The election results are pre-determined...before a single vote is cast. No, I'm not trying to advance the latest conspiracy theory -- just testifying to the sovereignty of God in the affairs of men (Daniel 2:21).

Depending on which Christian school of thought you align with, God, to a greater or lesser degree, preordains the course of human history. From the "prescient viewpoint" mankind's free-will is emphasized, with predestination resting upon God's foreknowledge of history. By contrast, the "Augustinian view" of God's sovereignty suggests that all of history is merely the outworking of His-story -- predestined, before the world began.

In light of either of these sovereign vantage points, political elections can be viewed as more than just contests between opposing candidates. One might also conclude that they're more like referendums on the collective heart and soul of a nation (1 Samuel 8:19). Essentially the people, represented by their electors, vie for a prevailing national worldview every four years.

This year we have conservative supporters backing a principled incumbent that humbly consults the Almighty for wisdom before adopting an unshakeable position. On the other hand, we have the liberal camp promoting a mercurial candidate, who's decidedly populist approach is subject to change based on circumstances. But it's through this contention, between those who believe in government versus those who trust in God, that the Almighty's hand moves to either bless or curse the nation.

In a future known only to God, are answers to questions like: Have we reached the tipping-point in American society where revival will return to the nation? Are America's best days yet future, or will God judge the "zeitgeist" in this culture, subjecting us to leadership that reflects our increasingly secular outlook?

This month we consider the spiritual dimensions of an election that promises a record turn-out. We begin by examining our personal destiny, in the light of the doctrine of election. Then, to discern the collective direction of our nation, we address the contending ideals of the 21st century? Finally, given our polarity of worldviews, we discuss how best to reach out our culture?

It is my hope, that through the prayerful intercession of God's people, we continue to enjoy His blessing on our nation -- as reflected in our election.

Roy Tanner



Election
by Grace To You

Election is the act of God whereby in eternity past He chose those who will be saved. Election is unconditional, because it does not depend on anything outside of God, such as good works or foreseen faith (Romans 9:16). This doctrine is repeatedly taught in the Bible, and is also demanded by our knowledge of God. To begin with, let's look at the biblical evidence.

The Bible says prior to salvation, all people are dead in sin-- spiritually dead (Ephesians 2:1-3). In this state of death, the sinner is utterly unable to respond to any spiritual stimulus and therefore unable to love God, obey Him, or please Him in any way. Scripture says the mind of every unbeliever "is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so; and those who are in the flesh cannot please God" (Romans 8:7-8, emphasis added). That describes a state of total hopelessness: spiritual death.

The effect of all this is that no sinner can ever make the first move in the salvation process. This is what Jesus meant in John 6:44, when He said, "No one can come to Me, unless the Father who sent Me draws him."

This is also why the Bible repeatedly stresses that salvation is wholly God's work. In Acts 13:48 we read, "And when the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord; and as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed."

Acts 16 tells us that Lydia was saved when, " . . . the Lord opened her heart to respond to the things spoken by Paul."

Romans 8:29-30 states, "For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the first-born among many brethren; and whom He predestined, these He also called; and whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified."

Ephesians 1:4-5,11 reads, "Just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will . . . also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will."

Ephesians 2:8 suggests that even our faith is a gift from God.

In 2 Thessalonians 2:13, the apostle Paul tells his readers, "God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation."

Second Timothy 1:9 informs us that God "has saved us, and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity."

Occasionally someone will suggest that God's election is based on His foreknowledge of certain events. This argument suggests that God simply looks into the future to see who will believe, and He chooses those whom He sees choosing Him. Notice that 1 Peter 1:2 says the elect are chosen "according to the foreknowledge of God the Father," and Romans 8:29 says, "whom He foreknew, He also predestined." And if divine foreknowledge simply means God's knowledge of what will happen in advance, then these arguments may appear to have some weight behind them.

