Fundamental Baptist Christian

Jesus knew His time had finally come so He gave His farewell discourse. He had to become the sin sacrifice of mankind. He was now giving instructions to His disciples and explaining vital truths after the Lord's supper. The Lord's supper was instituted as a symbolic sacrament or ordinance to do it in remembrance of what He did on the cross. There's no continuing sacrifices for sins because it's finished! The very next thing after the Lord's supper was His farewell discourse. How important is the farewell discourse? Well it can be found in John 14-16 which would be followed by His great High Priestly prayer in John 17. So what lessons can be learn from the three chapter discourse? Well let's dig into the important topics. Lesson #1 - No one to the Father but by the Lord Jesus alone (John 14:1-14) Jesus was beginning His sermon with the encouragement of not letting the disciples' hearts be troubled. At this point, Judas Iscariot had already left. All we ha...

Another objection against the Bible and calling it "evil" has to do with Jephthah's vow. I remembered running into a mock Bible site that actually suggested that Jephthah offered his daughter as a human sacrifice. Some think that God approved of it. Other Christian scholars think that Jephthah did commit the sin and that silence does not mean God's approval.  However, others do have another interpretation concerning the matter of Jephthah's daughter. Studying the Bible requires a strict understanding of when to translate something literally or figuratively. Here are some alternatives that could explain to what really happened. " Got Questions " has this to say about what truly happened to Jephthah's daughter: A judge of Israel, Jephthah, had made a foolish vow to the Lord that if God gave him victory in battle, he would sacrifice whatever first came out of his door when he came home (Judges 11:30-31). Jephthah’s daughter was the first thing ...

One of the most confusing yet not impossible to understand passages is all about casting pearls before swine in Matthew 7:6. Pigs were not raised in Israel and they are still illegal to this very day. If you read through Leviticus 11 - you will realize that pigs are also among the unclean meat. That means no pork-related dishes are allowed within the Old Testament. Also, we do read in Matthew 8:28-34 that Jesus cast the demons into the pigs which caused them to drown. The pork was only and finally allowed for consumption in Peter's vision in Acts 10:9-16. So how can the figure of speech be properly interpreted? Here's an interesting take from Got Questions which talks about what it means not to cast pearls before swine: Before Jesus says, “Do not cast your pearls before swine,” He says, “Do not give dogs what is sacred.” An analogy mentioning dogs is also used in Proverbs: “As a dog returns to its vomit, so a fool repeats his folly” (Proverbs 26:11). A dual reference to ...

Although not everyone who has pity for the poor is saved but one of the signs that a person is definitely not saved is having no pity for the poor. Here are a couple of verses from Proverbs that shows how having no mercy for the poor can be a good indicator that you are not saved: Proverbs 14:31  He that oppresseth the poor reproacheth his Maker: but he that honoureth him hath mercy on the poor.  Proverbs 17:5  Whoso mocketh the poor reproacheth his Maker and he that is glad at calamities shall not be unpunished.  Proverbs 19:17  He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the LORD; and that which he hath given will he pay him again.  This reminds me of the story of the rich man and Lazarus where we read the following;  Luke 16:19-31  There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day: [20] And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of so...

Titus 1:16 reveals how one can profess God but deny Him by their actions saying, "They profess that they know God; but in works they deny Him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate. " To understand what it means to be reprobate unto every good work (which I re-stated the words in simpler English for clearer understanding), here's John Gill's commentary on the matter: And unto every good work reprobate: or "unaccustomed", unused to them, as the Arabic version renders it; or rather "without judgment", and understanding, concerning them; there was no good in them, nor was it in them to do good; to do good they had no knowledge, nor any inclination; they were unfit for it, and had not a capacity to perform it; they were not good themselves, and therefore could not do good; the tree must first be made good, ere its fruit will be good;they were without Christ, and without His Spirit, and grace, without which no man c...

Whenever I meditate on the meaning of Proverbs 14:12, I always think of people doing what's right in their own eyes. In Judges 21:25 it summarized the whole problem of Israel during the days of the judges, people were doing what they thought was right but it was not right. The problem is no different than today especially when it comes to the issues of sin and doing what's right. When I read the Book of Judges and the Book of Jeremiah when I am frustrated, I find myself not a bit surprised to what's going on in the world. The quote in the topmost picture is from Arthur W. Pink on "The Devil's Delusion" and I am afraid many people are trapped in Satan's program of self-righteousness while believing they serve God, they are unknowingly serving the Devil. Works salvation as a system of man's own justice ignores the total depravity of man. Now one can say, "How dare you say I am totally depraved?" I am sorry but Isaiah 64:6 calls our righteo...

The Song of Solomon has been viewed in many ways. One of the views that persist is that King Solomon is the villain and that there is the shepherd boy, both vying of the love of the Shulamite. However the more I do a study of the Song of Solomon, I feel like the whole love triangle thing may not be the best interpretation because, for one, Solomon wrote the book. Solomon himself was the second son of David and Bathsheba. Knowing David was a handsome man and Bathsheba was a very pretty woman (though the age gap made David old enough to be Bathsheba's father), David had only loved Bathsheba later in his life and Solomon was that son. Another of Solomon's full siblings was Nathan from whom Mary the earthly mother of Jesus was born from, while from Solomon came forth, Joseph. When I think of the Song of Solomon and its meaning - this was the reality. Solomon had so many women for political reasons but he could only love one. The Shulamite woman would have fit that picture ...

