I briefly considered this question in a letter to a dear Christian friend. She wanted my comments on a book which I was unfamiliar with, but weary of, based on some reviews online. Here is my letter:

“You have to be very careful here. It seems that this author may believe that you can lose your salvation. If this is what he believes that is heresy.

My wife Pauline’s conversion from being an Armenian to being a Calvinist was very simple. 

“If we have to hold onto God, we can let go, but if he holds on to us, he will never let us go.” She believed this simple truth when she was a young Christian one morning during a worship service.

Or perhaps the author is just talking about the relationship between faith and works.

The Bible itself is crystal clear on this point:

“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 works. so that no one can boast. 10. For we are God’s handiwork,created in Christ Jesus to dogood works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” EPHESIANS 2:8-10

These verses teach us that works have nothing to do with the means or cause of  genuine salvation. Genuine salvation is by God’s Grace But good works are a inevitable RESULT of genuine salvation  

Dispite this being clear in scripture, Satan has made this a controversy since the fall and even more so since the time of Jesus. This is why it was so necessary for the apostle Paul to write both the book of Romans and the book of Galatians.

I am sure you’ve seen me do “the courtroom of eternity” which is an illustration of justification by faith alone. This was the problem that Martin Luther had until he understood what Romans taught about justification.

The vital question is: “Are we justified (declared righteous) by what we do or by what God has done ?”

There can be no compromise here. We can only be saved by what God has done. Jesus lived a perfect life on earth for 33 1/2 years and the righteousness of this perfect life is credited to our account. 

(This is also the basis of “substitutionary atonement”).

Since we are saved based on what Jesus has done, nothing that we do or don’t do can change the perfect record of Jesus credited to our account.

God has therefore preserved our salvation, and only for this reason are we “eternally secure”.

Unless this book is saying this I recommend that you forget about it.

The Protestant Reformation of the 16th century produced five Latin phrases, known as “the solas” that summarized the Reformers’ main Christian teachings:

• Sola scriptura: “Scripture alone” 

• Solus Christus: “Christ alone” 

• Sola fide: “Faith alone” 

• Sola gratia: “Grace alone” 

• Soli Deo gloria: “Glory to God alone”

For further information see my blog posts which include two sermons by John Piper:

AND:

The post CAN I LOSE MY SALVATION? appeared first on Dave and Pauline - Worldviews International.

OUR MISSION AND WORK

Worldviews International is a non-profit ministry based in Miami, Florida, but with worldwide outreach. Established as a means of extending and embodying the ministry of Dave and Pauline Seivright, Worldviews International has as its chief end the emphasizing of the gospel of Jesus Christ as “objective truth” and the God of the Bible as “ultimate reality” and therefore as culturally relevant and personally life-changing in every culture, nation, race, and era.

Prior to Christian ministry, Dave was a partner of a prestigious law firm in Jamaica followed by post graduate studies in Switzerland and England and a master’s degree from Westminster Theological Seminary, USA. He is also an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA). Now, our ministry is primarily based in Miami and Germany – but it extends to the Caribbean, other parts of the USA, and worldwide. 

Most basic to our Mission is  the Great Commission: “Go and make disciples of all nations, teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:19-20)

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 times of personal interaction with the late Dr. John Stott.  Dave and Pauline have worked for over 30 years with Cru, founded by late Dr. Bill Bright. We attempt to pass on the things we learned from these great men of God.

Photo above taken outside Jerusalem

OUR MISSON (continued):

Dave and Pauline teach young professionals and business men and women, and  others, to lovingly engage in apologetics and evangelism by “making disciples” growing them in the faith, and by teaching them how to also make disciples – WIN-BUILD-SEND  (Matthew 28:18-20) 

Our Goal is “spiritual multiplication” to equip Christian leaders to also make disciples (2 Timothy 2:2), and carry on this ministry long after we go to be with the Lord.                    (

We also believe in the “Cultural Mandate” given to us by God (Genesis 1:28) to apply the Christian Worldview in all spheres of life, beyond the walls of the church, by being “salt and light” to our culture and the world. 

Many of those whom we have already discipled are now active in fruitful ministries varying from being teaching and group leaders in Bible Study Fellowship (BSF) to running an orphanage in Haiti, to taking a stand against the violation of Biblical moral absolutes in our laws and culture.  

MORE ON “THE MISSION” and “THE CULTURAL MANDATE”  CLICK HERE

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“THE  MIAMI  FOUR”

The founders of our ministry now called “Worldviews International” are pictured above: (L-R:) Max Price, Dave Seivright, Jorge Reynardus, and Phil Nicholas.

Dave led these men to Our Lord, and discipled them. All of us are attorneys! Jay, served as men’s teaching leader of BSF (Bible Study International) in Miami for many years, teaching about 300 men weekly. He is now seeking ordination in the PCA (Presbyterian Church in America). Phil is active in Worldviews International, and also leads a men’s BSF study each week. Max plays an important part in several ministries and is also involved in BSF.

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WHY IS YOUR WORLDVIEW IMPORTANT?

“Whether we realize it or not, all of us possess a worldview. We make one of two basic assumptions. We view the universe as an accident or we assume an intelligence beyond the universe who gives the universe order, and for some of us, meaning to life. One’s worldview, or how one answers the basic questions concerning meaning, values, purpose, identity, motivation and destiny, influences not only who we are, but how we live our lives” – Dr. Armand Nicholi, Harvard University professor and author of “The Question of God”.

“Know the truth and the truth shall set you free” – Jesus Christ.

“The Resurrection of Jesus Christ is intellectually credible and existentially satisfying” – Tim Keller.

FOR MORE ON WORLDVIEWS CLICK HERE

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WHY IS MENTORING AND DISCIPLESHIP IMPORTANT?

(L-R:) Phil Nicholas, Dave Seivright, Jeff Hartsook, Patrick Harrington.

”My calling of mentoring and discipling young professionals gives me great joy and fulfillment. God has produced astonishing results in the lives of those discipled. These men make good husbands, fathers, and providers, and have become Christian leaders, sharing the Gospel and being “salt and light” to the community”. – Dave Seivright

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WATCH OS GUINNESS LUNCH, MIAMI, 4.11.24

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WATCH ERIC METAXAS DINNER, MIAMI, 9.7.23

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WORLDVIEWS BAHAMAS CRUISE JAN 15th-20th-2020 with Abdu Murray as Guest Speaker:

SEE MORE PHOTOS OF CRUISE:  –    

THURS 1.16.2020 –     “KICK OFF DINNER”

SAT 1.18.2020. –          NASSAU, BAHAMAS    

SUNDAY  1.19.2020 – COCOCAY, BAHAMAS

PARTY IN MIAMI FOR SEBASTIAN AND DANIELA GRABMAIER FROM MUNICH – 11.29.2019

Our ministry in Germany started with Sebastian. He and his lovely wife Daniela were in Miami en route to the Bahamas.
(L-R:) Yan Ran, Emilio Alvarez, Jina and Phil Nicholas, Martha Alvarez, Pauline and Dave Seivright, Daniela and Sebastian Grabmaier from Munich (front row) Maria Clara and Patrick Harrington (back row), Paul and Bertha Pino, Rachel Seivright Mair, Marietta from Vienna, Laurence Mair, Christian from Vienna.

