Jesse Morrell is an open air preacher and campus speaker who travels around the USA preaching everywhere. He writes somewhat extensively on theological subjects and operates under the banner of the ministry he founded, “Open Air Outreach”. His influences seem to span wide and far as he is constantly on the move and preaching his version of what he calls “the gospel”.

Yet, despite the outward appearance of zeal in evangelism and devotion to theological subjects, there is reason to have grave concern about this man and the ministry he leads. Not only has he employed unscriptural and cruel tactics of “shock and awe” preaching where crude statements are shouted in the open air in the hopes of offending people so that a heckler will rise up and yell and then a crowd will gather, and not only does he align himself with false evangelists who are known for their shockingly offensive and anti-biblical methods of ministry, but he believes and promotes a theology which denies the essential truths of the Gospel. In this short article, I’m going to briefly explain how Jesse’s theology is anti-biblical and denies the real Gospel of Jesus Christ as taught in the Word of God.

I have already communicated with Jesse on numerous occasions pleading with him from God’s Word to recognize his error and to renounce the false doctrines he believes, and have communicated with him numerous times and even rebuked him sharply, all to no avail. Seeing that he won’t repent, and that his influence is still expanding, I am now releasing this as a public warning to all that this man, Jesse Morrell, is promoting doctrines of demons disguised as Christian dogma.

In this short article, I will briefly explain: (1) The essential Christian truths which Jesse denies, and (2) the absolute heresies which Jesse believes and promotes under the banner of Moral Government Theology. Then I will conclude with a short word of exhortation.

Also let me state that this is not meant to be an in-depth look at the scope and depth of Jesse’s theology and the ins and outs of all its error, or a thorough teaching on what is right theology, but just a brief overview of some of the fundamental errors held by this man. And this is not a personal vendetta against Jesse, but rather a public announcement released in love, looking forward to the possibility of Jesse’s repentance, and looking out for the precious souls who are potentially in danger of being deceived through his influence. Oh, dear soul, if you are in any way in contact with Jesse and subject yourself to his teachings, I ask you in the name of Christ, pray for the truth and search the Scriptures. Keep your eyes on Christ. So, as we continue, read this prayerfully, and measure all things to the Scriptures. Let us begin.

ESSENTIAL CHRISTIAN TRUTHS DENIED BY JESSE MORRELL:

-The doctrine of God’s Omniscience: Simply stated and summarized, Jesse does not believe that God immutably knows the future, but that God just makes really good guesses. This is the result of exalting the free will of all “moral agents” to a Deified position, exalting free will even above God Himself. Therefore, Jesse thinks that even God has to submit to the free will of man, and doesn’t know what any man will choose to do before that man actually makes the choice and does it. Because of this, Jesse believes that God doesn’t know the future, but kind of just makes the best choices He can as He finds out what free moral agents decide. This is in direct contradiction to the teaching of the whole Bible! In Jesse’s theology, God Almighty has been stripped of His Omniscience! Yet the fact that God knows the future and declares it immutably is one of the glorious attributes of His character that distinguishes Him from false pagan gods and from every other being in creation:

Isaiah 42:9 – “Behold, the former things are come to pass, and new things do I declare: before they spring forth I tell you of them.”

Isaiah 46:5-10 – “To whom will ye liken me, and make me equal, and compare me, that we may be like? They lavish gold out of the bag, and weigh silver in the balance, and hire a goldsmith; and he maketh it a god: they fall down, yea, they worship. They bear him upon the shoulder, they carry him, and set him in his place, and he standeth; from his place shall he not remove: yea, one shall cry unto him, yet can he not answer, nor save him out of his trouble. Remember this, and shew yourselves men: bring it again to mind, O ye transgressors. Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me, Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure.”

Jeremiah 1:5 – “Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.”

Acts 15:18 – “Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world.”

Romans 8:29-30 – ”For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.”

-The doctrine of Substitutionary Atonement: The real doctrine of the Atonement as taught in the Bible teaches us that Christ died as a literal Substitute for sinners; that Christ took our sin and was punished on behalf of our sin as our Substitute under the wrath of God so that the righteous demands of God’s holy Law could be satisfied and we could receive the forgiveness of sins and His righteousness and eternal life as a free gift of grace. Simply put, He bore our sins and our punishment so we could receive His righteousness and reward. Any denial of this truth is a denial of the essential truth of the biblical Gospel. To deny that Christ literally suffered in our place on the Cross in order to bear the wrath of God which we deserve, as our Substitute, in order to avert God’s wrath and condemnation from us and to purchase our redemption, is to deny the Gospel. Jesse Morrell believes that Christ did not actually bear our sin on the Cross, that our sin could have never been imputed to Christ, and therefore Christ could have never been punished for our sin. This is heresy, and if this is true, we are all yet dead in our sins and there is no forgiveness in Christ since there can only be forgiveness if He actually bore our sin and took it away. Yet the Bible clearly refutes Jesse’s (and Moral Government Theology’s) heretical doctrine of the Atonement:

2 Corinthians 5:21 – “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

1 Peter 3:18 – “For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit.”

Romans 3:23-26 – “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.”

Galatians 3:13-14 – “Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree: That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.”

Isaiah 53:4-6 – “Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.”

Isaiah 53:10 – “Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.”

-The doctrine of Original Sin: This core Christian belief states that all men enter this world with an inherently sinful nature and all men possess an inherent moral corruptness in their own flesh. All men are therefore sinners by nature and apart from redemption through the grace of Christ, are under the curse of the Law, abide under the wrath of God, are by nature children of wrath, are dead in trespasses and sins, do nothing that pleases God, and sin continually against God as a manifestation of the wicked sinful nature in their own hearts. The Bible teaches that we (commit acts of) sin because we’re sinners (by nature), not that we are sinners only because we (commit acts of) sin; that outward acts of sin are manifestations of the moral depravity of our own hearts. Moral Government Theology and Jesse Morrell deny that this is true, and believe that all come into this world in a morally neutral state and deny that all of Adam’s posterity died spiritually in Adam’s original sin in the beginning. Further, they declare that all sin is a choice and only a choice, and therefore all must make the choice to “stop sinning” and become morally perfect in order to be accepted by God. Since Jesse believes that there is no sinful nature in man, therefore he believes that when a man chooses to stop sinning, that man can enter a state of sinless and moral perfection and must keep his right-standing with God based on his own works by maintaining such a state of sinless perfection. The Bible condemns this as heresy:

Genesis 6:5 – “And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” (See also Gen. 8:21)

Psalms 51:5 –“Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.”

Ecclesiastes 7:20 – “For there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not.”

Romans 5:12-19 – “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned: (For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law. Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam’s transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come. But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many. And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offences unto justification. For if by one man’s offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.) Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life. For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.”

Ephesians 2:1-3 – “And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.”

1 John 1:8 – “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.”

-The doctrine of Justification by Faith alone: The Bible teaches that salvation is by grace through faith alone, apart from works, based not on what we do, but solely on what Jesus Christ did for us. Since all have sinned, there is therefore no difference between men and all are sinners deserving of God’s just punishment, but since Jesus Christ purchased our redemption, we can be saved by believing in Him with a true saving faith in our hearts and upon believing, have our sins forgiven and receive the perfect righteousness of God. Furthermore, the Bible teaches that God doesn’t justify those already righteous, but that He justifies the wicked, the sinner, the rebel, while that person is still a sinner. Of course, with this justification of the sinner comes regeneration, which gives that sinner a new heart and a new nature which will choose to hate sin and love the holy things of God, and this will be evident in his life by a radical change of life. Nevertheless, the Gospel is that through Christ, God justifies the ungodly and makes them Godly, that God transforms the sinner into a saint by His free unmerited grace. Since our sin was imputed to Christ and He bore the punishment in full, now His righteousness is imputed to us as a free gift by faith in Him. Moral Government Theology and Jesse Morrell deny the biblical doctrine of justification by faith and believe that salvation is conditional upon abiding in a state of sinless perfection, that one has to completely stop sinning in order to be justified before God. Jesse denies that Christ’s righteousness could be imputed to us as a free gift, and states that we must earn our own salvation by offering our own righteousness to God. This is salvation by works, not by grace, and is condemned with an “Anathema” in the book of Galatians for adding works to the Gospel of grace, and is refuted by the entire Bible’s teaching on the plan of salvation:

Galatians 1:9 – “As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.”

