Mormons are wrong; right? Assuming you’re likely to define yourself as a mainstream Christian, are you really more Mormon than you’d admit?

I bet you politely but, authoritatively, close your door when the smiling Mormons come knocking. And, you’re probably deft at deflecting a hot Mormon trying to put those combo flirting-proselytizing moves on you. I’m also sure you’re not wearing those sacred Mormon undies on the sly, or reading their Book of Mormon in the closet.

However, in reality, you may be cozier with Mormonism than you’d want to disclose in your social and religious circles. Although, some of us may be so Mormon-esque, we might just as well wear an “I heart Joseph Smith but, Moroni makes me quiver all over” tee shirt to church.

I don’t want to dis Mormons here. Okay, maybe I do, just a bit; but, it’s not because they started it. An inescapable fact in the US is that Mormon bashing season is in full bloom. Not that sniping at Mormons ever goes out of style – but, with one of the rings of our political circus belonging to religion, it now has become a really big, stone hurling show.

It’s laughable how conservative Christianity and their bloodthirsty nemesis, the dinosaur media, unite in ganging up on candidates with R (for Republican) after their names and who also wear the required M (for Mormon) armband. Conversely, liberal Mormon politicians get a free pass from the media. Christians with conservative leanings may call the media hypocritical for this but; most of these Christo-cons only have a taste for eating their own, so they don’t bother biting at liberal Mormons.

God, in His comedic sovereignty, may not be laughing. However, He has instituted the funny hypocrite rule. The one that states something like: we should remove the circus tent pole from our own eye before throwing stone pies at others, or we may not see the lion about to pounce from the cage.

What is wrong with Mormons is what is wrong with the rest of us.

One of the main reasons Christians are unhinged by Mormon theology is they feel Mormons don’t get Jesus; they don’t have the proper relationship with Him and they believe many falsehoods about who He is.

The Latter Day Saints (LDS) officially list 13 fundamentals of Mormonism; as I was reading through them, I was hit hard by the paradox of one of their points being identical to what several of their most outspoken, mainstream, detractors erroneously believe about salvation.

The LDS website’s list of fundamentals states:

Article 3: “We believe that through the Atonement of Christ, all mankind may be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel.”

If that statement doesn’t make you almost soil your undies, I fear you may already have one leg in the sacred undergarment and you’re not far from reaching for the Moroni tee. Maybe, your pastor has been teaching you straight from the Mormon dope after his secret graduation from Brigham Young?

Perhaps most Christians could readily identify the blunder in LDS Article 3. The error is stating humanity may be saved by our obedience. However, I’m always surprised by Christians, across the denominational spectrum, who fall victim to the same stank wedgie of teaching on the somethings we must do to seal the salvation deal.

Some Christians insist we must keep this law, not that law to be saved – while others assert it’s keeping all laws that does the trick. Some claim belonging to only the right denomination is the ticket, while others say no, it’s believing and being baptized in only the correct manner. Others declare repentance is the key to heaven, while others add that bearing the fruit of repentance is what unlocks the pearly gates. Some state that non-tithers haven’t purchased the right ticket, while others insist the full fare to Paradise is producing enough good works. Exhaustingly, some Christians believe that to be saved you must do all the above while enduring to the end.

I’ve heard all these requirements for salvation – inadvertently – asserted at my own church. Again, what is wrong with Mormons is what is wrong with the rest of us.

When we add something to Jesus, as a requirement for salvation, we’ve undercut the completeness of His sacrifice and discounted the supremacy of His righteousness. We are saved because Jesus paid the full price for our sins – His righteousness justifies us to God. Whatever we do, we cannot add anything to what Jesus has already done.

Mormons don’t hold a monopoly on not getting Jesus. So, is it Christian to relish a good game of Kick the Mormon while we’re hands off all others sporting a grace-deficient theology? All are in need of being, and can be, evangelized.