KITZBÜHEL RETREAT October 2019, Tirol, Austria.  Lunch at the Top of the Ski Slope

This retreat is for our German Ministry.

Above Photo: (L-R:) Anne-Sophie Kuehn, Johannes Kuehn, Jorge Reynardus, Tania Reynardus, Jorge Reynardus, Holger Strahl , Tania Reynardus, Phil Nicholas, Emilio Alvarez, Martha De Ona Alvarez, Kathi Zerelles, Roland Pahl, Sebastian Grabmaier, Ilja Grabowsky, David Ley, Pauline Seivright, Olivia Ley, and Dave Seivright. (Not in picture Holger Stiehl and Justus Binder).     SEE MORE PHOTOS OF RETREAT 

WORLDVIEWS SUMMER STUDIES – JUNE-AUG. 2O19.   

with Luis Machado, Ana Machado, Jorge Reynardus, Arnaldo Perez, Edward Evans, Carmen Perez, Lisellet Morin, Yan Ran, Richard Morin, John DeRosimo, Patrick Harrington, Lisa Marie DeRosimo, Paul Pino, Oscar Betancourt, Christina Williams, Bertha Pino, Rachel Seivright Mair, Steve Neale, Elise Betancourt, Richard Montes de Ocaand Pauline Seivright in Pinecrest, Florida.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE PHOTOS OF SUMMER STUDIES 2019

BAHAMAS CRUISE RETREAT, JANUARY 2019.

— with Patrick Harrington, Dave Seivright, Liche Morin, Dr Michael Campbell (our guest speaker), Lesley Cooke, Jacqueline Sahoy, Al Perkins, Marco Ferri, Alex Ferri, Tammy Schoenleb, Daniel Rios, Diana Price, Richard Montes de Oca, Steve Neale, Chris Cooke, William Schoenleb, Madelon Isaacs, Pauline Seivright, Yan Ran, Joseph Rhoden, Wynter Galindez, Wynter Galindez, Jimmy Hessler, Mark Isaacs, Max Price, Michele Rhoden, Janet Cicconi, Emilio Alvarez, Kethe Cicconi, Eleanor Miller, Tiany Gonzalez, Rebecca Quesada, Tania Reynardus, Martha Alvarez, Jorge Reynardus, Gus Quesada, Rinat Ran, Yesenia Perkins and Richard Morin — at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Kirk, Nassau, Bahamas.

SEE COMPLETE PHOTO ALBUM OF CRUISE RETREAT 2019

GERMANY

NICOLA REED (our older daughter, 3rd from left) lives in Miami. She is an attorney-at-law, a grad. of FIU Law School. Nicola has one daughter, Taylor, and two sons Schaeffer and Ransom: (L-R:) Ransom Taylor, Nicola, Schaeffer. Taylor graduated from Harvard and Univeristy of Miami, Med School. She is doing her residency in internal medicine in Connecticut.  Schaeffer graduated from Cal Tech. and now works in New York. Ransom graduated in May, 2019, from Washington and Lee University in Virginia and lives and works in Miami.

OTHER LINKS:

2018 Ministry Highlights

2017 Ministry Highlights

TAX-DEDUCTIBLE GIFTS TO MINISTRY 

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DAVE & PAULINE

OUR LEGACY – We hope and pray that our legacy will reflect the famous quote below of C. T. Studd: 

DAVE & PAULINE – OUR LIFE ADVENTURE IN PICTURES 

This covers our crazy but beautiful life together since our wedding on August 14, 1964. Everything changed in 1972 when we met Jesus and surrendered our lives to Him. In 1976 we left financial security behind in Jamaica, and with only $7000 in cash given to us by Christian friends in the USA, we moved to Switzerland and England to study the Bible, philosophy, and comparative worldviews. The rest of the story is a marvelous adventure and a testimony of God’s faithfulness.

The post Dave and Pauline Seivright – Worldviews International appeared first on Dave and Pauline - Worldviews International.

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Worldviews Internaitonal 

Worldviews International is a non-profit ministry engaged in teaching and promoting the Christian Worldview in all of life through evangelism, apologetics, and the discipleship of professional, business, and marketplace leaders, growing them in the faith, and teaching them how to also make disciples of others: – WIN-BUILD-SEND (Matthew 28:18-20). 

Our Mission

Our mission is to engage in evangelism and discipleship and in particular to foster “spiritual multiplication” by equipping Christian leaders to make disciples (2 Timothy 2:2) of Jesus Christ.

Our Vision

To influence Christians everywhere to surrender themselves to the Lordship of Christ and to apply the Christian Worldview to all of life – not only to the home, the family, and the church, but also to cultural and political issues, so that God will be glorified as His WILL may increasingly be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Donate

The Cultural Mandate

We also actively encourage believers to be involved in “the Cultural Mandate” (Gen. 1:28), acting as “salt and light” to apply the Christian Worldview to all of life.

WATCH: OS GUINNESS VIDEO – WORLDVIEWS LUNCH, MIAMI (4.11.24) 

WATCH: ERIC METAXAS TALK & PANEL DISCUSSION IN MIAMI (9.7.23)

Download a complimentary copy of The Cultural Mandate Study-Guide. This succinct five-day study guide by Worldviews International has practical resources to help you to navigate complex cultural issues with a Biblical worldview.

DOWNLOAD FREE EBOOK

The ministry is based in Miami, Florida, USA, but with international outreach, particularly to Germany.

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Redeemer City to City

Feb 16, 2018

Listen

Immanuel Presbyterian Church was an aging, monocultural church in an increasingly younger and ethnically diverse neighborhood in South Miami. City to City spoke with pastor Felipe Assis to see how contextualizing ministry resulted in a church revitalization.

Read Part 1 and Part 2.

CTC: What does preaching look like now, contextualized to your Miami location? Can you give me some examples?

Felipe Assis: My preaching is very gospel centered in the mold of how Tim Keller teaches. Some of the examples that he talks about work in my context. Some don’t.

CTC: Can you give me an example of some that don’t?

Felipe Assis: For instance, I would imagine in a place like New York or even the Pacific Northwest, there is a barrier toward belief in God to begin with. You almost have to work from that standpoint of skepticism, deep skepticism towards deism, theism, or a belief of God in general.

If you’re in Miami, because of the Latin cultural background, people assume that God exists. They’re not living as if God exists, but they respect church and the clergy for the most part, even if they don’t attend church or are skeptical of the institution. You don’t have to go to great lengths to prove the existence of God before you actually talk about the implications of the gospel and why it’s good news.

I start from two steps in, you know what I’m saying?

As for contextualizing my preaching, I’m really tackling the issues of religion and practical life here. Miamians and Latinos, they’re very practical. In the beginning, I was so Kellerish that I was using all of these quotations from books. They don’t give a rip about that. They don’t know who any of those guys are. Instead I will quote their cultural authorities, mostly artists and poets, entertainers, that sort of thing.

The other thing about preaching is, it helps here to be a little bit more animated. Tim Keller says that you shouldn’t focus on that too much, but I think that because of our culture, they’ve got to feel it. Now if it’s just animated without good content, then it doesn’t work anywhere, but if you have gospel content and you can connect with them at that heart level, I think that’s appropriate.