Romans 3:20-22 – “Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin. But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference.”

Romans 4:5 – “But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.”

Romans 5:1 – “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Romans 5:6-10 – “For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.”

(In fact, read all of Romans chapters 3, 4 and 5 and the book of Galatians for a solid biblical teaching on justification by faith)

Ephesians 2:8-9 – “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.”

-The doctrine of Biblical Regeneration: The Bible teaches that regeneration, or in other words, the New Birth, is a supernatural miracle of God’s sovereign grace that imparts to us a new nature by the power of the Holy Spirit and changes us and transforms us by God’s power to create in us the very nature of Christ Himself and thereby imparts to us the ability to please God. It involves receiving a new heart and a new spirit and being given the ability by God to habitually glorify God and take pleasure in the commands of Christ in the Gospel. Jesse Morrell teaches that regeneration is not a miracle which gives one the ability to obey God (since he believes that all sinners have this ability in and of their own selves), but Jesse teaches that regeneration is simply a change of life that is effected by the sinner’s own willpower. This is a denial of one of the most glorious and essential truths of the Gospel and what it does, essentially, is turn Jesse’s “gospel” into one that calls sinners to exercise their own ability, willpower, and morality in order to change their own selves and make their own selves holy and acceptable to God. This is not in accordance with God’s Word and equates to “another gospel”. The Bible teaches that regeneration is a supernatural miracle performed by God apart from human willpower, ability, or morality:

Ezekiel 36:25-27 – “Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.”

John 1:12-13 – “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.”

John 3:3-8 – “Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born? Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.”

2 Corinthians 5:17-18 – “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation.”

Titus 3:5 – “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost.”

THEOLOGICAL INFLUENCE:

Furthermore, one of the most well known Moral Government Theologians, and a big theological role model for Jesse, is the late Charles G. Finney. Despite his wide acceptance in many “evangelical” circles, Finney’s theology propagated in his theological writings was nothing short of theological heresy (see bottom of page for links to further online resources about Finney which examine his theology and teachings with what the Bible says).

I do not wish to jump on a tangent and speak much about Finney, but I thought it necessary here to mention these facts because Jesse Morrell has been highly influenced by the writings and systematic theology of Finney. Therefore to examine the teachings of Finney and to find out what Finney taught and believed can also be a good way to find out what Jesse himself believes and teaches. Those who actually care about Biblical doctrine and believe what the Bible says with a simple child-like heart of faith and examine the teachings of Finney quickly find that Finney seriously deviated from historically recognized essential doctrines of Christianity, such as those mentioned above (including Justification by Faith, which was the glorious restored truth of the Reformation that caused the Protestants to split from the yoke of bondage of Roman Catholicism –to deny Justification by Faith is to return to Rome).

THE HERESIES BELIEVED (IN ADDITION TO THOSE STATED ABOVE):

Along with this theology, Jesse has embraced some other very serious heresies. These include, under the banner of Moral Government Theology:

The heresy of Pelagianism: This is a historically recognized heresy and has been universally recognized as such since the 5th Century A.D. This heretical system of theology comes from the early monk named Pelagius who lived in the 4th and 5th centuries A.D. Pelagius taught that no man is tainted by the sin of Adam but that all sin is only a choice, and therefore since Adam’s sin didn’t taint us then Christ’s death doesn’t literally save us but instead provides a good example to us. Thus the cross of Christ is made of none effect in this theology. Thus Adam set a bad example to us and Christ set a good example for us, and now it’s up to us to save ourselves by our own ability and morality. In Pelagianism, salvation is of man, and not of God, and therefore not all of grace.

The heresy of Sinless Perfection: This is a teaching that Christians can enter and abide in a state of absolute sinlessness, being just as sinless as Adam before the Fall of man, or just as without sin as Jesus Christ Himself as He walked this earth. Many of those who hold to sinless perfection also believe that it is essential to attain to this state of sinless perfection in order to be “sanctified” and even saved. This is heresy according to 1 John 1:8, and those who believe this only deceive themselves; furthermore, they don’t understand the grace of God and therefore the Apostle tells us in that verse that the truth is not in them. While it is true that no real Christian will want to sin and will desire perfect holiness, the Bible teaches that all Christians still carry around a corrupt flesh that is affected by sin and therefore needs to be crucified, denied, and put to death all the time (see bottom of this article for links to various articles about sinless perfection).

The heresy of Legalism: This is a teaching that we need to attribute to our salvation by our own works and that there is merit before God in our own works. This is the heresy that is refuted by the Apostle Paul in his epistle to the Galatians. As one Moral Government Theologian stated, “There can be no justification in a legal or forensic sense, but upon the ground of universal, perfect, and uninterrupted obedience to law.” [Finney’s Systematic Theology]. And thus justification before God becomes conditional upon perfect obedience to the perfect moral Law of God, and justification is conditional upon works, and not solely upon faith. This is not just a slight deviation from the truth, but a serious heresy that is contrary to essential salvation truth.

The heresy of Open Theism: As already stated above, this is a denial that God knows the future, and a belief that God changes His mind regularly and reforms His own decisions and judgments as He learns new things. This is a denial of the Omniscience of God, and leads to tons of other practical theological errors.

These are doctrines that deny the essential truth of the Bible and the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, and therefore anyone who holds to them dogmatically must not be considered a brother in Christ, but treated as a false believer or false teacher, pleaded with in love to repent, and shunned from Christian fellowship until they come to be ashamed of their false doctrines and repent. We cannot tolerate false teachings that deny the core truth of the Gospel of Christ but must stand firm and earnestly contend for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints.

IN CONCLUSION:

Jesse Morrell does not believe in evangelical Christianity. He believes another system of religion that makes the grace of God of none effect and denies the most central, important truths of the Gospel. It is nothing short of a cult-like system of belief. Therefore, Jesse is not fit to be in ministry, to be preaching anywhere, and is not fit to be recognized as a brother with Christian fellowship and acceptance. He is to be pleaded with in love and in boldness to turn from his wicked dogmas and come back to the simplicity of Christ in the Gospel of God’s wondrous grace. I have personally confronted Jesse numerous times and strove with him and corrected him with Scripture and have even rebuked him sharply and dis-fellowshipped him, all to no avail.

Zeal in evangelism means nothing; the Pharisees themselves were zealous to travel land and sea to make a single convert but were still rebuked by Christ (Matthew 23:15). That’s because when they made the convert they indoctrinated him with their traditions and false beliefs and brought him under the bondage of legalism and therefore made him twice the son of Hell. This is what Jesse is doing. His doctrine is at least just as bad as the Pharisees whom the Lord rebuked because he makes salvation the work of man’s own works and abilities. Don’t be deceived by Jesse’s desire to preach all over the world. Instead, examine his theology in light of the Word of God and obey what the infallible Word of God teaches.

I know assuredly that Jesse will state that the points brought up in this article, and the disagreements I have, are all a result of my “Calvinism”. Anything that disagrees with him he calls “Calvinism” and is out on a wild witch-hunt against the doctrines of grace with the same ferocity that the Pharisees themselves attacked the doctrines preached by the Son of God. However, let me be clear, what I am promoting in this article is not just the doctrines associated with Calvinistic belief, but these are things that historical Arminians and Calvinists alike agree on. Both “Arminians” and “Calvinists” believe that God knows the future, that Christ is the substitute for our sins, that there is a such thing as inherent sinfulness in all men (original sin), that all that are saved are justified by faith alone apart from works, and that regeneration is a miracle of God. The majority of both “Arminians” and “Calvinists” alike agree that Pelagianism is absolute heresy, that sinless perfection is false, and that there is no merit in striving to obey the Law of God to earn our own righteousness. Only cults and offshoot heretical sects disagree on these essential truths of the Gospel.

