a trusted man in a national ministry whose
ministry was built upon a complete farce and where he was defrauding hundreds
of local churches of funds. The list is
endless. The difficulty of ministering
to such people after their failure is that our understanding of righteousness
is so offended that we want to see justice and penalty, not grace and
mercy.
“1 Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art
that judgest: for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest doest the same things.
2 But we are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth
against them which commit such things. 3 And thinkest thou this, O man, that judgest them which do such
things, and doest the same, that thou shalt escape the judgment of God? 4
Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering;
not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance? 5
But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath
against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God; 6
Who will render to every man
according to his deeds: 7 To them who by patient continuance in well
doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life: 8 But
unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey
unrighteousness, indignation and wrath, 9 Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil,
of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile; 10 But glory, honour, and
peace, to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the
Gentile: 11 For there is no respect of persons with God” (Romans
2:1-11).
In Ezekiel
chapter eight, God gives us a unique vision of His view of the human heart,
soul, and mind. The vision exposes the
inner thinking, desires, and fantasies of the priests of Israel as well as the
“ancients,” or the ruling elders of Israel.
Although they may not actually have been involved in the wicked
practices described, this was what their fallen natures desired and lusted
after. The idols were in their hearts!
“1 And it came to pass in the sixth year, in the
sixth month, in the fifth day of the month, as I sat in mine
house, and the elders of Judah sat before me, that the hand of the Lord GOD
fell there upon me. 2 Then I beheld, and lo a likeness as the
appearance of fire: from the appearance of his loins even downward, fire; and
from his loins even upward, as the appearance of brightness, as the colour of
amber. 3 And he put forth the form of an hand, and took me by a lock
of mine head; and the spirit lifted me up between the earth and the heaven, and
brought me in the visions of God to
Jerusalem, to the door of the inner gate {only Levites were allowed access to the Inner Court} that looketh
toward the north; where was the {Mercy} seat of the image of jealousy {God is a jealous God; Ex. 20:5, 34:14},
which provoketh to jealousy. 4 And, behold, the glory of the God of
Israel was there, according to the vision that I saw in the plain. 5
Then said he unto me, Son of man, lift up thine eyes now the way toward the
north. So I lifted up mine eyes the way toward the north, and behold northward
at the gate of the altar this image of jealousy in the entry. 6 He
said furthermore unto me, Son of man,
seest thou what they do? even the great abominations that the house
of Israel committeth here, that I should
go far off from my sanctuary? but turn thee yet again, and thou shalt
see greater abominations.
"7 And he brought me to the door of
the court; and when I looked, behold a hole in the wall. 8 Then said
he unto me, Son of man, dig now in the wall: and when I had digged in the wall,
behold a door. 9 And he said unto me, Go in, and behold the wicked
abominations that they do here. 10 So I went in and saw; and behold
every form of creeping things, and abominable beasts, and all the idols of the
house of Israel, pourtrayed upon the wall {Egyptian
hieroglyphics} round about {pagan
gods of Egypt}. 11 And there stood before them seventy men of
the ancients of the house of Israel, and in the midst of them stood Jaazaniah
the son of Shaphan, with every man his censer in his hand; and a thick cloud of
incense went up. 12 Then said he unto me, Son of man, hast thou seen
what the ancients of the house of Israel do in the dark, every man in the
chambers of his imagery? for they say, The
LORD seeth us not; the LORD hath forsaken the earth.
13 He said also unto me, Turn thee yet again, and thou
shalt see greater abominations that they do. 14 Then he brought me
to the door of the gate of the LORD’S house which was toward the north;
and, behold, there sat women weeping for Tammuz. 15 Then said he
unto me, Hast thou seen this, O son of man? turn thee yet again, and
thou shalt see greater abominations than these. 16 And he brought me
into the inner court of the LORD’S house, and, behold, at the door of the
temple of the LORD, between the porch and the altar, were about five and
twenty men, with their backs toward the temple of the LORD, and their faces
toward the east; and they worshipped the sun toward the east. 17 Then
he said unto me, Hast thou seen this, O son of man? Is it a light thing
to the house of Judah that they commit the abominations which they commit here?
for they have filled the land with violence {God’s chastisement}, and have returned to provoke me to anger: and,
lo, they put the branch to their nose {turn
up their nose in insolent scorn at God’s warnings}. 18 Therefore will I also deal in fury:
mine eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity: and though they cry in mine
ears with a loud voice, yet will I not hear them” (Ezekiel 8:1-18).
