and coming from a Martian like you! Sounds like the pot calling the kettle black! aaaaaaaah, “Green, maybe?”

michael burke

Thank you Larry for reminding us that when we proclaim the Gospel from Holy Scripture, people will regard us as if we were speaking Chinese or Martian or had lost our minds. God put it this way that the natural man does not comprehend the things of the Spirit. They are foolishness to him.

And thank you Michael for your many fine insights and particularly for this statement, “Now my glory story is exposed and now by the Faith of the Son of God, I die daily!” To the world, Michael, that sounds like from Mars but to those who try to glorify ourselves by our works, what you say is divine.

Thanks also to Ginny who reminds us to “simply rest in Christ’s promises and forgiveness.” For the world to learn that “we don’t do ANYTHING” is a shock indeed.

Larry’s second contribution hits the nail on the head when he reminds us that the Word of the Gospel is food for our souls. Without it, we starve.

In future blogs I intend to use some of the materials the three of you wrote. In fact, I will be using your comments also on the radio program. Go to the links to listen. Plans at this time call for remarks on this sermon for Monday, March 13 at 6:05 pm. Again thanks for your insights as we see the Holy Spirit working through each of you in sounding like a Martian. Blessings.

That was true in the past more or less. I appreciate very very much your encouraging words. We have since found a good church in which the pastor preaches a clear Gospel and sanctification is firmly rooted in that same (pure) Gospel (that was a big deciding factor for me when we were visiting). It’s not in our former denomination and we changed denominations as well during that same process (finding a church that proclaimed Christ as CHRIST), but that issue (denominational change) had been one I’d been studying for nearly since 1997 (my conversion and ensuing struggles). The pastor and elders where we are under now are wonderful, and the doctrine of the Gospel is taken seriously. Though I certainly appreciate the offer of help.

I have a close friend of mine, my closest brother in the faith, who is going through the same struggle. He’s quite burn’t out on the diet of sermons he’s been receiving and likely to start looking (it’s a long story) for a new church home in our area. Though I don’t think he’s prepared to leave his denomination (I’ve invited him to visit), for other reasons (sacraments/ordinance reasons). He’s struggling with leaving, but I told him he needs to hear that Word of Gospel, it’s food to his and his families souls and he ought not feel guilty for wanting it. But then again I don’t want to push him out of the church doors. It’s tough struggle to go through.

Your brother in Christ,

Larry

Larry, I am glad you are reading Pastor Baker’s blog because he clearly teaches that salvation IS free and unconditional and we don’t do ANYTHING. We simply rest in Christ’s promises and forgiveness. It really is as Pastor Baker quotes from Paul in Romans 5:1 – “I have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” And that’s the end of it!!!

It sounds like you have had some frustration finding a Church that clearly teaches Law & Gospel and that Salvation is FREE and clear. I bet if you sent an e-mail to Pastor Baker & told him what area you are in, he may be able to recommend a good Church/Pastor.

A Sister in Christ,
Ginny

I am quite uneducated to Lent.

As has been the obvious though for me Tom, you have reached out and grabbed me again with your blogger teaching here about lent as you had on the video taped presentation I sat and watched and listened too that you gave in Olympia, Wash a couple of years ago and then subsequent as you taught us live at our facility in Eureka, Ca. Gospel Outreach last year and as I have listened to you on your radio broadcasts from time to time.

To deny oneself. Lent.
Hmmmm

I am relying upon the Holy Ghost and what understanding He has poured into my soul as I quote a couple of Scriptures and spin my interpretation about this Godly endeavor.

First quote of Scripture is from 1 John. 1 John 3:16 is an interesting verse to me.
I will quote it here and underscore the Greek word that gives an understanding of what it means to deny myself for others.

1Jo 3:16 Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his [life] for us: and we ought to lay down our [lives] for the brethren.

The Greek word used here in the verse for [life ] and [lives ] is psuche: ψυχή
psuchē
psoo-khay’
From G5594; breath, that is, (by implication) spirit, abstractly or concretely (the animal sentient principle only; thus distinguished on the one hand from G4151, which is the rational and immortal soul; and on the other from G2222, which is mere vitality, even of plants: these terms thus exactly correspond respectively to the Hebrew [H5315], [H7307] and [H2416]: – heart (+ -ily), life, mind, soul, + us, + you.

[Jesus laid down His life for us] [We are to lay down our lives for the brethren].

The other verse is found in the book of the Revelation.

Rev 12:11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their [lives] unto the death.

The Greek word Psuche is also used here for [lives].

I use to think Revelation 12 meant I was to literally die physically or as Paul wrote, this mortal will by and by put off mortality and put on immortality.