But that is not the biblical meaning of "foreknowledge." When the Bible speaks of God's foreknowledge, it refers to God's establishment of a love relationship with that person. The word "know," in both the Old and New Testament, refers to much more than mere cognitive knowledge of a person. Such passages as Hosea 13:4-5; Amos 3:2 (KJV); and Romans 11:2 clearly indicate this. For example, 1 Peter 1:20 says Christ was "foreknown before the foundation of the world." Surely this means more than that God the Father looked into the future to behold Christ! It means He had an eternal, loving relationship with Him. The same is true of the elect, whom we are told God "foreknew" (Romans 8:29). That means He knew them--he loved them--before the foundation of the world.

If God's choice of the elect is unconditional, does this rule out human responsibility? Paul asks and answers that very question in Romans 9:19-20. He says God's choice of the elect is an act of mercy. Left to themselves, even the elect would persist in sin and be lost, because they are taken from the same fallen lump of clay as the rest of humanity. God alone is responsible for their salvation, but that does not eradicate the responsibility of those who persist in sin and are lost--because they do it willfully, and not under compulsion. They are responsible for their sin, not God.

The Bible affirms human responsibility right alongside the doctrine of divine sovereignty. Moreover, the offer of mercy in the gospel is extended to all alike. Isaiah 55:1 and Revelation 22:17 call "whosoever will" to be saved. Isaiah 45:22 and Acts 17:30 command all men to turn to God, repent and be saved. First Timothy 2:4 and 2 Peter 3:9 tell us that God is not willing that any should perish, but desires that all should be saved. Finally, the Lord Jesus said that, "the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out" (John 6:37).

In summary, we can say that God has had a special love relationship with the elect from all eternity, and on the basis of that love relationship chosen them for salvation. The ultimate question of why God chose some for salvation and left others in their sinful state is one that we, with our finite knowledge, cannot answer. We do know that God's attributes always are in perfect harmony with each other, so that God's sovereignty will always operate in perfect harmony with His goodness, love, wisdom, and justice.

For further study see: J. I. Packer, Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 1961).



The American War
Commentary on the News
Sunday, March 21, 2004
Jack Kinsella - Omega Letter Editor


A culture war has been raging in the United States for years. Unlike traditional wars, it cannot be won by military action, but it is a real war, being carried out on US soil by US citizens against one another.

For example, when San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom defied state law by allowing same-sex marriage licenses, a New York Times profile reported him sporting "a wide grin," "describing his motives as pure and principled," and cited his "business acumen, money, good looks and friends in the right places."

But when Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore also defied the law -- by installing a Ten Commandments display in his public building -- a Times profile said that "civil liberties groups accused Justice Moore of turning a courthouse into a church," while allowing that he had also become "an Alabama folk hero."

On the editorial page, the Times criticized Moore, likening him to George Wallace standing in the schoolhouse door, but supports Newsom's protest and gay marriage.

America's culture war can be defined as conservative vs. liberal, Right vs. Left, rich vs. poor, Democrat vs. Republican but in reality, the war is between believers in Christ and believers in the world system, both inside and outside of mainstream Christian culture.

It isn't really a war between cultures so much as it is a spiritual conflict. For example, while polls show a majority of Americans oppose gay marriage, some of the country's top editorial pages support it.

"Same-sex marriages pose no threat to anyone but rather affirm a commitment of love, an emotion that is universal," says the Boston Globe.

"We believe that extending the benefits and responsibilities of marriage to same-sex couples would be fair and beneficial; we understand that many Americans feel otherwise," says The Washington Post.

"Clearly those who claim that it signals the end of civilization need to get their outrage odometers adjusted," says the Los Angeles Times.

Polls demonstrate the culture war between Christ and the world is taking casualties within mainstream Christian culture as well: A poll conducted by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life suggest that opposition to same-sex marriage is widespread among white evangelical Protestants (84 percent) and blacks (65 percent).

Other mainline Protestant Christians showed a 20-point drop in opposition to same-sex marriage (from 64 percent to 44) and a 19-point drop among white Roman Catholics (from 60 percent to 41 percent) but only a 1-point decline among white evangelical Christians and African Americans. Do you see a pattern developing?

Another front in the culture war is the battle raging over Mel Gibson's movie, "The Passion of the Christ." Before it was even released, it had ignited passions across the country.