Jesse Morrell’s theology is false and is “another gospel”. Though I care deeply for him and long for the day when he would renounce such deviations from the truth of the Scriptures, and would rejoice to see him do such, I must stand firm and speak out against the deceptions that he is promoting which are leading many astray. “It is impossible but that offences will come: but woe unto him, through whom they come! It were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he cast into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones.” (Luke 17:1-2)

A WORD TO JESSE MORRELL:

Dear Jesse, mark my words, you will face the Judgment Seat of a holy God and give an account for all those you influenced and led astray from the grace of the Gospel. Yet I believe that as long as you have the breath of life in you that there’s hope for you to repent and believe the Gospel and trust in the imputed righteousness of Christ alone to save you. Salvation is by grace, not by works. Your works profit you nothing. Trust in Christ alone and renounce your own will and ability and yield it all to Christ and beg Him to have mercy on your soul. Cry out for a real revelation of the grace of God in the Gospel. I fear for you Jesse. You are in grave danger and have chosen a slippery path that promises Heaven but leads to Hell. My greatest fear though is that you’re not content to hold such doctrines to yourself, but must spread such lies around and indoctrinate as many as you can on your path of deception. Turn from the doctrines of men, the doctrines you learned from Finney, and Olson, and Pelagius, and come to the Lord Jesus Christ alone and the truth of the Gospel as revealed in the Bible. “But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him” (2 Corinthians 11:3-4).

John 3:2 – The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him.

We are told that Nicodemus came to Jesus by night. The reason we are told this is obviously because Nicodemus at this time didn’t want to face the shame of openly associating with Jesus. Most of his fellow Pharisees were growing increasingly hostile toward Christ, and they quickly despised anyone who associated with Him. Nicodemus would obviously want to avoid such a taint to his spotless reputation, and to avoid losing all the recognition and honor and religious achievement he had earned for himself. Note, the more a man has (religion, honor, achievement, wealth, power), the more he has to sacrifice to become a follower of Christ.

Notice here the vast difference between the “wise” and “foolish” things of this world (1 Cor. 1:17-28). “In that hour Jesus rejoiced in spirit, and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes: even so, Father; for so it seemed good in thy sight” (Luke 10:21). Nicodemus, certainly one of the most wise things of this world, respected by all, well-advanced in learning and religious devotion, comes to Jesus under the cloak of night. Yet, the shamed Samaritan woman, to whom Jews wouldn’t even associate, full of sin and adultery, considered among the most foolish things of this world, is not ashamed to proclaim Jesus openly to all out of excitement that He is the Savior. Nicodemus sees many the miracles of Jesus and comes to the conclusion that He’s a great teacher sent from God, but the Samaritan woman sees just one of His miracles (His gift of prophecy) and comes to the conclusion that He is the Messiah! Nicodemus is afraid to confess Him openly, but the Samaritan woman boldly proclaims Jesus as the Christ to her whole town as soon as she meets Him! (see John 4:5-42.) Away with the wisdom of this fallen age! We need simple, child-like faith in the Savior. This simple faith is no doubt the essential evidence of the New Birth.

But even though Nicodemus came by night, at least he came! This is saying a whole lot more to his honor in the Word of God than the majority of the other Pharisees and religious leaders. There had to be at least some risk involved in coming, even at night. But notice that even though Nicodemus starts out very timid, scared, and worried about the cost of following Christ, it is significant that His exposure here to Christ more personally did not turn him away from following Him, but actually increased his desire to follow. In the Gospel of John, Nicodemus will grow progressively bolder and stand up for Jesus. In the midst of the Pharisees accusing and condemning Jesus, Nicodemus boldly sticks up for Him and is ridiculed (7:50-51). Then later, after the crucifixion of the Lord, Nicodemus isn’t afraid to publicly identify himself with the crucified Christ by bringing a whopping hundred pounds of spices for his burial and preparing His body alongside Joseph of Arimathaea (19:39-40).

It is noteworthy that this was at a time when all the Apostles themselves had fled! While Peter was very bold and started out his race with a fast sprint, he would fall and bite the dust hard at this time, but while Nicodemus was very timid and started our his race with a careful step at a time, he picked up strength and over time, his pace quickened and he gained ground, showing his faith by his perseverance and gradual growth. It’s not always immediate, fiery passion and zeal that characterizes true followers of Christ, but it’s faith with perseverance that counts (see Luke 8:15). We are not told specifically that Nicodemus finally believed with all his heart and actually experienced the New Birth, however, there is noteworthy evidence which leads us to have hope. Perhaps he was among the number of multitudes that were openly added to the church in the book of Acts, since there we are told that even many of the Jewish leaders believed (compare John 12:42 with Acts 6:7).

Nicodemus shows us his timidity at this time not only by coming at night, but by using the word, “we” when acknowledging Jesus’ authority: “we know that thou art a teacher come from God”. This appears to be a classic way of avoiding any appearance of personal commitment while at the same time acknowledging truth –by keeping the personal “I” out of it and just talking in general terms. This ploy is used in politics even to this day to avoid the appearance of conviction and commitment. But perhaps the main reason that the Apostle John, inspired by the Holy Spirit, informs us that Nicodemus used the word “we” rather than “I” is because as a ruler of the Jews and leader in the Sanhedrin, his case is representative of the case of Judaism as a whole; his spiritual condition was representative of the majority of the Jewish people and leaders. They acknowledged a lot of truth, saw the obvious when it came to Jesus, but still lacked spiritual life in them, still lacked the inward power of grace in regeneration, still lacked the Spirit of God, still lacked the real spiritual meat and substance of the Kingdom of God, and were ignorant of the righteousness which comes by faith.

Perhaps the most important question here is the one which Jesus would later ask His disciples, “Who do you say that I am?” (Mat. 16:15) Our answer to this question is crucial in determining our eternal destination. Nicodemus at this time would have probably responded to Christ by saying something along these lines: “You are an amazing teacher, a model rabbi, an anointed prophet, and a powerful miracle-worker, and without doubt, you are a man sent from God”. –But even recognizing all this is not enough. Peter would respond with the only correct answer: “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Mat. 16:16). Many people believe that Jesus of Nazareth was a great man, a wonderful teacher, even a prophet. But that’s not good enough if they miss the most important part. He’s all of that and much, much more. He is the Christ, the Savior of the world, the Lord of all, and God incarnate. He is our divine Substitution, our atoning Sacrifice, our Passover Lamb, our reigning King.

An essential part of the new birth is having the veil of sinful blindness lifted away and receiving a personal revelation of who Jesus of Nazareth really is. Jesus responded to Peter’s declaration of faith by saying, “Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven” (Mat. 16:17). This was not just a matter of good insight or clever brain power. This recognition was the result of supernatural revelation to the mind of Peter from the Holy Spirit. It wasn’t just an intellectual revelation, but a revelation to the very heart of Peter, producing in him the faith necessary to believe on Christ as His Lord and Savior. This revelation was granted from above. It comes with the New Birth. When God regenerates a sinful man, he opens his eyes and grants the ability to see the things of the Spirit in a way that enables him to believe in the Savior with real faith.

So although we see that Nicodemus certainly recognized these great things about Christ, things which the majority of the other Pharisees failed to recognized (or failed to acknowledge we should say), the knowledge he had of this Jesus was an insufficient knowledge that at this time failed to believe in Him as the Son of God and Messiah of Israel, and therefore is the evidence that he was not yet born again. When someone is born anew, born from above, they will certainly have this divine revelation from above, resulting in a wholehearted commitment to Christ as King. Nicodemus came to Jesus by night, and in fact, we see by this that even his understanding itself was still in the black night of sin and ignorance to the real things pertaining to the light of the glorious Gospel and the power of the Kingdom of God.