CTC: What about your worship?

Felipe Assis: The thing about Miami is, it’s a culture in formation. It’s a very young city. All of these cultural changes were happening in a span of 50–60 years. It’s not like New York where you know what it means to be a New Yorker. We don’t know what Miami is going to be 10 years from now. There are still people moving here who are shaping the culture. You’re dealing with this constant metamorphosis in the culture.

We’ve made some changes in worship through the years. I mentioned we’ve become a little less liturgical. In the beginning, our worship was very much like some of the hipster churches in the PCA. You had folk or bluegrass music. Here in Miami, people reacted with, “What is this, the Deep South?”

I had to go back to my worship pastor and say, “Even though we’re contextualizing these hymns to modern rhythms and styles of music, it really doesn’t fit our culture because this is stuff that people sing in the South.” Miamians respond much more to contemporary worship like Bethel and Hillsong because it requires energy and participation and feelings and emotion. We’ve shifted a little bit more towards that, not because we’re trying to follow a trend, but because we think that it’s more helpful to our people.

Also, our campuses have slightly different cultures, so we have made adjustments on a campus basis. It doesn’t look uniform in the sense that you go to Brickell and it’s the same worship experience that you would have at Pinecrest or Miami Springs. We’ve made changes to contextualize worship to our neighborhoods.

CTC: Can you give one example of the differences in each neighborhood?

Felipe Assis: Brickell is the financial district of Miami, so it has a lot of young professionals. The church is probably 70% single. It’s actually the whitest campus because these are folks that come in for med school, or that come to work in the banking industry. They come from all over the world and all over the country too. At Pinecrest, which is the old location of Immanuel, the original campus, of course there are a lot of young families. And today the congregation does look like the neighborhood.

So when I preach at different campuses, in the morning sermons I’m addressing a lot of families, so I’m going to talk about the idolatry of children and of the home and of the family. Then when I preach at night at the Brickell campus, I’m going to talk about the idolatry of career and romance and that sort of thing. Even the sermon illustrations change, the way that we preach. It’s the same message, the same application, but we try to contextualize the illustrations for different realities. Worship in Brickell on Sunday night is a little bit more liturgical because of that crowd. We have communion every week there. There’s always a hangout afterwards, and a lot of community building throughout the week. It’s reflected in Sunday worship as well.

CTC: How has contextualizing the gospel and your ministry in Miami shaped the way you view the city?

Felipe Assis: I think the city serves in two ways. Sometimes the city is a mirror. Sometimes the city is a window.

The city’s a mirror because when you begin to engage and minister in the city and look at its brokenness, you realize that brokenness is a reflection of who you are. You realized you contributed to that brokenness, or you are contributing to it as well. So you see your sinfulness reflected in the city and some of the things that you’re frustrated about are things that you can spot in yourself. Like my mom used to say, “If you can spot it, you got it.”

CTC: That sounds like a mom.

Felipe Assis: It’s something like that. I’m translating it from Portuguese.

CTC: Yeah, that one comes across pretty well.

Felipe Assis: The other way the city serves is as a window. Cities are places of proximity, and with proximity you’re able to see things in a way that you’re not able from a distance. For example, when you’re walking down the street and you see something on display at a store, from a distance it looks like one thing. But when you get close you see all the details — like the price tag! With proximity, you’re able to see deficiencies or things about the city that are beautiful that you can’t see from a distance.

In Miami, one thing that changed for me was to see Miami — from a distance — as a place where people go to have fun and a vacation spot. It’s another thing to live there and be able to look into the window there and see people’s dreams and aspirations and their brokenness and be really moved by all those things and present the Gospel in a way that encourages what’s already there that’s positive, that you had no idea was there until you looked.

When I first got here, had a preconceived judgment, which was not accurate at all, and now I see it. It takes proximity to see the aspects of the city that are beautiful and be able to bring the Gospel to bear on the things that are broken about it. Unfortunately, a lot of planters who come into Miami from the outside only see it from a distance, not through the window.

CTC: If somebody’s at the beginning of this journey and they want to recontextualize or rethink their context and how they do ministry, what advice would you give them? Where do they start?

Felipe Assis: It may sound a little harsh, but the first question that they should ask is: “I know that the church needs to change. Am I the right person to bring about these changes?” And you should ask other pastors, your wife, or aresources like City to City to pray with you and help you. My guess is that when the church gets to that point [of being out of sync with the neighborhood] with a leader that’s been there for more than five years, he’s probably not the right leader. You almost have to bring someone in from the outside. You might be part of the problem even though you’re well intentioned, and you might need to move on and lead the church into a process of welcoming a new leader that can bring about those changes. That’s the first thing.

The second thing is, let’s say you’re the new leader coming into a situation of a church needing revitalization, like I was. Even though I was bicultural, even though I was coming from South America to Miami (which is a much easier adaptation than moving from the Midwest to Miami), you still have to learn the culture. That’s the main thing that I tell pastors and church re-planters that are coming in: “Look, take your time. Don’t rush through things. Be a learner of the people and of the culture. Live in the neighborhood.” If you’re making changes right now and then later on you realize, “Gosh, I should have done it a different way,” it’s too late. It’s better for you to take the time, ask a lot of questions, interact with the people, live in the neighborhood. The greatest mistake that almost all of them make is to come in and assume things and not learn.

CTC: Is there a difference between being contextual in your ministry and being relevant in your ministry?

Felipe Assis: Yeah. I think that if you are contextual, you are going to be relevant. If you err on relevance, you may be contextual for a period of time, but then because culture’s always shifting, you may not be contextual five years from now. That’s why you have to always keep learning.

Felipe was born in Brazil but had part of his upbringing in the United States. Felipe founded and pastored two churches in Recife, Brazil. In 2008 he moved to Miami at the invitation of City to City with his wife Beth and two young children to plant Crossbridge Church and serve as a catalyst to a gospel movement in Miami. Felipe Assis re-planted Crossbridge Church in Miami, Florida in 2008.

This interview is part of the course, “Understanding Your Ministry Context.” This course is about becoming a student of the particular people you are trying to reach. See all of our online courses at learn.redeemercitytocity.com.

You can follow CTC on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and the web.

The post A Church for a Changing Miami: An Interview with Felipe Assis (Part 3) appeared first on Dave and Pauline - Worldviews International.

Redeemer City to City

Feb 16, 2018

Listen

Immanuel Presbyterian Church was an aging, monocultural church in an increasingly younger and ethnically diverse neighborhood in South Miami. City to City spoke with pastor Felipe Assis to see how contextualizing ministry resulted in a church revitalization.

Read Part 1 of the interview.

CTC: When you started replanting, then, what kinds of changes did you think needed to take place to contextualize the ministry in South Miami?

Felipe Assis: There were things that were obvious and there were things that were not so obvious. However, just because they were not so obvious didn’t mean that they were not the most important things.

Obviously, Miami is a young city. You have new immigrants moving in all the time. The church building sits at the crossroads of three neighborhoods. There’s a lot of great schools around the church which indicate that there are a lot of young families there. Very diverse — about 75% Latino, and then you also have Chinese, you have Caribbeans. The church did not reflect that diversity at all. 

