The Need to Please

Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. Give no offense either to Jews or to Greeks or to the church of God; just as I also please all men in all things, not seeking my own profit but the profit of the many, so that they may be saved. Be imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ. (1 Cor 10:31-11:1) 

I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel; which is really not another; only there are some who are disturbing you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed! As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, he is to be accursed! For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a bond-servant of Christ. (Gal 1:6-10)

In the first passage it appears that Paul is saying that he is a pleaser of men but in the second passage he is saying that he is not a pleaser of men. Why is Paul calling himself a pleaser of men in his letter to the Corinthians but in his letter to the Galatians he is saying the he is not a pleaser of men? The great commission is to make disciples of all nations, baptize them in the name of the Triune God, and teach them to observe all that Jesus commanded. (Mt. 28:18-20)

All that Jesus command can be summed up in what has been calledThe Great Commandment: “And He said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.” (Mt 22:37-40)

Everything that we do as Christians should be guided by these two principles. We must seek the glory of God and the best for our neighbor. One should ask before doing anything at all, “Is what I’m about to do for the glory of God and is it the best for my neighbor?” I believe that this is what Paul was referring to in 1 Cor 9:21 when he said that he is under the law of Christ.

In the great commandment the love of God supersedes the love of one’s neighbor. Likewise, in these two Pauline epistles the glory of God supersedes the pleasing of men. For good reason, one cannot truly love one’s neighbor if one does not first love God with all of his heart, soul and mind; remember, man was created in the image of God. (Gn 1:27) 

In the context of 1 Corinthians 10:31-11:1 the best thing that Paul could do was please all men in all things because doing so both glorified God and sought the best for his neighbor leading to their salvation. However, in the context of Gal 1:6-10 the best thing that Paul could do was revile those who preached a different gospel. He did so for the same reason he was a pleaser of men in the 1 Corinthian passage because doing so both glorified God and sought the best for his neighbor leading to their salvation.

Should we be pleasers of men? Well, it depends on the situation. If doing so seeks the glory of God and our neighbors’ best interest; yes, being a pleaser of men is the best course of action. However, if being a man pleaser does not glorify God and seek the best for our neighbor it is best that we are not pleasers of men. There are two great rules by which we should judge every situation: “The first is the glory of God, and the second is the welfare of our fellow men.”[1]

I confess that meditating on and writing about these two passages has convicted me. Fear of not being liked by men causes me to not seek what most glorifies God or is best for my neighbor. I often seek what brings me glory to the detriment of my neighbor. I do not share the gospel in many situations because I don’t want men to be mad at me. I also, do not seek to please men if it cost me something. Lord willing, may we all seek the glory of God and the welfare of our neighbors in all things leading to their salvation.

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[1]William MacDonald, Believer’s Bible Commentary: A Complete Bible Commentary in One Volume,4^thed. (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, Inc., 1995), 1784.

Evangelism and Discipleship

The defining mission of the church is to make disciples of all the nations, initiate the new disciples into fellowship through the ordinance of baptism in the name of the Triune God and teach them to observe all that Jesus commanded the first disciples; doing so by the power of the Holy Spirit. For this reason, Matthew 28:18-20 has been called the great commission because Jesus, who has all authority in heaven and on earth (Mt 28:18) commissioned his disciples to do just that. There is an utterance of this great commission at the end of each gospel account and the beginning of Acts. (cf. Mk 16:15, Lk 24:46-48, Jn 20:21, and Acts 1:8) Why? Because evangelism and discipleship are the church’s purpose for existing.

For this reason, evangelism and discipleship cannot be separated. They are wholly dependent on one another. Jesus did not commission his disciples at the beginning of his ministry, but at the conclusion, and before his ascension. However, He did send them out on practice evangelism trips as part of their training. In Matthew chapter 10 the Lord sent the twelve out on a training exercise to the lost sheep of Israel. Instructing them how they are to do evangelism and warning them of the difficulties. He was instructing them in order to commission them for the ministry of evangelism and discipleship to all nations. 

Evangelism is how disciples are made, but evangelism is always preceded by discipleship because it is the mature disciple who learns to multiply and go make disciples.[1]With that being said, Evangelism is the intentional act of going out into the world to make disciples of Jesus Christ. Discipleship is the act of being taught. Besides the English word disciple, another way that the Greek word μαθητής mathētēs can be translated is pupil. A disciple is a learner. A person who follows teaching.[2]There are many disciples (pupils) in the world, but the type of discipleship that I am talking about is becoming a pupil of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 

Why is Discipleship Important in the Life of the Church and the Believer?

There are both personal and interpersonal Spiritual disciplines. The personal disciplines are those which are done by the disciple in solitude: worshiping God, reading the bible, fasting, praying and journaling. The interpersonal disciplines are those done with other believers: worshiping God, reading and studying scripture, hearing the word preached and participating in the Lord’s supper.[3]The purpose of practicing Spiritual disciplines is godliness.[4]Whitney defined godliness “as both closeness to Christ and conformity to Christ, a conformity that’s both inward and outward, a growing conformity to both the heart of Christ and the life of Christ.”[5]This is true of discipleship. Jesus said, “It is enough for the disciple that he become like his teacher, and the slave like his master.” (Mt 10:25a, NASB) Therefore, the goal of discipleship is to become like our teacher and Lord Jesus Christ. So, discipleship is being a pupil and pupils are taught by a teacher. Our teacher is the word of God, but we need one another to be discipled and held accountable this is how discipleship is important in the life of the church and the individual.

