Manhattan Declaration: http://manhattandeclaration.org/

Dear All,

To the Point and for the love of Jesus Christ and His Gospel to sinners by faith alone:

Please know that 1) I love the life of every baby and hate the murder of all babies in the womb from conception onward (Psalm 139; Exodus 20). 2) I love marriage between one man and one woman for life and I hate all fornicating relationships outside Biblical marriage (1Thess. 4; Heb. 13). 3) I love the freedom to worship as our God requires and pray against all oppressive governments and oppose them without the use of the sword (1Tim. 2; Rom. 13).

Therefore, I say yes to the following statements in the Manhattan Declaration:

"While the whole scope of Christian moral concern, including a special concern for the poor and vulnerable, claims our attention, we are especially troubled that in our nation today the lives of the unborn, the disabled, and the elderly are severely threatened; that the institution of marriage, already buffeted by promiscuity, infidelity and divorce, is in jeopardy of being redefined to accommodate fashionable ideologies; that freedom of religion and the rights of conscience are gravely jeopardized by those who would use the instruments of coercion to compel persons of faith to compromise their deepest convictions."

"Because we honor justice and the common good, we will not comply with any edict that purports to compel our institutions to participate in abortions, embryo-destructive research, assisted suicide and euthanasia, or any other anti-life act; nor will we bend to any rule purporting to force us to bless immoral sexual partnerships, treat them as marriages or the equivalent, or refrain from proclaiming the truth, as we know it, about morality and immorality and marriage and the family. We will fully and ungrudgingly render to Caesar what is Caesar's. But under no circumstances will we render to Caesar what is God's."

Beyond all these crucial beliefs and stands, there is one belief and stand that rises above the rest: it is the gospel of Jesus Christ and the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ for which we must earnestly contend (Jude v. 3). The good news is that Christ died for the ungodly and that sinners are saved and justified forever by faith alone in the bloody cross work of Jesus Christ apart from all other human acts of ritual, observances, sacraments, etc. (Rom. 3, 4, 5, 10; Eph. 2; Gal. 1-4; Phil 3). For this good news I take my stand against all compromises and call all other gospels as under the anathama of God according to our good and gracious and loving and forgiving and bold and honorable apostle Paul who faithfully represents Jesus Christ under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit in Galations 1:6-9. [I classify Paul in such a light to remind us all that He is God's Apostle to us all for our ear and provocation]

6 I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel, 7 which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ. 8 But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. 9 As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed.

Therefore, I take my stand with all those who take their stand against the murder of children, against false marriages, against oppressive governments and against all compromises to the gospel of Jesus Christ and salvation by God's grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone for God's glory alone as revealed in the Scriptures alone.

So, because of this stand and since the Manhattan Declaration compromises the gospel of Jesus Christ with its broad stroke of calling the Orthodox and Catholic communities as Christian, as to those communities who are holding and embracing the same gospel together (both Orthodox and Catholic communities embrace a faith-plus-works-for-salvation teaching in contradiction to Paul's teaching in Galatians 1--4), I cannot and will not sign the declaration (Chuck Colson calls it a covenantal Document and production of the American Church [http://www.breakpoint.org/commentaries/13534-the-manhattan-declaration // http://wwww.examiner.com/x-13905-Little-Rock-Evangelical-Examiner~y2009m11d24-Mike-Huckabee-interviews-Chuck-Colson-about-Manhattan-Declaration]).

Beyond this, all who have signed this document who names the Name of Jesus Christ ought to take their names off this religious, ecumenical document and sign a non-religious, non-theological, non-christian document that takes a similar position in opposition to the evils mentioned in the MD.

I stand with all Americans who stand against the evils mentioned in the MD; I do so as an American citizen who happens to be a believer in Jesus Christ. I do not stand with those who call themselves Christians only to betray Christ with the embrace of a false gospel. Follow Paul's charge in Galatians 1 and 2.

I stand with

John MacArthur: https://www.shepherdsfellowship.org/pulpit/Posts.aspx?ID=4444

James White: http://aomin.org/aoblog/index.php?itemid=3638

Steve Camp: http://stevenjcamp.blogspot.com/

I love what Steve says:

IOW beloved, in this hour in our nations history may I propose a simple mandate: it is time for the church to be the church.

Gospel-driven Worship:

Acts 2:42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. 43 And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles.

Gospel-driven Welfare:

44 And all who believed were together and had all things in common. 45 And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. 46 And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts,

Gospel-driven Witness:

47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.

Frank Turk: http://firstthings.com/blogs/evangel/2009/11/i-respectfully-decline/

Dave Doran of Detroit Theological Seminary: http://gloryandgrace.dbts.edu/?p=177

For the sake of the gospel,

Steve Loeffler

broadriverbaptistchurch.blogspot.com

Flattery

Colossians 3:9 9 Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds,

Believers are so prone to lie, deceive and to speak with a double heart. Notice Psalm 12 and the day of deception that David had to endure, even from his own King, Saul, who tried to pretend to love David but in his own heart he despised David.


