[Editors Note: Answers to questions in bold; verses & Bible exposition in red.]
Hello WBC,
My name is Seth, and I am a student at Eastern Illinois University and will be transferring to Ozark Christian College in Joplin Missouri to become a pastor.
1. My first question for you is- Do you believe that through protests and picketing you are defending your faith? If so then would you agree that it is going against the ideas laid out by Paul that says to do it with gentleness and respect? If not then why do you do it in the first place?
Acts 22:1 Men, brethren, and fathers, hear ye my defence which I make now unto you.
Is this the verse you speak of? What do we need to “defend” our faith about? The words are there for our use. We do not own salvation and neither do you. Our duty is to preach. To publish the words. The Lord Jesus Christ is comingback in power and glory.
Mt 10:7 And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand.
Ac 10:42 And he commanded us to preach unto the people, and to testify that it is he which was ordained of God to be the Judge of quick and dead.
2Ti 4:2 Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.
Regarding respect – we are to deal with all in the same manner, as servants of God. Boldly, fearing NO man and trusting that our Lord will keep us. Are we going to tell them their sins are taking them to hell? YES! Are we going to coddle them in their filth and rebellion? NO!
2 Cor 10:1 Now I Paul myself beseech you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ, who in presence am base among you, but being absent am bold toward you: 2 But I beseech you, that I may not be bold when I am present with that confidence, wherewith I think to be bold against some, which think of us as if we walked according to the flesh.
If you read John Gill on why Paul wrote the epistles to the Corinthians you will note that he set about to encourage them to minister unto their fellow saints; to remind them to rejoice in their afflictions; to lean on and trust God for all things. These things are written for those who believe in the one and only living God. All others hate the words, wrestle them around (think WWF) and are condemned by them.
Ro 2:11 For there is no respect of persons with God.
2Co 3:10 For even that which was made glorious had no glory in this respect, by reason of the glory thatexcelleth.
Eph 6:9 And, ye masters, do the same things unto them, forbearing threatening: knowing that your Masteralso is in heaven; neither is there respect of persons with him.
Col 3:25 But he that doeth wrong shall receive for the wrong which he hath done: and there is no respect of persons.
Jas 2:1 My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons.
Jas 2:3 And ye have respect to him that weareth the gay clothing, and say unto him, Sit thou here in a good place; and say to the poor, Stand thou there, or sit here under my footstool:
Jas 2:9 But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors.
1Pe 1:17 And if ye call on the Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man’s work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear.
A wonderful verse that speaks on what to respect:
Heb 11:26 Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompence of the reward.
2. Do you think that letting people know that they are going to hell is the most important job that God has for you on this earth?
We think that whatever The Lord gives us to do for that day is the most important job that God has for us on this earth during that day.
Rom 14:6 He that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the Lord; and he that regardeth not the day, to the Lord he doth not regard it. He that eateth, eateth to the Lord, for he giveth God thanks; and he that eateth not, to the Lord he eateth not, and giveth God thanks. 7 For none of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself. 8 For whether we live, welive unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord’s.
3. I believe that the most important part of scripture is located in the great commandment, I don’t need to get into detail you know what this says, but in saying that I believe also that the great commission follows close behind it. I believe that making disciples is the job given to followers of Christ. Commission, meaning left in charge, is the great charge that Jesus left us with right before He ascended into Heaven. For this reason I believe that we, as Christians, are to “go therefore and make disciples of all nations” because this glorifies God unlike anything else.
To what end? He gets himself glory in countless ways and is not bound by your notion of that.
John 13:35 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.
What love do you have for your fellow man if you don’t tell him his sins are taking him to hell? You might as well whisper ‘stop’ or ‘don’t go in the street’ as you watch your little one gets run over by a tractor trailer.
4. Do you believe that God is worried about expanding the Kingdom of Heaven? If so then do you think that you should focus on expanding the Kingdom for His glory? If not then please explain to me Matthew 28:18.
Really?
Mt 28:18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.
REALLY? If you don’t believe HE has ALL power in heaven and earth I can’t help you do the believing – only The Lord can do that.
Martin Luther told Erasmus ‘your thoughts of God are too human.’ I say that now to you.
You want to talk about the kingdom of heaven? You have no understanding.
Here is some of what Our Savior says about the Kingdom of Heaven:
Mt 3:2 And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
Mt 4:17 From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
Mt 7:21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
Mt 18:4 Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
5. My last question is if America is doomed, or not America but people who live in society that do not condemn homosexuals, and we are all going to be cast into hell because of this, then does this not take away from the meaning of the Cross? See I believe Jesus came to this earth for one important reason. I don’t believe He came to show us how to live or how to heal or pray or act, no I believe that Jesus came to die. The perfect sacrifice needed to be made and it was made. I agree that no man is righteous and no one but Jesus deserves Heaven, but in saying that I believe that we, as followers of Christ, must reside in not only the grace of God but mainly in the Cross of Jesus. The Cross is what saves us not from hell ordamnation or even sin, the Cross saves us from God Himself. So do you think that condemning all these people to hell for sins you are getting rid of the need for the Cross and therefore getting rid of the need for Jesus?
Yikes! What are you trying to say here? Christ came to preach, heal, condemn and die. He did The Father’s will. He obeyed in all things, even unto death.
