Feb 16
11
THE WAY THEY CALL HERESY
But this I confess unto thee, that after the way which they call heresy, so worship I the God of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the law and in the prophets. (Acts 24:14)
There is only one message that agrees and fully satisfies all that is written in the Law and the prophets. That message and that message alone, reveals Almighty God to be just and the justifier of sinners. It is through the message of the Gospel of Christ and Him crucified that TRUTH HIMSELF is consistently set forth, and sinners have any hope. The way of truth which carnal religion claims to love is actually evil spoken of (2 Peter 2:2). This way is by the world called heresy (a self-willed opinion substituted for submission to the power of truth), but to believers it is the basis of their worship. This message, that men call heresy, is based completely on the written word of God and His word alone is the only rule of true faith (2 Tim. 3:16-17):
1.This message declares Almighty God (Father, Son, and Spirit) to be absolutely sovereign in creation, providence, and salvation (Psalm 115:3; 135:6).
2. This message declares all men born in Adam to be spiritually dead and blind sinners, totally void of anything that is good, unwilling and unable to bow or come to Christ that they might have life (Psalm 14:2-3).
3. This message declares that by eternal, unconditional election, God chose a certain people in Christ (Eph. 1:3) before the foundation of the world unto salvation through sanctification of the Spirit, and belief of the truth, and that these elect shall be and must be saved (John 6:37)
4. This message declares the Lord Jesus Christ to be God’s substitute for all those chosen unto salvation. Christ laid down His life for the sheep (John 10:11). All the guilt of all the elect for all eternity was imputed (changed to the account) to Christ Who was made to be sin for us (2 Cor. 5:21), though He Himself knew no sin. As the guilt of all the elect was imputed to the account of Christ Jesus, His righteousness was imputed to the account of all those for whom He died. The Lord Jesus, the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world (John 1:29), actually redeemed all that the Father chose — their sin is forever put away.
5. This message declares God’s grace to His own in salvation to be irresistible, and that those chosen in eternity and redeemed at Calvary, will be brought and made willing (Psalm 110:3) to cast themselves on the person of Christ, believing on Him for salvation (Acts 16:31).
6. This message declares every redeemed sinner to be kept by the power of God unto eternal salvation (John 10:27-28), and these redeemed sinners, bought by the precious blood of Christ, are in the hand of God Almighty, never to be forsaken (Heb. 13:5).
This message that agrees with all the Law and the prophets, honors Almighty God in calling men to repentance. It keeps them, feeds them, exhorts them, and establishes them all by His grace. This message, the way that carnal religion calls heresy … “so worship I the God of my fathers.” Marvin Stalnaker.