As I have often said before all civilized people should be able to love one another and still agree to disagree. Diversity of opinion should bring people closer, but we should not argue against proven facts or science.
My Faith is based on the extremely clear words and teachings of Our Lord Jesus Christ and the Bible. There is no compromise and there is no room for interpretation if the well established Cannons of Interpretation are followed.
Fortunately I learned the Cannons (rules) of interpretation as a lawyer long before I became a theologian. I do not envy anyone who would like to argue the clear teaching of the Bible with God. Jesus said: “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.”(Matthew 5:17)
I am proud and unashamed to be a Bible believing evangelical Christian. That is why I am no longer a member of the Anglican/Episcopal church or the liberal branches of the Presbytiarian Church (PCUSA) or other mainline denominations who approve of abominations Such as abortion, gender choice, and homosexual marriage, which are clearly condemned in Scripture.
I am an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church of America (PCA) which is Bible believing, evangelical, and conservative. It is opposed to liberal Presbyterian, Metodist, Lutheran, and another liberal main line denominations which have adopted the teachings of atheistic modern culture‼️
My mentor and professor Dr. J I Packer left the Anglican/Episcopal church because it condoned the ordination of practicing homosexual priests. Scripture teaches from cover to cover that unless they repent and except Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior they will be thrown into the lake of fire with Satan and his angels.
I STAND UPON THE PRINCIPLES OF THE BIBLE AND THE PROTESTANT REFORMATION WHICH TOOK PLACE 500 YEARS AGO IN WESTERN EUROPE. The Reformation, which was initiated by Martin Luther, John Calvin, Zwingly, and others, was primarily about a return to the Bible. I am proud to be a ”Jesus follower” and a “Bible Thumper”.
The Five Solas of the Protestant Reformation are:
- Sola Scriptura (“Scripture alone”): The Bible alone is our highest authority.
- Sola Fid (“faith alone”): We are saved through faith alone in Jesus Christ.
- Sola Gratia (“grace alone”): We are saved by the grace of God alone.
- Solus Christus (“Christ alone”): Jesus Christ alone is our Lord, Savior, and King.
- Soli Deo Gloria (“to the glory of God alone”): We live for the glory of God alone.
Ultimately it doesn’t really matter whether politically you are Republican or Democrat, far left or far right or somewhere in between.
Jesus makes it clear that we must keep our eyes on HIM and not on other people, religion, traditions, or man made church dogma. He is the only one that can be the judge of human hearts.
The bottom line is that human politics is ultimately irrelevant to reality.The only ultimate reality is Jesus himself not a philosophy or an agenda or belief system, but a person.
As Jesus said “I am THE way THE truth and THE life no one comes to the father but by ME… anyone who does not know me does not know the father who is in heaven”. There is no doubt or ambiguity about the ”exclusivity” of Jesus’ claims. He is the ONLY way to God.
HE IS EITHER LIAR, LUNATIC, OR LORD: As C.S.Lewis so eloquently put it: ”A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic — on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg — or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice.”
Some of the most important verses in the New Testament which sum up what genuine authentic Christianity and salvation is, are set out below:
Salvation is a free gift of God, but It is not effective as a gift unless it is received. SAVING FAITH is stretching out your hand and receiving Christ as your personal Savior and Lord.
See John 1:12-13:(John speaking about Jesus): “Yet to all who did RECEIVE HIM, to those who believed in HIS name, He gave the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.”
NOW PLEASE EXAMINE JOHN CHAPTER 3:
John3: 3-6:
“Jesus replied, Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again. How can someone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus asked. Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born! Jesus answered, Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit”
John 3:16-21
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.”
Ephesians 2:8-9:
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith— and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God — not by anything you do, so that no one can boast.”
Romans 6:23:
“For the wages of sin is death, but the FREE gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
I am proud and unashamed to be a Bible believing evangelical Christian. That is why I no longer attend the Anglican/Episcopal church or the liberal branches of the Presbytiarian Church (PCUSA) or other main line denominations who approve of all of the abominations Including abortion and homosexual marriage which are clearly condemned in Scripture.
I am an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church of America (PCA) which is Bible believing, evangelical, Denomination. We are opposed to liberal Presbyterian, Metodist, Lutheran, and another liberal main line denominations which have adopted the teachings of atheistic modern culture. I am Personally equally opposed to the Democrat Party platform which promotes abortion, gender choice, and homosexual marriage. In the midst of this deadly COVID-19 pandemic, do you ever think about the ultimate questions of reality and eternity, such as origin, meaning, morality, and destiny?
I would be happy to recommend churches of different denominations to you at any time. My mentor and professor Dr. J I Packer left the Anglican/Episcopal church because it condoned the ordination of practicing homosexual priests.
As I have often said before all civilized people should be able to love one another and still agree to disagree, but I do not recommend that you disagree with God.
Yes, the Protestant Reformation was about a return to the Bible, and I am proud to be a “Jesus follower” and a “Bible Thumper.”
You have to choose whether you believe the clear words of Jesus and the Bible, or you can choose to believe your own ideas and your own beliefs based on your own finite limited human brain.
IF YOUR ULTIMATE ALLEGIANCE IS TO A POLITICAL PARTY OR NON-CHRISTIAN BELIEF SYSTEM YOU ARE FOREVER LOST UNLESS YOU REPENT AND SURRENDER YOUR LIFE TO OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST.
Such arrogance and pride is found in Genesis with Adam and Eve who thought they knew more than God, they wanted to be god (Please read Genesis chapters 1-3). Even before that Satan was thrown out of heaven because he wanted to be God (See Isaiah 14:12-14).
It is the default mode of all fallen creatures (human or angelic beings) because of their ego and their sinfulness that each such person/being wants to be his own God with his own ideas and beliefs — and he does not wish anyone to tell him want to do or what to believe. If you are a student of philosophy, you will see the same pattern repeated in the time of the enlightenment (17th to 19th centuries).
Once God is rejected by man, we also see the the rise of Marxism (which is the Basis of the present Black Lives Matter movement) and Communism, as well as right-wing authoritarian man centered regimes such as Nazism and Faschism. In the 20th century the rejection of God by such ideologies and regimes led to the slaughter of hundreds of millions of people worldwide.
Scripture teaches from cover to cover that unless they repent and except Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior they will be thrown into the lake of fire with Satan and his angels.
May God bless you as we continue to pray and dialogue, in love, about the above very important issues.
Love, Dave
August 12, 2020
DAVE SEIVRIGHT, a former lawyer from Jamaica, is a graduate of the University of Liverpool, UK, and Westminster Theological Seminary, USA. He also did graduate studies at L’Abri Fellowship in Switzerland, and Trinity College in England. He has been married to PAULINE for 58 years. They have 4 children and 11 grandchildren.
Dave had the privilege of being personally mentored by the late Dr. Francis Schaeffer, and also by Dr. J. I. Packer. Dave was also mentored by the teachings and writings, and by personal interaction with the late Dr. John Stott. Dave attempts to pass on to others the things he learned from these great men of God. Combining his studies of interpretation and evidence as a lawyer with his studies of philosophy, apologetics, and theology, Dave has taken a special interest in the subject of “Worldviews” and the influence of Christianity on the culture of Western civilization. Dave has devoted his time to teaching the Christian worldview worldwide, and mentoring and discipling young professionals, particularly in Miami, and in Germany.