The Argument From Forced-Fulfilled Prophecy

 

The Argument From Forced-Fulfilled Prophecy
https://youtu.be/iBIqba6jrbw

 See also InspiringPhilosophy's video:

Is the Story of Jesus Stolen From the Old Testament?
https://youtu.be/AgHfZaPNddo

 

 

Beware of the cult of Iglesia Ni Cristo

 

As a Filipino myself, the cult of Iglesia Ni Cristo is an embarrassment. It's another example of why being grounded in the Bible is so important to prevent someone from falling into serious theological errors. Below is a video by Tony Costa on the dangerous teachings of the cult.

 

 

Beware of the Iglesia Ni Cristo 
https://youtu.be/KIux75uBv9s

 

 

 

 

Debate Review: James White Vs. Corey Mahler Debate Black Sanctification

 

The following is my debate review of the Black Sanctification debate between James White and Corey Mahler. 

James White Vs. Corey Mahler Debate Black Sanctification
https://youtu.be/taMoR7aAz2Q

 MY REVIEW:

 I'm a Calvinist and a continuationist/Charismatic Filipino and these are my hurried comments and observations about the debate.

- Mahler thinks and theologizes like a deist and Pelagian, rather than a Christian supernaturalist. It's probably due in large part to his cessationism. He's correct that our natural bodies and genetics can play a role in our progress of sanctification, but sanctification is first and foremost a Supernatural and MIRACULOUS work of the Holy Spirit. So, anything is possible. From the human perspective, some individuals might have a more difficult time being sanctified; but from the Divine perspective and omnipotent power, there are no hinderances. As I'll demonstrate later below. The difficulties might even apply to groups and ethnicities, like redheads. As they say, "Gingers don't have souls." [Just kidding]. Whatever the case about ethnicities, the Holy Spirit can overcome any alleged physical, or genetic, or cultural hindrances, weaknesses and disadvantages. Deists have a conception of God that's distant and one who infrequently [if ever] interacts with the world in a direct manner. Historic Pelagians believed that salvation could be attained by human effort apart from God's grace. In their view, grace might help, but it's technically not necessary under Pelagianism. Mahler, so to speak, theologizes like a Pelagian in the senes that he thinks sanctification [which is an aspect of salvation] is anthropocentric, rather than theocentric [or pneumatocentric]. Mahler tacitly denies the omnipotent power of God. It's true that there are some things which God cannot do. For example, Scripture teaches God cannot lie, die or deny Himself [Heb. 6:18; 1 Tim. 1:17; 2 Tim. 2:13]. God cannot perform contradictions [a variant of denying Himself] like creating a married bachelor, or a round square, or a rock too heavy He Himself can't lift. But there's nothing about what Mahler says about sanctification that's impossible for God to change.

- At 1:29:54 White asks a question that Mahler answers at 1:30:18 by saying "I have never once claimed that God couldn't give exceptional spiritual gifts to certain men and that is not inherently reliant on IQ. But some things are...."

If I understood Mahler correctly, he was admitting that God can work in an individual to give him or her exceptional and extra-ordinary spiritual gifts. Given Mahler's statement, why wouldn't God be able to give a supernatural increase of intelligence? Or maybe Mahler grants that possible, but unusual. If so, this is probably why Mahler liked to appeal to the usual and normal way things happen, "all things being equal." That's probably why he wanted the debate to exclude outliers. But that's cheating, and having too low expectations and goals for the church. We ought to strive for constant revival. It's true that revivals are typically an UNusual divinely sovereign outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Admittedly, we can't dictate or control sovereign moves of the Holy Spirit to revive and sanctify Christians, but we are commanded to essentially be in constant revival. To ever grow and strive for standard of perfection. Jesus said, "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect." [Matt. 5:48]. To be like Jesus, conformed to His image. So, someone might respond by saying Mahler doesn't deny the omnipotence of God, he's merely saying that God normally doesn't perform such miracles. But then Mahler is tacitly denying the omnibenevolence and grace of God toward His people. That's arguably worse. To say God is able but not willing to be super abundantly gracious toward His people, is worse than saying God is not able, but willing to be gracious to His people. A parent would rather hear from a child, "I know you want to, but can't." Rather than, "I know you can, but won't."

- Mahler is right about a hierarchy of loves and commitments. What theologians call the Ordo Amoris, and which Vice President Vance mentioned in a recent tweet. But we are commanded in Scripture to give priority to the family of Christians believers over our physical families, tribes and clans. This is why Jesus said:

Matt. 10:
34    "Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.
35    For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.
36    And a person's enemies will be those of his own household.
37    Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.
38    And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.
39    Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

Faith in Jesus can sever natural and temporal ties to one's family.  Jesus also said:

Mark 10:
28    Peter began to say to him, "See, we have left everything and followed you."
29    Jesus said, "Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the gospel,
30    who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life.

