Assurance of Salvation Part 22. Love for God (#3)

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1 Shackles - Tropenmuseum of the Royal Tropica Institute (KIT) (CC BY-SA 3.0) Assurance of Salvation Part 22 But now, O LORD, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; Love for God (#3) we are all the work of your hand. (Isaiah 64:8 ESV) E Ricciardi (CC BY-SA 3.0) being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. (Philip. 1:6 NIV) User:Piotrus (CC BY-SA 3.0) These two verses focus on God's SOVEREIGNTY A topic that many church-goers ignore, or even deny. They follow the world's teaching, that God's sovereignty and human responsibility contradict each other. Many people stress (often exclusively) what they call "free will." They overlook the fact that we (by our own choices) have become slaves to sin. Being slaves, we could exercise all the "free will" in the world, and we would never choose to love the God of the Bible the God who is sovereign over all creation. If this is you Pray that God will free you from your slavery to a false concept of God. X Learn to love God because he is sovereign, not in spite of it! And don't forget that human responsibility is also important 1

2 Human responsibility it goes along with sovereignty. God "will give to each person according to what he has done." (= Paul quotes from the Old Testament) To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life. Romans 2:6-7 (NIV) If you are willing to do these things, you will be saved. You will also be praising God, who made it possible who freed you from your slavery to sin. WHY HAVE WE LOOKED AT THIS ISSUE? LOVE FOR GOD - A proof of salvation - Public Domain This type of distortion is common and has been common down through history. The "sovereignty-responsibility" issue illustrates one of the many ways that people can develop a distorted "God concept" and end up worshipping and loving a god that does not really exist. Such a love is NOT proof of salvation! SOME OF THE WAYS PEOPLE DO IT: EMPHASIS: People may emphasize one characteristic of God over another (often claiming they have good intentions). OVERREACTING: People may react to the errors of others by over-emphasizing the "opposite" characteristic. AVOIDANCE: People may shy away from something Scripture reveals about God, because it goes against the views of society. A person may even be saying something true But when he downplays or omits the other "half" of the truth, it becomes a lie, an idol, a distortion of who God really is You can "love" this god, but it is NOT the God of the Bible. For a "love for God" that is PROOF of salvation, we need to strive for the "100% God." We must willing to: Accept 100% of what God reveals about himself in Scripture. Change when we discover new things in Scripture about God. Public Domain 2

3 A NEW follower of Jesus may start with a misunderstanding of truth but he will be willing to CHANGE his views, and GROW in the truth. It gave me great joy to have some brothers come and tell about your faithfulness to the truth and how you continue to walk in the truth. I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth. SO Let's look at the issue of what type of God (or god) WE love. (We're going to ask some questions that focus on this issue.) (3 John 1:3-4 NIV) Do you love the God who reveals himself in the Bible? 100% IT'S "ALL OR NONE" Trounce (CC BY 3.0) Or do you prefer a "smorgasbord" god? Pratyeka at en.wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0) No sovereignty here! Total freedom of choice! "TAKE WHAT YOU LIKE!!!" Do you pick what you like in a "god" and ignore the rest? I like what's in the blue dishes. HERE ARE SOME EXAMPLES to think about Tevaprapas Makklay (CC BY-SA 3.0) 3

4 Ezarate (CC BY-SA 2.0) / Andrzej 22 (CC BY-SA 2.0) Do you like to talk about "God is love", but downplay "holiness," because it turns people off? It sure looks pretty! Would you rather focus on forgiveness, than obedience? I'll just pick the yummy things! gailf548 (CC BY 2.0) Tudokin (CC BY-SA 3.0) Do you conveniently sidestep all those "wrath of God" verses? I don't like it too HOT! Do you talk about forgiveness, but neglect God's warning about judgment for ALL who refuse to repent? I go straight for the dessert! Helder Ribeiro (CC BY-SA 2.0) Jbird905 (CC BY-SA 3.0) Do you avoid talking about the critical issues of the day, because God doesn't promote the popular views? Don't touch that! It's for decoration only. If you "pick & choose" what you want in a "God," Then is the God you love REALLY the God of the Bible? (no!) You have no basis for claiming that your "love for God" is proof of salvation. Torsten Seiler (CC BY-SA 2.0) 4

5 Ezarate (CC BY-SA 2.0) / Andrzej 22 (CC BY-SA 2.0) When God puts "love for God" in a person, he doesn't give them a "half-god" (the half they like) but everything that is a part of God. It's so easy for us to get sidetracked, and to end up with distorted ideas. But we must FIGHT it! I heard her say "Dessert THEN vegetables"! Remember "Vegetables THEN dessert"! When it comes to the issue of who God is, IT'S A MATTER OF LIFE OR DEATH! [Public domain] YOUR MISSION Do you remember the verse we began with, at the very beginning of this series? Take the test! Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you? unless indeed you fail to meet the test! (2 Corinthians 13:5, ESV) (We'll call this "Question #1") If you failed this first "test question," you have the opportunity to repent. Do you love and rejoice in EVERYTHING about God? Or do you have a preferred list of selected characteristics? [Public domain] Then you can "retest" and PASS! 5

6 Credits (1) Credits (2) PICTURES SCRIPTURE Isaiah 64:8; 2 Corinthians 13:5 - Scripture quotation from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version (ESV ), copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used bypermission. All rights reserved. ( All other Scripture passages - Scripture quoted from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved. ( PICTURES Potter & clay (1 st picture) - By E Ricciardi (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 ( via Wikimedia Commons Potter & clay (2 nd picture) - By User:Piotrus (my photos) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 ( via Wikimedia Commons Shackles - Tropenmuseum of the Royal Tropical Institute (KIT) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 ( via Wikimedia Commons (modified) Man reading a book Public Domain (modified) Man with megaphone Public Domain Open Bible - By Trounce (Own work) [CC-BY-3.0 ( via Wikimedia Commons Trays & dishes of food (#1 "freedom of choice" page) - Pratyeka at the English language Wikipedia [CC-BY-SA-3.0 ( via Wikimedia Commons Trays & dishes of food (#2 "blue dishes" page) - Tevaprapas Makklay, via Wikimedia Commons, [CC-BY-SA-3.0 ( (cropped) Trays & dishes of food (#3 "pretty arrangement") - By gailf548 from New York State, USA (FOOD!) [CC-BY-2.0 ( via Wikimedia Commons Trays & dishes of food (#4 "yummy food") - By Tudokin (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 ( via Wikimedia Commons (cropped) Trays & dishes of food (#5 "hot food") - By Helder Ribeiro from Campinas, Brazil (img_1386) [CC-BY-SA-2.0 ( via Wikimedia Commons (cropped) Credits (3) PICTURES Trays & dishes of food (#5 "dessert") - By Jbird905 (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 ( via Wikimedia Commons (cropped) Trays & dishes of food (#6 "decoration") - By Torsten Seiler from Cologne, Germany (Buffet) [CC-BY-SA-2.0 ( via Wikimedia Commons (cropped) Jesus on the cross - By Ezarate (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 ( via Wikimedia Commons (modified) Scissors - By Andrzej 22 [CC-BY-SA-3.0 ( via Wikimedia Commons Boy eating dessert - By Frederick George Cotman ( ) (British) (Details of artist on Google Art Project) (Google Art Project: Home - pic) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons (cropped) Taking a test - By KF [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons (cropped) Presentation and any backgrounds not listed above (and not a solid shade) Dennis Hinks DISCLAIMER: The use of a picture does not imply that the author of that picture agrees with the views of this presentation. Some might agree; some might not. 6