Nicodemus realized that Jesus came forth from God, he recognized the supernatural nature of the miracles Jesus did, he admitted the authority Jesus had to teach the Word of God, he showed interest and hunger in hearing what Jesus had to teach, and he even confessed that it’s impossible that Jesus is not from God, since no one could do such miracles apart from God. Yet even with all this acknowledgment of truth, and even despite all his religious attainment, morality, and show of holiness, Nicodemus was still at this time a dead man, dead spiritually to the things of God. He needed to have life imparted to him from above, or else he would never see the Kingdom of God.

Check this out: HT: SimplySeth

Instead of giving a complete summary or dissertation on chapter four, I am going to just give you a couple highlights that I personally found to be the most significant or thought provoking.

Piper spent the entirety of the last chapter unpacking the meaning of our deadness apart from the new birth in seven points (out of ten). In this chapter, Piper focuses on the condition of deadness. He moves from why we are dead to what deadness looks like for people who have not been born again.

Apart from the new birth, we are slaves to sin (Rom. 6:17). I think this is a really important point and one that is often overlooked in both preaching and regular discussion. There are only two ways to live. In either case, we are all slaves. We are either slaves to righteousness or slaves to sin. There is no other option. As slaves, we are bound to act in accordance with our master (our nature). If we are slaves to sin apart from the new birth then we can are so connected to our sin that we cannot leave it or kill it.

Apart from the new birth, we are slaves of Satan (Eph. 2:1-2; 2 Tim. 2:24-26). Not only are we slaves to the nature ruling over us, we are also slaves to prince of this world, Satan, apart from the new birth. “The mark of unregenerate persons is that their desires and choices ‘accord with’ the prince of the power of the air.” (p. 57) The key to liberation from Satan is repentance which is granted to us by God himself. Again, God must come and claim us for his own. We are slaves of sin and Satan so we cannot do anything earn salvation.

Apart from the new birth, no good thing dwells in us (Rom. 7:18). If it were true that we had some goodness to us then we could justify (to some degree) a salvation that was based on good works. “The statement makes no sense–that there is no good in us before new birth–without the conviction that everything good that God has made and that God sustains is ruined when it is not done in reliance on God’s grace and in pursuit of God’s glory.” (p. 58)

Piper puts it well when he says that our condition and future is hopeless apart from being born again. “Dead men do not do better. Dead men need one thing before anything else can happen: They must be made alive. They must be born again.” (p. 59) We are not only dead without new birth but we also “miss  everything good without it.” (p. 62)

Your turn…

Do you agree with Piper’s assessment of why we are dead apart from Christ? How does that affect our view and actions toward unbelievers? What feelings do these points stir up in you?

Next Reading:

Read chapter 5 this week and expect a post on Monday (December 1st).

In a sudden flourish, after seeing my pal Sarah’s garden this weekend, I spent my lunch digging up some of the flags and tentatively laying out the garden path:

Before - House Return Looking Back At The House	After - House Return Looking Back At The House
Before - Garden Path From Centre of Garden	After - Garden Path From Centre of Garden
Before - Garden Path From House Return	After - Garden Path From House Return

The first flags lifted and the sand and cement underneath

Island flower bed

It’s nice to see it shaping up to fit the layout I have planned for it. Seeing the path in approximate place has made me think about slight changes to the plan, too. For example, I need to consider where the two or three trees I intended to plant are going to go. I expect to spend several hours standing around looking at the garden from various viewpoints, not just to admire my handiwork, such as it is, but to figure out what to do next.

In conjunction with Norton College, filming has started on a six month documentary of the Abbeydale Road project Speak Easy is carrying out.

See the unfolding picture story here!

Mapping a clear road towards a sustainable development in Jeddah seems extremely difficult. Despite the fact that there are several studies that raise the Sustainable Development flag (mixed density, types, uses, etc), they fall short of maintaining equal weight for the three aspects of sustainability: social, economic and environmental. The concept of revitalising the urban fabric and the process of regeneration and building a community are different from the concept of redevelopment and reconstruction which what decision makers understand. The former is hard work because it involves real stakeholders, the people, and deep understanding of architectural and urban structural issues; while the latter is easier and leads directly to the bottom line: profit.

I don’t know what one needs to do to contribute positively to the urban development we are witnessing in Jeddah except through vigorous communication and knowledge share till we reach a tipping off point.

True Christianity is so difficult for the unregenerate person to comprehend. People are born with an innate understanding that there is a God, and that, because of the hidden wickedness of their own hearts, they are not righteous before this God. So far, so good. But here is where the problem appears. Unregenerate sinners are blind to spiritual truth. Therefore, they grope about in the dark, and come up with this plan: “I will do enough good things to make up for my bad things, and God will be pleased.”

This flies right in the face of God’s revealed truth, which is found in the pages of the Holy Bible (Ephesians 2:9), but it makes a certain type of worldly, humanistic sense. After all, are not people supposed to do good things? The answer is that people are supposed to do good things, but not as a way to make God our debtor. Instead, God, in His grace and mercy, and for Christ’s sake (Ephesians 4:32), forgives us our sins when we trust in Him, and that motivates and empowers us to do good things.

Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.

Colossians 3:13

Notice what comes first in that verse. Christ forgives me first, then I am able to forgive others. Not the other way around: I do not earn Christ’s forgiveness by first forgiving others. The following verses shed even more light:

And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.

Colossians 3:14

Charity (self-sacrificing, giving, Christian love) is first the act of God. And it is the bond of perfectness. We are to love others because Christ loved us first, and gave Himself for us. (Ephesians 5:20) Christ’s love is so perfect and its bond is so unbreakable that the natural result is for me to want to emulate it after I have experienced it. However, even when my love fails, Christ’s love is still effectual. For Christ to reject the regenerate would make His love less than perfect, and His bond weak and breakable. These things simply cannot be.

Plans for a major redevelopment of the waterfront in a Norfolk town are postponed…. From BBC News. Full story

This site may contain information about: water depths. For a different topic see cake recipe. The blog is also related to: coastal sea.

This afternoon I went down to Loudoun Square in Butetown to speak to Health Minister Edwina Hart . She was visiting the Butetown Healthcentre to talk about the multimillion pound regeneration project that will see a new healthcentre incorporating social services built in the area.

With this project will come plans to develop the shops. Its part of a wider program to extend services and meet the needs of those in Cardiff who have not yet felt the benefits of the developments that have gone on in the city over the past few years.

I was really happy to be able to speak to Minister Hart and she gave clear answers to my questions explaining what will be going on:

Shopkeepers will benefit from the regeneration project and will get to keep their businesses.

Behind these boards is the building site of the new healthcentre. The colourful grafiti tells the histories of local residents and shows people in the area are optimistic about the coming changes.

Butetown Healthcentre will be replaced with a much bigger and more integrated centre of services, not just health, for residents.

Don’t you hate it when people use big, fancy words around you and you are left feeling like you need to carry around a pocket dictionary to comprehend and fit in? Yeah, well that is how I felt for the longest time when people threw around the term “Regeneration”. The only thing I knew about this word is that it had something to do with Jesus (everything kind of does in one way or another, so it didn’t narrow it down for me). The first time I really got a look into the meaning is when I heard a great message by Paul Washer on it, but I still had to understand it myself in order to really digest it fully.