The "brothers and sisters and mothers and children" in verse 30 are likely a reference to fellow believers who replace the natural physical "brothers or sisters or mother or father or children" that the Christian was forced to leave to follow Christ. 

Paul said in Gal. 6:10 "So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith."

- Mahler says "Man cannot fly." As a Calvinist and continuationist, I disagree. Peter could walk on water by faith in Christ. Jesus said a man of faith can command a mountain to move from here to there [Matt. 17:20]. Therefore, if God wills it and empowers a Christian to do so, a CHRISTIAN CAN FLY. In God's usual providence so far in Redemptive History, it's the usual case that Christians don't move mountains by speech, et cetera. But Christians ought to strive to do Jesus' works and greater. As I said, we shouldn't underestimate the power of sanctification or have low expectations.

12    "Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me WILL ALSO DO THE WORKS THAT I DO; AND GREATER WORKS THAN THESE WILL HE DO, because I am going to the Father.
13    Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
14    If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.

I'm a convinced Protestant and don't know enough about the case of the Franciscan friar Joseph of Cupertino, but allegedly he could fly or levitate. My immediate instinct is to say that if he did fly it was likely due to demonic influence. But I'm not one of those Protestants who thinks all Catholics are certainly unsaved. Some Catholics are likely saved in my opinion. In which case, it's not outside the realm of possibility that Joseph of Cupertino did fly by the power of the Holy Spirit and/or assistance of angels.

- Mahler said, "God cannot make a man pregnant." No, God can, but He wouldn't because God wouldn't violate His design of the reality and fixity of genders. God can transmute water into wine. God can heal the abnormality of an intersex person so that the person is one sex or the other. But sanctification is not essentially rooted in one's nature. It's rooted in the power of  the Holy Spirit to make one like Jesus.

- Mahler said, "Christians can't regrow limbs". Yes they can, even if it's not common. What's usual is not necessarily what's normal or expected by God from us. God commands and expects us to do the miraculous works of Jesus and greater works [John 14:12-14], though most of us don't. To adapt and re-purpose a saying from David Hume, "You can't get a divine OUGHT from a providential IS [or was]." Things can change in the future. Just as God providentially worked to clarify the doctrine of justification during the 16th century Reformation after years of theological darkness during the late Middle Ages, for all we know, in the 22nd century most Christians will be able to regrow limbs through faith in Christ. The church is maturing down through Redemptive History according to Paul.

Eph. 4
11    And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers,
12    to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ,
13    until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ,
14    so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.
15    Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ,
16    from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.

Eph. 5
25    Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her,
26    that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word,
27    so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.


- At 2:05:23 Mahler said, "God has set the rules, God plays by the rules. We have only to recognize and accept the rules."

God's rules include:
Mark 9:23 " 'If You can?' All things are possible to him who believes."

Eph. 3:20 Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us,

God asks, in Jer. 32:27, "Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh. Is anything too hard/difficult/wonderful for Me?"

- Mahler quotes Luke 10 where it says, "Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes." Mahler assumes it was genes, rather than culture that would have made that the case. And he assumes cultures flows directly from genes. But he's probably committing the error of single factor analysis. The influences that develop cultures are likely multi-faceted. And include things like invasions, malnourishment, weather, soil, fauna, flora, and the landscape [e.g. mountain ranges, flat lands, islands, volcanic activity, earthquakes, etc.]. Landscapes can hinder communication and therefore the dissemination and progress of ideas and technologies. Eskimos probably had difficulty finding materials to write with and on besides bones and skins. Examples could be multiplied.

- Mahler speaks as if ethnicities are fixed or ought to be fixed. If the latter, then the New Testament would universally prohibit miscegenation and interracial marriages. On the contrary the New Testament allows for miscegenation (e.g. Timothy's father was Gentile and mother Jewish). The former contradicts history. Ethnicities aren't fixed, but are changing and developing all the time. The "races" are constantly interbreeding. For example, many Latinos and Hispanics are genetically a mixture of the natives of the Americas and the Spanish. That "race" didn't exist prior to the arrival of the Spanish. Even then, when Europeans after Columbus arrived into the New World, they found some natives with blue eyes and other European-like features. That's because Europeans were arriving on the Americas long before Columbus, but it just wasn't recorded in history. See for example, the books of Barry Fell. Where Europe and Asia meet there are peoples who have features that are both European and Asiatic. For example, European fighters can look positively Asian. Like Russian boxer Ruslan Provodnikov [pictured below]:

Or take a look at Uzbekistani MMA fighter Shavkat Rakhmonov. He's ethnically Kazakh. Kazakhstan, where Rakhmonov grew up, is in Central Asia, a region that lies between Eastern Europe and East Asia. [pictured below]:

There was a time when the peoples of the British Isles were more diverse such that some were Angles, Saxons, Picts, Jutes, Celts etc. But they so interbred that now the major divisions are English, Scottish and Irish [and other smaller ones like Welsh, etc.].


