So You Want to Be a Calvinist? John Calvin on the Nature of Faith

In this important analysis of the nature of faith, provided in the 1559 edition of the Institutes of the Christian Religion, Calvin establishes a direct relation between faith and the merciful promises of God. Note the emphasis placed upon the role of the Holy Spirit in revealing and sealing this knowledge. Calvin also deals with the question of whether the certainty of faith necessarily implies that doubt is excluded from the Christian life. For Calvin, doubt is a normal part of the Christian life, and is not inconsistent with his emphasis upon the trustworthiness of God’s promises. Calvin wrote:

“Now we shall have a right definition of faith if we say that it is a steady and certain knowledge of the divine benevolence towards us, which is founded upon the truth of the gracious promise of God in Christ, and is both revealed to our minds and sealed in our hearts by the Holy Spirit…

When we stress that faith ought to be certain and secure, we do not have in mind a certainty without doubt, or a security without any anxiety. Rather, we affirm that believers have a perpetual struggle with their own lack of faith, and are far from possessing a peaceful conscience, never interrupted by any disturbance. On the other hand, we want to deny that they may fall out of, or depart from, their confidence in the divine mercy, no matter how much they may be troubled.”

So you want to be a Calvinist? Please reread what John Calvin himself wrote.

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

References:

1) Institutes, III.ii, in Joannis Calvini: Opera Selecta, ed. P. Barth and W. Niesel, vol.4 (Munich: Kaiser, 1931), 16.31-35; 27:25-36.

2) The Christian Theology Reader edited by Alister E. McGrath (Oxford: Blackwell), pg. 15

Jesus is able to Rescue Us from Temptation

Jesus crushed the Serpent, the Devil under His feet at the Cross. Jesus wins. 

“And don’t let us yield to temptation,

but rescue us from the evil one”

(Matthew 6:13, NLT).

Traditionally the first half of this verse asks, “Lead us not into temptation” (KJV), but a more accurate translation is “Don’t let us yield to temptation.” God doesn’t tempt us, as James clearly states: “When you are being tempted, do not say, ‘God is tempting me.’ God is never tempted to do wrong, and he never tempts anyone else. Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away” (James 1:13-14, NLT). At times God allows us to be tempted, as a test. But this testing always has a purpose. Always. God continually works to refine his people, teach them to depend on him. How he does this differs in every person’s life. Don’t try to compare.

The next line has been translated “Deliver us from evil” (KJV), but the more accurate translation is “Rescue us from the evil one.” Satan, the evil one, is actively looking for ways to harm God’s people, to throw them off course. Jesus wanted his followers to place their trust in God during trying times and to pray for deliverance from “the evil one” and his deceit. We can’t – absolutely can’t – resist temptation or defeat in our own strength; we must depend on God working in us and in our situation. Believers who pray these last lines of the Lord’s Prayer seriously will realize their sinful nature and their need to depend on God in the face of temptation.

Think about this: All Christians struggle with temptation. A temptation can be so subtle that we don’t even realize what is happening. Yet hear this promise: “God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show a way out so that you can endure” (1 Corinthians 10:13, NLT). When temptations hit, thank God for trusting you that much, ask him to show you what to do, and pray for his strength to deliver you from the evil one. Ask God to show you ways to resist and endure, and thank him in advance for his promise of deliverance.

The truth is Jesus himself when he became human were being tempted (Matthew 4) but he never sinned. The Bible says Jesus “shared fully in our experience of temptation, except that he never sinned. Let us therefore approach the throne of grace will fullest confidence, that we may receive mercy for our failures and grace to help in the hour of need” (Hebrew 4:15-16, J.B. Philips). Thus, as man, Jesus experiences our temptations; as God, he is able to rescue us from temptation and the deceits of the evil one. And even if we fall into temptation (it won’t be long, repent), his mercy and grace is there to lift you up again. Amen.

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP. 

5 Important Lessons I Learned from the Movie "Unbroken"

Louie’s older brother Pete advised him: “If you can take it, you can make it”

I watched the movie Unbroken today. Some of you, my friends, might say, “Why you didn’t call to watch the movie together with me?” or “Why you didn’t wait for me?” My simple answer is: If I wait for you, I’m not sure when I will be able to watch it. So I just went and watched it without you. The movie initial released was on November 2014 but in Malaysia, it was February 2015. The movie is based on real story about a man named Louis Zamperini, the Olympic athlete, World War II bombardier and prisoner of war. As I watched the movie, I learned 5 important lessons that inspired me personally:

#1: If You Can Take It, You Can Make It

Early on in the movie Louie’s brother, Pete, convinced him to try running as a way to get him focused, out of trouble and into something positive. At first Louie wanted to quit when it got hard. But his brother gave him advice that helped him through this journey – he said, “If you can take it, you can make it”. That advice become his life tagline. What’s yours?

#2: If You Have Someone Believes in You, You Can Do it

Louie is not a self-made champion. He wouldn’t be Olympic athlete if he didn’t get support from his parents, his brother, his track coach and even the policeman. When he was stranded in the ocean after the crashed flight, he then became the support person by telling the other two survivors about his mother’s cooking and other sweet memories to improve their morale and to keep their spirits high. Surrounding yourself with the right people who believe in you, support you and will rally for you when you’re off track. Treasure them. And in the same way, be the one who believe in others. We all need people to believe in us to help us achieve our best.

#3: If You Have Found the Meaning in Life, You Have the Will to Survive

In this movie, Louie stayed strong in the midst of difficulties, trials and pain. He have strong vision for the future. He demonstrated what Viktor Frankl author of Man’s Search for Meaning wrote, you can take a man’s health, you can put him in unimaginable horrific conditions, you can beat him and starve him, but you cannot break his will. Will is strengthened by having a meaning in life, a strong reason to survive.