Psalm 12:1 To the Chief Musician. On an eight-stringed harp. A Psalm of David. Help, LORD, for the godly man ceases! For the faithful disappear from among the sons of men. 2 They speak idly everyone with his neighbor; With flattering lips and a double heart they speak. 3 May the LORD cut off all flattering lips, And the tongue that speaks proud things, 4 Who have said, "With our tongue we will prevail; Our lips are our own; Who is lord over us?" 5 "For the oppression of the poor, for the sighing of the needy, Now I will arise," says the LORD; "I will set him in the safety for which he yearns." 6 The words of the LORD are pure words, Like silver tried in a furnace of earth, Purified seven times. 7 You shall keep them, O LORD, You shall preserve them from this generation forever. 8 The wicked prowl on every side, When vileness is exalted among the sons of men.

Believers are to be on the alert of a double heart, a double tongue, yea, flattery. Flattery is the naming of someone with titles and words of honor intent on masking their true feelings about that person. Flattery is a cover-up of true impressions. One may say, 'I love you, Precious', but in the heart this person may have hatred for 'Precious'.

The Kingdom of God is only for truth-tellers, those who speak the truth from their hearts. Psalm 15 depicts one who may ascend the hill of the Lord, the one who will be with the Lord forever, as the one who 'speaks the truth in his heart...who does not backbite with his tongue, Nor does evil to his neighbor, Nor does he take up a reproach against his friend....' (vv. 2-3)

Let us not be found a deceiver with our tongues. May we from the heart honor the Lord of truth, who is pure and holy; and, let us trust in Christ, the righteous One, to purge our impure and deceiving hearts. Let us love the brethren from a pure and undivided heart. Let us lip our hearts. If our hearts are speaking evil, then let us seek the Lord to purge us of evil so that we are not found liars.

On Translations - The KJV is Not the Only Valuable Translation

THE INSPIRATION AND TRANSLATION OF THE HOLY SCRIPTURES
By Dr. John Gill

John Gill (1697-1771), was a Particular Baptist of great learning and spiritual perception, who was in spiritual line of eminent servants of God. Gill was an indefatigable preacher and scribe, writing more than many people could read, and two years before his death he completed his final work A Body of Doctrinal and Practical Divinity. In Book1, Chap.2, Sec.1, (pp.13-14) Gill addresses the subject of the inspiration and translation of Holy Scripture as follows:-

"Fourthly, This [inspiration] is to be understood of the Scriptures, as in the original languages in which they were written, and not of translations; unless it could be thought, that the translators of the Bible into the several languages of the nations into which it has been translated, were under divine inspiration also in translating, and were directed of God in the use of words they have rendered the original by; but this is not reasonable to suppose. The books of the Old Testament were written chiefly in the Hebrew language, unless some few passages in Jeremiah, Daniel, Ezra, and Esther in the Chaldee language; and the New Testament in Greek: in which languages they can only be reckoned canonical and authentic; for this is like the charters and diplomas of princes; the wills or testaments of men; or any deeds made by them; only the exemplar is authentic; and not translations, and transcriptions, and copies of them, though ever so perfect: and to the Bible, in its original languages, is every translation to be brought, and judged, and to be corrected and amended; and if this was not the case, we should have no certain and infallible rule to go by; for it must be either all the translations together, or some one of them; not all of them, because they agree not in all things: not one; for then the contest would be between one nation and another which it should be, whether English, Dutch, French, &c. and could one be agreed upon, it could not be read and understood by all: so the papists, they plead for their vulgate Latin version; which has been decreed authentic by the council of Trent; though it abounds with innumerable errors and mistakes; nay, so far do they carry this affair, that they even assert that the Scriptures, in their originals, ought to submit to, and be corrected by their version; which is absurd and ridiculous. Let not now any be uneasy in their minds about translations on this account, because they are not upon an equality with the original text, and especially about our own; for as it has been the will of God, and appears absolutely necessary that so it should be, that the Bible should be translated into different languages, that all may read it, and some particularly may receive benefit of it; he has taken care, in his providence, to raise up men capable of such a performance, in various nations, and particularly in ours; for whenever a set of men have been engaged in this work, as were in our nation, men well skilled in the languages, and partakers of the grace of God; of sound principles, and of integrity and faithfulness, having the fear of God before their eyes; they have never failed of producing a translation worthy of acceptance; and in which, though they have mistook some words and phrases, and erred in some lesser and lighter matters; yet not so as to affect any momentous article of faith or practice; and therefore such translations as ours may be regarded as the rule of faith. And if any scruple should remain on the minds of any on this account, it will be sufficient to remove it, when it observed, that the Scriptures, in our English translation, have been blessed of God, either by reading them in it, or by explaining them according to it, for the conversion, comfort, and edification of thousands and thousands. And the same may be said of all others, so far as they agree with the original, that they are the rule of faith and practice, and alike useful.

"Here I cannot but observe the amazing ignorance and stupidity of some persons, who take it into their heads to decry learning and learned men; for what would they have done for a Bible, had it not been for them as instruments? and if they had it, so as to have been capable of reading it, God must have wrought a miracle for them; and continued that miracle in every nation, in every age, and to every individual; I mean the gift of tongues, in a supernatural way, as he bestowed upon the apostles on the day of Pentecost; which there is no reason in the world ever to have expected. Bless God, therefore, and be thankful that God has, in his providence, raised up such men to translate the Bible into the mother-tongue of every nation, and particularly ours; and that he still continues to raise up such who are able to defend the translations made, against erroneous persons, and enemies of the truth; and to correct and amend it in lesser matters, in which it may have failed, and clear and illustrate it by their learned notes."