There are scholars within the LDS who are critically examining their doctrines. However, their detractors, who are fawning for the media spotlight to gain influence in religious and political arenas, are not helping them toward the truth.

Rather than, scolding their idiosyncrasies that we think are way out in the Moroni-sphere, Christians could be clearly pointing them to the Jesus, who does it all. We could continue to engage in name-calling and endlessly bash on how bogus the Book of Mormon is but, it’s the knowing of the fullness of Jesus that would blast down all their truth barriers. Preaching the sufficiency of Jesus is always more powerful than criticizing.

Mormons, and all Christian pushers of salvation by works, need to replace their “almost savior”, their “maybe in the future, if I’m good enough savior” with The Victorious Savior. Unleash the full power of the Grace message on your friends, enemies, and Mormons too.

Whether your skivvies are holy or just holey, we all put them on one leg at a time. Mainstream Christians have commonalities with Mormons – sometimes too much in common. Don’t be a Mormon or Mormon-like; a Christian is one who knows Jesus does it all!

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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: “What is the full armor of God?”

Answer: The phrase “full armor of God” comes from Ephesians 6:13-17: “Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”

Ephesians 6:12 clearly indicates that the conflict with Satan is spiritual, and therefore no tangible weapons can be effectively employed against him and his minions. We are not given a list of specific tactics Satan will use. However, the passage is quite clear that when we follow all the instructions faithfully, we will be able to stand, and we will have victory regardless of Satan’s strategy.

The first element of our armor is truth (verse 14). This is easy to understand, since Satan is said to be the “father of lies” (John 8:44). Deception is high on the list of things God considers to be an abomination. A “lying tongue” is one of the things He describes as “detestable to Him” (Proverbs 6:16-17). We are therefore exhorted to put on truth for our own sanctification and deliverance, as well as for the benefit of those to whom we witness.

Also in verse 14, we are told to put on the breastplate of righteousness. A breastplate shielded a warrior’s vital organs from blows that would otherwise be fatal. This righteousness is not works of righteousness done by men. Rather, this is the righteousness of Christ, imputed by God and received by faith, which guards our hearts against the accusations and charges of Satan and secures our innermost being from his attacks.

Verse 15 speaks of the preparation of the feet for spiritual conflict. In warfare, sometimes an enemy places dangerous obstacles in the path of advancing soldiers. The idea of the preparation of the gospel of peace as footwear suggests what we need to advance into Satan’s territory, aware that there will be traps, with the message of grace so essential to winning souls to Christ. Satan has many obstacles placed in the path to halt the propagation of the gospel.

The shield of faith spoken of in verse 16 makes Satan’s sowing of doubt about the faithfulness of God and His Word ineffective. Our faith—of which Christ is “the author and perfecter” (Hebrews 12:2)— is like a golden shield, precious, solid, and substantial.

The helmet of salvation in verse 17 is protection for the head, keeping viable a critical part of the body. We could say that our way of thinking needs preservation. The head is the seat of the mind, which, when it has laid hold of the sure gospel hope of eternal life, will not receive false doctrine or give way to Satan’s temptations. The unsaved person has no hope of warding off the blows of false doctrine because he is without the helmet of salvation and his mind is incapable of discerning between spiritual truth and spiritual deception.

Verse 17 interprets itself as to the meaning of the sword of the Spirit—it is the Word of God. While all the other pieces of spiritual armor are defensive in nature, the sword of the Spirit is the only offensive weapon in the armor of God. It speaks of the holiness and power of the Word of God. A greater spiritual weapon is not conceivable. In Jesus’ temptations in the desert, the Word of God was always His overpowering response to Satan. What a blessing that the same Word is available to us!

In verse 18, we are told to pray in the Spirit (that is, with the mind of Christ, with His heart and His priorities) in addition to wearing the full armor of God. We cannot neglect prayer, as it is the means by which we draw spiritual strength from God. Without prayer, without reliance upon God, our efforts at spiritual warfare are empty and futile. The full armor of God—truth, righteousness, the gospel, faith, salvation, the Word of God, and prayer—are the tools God has given us, through which we can be spiritually victorious, overcoming Satan’s attacks and temptations.

