Disqus - Latest Comments for joshearwood

Re: Why the biggest issue facing the church IS NOT addressing homosexuality. And it never will be…

joshearwood — Tue, 21 Oct 2014 09:00:18 -0000

I'm not sure what you mean.

Re: Why the biggest issue facing the church IS NOT addressing homosexuality. And it never will be…

joshearwood — Mon, 20 Oct 2014 20:27:30 -0000

Kinda strawman-ish. I've never heard anyone claim "homosexuality is the biggest issue facing the church. "

Re: James Lamar Wilson

joshearwood — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 15:59:18 -0000

Sorry to hear of James' passing. Rest in peace, friend.

Josh Earwood (ACR '91)

Re: http://www.jesuslovesdesign.com/post/2597022366

joshearwood — Tue, 04 Jan 2011 15:10:35 -0000

Some of it, the parts which were not fulfilled by Christ. I am often not obedient, but I do try to follow God's laws in my life since that is His standard. Parts of the law were only a shadow of things to come and no longer bind believers:

16Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days: 17Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ. Col. 2:16-17.

Believers are not bound to keep a sabbath day (Christ is our Sabbath rest), and we are no longer under dietary restrictions according to that passage and ceremonial law involving washings and sacrifices. It would be blasphemous for a believer to offer and animal sacrifice because Jesus Christ has already paid the penalty for our sin.

The same concept is addressed in Hebrews 9:
6Now when these things were thus ordained, the priests went always into the first tabernacle, accomplishing the service of God.

7But into the second went the high priest alone once every year, not without blood, which he offered for himself, and for the errors of the people:

8The Holy Ghost this signifying, that the way into the holiest of all was not yet made manifest, while as the first tabernacle was yet standing:

9Which was a figure for the time then present, in which were offered both gifts and sacrifices, that could not make him that did the service perfect, as pertaining to the conscience;

10Which stood only in meats and drinks, and divers washings, and carnal ordinances, imposed on them until the time of reformation.

Again, the law was not abolished, but those things which were a shadow of things to come stood only until the time of Christ.

So yes, I do try to follow the law, except as it pertains to "meats and drinks, divers washings and carnal ordinances."

Re: http://www.jesuslovesdesign.com/post/2597022366

joshearwood — Tue, 04 Jan 2011 14:36:22 -0000

Matthew 5:17-19 "Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.

18For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.

19Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven."

It doesn't sound to me like Jesus abolished the law, unless heaven and earth have passed and I just didn't get the memo.

Re: Your Favorite Quote —

joshearwood — Wed, 05 May 2010 21:34:46 -0000

Not short, but good:

“The Gospel is not a call to repentance, or to amendment of our ways, to make restitution for past sins, or to promise to do better in the future. These things are proper in their place, but they do not constitute the Gospel; for the Gospel is not good advice to be obeyed, it is good news to be believed. Do not make the mistake then of thinking that the Gospel is a call to duty or a call to reformation, a call to better your condition, to behave yourself in a more perfect way than you have been doing in the past …

Nor is the Gospel a demand that you give up the world, that you give up your sins, that you break off bad habits, and try to cultivate good ones. You may do all these things, and yet never believe the Gospel and consequently never be saved at all.” Harry Ironside

Re: Why do i sin????

joshearwood — Tue, 04 May 2010 15:19:30 -0000

Don't miss that Pharaoh himself hardened his heart before God did. In Ex. 8:15; 8:19; 8:32; and 9:7; the bible says Pharaoh hardened his heart (or just that it was hardened.) It isn't until Exodus 9:12 (after the sixth plague) that God hardened the heart of Pharaoh. God doesn't cause anyone to sin. He does harden people's heart or blind their eyes to the truth if they reject Him enough, though.

Re: Why do i sin????

joshearwood — Tue, 04 May 2010 14:33:14 -0000

We sin because our flesh has not yet been redeemed. When we are born again by faith in Jesus Christ, we a made alive as a new creature, but our flesh does not change at all. Our flesh does not desire the things of God, even though our born again spirit wants to serve God and will never desire to sin. When Jesus was praying in the garden before his arrest, the disciples kept falling asleep instead of praying as he had asked. He told them "Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak." Mark 14:38. At the resurrection, we will receive a glorified body as Jesus possessed after His resurrection. (1 Cor. 15 has a nice discussion of this concept.) At that time, we won't sin any longer.

Re: Agree or Disagree

joshearwood — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 10:17:06 -0000

Disagree, it's both.

Re: “Relationship” is not equal to Lordship

joshearwood — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 00:49:44 -0000

You think Matthew 7:21-23 is teaching that people go to hell because they didn't work hard enough? We're saved by faith, not works, not "submitting to Jesus' lordship." Notice none of the people in that passage had their hope on the atoning blood of Jesus Christ. They were all trusting in the way that they had worked for Jesus.

Jesus IS lord of all. It isn't necessary that we make Him such. We should serve Him because we love Him, not because we think our salvation depends on it.

May not be what you meant here, but that's how it comes off.

Re: Agree or Disagree

joshearwood — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 22:54:31 -0000

We are a new creature in that our spirit is quickened, but our flesh is not redeemed until the resurrection of the dead, and it is NOT a new creature...yet. If someone is disabled and is born again, does their disability go away? Our flesh with its sin nature isn't changed at all when we're saved. We do have the ability to overcome sin because our spirit, which NEVER sins and loves the things of God, is a new the new man. When we sin, we sin because we choose to do so, not because some little devil takes us over. At the same time, our flesh will always choose to sin. This is the war that wages in our members that Paul was talking about in Romans 7. As believers, we can and should strive to live holy lives. If we don't, of course, our sins won't ever condemn us when we die, though we will face chastisement in this life. God disciplines His children, and if we choose to live a wicked life, you can count on God's discipline.

