 | Pastor Dave grew up in northern New Jersey in a very diverse cultural area. He attended Central College in Pella, Iowa received a BA in sociology and psychology. He was an offensive guard for their NCAA Div III National Championship team in 1974. In speaking for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, he sensed a call to full time ministry. Meeting is future wife Sandy at Central, went to Michigan to finish her college while Dave started Western Seminary in Holland, Michigan. Dave married Sandy in 77 and completed his Masters of Divinity degree in 78. Pastor Dave’s first church was in Fort Lee, New Jersey, home of the George Washington Bridge. Their three children were born there and he also served as a Police and Fire Chaplain for the city. In February 1991, they came to Wichita to start Harvest Community Church. In 2006, he received his Doctor of Ministry degree from Covenant Theological (Presbyterian) Seminary in St Louis. During that year he gained a daughter-in-law with now 2 grandsons of 3 years and 6 months old. Besides Pastoring at HCC for the past 20 years, he has been Director of the SCSD & WPD Police Chaplains for 11.
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Religion
2010-02-01 08:42:00
Why can’t it be a simple “yes” or “no?”
Question: So often Pastors, Ministers and Clergy seemingly “dance” around the answers to two questions: “If one lives a good and moral life, helping others, yet never accepts our Lord Jesus Christ, God’s Son, as his or her personal Savior, and that He came down from Heaven to suffer and die for each of us, to purchase our salvation…will he be saved?” I would think with the billions of people that have been born into this life, the answer should be either a simple “yes” or “no.” The second question, “If there are only two possibilities (Heaven or Hell), will an all-merciful and all-just God condemn a person like this to Hell?”
Answer: No, sadly they will go to hell according to scripture. This answer is spelled out very clearly in the first three chapters of Romans where Paul does a marvelous job laying out for all to understand. He begins to inform us that God’s righteousness {Romans 1:17} is the theme where we not only see God as the only right and perfect standard, but how this righteous God saves an unrighteous, imperfect and fallen people.
Since Adam and Eve bought into the serpent’s deception to deny what God said and rebel against God to be their own gods (Genesis 3:1-7), sin entered the world. Sin is defined by the center letter “I” which follows the path of Frank Sinatra theology, “I Did It My Way!” From that point on man has struggled with alienation from God (vs 8), fear and insecurity (vs 10), and covering up by blaming others (vss12-13). For rebelling God gives curses to the snake (vs14), to mankind who will now battle evil (vs15), women will experience pain in child birth and power battles with husbands (vs 16), men will face hardship in making a living in creation (17-18), life will be toil with the ending of it in death (spiritual and physical) (19). Men and women began to cover up from even each other (20-21) and the blessed life in the Garden of Eden ended to now live in this fallen state in a hostile world (22-24). We see the aftermath of this fallen state unravel beginning with murder (4:1-15), destruction of earth and some of mankind (ch 6), drunkenness, incest, rape and division of mankind. Mankind’s quest both individually and corporately continues to this day to try to overtake God’s throne (11:4). Ever since, it has caused every kind of hurtful evil action of mankind, also devastation from weather to all kinds of health issues because now this world is broken and fallen (3:19) which is the outworking of the curse.
Now the Apostle Paul comes to us and brings this Righteous God’s Good News for this fallen world. Paul speaks to three groups to help them understand their condition and why Jesus Christ is the only way.
First, he starts with man who does not know God. Event though God has revealed Himself through nature very plainly that He is there (Romans 1:20), man doesn’t get it (vs21). In fact man often times doesn’t want to get it (vs 22-23). God hands them over to their own sinful desires (vs24) and all kinds of immoral, anti-social and perverse acts wreak havoc on society due to their rejection of God.(25-32).
Interesting in this passage the phrase “God gave them over” appears three times in this passage (vss 24, 26, 28) showing us that this is man’s desire and God is allowing mankind to do this to himself. Mankind is choosing to sin and rebellion against God and is sending himself to hell. God just backs off and has His wrath stored up against sin which as a righteous, pure, just and holy God cannot and does not tolerate.
The second group he investigates is the morally critical who think they are a cut above the others of the world, only to hear they are condemned alongside of the pagans (2:1-4). God’s judgment they cannot escape. God’s judgment is righteous (5-11) and impartial (12-16). God will judge on what a person does both good and evil (vs6). Even though the moralist doesn’t have the Law of Moses (10 Commandments), there is a law in his heart that the moralist breaks (13-14). How many good, well meaning people make resolutions or diets or commitments even to themselves and break them. God knows and the conscience bears witness that we are guilty before God (vss 15-16). The Apostle James supports this when he says in James 4:17 “Therefore, to one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it, to him it is sin.”
The third group is the Religious Jews who had been given the law of God and circumcision. Yet they break the law and even worse than some who have never even heard of the Law (Romans 2:23). The whole point is that it is not the outward side of man but the inside of man, his heart needs to be changed by God’s Spirit and forgiven (vs 29). So the religious person is just as guilty. So Paul concludes in his very inclusive statement leaving no one out, “for all have sinned and fall short of God’s perfect standard.” ( 3:23)
With all of us guilty, how can we be saved from our sin and its debilitating effects now and experience righteous God’s perfect heaven forever? Through out Romans and the scriptures we are told that we are saved by the gift of God’s Grace (Romans 3:24,6:23, Ephesians 2:8-9), through Faith (3:22; 5:1, Titus 3:5-6) that trusts only in Jesus Christ (6:4-5,7:25-8:2, John 14:6, Acts 4:12). This Good News is to every man, woman, child, race and nationality that salvation is By Grace, Through Faith, In Jesus Christ! As a sinner I am grateful to know for certain I am going to heaven because of what God did for me through Jesus Christ and that is the only reason! How about you? In the grip of His Grace, Pastor Dave.
