01/09/02, CARM Newsletter

CHRISTIAN APOLOGETICS & RESEARCH MINISTRY	www.carm.org	HOME PAGE

CARM NEWSLETTER 01/09/2002
www.carm.org
from Matt Slick, Director.
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CONGRATULATIONS! ITS 1.5 MILLION!

Congratulations are in order; that is, for CARM. Today CARM reached its 1.5 millionth hit mark on the home page. This means that CARM has been accessed over 1,500,000 times. Woo hoo!

I remember the very first day that I wanted to get on this new thing called the Internet. I also remember, after putting up this ministry on the Web, receiving 70 hits in one day. I thought it was amazing to get that many. Now, CARM gets around 2,000 each day. Again, woo hoo!

The Lord has blessed CARM greatly. It is wonderful to be able to reach so many thousands of people all over the world with the truth of the gospel as well as the documentation on false religious and secular systems. Of course, this has made many people angry with me. Lately, I have been called a looser, an idiot, and someone who will be damned. But, this is to be expected when you are working against the enemy.

On the other hand, I have received many e-mails of thanks telling me that the information on the Web site has been invaluable in exposing the false doctrines of the cults as well as being a source of information for difficult questions. I have even received e-mails telling me that CARM is responsible for preventing them from entering into the cults. Praise God.

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DO YOU SHARE YOUR FAITH?

Today at work I had the great privilege of sharing the gospel with two women. One was a Roman Catholic and the other a Presbyterian. Neither seemed to understand what the gospel really was. So, I thanked the Lord for the opportunity to be able to share the saving work of Jesus and I told them about what Jesus did on the cross, about how our works cannot save us, about how our good deeds cannot contribute to our salvation, about how Jesus died on the cross and shed His blood for us, about receiving Him, and about how Jesus was the only way for forgiveness of sins. They both listened. One said she had more questions that wanted to ask me at another time.

Please remember these two ladies in your prayers. The Lord knows their names and the condition of their hearts. Pray that the Lord would open their hearts to the truth of the gospel and that they both will humble themselves and receive Jesus by faith.

Do you share your faith at work? How many times have you shared your faith in the past year?

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TO THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH

Two weeks ago the Lord put it upon my heart to write about the condition and purpose of the Christian Church. The new sections on CARM will be called "to the Christian Church." It is a rather presumptuous title and I am a little intimidated by this task of writing what amounts to an opening letter to Christians everywhere. My concern revolves around the fact that the majority of Christians do not know what the Great Commission is, where it is located in Scripture, or even how to carry it out. (If you want to know what it is go to Matt. 28:18-20.)

Whenever I do seminars I am amazed by how little Christian's know about basic doctrine. Now, I am not saying that they must have a master's degree in theology or be an anal-retentive wacko like myself who lives for apologetics. Nope. It is just that so many Christians have so little information about what the Bible really teaches about God, the Trinity, the person of Christ, justification, sanctification, and other issues. Therefore, in the these newsletters I will introduce a term or two that is important for Christians to know. I will discuss it (them), define it, and keep it simple.

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JUSTIFICATION AND SANCTIFICATION

Justification is the legal declaration by God upon the sinner where God declares the sinner legally righteous in His site. This declaration by God upon the sinner is not earned by the sinner but is granted to the sinner based upon the sacrifice of Christ. The Christian is justified by faith (Rom. 5:1). That is, he is DECLARED righteous. It is not that he is right in his own efforts but that he is DECLARED right by God.

By contrast, sanctification is the process where God works holiness and godliness into the hearts of the Christians to make them more like Jesus. Sanctification means to be made more like Jesus in honesty, integrity, love, godliness, submission to God, kindness, gentleness, long-suffering, etc. Sanctification does not affect our justification. Justification is something that God does alone. Sanctification is something we do with God.

The cults almost always confuse justification and sanctification. They will tell you that you must cooperate with God by doing something like baptism, going door-to-door, or obeying the law of God. Whatever it is, they say that justification is the result of your goodness, your holiness, your effort, and your works, in combination with the sacrifice of Christ that brings them to justification. Of course, this is not biblical. Justification is by faith (Rom. 5:1). Also, Jesus said, “Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ 23“And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness." (Matthew 7:22-23, NASB). Notice how these people appealed to Jesus on the basis of their faith and their works. They were rejected.

We have nothing to offer God except what Christ has given to us. We must rest in Jesus completely and totally. To Him be all the praise and glory.

AMEN.

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VOTE FOR CARM

On the home page of CARM, and also on the discussion boards page, are links for voting for CARM as a top web site. If you remember, please go to the CARM home page and on the right hand side near the bottom is a link. Vote for CARM and help this ministry grow.

Thank you.

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GOT A SUGGESTION FOR CARM OR THIS NEWSLETTER?

If you have suggestions for what you would like to see in this newsletter or for CARM, please return e-mail me and let me know.

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PRAYER SUPPORT FOR CARM

If you care to, please remember this ministry in your prayers. It is a spiritual battle and CARM desperately needs your support. Please pray that the Lord would raise the funds for me to be able to do this full-time. Please pray for the wisdom to write and research and that the truth would touch those whom the Lord directs to this ministry.

May the Lord bless you in your prayers.

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UNSUBSCRIBE

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FINANCIAL SUPPORT

Please consider supporting CARM financially, donations are tax-deductible. If enough people donated even five dollars per month, full-time ministry will be possible. Do you think CARM is worth it? http://www.carm.org/goods/donations.htm.

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VERSE OF THE WEEK.

Philippians 3:7-9 (NASB)
7 But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ.
8 More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish in order that I may gain Christ,
9 and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith,

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