Recommended Resource:  The Handbook for Spiritual Warfare: Revised & Updated (See all Christian Living Books)

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Near Mpumalanga, South Africa, are the marvelous and mysterious Echo Caves. Rediscovered in the last century and turned into a tourist site, these caverns are home to a truly remarkable ecosystem. One of the more amazing species found there, is its famous and unique wild fig trees.

As far as plant life goes, these fig trees appear to be normal run-of-the-mill fruit bushes. What makes them so famous is the unseen: Their roots.

Researchers and spelunking scientists have followed the roots of these trees deep into Echo Caves – 400 feet deep to be precise – the deepest known root system in the world.

These trees have survived and thrived in an arid climate for decades, employing an unparalleled root system to wring hydration from the deep, rocky soil.

This is more than a science lesson; it’s a lesson for life, as you probably know a person (or a few people if you are really lucky) not unlike the wild fig trees of Echo Caves.

Their environment is harsh. They have endured the drought of loss, injustice, and suffering. Their circumstances have been fiery, downright oppressive.

The soil that life has given them is rocky and as hard as concrete. Yet, somehow, they survive and thrive. Their roots must be incredibly deep.

But deep into what? Maybe the Apostle Paul gives the best answer in a beautiful first century prayer: “I pray your roots will grow down deep into God’s love and keep you strong.” Or as Viktor Frankl said it, “The salvation of man is through love and in love.”

It seems to me that those who endure, even flourish, in the worst of conditions are those who have a very real connection to God’s goodness and grace, and refuse to blame God for every wrong that life dishes out. They have rooted themselves deeply in his love, rather than in bitterness or resentment.

Granted, bitterness is the easy route, the path of least resistance that sends shallow, malignant offshoots in all directions. Our resentment feels so justifiable, so satisfying, especially when we flip through the catalog of past hurts, past regrets, ways we have been mistreated or harmed, and the conniving, unjust treatment inflicted upon us by others.

But bitterness cannot hydrate the soul. It can only poison the water and prevent love and grace from soaking in. If we are going to get on with life and blossom in the desert of our days, it won’t be because we keep going back wishing things could be different, bemoaning how life has been so unfair, or repeating and re-repeating how someone did us wrong. The only way forward is by going deeper, deeper into the love of God.

I return to the lesson taught to us by the wild fig trees at Echo Caves. Those thirsty roots, soft and pliable, are able to split rocks to get to water deep beneath the desert floor.

All the root needs is the smallest indentation, the tiniest weak spot in the bedrock, or the tiniest crack. Then, groping through the dark and ever deeper into the soil, the roots find their way to what they need to survive and sustain life.

This is how it works, I think. In the smallest rift, the smallest crevice or opening in the hardness of life, that is enough to find the depth of God’s love and for that love to take root. Yes, it feels like groping along in the dark.

It is slow, pulverizing growth, sometimes millimeter by tiny millimeter, but at least it is growth; and it gives us the life we want and need, life so much more satisfying than the bitter shallowness that resentment offers.

I’m no Pollyanna. I know that life is hard. I know it is unfair. Our growing conditions are not always what we wished they were, and we don’t always get what we feel we deserve.

Still, all we need is there, somewhere under the surface. Our survival and salvation is “through love and in love” deep beneath all that can be seen.

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Question: “What does it mean that Jesus saves?”

Answer: “Jesus saves” is a popular slogan on bumper stickers, signs at athletic events, and even banners being pulled across the sky by small airplanes. Sadly, few who see the phrase “Jesus saves” truly and fully understand what it means. There is a tremendous amount of power and truth packed into those two words.

