Question: “Is God’s love conditional or unconditional?”

Answer: God’s love, as described in the Bible, is clearly unconditional in that His love is expressed toward the objects of His love (i.e., His people) despite their disposition toward Him. In other words, God loves because it His nature to love (1 John 4:8), and that love moves Him toward benevolent action. The unconditional nature of God’s love is most clearly seen in the gospel. The gospel message is basically a story of divine rescue. As God considers the plight of His rebellious people, He determines to save them from their sin, and this determination is based on His love (Ephesians 1:4-5). Listen to the Apostle Paul’s words from his letter to the Romans:

“You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die” (Romans 5:6-8).

Reading through the book of Romans, we learn that we are alienated from God due to our sin. We are at enmity with God, and His wrath is being revealed against the ungodly for their unrighteousness (Romans 1:18-20). We reject God, and God gives us over to our sin. We also learn that we have all sinned and fallen short of God’s glory (Romans 3:23) and that none of us seeks God, none of us does what is right before His eyes (Romans 3:10-18).

Despite this hostility and enmity we have toward God (for which God would be perfectly within His rights to utterly destroy us), God reveals His love toward us in the giving of His Son, Jesus Christ, as the propitiation (i.e., an appeasement of God’s righteous wrath) for our sins. God did not wait for us to get our collective acts together as a condition of atoning for our sin. Rather, God condescended to become a man and live among His people (John 1:14). God experienced our humanity—everything it means to be a human being—and then offered Himself willingly as a substitutionary atonement for our sin.

This divine rescue mission results in a gracious act of self-sacrifice. As Jesus says in John’s gospel: “Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13). That is precisely what God, in Christ, has done. The unconditional nature of God’s love is made clear in two more passages from Scripture:

“But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved” (Ephesians 2:4-5).

“This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins” (1 John 4:9-10).

It is important to note that God’s love is a love that initiates; it is never a response. That is precisely what makes it unconditional. If God’s love were conditional, then we would have to do something to earn or merit it. We would have to somehow appease His wrath and cleanse ourselves of our sin before God would be able to love us. But that is not the biblical message. The biblical message—the gospel—is that God, motivated by love, moved unconditionally to save His people from their sin.

Recommended Resource: The Difficult Doctrine of the Love of God

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Question: “If I am saved and all of my sins are forgiven, why not continue to sin?”

Answer: The apostle Paul answered a very similar question in Romans 6:1-2, “What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?” The idea that a person could “trust in Jesus Christ” for salvation and then go on living just as he/she lived before, is absolutely foreign to the Bible. Believers in Christ are new creations (2 Corinthians 5:17). The Holy Spirit changes us from producing the acts of the flesh (Galatians 5:19-21) to producing the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). The Christian life is a changed life because the Christian is changed.

What differentiates Christianity from every other religion is that Christianity is based on what God has done for us through Jesus Christ—divine accomplishment. Every other world religion is based on what we must do to earn God’s favor and forgiveness—human achievement. Every other religion teaches that we must do certain things and stop doing certain other things in order to earn God’s love and mercy. Christianity, faith in Christ, teaches that we do certain things and stop doing certain things because of what Christ has done for us.

How could anyone, having been delivered from sin’s penalty, eternity in hell, go back to living the same life that had him on the path to hell in the first place? How could anyone, having been cleansed from the defilement of sin, desire to go back to the same cesspool of depravity? How could anyone, knowing what Jesus Christ did on our behalf, go on living as if He were not important? How could anyone, realizing how much Christ suffered for our sins, continue sinning as if those sufferings were meaningless?

Romans 6:11-15 declares, “In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness. For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace. What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means!”

For the truly converted, then, continuing to live sinfully is not an option. Because our conversion resulted in a completely new nature, our desire is to no longer live in sin. Yes, we still sin, but instead of wallowing in it as we once did, we now hate it and wish to be delivered from it. The idea of “taking advantage” of Christ’s sacrifice on our behalf by continuing to live sinfully is unthinkable. If a person believes himself to be a Christian and still desires to live the old, sinful life, he has reason to doubt his salvation. “Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you—unless, of course, you fail the test?” (2 Corinthians 13:5).

Recommended Resource: Overcoming Sin and Temptation by John Owen.

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Question: “Is a believer supposed to be able to feel the Holy Spirit?”

Answer: While certain ministries of the Holy Spirit may involve a feeling, such as conviction of sin, comfort, and empowerment, Scripture does not instruct us to base our relationship with the Holy Spirit on how or what we feel. Every born-again believer has the indwelling Holy Spirit. Jesus told us that when the Comforter has come He will be with us and in us. “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever—the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you” (John 14:16-17). In other words, Jesus is sending one like Himself to be with us and in us.

