There are two ways to be fooled. One is to believe what isn’t true; the other is to refuse to believe what is true. —Soren Kierkegaard. "…truth is true even if nobody believes it, and falsehood is false even if everybody believes it. That is why truth does not yield to opinion, fashion, numbers, office, or sincerity–it is simply true and that is the end of it" – Os Guinness, Time for Truth, pg.39. “He that takes truth for his guide, and duty for his end, may safely trust to God’s providence to lead him aright.” – Blaise Pascal. "There is but one straight course, and that is to seek truth and pursue it steadily" – George Washington letter to Edmund Randolph — 1795. We live in a “post-truth” world. According to the dictionary, “post-truth” means, “relating to or denoting circumstances in which objective facts are less influential in shaping public opinion than appeals to emotion and personal belief.” Simply put, we now live in a culture that seems to value experience and emotion more than truth. Truth will never go away no matter how hard one might wish. Going beyond the MSM idealogical opinion/bias and their low information tabloid reality show news with a distractional superficial focus on entertainment, sensationalism, emotionalism and activist reporting – this blogs goal is to, in some small way, put a plug in the broken dam of truth and save as many as possible from the consequences—temporal and eternal. "The further a society drifts from truth, the more it will hate those who speak it." – George Orwell “There are two ways to be fooled. One is to believe what isn’t true; the other is to refuse to believe what is true.” ― Soren Kierkegaard
Before His death, Jesus assured His followers that it was beneficial for Him to leave them, for He would send another Comforter. In this message from John 14, Sinclair Ferguson addresses this statement that perplexed Jesus’ disciples.
We must pray for the grace of God, and all the kind and powerful influences and operations of that grace.
We draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive not only mercy to pardon, but grace to help in every time of need: Hebrews 4:16(ESV) grace for seasonable help.
I draw near to the throne of grace, that I may receive not only mercy to pardon, but grace to help in every time of need: Hebrews 4:16(ESV) grace for seasonable help.
From the fullness that is in Jesus Christ (in whom all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell), Colossians 1:19(ESV) let me receive, grace upon grace. John 1:16(ESV)
We must pray for grace to fortify ourselves against every evil thought, word, and work. Having been earnest for the removing of the guilt of sin, that we may not die for it as a crime, we must be no less earnest for the breaking of the power of sin, that we may not die by it as a disease, but that it may be mortified in us.
O let no sin have dominion over me, because I am not under law but under grace. Romans 6:14(ESV)
Let the flesh be crucified in me, with its passions and desires; Galatians 5:24(ESV) that walking in the Spirit, I may not gratify the desires of the flesh. Galatians 5:16(ESV)
Let my old self be crucified with Christ that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that I may no longer be enslaved to sin. Romans 6:6(ESV) And let not sin reign in my mortal body (in my immortal soul), to make me obey its passions, Romans 6:12(ESV) but having been set free from sin, let me become a slave of righteousness. Romans 6:18(ESV)
Let the law of the Spirit of life set me free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. Romans 8:2(ESV)
Give me grace to put off my old self, which is corrupt through deceitful desires, Ephesians 4:22(ESV) and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness. Ephesians 4:24(ESV)
Let the world be crucified to me, and I to the world, by the cross of Christ. Galatians 6:14(ESV)
Nehemiah 9:38-10:39 In this week’s study, we look at the third stage of revival in Nehemiah, which is a formal commitment to change.
Theme
Theme: The First Essential Commitment
3. The responsibility of the people. The third striking characteristic of this covenant is the people’s strong sense of responsibility. Nothing in the covenant looks to other people to do what they should do. Nothing sets some of them apart from these responsibilities, or assigns specific tasks to one group and other tasks to another. The dominant word is “we,” referring to the whole people together. It was as one whole people that they took it upon themselves to keep God’s entire law.
Who else would do it?
It is the same for us in our response as Christians to the teachings of Jesus Christ. If we will not obey Him, live holy lives and be His witnesses in this world, it is certain that no one else will. The responsibility is ours alone.
The people had obligated themselves to keep the whole law, according to verses 28 and 29. But a general promise without specifics does not mean much. Therefore, the people expressed their intentions in a series of specific commitments. Their choice showed clearly that it was these items that needed their attention.
1. The family (v. 30). Wisely they began with the family, promising not to intermarry with the peoples of the lands roundabout. This was not racial snobbery or prejudice, since the Jewish people had always contained some individuals of other races. The concern was religious, as the key verses in Exodus 34:12-16 make clear. It was the danger of having the people be led away to the worship of the pagan gods of the surrounding nations as a result of intermarriages. Ezra had dealt with the problem thirteen years earlier. Malachi spoke against it. Even Nehemiah would have to face it again at the very end of his period of service (ch. 13).
There is a reason why the defense of godly families comes first in this list of concerns, and it is that the family is the basic unit of society, godly or otherwise. In fact, all great social institutions have come from it. The home was the original seat of education, the first school. So grammar and high schools, colleges, universities and other kinds of training centers owe their ultimate existence to this basic family function. The home was the first hospital. Indeed, for centuries it was the only place for the care of the sick and dying. All medical facilities owe their ultimate existence to the home. So also with government. The home was the original seat of government. Patriarchal societies, monarchies and democracies have developed from it. The significance of this is that if the family stands, society will stand. But if the family is destroyed, the nation will deteriorate rapidly.
And it works the other way too. Charles Swindoll notes that “when the morals of a nation are under stress, the home is the first to suffer.”1
This is why Communist and other revolutionary governments have been so anxious to weaken or destroy the family, setting children against parents and sometimes physically separating children, husbands and wives. They know that the family is a strong unit of its own and that, if they can destroy it, they will have greater success in building a correspondingly strong allegiance to the state. It is also why Christians must defend the family, in spite of many contemporary attempts to tear it down. We must do it for the good of our country and for Christianity itself.
The apostle Paul knew this. In words that echo the concern of the Jewish people under Nehemiah, he wrote, “Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? . . . Dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God” (2 Cor. 6:14, 15; 7:1).
1Charles R. Swindoll, Hand Me Another Brick (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 1978), 163-164.
Study Questions
What is the third characteristic of the covenant, and how do we see it?
What is the first commitment, and why is it important?
Application
Reflection: How do we see the family under attack today? What can you and your local church do to strengthen families?
For Further Study: Download for free and listen to Derek Thomas’ message, “The God of the Covenants.” (Discount will be applied at checkout.)
In this episode of the Cold-Case Christianity Broadcast, J. Warner Wallace examines the way in which Jesus is described by the world’s other religious systems. What role does Jesus play in these belief systems and how is He characterized? If Jesus is venerated or described accurately by these world religions, shouldn’t seekers examine Christianity as their primary focus? Here is the audio podcast (the Cold-Case Christianity Weekly Podcast is located on iTunes or our RSS Feed):
I encourage believers amid the world’s growing sinfulness by recalling Charles Spurgeon’s sermon, “God’s Non-Remembrance of Sin.” As believers grapple with their own imperfections, Spurgeon offers hope that God not only forgives but forgets sins. This message remains relevant, urging believers to embrace and share God’s mercy and grace.
My dear brethren who are laboring under the tsunami of the world’s sin, grieving over hating your own, and mourning over others’- I offer a small message of encouragement, by way of a large message from Charles Spurgeon.
This Age of Grace is rapidly accelerating to the time of the end. Gaps are widening, we see that clearly. Believer vs. non-believer never had visibly less in common. Those who are strengthening versus those who are apostasizing never seemed more numerous. It will all deepen and widen more tomorrow…and tomorrow… and tomorrow…and so on, until the Lord returns. This is the way of it.
So those of us believers who are large in number globally but perhaps few in groupings locally, are daily made more aware of our sin as we see it increase around us. We thus are ever more knowing of our own wretched condition, which is forgiven sinner. We’re always heaping gratitude to Jesus when our sins prick up more vividly to our heart as each day passes. Sometimes we hate our own sin so much that we totter, weakened as we see the horrific face of it. But far better than we feel weak in our heart, fainting in knowledge of our sin, than our conscience be weak, failing to feel its prick.