What I knew about regeneration was that it was the belief that God takes a human and makes them new. What I didn’t understand is the extent of this “making new”. I was reading through 2 Corinthians 3 – 6 for devotions a few days ago and I stumbled upon this verse: 2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”

Let me ask a quick question: When you take a shower or a bath, do you just wash an arm, or a finger, or your back? I don’t know about you but when I am dirty, I wash my whole body, I make sure I am entirely clean. I don’t just scrub my big toe on my right foot and say I am all clean. This is how I am coming to understand regeneration as it concerns to Christ and humanity. When Christ encounters the soul of a human he does not sit back and clean and heal sections of it every other day, no, not at all. When Christ comes, he makes us, as Paul so beautifully wrote, “New Creations,” where “all old things have passed away and all things have become new.” Does this mean that when we come to Christ we do not sin? Hardly! We are still human, never forget that (there is a world of a difference between stumbling into sin and practicing it;1 John 5;16-18). But it does mean that the old is removed and the new is given.

There is a progression that happens in this act of regeneration. Christ comes to save us, in this act he cleanses us, with this process he throws away all old things of our fleshly, sinful, nature, by His grace he sets His Spirit to dwell in us, and in response, all things are made new and our desires are for Christ and Godliness. So what does this mean for us? God’s grace and love and righteousness are too holy and powerful to, when it comes in contact with our carnal selves, leave you the same as you were before the encounter. The easiest way to check this in your own life is to look back before you followed Christ and compare that time and your nature to your life now. Do you see a difference, do you see change, do you see old, rusty pieces of your flesh falling away while new, Godly things are being added to you and placed in you. You do not have to be a  spiritual spook or a Godly guru to understand this. It is black and white.

‘All’ = all and ‘New’ = not old.

I heard that CS Lewis once said this (this is a paraphrase): When God comes to you, he does not want to cut off a branch here or a branch there, even though they are evil and carnal and not of Him. God’s desires is to cut off the source of these evil, selfish ways, so he goes for the root instead of a branch.

This is the same way regeneration works in our life. Christ desires for you and I to lose our old lives, by his power, and receive and desire the things that God desires, by his grace.

Augustus  Strong once wrote, “God regenerates the Soul by uniting it to Jesus Christ.” Go to Christ, allow Christ to come to you, fill your thoughts with Christ, fill your mind with His words, fill your heart with his desires, and empty yourself of YOU, for it is not “you who lives anymore but Christ who lives in you.”

Elisha had to deal with a dead child (2 Kings 4:29-37). It is true that, in his instance, it was natural death; but the death with which you have to come in contact is not the less real death because it is spiritual. Boys and girls are as surely as grown-up people, “dead in trespasses and sins.” May none fail fully to realize the state in which all human beings are naturally found. Unless you have a very clear sense of the utter ruin and spiritual death of children, you will be incapable of being made a blessing to them. Go to them, I pray you, not as to sleepers whom you can by your own power awaken from their slumber, but as to spiritual corpses who can only be quickened by a power divine. Elisha aimed at nothing less than the restoration of the child to life. May you never be content with aiming at secondary benefits, or even with realizing them; may you strive for the grandest of all ends, the salvation of immortal souls. Your business is not merely to teach children to read the Bible, not barely to inculcate the duties of morality, nor even to instruct them in the mere letter of the gospel, but your high calling is to be the means, in the hands of God, of bringing life from heaven to dead souls.

Resurrection, then, is our aim! To raise the dead is our mission! How is so strange a work to be achieved? If we yield to unbelief we shall be staggered by the evident fact that the work to which the Lord has called us is quite beyond our own personal power. We cannot raise the dead. We are, however, no more powerless than Elisha, for he of himself could not restore the Shunammite’s son. Need this fact discourage us? Does it not rather direct us to our true power by shutting us out from our own fancied might? I trust we are all of us already aware that the man who lives in the region of faith dwells in the realm of miracles…

You are sent into the world not to do the things which are possible to man, but those impossibilities which God worketh by His Spirit, by the means of His believing people. You are to work miracles, to do marvels. You are not, therefore, to look upon the restoration of these dead children, which in God’s name you are called to bring about, as being a thing unlikely or difficult when you remember who it is that works by your feeble instrumentality.

-Charles Spurgeon: read the rest at The Spurgeon Archive

Newcastle has transformed itself into the greenest city in Britain, according to the country’s most comprehensive sustainability audit.

The Forum for the Future study’s annual rankings show the Geordies leap-frogging more “apparently green” cities such as Bristol, who topped the chart last year.

Millions of pounds and a communal push for cleaner, brighter surroundings including improvements in air quality, and biodiversity in public parks and open spaces,  have all contributed to Tyneside’s triumph.

The audit shows the city performing well on waste collection, extending green space, life expectancy and the local strategy for tackling climate change.

Read more about Newcastle’s regeneration

Read about SUE’s own sustainable urban regeneration projects here

Link directly to the relevant research by consortia:  SURegen, ReVISIONS, VivaCity, SuScit, InSITU, ESR

Or visit the consortia website links in the sidebar

Piper begins this chapter with a quote from John Calvin that summarizes the main idea of the chapter and gives us a proper perspective on our own salvation. “Nearly all the wisdom we possess, that is to say, true and sound wisdom, consists of two parts: the knowledge of God and of ourselves.” (p. 45) These two parts are essential to the life of anyone who desires to know God. A person must understand himself in relation to God. All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Rom. 3:23). Our greatest offense comes against God (Psalm 51:4). The truth of the matter is that sin has separated us from him. Yet, the knowledge of God brings us to the understanding that he has made a provision for our separation. The knowledge of ourselves brings us to despair. The knowledge of God brings us to hope. You can’t have one without the other.

Having answered the question what is the new birth?, Piper moves on to the question why is the new birth necessary? He begins with a diagnosis of the human condition. Reflecting on Ephesians 2:1-5, Piper says, “We will never experience the fullness of the greatness of God’s love for us if we don’t see his love in relation to our former deadness, because verse 4 says that the greatness of his love is shown precisely in this: that it makes us alive when we were dead.” (p. 47) We can only properly appreciate God’s love when we realize how dead we are without him. It gives our salvation depth and greater meaning as a result. Our salvation “flows from the richness of God’s mercy and the greatness of his love.” (p. 47) Though we were dead and possessed nothing that warranted salvation, God chose to deliver us from sin, death, and judgment as the ultimate expression of love toward us. It is a beautiful truth.

Piper then gets to the heart of the matter by listing seven explanations of our condition apart from the new birth which answers the question of why we need to be born again. First, we are dead in our sins apart from the new birth. I think that sometimes we confuse the idea of being dead with being paralyzed. It’s not like we have been temporarily paralyzed by a stun gun and waiting to come to our senses. We are utterly dead. When a person is dead, he/she can make no movements. Dead is what Paul calls us in Ephesians 2:1-2. We need someone to come and resuscitate us. Second, we are by nature children of wrath apart from God (Eph. 2:3). Piper puts it very simply, “Apart from new birth, I am my problem.” (p. 49) We are our own worst enemy. By nature I am a self-serving and desire my own glory. Apart from new birth, “our nature is so rebellious and so selfish and so callous toward the majesty of Go that his holy anger is a natural and right response to us.

Third, we love darkness instead of light apart from the new birth (John 3:19-20. We are not neutral. Our inclination apart from Christ is to walk in darkness. Fourth, our hearts are hard apart from the new birth (Ezek. 36:26; Eph. 4:18). We are not ignorant of the truth but we suppress the truth in our natural state. Fifth, we cannot please or submit to God apart from the new birth (Rom. 8:7-8). This may be a point of contention for some people. However, I believe the Bible teaches that a person cannot choose or please God. If we are born in the flesh and our minds are hostile toward God being set on the flesh, it is impossible for such a person to choose God. It says that there is something in him that has the ability to do so which is contrary to how Scripture describes a person apart from Christ. Sixth, we are unable to accept the gospel apart from the new birth (Eph. 4:18; 1 Cor. 2:14). In the Corinthians passage, Paul says we are unable to accept the things of the Spirit in our natural state (apart from Christ). He goes on to say that they are foolish to such a person. “He means that the heart is so resistant to receiving them that the mind justifies the rebellion of the heart by seeing them as foolish. This rebellion is so complete that the heart really cannot receive the things of the Spirit. This is real inability.” (p. 52) Finally, we cannot claim Christ as Lord apart from the new birth. I think every point prior to this one has made this statement obvious.