"Too gory!" exclaimed movie reviewers. The same movie reviewers loved Quentin Tarantino's "Kill Bill" and "Pulp Fiction." Not to mention "A Nightmare on Elm Street" "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" and "Natural Born Killers" all of which have achieved 'cult film status' and are immune to criticism. The same reviewers who criticized "The Passion" for its gore cheered the historical accuracy of the first thirty minutes of "Saving Private Ryan."

The culture war isn't over the movie, but rather the subject material -- namely the Salvation of the human race. The world system doesn't like to think that it needs salvation, and it doesn't like to be reminded of the historical Jesus.

If the Passion of Jesus is real, then hell is real. And if hell is real, then it becomes decision time. And to the world, 'decision time' means giving up all the 'fun stuff' -- something they would rather not do.

So rather than admitting outright that their real objection is to Christianity in general, they fall back on whatever seems safe. Anti-Semitism, or too much gore, or historical 'inaccuracies' that didn't seem to bother anybody when reviewing "The Last Temptation of Christ" or "Jesus Christ, Superstar".

Abortion is another example -- recently the Los Angeles Times corrected a review about a play that celebrated fertility (a favorite subject of the world) in which the reviewer called the play 'pro-life'. Although the play had NOTHING to do with abortion, the LA Times' editors changed 'pro-life' to 'anti-abortion'.

The words 'pro-life' are forbidden by the Times' editorial board because it might give the impression that if those opposing abortion are 'pro-life' then those who favor it are 'pro-death' or 'anti-life'. 'Anti-abortion' strikes the right semantic 'balance'; who wants to be 'anti' something? Especially since the opposite of pro-life is, by definition, anti-life?

Last week, the UC Student Senate passed a bill to give $2,400 to send 10 buses of students to a pro-abortion rally in Washington. That is considered 'education' but you won't find public universities shelling out funds to send students to a pro-life rally.

Cincinnati's Xavier College ponied up $30,000 to pay lunatic left-winger Michael Moore to address the student body. Some students wanted to hear from conservative columnist Walter Williams. They even put up $10,000 of their own money. Xavier refused to kick in the balance of $3000.00 -- about ten percent of what they paid Moore.

That the world is well aware of the spiritual conflict is easily seen by the automatic assumption that anybody who is pro-life must be a Bible thumping born-again Christian, so financing such a student trip would violate the alleged 'Separation Clause'.

Polls show the majority of Americans are pro-life, but the world system equates being pro-life to Jesus Christ. And hates it.

The spiritual war raging in America is taking place at the same time a larger spiritual conflict has gripped the whole world. Unlike America's war, this one IS being fought using bullets and bombs. That war pits Muslims against Jews and Christians, which is what brought it to America's shores. Because America is rapidly becoming one of the last strongholds of Christianity left in the world.

While there are more Christians in China than there are Americans on earth, no nation on earth has more Christians per capita and no nation on earth exerts more global influence than 'Christian' America.

The culture war raging in America represent the opening skirmishes in the coming War of Armageddon that rages throughout the Tribulation Period.

Consider what would happen to America if suddenly, there were no Christians remaining to continue the spiritual conflict with the world system. What if the only worldview left in America were the one espoused by the liberal left and the God-haters?

What would it mean to America's global status? What if there was nobody to restrain Ted Kennedy or John Kerry or Jay Rockefeller's doctrine of internationalism? What if there were no Christians left for Islam to fight?

One of the spiritual wars taking place in America right now concerns whether or not America is really a Christian country to begin with. In America, pledging allegiance to one nation 'under God' is already illegal. So is displaying the Ten Commandments on public land.

If there were no Christians, America's culture war would be over and the stage would be set for the War of Armageddon to begin in earnest. The Armageddon War isn't against the Church, it is against Israel and the Tribulation saints.

What would happen if, suddenly, Christianity disappeared from the face of the earth is outlined by the Apostle Paul. Paul had taught in his first Epistle to the Thessalonians of the coming Rapture of the Church.