“For the foolishness of God is wiser than man’s wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man’s strength.” (1 Corinthians 1:25)
Here is the encouragement. Charles Spurgeon preached a message to his congregation in 1882, called “God’s Non-Remembrance of Sin.” Far from being antiquated or irrelevant, it is even more alive today than it was when it was delivered, I dare to say. The Bible was inspired by the Holy Spirit and it’s 2000 years old and still relevant. This is so amazing! In the same way, any sermon delivered by wisdom of and submission to the Holy Spirit and based on scripture is also alive today, and fresh.
The sermon I linked to is 8 pages long and wonderfully concise and encouraging. If you are feeling low because of your sin and the state of the world, if hopelessness starting to fray the edges of your mind and heart, take hope from this sermon. Our sins are not only forgiven, but forgotten!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
(NOTE: This does not mean we can sin with impunity just because God forgets them. The sins we committed before the moment of justification are forgotten, but sins we commit afterward will still be called to account before His throne for our words and deeds. And He may discipline us here on earth, as He did to some Corinthians who wre abusing the Lord’s table).
All too often we focus on our sin and plead with the Spirit for strength to withstand them another day. We confess and repent, and rely on His Goodness and Grace to forgive, but we still remember. He does not!
I’ll excerpt a few pieces of Spurgeon’s sermon for you:
“What the Law asserts, the understanding, also, supports, for within the awakened man there is the memory of his past offenses—and on account of these his conscience passes judgment upon his soul—and condemns it even as the Law does. “God must punish wickedness,” is the utterance of conscience. “He were not the judge of all the earth if He did not do right and if He does right, He must visit my transgressions with the threatened penalty.” Thus, the thunder of Sinai is echoed by conscience. Meanwhile, many natural impressions and instincts assist and increase the clamors of conscience, for the man knows within himself, as the result of observation and experience, that sin must bring its own punishment.”
“Thus, for once, the devil craftily cooperates with the Law of God and with conscience—these would drive men to despair, but Satan would go further and compel them to despair as touching the Lord, Himself, so as to believe that pardon for transgression is quite impossible.”
“With the desponding I shall try to deal at this time and may the Holy Spirit, the Comforter, help me to console them–“
“Our first theme is this—THERE IS FORGIVENESS. Our four texts all teach us that doctrine with great distinctness. Is not that a sublime assurance, “I, even I, am He that blots out your transgressions for My own sake, and will not remember your sins”? Does not Paul put it sweetly as from God’s own mouth, “Their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.” Remember how the Psalmist, in the 130th Psalm makes this a special note of thanksgiving “There is forgiveness with You that You may be feared.” Let us adore the Lord because He delights in mercy!”
“Secondly, THIS FORGIVENESS IS TANTAMOUNT TO FORGETTING SIN. This is a wonder to me, a wonder of wonders. God’s pardon of sin is so complete that He, Himself, describes it as not remembering our iniquity and transgression.”
“The Great Father’s heart is not brooding over the injuries we have done—His infinite mind is not revolving within itself the tale of our iniquities. Ah, no! If we have fled to Christ for refuge, the Lord remembers our sin no more! The record of our iniquity is taken away and the Judge has no judicial memory of it. Sometimes you have almost forgotten a thing and it is quite gone out of your mind—but an event happens which recalls it so vividly that it seems as if it were perpetrated but yesterday. God will not recall the sin of the pardoned.”
“I, even I, am He that blots out your transgressions for My own sake,
and will not remember your sins.”
Isaiah 43:25.
“For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”
Jeremiah 31:34.
“For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their
iniquities will I remember no more.”
Hebrews 8:12.
“And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.”
Hebrews 10:17.
Please take heart, if you are downcast today! Please do read all of Spurgeon’s gem. Spurgeon ends it this way:
“Always repent and always praise the Lord. Honor the forgetfulness of God in not remembering your faults and, from now on, tell this blessed news to everyone you see—there is forgiveness, such forgiveness as was never heard of until God, Himself, revealed it by saying of His people, “Their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.” God bless you dear Friends, from now on and forever. Amen.”
This is one of the top 4 best debates that William Lane Craig has ever done in my opinion. (The other three are Craig-Millican debate and the first and second Craig-Dacey debates). If you’ve never seen Dr. Craig in a debate with a non-Christian, this one is probably the best introductory one out there. Dr. Craig is the foremost defender of Christian theism on the planet, and probably of all time.
There is also a book based on this debate, published by Oxford University Press. I was actually able to find a PDF of it online. I should also remind people that you can get the wonderful Craig-Hitchens debate DVD from Amazon.com if you are looking for a debate to watch, or show in your church, this is the one to start with.
Evil is incompatible with the concept of God (three features all-powerful, all-god, all-knowing)
God’s additional attributes: eternal, effective and personal (a person)
He will be debating against the Christian God in this debate, specifically
Contention: no being has all of the three features of the concept of God
His argument: is not a deductive argument, but an inductive/probabilistic argument
Examples of pointless, unjustified suffering: a sick child who dies, earthquakes, famines
The inductive argument from evil:
If there were an all-powerful and all-good God, then there would not be any evil in the world unless that evil is logically necessary for some adequately compensating good.
There is evil in the world.
Some of that evil is not logically necessary for some adequately compensating good.
Therefore, there can’t be a God who is all-powerful and all-good.
Defining terms:
Evil: anything that all rational people avoid for themselves, unless they have some adequate reason to want that evil for themselves (e.g. – pain, disability, death)
Adequate reason: some evils do have an adequate reason, like going to the dentist – you avoid a worse evil by having a filling
God could prevent tooth decay with no pain
God can even change the laws of physics in order to make people not suffer
Responses by Christians:
Evil as a punishment for sin: but evil is not distributed in accordance with sin, like babies
Children who suffer will go straight to Heaven: but it would be better to go to Heaven and not suffer
Free will: this response doesn’t account for natural evil, like disease, earthquakes, lightning
Character formation theodicy: there are other ways for God to form character, by showing movies
Character formation theodicy: it’s not fair to let X suffer so that Y will know God
God allows evil to turn people towards him: God would be an egomaniac to do that
We are not in a position to know that any particular evil is pointless: if we don’t see a reason then there is no reason
Inductive evil is minor compared to the evidences for God: arguments for a Creator do not prove that God is good
WLC opening speech:
Summarizing Walter’s argument
If God exists, gratuitous evil does not exist.
Gratuitous evil exists.
Therefore, God does not exist.
Gratuitous evil means evil that God has no morally sufficient reason to permit. WSA doesn’t think that all evil is incompatible with God’s existence, just gratuitous evil.
Everyone admits that there are instances of evil and suffering such that we cannot see the morally sufficient reason why God would allow it to occur.
The claim of the atheist is that if they cannot see that there is a moral justification for allowing some instance evil, then there is no moral justification for that instance of evil.
Here are three reasons why we should not expect to know the morally sufficient reasons why God permits apparently pointless evil.
the ripple effect: the morally sufficient reason for allowing some instance of evil may only be seen in another place or another time
Three Christian doctrines undermine the claim that specific evils really are gratuitous
Walter’s own premise 1 allows us to argue for God’s existence, which means that evil is not gratuitous
Christian doctrines from 2.:
The purpose of life is not happiness, and it is not God’s job to make us happy – we are here to know God. Many evils are gratuitous if we are concerned about being happy, but they are not gratuitous for producing the knowledge of God. What WSA has to show is that God could reduce the amount of suffering in the world while still retaining the same amount of knowledge of God’s existence and character.
Man is in rebellion, and many of the evils we see are caused by humans misusing their free will to harm others and cause suffering
For those who accept Christ, suffering is redeemed by eternal life with God, which is a benefit that far outweighs any sufferings and evils we experience in our earthly lives
Arguing for God in 3.
If God exists, gratuitous evil does not exist.
God exists
Therefore, gratuitous evil does not exist.