It's important to keep this point in context, though. When we sin, we do love the sin more than God at that moment. But it's important to remember that we aren't saved by loving God or obeying Him, we're saved by believing the gospel of Jesus Christ. We are saved by our faith in Christ alone and our own struggle with sin (or lack thereof) is irrelevant as it relates to our salvation.

This is why the false teaching that the plan of salvation includes a requirement to "repent of all our sin" is so insidious. No one has ever repented of all his sin. We all continue to sin and we will until the resurrection when we are given our new glorified body. We are saved when we believe on Jesus Christ and put all of our hope and trust in Him, period. Yet well-meaning pastors and others regularly tell people to repent "of their sins" rather than telling them to repent of their lack of faith in Christ. It's an invitation to the lost to depend on their own good works...their own good life...their own life change, instead of believing that the Son of God died and rose again in FULL payment for their sins. We are saved 100% by what Christ did; 0% by what we do.

Re: Satan is a Liar!!!

joshearwood — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 15:55:23 -0000

So you believe salvation IS by works? Just how much do we have to do to be good enough? Please explain what you think a person has to do to be saved.

As for me, I'll believe the bible when it says, "For by grace you have been saved through FAITH. And this is not your own doing; it is the GIFT of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast." Eph 2:8-9.

And Romans 3 which says: "But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— the righteousness of God THROUGH FAITH IN JESUS CHRIST FOR ALL WHO BELIEVE. ... for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a GIFT, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be RECEIVED BY FAITH. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the ONE WHO HAS FAITH IN JESUS."

So which is the lie? That we are saved by faith in Christ without our own contribution, or that we have to live a good life or do good works to be saved? Where is the verse that says that salvation is for all who believe on Christ (as long as they live a good life)? Whosoever means whosoever.

Re: Satan is a Liar!!!

joshearwood — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 00:28:25 -0000

Glad to hear that's not what it was! I constantly hear people teaching a false gospel that salvation is by faith PLUS "turning from our sins," instead of by faith alone as the bible teaches. It sounds really righteous and holy, but what it really means is we don't believe God when he says salvation is for ALL who BELIEVE on Christ.

Re: Satan is a Liar!!!

joshearwood — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 20:21:53 -0000

It's ironic, because I was going to say that the biggest lie of Satan is that we we are supposed to earn salvation by "repentance from evil ways" or by a "constant pursuit of Jesus." Salvation is by faith in Christ alone, without any contribution by us. Our only role in salvation is believing in Jesus Christ and trusting Him alone for salvation. If your hope for salvation is your good life or your efforts at being a disciple or your turning from sin, you haven't placed all your hope on Jesus Christ, you're placing it on yourself.

Acts 16:31-32 tells us what we must do to be saved:

"Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" And they said, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household."

John 3:16 & 18 agree: "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that WHOEVER BELIEVES in him should not perish but have eternal life. ... WHOEVER BELIEVES in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.

The ONLY thing that decides whether someone is born again is whether he has believed the gospel. We SHOULD follow Jesus as a disciple and we should seek to know God through studying His word, but we aren't required to be a "Christ follower" to be saved; we're required to believe the gospel.

Re: Agree or Disagree

joshearwood — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 02:36:56 -0000

Without exception, every person who has ever been saved and will ever be saved has been saved by being born again by faith in Jesus Christ. Although the record of the Son of God had not yet been written (in earthly form), the promise of redemption through the messiah was given in Genesis 3. (By given, I mean that it was written about in the bible. The bible says that God’s promise of eternal life was made “before the ages began.” Titus 1:2)

In Genesis 4, Abel was accepted by God because by faith he brought the blood sacrifice God required, while Cain was rejected because he brought the works of his hands. How did Abel know what to bring? Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God. God told Cain and Abel what to bring as a sacrifice, but while Abel believed God, Cain chose to make his own way. Hebrews 10 tells us that sacrifices were but a shadow of what was to come, that is, Jesus Christ, whose blood can take away sins, unlike the blood of bulls and goats. Heb. 10:4.

Many people in the OT were saved, and they were saved by faith in Jesus who had not yet come. In Job 1, the bible talks about the Sons of God appearing before God in heaven. Who are the Sons of God? Believers in Jesus Christ. Job, which is generally believed to be the oldest book of the bible, clearly shows that that there were born again believers even then.

God’s covenant with Abraham did not change the way that sinners are justified. Abraham was saved by faith, as was Jacob and Issac. Moses was saved by faith and “considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward.” Heb 11:26. Moses was saved by faith in Christ.

Jesus also affirmed this truth. In John 3, Nicodemus begins to question Jesus about being “born again.” Jesus says to him, “Are you the teacher of Isreal and yet you do not understand these things?” How was Nicodemus to know those things? Because the entire bible, OT and NT, is God’s witness of His Son. Genesis 1:1 says, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” Jesus is “the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.” Rev 22:13. John 1:3 says that all things that have been created have been created though Jesus Christ. Jesus said that the reason the Jews did not believe in him was that they did not believe Moses. John 5:46.

The ark of Noah is a picture of Jesus.
That passover is a picture of Jesus.
The bronze snake in Numbers 21 is a picture of Jesus.
The Sabbath is a picture of Jesus.

Paul says in Titus 1:2 that God, who never lies, promised eternal life “before the ages began.” 1 John 5:11 says that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. Jesus says in John 3:18 that whoever believes in Jesus Christ is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.

Salvation is only by faith in Jesus Christ today; it was only by faith in Jesus Christ in John 3; it was only by faith in Jesus Christ in Genesis 4; and it will be only by faith in Jesus Christ until the end.