So there you have it. We have been shown the desperate need we have for being reborn. Apart from the new birth that comes through Christ, we have no hope. It is why the new birth is so necessary and important.

Your turn…

Do you agree with Piper’s assessment of the human condition apart from the new birth? How does this make you feel? What encouragement or challenge did you draw from this chapter?

Next Reading:

Read chapter 4 this week and expect a post on Monday (November 24th).

Elijah on Mount Carmel

Question: Unless I have gravely mis-understood you, no one was regenerated in the OT. The Promise of the Spirit as spoken in Galatians was the promise that came with the New Covenant. The New Covenant was not active in the OT, but the New. The Spirit is the Spirit of the Life of the RISEN Christ. Regeneration is the RISEN CHRIST IN YOU. This was the Mystery KEPT secret in the OT now revealed in the New. If you read carefully Hebrews 11, you will see at the end these all died not having received the PROMISE…The Promise again is the Indwelling Holy Spirit. Faith today leads to Regeneration…regeneration does not led to faith.

Answer: You are confusing two very distinct things: Spiritual re-birth (or regeneration) and Spiritual indwelling. The indwelling of the Holy Spirit is definitely a new covenant phenomenon.  As Jesus says of the Spirit in John’s gospel, “You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you” (John 14:17). This point was clearly made in the article; namely that in the OT, the Holy Spirit indwelled individuals temporarily and usually for specific purposes. Whereas in the NT, the Spirit permanently indwells believers. This point is not in dispute. However, this is quite different than Spiritual regeneration, which I contend is a phenomenon that spans both covenants and both testaments.

Consider Galatians 3:14, which you reference: “So that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith.” This verse teaches that the promise given to Abraham is also extended to the Gentiles because they are imitators of the faith of Abraham.  What we see in this verse in regards to our discussion is that the indwelling Holy Spirit is given to believers as a result of their faith. In other words, faith leads to (or results in) the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. The question that remains for us to answer is that the same thing as Spiritual regeneration? You contend that it is, but I contend that it is not.

First consider this verse from later in Galatians: “But just as at that time he who was born according to the flesh persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit, so also it is now” (Galatians 4:29). What is the context? The context is an allegory that Paul uses to make his point in Galatians that the just live by faith. In this allegory, Paul likens Hagar and Ishmael to the law given on Mount Sinai and Sarah and Isaac to the promise given on Mount Zion. Even though Paul uses these people and places figuratively, this doesn’t deny their historical reality. In the verse quoted, “he who was born according to the flesh” refers to Ishmael and “he who was born according to the Spirit” refers to Isaac. If you’re right, then the Bible is wrong to assert that Isaac was “born according to the Spirit” because Spiritual regeneration is a promise of the new covenant. Yet here we have the Holy Spirit, through the Apostle Paul, refer to Isaac as “born according to the Spirit.” This is none other than Spiritual regeneration, and as such disproves your thesis.

Furthermore, the claim that faith leads to regeneration is also wrong. Not only is it wrong, but it can lead to serious error if followed to its logical conclusion. The question you need to ask yourself is this: Without Spiritual regeneration, how is one able to come to faith in Christ? For one to have saving faith in Christ, one must be seeking Christ in the first place. Yet the Bible tells us very plainly that there are none who seek God and none who do what is right (Romans 3:10-11). The Bible tells us quite plainly that we are dead in sin and trespasses (Ephesians 2:1). This is of course speaking of our spiritual death as a result of the sin of Adam (Romans 5:12). Furthermore, the Bible plainly teaches that the natural man (i.e., unregenerate man) does not understand the things of God and thinks them foolish because they are spiritually discerned (1 Corinthians 2:14). Again, I ask the question: How does a spiritually dead person who does not do what is right and does not seek after God and who thinks the things of God as folly come to have faith in Jesus Christ in order to be made spiritually alive?

Before answering this question, I want to look at a passage from Romans: “And those whom [God] predestined he also called, and those he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified” (Romans 8:30). I want to focus particularly on the word “called.” Those from a Calvinistic/Reformed persuasion would call this “God’s effectual calling.” In other words, it is the specific call to God’s people that wakes them from their spiritual slumber and draws them to Christ. I like to liken it to Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead in John 11. When Jesus called Lazarus, he responded even though he was dead; and no other person than Lazarus responded to that call. When God calls those whom he has predestined, they are justified. Now we know that justification is a fruit of saving faith because Paul makes that abundantly clear earlier in Romans (Romans 3:28). So faith must be the result of the effectual call of God; there is no other answer! When God calls his elect, they answer — they are spiritually regenerated and respond to the gospel in faith. This saving faith leads to justification and the indwelling Holy Spirit.

In case there is any doubt remaining, let’s go back to the question I posed earlier: How does a spiritually dead person respond in faith to the gospel? Look no further to Ephesians 2:1-10. In that passage, as we noted earlier, Paul notes we are dead in sin and trespasses (v. 1). He goes on to say that even though we were dead in our sin, God made us alive in Christ (vv. 5-6). Before a spiritually dead person can do anything, he must be “made alive in Christ.” When this happens, we are able to respond in faith (v. 8). Note in that verse that even our saving faith is a gift from God.

As to why the “faith leads to regeneration” view is potentially dangerous, consider the fact that this view teaches us that unbelievers aren’t spiritually dead. It does so because it teaches that prior to being “made alive in Christ” we can somehow, by our own efforts, exercise saving faith. In other words, we’re not spiritually dead, but spiritually wounded. If we can exercise saving faith on our own, then Ephesians 2:8-9 is wrong because it teaches that saving faith is a gift from God. Furthermore, if we can exercise saving faith on our own, then we have room to boast. The difference between me and my unsaved neighbors isn’t the grace of God, by my good sense to recognize the splendors of Jesus and make the choice to trust in him. To believe that faith leads to regeneration is ultimately to deny the sovereignty of God, the sinfulness of man, and graciousness of salvation.

 (click on the image to enlarge)

I love how this white pine is growing out of an old stump…is it a new shoot off of the old tree?  Or, was it planted in nature from elsewhere?

Either way, the regeneration of nature fascinates me.  Humans taking notice of the need for sustainabilty, giving back, and re-generating is a valuable value for me.

I am making this connection to support the miessence® products I use with my family.  The miessence® mission supports the need to “give-back” and this further supports my joy in using these products. 

I have created this blog to support my goals as an independent rep for ONE Group.  I continue to look at the reasons “why” I use these products and how I can impact my life as an ethical business woman.  I am exploring the ways nature connects to my life and business.

30 Days of Blogging

The planning committee at Leigh Town Council plans to object formally to Southend Airport Extension plans.

Councillors will submit an objection for a number of reasons, following a committee meeting on Tuesday 17th November.

This comes after a public meeting with residents at Leigh Community Centre on Friday 13th.

I started as Heritage Regeneration Officer here in Peterborough two months ago, as an introduction this is the press release that was sent out about my role:

A heritage regeneration officer has been appointed to help enhance the role heritage plays in the regeneration and growth of Peterborough.

Alice Kershaw will be responsible for raising the profile of the city’s heritage (both urban and rural) and developing regeneration schemes which will enhance not only the historic buildings and places but also people’s lives.

This two-year contract, which starts this month, is funded by Opportunity Peterborough, Peterborough City Council and English Heritage (the national organisation for protecting and enhancing the historic environment) with support from the Department for Communities and Local Government.

Steve Bowyer, director of strategic growth at Opportunity Peterborough, said: “Peterborough’s heritage is a rich resource which can really change people’s perceptions of the city and transform its identity. It is not just the city itself with the marvellous cathedral, museum or Guildhall, but also the historic villages that lie outside the urban area, which are as much part of Peterborough as the city core. Making better use of this resource can be a major attractor to the city, encouraging social and economic growth.”