Four reasons to think that God exists (premise 2 from above):
PERFECT LOVE AND THE CHRISTIAN’S CONFIDENCE IN JUDGMENT
By this, love is perfected with us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment; because as He is, so also are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love. We love, because He first loved us. If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have from Him, that the one who loves God should love his brother also. (4:17–21)
Confidence in the day of judgment is the experience of believers who not only know when they have an accurate grasp of the gospel and other biblical doctrines, but also when love is perfected within them (cf. 1 Cor. 13:10–13; Gal. 5:24–25; Eph. 5:15–21; Col. 3:12–17). The day of judgment refers in the broadest sense to the final time of reckoning before God (cf. 2:28). John says believers can live their lives with confidence (literally, “boldness”) as they look to the day when Christ returns and they stand before God (1 Cor. 3:9–15; 2 Cor. 5:10; cf. James 1:12; Rev. 2:10). In 3:21 John used the same word (parrēsia) to refer to the confidence believers can have that God will grant their prayer requests. In the present verse the apostle declares that boldness and lack of fear should characterize believers (cf. Rom. 5:2; Heb. 6:19) whenever they think ahead to God’s time of judgment (cf. Titus 2:13). Why can believers have such confidence? Because as He is, so also are we in this world. This stunning statement means the Father treats the saints the same way He does His Son Jesus Christ. God clothes believers with the righteousness of Christ (Rom. 3:21–22; 2 Cor. 5:21; Phil. 3:9), and grants the Son’s perfect love (Matt. 9:36; John 10:11, 14–16; 13:1; 14:21) and obedience (cf. John 4:34; 5:30; 18:37). Someday believers will stand before God’s throne as confidently as their Lord and Savior does. When they reach that final accounting, they will see the fulfillment of 1 John 3:2b, “We [believers] know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is.” Those whose perfect (complete, mature) love demonstrates the reality of their salvation need have no fear of the return of Christ or God’s judgment, because perfect love casts out fear. That kind of love dispels fear because fear involves punishment, and believers perfected in love do not face final punishment (Rom. 5:9; 1 Thess. 1:10; 5:9; cf. Eph. 5:6). However, anyone who fears God’s judgment is not perfected in love. Someone who professes Christ but fears His return evidences that something is seriously amiss, because all true saints love His appearing (2 Tim. 4:8; cf. James 1:12). The motive for those who have such confident assurance regarding the future is obvious: we [Christians] love, because He first loved us. It was God’s perfect and eternal love that first sovereignly drew believers to Him (4:10; John 15:9, 16, 19; Acts 13:48; Rom. 5:8; Eph. 1:4), thus enabling them to reflect His love to others. The apostle repeats his warning (cf. 2:4, 9; 3:10, 17; 4:8) that anyone who claims to love God but does not love others is a deceiver: If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen. It is absurd to claim to love the invisible God but at the same time not show love to His people. John counters that hypocritical notion with a closing command: this commandment we have from Him, that the one who loves God should love his brother also. Brotherly love seeks nothing in return; instead it unconditionally forgives (cf. Matt. 18:21–22), bears others’ burdens (Gal. 6:2), and sacrifices to meet their needs (Acts 20:35; Phil. 2:3–4). Yet it is also a righteous love that tolerates neither false doctrine nor habitual sin (1 Tim. 5:20; cf. 2 Thess. 3:15). God’s perfect love is a blessing for believers to know and a joy for them to manifest to others. Although it enhances and enriches the emotional love they have for other people, perfect love far transcends any kind of feeling the world might experience. It is a complete, mature love that reflects the essence of God and the work of Christ and flows through believers to anybody with a need (3:17; Matt. 25:34–40; 2 Cor. 8:1–7; 9:7–15; James 1:27; cf. Matt. 5:16; Acts 9:36; Titus 3:8), especially others in the family of God (Gal. 6:2, 10; cf. 1 Tim. 5:8; Heb. 6:9–10). This love, which has characterized the triune God from eternity past, is also the mark of His children (John 13:35). Because this love so clearly comes from Him, those who love like Him can be assured that He is their Father. As the hymn “I Am His, and He Is Mine” so aptly expresses:
Loved with everlasting love, Led by grace that love to know; Gracious Spirit from above, Thou hast taught me it is so! O, this full and perfect peace! O, this transport all divine! In a love which cannot cease, I am His, and He is mine.
MacArthur, J. (2007). 1, 2, 3 John (pp. 170–172). Moody Publishers.
Love’s Perfection (vv. 17–21)
In verses 13–16 John has developed the first of two ideas introduced for the first time in verse 12, the indwelling of the Christian by God. Now he returns to the second of those two ideas, the perfection of love, and explains what he means practically. Earlier, when he had said, “If we love each other, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us,” the reader might well have been left with the question of how such a thing could be possible. God’s attributes are perfection; he is perfection. Consequently, we might wonder how God’s love could be perfected in us, or anywhere else for that matter. Now John explains his meaning, showing that his emphasis was not so much upon that love that God has in himself (which obviously is already perfect) but rather upon our love both for God and one another. This has its source in God and is brought to completion by him. “Made complete” here does not mean totally without flaw in a moral or any other sense. It means “whole” or “mature,” and it refers to that state of mind and activity in which the Christian is to find himself when the love of God within him, expressing itself in the believer’s own love, has accomplished that which God fully intends it to accomplish. No doubt there are many aspects of love’s perfection, but from this greater number John singles out two. First, there is confidence in view of God’s coming judgment (vv. 17–18). Second, there is love of the brethren (vv. 19–21).
Confidence
This is the third time in the letter that the word “confidence” (parrēsia) occurs, and it will occur once more. In two of the four instances it refers to confidence before God in reference to prayer (3:21; 5:14). In the other two instances, one of which is this text, it refers to confidence before God in view of Christ’s return and the execution of his righteous judgment against sin (2:28; 4:17). The idea of God’s judgment is an unpopular one today, but it is not necessarily less popular than it was in John’s time. The problem is simply that men and women do not like the idea of having to account to God for their actions. So they tend to discount the idea, hoping that the day of judgment might just go away. But judgment is the only logical idea of the three ideas usually associated with the end times. In most systems of theology the end events focus around three things: the return of Christ, the resurrection, and the judgment. But neither the return of Christ nor the resurrection is logical. Jesus came once and was rejected. He was crucified. If he never came back, this would be logical; and no one, least of all ourselves, could blame him. Yet against logic he is returning. The resurrection is not logical either, for even the Bible declares of our bodies, “Dust you are and to dust you will return” (Gen. 3:19). Logically no one could expect more. But judgment? That is the most logical event the future holds for any man or woman. Moreover, the day of judgment is as fixed in God’s eternal timetable as any other day in world history. This is the significance of the word “day.” Technically speaking, the day of judgment is not necessarily a twenty-four-hour period. At all events, it certainly includes a series of judgments upon the earth (Revelation 6–16), the beast and the false prophet (Rev. 19:20), the gentile nations (Joel 3:14; Matt. 25:31–46), Israel (Ezek. 20:33–44), and all individuals at the judgment of the great white throne (Rev. 20:11–15). The reason it is called a “day” is that it is fixed in God’s timetable and will surely come. In view of this logical and unalterable day in which the thoughts and deeds of men and women are to be judged, an individual might well fear. But John says that in the case of Christians perfect love casts out terror. This does not mean that love for God is the ground of our acceptance before him. The only possible ground is the death of Christ for us and faith in him. It means rather that by love for God any unreasonable fears are quieted and we come to rest in the fact that the one who was for us in Christ will allow nothing to destroy the eternal relationship that the death of Christ established (Rom. 8:31–39). It is possible to be a Christian and still be filled with fear in view of God’s judgment. Some branches of the Christian church even encourage such fear on the part of their adherents. But the fear is unnecessary, and mature love defeats it. Bengel, in one of his excellent Latin expressions, gives the proper course of progress in the Christian life: “neither love nor fear, fear without love, both fear and love, love without fear.” The sinner must begin by fearing the God against whom he has sinned; but, having believed in Christ who has atoned for sin, he may put away fear and grow in confidence before him.