The conflict
between the will of fallen humanity and the will of God began in the Garden of
Eden. The conflict between the will of
fallen humanity and the will of God cannot be separated from the corrupting
influences and temptations of the selfishness of fallen angels led by Lucifer. Where ever Satan’s corruption of the human
will exist, Satan has created a partner in corrupting other human beings in his
deception of illusions and delusions that involves human beings in their own
self-destruction. The fallen unbeliever
is almost completely ignorant of the constant spiritual battle for his soul and
will between the hosts of Heaven and the hosts of Hell.
However, even though
the soul can be won to Christ and saved, that does not end the battle for the
will. The saved sinner will live the
rest of his life on Earth within the battle between the hosts of Heaven and the
hosts of Hell for his/her will. The
question of the struggle for the will is to which host the saved sinner joins
his will. This is what Paul addresses in
Romans chapter six. It is essential that
we understand that Romans chapter six is written to “born again”
believers. The context is yielding to
the indwelling Spirit of God. Only “born
again” believers have the indwelling Spirit of God. Any attempt to live for God apart from
receiving the gift of salvation and the indwelling Spirit of God is just human works. Human
works to please God are futile foolishness.
There is an essential supernatural aspect
that needs to be understood before saved parents can ever produce a godly
heritage. Parents must understand that God
wants to partner with them in
producing godliness in their lives and in the lives of their children. This fact is foundational to understanding
the Bible doctrine of practical sanctification.
This partnership with God is usually translated by the word “fellowship”
in the KJV. “Fellowship” with God is the
outcome of the filling of the Spirit of God (Ephesians 5:18). Ephesians chapters five and six teach the
essentials to walking in the light
rather than in the darkness. However, Romans 6:6-18 explains the means of entrance into walking in the light and in fellowship with God.
“6 Knowing
this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might
be destroyed, that henceforth we should
not serve sin {the fallen nature}.
7 For he that is dead is freed from sin. 8 Now if we be
dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him: 9 Knowing
that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more
dominion over him. 10 For in that he died, he died unto sin once:
but in that he liveth, he liveth unto
God. 11 Likewise
reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin {the fallen nature}, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our
Lord. 12 Let not sin {the
fallen nature} therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it
in the lusts thereof. 13 Neither yield ye your members as
instruments of unrighteousness unto sin {the
fallen nature}: but yield yourselves
unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as
instruments of righteousness unto God. 14 For sin {the fallen nature} shall not have
dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace {the supernatural enabling of the indwelling
Spirit of God}. 15 What then? shall we sin, because we are not
under the law, but under grace? God forbid. 16 Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey,
his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin {the fallen nature} unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? 17
But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin {the fallen nature}, but ye
have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. 18
Being then made free from sin {the fallen
nature}, ye became the servants of
righteousness” (Romans 6:6-18).
The lost and fallen unbeliever has a
fallen, corrupt nature to which God refers as the flesh or the old man in
the Scriptures. Until the fallen sinner
becomes aware of the battle between the forces of evil and the host of Heaven,
he becomes a tool of Satan in the destruction of humanity through corruption
and perversion of the knowledge and practice of the will of God. God’s use of the word flesh in the Scriptures defines a division between the spiritual
and the carnal; between the eternal and the temporal. The word flesh
defines a differentiation between the physical
and the spiritual. The flesh
is corrupted in the fall of humanity by lusts. Lust
is a word that describes the corrupted desires of the corrupted will.
The will has been corrupted
when the desires of the flesh are
contrary to the will of God.