Alice will be working with local groups as well as key city organisations and regional partners to initiate creative schemes for enhancing and making better use of the city’s historic assets.

Councillor Matthew Lee, deputy leader and heritage champion for Peterborough City Council, welcomed the appointment. He said: “Peterborough City Council is proud to support this initiative, just as we are proud of the very rich heritage that the city possesses. Heritage is not just about historic buildings, but the people who use them, both current and future generations. The challenge for Alice will be to identify projects that can make a real difference to the city as a whole and its citizens, and we look forward to working with Alice to achieving those aims”.

This is an exceptional post, with similar models having been developed in Leicester and Liverpool, and reflects both the quality of Peterborough’s historic environment and the potential that exists to make better use of it.

Greg Luton, regional director of English Heritage, said: “Peterborough is perhaps best known as a ‘new town’ but it is also has a fantastic historic environment that many people just don’t know about. We hope that by supporting Alice’s role, we can raise the profile of heritage in the city. Regeneration through heritage has secured major achievements in other cities and, since Peterborough hopes to grow, these aspirations grow with it. We think that the time is right for the city to realise the opportunities that heritage presents.”

Alice, who has previously worked as the operations manager of a Grade 1 listed historic House in central London, said: “I’m really looking forward to working with local groups and historic properties to deliver regeneration projects in Peterborough. It will be a steep learning curve at the start, but if people would like to contact me, please do at alice.kershaw@peterborough.gov.uk and I will try to help.”

From John Hendryx:

Since faith is infinitely beyond all the power of our unregenerated human nature, it is only God who can give the spiritual ears to hear and eyes to see the beauty of Christ in the gospel. God alone disarms the hostility of the sinner turning his heart of stone to a heart of flesh. It is God, the Holy Spirit, alone who gives illumination and understanding of His word that we might believe; It is God who raises us from the death of sin, who circumcises the heart; unplugs our ears; It is God alone who can give us a new sense, a spiritual capacity to behold the beauty and unsurpassed excellency of Jesus Christ. The apostle John recorded Jesus saying to Nicodemus that we naturally love darkness, hate the light and WILL NOT come into the light (John 3:19, 20). And since our hardened resistance to God is thus seated in our affections, only God, by His grace, can lovingly change, overcome and pacify our rebellious disposition. The natural man, apart from the quickening work of the Holy Spirit, will not come to Christ on his own since he is at enmity with God and cannot understand spiritual things (1 Cor 2:14). Shining a light into a blind man’s eyes will not enable him to see, because eyesight first requires a set of healthy eyes. Likewise, reading or hearing the word of God alone cannot elicit saving faith in the reader (1 Thess 1:4, 5) unless God plows up the fallow ground of our hearts and the Spirit “germinates” the seed of the word, opening our eyes to see Christ’s true beauty and excellency and uniting us to Him through a Spirit-wrought faith. So the problem of conversion is not with the Word or God’s Law but with man’s prideful heart. The humility required to submit to the gospel is, therefore, not prompted by man’s will but by God’s mercy (Rom 9:16) since no one can believe the gospel unless God grants it (John 6:63, 65). As an example of how the Spirit uses the means of the spoken word to disarm closed hearts, the Book of Acts records the work of the Holy Spirit during the preaching of the apostles and, in one instance, states that “the Lord opened her [Lydia's] heart to respond to the things spoken by Paul,” (Acts 16:14). The Spirit must likewise give all His people spiritual life and understanding if their hearts are to be opened and thus respond to Christ in faith.

John 3:1 – There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews.

It seems that this man, Nicodemus was not just any ordinary Jew. He was a man of zealous religious devotion, committed to the Law of Moses and to upholding the truth of God in Israel (or so he thought). He was not your average run-of-the-mill Jew, but he was a man that no doubt far exceeded the common Jew in his religious achievements, capabilities and public recognition among the people.

We’re told here that Nicodemus was a Pharisee. Now, when we read the Bible 2,000 after this time, it’s easy for us to just brush off the Pharisees as a legalistic, semi-heretical sect of Judaism that rejected Christ and trusted in a works-based salvation. It’s especially easy to think of them with scorn in our minds because we know how harshly the Lord Jesus denounced them as a whole and rebuked them sharply on many occasions. However, we have to understand that historically speaking, in Israel at the time of Christ, the Pharisees were the peoples’ choice for religious and political leaders.

The people looked up to the Pharisees for their religious insight and counsel, because they believed the Pharisees were so devout and zealous for the Law of God. After all, who else but the Pharisees would dare to fast for two days every week and give tithes of all they owned (Luke 18:12)? Who else sat in the seat of Moses with such authority and taught the Word of the Lord (Mat. 23:2-3)? Who else was so devout as to travel land and sea just to make a single convert (Mat. 23:15)? Who else would give alms to the poor on a regular basis (Mat. 6:2)? Who else would be so devoted to prayer that they would drop whatever they were doing to pray right on the spot whenever the hour of prayer struck, even if they happened to be in the middle of the marketplace (Mat. 6:5)? Apparently they were, in fact, those who the common people would go to whenever they had spiritual struggles or needed insight from God, looking up to the Pharisees as their teachers and counselors (Mat. 23:7). We can safely assume that Nicodemus was at least equaling, if not exceeding, his fellow Pharisees in such intense devotion.

And we have to acknowledge that not all of the Pharisees were blind hypocrites that purposely chose to be deceived and to deceive others. Some of them, no doubt, were very sincere. They sincerely wanted the truth, they sincerely were devoted to the God of Israel, they sincerely saw themselves as the spiritual guardians and teachers of Israel, and they sincerely desired to be holy. Some of them certainly desired to do what was right. And it is here that we find Nicodemus.

Obviously, Nicodemus wasn’t an intentional rejecter of God’s truth like so many other Pharisees. We see his sincerity here in the fact that he came to Christ in the midst of potential threats to be excommunicated and banned from the religious establishment (John 9:22). Certainly he came by night in the cloak of secrecy, but can we blame him? After all, his whole career, reputation, and everything he had worked for was on the line. Any man risking so much to hear the truth of God would want to make sure that what he was considering was really the truth of God before being willing to suffer for it. He came to Jesus knowing that He was a teacher who come from God, but it’s probable that at this early stage he didn’t yet know Who Jesus really was (i.e. the Messiah).

But the point is that Nicodemus was a devout follower of Judaism. If anybody could be saved by their acknowledgement of the one true God and their religious devotion and good works, it was him. Yet, as we will find out just a few verses later, Nicodemus at this time had no spiritual life in him. He was still “dead in trespasses and sins” (Eph. 2:1) and was in desperate need of the new, divine, supernatural life which came from above. He needed to be spiritually reborn, to become a new creature, or else he would never enter the Kingdom of God that he was so eagerly looking and waiting for. And as we will see, his religious devotion didn’t impress Christ one bit. Jesus will cut straight to the heart of the matter and address Nicodemus’ great, pressing, desperate spiritual need for salvation through regeneration.

We are also told here that he was a “ruler of the Jews”. In fact, the very name “Nicodemus” means, “conqueror of the people” in Greek. What his name shows us, if in fact it holds some meaning here in the inspired Word, is that in religious piety, devotion, and achievement, he was a man on the top, far above his peers in success as a Pharisee. He was a leader of the people, and had achieved greater status and recognition in Israel than his equals. Furthermore, by calling him “a ruler of the Jews”, the Scripture is informing us that Nicodemus had a seat on the respected governing counsel of Israel, known as the Sanhedrin. This ruling counsel consisted of 70 select elders from among Israel and was overseen by the High Priest. Religiously speaking, no one was viewed as in higher authority over Israel except the High Priest himself. In such a high position of honor, Nicodemus was viewed as an authority for religious counsel, an example for religious practice, and a model for religious learning. Yet, despite his great religious success in the eyes of men, he was a total failure when it came to the eyes of God, in need of the real salvation which could only come as a gift of sovereign grace from above. Jesus will yet tell him, “You must be born again”, or else he will never see the Kingdom of God.

