Author: Allan (Page 269 of 492)

Saved in Christ

I need to acknowledge the disturbing link that has recently popped up next to the tagline at the top of this website. It says “prescription frr Cialis.” Before that, for maybe a week or so, it said, “Pokémon buy gold Viagra.” Nice. I was first alerted to it early last week. It doesn’t show up on my computer because I’m the administrator, but everybody else sees it. Sneaky. It’s a hack. The links are dead so it’s not hurting anybody. But it’s not what I want at the top of my website. A couple of you have asked if I’ve tapped into a revenue stream. No. But, it’s not a bad idea. If that’s going to be at the top of my blog, I ought to at least be getting paid for it!

We have our very best people working on this, but it’s apparently very complicated. Don’t worry — I’ve been assured it can’t hurt anybody’s computers. It’s just a nuisance. But, yeah, I’m aware of it now.

The jokes I’ve been told about it and some of your one-liners (thank you) are certainly hilarious. Just not publishable.

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Blue BellI need to also address the Blue Bell recall — I haven’t mentioned it yet on this site. I understand the widespread concern and want to assure you that, yes, I am just as concerned. Some friends and I are in the process right now of going back through Revelation to see if there is some cosmic connection between the end of times and what’s happening out of Brenham. This is heavy stuff and we all need to be paying close attention.

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“There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus!” ~Romans 8:1

Saved in Christ!We’re considering this week why so many Christians feel like God is disappointed in them. In their honest moments, research indicates that most Christians feel more condemned by God’s judgment of them and less convinced of his great love for them. Of course, we don’t get that idea at all from Scripture. It comes from outside sources.

If you are in Christ, you are not condemned and cannot be condemned. You are saved. You cannot lose your salvation. You can throw it away, yes, but you cannot lose it. We don’t believe in once saved, always saved; but we certainly don’t believe in once saved, barely saved. There is no condemnation for those of us who are in Christ.

“If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all — how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? ~Romans 8:31-32

There’s not enough eternity to fathom that point. As the old hymn says, “When I think that God, his Son not sparing, sent him to die, I scarce can take it in.” He did that. God did that for you. How will he not also graciously give you all things? Good question.

“God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! For if, when we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!” ~Romans 5:8-10

While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. You were justified by the sin-forgiving, life-bestowing blood of Jesus while you were a sinner. While you were an enemy of God, he saved you. You were not declared righteous for anything you’ve done, so you won’t be declared unrighteous for anything you’ve done. You can’t let God down because you’re not holding God up. This is not related to anything you’ve done or haven’t done. You are saved because of what God has done through Christ Jesus on the cross.

Is God just going to forget about the cross? When it comes to you, is he just going to un-do the cross?

For some reason we get it in our minds that since Christians know better, since we know more, since we’ve been blessed by this saving blood of Christ, we’re going to be held more accountable than others. We’re going to be judged more strictly, more harshly. We know more, so we’re in more danger.

No! Hear the good news, Christian!

Since we’ve been justified, HOW MUCH MORE shall we be saved! Since we’ve been reconciled, HOW MUCH MORE shall we be saved! Why would we assume there is less grace for God’s children? There is more!

More grace. More salvation. No condemnation.

Peace,

Allan

Disappointing God

I have a theory. I can’t prove this, I have no statistics or other evidence to substantiate this. It’s only a theory as to why so many Christians feel like God is disappointed in them.

God is an authority figure. He’s actually THE ultimate authority figure — we can all agree to that. And for most of our lives, authority figures are in the business of evaluating our performances and rewarding us or not based on those performances.

Disappointed MomMom says if you eat your peas, she’ll give you a piece of cake. Your teacher says if you write a good report, she’ll give you an ‘A.’ Your coach says if you catch all the passes in practice, he’ll make you a starter. Your boss says if you surpass all the company goals, he’ll give you a raise. Our lives are determined by these authority figures who judge our performances and decide to reward us or not based on those performances. So we go through live managing to perform and please the right people and receive the rewards with varying levels of success and failure.Disappointed Teacher

But when it comes to God, we know we don’t stack up. Ever. We are not holy, we are not perfect. Not even close. And our performance never has and never will measure up to our God’s divine standards. So God has to be disappointed.

Disappointed CoachMy mom is disappointed when I don’t clean up my plate. My teacher is disappointed when I flunk the English test. My coach is disappointed when I miss the block. And my boss is disappointed when I don’t hit my numbers. So, God… I know how God feels.

Just a theory.

“Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies! Who is he that condemns?” ~Romans 8:33-34Disappointed Boss

Who is it? Who’s condemning you and making you feel this way? The devil? Your friends? Your enemies? Your own past, your sins, your feelings, your experiences with other authority figures?

“It is God who justifies! Who is he that condemns?”

“I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” ~Romans 8:38-39

God does not want us to feel condemned, but convinced. “There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus!” (Romans 8:1). We are not condemned by God’s judgment, we are convinced of his great love.

Peace,

Allan

God Is For Us!

According to several surveys I’ve seen over the years, the number one response among Christians when asked, “What is God feeling when he thinks about you?” is “Disappointment.” Most Christians, in their honest moments, feel like God is disappointed in them. God Is For Us!

Do you feel that way?

Why?

More times than not, in my own honest moments, I also feel like God is disappointed in me. And I’m not sure why. We don’t get that idea from the Bible. The entirety of Scripture is cram-packed with testimony to God’s great love for all of us. We have more examples than we could ever count of God’s faithful love and action for and with his children. Our Lord has promised and proven that he will stop at nothing to love us and act on our behalf.

“He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all — how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?” ~Romans 8:32

So, why do we feel like God is disappointed in us?

“If God is for us, who can be against us?” ~Romans 8:31

He is not neutral. God is not just sitting on the sidelines, watching you perform, and trying to make up his mind about you. He is for you — not was for you, not will be for you, not may be for you. He is for you. All the way. And, while there’s not enough eternity to fathom that glorious reality, we’ll take a stab at it here over the next few days.

Peace,

Allan

High Winds

I praise God for days like this in Amarillo. Steady winds at 35-45 miles per hour. Gusts of up to 55 miles per hour measured at the airport. I praise God. If it weren’t for the maddening winds, there’d be two million people living here.

Peace,

Allan

Christian Studies

Austin Graduate School of Theology has launched a brand new blog this week called “Christian Studies,” borrowed from the title of the excellent theological journal the AGST staff has published annually for more than thirty years. I have included on this page a permanent link to the blog, just to the right and down a bit, in the “links” list. Or, you can access the new blog by clicking here. And you should check it out. Read it. Right now. Here’s why:

1) My incredibly talented brother, Dr. Keith Stanglin, is the editor for the blog. He’s also the editor for the “Christian Studies” journal. You can be assured that the content will be excellent, accurate, timely, and practical for your own study, for your Bible class or church, and for those theological conversations you’re having with people at work or with family members during the holidays.

2) My wonderfully gifted brother, Dr. Keith Stanglin, is the author of the first post on this new blog. This initial post serves as an introduction to his latest book, The Reformation to the Modern Church: A Reader in Christian Theology. Keith has compiled 113 primary source documents from the past 700 years of God’s Church, ranging from Erasmus and Ignatius to Zwingli and Barth. Today’s post contains the introduction to Keith’s recent work, links to a really favorable review, links to his Amazon author page, and links that take you directly to a spot where you can purchase the book for your own library.

3) There are pictures of Keith on the blog post and on his Amazon author page. You can check him out and wonder why, at ten years younger than me, he has so much less hair.

The new Christian Studies blog will be updated at least weekly with articles and posts by the brilliant professors and staff at Austin Grad. It’ll all be workable. Accessible. These are not ivory tower guys. Their motto is “Scholarship for the church.” And it is.

Peace,

Allan

Perfect Power

Happy San Jacinto Day! Find yourself a Treaty Oak, prop up your wounded leg, and relax in the shade, and sing The Yellow Rose of Texas while celebrating the Republic’s glorious victory.

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Scripture tells us that God’s power is made perfect in weakness. I’m not sure I’m content to be weak. I think I mostly want God’s power to be revealed in my strength. I want the strong and important parts of my life to testify to the power of our God. I don’t think I’m good with being weak.

Strong? Yes! Productive? Absolutely! Competent? Oh, yeah!

Weak?

Not so much.

See, the apostle Paul doesn’t have an inferiority complex when he acknowledges over and over in his letters how weak he is. He just gets it. He understands the truth.

God’s power was seen in Moses, not Pharaoh. And Pharaoh had all the military. God’s power was made perfect in David, not Goliath. And Goliath had all the technology. God’s power was experienced in Peter and John, not the Sanhedrin. And the Sanhedrin had all the votes.

God does everything through people who understand they are nothing and does nothing through people who think they are everything. Instead of hiding our weaknesses, we should probably embrace them, let more people see them. That is, after all, where our Lord does his best work.

Peace,

Allan

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