"For this we say unto you by the Word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words." (1 Thessalonians 4:15-18)

In his Second Epistle, Paul is specifically addressing a heresy that was being taught in Thessalonica that the Lord had already returned for His Church and that they had been left behind.

"Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto Him, That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;" (2nd Thessalonians 2:1-3)

Paul outlines the spiritual conflict, saying that "the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only He who now letteth will let, until He be taken out of the way."

The NIV translates this same verse, "For the secret power of lawlessness is already at work; but the One who now holds it back will continue to do so till He is taken out of the way."

The One Who 'holds it back' is the Holy Spirit of God indwelling the Church. The Holy Spirit is God. God is omnipresent, meaning He is everywhere. The Psalmist wrote; "If I ascend up into heaven, Thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, Thou art there." (Psalms 127:8)

It is only AFTER the restraining influence of the indwelt Church is removed, Paul says, that the Antichrist can come to power. "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:" (2 Thessalonians 2:8)

Note that the text makes 'that Wicked' a proper noun, and that he will be destroyed by the 2nd Coming of Christ at the conclusion of the Tribulation Period. The identification of 'that Wicked' as the antichrist is obvious from the context.

After the indwelling of the Holy Spirit is 'taken out of the way' Paul explains the 'strong delusion' that will cause the secular world to embrace the antichrist.

"And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness." (2nd Thessalonians 2:11-12)

The Rapture would decimate the United States, hand victory to the internationalists, the liberals, the homosexual movement, the God-haters and the abortionists in a war they undoubtedly will think they have won.

It is obvious that the only thing restraining evil today is the believing Church. For those to be left behind, the conditioning process has already begun.

The Rapture is at hand. That means there isn't much time left for us to fulfill our commission as watchmen on the wall.

The King is coming! Tell somebody.

Excerpted from the Omega Letter Daily Intelligence Digest, Vol: 30 Issue: 18



How to Confront the Culture

You may know I pastor a church in Los Angeles, California. I have the blessed privilege of mining the truth from God’s Word every week of my life. Doing that in L.A. only makes it more interesting, if for no other reason than the tremendous diversity of people, culture, and language here. When we take the gospel to our city, it’s amazing to watch God’s Word transcend the culture—and every false religion—to change lives. The message of salvation in Christ truly knows no hindrance.

If you think evangelism is a somewhat arduous task in that environment, you’re right. We face a culture that has rejected absolute truth and now considers it stylish to openly embrace and encourage degrading passions. The ecumenical, syncretistic spirit of the age recoils in horror at the exclusive claims of Christ. And popular, evangelical seeker-sensitive churches only make the task more difficult by refusing to confront sin in an effort to make the “unchurched” sinner comfortable.

Preaching today is clearly out of season (2 Tim. 4:2) and evangelism is difficult, but that’s nothing new. Paul faced worse challenges in his day. He faced an increasingly anti-Christian culture—there was no spirit of tolerance to shield believers from hostility. Still, he preached the gospel of Jesus Christ–a hard, uncompromising message of repentance. That is best illustrated in Acts 17:16-34 where Paul faced one of the most intellectually erudite and morally corrupt audiences ever–the philosophers on Mars Hill.

The Situation: Acts 17:16-21Paul came to Athens after being forced to flee Thessalonica and Berea (Acts 17:1-15). Athens was the heart of Greek culture and thought, renowned for its art and philosophy and some of the most famous philosophers. The founders of two dominant philosophies, Epicurus (Epicureanism) and Zeno (Stoicism), had taught in Athens.

Athens was also the home of almost every man-made god in existence. The pagan writer Petronius once said it was easier to find a god in Athens than a man. In fact it was Athenian idolatry that drove Paul to preach the gospel in Athens—such idolatry offended him to the core (v. 16). In customary fashion, he marched directly to the local synagogue and was reasoning from the Scriptures (cf. v. 2) “with the Jews and the God-fearing Gentiles, and in the market place every day with those who happened to be present” (v. 17).

Some Epicurean and Stoic philosophers heard Paul’s message in the market place and brought him to the Areopagus on Mars Hill before some of the most astute philosophers in Athens. They had no interest in the gospel; Paul was simply a novelty to them. They set him in their midst as a specimen that would amuse their interest in “telling or hearing something new” (v. 21). That’s the setting for Paul’s message and method for confronting a godless culture.