Love of the Brethren
The second area in which love finds perfection is in reference to our love for the brethren; for it is there, according to John, that real love is to be seen and measured. John begins this section by a broad statement: “We love because he first loved us.” But lest a person apply this to a love for God exclusive of a love for human beings, John immediately goes on to show that anyone who is attempting to separate the two is a liar, for love cannot be so differentiated. John’s reasoning at this point is interesting. He argues that it is easier to love men than God; therefore, if there is no love for men, love for God is absent also, regardless of what the person professing to love God may say verbally. How many Christians really believe that it is easier to love men than God? Possibly it is a very small number, for our natural inclination is to think that it is easier to love God simply because he is worthy of our love and that it is difficult to love men because they are not lovable or lovely. Yet this passage says exactly the opposite, implying, no doubt, that unless we are really loving our Christian brothers and sisters on the horizontal level, we are deluding ourselves in regard to what we consider to be our love for God on the vertical. Unless we can love men and women, we cannot love God. Unless we actually do love them, we do not love the one who created them and in whose image they were and are created. We can put this in other terms. Earlier in this book we considered the difference between philia-love and agapē-love; philia-love is strong brotherly affection. It might be described as the highest love of which man in himself is capable. Agapē-love is divine love. It might be described as the love of which only God and those who are indwelt by God are capable. These verses are the equivalent of saying that a person cannot practice agapē-love unless he can first practice philia-love. Without the love of men, the love of God is impossible. It is possible, moreover, that another conclusion may be drawn from this text. It is the conclusion that it is in learning to love men that we learn to love God. On the one hand, there are undoubtedly those who loudly profess to love God but who do not love their Christian brothers and sisters. John rightly calls such liars. But on the other hand, it is also possible that there are many who recognize that they do not really love God (at least not as much as they would like to) and who wonder how they might learn to love him better. “I cannot see him,” they might argue. “At times he seems so far away and so unreal. How can I learn to love him? How can I make progress in this that I know to be my privilege and Christian duty?” On the basis of these verses we are justified in arguing that John might well reply to such that a Christian learns to love God by loving those he can actually see. This does not replace the revelation of God’s love at the cross of Jesus Christ, of course. It is there that we learn what love is. Nevertheless, it does supplement it practically, for it is by practicing a real and self-sacrificing love for one another that we learn to love the one who sacrificed himself for us.
Conclusion
At the beginning of this chapter the question was asked, Which is the most important of John’s three tests: righteousness, love, or truth? We answered that love was the most important, but at this point we have several additional insights for knowing why. The first reason is obviously that we need love most, particularly in the so-called evangelical churches. These have sound doctrine, at least to a point. There is a measure of righteousness. But often, sadly, there is very little love. Without it, however, there is no true demonstration of the life of Christ within or true worship of the Father. The second reason is that Jesus himself made love the first and second of the commandments. The first commandment is love for God (Deut. 6:4). The second is love for one another (Lev. 19:18). The two properly belong together. As Jesus said, “All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments” (Matt. 22:40). The third reason is that it was the realization of this double love in us for both God and man that was the object of Christ’s coming. This is what John seems to speak about in the opening verses of the letter when he says, “We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ” (1:3). That is, the coming of Christ is proclaimed so that those who hear of his incarnation and death might believe in him and thereby learn to love both God and one another. The devil is the one who disrupts. The Lord Jesus Christ is the one who draws together. Moreover, in the drawing together into fellowship, love is the key factor. Little surprise then that we have this commandment from him: “Whoever loves God must also love his brother.”
Boice, J. M. (2004). The Epistles of John: an expositional commentary (pp. 119–122). Baker Books.
If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.Romans 10:9
There must be confession with the mouth. Have I made it? Have I openly avowed my faith in Jesus as the Savior whom God has raised from the dead, and have I done it in God’s way! Let me honestly answer this question.
There must also be belief with the heart. Do I sincerely believe in the risen Lord Jesus? Do I trust in Him as my sole hope of salvation? Is this trust from my heart? Let me answer as before God.
If I can truly claim that I have both confessed Christ and believed in Him, then I am saved. The text does not say it may be so, but it is plain as a pikestaff and clear as the sun in the heavens: “Thou shalt be saved.” As a believer and a confessor, I may lay my hand on this promise and plead it before the Lord God at this moment, and throughout life, and in the hour of death, and at the Day of Judgment.
I must be saved from the guilt of sin, the power of sin, the punishment of sin, and ultimately from the very being of sin. God hath said it—”Thou shalt be saved.” I believe it. I shall be saved. I am saved. Glory be to God forever and ever!
Is the modern church failing because it preaches grace without first showing the need for it?
In this 33-minute video, Peter Demos sits down with Ray Comfort, evangelist and founder of Living Waters, to examine the state of the church, the rise of false converts, and the urgent need to return to biblical evangelism. From preaching Law before grace to overcoming fear in witnessing, Comfort lays out a practical, timeless model for sharing the gospel.
The conversation you won’t hear anywhere else: What if the greatest threat to the church isn’t politics or culture–but pulpits producing false converts through shallow evangelism?
Peter Demos is the author of On the Duty of Christian Civil Disobedience and the host of Uncommon Sense in Current Times. A Christian business leader from Tennessee, Demos uses his biblical perspective and insight gained from his own struggles to lead others to truth and authenticity in a broken world. To learn more, visit peterdemos.org.
Running a red light is embarrassing to admit, and if we do admit to it, we do so reluctantly. This is probably because when we’ve seen other drivers accelerate through red lights, we’ve mumbled something about them being a fool because they are totally disregarding human life—all because of their thoughtless impatience. But when we’ve done it ourselves, we surmise that it didn’t happen because of a premeditated desire to risk our lives or the lives of others. It rather happened because of something called “impetuosity.” The dictionary defines this as “doing things suddenly, without considering the results of your actions.” And that perfectly sums up what happens when we plow through a red light. The results of human thoughtlessness are sobering. These stats are just from the US:
In 2022, 1,149 people were killed in crashes that involved red light running.…
[And] more than 107,000 people were injured in red light running crashes.
Our Christian life is filled with red lights. Jesus told us what happens when we see a warning light and choose to ignore it:
“But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!” (Matthew 6:23)
This verse is a warning as to what happens when we move past impetuosity into premeditation. We see the light change at a distance and deliberately choose to accelerate. We can see this happening with Cain’s plot to kill his brother, with Joseph’s brothers planning to sell him into slavery, with David’s adultery with Bathsheba, and with the Judas’ betrayal of Jesus—among many other premeditated acts. Each of these incidents is a warning to us to never move into the frightening realm of premeditation. To do so is to extinguish the light of conscience, and when that happens, our whole body becomes full of darkness.
“Imagine the seriousness of sinning against God. And it all happened because you failed to fear God—which is the beginning of wisdom—and to fear the consequences of sin.”
There are at least two ways to stop ourselves from running red lights. The first is to consider the consequences. Imagine a sweet young mother and her two children are killed because they are in the car you hit. Imagine seeing their bloodied and lifeless bodies being cut from their crushed vehicle. Imagine facing the broken husband and father in court and never being able to forget his look of pure hatred of you for taking the lives of his precious wife and children. And all this horror happened because of your momentary impatience.
The second way to stop yourself from running a red light is to determine to never let impatience steal your good sense. Resolve to, without exception, put your foot on the brake rather than the accelerator when you see that light turning red.
Then, do the same two things when it comes to sin. Firstly, think of sin’s terrible consequences. Imagine letting the subtlety of lust into your heart and having it lead you into adultery. Imagine betraying your spouse and kids. Imagine destroying your Christian testimony. And, on top of that, imagine the seriousness of sinning against God. And it all happened because you failed to fear God—which is the beginning of wisdom—and to fear the consequences of sin. And that led you into premeditation. Determine to never let that happen.
Lesson #1 – When the Holy Spirit of God convicts a sinner of their sin, only the pure and true gospel of Jesus Christ will bring them relief from their terrorized conscience.