“8
But Noah found grace in the eyes of the
LORD. 9 These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a
just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with
God. 10 And Noah begat three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth. 11
The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. 12
And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way {God’s way} upon the earth. 13 And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me;
for the earth is filled with violence through
them; and, behold, I will destroy them with
the earth” (Genesis 6:8-13).
Noah was a saved (justified) man. That
means Noah had received (“found”) the
gift of God-kind righteousness (“grace”).
Noah was a man of faith who believed in the invisible Jehovah. Because Noah believed in the Spirit-Being of
the invisible Jehovah, Noah lived in a manner corresponding to the
righteousness of God given to him in the gift of salvation. This life pattern of trying to live the will
of God is described by the word walk
in Genesis 6:9 – “Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and
Noah walked with God.” The phrase
“walked with God” is intended to reflect the traverse through life accompanied
by the presence and power of the enabling grace of God in the Person of God’s
Holy Spirit. Because Noah believed and
yielded his will to God’s will, God aided Noah in his walk with God.
Noah’s salvation was apparent through
the character of his desire to walk with the Lord according to righteousness in
contrast to the rest of those of the “earth” who walked according to the
desires of their flesh. This is what is described
by the words “The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled
with violence” (Genesis 6:11).
Obviously, the word “earth” is referring to the people that occupy the
“earth.” The word “earth” is not
referring to the water, dirt, and rocks that make up the planet we know as
“earth.” This corruption is referring to
the filth of human sensuality worshiped as a god and given every
preference. This is what we call the Hollywood mentality in our
generation. This corruption filled the earth.
This corruption flowed into every crevice of human imagination, flooding the
world with a license to sin against God.
In
their sins against God, they do violence to their fellow humans. This is the natural course of natural man
once the moral restraints of the Laws of God are rejected. Human freedoms of the will rapidly degenerate
into human abuses as individuals begin to presume their freedoms of the will as
more important than another’s freedoms of the will resulting in anarchy. This is the ultimate end of the way of the flesh. This is the meaning of the phrase “for all
flesh had corrupted his way {God’s way}
upon the earth” (Genesis 6:11). Anarchy
is the promotion of lawlessness, unrighteousness, and injustice. God refers to this mindset and lifestyle as
“wicked.” This is the spirit of
Antichrist.
“5 Now the end of the commandment is charity out
of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith
unfeigned: 6 From which some having swerved have turned aside unto
vain jangling; 7 Desiring to be teachers of the law; understanding
neither what they say, nor whereof they affirm. 8 But we know that the law is good, if
a man use it lawfully; 9 Knowing this, that the law is not made
for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and
for sinners, for unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of
mothers, for manslayers, 10 For whoremongers, for them that defile
themselves with mankind, for menstealers, for liars, for perjured persons, and
if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine; 11
According to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, which was committed to my
trust” (I Timothy 1:5-11).
[1] Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary,
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hedonism, accessed 11/4/2017.
[2] Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pagan,
accessed 11/4/2017.
[3]
Calvin,
John. Institutes of the Christian
Religion. Public Domain PDF: http://www.ccel.org/ccel/calvin/institutes.html, Third Book, Chapter Fourteen, page
483.
[4] "An OnLine site for the
Complete WORKS of CHARLES G. FINNEY". www.gospeltruth.net.
[5] https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/A_Plain_Account_of_Christian_Perfection, This work, originally published
in 1777, is taken from the United Methodist Church's digitization of The Works of
John Wesley (1872) by Thomas Jackson. Note that the subtitle may be
misleading; the year 1777 is the year this edition was published, not a year
Reverend Mr. John Wesley’s sentiments changed in some way.
[6]
Full doctrinal statement available at http://nazarene.org/articles-faith,
accessed 1/17/2018.
Anonymous comments will not be allowed.
Numerous studies and series are available free of charge for local churches at: http://www.disciplemakerministries.org/
Dr. Lance Ketchum serves the Lord as a Church Planter, Evangelist/Revivalist.
He has served the Lord for over 40 years.
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