- By God's ORDINARY providence the genetics of people groups could improve or worsen by His choice of which couples mate and which sperms and eggs join in fertilization. God could do this as a part of a judgment or blessing of a society for faithfulness or unfaithfulness. God could cause a nuclear accident so that a people group's DNA degrades, or introduce through cosmic radiation a mutation that causes a people group to gradually improve. A virus or a vaccine could dramatically degrade the genome of an ethnicity. And we haven't even talked about God's EXTRA-ORDINARY supernatural providence. Therefore, races and ethnicities can change in the "quality" of their genetic make-up. Making many of Mahler's points and concerns moot.

- Mahler appears to have great pride in his Germanic heritage. But it was the Germanic peoples who, to a large extent, caused the fall of the Roman Empire because of their attacks grounded in their warrior culture. Including the Visigoths, Vandals, Ostrogoths. Some of them were pagans, some Arians and others Semi-Arians. The pre-Christian Germanic peoples had a strong warrior ethos, which often glorified violence and warfare. Raiding and pillaging were common practices. They were polytheists, rather than monotheists or Animists [etc.]. They made sacrifices to their gods, which could involve animal or even [if I'm not mistaken] human sacrifices. Blood feuds and revenge were common and lead to ongoing cycles of violence and conflict. In many Germanic societies, even after the inauguration of the Christian Era, there was a lack of written set of codified laws [unlike the Babylonians with their Code of Hammurabi in the 18th century BC]. It was Christianity that changed all this. It took about 2000 years after the Babylonians had the written Code of Hammurabi for all the Germanic peoples to have a written code.

- Mahler repeatedly said that blacks couldn't produce a theological giant like Augustine. Augustine's ethnicity is uncertain. He was born in an area where the population would have likely had some black ancestors. He is often described as North African with a mix of Berber [mother] and Roman [father] descent.

The great theologian Athanasius was called by some the "black swan." It's not certain why he was called that. One speculation is that he might have been ethnically black [if not in whole then in part]. If I recall, he was born in Alexandria, Egypt, which is located in the northeastern part of the African continent. So he may have had some African, Greek and Roman descent.

- While one's intelligence affects one's progress in sanctification, who is to say that the Holy Spirit can't give quantum leaps in intelligence? Also, one has to ask, who is more sanctified, the person of very high intelligence who knows a lot of the Bible and theology but disobeys God, or the person of lower intelligence who believes and obeys what God has revealed? We mustn't limit God's power. For all we know, Samson might have been a scrawny 5 foot man whom God specifically chose to highlight that his power was not of human, but of divine origin. For all we know Solomon was a person of low intelligence before God answered his request for wisdom. He may have gone from a low IQ to a high IQ of 150 or 250 [or higher]. We mustn't limit the promise of James 1:5 to exclude an increase in intelligence.

James 1:5-8 ESV

[5] If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. [6] But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. [7] For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; [8] he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

Ironically, Mahler's theology and practice is thoroughly infused with the doubt described in this passage. And doubt is one of the symptoms of low sanctification. Where is Mahler's white superiority now?

Regardless of what you think of Sid Roth's show and theology, this testimony of Ricky Roberts seems believable to me. And that regardless of his theology and other alleged supernatural experiences. Roberts claims he was mentally retarded and that God healed him to such an extent that he was able to earn multiple doctorates. There are a number of his testimonies on YouTube, some are better than others. Hopefully the ones linked below aren't taken down because one of them isn't officially hosted on one of Roth's channels. If God can do what He apparently did for Ricky Roberts, why not others? And why not more frequently as Redemptive History progresses? Especially if [as I suspect] Postmillennialism is true.

He Had An IQ of 78. Now He Holds 7 Doctorate Degrees!
https://youtu.be/0GgAieY098I

Here's a different version


Ricky Roberts - Sid Roth - It s Supernatural
https://youtu.be/8hyeaysI9A8

I ask again, if the claims of Roberts about his supernatural increase of intelligence are true, then why assume God can't do it again for any other Christian or even ethnicities? To say God can't, or won't, or it's unlikely is pure unbelief. That's how atheists and deists think. We need to raise our expections to God's authorized level whereby all things are possible and nothing is impossible with God. Or with the Christian who has [God given] faith.

Matthew 19:26 But Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."

Mark 14:36 And he said, "Abba, Father, all things are possible for you. Remove this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will."

Luke 1:37    For nothing will be impossible with God."

Luke 18:27 But he said, "What is impossible with men is possible with God."

Mark 10:27 Jesus looked at them and said, "With man it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God."

Mark 9:23 And Jesus said to him, "'If you can'! All things are possible for one who believes."

Matt. 17:20    He said to them, "Because of your little faith. For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you."

 

The Early Church Opposed Universalism by Gavin Ortlund

 

Universalism in Church History is a Fascinating Story by Gavin Ortlund 

https://youtu.be/5W5uwKrunUU?si=_KxXq7hTF9sH0qwL