Lesson #2 – Justification by Grace Alone, through Faith Alone, on account of Christ Alone is not only AN essential of the faith, it is THE essential of the faith.
Lesson #3 – The Clarity of Scripture is a key doctrine of the faith.
Lesson #4 – The biblical doctrine of calling and vocation.
This is Ken Ham, an Aussie transplant with a passion for sharing the truth of God’s Word.
As we’ve seen all week, the belief of atheism should be added to the list of world religions. But did you know there’s actually only two religions? They can be summed up as God’s and not God’s.
God’s religion is given to us in the Bible, his revelation to us. And it’s seen clearly in the person of Jesus Christ. But since sin, mankind has always developed its own religions. Every one of these false religions starts with man’s word as the authority, not God’s Word—which is the actual ultimate authority.
And that’s the real battle we’re seeing heating up in this nation. It’s not atheism vs. Christianity—it’s man’s word vs. God’s Word.
The Lord’s response, as always, was perfect and absolutely accurate. When He quoted passages from Deuteronomy and Leviticus that were familiar to all Jews, He affirmed His complete solidarity with Moses and with the truth of the Word of God as recorded by him. The command Jesus named as the foremost, Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is one Lord; and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength, is the most basic, foundational Old Testament truth. Known as the Shema (from the Hebrew verb translated “hear” that begins Deut. 6:4), it is still recited daily by religious Jews and as part of the Sabbath synagogue worship. When the Shema was revealed, Moses was about 120 years old. He was nearing the end of his life and was again delivering God’s law to the Jewish people. For the previous forty years the people of Israel, because of God’s judgment on their disobedience and unbelief, had wandered in the wilderness between Egypt and Canaan. During that time the entire generation of disobedient, unbelieving, idolatrous people that came out of Egypt in the exodus had died. A new generation had arisen that would enter and possess the Promised Land. Deuteronomy records a series of messages that Moses gave to the people, reminding them of what God required of them. He later wrote those revelations down (Deut. 31:9) so that succeeding generations would have them. The theme of Deuteronomy is expressed in chapter 5, verses 32 and 33:
So you shall observe to do just as the Lord your God has commanded you; you shall not turn aside to the right or to the left. You shall walk in all the way which the Lord your God has commanded you, that you may live and that it may be well with you, and that you may prolong your days in the land which you will possess.
Building on that theme, Moses began chapter 6 by reiterating that his purpose was to teach the people obedience to God as they entered the Promised Land:
Now this is the commandment, the statutes and the judgments which the Lord your God has commanded me to teach you, that you might do them in the land where you are going over to possess it, so that you and your son and your grandson might fear the Lord your God, to keep all His statutes and His commandments which I command you, all the days of your life, and that your days may be prolonged. (vv. 1–2)
He then gave the motive for that obedience in verses 4 and 5, which Jesus quoted in His reply to the scribe. Obedience cannot be merely external; it must be internal, from the heart, motivated by faithful love for the one true God. The word love translates a form of the verb agapaō, which is the love of intelligence, of the will, of purpose, choice, sacrifice, and obedience, not phileō, which is the love of attraction. Love is connected to fearing God (Deut. 6:2), who is worthy of all devotion and affection. But that love is based on who He is; it is a response to genuine knowledge of the one true God (cf. Phil. 1:9), who alone is to be worshiped (Ex. 20:3). The Shema requires that God be loved first with all our faculties; that is what is intended generally by these separate elements of human nature. It is more about the totality than the individual features. Still, each can be given a shade of definition. The heart in the Hebrew understanding is the core of a person’s identity; it is the source of all thoughts, words, and actions. For that reason Proverbs 4:23 commands, “Watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life.” Love for God must flow from the deepest part of a person’s being. Soul adds the emotions. In Matthew 26:38 Jesus said, “My soul is deeply grieved, to the point of death,” speaking of His soul as the seat of emotion. Mind embraces the will, the intentions, and purposes. Strength refers to physical energy and function. The intellectual, emotional, volitional, and physical elements of personhood are all involved in loving God. Genuine love for God is an intelligent love, an emotional love, a willing love, and an active love. In short, it is a comprehensive, all-consuming love and singular adoration. God’s wholehearted love for believers must not be reciprocated with halfhearted devotion. There are repeated calls throughout Deuteronomy for such genuine love for God (cf. 11:13, 22; 13:1–4; 19:9; 30:6, 16, 20; cf. Josh. 22:5). But the leaders and people of Israel in Jesus’ day, as had been the case throughout their history, were far from truly loving God. Well aware of the Shema and the numerous other Old Testament commands to love Him, they were incapable of doing so. Disobedient inwardly, their religion was reduced to ritualistic and legalistic externals. Later that same Wednesday, Jesus would denounce the scribes and Pharisees for that in strong, shocking, even terrifying language:
Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside they are full of robbery and self-indulgence. You blind Pharisee, first clean the inside of the cup and of the dish, so that the outside of it may become clean also. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which on the outside appear beautiful, but inside they are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness. So you, too, outwardly appear righteous to men, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness. (Matt. 23:25–28)
No one can perfectly love God or keep His law as He requires, since “there is no man who does not sin” (1 Kings 8:46); “there is no one who does good” (Ps. 14:1); in God’s “sight no man living is righteous” (Ps. 143:2); no one can say, “I have cleansed my heart, I am pure from my sin” (Prov. 20:9); and “there is not a righteous man on earth who continually does good and who never sins” (Eccl. 7:20). Nor was the law given as a means of salvation; it is “our tutor to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith” (Gal. 3:24). The Shema and the rest of Moses’s discourses in Deuteronomy should have convinced the people that they could never keep that command on their own. The entire nation should have, like the tax collector did in Luke 18:13, cried out, “God, be merciful to me, the sinner!” The issue of loving God, as noted above, divides all people into two categories. In Exodus 20:4–6 God declared to Israel,
You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth. You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing lovingkindness to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.
In Deuteronomy 7:9–10, Moses echoed God’s pronouncement:
Know therefore that the Lord your God, He is God, the faithful God, who keeps His covenant and His lovingkindness to a thousandth generation with those who love Him and keep His commandments; but repays those who hate Him to their faces, to destroy them; He will not delay with him who hates Him, He will repay him to his face.
Believers, forgiven for not giving God the devotion He deserves, do desire to love God (Neh. 1:5; Ps. 97:10; 1 Cor. 2:9; 8:3) and the Lord Jesus Christ (John 8:42) more; unbelievers do not love Him at all (John 15:23–25; 1 Cor. 16:22). The second foundational commandment, inseparable from the first because it is a command of God requiring the obedience of love to Him, is this, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (cf. Lev. 19:18). The two are linked, since “if someone says, ‘I love God,’ and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen” (1 John 4:20). The command also includes loving one’s enemies, as Jesus taught in the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5:43–47). The arrogant, prideful scribes, Pharisees, and Sadducees did neither; they failed to love either God or their neighbor (as illustrated by Jesus in the Good Samaritan parable). This command must not be twisted into a call for self-love, which is natural; such is not its intent. The Lord’s point is that we are to have the same love and care for neighbors, strangers, and enemies that we possess for ourselves. Jesus chose these two commands because there is no other commandment greater than them. In Matthew 22:40 He added, “On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.” Together, they sum up the entire Ten Commandments, the first four of which demand features related to love for God; the last six describe features of love for man.
MacArthur, J. (2015). Mark 9–16 (pp. 200–203). Moody Publishers.