Jesus saves, but who is Jesus?
Most people understand that Jesus was a man who lived in Israel approximately 2000 years ago. Virtually every religion in the world views Jesus as a good teacher and/or a prophet. And while those things are most definitely true of Jesus, they do not capture who Jesus truly is, nor do they explain how or why Jesus saves. Jesus is God in human form (John 1:1, 14). Jesus is God, come to Earth, as a true human being (1 John 4:2). God became a human being in the person of Jesus in order to save us. That brings up the next question: why do we need to be saved?

Jesus saves, but why do we need to be saved?
The Bible declares that every human being who has ever lived has sinned (Ecclesiastes 7:20; Romans 3:23). To sin is to do something, whether in thought, word, or deed, that contradicts God’s perfect and holy character. Because of our sin, we all deserve judgment from God (John 3:18, 36). God is perfectly just, so He cannot allow sin and evil to go unpunished. Since God is infinite and eternal, and since all sin is ultimately against God (Psalm 51:4), only an infinite and eternal punishment is sufficient. Eternal death is the only just punishment for sin. That is why we need to be saved.

Jesus saves, but how does He save?
Because we have sinned against an infinite God, either a finite person (us) must pay for our sins for an infinite amount of time, or an infinite Person (Jesus) must pay for our sins one time. There is no other option. Jesus saves us by dying in our place. In the person of Jesus Christ, God sacrificed Himself on our behalf, paying the infinite and eternal penalty only He could pay (2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 John 2:2). Jesus took the punishment that we deserve in order to save us from a horrible eternal destiny, the just consequence of our sin. Because of His great love for us, Jesus laid down His life (John 15:13), paying the penalty that we had earned, but could not pay. Jesus was then resurrected, demonstrating that His death was indeed sufficient to pay the penalty for our sins (1 Corinthians 15).

Jesus saves, but who does He save?
Jesus saves all who will receive His gift of salvation. Jesus saves all those who fully trust in His sacrifice alone as the payment for sin (John 3:16; Acts 16:31). While Jesus’ sacrifice was perfectly sufficient to pay for the sins of all humanity, Jesus only saves those who personally receive His most precious of gifts (John 1:12).

If you now understand what it means that Jesus saves, and you want to trust in Him as your personal Savior, make sure you understand and believe the following, and as an act of faith, communicate the following to God. “God, I know that I am a sinner, and I know that because of my sin I deserve to be eternally separated from you. Even though I do not deserve it, thank you for loving me and providing the sacrifice for my sins through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. I believe that Jesus died for my sins and I trust in Him alone to save me. From this point forward, help me to live my life for you instead of for sin. Help me to live the rest of my life in gratitude for the wonderful salvation you have provided. Thank you, Jesus, for saving me!”

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Question: “Can a Christian lose salvation?”

Answer: Before this question is answered, the term “Christian” must be defined. A “Christian” is not a person who has said a prayer, or walked down an aisle, or been raised in a Christian family. While each of these things can be a part of the Christian experience, they are not what “makes” a Christian. A Christian is a person who has, by faith, received and fully trusted in Jesus Christ as the only Savior (John 3:16; Acts 16:31; Ephesians 2:8-9).

So, with this definition in mind, can a Christian lose salvation? Perhaps the best way to answer this crucially important question is to examine what the Bible says occurs at salvation, and to study what losing salvation would therefore entail. Here are a few examples:

A Christian is a new creation. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” (2 Corinthians 5:17). This verse speaks of a person becoming an entirely new creature as a result of being “in Christ.” For a Christian to lose salvation, the new creation would have to be canceled and reversed.

A Christian is redeemed. “For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect” (1 Peter 1:18-19). The word “redeemed” refers to a purchase being made, a price being paid. For a Christian to lose salvation, God Himself would have to revoke His purchase that He paid for with the precious blood of Christ.

A Christian is justified. “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1). To “justify” means to “declare righteous.” All those who receive Jesus as Savior are “declared righteous” by God. For a Christian to lose salvation, God would have to go back on His Word and “un-declare” what He had previously declared.