#4: If You Feel Like Giving Up, Remember Self-Respect

A notoriously sadistic and brutal Japanese guard, Mutsuhiro Watanabe (a.k.a. The Bird), was obsessed with Louie. He singled Louie out from all the other prisoners. Almost every day he bullied Louie with horrific beatings along with other de-humanizing tasks. Louie refused to be broken by Watanabe. He have self-respect in himself. There is one scene where he ask to stand with heavy beam of wood as long as he can or the guard will shoot him if he let down the wood. He remain strong and standing as long as he could until Watanabe impassion with his determination and hit him until he passed out. This act of self-respect from Louie not only strengthened his other fellow prisoners but empowered them to survive and the exemplified life of Louie made them stronger.

#5: If There Is No Christ, There Will Be No Forgiveness

At the end of the movie, it was told that Louie finally achieved his dream to come to Tokyo, Japan for the Olympic. Not as athlete of course, he was very old by then, but as a touch runner. The movie also told that Louie have learned to forgive his enemies. But I wonder, how? How can he suddenly become a forgiving person when in the movie it shows that he and others are up for revenge once the war is over? How? Well, Angelina Jolie, the director, might not get very comfortable with this fact, that (this part was left out of the movie) Louie Zamperini had attended a sermon of Rev. Billy Graham and found that through dedicating his life to Christ he was able to make his mission forgiveness and not revenge. It wasn’t Louie’s strong will after all, it was Christ who have sustained, believed, and gave him the meaning of life. I love to know this truth.

You should watch this movie.

As for the ending, read the final chapter of the book.

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

J.I. Packer on Trials and Troubles of Life

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.”

(Psalms 46:1, ESV)

“A faith that can’t be tested can’t be trusted.” (Warren Wiersbe)

In his classic and I highly recommended book Knowing God, J.I. Packer writes: “We should not, therefore, be too taken back when unexpected and upsetting and discouraging things happen to us now. What do they mean? Why, simply that God in his wisdom means to make something of us which we have not attained yet, and is dealing with us accordingly…

It is often the case, as all the saints know, that fellowship with the Father and the Son is most vivid and sweet, and Christian joy the greatest, when the cross is heaviest.”

Packer then suggests two ways of handling the trails of life when we cannot, for the moment, see God’s purpose in them. “First, by taking them as from God, and asking ourselves what reactions to them, and in them, the gospel of God requires of us; second, by seeking God’s face specifically about them. If we do these two things, we shall never find ourselves wholly in the dark as to God’s purpose in troubles.”

[Quote from: J.I. Packer, Knowing God (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 1973), Page 86-87]

I hear your soul whispers, ‘Easy for you to say...’

I reply, ‘No, it’s definitely not an easy task.

God asked us not for an easy life but a faithful life, trust Him’

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.”

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

Embrace the Struggle: Living Life on Life's Terms

“Late Zig Ziglar is one of my favorite-most-dear motivational speaker and writer since the day I love to read. His book ‘See You at the Top’; and audiobooks such as ‘Better than Life’, ‘Biscuits Fleas and Pump Handles’ and ‘Confessions of a Grieving Christian’ had been (still is) a great help for me to keep on motivated and spiritually passionate about the things that I love to do most in my life” (Richard Angelus, blogger, Words Speaks Today)

“Zig Ziglar gives me different perspectives about success. 1) Focus on people first. Those around you; 2) Actions pay off than your words; and 3) God’s way is still the best way…these are the principles that I learned from him which I applied for business and for my own self-fulfillment” (Albert R. Macewell, senior property executive, Borneo Real Estate)

From a highly successful career in motivational speaking to a daily struggle overcoming the effects of a head injury, Zig Ziglar’s life changed drastically in just minutes when he suffered a traumatic fall down the stairs one fateful night. After years of speaking and writing about the value of having a positive attitude and being thankful, Zig was challenged to put his own words into practice. Below I quoted most of his introduction to the book Embrace the Struggle: Living Life on Life’s Terms:

I’m convinced that in the last year the overwhelming majority of people have been struggling with some kind of concern – personal, family, business, health, relationships – you name it. I know I certainly have! It seems that struggles just happen over the course of time. The question is how do you handle them?

Through the years I’ve spoken about and written often on how to overcome negative situations, but as a motivational/inspirational speaker and author, I personally have spent the majority of my time focused on how to accomplish the next positive achievement. In the past I believe I have given an honest and realistic picture of how to address struggles, but as you know, what we know is a result of what we’re learned. And the things we learn firsthand have a much greater impact on us and better position us to help others deal with similar circumstances. In fact, the Bible tells us this is so: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God” (2 Corinthians 1:3-4 NKJV)

…I know without a doubt that the personal struggle I’ve been going through since my fall has given me insight that I could not have had otherwise…

My personal struggle is health related, but this book deals with not only struggles that physical limitations create but also financial, spiritual, family, and relationship struggles. This book is about living life on life’s terms. It is about knowing what you can change and what you can’t change and learning how to live your life with an enthusiastic expectation for what is yet to come. Where there is a struggle, there is life. For that we can be grateful!

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

Month of July 2014 Give-Away!

This month, I’m giving away for FREE ONLY 3 BOOKS of Zig Ziglar and Julie Ziglar Norman’s Embrace the Struggle: Living Life on Life’s Terms (Hard cover). You are welcome to get a copy of this book for yourself by simply do these 2 things:

1. First, comment below “Rich, give me one copy (Your name). I hope that through this book I can… [Not less than 10 words]”
2. Then, E-mail me at Motivates4life@hotmail.com or send message to my Facebook account your real name, phone no. and your postal address. Thank you.