We know the Holy Spirit is with us because God’s Word tells us that it is so. Every born-again believer is indwelt by the Holy Spirit, but not every believer is controlled by the Holy Spirit, and there is a distinct difference. When we step out in our flesh, we are not under the control of the Holy Spirit even though we are still indwelt by Him. The apostle Paul comments on this truth, and he uses an illustration that helps us to understand. “Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit” (Ephesians 5:18). Many people read this verse and interpret it to mean that the apostle Paul is speaking against wine. However, the context of this passage is the walk and the warfare of the Spirit-filled believer. Therefore, there is something more here than just a warning about drinking too much wine.

When people are drunk with too much wine, they exhibit certain characteristics: they become clumsy, their speech is slurred, and their judgment is impaired. The apostle Paul sets up a comparison here. Just as there are certain characteristics that identify someone who is controlled by too much wine, there should also be certain characteristics that identify someone who is controlled by the Holy Spirit. We read in Galatians 5:22-24 about the “fruit” of the Spirit. This is the Holy Spirit’s fruit, and it is exhibited by the born-again believer who is under His control.

The verb tense in Ephesians 5:18 indicates a continual process of “being filled” by the Holy Spirit. Since it is an exhortation, it follows that it is also possible to not be filled or controlled by the Spirit. The rest of Ephesians 5 gives us the characteristics of a Spirit-filled believer. “Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ” (Ephesians 5:19-21).

We are not filled with the Spirit because we feel we are, but because this is the privilege and possession of the Christian. Being filled or controlled by the Spirit is the result of walking in obedience to the Lord. This is a gift of grace and not an emotional feeling. Emotions can and will deceive us, and we can work ourselves up into an emotional frenzy that is purely from the flesh and not of the Holy Spirit. “So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature … Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit” (Galatians 5:16, 25).

Having said that, we cannot deny that there are times when we can be overwhelmed by the presence and the power of the Spirit, and this is often an emotional experience. When that happens, it is a joy like no other. King David “danced with all his might” (2 Samuel 6:14) when they brought up the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem. Experiencing joy by the Spirit is the understanding that as children of God we are being blessed by His grace. So, absolutely, the ministries of the Holy Spirit can involve our feelings and emotions. At the same time, we are not to base the assurance of our possession of the Holy Spirit on how we feel.

Recommended Resource: The Wonderful Spirit-Filled Life by Charles Stanley.

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Question: “What signs indicate that the end times are approaching?”

Answer:
Matthew 24:5-8 gives us some important clues so we can discern the approach of the end times, For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many. You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. An increase in false messiahs, an increase in warfare, and increases in famines, plagues, and natural disastersthese are signs of the end times. In this passage, though, we are given a warning: we are not to be deceived, because these events are only the beginning of birth pains; the end is still to come.

Some interpreters point to every earthquake, every political upheaval, and every attack on Israel as a sure sign that the end times are rapidly approaching. While the events may signal the approach of the last days, they are not necessarily indicators that the end times have arrived. The apostle Paul warned that the last days would bring a marked increase in false teaching. The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons (1 Timothy 4:1). The last days are described as perilous times because of the increasingly evil character of man and people who actively resist the truth (2 Timothy 3:1-9; see also 2 Thessalonians 2:3).

Other possible signs would include a rebuilding of a Jewish temple in Jerusalem, increased hostility towards Israel, and advances toward a one-world government. The most prominent sign of the end times, however, is the nation of Israel. In 1948, Israel was recognized as a sovereign state, essentially for the first time since A.D. 70. God promised Abraham that his posterity would have Canaan as an everlasting possession (Genesis 17:8), and Ezekiel prophesied a physical and spiritual resuscitation of Israel (Ezekiel chapter 37). Having Israel as a nation in its own land is important in light of end times prophecy because of Israels prominence in eschatology (Daniel 10:14; 11:41; Revelation 11:8).

With these signs in mind, we can be wise and discerning in regard to the expectation of the end times. We should not, however, interpret any of these singular events as a clear indication of the soon arrival of the end times. God has given us enough information that we can be prepared, and that is what we are called to be.

Recommended Resource:

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The earliest icons of the apostles Peter and Paul were discovered recently on the ceiling of an underground catacomb in Rome recently.

The paintings, which were unearthed with the use of 21^st century laser technology, were presented by the Vatican, and also revealed images of apostles Andrew and John, the Associated Press said..

The images were dated from the late fourth century.