A Christian is promised eternal life. “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). Eternal life is a promise of eternity (forever) in heaven with God. God promises, “Believe and you will have eternal life.” For a Christian to lose salvation, eternal life would have to be taken away. If a Christian is promised to live forever, how then can God break this promise by taking away eternal life?

A Christian is guaranteed glorification. “And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified” (Romans 8:30). As we learned in Romans 5:1, justification is declared at the moment of faith. According to Romans 8:30, glorification is guaranteed for all those whom God justifies. Glorification refers to a Christian receiving a perfect resurrection body in heaven. If a Christian can lose salvation, then Romans 8:30 is in error, because God could not guarantee glorification for all those whom He predestines, calls, and justifies.

Many more illustrations of what occurs at salvation could be shared. Even these few make it abundantly clear that a Christian cannot lose salvation. Most, if not all, of what the Bible says happens to us when we receive Jesus Christ as Savior would be invalidated if salvation could be lost. Salvation cannot be reversed. A Christian cannot be un-newly created. Redemption cannot be undone. Eternal life cannot be lost and still be considered eternal. If a Christian can lose salvation, God would have to go back on His Word and change His mind—two things that Scripture tells us God never does.

The most frequent objections to the belief that a Christian cannot lose salvation are 1) What about those who are Christians and continually live an immoral lifestyle? 2) What about those who are Christians but later reject the faith and deny Christ? The problem with these two objections is the phrase “who are Christians.” The Bible declares that a true Christian will not live a continually immoral lifestyle (1 John 3:6). The Bible declares that anyone who departs the faith is demonstrating that he never truly was a Christian (1 John 2:19). Therefore, neither objection is valid. Christians do not continually live immoral lifestyles, nor do they reject the faith and deny Christ. Such actions are proof that they were never redeemed.

No, a Christian cannot lose salvation. Nothing can separate a Christian from God’s love (Romans 8:38-39). Nothing can remove a Christian from God’s hand (John 10:28-29). God is both willing and able to guarantee and maintain the salvation He has given us. Jude 24-25, “To Him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy—to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.”

Recommended Resource: Eternal Security by Charles Stanley.

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Churches are playing a key role in sending aid and relief to Alabama after a series of deadly tornadoes that hit the south last month.

Julie Wright, who is charged with operations for Birmingham’s Salvation Army, told The Birmingham news that various church groups have lent much-needed aid and relief in coordination with them.

Wright told The Birmingham News that among the church groups that have lent assistance are Gardendale First Baptist, Bethel Baptist, Cottage Hill Baptist Church and Garywood Assembly of God, to name a few.

Wright said to The Birmingham News, “We just encourage anyone who wants to volunteer to go on our website. We’ve had people come down every day to volunteer. It’s been a tremendous response.”

Wright said they have also received aid from the Islamic Relief Agency and The Church of Latter Day Saints, The Birmingham News reported. Brian Wallace, spokesman of Salvation Army said, “They’re doing it completely selflessly.”

While the Salvation Army is the largest evangelical church-run disaster relief program worldwide, many of the largest religious relief agencies in the world have lent assistance to Alabama, including the Catholic Relief Services and the Southern Baptist Convention, The Birmingham News said.

Baptist volunteers have also traveled in crews to Alabama to sleep on the floors of Sunday Schools and stay for a week on their own expense, The Birmingham News said. Tasks they do include cleaning up debris, cutting and removing trees.

Mel Johnson, strategist of the Alabama Convention’s relief work told The Birmingham News, “It’s hot, hard work, but people do it because it’s an opportunity to bring hope.” Johnson adds that they work alongside different faith volunteers including Mormons, Catholics, Lutherans and Methodists among others.

Johnson told The Birmingham News, “[T]hey all bring certain things to the table. The community of faith is usually the first to respond. They have compassion; that’s where they live.”