So in the light of understanding that he was still dead in his sins and not saved at this time, we learn several lessons from the background of Nicodemus:

1. He was a man of intense religious devotion. To be not only a Pharisee, but a leader of the Pharisees, means that his commitment to his religious convictions had to be above that of the average Pharisee. Yet all the fasting, praying, proselytizing, studying, teaching, alms giving, tithing, and attending synagogue couldn’t save him. Let us understand that no amount religious works can save us, no matter how good they seem to be and no matter how great they are in quantity.

2. He was a man of committed sincerity to what he understood of the things of God. He was not purposely deceived and certainly did not intend to be a religious leader without truly knowing the God he claimed to represent. We learn from this that sincerity doesn’t always constitute salvation. “For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God” (Rom. 10:2-3). One can be zealous, religious, and intensely sincere, and yet still miss the righteousness which comes from God, and so be spiritually lost and dead.

3. He was a man who sought for the truth. This is proven by the fact that he came to Jesus at a time when the Pharisees as a whole were rejecting Him. They had rejected John the Baptist as the prophet of Christ (Mat. 21:25) and now they were rejecting Christ Himself. But in the midst of it, Nicodemus sneaks away to secretly inquire of Christ, desiring in his heart to know the truth of God and to hear divine instruction from the mouth of Him who he knew to be a “teacher come from God” (John 3:2). This shows us that one can be a seeker of truth, earnestly desiring to know the truth, and yet still be deceived. A real child of God is not seeking truth, they have found the truth, and it has set them free (John 8:32).

4. He was a man of significant religious attainment. He was not just any Pharisee, but was a leader among them. This man was in essence a pastor of pastors, a recognized theologian in Israel that even the rabbis would look up to. He was viewed as “a guide of the blind, a light of them which are in darkness, An instructor of the foolish, a teacher of babes, which hast the form of knowledge and of the truth in the law” (Romans 2:19-20). Yet even so, as a leader and a guide among God’s people, his religious achievement, respected status, and lofty position didn’t save him. This shows us that one can be a leader, a pastor, a theologian, and still not be born again. Just because a man holds a high position in the church doesn’t mean that he holds a high position in the sight of God. One can attain a great level of respect and attain a high level of honor among men in the church, and still be in desperate need of regeneration.

And so we learn that religious devotion and works can’t save us, no matter how intense and numerous; commitment and sincerity can’t save us, no matter how sincere; seeking the truth alone can’t save us, no matter how much we sacrifice to find it; and having success in the church and attaining to high levels of religious or denominational achievement can’t save us, no matter how lofty of a position we attain to. Just like Nicodemus, we need to learn to forsake our own understanding, our own works, our own achievements, and to trust in Christ alone. Salvation is not in outward actions; it is in spiritual life from above being implanted to us inwardly. We need to be transformed on the inside by the mighty power of the grace of God in regeneration.

House Return Showing Newly Repaired Fence

A few months back, we had the garden fence repaired round the back of our house. It had been down for about 5 years, and for the first time since we bought the house back in 2003, I felt like getting out into the backyard and into the garden.

At first my sole intention was to get rid of the weeds and make it look passable, presentable. The previous occupant had paved the whole expanse in flags and concrete, except at the far end, which has a raised breeze block flower bed, which was waist deep in brambles and grandmother’s bonnet, so without extensive re-development, the best I could hope for was to keep it tidy.

I weeded, (and there were some mighty weeds to be contended with, coming up through the flags like Poseidon rising up through the waves). I treated the new bit of fence, which made the old bit look tired so I did that too. Which had the same effect on the fence at the other side, so I did that as well. And then I whitewashed the walls of the buildings backing onto our property, because the bare brick and rendering looked shoddy compared with the pristine fences.

My Flower Tubs

And then I got the crazy notion that, even though I couldn’t really plant anything in the earth, what with it being concreted into oblivion, I could still shove some plants into the few plant pots that the previous owners hadn’t taken with them. This is the bit that hooked me.

I bought a polystyrene block of pansy buds from Homebase, along with a slab of compost, and I put the two together with a sprinkling of water. A few days later, the pansies flowered. In my own small way, I made a flower. I was thrilled.

After that it got a little ridiculous. Very quickly, I had twenty pots on the go, with sweet pea, snowflakes, dahlias, magnolia, french marigold, a palm and some geraniums. I started to plan a trellis with wisteria to be cultivated over the next few years into an arch which will frame the garden breakfast table we bought. I couldn’t go past a garden centre without picking up a tub or two.

After a chucking away a short plastic partition, a small patch of earth revealed itself. Real live earth! So I dug it out, added some compost, and planted it up. I can’t even remember the names of the flowers I planted. In fact, I added too much, and the poor things were falling over themselves to snatch a glimpse of daylight. But, they thrived, no thanks to me, as did the rest of the containers. At one point we had flowers blooming in every part of the garden, and the sweetpea was climbing all over the dead branches of whatever kind of bush it was that I managed to kill with weedkiller several years ago. The whole thing had come alive. I even let the grandmother’s bonnet flourish, as it brought lots of much appreciated colour to this tiny part of SW16.

Some flowers, the names of which escape me

As the summer faded and the plants could no longer support the flowers they’d raised, I resigned myself to the inevitable that the garden would retrograde back into the drab wasteland it had been. But that’s not been the case. The place is still infinitely greener than it was before my planting frenzy, with the evergreen that my mother-in-law salvaged from the bargain shelves at Homebase showing there’s still life out there, and the grasses and stalks of the perennials giving us a warming dash of brightness here and there. And the flowers that made it into the earth, the small patch I over-planted, they have no intentions of going away – they cling on in the face of wind, rain, frost and overcast days, like Dylan Thomas’ Dad raging against the dying of the light.

I appreciate this is small potatoes compared with other people’s backyards, and it’s not unfeasible that this is a petty fad which will pass, like learning to program Ruby or learning Spanish. But I’ve been at it about 8 months now, and I’m still keen. I still have much to learn about gardening – even basic garden maintenance eludes me – but I don’t think it matters. Some things I plant will grow, some might not, but I’m out there getting fresh air and exercise and doing my best to nurture life where there was none, to make something beautiful out of nothing. I have returned to the soil. I have, if not green fingers, at least slightly muddy ones. I am a Maker, a grower.

Much is planned for the New Year, for which the groundwork is being done over the weekends, what with it being too dark to get out there after work. Ah, but that will have to wait for a later post.

Plans are at long last coming to fruition which will see Gravesend’s Promenade restored to its former glory. In 2005 Gravesham Borough Council’s Labour administration set in motion a conservation management plan for the restoration of one of the borough’s greatest assets.

The Labour Government through the Homes and Communities Agency has provided the funding to make the works possible which include:

New CCTV and improved lighting which will make the Promenade a safer environment to use of an evening.

New entrances in to the gardens adjacent to the canal and rowing club making access easier.

Improved landscaping near the café to enhance the look of the area.

Footpaths throughout the area will receive a long awaited resurface.

The foreshore will be‘re-shingled’ thus restoring the use of the waterside area.

The Dell will be restored to its former glory and views of the Thames will be reinstated bringing back the Edwardian splendour of the area.

A new Picnic area will be created adjacent to the canal.

New children’s play equipment will also be installed.

Included in the plans are a massive cash injection which will see part of the Thames and Medway Canal restored with new pumping equipment installed allowing the canal to be refilled recreating a sustainable watercourse for wildlife. Cycle paths will also be overhauled giving better access to the area.

You can view the plans by visiting GBC’s Website.