Choice

A mother lives
And therefore, exercises her right to choose...

An infant is terminated
Before they can exercise their choice to live...

True Salvation in Christ

There can be no Salvation (Temporal and Eternal) without Righteousness

There can be no Righteousness without Obedience

There can be no Obedience without Repentance

There can be no Repentance apart from an encounter with the Holiness of God, through Jesus Christ...

And this is the other side of the proverbial coin about why some deny Jesus Christ...

Some reject Jesus because they have never encountered a compelling representation of Him in the life of a Believer

This is True...

Equally True however is:

Still others reject Jesus precisely because they have had an authentic encounter [Charakter];* and the Cost is, quite simply, too great...

Inauthenticity often fails to allure...
Authenticity often drives away...

Notably, the second one happens far more, than many think.** Especially those who have made a living, by drawing attention to the first...

* Heb 1:3

** Including fellow believers

Imputed Righteousness

"Imputed Righteousness" -

It's blessed but painful cost,
regarded apathetically by believers in the Church;
and the eternal penalty for its absence, 
no longer compelling and relevant
to the unbelieving world...

1 Therefore, since we have been declared RIGHTEOUS by FAITH, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ... (9) since we have now been declared RIGHTEOUS by His BLOOD, we will be saved through Him from wrath.

Romans 5:1,9

Why We Need God's Mercy

A life of faith is replete with undulations, fits and starts, hits and misses... 
Which is why Sanctifying Grace is so important... 
Lord, be merciful to us all...

Christian Fundamentalism vs. Christian Social Progressivism in My Life

In Retrospect...

When I look back down the road of almost 30 years of ministry, I can clearly recall beginning it during the cultural height of Christian Fundamentalism.

I spent the preponderance of those 30 years seeking to correct the disastrous excesses of Christian Fundamentalism (I.e. pejorative expressions of "biblical truth") by teaching and discipling the Great Doctrine of (Sanctifying) Grace; as well as the vital importance of the authentic witness "in Christ," for the Believer...

It was through these two, legitimate and primary expressions of the Christian Faith that I sought sincerely to help establish "The Kingdom of God," and to give Him "Glory."

But in Retrospect, I believe there were too many times when I over-sold, under-delivered and simplified too much the fullness with which we are to live our lives for Christ...

And in doing so, probably played no small part with inadvertently misguiding some of those (some of which are on my Facebook friends list) for whom I was responsible for... That is... If I am honest, I gave some instruction and eager permission to commit oneself to be theologically out-of-balance...

Do I believe there was enough "sufficiency" and "responsible" teaching to fall within the acceptable broad stream of orthodoxy? "Yes..." But could I have done better? Most certainly "YES!"

So for those who have known me, and may have personally experienced my personal failure in this way, please accept my sincere apologies, and for the sake of Christ, devote yourself to Him in new ways, that will enable you to experience and live for Him in a more thorough and full manner. (James 3:1)

So, now I find that I am spending a significant amount of time, attempting and dedicated to bringing correction, not only to the imprecision of my woeful past, but also to the unfolding and toxic (a contorted Hegelian Dialectic) "GRACE ONLY," Zeitgeist (1) dominating both the sacred and secular portions of our culture... (2)

Looking Forward:

Should the Lord be gracious and kind enough to give me 30 more years in ministry, I can only hope that I achieve a better doctrinal proportionality (via media), than I did before...

For example:

It is a great Truth
To say the we must Love everyone;
It is equally a great Love
To convey Christ's Truth,
As well...

(1) https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zeitgeist

(2) Remember, what could be more utterly demonic than for God's Attributes to be taught in an out-of-balanced fashion and then used against each other (E.g. Truth in opposition to Grace and Grace in opposition to Truth),