Hot meals

Some 7,742 trained emergency volunteers from the Southern Baptists have also been preparing tens of thousands of hot meals daily in collaboration with the Red Cross, according to The Birmingham.

Mel Johnson, strategist of the Alabama Baptist Convention’s relief work told The Birmingham News, “We work hand in hand with the Red Cross.” They have, to date, cooked over 177,000 meals and counseled up to 5,000 people.

Baptist feeding units have been deployed to Tuscaloosa, Birmingham Fire Department’s Drills and Training West Field, and Capshaw Baptist Church in Limestone County, The Alabama Baptist reported.

Charlotte Jeffreys, who heads the 17-member group in Capshaw, told TAB that her team has served breakfast, lunch and dinner directly to 1,200 people including disaster relief chain saw teams, utility workers and the local community.

Jeffreys told TAB a lot of the food they prepare comes from the community. “The community has been so wonderful. Many businesses and schools have donated their frozen foods to [the feeding unit] before they go bad (since the community does not have electricity).”

Two weeks after the tornados hit on April 27, some 65,000 businesses and homes were still without electricity, making hot meals a near impossibility were it not for the work of volunteers.

The survivors of the storms have fortunately had access to various meals with the work of the volunteers, including chicken fajitas, dumplings, ham, cooked chicken, peas, corn, pears and desserts such as cookies, strawberry shortcake and thirst quenching tea, among others, TAB reported.

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Question: “How were people saved before Jesus died for our sins?”

Answer:

Since the fall of man, the basis of salvation has always been the death of Christ. No one, either prior to the cross or since the cross, would ever be saved without that one pivotal event in the history of the world. Christ’s death paid the penalty for past sins of Old Testament saints and future sins of New Testament saints.

The requirement for salvation has always been faith. The object of one’s faith for salvation has always been God. The psalmist wrote, Blessed are all who take refuge in him (Psalm 2:12). Genesis 15:6 tells us that Abraham believed God and that was enough for God to credit it to him for righteousness (see also Romans 4:3-8). The Old Testament sacrificial system did not take away sin, as Hebrews 10:1-10 clearly teaches. It did, however, point to the day when the Son of God would shed His blood for the sinful human race.

What has changed through the ages is the content of a believer’s faith. God’s requirement of what must be believed is based on the amount of revelation He has given mankind up to that time. This is called progressive revelation. Adam believed the promise God gave in Genesis 3:15 that the Seed of the woman would conquer Satan. Adam believed Him, demonstrated by the name he gave Eve (v. 20) and the Lord indicated His acceptance immediately by covering them with coats of skin (v. 21). At that point that is all Adam knew, but he believed it.

Abraham believed God according to the promises and new revelation God gave him in Genesis 12 and 15. Prior to Moses, no Scripture was written, but mankind was responsible for what God had revealed. Throughout the Old Testament, believers came to salvation because they believed that God would someday take care of their sin problem. Today, we look back, believing that He has already taken care of our sins on the cross (John 3:16; Hebrews 9:28).

What about believers in Christ’s day, prior to the cross and resurrection? What did they believe? Did they understand the full picture of Christ dying on a cross for their sins? Late in His ministry, Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life (Matthew 16:21-22). What was the reaction of His disciples to this message? Then Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. Never, Lord! he said. This shall never happen to you! Peter and the other disciples did not know the full truth, yet they were saved because they believed that God would take care of their sin problem. They didn’t exactly know how He would accomplish that, any more than Adam, Abraham, Moses, or David knew how, but they believed God.

Today, we have more revelation than the people living before the resurrection of Christ; we know the full picture. In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe (Hebrews 1:1-2). Our salvation is still based on the death of Christ, our faith is still the requirement for salvation, and the object of our faith is still God. Today, for us, the content of our faith is that Jesus Christ died for our sins, He was buried, and He rose the third day (1 Corinthians 15:3-4).