Now I believe it is too easy to do that and as your teaching points too about Lent, dying to self/psuche is something I do every day at the foot of the Cross of Christ that Christ might live His life through my willing participation. I am convinced that it is much easier to physically die than to die to myself daily at the Cross of Christ and let Him live His life through me loving and serving my neighbor by and by in this God appointed realm of evangelistic preaching and teaching and equipping and whatever else I believe I am doing, these works for God today to His Glory. We are His workmanship created in Christ Jesus for good works. Serving others in this Way is not my way of dying! It just is not what I am suited for naturally. I don’t like this way of doing things, I hate it. I don’t believe I really love God as much as He loves me. I certainly was not seeking Him! So this has become an affront to me.

As I ponder the meaning of what actually happened, Jesus dying on the Cross and trying to put my mind around this fact, that, Jesus Christ, the eternal spirit, Son of God, the Only Begotten, would willing be separated from God the Father and God the Holy Ghost for that period of time, “not My Will but Thy Will be done”, as Isaiah 53:10 tells, God was pleased to crush Him…, I am beginning to realize that He fully embraced our Adamic nature so that we could be embraced by His Divine Nature. It takes all the fun out of dying. Now my glory story is exposed and now by the Faith of the Son of God, I die daily! It is now no longer I doing it, but Christ in me.

Well there you have it. I suppose now I am ready for reproofs, corrections and instructions more about Lent.
Michael Burke
Gospel Outreach
Eureka, Ca.

I’m new to this blog sight but have found it a balm to my soul because the hard passages are considered in Law and Gospel here. The one’s most of us worry about and quietly think, “Yea the Gospel sounds good, but what about this passage that so many interpret…”. The one’s usually interpreted that seem to make us feel that the Good News can’t be as good as it sounds and it would be dangerous to trust so nakedly, in the end isn’t there something I must do…if not at the beginning but post-conversion. When I converted back in 1997 from raw atheism/agnosticism from a strong unexpected placarding of Christ and Him crucified (I’ve never since heard a Gospel that strong) on a radio show on the way to work early one morning (I almost turned it off), the last thing I thought I’d experience is never hearing of Christ and Him crucified in the churches I’ve attended in the past. Don’t get me wrong, they where all nice and none overtly “legal”, but to hear the Gospel so pure is rare as hen’s teeth these days. But that has been for the most part the case (at least in the past churches we’ve attended), even some good strong exegetical churches that we’ve attended. I use to have such despair, especially after Sundays, that I’d pray so hard and so much for salvation that I thought I’d have an aneurism, so hard I’d be broken down. I even had thoughts of ending it all (completely outside of my personality) except for the dread fear of knowing the truth but not knowing if it was for me. Death didn’t scare me but eternity terrified me knowing the truth and wondering do I have it, do I really believe or am I deceiving even myself. Luther especially has been a balm to my soul since then (I devoured his commentary to Galatians). Still occasionally I’ll get out there on a pure Gospel limb, so to speak, and see so many who seem to not emphasize pure Gospel (pastors) but rather exhortation and so forth, and think, “Are you so sure it is that free and unconditional, maybe you are deceived…and they are right.” So, the struggle still remains at times, but not as it use to be. None the less it seems impossible to believe or hold in belief, especially with so many otherwise good pastors out there. If all the preaching to the contrary came only from Joel Olstean or Benny Hinn types I could easily wave it off, but when it comes from otherwise solid studied pastors it is harder to hold the Gospel.

Anyway this particular passage had always been a torment to me, especially how I had been told to understand it, again, from otherwise solid pastors. This is one of those passages that seems to “throw cold water” on the Gospel as it is often preached/taught. The way some interpret it and throw it back on you it would be much easier to have just thrown the Ten Commandments back on a person and never have mentioned the Gospel at all.

A couple of years ago, in a Sunday School class, I had struggled with this passage but wondered much the same as this Sermon posted here, “Could this be what it really means”, I wondered. But I’m not a pastor I struggled. I suggested something similar to this Sermon that this verse didn’t mean that I “actively” “die to self” in order to “gain” heaven or salvation or similar. Usually at this point one would be told, “No, but the truly converted/regenerate/saved could do this (or some similar idea) for now you have a new heart etc…. But I offered that this was not true for that is manifestly works, but rather that the passage means passively dying to my self, receiving the Word, that I can’t help myself at all and trusting in Christ alone. Meaning despairing and repenting from all help to help one’s self – including and especially this idea of actively “dying to self” – and then nakedly trusting in Christ alone. I got the oddest look from the teacher (a seminarian no less and reformed at that) whom I told this to, as if I were speaking Chinese or Martian to them and had lost my mind. Needless to say all I ended up doing was doubting myself thinking, “Your just trying to find an easy way out your so desparate.”

Anyway, I was much joyed to read this interpretation of the verse!

Grace and Peace,

Larry Hughes