The Method: Acts 17:22-34Paul spoke his message to an indifferent and arrogant audience, like many to whom you and I speak today. As we look at how Paul preached to the philosophers, you’ll see three essential elements of an effective message to confront our post-Christian culture with the truth.

First, tell them that God is (vv. 22-23). Here’s Paul’s first point: “You are ignorant and I’m going to give you the truth.” Try recommending that opening line at an evangelism conference. Some people think Paul commended their religiosity when he mentioned their many objects of worship. He wasn’t commending them at all–their idols infuriated him (v. 16). Rather, he started with a given: all men are innately religious. All men are created to be worshipers–they either worship God or something else, but everyone worships something. The Athenians were no different.

Externally, God has given witness about Himself through what He created: “The heavens are telling of the glory of God; and their expanse is declaring the work of His hands” (Ps. 19:1). Internally, according to Romans 1:19: “that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them.” They have an innate sense of the true God of the Bible, His standards are written on their hearts, and their consciences hold them accountable (Rom. 2:14-15). But because of sin, they “suppress the truth in unrighteousness” (Rom. 1:18). They willfully reject what they know to be true and choose instead to worship in ignorance.

Second, tell them who God is (vv. 24-29). This is Paul’s lesson to the ignorant about the unknown God. This is Theology 101. It’s ironic that Paul was teaching the ABCs of theology to those who were known worldwide as supreme intellectuals. It proves the truth of 1 Corinthians 1:25: “The foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.” Here are five things ignorant, rebellious men need to know about the “Unknown God.”

God is the Creator. Verse 24a: He “made the world and all things in it.” In Paul’s day and ours, the truth makes no room for men’s opinions regarding origins.God is the Ruler. Verse 24b: “He is Lord of heaven and earth [and] does not dwell in temples made with hands.” It logically follows that if God is the Creator, He is also the rightful Ruler of what He created. And if He is Creator and Ruler, He doesn’t live in what His creatures have made.

God is the Giver. Verse 25: “He [is not] served by human hands, as though He needed anything, since He Himself gives to all people life and breath and all things.” Far from needing anything from men, the Creator “causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous” (Matt. 5:45).

God is the Controller. Verse 26: “He made from one man every nation of mankind … having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation.” That statement was a blow to the national pride of the Greeks, who scornfully referred to non-Greeks as “barbarians.” Nonetheless, God controls the affairs and destinies of men and nations.

God is the Revealer. Verses 27-29: Men should “seek God … He is not far from each one of us … Being then the children of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like [anything] formed by the art and thought of man.” God, by creating, ruling, giving, and controlling all things, has clearly revealed Himself in what He has made—men are truly without excuse (Rom. 1:20).

Third, tell them what God says (vv. 30-31). Paul’s evangelism method ends with a simple, powerful point: tell them to repent or be judged. In the past, God was patient. But a day is coming when He will judge the world through Jesus Christ. God gave sufficient proof of the truth of His Word in the resurrection of His Son—He holds all men accountable to that evidence. His grace in the past and His wrath in the future require repentance in the present. As Paul said elsewhere, “Now is ‘the acceptable time,’ behold, now is ‘the day of salvation’” (2 Cor. 6:2).

That message isn’t popular today, but then again, it has never been popular. “Now when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some began to sneer … so Paul went out of their midst” (v. 32-33). I mentioned earlier that Paul’s method was effective, and it is. Look at verse 34: “But some men joined him and believed, among whom also were Dionysius the Areopagite and a woman named Damaris, and others with them.” It was effective to save those whom God chose to save. Paul was faithful to proclaim the truth. He left the results to God.

From Athens to Los Angeles, first century to twenty-first century and everywhere in between, repentance may not be popular, but it’s still the gospel. Teach this post-Christian culture about God and then command repentance. That’s the only message we have; without it, no one would be saved.

Adapted from Acts 13-28, The MacArthur New Testament Commentary © 1996. All rights reserved.