Recommended Resource:
Salvation: God’s Marvelous Work of Grace by Lewis Sperry Chafer

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FOX news personality Glenn Beck said recently that Obama does not follow genuine Christianity, but instead, has views akin to Latin American liberation theology, a Catholic movement that is aligned with Marxism.

In his program Beck played a clip where Pope Benedict strongly condemned liberation theology. He also played a tape reel with clips of Jeremiah Wright, Jim Wallis and Michael Pfleger, and a tape of Obama saying, “My individual salvation rests on our collective salvation,” the Christian Science Monitor said.

Beck cited this as “evidence” that Obama is not a real Christian and in this way he implied that neither is Obama a loyal American, the CSM said. However, rd Magazine questioned Beck’s qualifications as a religion expert.

Noting that even many orthodox Mormons (Beck’s religion) see Christ’s atonement as collective rather than individual suffering and loss, rd Magazine stated that a number of Christian denominations share the idea of collectivism as part of Christianity as well.

Of note, Beck has conceived and is promoting a rally for this Saturday themed, “Restoring Honor,” in Washington D.C. His rant against Obama could be one way of trying to generate a huge turnout for this media event and to build personal media mileage, rd Magazine said.

The rally is described by Beck as a tribute to U.S. servicemen and citizens who uphold the country’s principles of “integrity, truth and honor,” according to Beck’s website.

Harold Attridge, dean of the Yale Divinity School said of Beck’s statements, “This is nothing but political rhetoric. There are many Americans with many views of Christian faith that align with what the president believes,” CSM said.

Attridge noted that Beck has a “narrow view” of true Christianity and cited Biblical sources for the collective aspect in Christianity. Matthew 25 for instance shows Jesus saying that “what one does to the smallest member of a community, one has done to Christ,” CSM said.

Attridge also noted that in the Gospel of John it says, “We do belong to one another, by the grace of God we have to care for one another,” and suggested that Beck, rather than opening up a religious dialogue had a political agenda designed to attack Obama, CSM said.

Richard Flory of the Center for Religion and Civic Culture, University of Southern California said, “Clearly it has to do with the upcoming elections,” CSM said. Beck could also be viewed as deliberately perverting Christianity to cast further doubt among the public about Obama, rd Magazine said.

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A videographer of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) was fired recently for asking two women volunteers to change their faith based t-shirts into something more secular, the AP reported.

According to the AP, Angelia Lott and Pamela Wedgeworth, volunteers in a tornado cleanup in Mississippi, were asked by a FEMA videographer to change their t-shirts before doing an on-camera interview.  The women wore t-shirts with Salvation Army logos.

The incident happened in the small town of Ebenezer.  When Lott asked why, the videographer said “We’ve done that hundreds of times.”  The women changed their shirts because they wanted to recruit other volunteers to help in the cause, according to the Baptist Press.

First the women changed into Crossgates Baptist T-shirts, but they were told to change again.  Finally, they were allowed to wear Southern Belle shirts, according to the Baptist Press.

FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate decried the incident in a statement and apologized to Crossgates Baptist and to the Salvation Army.  The activity, “Caring for Mississippi-Community Work Day” was co-sponsored by FEMA, the Salvation Army and Jackson television station WJTV, according to the AP.

Volunteers of “Caring for Mississippi — Community Work Day” helped remove tree limbs and clean up other debris from an April 24 tornado that left a 149-mile path of destruction through the state, the AP reported.

Fugate said “FEMA is not the team, FEMA is only part of the team, and critical members of that team are the voluntary and faith-based organizations we work with every day,” according to the AP.

U.S. Rep. Gregg Harper, R-Miss., who is a member of Crossgates Baptist said he was distressed to hear volunteers had been asked to hide expressions of their faith.

“I shared with him that we just didn’t want to have a situation where the government would take the position that volunteers from churches had to be something different from what they were, which was faith-based groups coming to help people in need,” Harper said Tuesday night.

Harper said Fugate called to assure him that FEMA does not discriminate against religious groups.  He also said Fugate told him the videographer had been fired.

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