29–31. Jesus answered, The foremost is, Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this, You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these. Jesus here teaches that: a. The whole duty of man, the whole moral-spiritual law, can be summed up in one word: love. Cf. Rom. 13:9, 10; 1 Cor. 13. b. This love must be directed first of all toward God. In this connection Mark reports that Jesus began his summary of the law by quoting Deut 6:4, 5: “Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart.…” In the original Hebrew, the first word of this quotation is Shema’, meaning “Hear.” In English literature the Hebrew form is often transliterated Shema, and the entire quotation is generally called “the Shema.” Today, the ancient custom of beginning the synagogue service with the recitation of the Shema is still being observed. This holds, too, with respect to the Jewish phylacteries. These contain the Shema in its longer form (Deut 6:4–9; 11:13–21). For more on this see N.T.C. on Matthew, p. 823. Finally, we should make mention of the mezuzah, a rectangular piece of inscribed parchment enclosed in a metal or wooden case, and attached to the upper section of a Jewish dwelling’s right hand door post. The inscribed material consists of the Shema in its longer form. It is written in twenty-two lines, in accordance with definite rules It is readily understood that the Shema was and is the very foundation of monotheism. Not only that, but it stresses the fact that this one and only God wants to be loved!. This is in harmony with the fact that he himself is a loving God. This is a truth taught not only in the New Testament (John 3:16; Rom. 5:8; 8:32; etc.) but also, either directly or by implication, in such Old Testament passages as Deut. 33:27; Ps. 27:10; 87:2; 103:8–14; 145:8, 9; 146:8; 147:1–3; Prov. 3:12; Isa. 1:18; 55:7; Jer. 31:31–34; Hos. 11:8; Jon. 4:11; Mic. 7:18–20; etc. c. Heart, soul, mind, and strength must co-operate in loving God. The heart is the hub of the wheel of man’s existence, the mainspring of all his thoughts, words, and deeds (Prov. 4:23). The soul—the word used in the original has a variety of meanings (see on 8:12, footnote 370)—is here probably the seat of man’s emotional activity; the mind is not only the seat and center of his purely intellectual life but also of his dispositions and attitudes. In the Hebrew original (and also in the LXX) of Deut. 6:5 the reading is “heart, soul, and might (or power).” Mark 12:30 has “heart, soul, mind, and strength.” Cf. Luke 10:27 No essential difference is intended. We must not begin to over-analyze. What is meant in all these passages is that man should love God with all the “faculties” with which God has endowed him. d. Moreover, man must use all these powers to the full. Note fourfold “all … all … all … all.” The point is that God’s wholehearted love must not be answered in a halfhearted manner. When God loves, he loves the world; when he gives, he gives his Son, hence himself. See N.T.C. on John 3:16. He gives him up. He does not spare him (Rom. 8:32). Greater love, more marvelous self-giving, is impossible (John 15:13; Rom. 5:6–10; 2 Cor. 8:9). Surely, the response to such love must not be less than that indicated in Rom. 11:33–36; 1 Cor. 6:20; 10:31; 2 Cor. 9:15; Eph. 5:1, 2; Col. 3:12–17. e. This love must be directed not only toward God (Deut. 6:5) but also toward man (Lev. 19:18). The question whether or not Jesus was the first to combine these two passages, which in the Old Testament are separated, is not very important. If this point is pressed, the objection might be raised, “What about the author of The Testament of the Twelve Patriarchs, where Issachar (5:2) is introduced as saying, ‘Love the Lord and love your neighbor’ ”? It should be pointed out, however, that Issachar’s statement is not nearly as full as is Mark 12:29–31, and besides, that it is hard to determine how much in this writing, falsely ascribed to the twelve patriarchs, is original and how much is Christian interpolation. A stronger argument for the position that Jesus may not have been the first to combine these two Old Testament passages into one is found in Luke 10:27. But this does not necessarily imply that the combination of Deut. 6:5 with Lev. 19:18 originated with the “lawyer” there mentioned. There are those—for example, C. G. Montefiore, The Synoptic Gospels, London, 1927, Vol. II, p. 464—who believe that “the combination was apparently a commonplace, equally familiar to Christian and to Jew.” That, too, cannot be proved. What is, however, far more important is that Jesus, not only by word but also by very deed, was the first to set forth the true meaning of perfect love toward God united with perfect love toward man. “When two say the same thing, they may not actually be saying the same thing.” What a vast contrast between the two speakers in Mark 12:30, 31 and Luke 10:27! Yet, both say essentially the same thing. The context of these two passages indicates Christ’s big-heartedness and the lawyer’s small-mindedness. f. The second commandment resembles the first in this respect: both require love. Moreover, love toward the neighbor, who is God’s image bearer, flows forth from love toward God (1 John 4:20, 21; cf. Matt. 5:43; 7:12; 19:19). Conversely, the love which from the heart of God radiates toward his children, helps them to love their fellows (Eph 4:32–5:2). g. “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Man has been created with love for himself. That love for self should be the measure whereby he decides how to love his neighbor. This is a very practical precept, a rule of thumb. And that “neighbor,” moreover, is anyone who has been providentially placed in his path for sympathy and help. A person should really never ask, “And who is my neighbor?” Instead, he himself should be a true neighbor to those in need, even though they be his enemies. See Matt. 5:43–48; Luke 10:30–37. h. Jesus brings his answer to a climax by declaring, “There is no other command greater than these.” And why are these two commandments the greatest? First, faith and hope take, love gives. Faith appropriates the salvation that is in Christ. Hope accepts the promise of the future inheritance. Love, however, means self-giving, self-impartation. Secondly, all other virtues are included in love. See 1 Cor. 13. According to that chapter active, intelligent, voluntary love implies patience, kindness, and humility (verse 4), unselfishness (verse 5), faith and hope (verse 7). Thirdly, human love, in its noblest expression, is patterned after God, for “God is love.” The all-surpassing character of love is clearly taught in Scripture (Col. 3:14; 1 Peter 4:8; 1 John 3:14; 4:8).
Hendriksen, W., & Kistemaker, S. J. (1953–2001). Exposition of the Gospel According to Mark (Vol. 10, pp. 492–495). Baker Book House.
SCOTUS hears oral arguments on biological gender affirmation: “Gender-affirming care” is the euphemistic term used by trans activists to mislead about the process of using hormones and surgeries to poorly mimic the opposite sex. Yesterday, the Supreme Court heard arguments in a case that may allow true gender-affirming care to be practiced. Kaley Chiles is a Christian therapist in Colorado who wants to try helping gender dysphoric patients learn how to live the way God intended. Chiles argues that a Colorado law prohibiting conversion therapy also restricts her from trying to help a gender dysphoric girl learn to accept her femininity. Even the Women’s Liberation Front, a traditionally leftist group, sided with Chiles, filing an amicus brief contending that the law will effectively “trans the gay away” by transitioning those who otherwise would identify as gay. Based on yesterday’s hearing, the prospects look good for Chiles and gender realists everywhere.
Pam Bondi visits the Senate: On Tuesday, Attorney General Pam Bondi sat before the Senate Judiciary Committee in a scheduled oversight hearing, which was her first hearing since her confirmation. Like several prior hearings between Trump administration officials and Democrat lawmakers, it quickly devolved into verbal conflict and insults, with both Democrats and Republicans using the occasion to score political points. Democrats accused the Justice Department of targeting Donald Trump’s political enemies. Meanwhile, Bondi blasted Democrat lawmakers for lying, spinning deceitful narratives, and failing to stand up for actual justice for everyday Americans, noting the high crime problems in many blue states and cities. Trump officials have come to these hearings with the goal of standing up to Democrat lawmakers and engaging in a verbal jousting match.
Mamdani loves Hamas: Zohran Mamdani, an openly socialist Muslim and the frontrunner in New York City’s mayoral race, was obligated yesterday to make a statement on the second anniversary of October 7 — one of the worst Islamic terrorist attacks in history. He dedicated the first paragraph to condemning Hamas’s attack and paying lip service to the hostages still being held two years later. The ensuing paragraphs, however, were devoted to whataboutism and the false idea that Israel’s war in Gaza is genocidal. Twenty-four years ago, New York City suffered the most devastating Islamic terrorist attack in history; now it’s about to elect a Muslim who carries water for Islamic terrorists.