The worship service was typical of the mid 80s. I think they got stuck with their glory days there. This is what worked in the past and they kept on doing it. Also the church had a fairly modern architecture, but the furniture and the environment was old and dirty. Miami is a vibrant modern sort of city, so those were the apparent things that needed to change.

Now, one of the things that was not so apparent is that the church was not a gospel centered church. They were an evangelical biblical type of church. You had people that really loved Jesus and were faithful stewards of the resources that they’ve been granted in terms of the people and the property and that sort of thing, but not a gospel centered approach.

The other thing was that the church was really inward focused. The programs they had — Sunday school, and Bible studies in the homes, Wednesday night dinners, and all those things — weren’t bad, but they were only geared towards caring for the needs of the existing congregation. There was no preoccupation for reaching out to the neighborhood around them.

Contextually, you had a very conservative political leaning in the church, in a city where that’s very off-putting. If the average person from Miami walks into a church where everybody’s white, older, affluent, and are always speaking of issues on the political right, that’s a huge deterrent for them to assimilate to the life of the church.

CTC: So where did you start?

Felipe Assis: The most important thing in terms of revitalization and replanting is reestablishing the church culture. At the end of the day it’s not about the strategy. I like what Peter Drucker used to say, that culture eats strategy for breakfast. If the culture remains the same, there’s no strategy that’s going to work.

So the first thing was to establish a real gospel-centered, grace-based culture. I knew that if they really understood the gospel, if they really embraced it, then whether people were coming in fresh off the street or were existing members, then they would have a disposition toward outsiders, toward those who were on the fringes, those who in the past they had not welcomed. It would be easier to have the conversation about what does worship look like, because worship would be guided by the need to contextualize the gospel for the outsider. Then every program that we suggested would be influenced by this understanding.

The main thing is to change the soil that the plant is replanted in. Collect it from one soil and plant it into a soil with gospel nutrients, so that plant could grow.

The first soil might be a soil of legalism or moralism — what Tim Keller refers to as “religion.” Or, it might be a soil of secularism. Either way, you have to remove it from one soil and put it in a gospel soil. I started to rework the soil. Obviously you do that primarily through preaching and teaching. I led gospel conversations during the week with leaders and other people, just trying to instill that — to beat them upside the head with the gospel!

What we began to see is that there were people committed to moralism, not only at Immanuel, but people coming from other churches, hearing the gospel and saying “I thought I was a Christian” but then converting. Then we began to see people coming in off the street with a nominal Christianity or no religious background at all and converting. All it takes is about three or four conversions in a plant or a replant for people to see, “Man, this thing is powerful. This thing is actually working.”

When the culture began to change, we began to have conversations about contextualization. I kept things really simple in the beginning. I actually stripped down the worship. I brought in my brother, who was a worship leader at another church on Sunday nights. So he’d come in on Sunday mornings, a young guy with just an acoustic guitar and vocals that fit singing hymns, just kept it simple. It was the middle ground.

The response was, “Okay, hymns are fine. But what did you do with all of our Maranatha songs?”

I was like, “Guys, no one sings those songs anymore. Those are not modern songs.”

CTC: We need to talk about the definition of “modern.”

Felipe Assis: Yeah.

So we decided to just do the old for now. With Sunday school, I told them, “If you guys want to keep doing Sunday school, be my guest, but I’m not going to invest any of my energy in Sunday school.” We were slowly starting to dwindle down in all of those things. We started to implement new things, but kept things very basic so that we’d continue to foster that gospel culture among them.

CTC: Was your preaching affected by trying to instill a gospel culture?

Felipe Assis: I believe that the gospel ought to be preached to both Christians and non Christians. The premise is that the human heart has idolatry either way. We’re always trying to contrast the gospel to religion, to go after those who think everything is fine and they’re pleasing God and they’re living as God expects them to. At the same time, we’re trying to go after those who are the younger brother [in the parable of the Prodigal Son], those that do not have a religious lifestyle or aren’t even thinking about it.

I think in the beginning, I made a lot more gospel applications to Christians and religion. Trying to relate why the gospel is good news to the way which they’re living their lives and the things that they’re dealing with emotionally or professionally.

CTC: I assume most of the Latino and Caribbean populations in Miami have at least a nominal Catholic background. Do you think their background in Catholicism affects the way they hear the gospel or engage it?

Felipe Assis: Yeah. The new converts we had were a lot of people coming out of Catholic backgrounds. There are two types of Catholics. I learned this when I planted in Brazil. There are people that have a negative experience with the Catholic Church, and there are people that have a positive experience with the Catholic Church.

The ones that have had a negative experience with the Catholic Church want something that’s completely different in terms of worship. They want nothing that resembles their experience in the Catholic Church. Those who have had a positive experience, although they didn’t really grow in terms of their understanding of the Bible and God, they felt good when they attended the mass. They feel that the Catholic Church stands for good moral values and that sort of thing. They’re happy to raise their families in that context. It still has something good to offer.

At Crossbridge, the first type that we welcomed were people that had a positive experience with the Catholic Church. We were a little bit more liturgical back then. We had communion more often. Then for some reason, we started reaching a lot of Catholics that have had a bad experience with Catholic churches. The Catholics that are coming into the country now are not your first generation Catholics who grew up in mass. They’ve been secularized and they’re nominal Catholics. They’re disappointed with all the scandals of the Catholic Church in recent years. We’ve made a point to sort of break away a little bit from that association. Our church has progressively become less liturgical.

Continue to Part 3.

Felipe Assis re-planted Crossbridge Church in Miami, Florida in 2008.

Felipe was born in Brazil but had part of his upbringing in the United States. Felipe founded and pastored two churches in Recife, Brazil. In 2008 he moved to Miami at the invitation of City to City with his wife Beth and two young children to plant Crossbridge Church and serve as a catalyst to a gospel movement in Miami.

This interview is part of the course, “Understanding Your Ministry Context.” This course is about becoming a student of the particular people you are trying to reach. See all of our online courses at learn.redeemercitytocity.com.

You can follow CTC on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and the web.

The post A Church for a Changing Miami: An Interview with Felipe Assis (Part 2) appeared first on Dave and Pauline - Worldviews International.

Are you trying to pull yourself up by your own bootstraps, as illustrated above?

I recently read the following quotation in some Bible Study Notes put out by a reputable good evangelical source:

“Therefore unlike justification, sanctification is both God’s work and the believer’s work”.

This is a very serious error! We cannot improve ourselves in any way by pulling ourselves up by our own boot straps!

Becoming a Christian (Salvation) is by faith ALONE, but growing and maturing as a Christian to be more like Christ (sanctification) is ALSO by Faith Alone.

The only human responsibility both in salvation and sanctification is faith ALONE. Sometimes other words are used to describe faith. In John 1:12 we read “But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God” ESV.  Here the word “receive” means “receive by faith”. The passage defines “receive” as believing. This is the only human responsibility in salvation – we have to receive the FREE gift of salvation. We receive Jesus Christ as BOTH our Savior and our Lord.

Similarly, sanctification (growing as a Christian and becoming more like Christ) is by faith ALONE!

1. The verse that God used in the life of Martin Luther to spark the Protestant Reformation is Romans 1:17. What EXACTLY does this verse say?