1 Corinthians 15:56 says that the strength of sin is the Law. Does it mean that the Law is evil? It does not mean that. An analysis of verses in context together with real life application will help us understand what it means. Strength here is "dynamis" or "δύναμις" which we get the word dynamic. Dynamic means "a force that stimulates change or progress within a system or process". I remembered a sermon by Pastor Robert Charles Sproul who specified that the more something is banned, the more people want to do it. The very first instance was when Eve was enticed by the serpent to eat the forbidden fruit, she saw it was desirable and she ate it. Later in Exodus 32, the Israelites were just given the command back in Exodus 20 not to make any false gods, they broke the command and worshiped the golden calf. There is always the natural tendency in fallen man to rebel ever since Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit. Today's world is no different either....

I just thought it's VERY HARD to find a woman who fits Proverbs 31 these days. Men need to pray for the right partner even if Boaz waited for long for Ruth. Now it's time to do a verse by verse analysis of Proverbs 31:10-31: Verse 10- "Who can find a virtuous woman? For her price is far above rubies." How true, to think about it that many people today are "money comes first". In truth, money is important but does not come first. Women unless they are widowed, thrown out or whatever forces her to support herself is meant to stay at home and take care of the home. Women who leave their children to the babysitter and to daycare centers while she tries to make "extra income" makes money useless as it may spoil the children. Talk about like flight attendant mothers against the housewives do no make them good mothers. Verse 11- "The heart of the husband doth safely trust in her so that he shall have no need of spoil." A t...

I just had a thought that we want to prove people just because we've grown up with them, we've been friends but sometimes we really need to stay back after we have reproved once or twice leaving them to the justice system to punish them. Reason? Proverbs 9:7-8 says, "He that reproveth a scorner getteth to himself shame: and he that rebuketh a wicked man getting himself a blot. Reprove not a scorner lest he hate thee: rebuke a wise man and he will love thee." That is sometimes we have to learn to give up because stupid people do not become wise because of other people, they become wise when they choose to accept wisdom. Having that kind of problem with scorners? What we really need is to consider what was even our motives in correcting people- is it out of care or out of a desire to overpower? Sometimes we have the motive of care but it does become an excruciating exercise. It can be true for parents with hard-headed children- sometimes they have to let their c...

Exodus 7:11-12- "Then Pharaoh also called the wise men and the sorcerers: now the magicians of Egypt also did in like manner with their enchantments . For they cast down every man his rod and they became serpent but Aaron's rode swallowed up their rods." This is a pretty controversial verse of whether or not the rods of the magicians also became serpents. However here's an interesting fact from Apologetics Press : Egyptians have long used the snake in their religious and ceremonial rituals. Many murals, ancient Egyptian paintings and carvings, and written texts portray this animal in connection with ancient Egyptian snake charmers, magicians, and even Pharaohs. In fact, many of the golden burial casts used to intern the ancient Egyptian kings have a sculpture of a snake coming from the forehead of the regal personality. Furthermore, the snake is commonly associated with certain gods of ancient Egypt. In regard to this affinity for the serpentine, the ancie...

Philippians 1:6- "Being confident of this very thing, that He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ :" As a person who adheres or holds on to the doctrine of the perseverance of the saints as well as unconditional election, I believe that God will certainly finish the work that He has started with the believer. Looking at the illustration in John 15:1-8 about the Christians as the branches and the Father trims them, the fruitless branches can only represent people who were never saved to start with. For a person who truly possesses eternal security, there is no way they will be idle because God does not only save, He also sanctifies the believer and every Christian is a sheep with a listening ear while those who can't even obey Christ are goats (John 10). John 6:37, Jesus promised that whosoever comes to Him, He shall no likewise cast out and I wonder what part of that verse the heretical Arminian crowd and their high-m...

Matthew 16:13-19 we read of the appointment of Peter as the first pastor of the Christian Church. Important points to learn about this lesson: First, the question. In verse 13, Jesus asks the disciplines, "Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?" So we see that Jesus was obviously testing the hearts of the disciples to reveal to them their calling. Now we have it that first He asks the disciples to reveal to them the truth which in verse 14, the disciples figure it out. In verse 15, he asks, "But whom do you say that I am?" Then this comes the confession of the faith of Peter. Notice, Peter's confession in verse 16 when he declares, "Thou art the Christ the Son of the living God." Despite Peter's weaknesses, he had so opened to admit that Christ is the Son of the living God. What a bold confession of faith, though later he would deny the Lord thrice but then in Acts, he would become the first pastor in Jerusalem and preached his...

2 Thessalonians 2:3-12 says, "Let no man deceive you by any means for that day shall not come except come a falling away and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God and that is worshiped; so that he as 'God' sitteth in the Temple of God, shewing himself that he is God. Remember ye not that when I was yet with you I told you these things? And now, ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time. For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let until He be taken out of the way. And then shall that Wicked be revealed whom the Lord shall consume with the Spirit of His mouth and shall destroy with the brightness of His coming- even him whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders. And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish because they received not the love of the truth that they might be saved...