A Few Wheat... and Many Tares

Writhing poignantly underneath the popular wave of contemporary Evangelicalism lies the dormant awareness that "not all physical Israel is (are) spiritual Israel." That is to say, not all who profess a faith in, or a love for Jesus are truly regenerate, or of the circumcision of the heart. Realistically, most moderately Biblically aware people know that this thread of truth is conveyed throughout the whole panoply of Scripture. But when we think more somberly about this reality, is it not also clear that few of us, even if we are genuine believers, fully sees into the heart of our professing Christian acquaintances?

I've spoken in earlier blogs about denotative love. The Lord Jesus Christ Himself, in His dialogue with me, has clearly explained that, devoid of authentic love for both God and humanity, a "means to an end" type of finagling finds its way into all manner of human relationships. Worse still, when couched in Biblical catchphrases and theological doublespeak, false love, or again, false humility, can wreak eternal havoc on both its professors and listeners.

What part of the Galatians Chapter One Gospel, which Paul irrevocably declares is the only gospel by which man can be saved, and which I also endorse and proclaim as literal truth, must you imbibe in order that you may be saved yourself? None of it! Paul said it himself, "I want you to know that the Gospel I received was not something I made up; rather I received it by direct revelation from the Lord Jesus Christ."

Now, in no way was I just saying that there is no need for studying Scripture, or of believing on the Lord Jesus Christ. But such a belief is not done by human decision, as we see in John Chapter One. You cannot transact your own salvation. To say that this belief is a primary tenet of Orthodox Calvinism is only part of the point. It's the central teaching of the entire Bible: The Lord saveth. Not man.

You can read Scripture all day, attend any Reformed church you like, witness about the love of Jesus Christ ad infinitum, tell your relatives that all your material blessings come from Above, and still not ever have the revelation of Galatians 1 Orthodoxy from the living God. This reality is Biblical Truth 101. I don't mean to sound crass or condescending, but unless a person has a crisis of belief- indeed, a rupture of personal identity which emanates from the Father of Heavenly Lights- then all one's Christian attestations are of a horizontal, this worldly source, despite any terminology one may have learned vis a vis the Christian Gospel.

I am unwavering in this non-negotiable reality: "Cursed is the man who trusts in the flesh. But blessed is the man who trusts in Me, the Sovereign Lord." But an added quandary, folks, is that many a man has invoked utter doom on his self-serving heart, even as he warned his listeners to trust in the Lord. Denotative love is a markedly rare commodity. And when Orthodoxy becomes big-business, the first stock sold for a barter's quotient is that of authentic love.