Romans 1:17 (ESV)

“For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith,[a] as it is written, ‘The righteous shall LIVE by faith.’”[b]

Footnotes: [a] Or beginning and ending in faith
[b] Or The one who by faith is righteous shall live [by faith]

The verse does NOT say (what I recently read in the above referenced Bible Study notes on Romans 8) that “unlike justification, sanctification is both God’s work and the believer’s work” This is the same as saying that sanctification is by faith PLUS human effort.

It is also a mistake to say that justification is by faith PLUS the “means of grace” such as reading the Bible, prayer, the sacraments, etc. The Pharisees practiced the means of grace but Jesus specifically confronted them and told them that they were vipers, hypocrites, white-washed tombs, etc. who were neither justified or sanctified!

Hebrews 11 makes it clear that faith alone is recognized by God.  NOTICE THAT NONE OF THE SINS (INCLUDING GOOD THINGS NOT DONE IN FAITH) IS MENTIONED IN HEBREWS 11. ONLY THSE THINGS DONE BY FAITH ALONE

“…whatever is not from faith is sin” (Romans 14:23)

To add anything to faith is a blatant contradiction of Scripture and a contradiction of the very heart of Paul’s teaching on sanctification. This is the very same false teaching that is taught by Roman Catholicism! When it was taught to me as a young Christian, in an evangelical church, it halted my sanctification and almost derailed my Christian faith altogether!  This false teaching simply is not taught ANYWHERE in Scripture.

In God’s providence I finally read John Stott’s Book on sanctification “Men Made New” and was finally set right on this very important issue. Stott rightly points out that this entire false teaching is based on a wrong translation of Romans 6:7 which occurs in every Bible except the ASV. The ASV translates this verse literally from the Greek as follows:

“for he that hath died is JUSTIFIED from sin.” (ASV)  Compare the following translations:

“for anyone who has died has been set free from sin” (NIV)

“for one who has died has been set free from sin” (ESV)

BOTH THE NIV AND THE ESV ARE WRONG!  NOWHERE ELSE IN SCRIPTURE IS THE WORD IN GREEK FOR JUSTIFIED (dikaioo) TRANSLATED AS “SET FREE”. In every other case in Scripture the word is translated “justified” as it is in the ASV. Justification does not set us free from sin it merely declares us righteous and sets us free from the PENALTY of sin. It has nothing to do with the POWER OR THE ALLURE of sin,

Without a correct view of justification, the Christian will also have an incorrect view of sanctification and live a joyless, defeated life of guilt, and with a profound sense of failure and defeat! Indeed this was the very struggle of Martin Luther, himself.

2. Romans 12:1-2 is a summary passage of how sanctification takes place:

“I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by [because of] the mercies of God, to present [surrender] your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” (ESV)

The phrase “present your bodies” means totally surrender yourself (body and soul) up to God. God asks for total, not partial, devotion. Surrendering yourself to God is exactly what you did when you “RECEIVED” Christ as Savior and Lord. Therefore the word “present” “offer” or “surrender” (depending on your English translation) are words describing an act of exercising your FAITH not an act of HUMAN PERFORMANCE, not a human work or effort.

EXERCISING FAITH IS A HUMAN RESPONSIBILITY BUT NOT A HUMAN PERFORMANCE OR ACT OF HUMAN STRENGTH  ON THE CONTRARY IT IS SIMPLY RECEIVING AND SURRENDERING TO WHAT GOD HAS ALREADY DONE IN REDEEMING, REGENERATING AND JUSTIFYING US, AND WHAT HE CONTINUES TO DO IN SANCTIFYING US

You are not doing anything for God you are simply exercising your FAITH by believing, accepting and receiving, who Christ is and what He has done for you. Exercising your faith is your responsibility, but is the faith alone which is efficacious   in bringing God’s graceious work of justification and sanctification to us! This is why we can never boast about our faith, but we can boast about what God has done.

Look at the verbs in the Romans 12 passage. The only imperative is the “present” “offer” or the “surrender”. You are commanded to surrender yourself to God as a living sacrifice (on a continual moment by moment basis). These words describe exercising faith! You are not commanded to improve yourself or your behavior, or to “obey”. This may seem to be a subtle distinction but it is not. It is the difference between a Christian life of love, joy, peace, fulfillment, and fruitfulness, or one of defeat, discouragement, and in some cases even depression and despair!

All the other verbs in the passage are in the passive voice. They are not things that you do or should try to do, they are things which God does to or for you. It is God who “transforms” or changes you by renewing your mind. This is a change from the inside-out – the “renewing of your mind” results in a change of heart and identity, not simply a change of your behavior, your emotions, or your will. God gives you a heart of love and forgiveness, of patience, of self-control, and the heart of a cheerful giver of your time, talent, and treasure to others! God even changes you to become a servant-leader of your wife and family!

In addition to “Men Made New” by Stott, please also read the invaluable book “Inside Out” by Larry Crabb.

Stop trying to become a better person. You cannot change yourself. To try to do better or to obey is doomed to failure! But if you totally surrender yourself, and your time, talent, and treasure to God, He will transform and renew your mind and change you to be more like Jesus! This is the essence of sanctification!

Self-Improvement is the hallmark of false-religion and secularism.

Here is an interesting quote from Tim Keller:

“But the biblical gospel–Paul’s gospel–is clear that Salvation, from first to last, is God’s doing. It is His calling; His plan; His action; His work. And so it is He who deserves all the glory, for all time. This is the humbling truth that lies at the heart of Christianity. We love to be our own saviors. Our hearts love to manufacture glory for themselves. So we find messages of self-salvation extremely attractive, whether they are religious (Keep these rules and you earn eternal blessing) or secular (Grab hold of these things and you’ll experience blessing now). The gospel comes and turns them all upside down. It says you are in such a hopeless position that you need a rescue that has nothing to do with you at all. And then it says: God in Jesus provides a rescue which gives you far more than any false salvation your heart may love to chase.”

The great British preacher Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones once said that faith is a gift, but it is a gift which like a muscle must be exercised! Here is an interesting short article on this concept: Faith is Like a Muscle

What did Our Lord Jesus Christ do during his intense struggle at Gethsemane? As he faced the daunting prospect of of the cross where he would not only take on the punishment and wrath of God for our sins but also face for the first time separation from his beloved Father. He put into practice exactly what is written in Romans 12. When he said “Not my will but thy will be done” this was an exercise of faith. He literally surrendered his body as a living sacrifice to God (the ultimate exercise of faith) and through his faith, God enabled him to do the will of his Father and go to the cross as a sacrifice for our sins.

It is very important to note that at the Judgment Seat of Christ ( 2 Col 5:10) which is a judgment of REWARDS for the believer, that we will only be rewarded for the things which we do:

1. In Faith – (Romans 14:23)
2. In dependence on the Holy Spirit – (Romans 8:7-8), and
3. For the Glory of God – (1 Corinthians 10:31)

TO SUMMARIZE: Grace through FAITH is the “ROOT” of Sanctification (the process of being conformed to the image of Christ) and our obedience to God is the “FRUIT” of our sanctification. We must never confuse cause and effect! We should not put the cart before the horse!