They were on the ceiling of the Saint Tecla catacomb, which lay beneath an office building in a working-class neighborhood in Rome, the AP said.

The catacomb had been found in the 1950s but was not shown publicly. One must pass through the basement door of a worn building to get there.  It is close to St. Paul’s basilica where the remains of the apostle Paul are believed to be kept, the Guardian said.

The tomb where the icons were found is that of an aristocratic noblewoman of Rome, and was made at a time when the city was moving from paganism to Christianity. Contrary to common belief, catacombs were not secret burial places, a concept that arose with the movie Ben Hur, the Guardian said.

The laser technology that was used to uncover the paintings had successfully burned off two inches of white calcium deposits, but did not harm the inspired deep colors of the paintings that lay beneath, the AP said.

It is believed that this technology will change the way restoration work will be done henceforth.  There are dozens of catacombs that run for miles beneath Rome where Christians once buried their dead. These are a major tourist attraction, the AP said.

At the time of the early Christians, pagan Romans were cremated, and one was not allowed to bury the dead in the city. As a result, the catacombs were outside the city walls and ran under the ground, the AP said.

Earlier art had been found in other catacombs but they were very simple depictions. The Santa Tecla artwork depicts devotion to the apostles. The first icon of Paul was discovered last June but as it was uncovered the images of Peter, John and Andrew were also revealed, surrounding an image of Jesus Christ, the Good Shepherd, the AP said.

While the images of Peter and Paul were identifiable from other paintings, those of Andrew and John look younger than ordinarily shown in byzantine artwork. The images were assumed to be theirs, as they are the most important apostles after Paul and Peter, the Guardian said.

The four apostles are each encased in gold circles at the corners of the ceiling. The walls and ceilings of the burial site also had depictions of Abraham, Isaac, and Daniel in the lion’s den, the AP said.

The project to uncover the paintings was done by the Vatican’s Sacred Archaeology office. It took two years to do and cost $73,650 to complete. Ordinary restoration methods would involve scraping by hand and leaving a slim layer on top. With the laser technique deposits could be seared away by presetting the laser so that it would stop once a different color layer is reached, the AP said.

This is the first time that laser technology was applied to catacombs. It is usually reserved for statues damaged by outdoor pollution, the AP said.

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Question: “How should a Christian respond to persecution?”

Answer:
Theres no doubt that persecution is a stark reality of living the Christian life. The apostle Paul warned us that everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted (2 Timothy 3:12). Jesus told us to expect persecution from the world because if they persecuted Him, they will persecute His followers also. Jesus has made it very clear to us that those of the world will hate us because they hate Him. If Christians were like the worldvain, earthly, sensual, given to pleasure, wealth, ambition, the world would not oppose us. But Christians do not belong to the world which is why they hate and persecute us (John 15:18-19). Christians are, or should be, influenced by different principles from those of the world. We are motivated by the love of God and holiness, while the world is driven by the love of sin. It is our very separation from the world that arouses the world’s animosity toward us. The world would prefer that we were like them; since we are not, they hate us (1 Peter 4:3-4).

As faithful Christians, we must learn to recognize the value of persecution and even to rejoice in it, not in an ostentatious way, but quietly and humbly because persecution has great spiritual value. First, persecution allows us to share in a unique fellowship with our Lord. In his letter to the Philippians, Paul outlined a number of things he surrendered for the cause of Christ. Such losses, however, he viewed as rubbish (Philippians 3:8), or dung (KJV), that he might share in the fellowship of Christs sufferings (Philippians 3:10). The noble apostle even counted his chains as a grace (favor) which God had bestowed upon him (Philippians 1:7).

Secondly, in all truth, persecution is good for us. James argues that trials test our faith, work or develop (endurance) in our lives, and help develop maturity (James 1:2-4). For as steel is tempered in the flames of the forge, trials and persecution serve to hone down those rough edges that tarnish our character. Yielding graciously to persecution allows one to demonstrate that he is of a superior quality than his adversaries. Its easy to be hateful, but an ugly disposition throws a light upon our human weakness. It is much more Christ-like to remain calm and to respond in kindness in the face of evil opposition. Without question this is a tremendous challenge, but we have the power of the Holy Spirit within us and the wonderful example of the Lord to encourage us. Peter says of Jesus: When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to Him who judges justly (1 Peter 2:23).

Third, persecution enables us to value the support of true friends. Conflict sometimes brings faithful children of God together in an encouraging and supportive way they might not have known otherwise. Hardship can stimulate the Lords people toward a greater resolve to love and comfort one another and lift one another to the throne of grace in prayer. Theres nothing like an unpleasant incident to help the more mature rise toward a greater level of brotherly love.