Senate confirms 107 Trump nominees: Senate Republicans confirmed 107 of Trump’s nominees in a bloc vote yesterday, possibly leaving Democrats wishing government shutdowns actually meant anything. Confirming Senate nominees by bloc votes is a recent development made necessary by Senate Democrats’ universal filibuster of sub-cabinet-level positions. This brings the backlog of nominees that have advanced out of committee and not yet been confirmed to just 26. The confirmed nominees included 16 attorneys, key roles in most cabinet departments, and more than two dozen ambassadors. Herschel Walker, the former NFL player and Senate candidate, scored the ambassadorship to the Bahamas, a position that had been vacant for 15 years.
Carney and Trump meet to discuss trade deal: Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney visited with Donald Trump at the White House yesterday to continue negotiating a trade deal in lieu of the tariffs Trump imposed on Canadian goods. “It’s a natural business conflict — nothing wrong with it,” Trump said, “and I think we’ve come a long way over the past few months.” Carney was also positive, calling Trump a “transformative president,” noting his success in tackling global conflicts. The issue at hand is reworking the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement. Trump wants to see the trade imbalance between the U.S. and Canada leveled. He’s also demanding that Canada do more to prevent fentanyl trafficking across the border. Canada has backed off a number of its taxes and tariffs, including rescinding a digital tax on U.S. tech companies. Despite continued disagreement, Trump called Carney a “great man.”
Kimmel craters: The hype surrounding late-night host Jimmy Kimmel after he was temporarily suspended over his false and inflammatory remarks in the wake of Charlie Kirk’s assassination has completely died down. While his middling show saw a massive viewership boost immediately upon his return, thanks to Democrats and leftists falsely framing his suspension as speech suppression, that boost is now gone. Last Thursday’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” averaged just 1.9 million viewers, representing a 71% drop since his return. Even more problematic for the network is that the targeted 25-54-year-old demographic viewership has dropped 85% since his return. Kimmel’s viewership numbers are now effectively back down to what they were prior to his suspension. The question is, given this reality, will ABC renew his contract next year?
Latin Kings gang leader fooled around and found out: Chicago is the latest target of an ICE crackdown and therefore of anti-ICE crime. Unsurprisingly, a Latin Kings gang leader put a $10,000 price on the head of Chief Gregory Bovino, commander at large of the U.S. Border Patrol. He also instructed gang members to go armed and loiter in the area of Saturday’s ICE ambush in which 10 vehicles surrounded ICE agents as they drove around the city. Hits on law enforcement may work in Mexico or other Latin American nations, but in the U.S., law enforcement strikes back. On Monday, this gang leader was arrested, and Assistant Homeland Security Secretary Tricia McLaughlin confirmed that he would be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
Leftists conjure up right-wing arson hoax: Over the weekend, a multimillion-dollar waterfront home in Colleton County, South Carolina, belonging to Circuit Court Judge Diane Schafer Goodstein burned to the ground. Thankfully, the judge was not at home when the house caught fire; however, her husband, a former state senator, their son, and another family member were at the residence at the time and sustained injuries requiring hospitalization. Due to Goodstein having recently ruled against the Trump administration, a number of online leftists began asserting that the fire was targeted arson by a Trump supporter. MSNBC host Nicolle Wallace also framed the fire as retribution against the judge. There’s one major problem: “At this time, there is no evidence to indicate the fire was intentionally set,” explained local Police Chief Mark Keel. “[South Carolina Law Enforcement Division] agents have preliminarily found there is no evidence to support a pre-fire explosion.”
Headlines
James Comey enters plea on perjury, obstruction charges (Daily Signal)
Everytown for Gun Safety quietly scrubs endorsement of Jay Jones (Washington Free Beacon)
Trump suggests not all furloughed workers will get back pay (CNBC)
Bessent picks Social Security chief Frank Bisignano as IRS CEO (WSJ)
War Department reverses course on media reporting restrictions (Washington Examiner)
FBI fires agents, dismantles corruption squad after probe unveils monitoring of GOP senators (Fox News)
Joe Biden’s team blocked CIA from distributing report on son Hunter’s Ukraine business dealings (Just the News)
Male bus driver who goes by “Ms Sharon” charged with sexually abusing multiple boys (NY Post)
In defiance of U.S. government, Houston uses federal money to repaint rainbow crosswalks (Not the Bee)
Humor: Chicago mayor hoping his ICE-free zones work better than his gun-free zones (Babylon Bee)
That’s the number of Republicans who voted to create the grossly misnamed Affordable Care Act (ObamaCare) in 2010. It’s the number of Republicans who voted for the grossly misnamed and historically inflationary American Rescue Plan in 2021, which expanded subsidies for marketplace health insurance plans under the guise of the COVID emergency. And it’s the number of Republicans who voted for the again grossly misnamed — by Joe Biden’s own admission — Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, which extended those expanded subsidies.
ZERO.
Democrats are solely responsible for the fiscal and health disaster that is ObamaCare.
Yet they keep blaming Republicans for the Chuck Schumer Shutdown because Republicans didn’t do a 180 and include the expanded subsidies they never wanted or voted for in the continuing resolution (CR) to keep the government open. Most Republicans are not inclined to save Democrats from the budget monster they created.
The House passed a clean CR. Senate Democrats are blocking it from reaching the 60-vote threshold, holding the government hostage for extended subsidies — hence the shutdown.
For nearly 20 years, Democrats have been lying to you about the cost of ObamaCare. It will reduce premiums, they swore over and over. Spoiler alert: It didn’t.
When Democrats passed the law, they front-loaded its revenue provisions while delaying its outlays to make the 10-year cost appear more favorable, but it has cost taxpayers more than $2 trillion over the last 15 years. When COVID came along, Democrats saw an opportunity to expand the number of people on the federal exchange, but doing so meant spending more money on subsidies, and they fully intended to make that a permanent new feature of the entitlement.
“These emergency subsidies were supposed to be temporary,” notes Matthew Continetti. “The original legislation ended them in two years. But in 2022, as part of the absurdly named Inflation Reduction Act, Democrats extended them until 2025. Now they’re set to go on December 31.”
Economics 101: Subsidies don’t reduce the price for something; they just redistribute the cost. In fact, most often, subsidies raise prices by increasing demand without also increasing supply.
ObamaCare was even worse because it affects nearly everyone. It’s textbook fascism, for one thing, using government power to dictate what private companies must sell and then mandating that consumers buy the product. From a purely supply-and-demand standpoint, adding the sickest and poorest people to the health insurance rolls, while noble-sounding, raises prices significantly for everyone. There are now 24 million Americans who purchase insurance on the ObamaCare exchange, and Americans who buy private plans pay higher prices to help finance ObamaCare discounts.
That expense isn’t the sole reason for our national debt woes, but it’s a big one. “Obamacare subsidies — $91 billion — are a teardrop in an Olympic-sized swimming pool of spending,” Continetti explains. “In 2023 the federal government spent $1.6 trillion on healthcare for a staggering 150 million Americans. This year’s deficit … is projected to reach $1.8 trillion. Interest payments — that’s just the cost of servicing our debt — will near $1 trillion. All this adds to the $38 trillion national debt.”
According to The Wall Street Journal, “The 10-year cost of this income transfer to health insurers is roughly $450 billion.” The high price tag comes because of a simple truth: “Democrats removed the income cap on ObamaCare subsidies and allowed the money to flow to affluent households earning as much as $500,000 a year.”
The real crisis isn’t the shutdown, which barely anyone outside the Beltway actually even notices. It’s the national debt. Democrats’ response is to scream for more spending.
ObamaCare is a terrible policy economically. Furthermore, despite Chief Justice John Roberts’s infamous contortions to rewrite the law in order to save it, ObamaCare is unconstitutional. There is no constitutionally enumerated power that allows the federal government to create such a law.
Yet ObamaCare was a stroke of political genius.
Democrats successfully created the biggest new entitlement since the Great Society in the 1960s, and as we all know, entitlements never go away. Usually quite the opposite. Why? Because each one has a constituency that will demand it in perpetuity.
Anyone who opposes an entitlement is falsely cast as wanting to take away benefits from the needy to give gifts to the rich, while those who wish to expand entitlements congratulate themselves for being so “generous” (with your money, by the way), often cloaking income redistribution in bogus Christian terms. (Christian nationalism is bad unless Democrats do it.)