In other words, the only human action/choice in the matter is whether or not to exercise our faith in surrendering to God or to receive what Christ has done. Our justification and our sanctification are all His work not ours. So we cannot boast about it. We cannot add anything to what HE has done. WE are mere beneficiaries of His Work, it is not OUR work.

IMPORTANT: PLEASE READ THIS BOOK: 

Bryan Chapell (born 18 November 1954) is an American pastor and theologian. He is the Senior Pastor of Grace Presbyterian Church in Peoria, Illinois. Prior to that he was President of Covenant Theological Seminary in St. Louis, Missourifor eighteen years.^[1] Chapell is also an author, lecturer, and conference speaker specializing in homiletics. He served as Moderator of the Presbyterian Church in America in 2014.^[2]

DAVE SEIVRIGHT is a former lawyer from Jamaica. He 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 intelligent young professionals, particularly in Miami, and in Germany.

The post Sanctification is by Faith ALONE — by Dave Seivright appeared first on Dave and Pauline - Worldviews International.

In March 2002, I was asked to be the speaker at the MICC men’s retreat at Schloss Wort des Lebens on Starnberg Lake, near Munich. The theme was: “Living in a Postmodern Culture”. God led me, with the help of other ministry leaders from Miami, to share the truths which God had led us to emphasize in our ministry. One could call this “the theological distinctives of our ministry”. There is nothing really new here, these are simply the same Biblical truths which all orthodox Christians believe, but perhaps understood, packaged, and applied in a distinctive way. It is hard to reduce this to the “bare bones” but here is a slightly expanded version of what we tried to share:

  1. A correct understanding of God’s character; in Particular that He is infinite, personal and holy. (Isaiah 6) This is the “presupposition” of the entire Christian Worldview. God is ultimate reality. Everything must start here. Otherwise creation, particularly the nature of man, the fall, redemption, and the consummation of all things on His return, makes no sense. Every subject, whether it is a Biblical view of relationships, the sanctity of life, ethics and morality, metaphysics and epistemology, marriage, conversion, sex, work, leisure, politics or economics, all must begin at this point. (See “Knowing God” by J.I. Packer and also the Holiness of God by R.C.Sproul). I have used Genesis 1-3 and Isaiah 6 in almost all my counseling. We must bow to God both metaphysically and morally not only for salvation but on an ongoing basis (Schaeffer)

2. A correct understanding of the fall. When Adam sinned, this resulted in our “total depravity”, our truly wicked minds and hearts. The fall did not make us as bad as we could possibly be, that is reserved for hell, but it was total in its scope, it affected our minds, our emotions, our will, our reason, our creativity, or relationships, our rationality, our love, out sexuality, our arrogance, our self-centered and self-righteous worldview, our universe including all of nature, and so on. (See Romans 1: 18-32; 8: 19-23) Only the fall can explain the awful phenomenon of human suffering, the cruelty and the nobility that were exhibited on September 11, 2001. If this world is an accurate reflection of God, then God is the devil. We live in an unnatural and an abnormal universe. No other worldview has a proper equivalent to the fall.

  3. A correct understanding of Justification. I cannot think of a book other than the Bible itself, which deals with this properly, except perhaps Luther’s introductions to his commentaries on Romans and Galatians. Most people got the fact that Christ died for our sins right, but they omit the profound significance of the equally important fact that he “lived” to achieve our “righteousness”. As a lawyer, justification, for me, is at the very heart of the Gospel. It is the only answer for our guilt and our condemnation before a holy and mighty judge. God has used the device which we have named “the Courtroom of Eternity” in almost every true conversion which has taken place through our ministry. We use this crystal clear illustration of justification in addition to and in conjunction with The Four Spiritual Laws.

 4. A correct understanding of Sanctification. John Stott’s book “Men Made New” is the classic on this to be read along with Haldane’s commentary on Romans. Books on “definitive sanctification” are to be avoided like the plague (Such as Murray’s commentary on Romans). Sanctification is a long and painful process. We do not become “super saints” overnight. What is God’s will for your life? See Romans 8:29 and Romans 12:1-3, for the answer. We know that God created us primarily to have a relationship with Him, but he also created us for something else. See Ephesians 2:10 for the answer. Of particular importance is the understanding that the Christian life cannot be lived by “obedience”. “The just shall live by faith” Whatever is not by faith is sin (Romans 14;23). Obedience is the “result” or the “end” of sanctification, it is not the “means”. Only “faith” and faith alone will suffice. This common misunderstanding leads to guilt and defeat in the Christian life. This proper view of sanctification has been crucial to the success of our ministry.

5. A proper understanding of the doctrine of Christian Liberty. A very important element of our ministry which sets it apart from most of the rest of evangelicalism is a proper understanding of the doctrine of Christian Liberty (see the WCF on Christian Liberty). It is as sinful to add to the Bible as to subtract from it. Legalism is a great hindrance to the advancement of the gospel especially to intelligent postmodern people. With this goes a correct understanding of the Biblical teaching on the “weaker brother”. God does not want the weaker brother to remain weak. We are not only not to be a stumbling block to him (everybody teaches that) but what I have only heard taught by this ministry and by John Stott is that we have a duty and indeed an obligation to love him enough to liberate him from his weakness. God wants the “weaker brother” to become the “stronger brother”. Even if he must avoid places of temptation, which are germane to his weakness, he should not impose his weakness on others. If we are to be effective “we must be all things to all men in order to win some”. How far does our Christian liberty extend? I am free to do whatever it takes to win a person to Christ, except for sin itself. This is a radical but correct view of what the Bible teaches and has been used by God in every aspect of our evangelism and discipleship. 

6. A correct understanding of Evangelism and of Apologetics. Making disciples as set out in “The Great Commission” is the primary purpose of our ministry.  Yet how we do this is a unique feature of our ministry. We present the gospel, not in the common truncated form, but as a comprehensive worldview. We can use the Four Spiritual Laws, but we cannot start with them. We must first find “common ground” with the unbeliever, and then discover what is his/her worldview and whether it supports his/her beliefs. Does it pass the tests of truth? (For these tests – non-contradiction, correspondence, and practice – See Nash “Worldviews in Conflict”) Then when they realize that their worldview is hopelessly inadequate or inconsistent, only when they reach “the point of despair”, do we present them with the Christian worldview. We must present a comprehensive Gospel taking account all the aspects of God’s Character, he is holy, infinite and personal, and the entire history of redemption – Creation, Fall, Redemption and Consummation. (Edith Schaeffer’s book “Christianity is Jewish” is probably the best example of this!) This may take a few hours, or many months or many years. That is why the next points, (7 & 8) below, are so important. 