Heb 12:2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
John Gill expounds that verse like this: Ver. 2. Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, &c.] Not with bodily eyes, for at present he is not to be looked upon in this manner, but with the eye of theunderstanding, or with the eye of faith; for faith is a seeing of the Son; it is a spiritual sight of Christ, which is at first but glimmering, afterwards it increases, and is of a soul humbling nature; it is marvellous and surprising; it transforms into the image of Christ, and fills with joy unspeakable, andfull of glory: a believer should be always looking to Christ, and off of every object, as the word here used signifies. Christ is to be looked unto as “Jesus,” a Saviour, who being appointed and sent by God to be a Saviour, came, and is become the author of eternal salvation; and to him only should we look for it: he is able and willing to save; he is a suitable, complete, and only Saviour; and whoever look to him by faith shall be saved; and he is to be considered, and looked unto, as “the author and finisher of faith”: he is the author or efficient cause of it; all men are by nature without it; it is not in the power of man to believe of himself; it is a work of omnipotence; it is an instance of the exceeding greatness of the power of God; and it is the operation of Christ, by his Spirit; and the increase of it is from him, #Lu 17:5 and he is the finisher of it; he gives himself, and the blessings of his grace, to his people, to maintain and strengthen it; he prays for it, that it fail not; he carries on the work of faith, and will perform it with power; and brings to, and gives that which is the end of it, eternal life, or the salvation of the soul.
Who for the joy that was set before him; the word anti, rendered “for”; sometimes signifies, in the room, or stead of, as in #Mt 2:22 20:28 and is so rendered here in the Syriac and Arabic versions; and then the sense is, that Christ instead of being in the bosom of the Father, came into this world; instead of being in the form of God, he appeared in the form of a servant; instead of the glory which he had with his Father from eternity, he suffered shame and disgrace; instead of living a joyful and comfortable life on earth, he suffered a shameful and an accursed death; and instead of the temporal joy and glory the Jews proposed to him, he endured the shame and pain of the cross: sometimes it signifies the end forwhich a thing is, as in #Eph 5:31 and may intend that, for the sake of which Christ underwent so much disgrace, and such sufferings; namely, for the sake of having a spiritual seed, a numerous offspring with him in heaven, who are his joy, and crown of rejoicing; for the sake of the salvation of all the elect, on which his heart was set; and for the glorifying of the divine perfections, which was no small delight and pleasure to him. And to this agrees the Chaldee paraphrase of #Ps 21:1.
“O Lord, in thy power shall the King Messiah ydxy, “rejoice,” and in thy redemption how greatly will he exult!”
And also because of his own glory as Mediator, which was to follow his sufferings, and which includes his resurrection from the dead, his exaltation at the right hand of God, and the whole honour andglory Christ has in his human nature; see #Ps 16:8-11 and with a view to all this, he endured the cross; which is to be taken not properly for that frame of wood, on which he was crucified; but, improperly, for all his sufferings, from his cradle to his cross; and particularly the tortures of the cross, being extended on it, and nailed unto it; and especially the death of the cross, which kind of death he endured to verify the predictions of it, #Ps 22:16 Zec 12:10 and to show that he was made a curse for his people; and this being aRoman punishment, shows that the sceptre was taken from Judah, and therefore the Messiah must be come; and that Christ suffered for the Gentiles, as well as Jews: and this death he endured with great courage and intrepidity, with much patience and constancy, and in obedience to the will of his Father: despising the shame; of the cross; for it was an ignominious death, as well as a painful one; and as he endured the pain of it with patience, he treated the shame of it with contempt; throughout the whole of his life, he despised the shame and reproach that was cast upon him; and so he did at the time of his apprehension, and when upon his trial, and at his death, under all the ignominious circumstances that attended it; which should teach us not to be ashamed of the reproach of Christ, but count it an honour to be worthy to suffer shame for his name.
And is set down at the right hand of the throne of God; Which is in heaven; and is expressive of the majesty and glory of God; and of the honour done to Christ in human nature, which is not granted to any of the angels: here Christ sits as God’s fellow, as equal to him, as God, and as having done his work as man, and Mediator; and this may assure us, that when we have run out our race, we shall sit down too, with Christ upon his throne, and be at rest.
They – that is, those who hate God – condemn themselves with their own words. Words that are full of mockery, hatred, and filth.
Ps 94:21 They gather themselves together against the soul of the righteous, and condemn the innocent blood. 22 But the LORD is my defence; and my God is the rock of my refuge. 23 And he shall bring upon them their own iniquity, and shall cut them off in their own wickedness; yea, the LORD our God shall cut them off.
The judgments this little church makes are directly out of the Holy Bible:
1Co 6:9 Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,
Heb 13:4 Marriage is honourable in all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge.
Jas 4:4 Ye adulterers andadulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.
Where is your mercy, Seth?
Luke 6:36 Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful. 37 Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven: 38 Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.
The judgment you judge us with will be meted out to you. Likewise will those judgments (aka sins/vengeance/curses) given to you by The Word of God.
Matt 23:30 And say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets. 31 Wherefore ye be witnesses unto yourselves, that ye are the children of them which killed the prophets. 32 Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers. 33 Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell? 34 Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: and some of them ye shall kill and crucify; and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to city: 35 That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar.
Your reading assignment is this beautiful sermon by Pastor Phelps: http://bit.ly/vUiawa
Please pay special attention to page 7.
Thank you so much for this opportunity to ask you these questions. I do not mean any disrespect in any of these question but rather I am truly trying to open my mind to your views. Thank you again, Seth. Matthew 6:33
Note: All things are done for His elect’s sake and for the glory of God!
You are welcome,
A thankful member of Westboro Baptist Church
PS Beware of tornadoes when you move to Joplin, MO. They are cursed, not blessed.