Happy Thanksgiving!

A Few Things For Believers To Thank The Lord For
-Eternal life

-Peace with God

-The peace of God

-Forgiveness

-Love shed abroad in our hearts

-The promise of Heaven

-The indwelling Holy Spirit

-Ability to approach God in prayer

-The promise to be like Him someday

-Freedom from the power of sin

-The ability to understand the Scriptures by His Spirit

-The fruit of the Spirit

-Gifts of the Spirit

-Unity with other believers

-The promise to reign with Christ

-Adoption as sons of God

-The promise that God is working all things together for good to those who love Him and are called according to His purpose

-The promise of eternal security in our salvation

Is The Book of James Against Grace?

I have seen much confusion caused among believers because of a misunderstanding of the message of James in the Epistle of James. Some have glossed over it and made it seem as if James didn’t really say what he said, others have twisted the words of James to mean what they want it to mean, and others have outright rejected the Book of James, teaching or implying that it shouldn’t even be in the Bible.

In Martin Luther's preface to the New Testament, he wrote the famous words, "St. James' Epistle is really an epistle of straw, compared to them; for it has nothing of the nature of the Gospel about it." (Actually that appeared only in the 1522 edition. In the 1545 revision it was taken out.)

Is the Book of James against grace?

After all, James uses the word “law” 12 times, and “grace” only twice. He uses the word “works” 13 times, but the name “Jesus” only twice.

He even says blatantly, in James 2:24, "You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone." And he gives an example in James 2:25, "In the same way, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way?"

Is the Book of James against grace?

In case you’re getting a little nervous, the answer is, “No, James is not against grace." Two things are important here.

First, we need to understand that James is not just writing to believers.

He is writing to “the twelve tribes who are dispersed abroad”. These were Jews who were scattered around the then-known world, some of whom were now Christians.

You can never understand James until you realize that he was addressing unbelievers as well as believers, some who professed to believe in Jesus, and some who truly did believe. And James, in some of his comments, sort of throws them all into a hopper and mixes them up, and then tells them what’s what.

You may not like his method here. You may prefer a systematic Paul, who more logically progresses with his points and makes it clearer whom he is talking to. But God has used James to make some points that no other Bible writer has made.

Second, we need to see the purposes in James' writing.

He was not laying down a theological treatise on salvation, or what we call soteriology. He wasn’t, like Paul in Romans, detailing the makeup of man, the work of Christ on the Cross, and the election, calling and justification of men by grace through faith.

To see these purposes of James, let’s do a very brief review of the Book of James, and comment on some of the issues James was dealing with. There are 5 chapters, and we’ll give each one a title, reflecting the main theme of each chapter. These 5 titles will begin with letters which spell out the word Works. W-o-r-k-s.

Chapter 1 “With Trials Comes Growth”

Chapter 2 “Only Works Show Faith”

Chapter 3 “Rudder-Tongue Steers Ship”

Chapter 4 “Keep Humble, Get Grace”

Chapter 5 “Suffer Patiently, But Pray”

So James is not against grace. But he wants true grace to be in evidence. Not a false or spurious grace.

He wants to emphasize that when you become a New Creation, there will be fruit that comes from that. When you are born again, something happens. You are given a new spirit, which is the true you, the essence of your being, your very nature…a new nature which loves Jesus and hates sin.

And when that new true nature of yours expresses itself, there will be good works. And when we walk by the Spirit, some of those works will be seen. And it’s all by Grace!

Election 2012 - The State As God

Barack Obama is not the real problem.  Really.

Obama is only the Priest, the Bishop, the Pope if you will, of an ancient religion with a new face.

The real problem is this:

The State has become the God of the people. 

The State has become the Provider, the Sustainer, the Hope, and the Source for a huge number of our people.

Instead of El Shaddai, it is the State which is Almighty.

Instead of Adonai, it is the State which is Master.

Instead of Jehovah Raah, it is the State which Shepherds us in green pastures.

Instead of Jehovah Jireh, it is the State which is our Provider.

Instead of Jehovah Shalom, it is the State from which we derive our Peace.

Instead of Jehovah Rapha, it is the State which is our Healer.

Whereas the Creator was once almost universally recognized as the source of the blessings of our nation, now He has become so ignored as to be deliberately left out of the platform of the Democrat Party.

We've seen this coming for a long time.  But it struck me like never before when I watched the Democratic National Convention a few weeks ago, and was a little surprised to see what fired up the crowd:

1. They BOOED when from the stage it was brought for a vote to put "God" back in the platform (the speaker on stage crammed it into the platform, even against the people, for obvious political purposes)!

2. They CHEERED each time the stealing from "each according to his ability" to give "to each according to his need" was celebrated [for it is indeed stealing, and you may recognize those phrases as from atheist Karl Marx].

2. They CHEERED each time the right to marry "whomever you love" [new code words for homosexual marriage] was advocated.

3. They CHEERED each time the right to murder unborn children was celebrated [see http://goo.gl/CCwxb]!

"BUT, you say, God SHOULD be in the platform, and God FORBIDS stealing, and God HATES the perversion of marriage, and God HATES the killing of unborn children!"

"Ah, but OUR God is the State!  And the State doesn't mind.  Oh State, we worship you, and the President Priest who represents you!"

By the way, I'm well aware that most will vehemently deny that they have made the State their God.  But idols are sometimes sneaky -- and seductive -- and corrupting -- and often accompanied by denial.  Ask Solomon.

Election 2012 is a turning point in our nation.  It's official.  The recipients of the Sacraments of the State largely outnumber those who involuntarily pay for those Sacraments.  And those recipients are perfectly happy to vote for the Priests who will loot others to give them what they are "entitled" to, in the name of "equality".

Am I optimistic?  Yes and no.

I'm pessimistic about the direction of our nation regarding the State as God, the Holocaust of the Unborn, and the perversion of marriage.  

Some say, "We just need a MORE CONSERVATIVE candidate!  Or a Libertarian!  Or a Christian!  Or a Conservative Libertarian Christian!" 

But I think they likely miss the point.  That's not where the appetite of the State-as-God people is.

What can an opposition Party do?  Out-Statist the Statists?  Advocate even more "redistribution"?  Legalize more abominable sins?  Freedom and capitalism isn't connecting with the State-as-God crowd.

However, I'm 100% optimistic about the true Kingdom of Jesus Christ, Who died on the cross for our sins, was buried, and rose again on the third day.  Whoever believes in Him will be saved from their sins and have eternal life with God. 

As He said, "I will build my church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it."


If you don't know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, I urge you to believe in Him.  Read the Gospel of John in the New Testament if you haven't.  It's great.

And as the song says, "The things of Earth...grow strangely dim, in the light of His glorious face" when we turn our eyes upon Jesus.

May God have mercy on America.