7. A correct understanding of “Worldviews” or “Presuppositional” apologetics as well as “Evidential apologetics. A quite unique thing about Dr Francis Schaeffer was that he was willing to use either evidential or presuppositional apologetics depending on the person he was talking to. It all depends on whether or not the person believes that truth is objective or not. In many cases when I am talking to an American or even some British people, especially if they are lawyers, the evidential approach is sufficient because they still believe in objective truth. However in Continental Europe, and more and more in the UK and the USA, particularly among younger College educated people, belief in objective truth has been abandoned. In these cases I have to use “Worldview” or “Presuppositional” apologetics BEFORE I can use an evidential approach such as presented by Lee Strobel or Josh McDowell. Understanding this is the “key” to reaching the post-modern man. The strength of “worldview evangelism” is that we have to take the time to understand the worldview of the person whom we are befriending; we need to show respect for his/her point of view even if we disagree with it. Only then, should we be willing to share ours. Only after I have spent time talking to a person about the concept of truth and the tests of truth and assuming that they are receptive to the concept of objective reality, do I give them books. At this point the Strobel books and Mere Christianity are of great value, as well as “the Question of God” by Armaand Nicholi (comparing the worldviews of Freud and C.S. Lewis).   For Europeans, “Mere Christianity” is more effective than Strobel, but I give them all four or five books at the same time: Case for Christ, Case for Faith, Case for Creator, Mere Christianity, and the Question of God.  Of course once the person is a believer, Bill Bright’s “The Uniqueness of Jesus” will always be a classic little Bible Study for new believers.

NOTE: There is no one book which one can give anyone on “worldview apologetics” which says it the way it needs to be said. There is no one book that says it all, but the British edition of “Christianity on Trial” by Colin Chapman, published by Lion Publishing, is still the best thing I have ever seen, and this book incorporates just about all of Schaeffer’s teaching in a much more understandable way. Unfortunately this book is out of print and can only be obtained 2nd hand. However before you can properly present an argument for truth you also need to read “Worldviews in Conflict” by Nash.

 8. Loving One Another. This is what “Discipleship” is all about. Loving God and Loving One Another is actually the essential foundation of everything that I have said above. All the attempts to present truth to people will fall flat and even backfire if it is not done in the context of genuine loving relationships. Only God can give us the unconditional love for others which does not treat them as objects to be manipulated but as friends for life and possibly for eternity, and which does not depend on whether or not they ever become Christians, or upon their rate of sanctification. If we do not have ongoing deep friendships with non-believers, we probably do not know how to love people the way we should. The blueprint for the methodology of spending lots of fun as well as quality time with just a few disciples is the pattern of Jesus Himself. This is well chronicled and explained in the excellent little book “A Master Plan of Evangelism” by Coleman. Newcomers to our ministry are overwhelmed by the hospitality and generosity of our people. This means being sacrificial givers of both time and money. It includes, having people to our homes and to meals and drinks in  restaurants, inviting them on family outings, boat trips, also giving them gifts of  “non spiritual stuff” as well as a great number of books, cd’s, dvd’s, and other materials. Often for the first one to two years of knowing a new person we do all the giving and they do all the receiving. We must be pro-active and we must initiate and model “The Great Commandment.” The best book on this is of course the Bible itself, especially the First Epistle of John. However “Changes that Heal” by Henry Cloud, is the book that God used more than any other to impress this truth on me and my ministry. Earlier, when I was a pastor, I taught a series of sermons and a study of the “one another” commandments in the Bible and this profoundly impacted me also. Schaeffer wrote a little booklet on the subject entitled “Mark of a Christian”. Edith Schaeffer’s book “L’Abri” chronicles how God worked this out in their lives and ministry. We must not “love” people as “evangelism projects”, they have worth and value simply because they are made in the image of God. Each person is beautiful and loveable for this reason, regardless of their behavior or their external appearance. Even murders are loveable (see the movie “Dead Man walking”). Loving one another, like evangelism, has to be “caught” it cannot be “taught”. The personal, relational, and experiential elements are essential. Agape is not enough, there must also be Eros, Storge, Phileo. It is not our business whether or not they ever become a Christian, That is God’s business. We should love them anyway. We should develop lifetime friendships. This brings glory to God!

9. A correct understanding of the Cultural Mandate. In Genesis 1:18 God gives what we might call the first job description: “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it.” The first phrase, “be fruitful and multiply” means to develop the social world: build families, churches, schools, cities, governments, laws. The second phrase, “subdue the earth,” means to harness the natural world: plant crops, build bridges, design computers, compose music. This passage is sometimes called the Cultural Mandate because it tells us that our original purpose was to create cultures, build civilizations-nothing less. Our calling is not just to go to heaven, but also to cultivate the earth, not just to save souls, but also to serve God through our work. For God himself is engaged not only in the work of salvation buts also in the work of preserving and developing His creation. When we obey the Cultural Mandate, we participate in the work of God himself, as agents of His common grace”. — Nancy Pearcey in “Total Truth”. The Christian Worldview should impact every facet of life, both public and private, social, economic, political and personal.

Summary: Our vision for this ministry has to be to “teach truth in the context of a loving community”. or “to teach truth in the context of loving relationships”.  This was part of my training with Executive Ministries, but in this ministry we give more emphasis to it. This was  also the vision of L’Abri, but Dr.Schaeffer’s dream was that others would take this vision out of the “shelter” (which is the literal meaning of the word L’Abri) into the real world. This is what I have tried to do. We need to be “salt and light” in our major cities around the world and also in our various lives, callings, professions – law, accounting, finance, business, medicine, plumbing, etc. Our Christian worldview applies to social issues, politics, relationships, friendships, marriage, sex, or whatever. Our job is to present and live the Christian worldview in its fullness, reflecting: First and foremost: God’s character, in the context of the history of redemption which I have summarized as: “Creation, Fall, Redemption and Consummation.”. By consummation I mean the 2nd coming of Christ when he will put all things under his feet and usher in the New Heavens and the New Earth. This is our sure and certain hope. There is an ultimate solution to the problem! We are already sons and daughters of the Living God (see Sinclair Ferguson’s book – “Children of the Living God”) and because of our being united with Christ, we are now reigning with Christ in the heavenly realms.(Eph 2:6). This is the reversal of our union with the first Adam, which caused us to sin and fall and to be separated from God. There is the “already” and the “not yet”. We live in the “already” but we do not live as those without hope. Because we are united with the second Adam, our hope is certain and secure, and in God’s mind what is “not yet” to us, is already a “done deal” to Him (Romans 8: 28,29).

July 9, 2002. (Revised November 2004, and October 2023)

Dave

DAVE SEIVRIGHT

DAVE SEIVRIGHT is a former lawyer from Jamaica. He 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 intelligent young professionals, particularly in Miami, and in Germany.

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RC. Sproul:

“The Apostles’ Creed is used as an integral form of worship in many Christian bodies. One of the more puzzling statements in that creed is: [Jesus] descended into hell…

“We see this problem: Jesus, when he’s on the cross in his dying agony, speaks to the thief next to him and assures him that “today you will be with me in paradise.” Now that statement from Jesus on the cross would seem to indicate that Jesus was planning to go to paradise, which is not to be confused with hell. So in some sense Jesus goes to paradise. We know that his body goes into the tomb. His soul apparently is in paradise. When does he go to hell? Or does he go to hell?

“In 1 Peter 3:19, Peter talks about “this Jesus, who by the same spirit by which he is raised from the dead goes and preaches to the lost spirits in prison.” That text has been used as the principal proof text to say that Jesus, at some point after his death, generally believed to be between his death and his resurrection, went to hell. Some people say that he went into hell to experience the fullness of the magnitude of suffering—the full penalty for human sin—in order to give complete atonement for sin. That is regarded by some as a necessary element of Christ’s passion.