So, when we think about it seriously, we can move ourselves forward, even in the face of antagonism, whether from the world or within the church, and press on. We can thank God for His grace and for His patience with us. We can express gratitude for those whom we love in the Lord and who stand with us in times of distress. And we can pray for those who would accuse, misuse, or abuse us (2 Corinthians 11:24; Romans 10:1).

Recommended Resource:
Foxe’s Book of Martyrs by John Foxe

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New Testament scholar, Bart Ehrman has been making the rounds lately.

His new book, “Misquoting Jesus,” has been the topic of discourse on a variety of secular and Christian news outlets.

Ehrman’s book tries to undermine the Christian faith.

Though Ehrman grew up in the fundamentalist Christian tradition, and even attended Moody Bible College, Ehrman has strayed from far his roots. Due to his strictly literal interpretation of the Bible, he now doubts the accuracy of an infallibility of Scripture.

“Misquoting Jesus” is Ehrman’s attempt to set the Biblical record straight.

According to a recent CNN article, Ehrman believes that the Resurrection of Jesus Christ did not take place, and the witnesses and disciples just had visions and dreams of Jesus. Like anyone who has had a family member pass away, you tend to dream or have visions of that person.”

Ehrman also believes that 19 out of the 27 books of the New Testament are forgeries, according to CNN>

I find it interesting that the media is latching on the Ehrman’s claims, since Christians have been battling with naysayers like Ehrman from the beginning.

The Apostle Paul, along with the other Apostles, had to put stylus to paper on several occasions to debunk claims that the Resurrection never happened.

In 1 Corinthians 15, Paul considered the consequences of the lack of a Resurrection.

He said, “If the dead are not raised,  ‘Let us eat and drink,for tomorrow we die.’”

But in verse 32, Paul dismisses the foolishness outright, and tells the Corinthian congregants to stop the madness.

“Come back to your senses as you ought, and stop sinning; for there are some who are ignorant of God—I say this to your shame.

Though Ehrman would have Christians take take hold of and live by the Hedonism of the “eat, drink, and be merry” philosophy, let us hope that God enlightens Ehrman’s heart so that he can come back to his senses.

–James Wait, the Underground staff writer

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Recently, I watched the movie Tommy.

I had a good reason for watching it too-I used to enjoy it.

If you are unfamiliar with The Who’s classic operatic rock saga, it’s about a "deaf, dumb and blind" pinball wizard, Tommy.

Although born perfectly healthy, Tommy becomes hearing-impaired, voiceless, and sightless when he witnesses a brutal murder and told (by his parents) to keep quiet about it. No doubt a victim of post- traumatic stress, Tommy turns his attention to a mirror of all places; for in it he can see himself.

Remorseful, Tommy’s parents take him to a myriad of dubious “faith healers” and “doctors”; but to no avail. Then something extraordinary happens-Tommy stumbles upon the game of pinball. And although he’s deaf, dumb, and blind, he has a natural affinity for the game. Of course, Tommy, the Pinball Wizard, becomes a phenomenon-world renown in fact.

While most of the movie is, for the discerning Christian, objectionable, a pearl of wisdom sparkles beneath the debris: forget the past, because it is a hindrance.

Tommy does this when at the height of his fame he decides to smash the mirror into which he constantly gazes. Consequently, the rage that kept him from hearing, speaking and seeing- his "inner block"-vanished. We too should be like Tommy in that we have to as the Apostle Paul put it-“forget what is behind and strain toward what is ahead.”(Philippians 3:13-14).

In other words, even though we have at times participated in and exposed ourselves to inappropriate things, we have to forget about that and live in the present, looking forward to the future. Otherwise, our guilty consciences will give Satan an undeserved advantage-a foothold.

This when we know that the purpose of Jesus Christ’s earthly ministry was so that we would be clean (2 Peter 1:9) and without sin (2 Corinthians 5:21). So, let us live today in the fullness of Christ’s accomplishments-not remembering the past; but with our eyes firmly fixed on Jesus.

–Tiff Orr, The Underground managing editor

Scripture Read:

Philippians 3:7-16.

⁷But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. ⁸What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ ⁹and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ–the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. ¹⁰I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, ¹¹and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.
Pressing on Toward the Goal
¹²Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. ¹³Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, ¹⁴I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
¹⁵All of us who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you. ¹⁶Only let us live up to what we have already attained.

Destination Points:

What things have I done that I just can’t forgive myself about?

What things have others people done to me that I haven’t forgiven?

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