There’s no way Democrats will agree to a short-term extension, said House Minority Leader Hakeem “Sombrero” Jeffries, when Republicans “just permanently extended massive tax breaks for their billionaire donors.” He laid out the Dems’ negotiating position: “Permanent extension, and let’s go from there.”
That political genius is why cracks are starting to show in the GOP line.
President Donald Trump, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, House Speaker Mike Johnson, Georgia Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, and others have all expressed interest in negotiating on what an extension of ObamaCare subsidies might look like — at least after Democrats agree to turn the lights back on.
“If we made the right deal, I’d make a deal. Sure,” Trump told reporters. In other remarks, he added, “It’s not working. ObamaCare has been a disaster for the people, so we want to have it fixed so it works.”
Thune also hedged, saying, “You cannot just extend it, flat extend it. It is too flawed.” He called Jeffries’s position “unrealistic and unserious,” saying Democrats are living in a “dream world.”
Unfortunately, Greene is now demanding an extension. “I’m going to go against everyone on this issue because when the tax credits expire this year my own adult children’s insurance premiums for 2026 are going to DOUBLE, along with all the wonderful families and hard-working people in my district,” she wrote in a lengthy and ideologically incoherent post on X.
Most subsidies won’t even expire, and premiums won’t double, though the portion consumers pay themselves might in some scenarios. She’s conflating premiums with out-of-pocket costs, along with making other errors typical of the Left.
Democrats aren’t making anything cheaper, either. They just want to finance the cost with more debt from China, paid back by your grandchildren.
However, for the 20 million Americans about to be saddled with a much bigger bill, the semantics won’t matter, and populists like Greene know it.
Again, that’s the political genius of ObamaCare, and unless Republicans can figure out real reform alternatives, they’ll keep losing every single battle over the biggest entitlement in a generation.
Sophie Starkova: Attempted Kavanaugh Assassin Gets Break for ‘Trans’ Claim — Nicholas Roske turned himself in for attempting to murder a Supreme Court justice, but now he claims he’s a woman named Sophie, and the left-wing judge let him off easy.
Michael Swartz: Supreme Court Heads for a ‘Reckoning’ With Trump — The justices have begun their latest term and will consider several cases that could have a far-reaching impact on how a president manages the executive branch.
Thomas Gallatin: Good Riddance, Net-Zero Banking Alliance — The climate alarmists’ UN-based banking alliance that sought to pressure the world into embracing the globalist green-energy cult has collapsed.
Police Debunk MSNBC BluAnon Conspiracy Theory — Officials investigating the cause of the huge blaze that reduced the beachfront home of a South Carolina judge to smoldering embers do not believe arson played a part.
Portland Police Arrest Journalist Instead of Antifa Thugs — Major cities have been dealing with antifa riots and chaos for months. Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek says everything is fine, but independent journalists have a different story.
Debunking the Palestine Lie — Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and his international supporters claim that only Israel and the United States stand in the way of historical justice.
“Three people, two bullets. [Virginia Speaker of the House Todd] Gilbert, hitler, and pol pot. Gilbert gets two bullets to the head. Spoiler: put Gilbert in the crew with the two worst people you know, and he receives both bullets every time.” —Democrat Virginia AG candidate Jay Jones in 2022 discussing a coworker over text (“This is just another example of the demonic mindset that has taken over the Democrat Party. No Democrat leaders in Virginia, including Senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine or other members of the congressional delegation, have called for Jones to drop out of the race. They are cowards.” —Gary Bauer)
Praetorian Guard
“We have to be mature in our thinking and how we vote. We can’t get distracted, because they want us to get distracted by the [Jay Jones] text message here or something else. Stay focused.” —Virginia House Speaker Don Scott
“Trump’s GOP seizes on violent rhetoric from Virginia AG candidate as high-stakes elections loom.” —Associated Press headline
Braying Jackass
“The extreme-Right in this country refuse to accept the results of the Civil War. They have repeatedly called for a rematch.” —Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson
Godwin’s Law
“In the early days of the Nazi regime, they started slowly but surely taking away people’s rights. And what we’re seeing now is the very same thing.” —Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker
Congressional Clown Show
“You don’t think Republicans are responsible for the fact that detainees were killed [at the Dallas ICE facility]?” —Rep. Ilhan Omar
“[Detroit] taught me that the political structures that I have to work in, that we are surrounded by, was built on slavery and genocide and rape and oppression. … It’s not the genocide-enabling Congress or the White House that will free our people. It is only us. It can only be us.” —Rep. Rashida Tlaib
Leftmedia Lobotomy
“Why is [Secretary of War Pete Hegseth] obsessed with fat?” —”The View” co-host Joy Behar
Delusions of Grandeur
“I am more popular than the president of the United States.” —”comedian” Jimmy Kimmel
A Blind Squirrel Finds a Nut
“The real problem is that the Affordable Care Act was never actually affordable.” —The Washington Post editorial board
Inquiring Minds Want to Know
“What has Hamas — or any of Israel’s enemies — done to demonstrate their integrity or why any confidence should be placed in them? The answer is nothing and anyone who believes a deal can be made with the devil is a fool.” —Cal Thomas
Re: The Left
“This is an all-out campaign of insurrection against the sovereignty of the United States because the Democrat Party and those who are committing violence in this country do not believe in the legitimacy of the sovereign territory of the United States, and they don’t want any of these illegal aliens to go home. So they want to cement by force … the invasion.” —White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy Stephen Miller
“No matter what level of violence you look at, violence against faith-based organizations is increasing. One by one, our communities are coming around to recognize that, yeah, there is something going on, and we can’t any longer just sit in our church with a steeple on top and a name up front declaring that we’re a safe haven.” —Faith Based Security Network President Carl Chinn
For the Record
“Chuck Schumer has been in Congress for 44 years. He was first elected to the House in 1981. Just for reference, I was nine years old. I was in the third grade when Chuck Schumer came here to Congress.” —House Speaker Mike Johnson
“Donald Trump is who the voters thought he was. … The majority of Americans say that Donald Trump is doing what he promised. … If you look at the numbers, Trump has basically the steadiest favorable rating this much through a presidency of any president on record.” —CNN’s Harry Enten
Belly Laugh of the Day
“My Yankees lost by 20 runs this weekend but I’m not nervous because Kamala says it’s the closest series in baseball history.” —Jimmy Failla
ON THIS DAY in 1918, Alvin York almost single-handedly won a skirmish when his unit encountered a German machine-gun nest in France’s Argonne Forest. An incredible marksman from his life as a Tennessee farmer, York killed 25 Germans with his rifle and pistol, prompting 132 enemy soldiers to surrender. York was later awarded the Medal of Honor.
Please join us in prayer for our nation — that righteous leaders would rise and prevail and we would be united as Americans. Pray for the protection of our uniformed Military Patriots, Veterans, First Responders, and their families. Lift up your Patriot Post team and our mission to support and defend our legacy of American Liberty and our Republic’s Founding Principles, in order that the fires of freedom would be ignited in the hearts and minds of our countrymen.
Israelis remember the deadly Hamas attacks of October 7th, as negotiations are underway to end the war in Gaza and bring the hostages home, and Prime Minister Netanyahu promises to achieve all of Israel’s aims, including destroying Hamas and ensuring Gaza is no longer a threat to Israel as well as returning the hostages; Chris Mitchell talks about how the Israeli public feels about the ceasefire/hostage talks, the importance to the Israeli people of getting the hostages back and defeating Hamas, what Hamas wants for freeing the hostages, how Gazans now feel about Hamas and the importance of Christian support for Israel; Jay Jones, Democratic candidate for Attorney General in Virginia, facing political pressure after reports about texts he sent in 2022, wishing death on a top Republican and his family; singer and songwriter Nicole C. Mullen talks about her new book, “It’s Never Wrong to Do the Right Thing;” and videos by a Kansas man taking his dogs out on the highway become a huge hit online.
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