But most churches that believe in an actual descent of Jesus into hell do not see him going to hell for further suffering because Jesus declares on the cross, “It is finished.” Rather, he goes to hell to liberate those spirits who, from antiquity, have been held in prison. His task in hell then is one of triumph, liberating Old Testament saints. I  [RC Sproul] personally think that the Bible is less than clear on that point because the lost spirits in prison could very well refer to lost people in this world. Peter doesn’t tell us who the lost spirits in prison are or where the prison is. People are making a lot of assumptions when they consider that this is a reference to hell and that Jesus went there between his death and his resurrection. (See: https://www.ligonier.org/learn/qas/what-does-apostles-creed-mean-when-it-says-jesus-d )

My Comments:

1. I believe that the parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus sheds much light on this question (Luke 16:19-31). Also, I think we must distinguish between Hades and Hell and Paradise and Heaven.

2. We know that because of the substitutionary atonement of Jesus in our place, the punishment which Jesus suffered, was at least as severe as that for those who will go to hell for eternity. 

3. The most devastating characteristic of hell  is the eternal separation from the presence of God. There is not even “Common Grace” in hell. Thus, I believe that Jesus went to hell for three hours “earth time” on the cross after he said “my God, my God, why have you forsaken me” until he triumphantly declared “It is Finished” and died. Because Jesus is an eternal person any time spent in hell is an eternity spent in hell. Therefore Jesus experienced an eternity in hell in our place, and on our behalf. 

4. So, where was Jesus for the three days between the crucifixion and resurrection I believe that his body was in the tomb, but that he was in paradise, with the thief on the cross.

5. The best Bible passage describing paradise is the parable of the rich man and Lazarus (Like 16:19-31). We see that when a Christian dies, he goes to “Paradise” and when a non-Christian dies, he goes to “Hades”. We also see from the Luke passage that you can see one side of this place where Abraham is, and another side where the rich man is; these two sides are separated by an uncrossable chasm. This place is not the eternal resting place of Christians nor of non-Christians. Some refer to the entire place as Paradise, or Hades, but I prefer to call the cool side Paradise and the hot side Hades. Only after the final judgment known as “the Great White Throne Judgment”, mentioned in Revelation 20, do Christians go to the “New Heavens and the New Earth” and non-Christians go to “the Lake of Fire” with Satan and his angels for ever.

October 4, 2023

DAVE SEIVRIGHT is a former lawyer from Jamaica. He 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 very intelligent young professionals, particularly in Miami, and in Germany.

The post Where did Jesus go for the three days between the crucifixion and resurrection? By Dave Seivright appeared first on Dave and Pauline - Worldviews International.

Knowing God’s will is essential in order to live the Christian life. Here is a short letter which I wrote to a friend after making an extensive study of how to know God’s will.

Dear John:

I empathize with your struggle as you try to live bearing in mind God’s sovereignty and our human responsibility. Do you have the book entitled “Decision Making and the Will of God” by Garry Friesen? If not, I recommend that you get a copy as soon as possible.

1. We have the RESPONSIBILITY of praying for wisdom and then WE must make wise CHOICES. This is the proper way to balance God’s sovereignty and man’s responsibility. See the classic book “Evangelism and the sovereignty of God” by J.I. Packer. 

2. We cannot live in the realm of God’s sovereignty, only in the realm of our human responsibility. If God is sovereign (and He is) then he is quite capable of overruling our choices, and he sometimes does. I can give numerous examples from Scripture (Paul being told to come over to Macedonia, etc.) and also from my own personal experience.

3. When we make CHOICES we actually “image God” since part of his image is having a “will”.   God did not make us to be mere robots who take orders and carry out instructions. It pleases and glorifies God when we are using all our faculties of creativity, thought, and even making choices. This is the wonder and the privilege of being human and being “image-bearers” of God. 

4. We cannot manipulate God to either give us a sign or some other supernatural manifestation. If God is sovereign then He does what He pleases when He pleases and obviously in MOST cases He does not give signs. Gideon’s fleece was the exception not the rule. 

5. God does not usually have an exact plan for our lives in the non-moral areas of our life. He does have a will for us in the moral areas: such as not stealing, murdering etc.  But in the non-moral areas such as matters of career choice, which country we live in, how many children we should have, or even which Christian should we marry …. these are all non-moral choices which he expects us to pray for wisdom and then make a DECISION!  This is why the book is entitled “Decision Making and the Will of God”. Most Christians do not understand this, and some Christians even end up lacking common-sense and actually doing foolish things because they are following what they believe to be “signs”, or they or waiting for signs, and they are blown hither and thither by their “feelings”and by circumstances such as “open doors” or “closed doors”.  

6. The two things we should trust the least when making decisions are “feelings” and “circumstances”. There are so many Biblical, historical and life examples of times when the right and/or wise thing to do is completely contrary to either our feelings and/or the circumstances. There was an “open door” for Jonah to take the boat in the wrong direction instead of going to Nineveh, where he was supposed to go. Feelings and circumstances should be only one of many considerations being taken into account in arriving at a wise decision. 

7. The Christian should make choices in the same way as the non-Christian does (except in cases such as 8 below) which is to weigh the pros and cons and make wise decisions. 

8. The only difference is that the Christian is limited to choices within the boundaries of morality and we also have the advantage of praying for wisdom as Solomon did, and as we are commanded to do in the book of James (Chapter 1: 5-6). 

9. It is only in exceptional cases, where God does have a specific non-moral will for us. In such exceptional cases He will over-rule our common-sense decisions. Such was the case in Paul being called over to Macedonia and in the case of my own “calling” to the ministry. 

10. But in all these exceptional cases it is God who should take the initiative in making his will known. We do not have to waste time looking or seeking his will as if it were lost! Instead we should get on with out lives using our “sanctified common-sense” knowing that if He has a different plan it is up to him to let us know! 

11. When in doubt stay as closely as possible with the status quo!  This is probably the greatest principle of wisdom passed on to me, early in my Christian life. Prior to living by this principle my early Christian life was characterized by constantly changing directions. If we are a bachelor we should stay a bachelor if we are in doubt, the same is true of being a lawyer or a butcher. 

1 Cor 7:20-24 (NIV)

20 Each one should remain in the situation which he was in when God called him.

21 Were you a slave when you were called? Don’t let it trouble you– although if you can gain your freedom, do so.

22 For he who was a slave when he was called by the Lord is the Lord’s freedman; similarly, he who was a free man when he was called is Christ’s slave.

23 You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of men.

24 Brothers, each man, as responsible to God, should remain in the situation God called him to.

I have only had three careers in my lifetime: lawyer, pastor, and now missionary-evangelist. Moreover I have not even changed organizations, but have worked through the difficult times. Looking back I know that I made the right decision in being conservative when it comes to change. Yes I have made a few very big changes … e.g.. from lawyer to ministry … but in those cases there was no doubt that God had shown His hand! Thank goodness that I have even had the same wife for the last 38 years!

In His love,

Dave

DAVE SEIVRIGHT

January 24, 2003

DAVE SEIVRIGHT is a former lawyer from Jamaica. He 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 very intelligent young professionals, particularly in Miami, and in Germany.

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