Do you believe that whoever will call on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ will be saved?[6]If you answered no, I dare say that you are not yourself saved, but if you answered yes, I have a few questions to ask you. “How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? How will they hear without a preacher? How will they preach unless they are sent?” These questions were pinned by the apostle Paul in Romans 10:14-15a. Then in vs. 17 he said, “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.”

Why is Evangelism Important in the life of the Church and the Believer?

My all-time favorite book is “All of Grace” by C. H. Spurgeon. In the chapter, “What is Faith?” he gives this answer: “Faith is made up of three things: knowledge, belief, and trust. Knowledge comes first.”[7]In order for a person to have faith they must first have knowledge. This is the reason that the apostle Paul said, “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.” (Rom 10:17, NASB) Then they must believe what they heard but that is not enough. Faith goes beyond belief; faith grabs hold of the object of belief to trusting that it can do what you hope it will do. Jesus promised eternal life to all who believe in Him; therefore, faith in Jesus Christ, “Calling on the name of the Lord,” is trusting that He will save you on the day of judgment. Therefore, in order to trust, they must believe, but in order to believe they must be told. 

The word gospel means good news.[8]News must be heard or read. By hearing or reading one gains knowledge. Preaching is the means by which the news of the gospel goes forth. It is commanding men in the name of Jesus to repent and believe the Gospel; however, they cannot do that except by the grace of God.[9]We can all preach the gospel publicly on a street corner or privately in a one-on-one conversation knowing that this is the way to give knowledge about the Gospel to lost people, but we cannot make anyone believe the gospel or trust in the Lord Jesus Christ that they may call on Him, that is the work of the Spirit. It is the chief business of every believer and the church to do evangelism[10]in order to give lost people knowledge of the gospel which is the first step in saving faith. God has given to the church and individual Christians the privileged of accomplishing the first step in the process of saving faith. Now, is that just awesome or what?

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[1]Dave Earley and David Wheeler, Evangelism Is…How to Share Jesus with Passion and Confidence (Nashville: B&H Publishing Group, 2010), viii.

[2]Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words (1996), s.v. “disciple.”

[3]Donald S. Whitney, Spiritual disciplines for the Christian Life(Colorado Springs: NavPress, 2014), 5.

[4]Cf. 1 Tm 4:7.

[5]Donald S. Whitney, Spiritual disciplines for the Christian Life(Colorado Springs: NavPress, 2014), 9.

[6]Cf. Rom 10:13.

[7]C. H. Spurgeon, All of Grace(New Kensington: Whitaker House, 1983), 59.

[8]C. H. Spurgeon, The Soulwinner(New Kensington: Whitaker House, 1995), 13.

[9]Ibid, 145.

[10]Ibid, 7.

Suffering and Death in the ICU

Suffering: The state of undergoing pain, distress, or hardship.¹ Death: The end of the life of a person.² Intensive Care Unit: A department of a hospital in which patients who are dangerously ill are kept under constant observation.³

These past 5 days are an example of what my work has been like for the past 21 years: I worked 4, 12 ½ hour shifts. I took care of 10 persons, all of whom suffered but some greater than others. A woman 10 years younger than I suffered a myocardial infarction (heart attack); a woman suffered greatly in the intensive care unit for over a month then died; a woman went into cardio-pulmonary arrest outside the hospital, was resuscitated at the scene but has no cognitive brain function; 2 men suffered coronary artery bypass surgery; a man greatly debilitated and in much pain; 2 elderly people with dementia in pain from fractures; and a woman learned that she has kidney failure. 

For the past 21 years I have been a witness to unspeakable human suffering and death, but that’s not all; I inflicted much suffering to suffering people in a vain attempt to keep them from death. I assure you that the curse is as strong today as it was when Adam and Eve were expelled from the garden, but the curse is not permanent if you trust in Christ. 

The curse (suffering and death) are a result of sin. (Gn 3) Sin is lawlessness. (1 John 3:4) The cause of sin is temptation which comes from three sources: Satan, the world, and the flesh. (Mt 4:3, Jam 1:15, & Mk 4:19) Jesus defeated all of these in his incarnation: The law, Satan, the world, the flesh, sin, and the curse (suffering and death). Jesus was tempted by Satan, the world, and the flesh but never sinned. (Mt. 4:1-10 ) He took upon himself the condemnation for our sin; He suffered and died as a criminal in our place. On the third day Jesus defeated death and rose from the grave. Witnessed by the apostles risen from the dead. (1 Cor. 15:3-5) Jesus Christ is Lord, all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to him. (Mt. 28:18 ) He ascended to heaven and is promised to return. (Acts 1:9-11 ) When Jesus returns all the dead will rise. Those who heard his voice and followed his word will go into eternal life in the new heaven and new earth; (Mt 25:31-46)  “and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.” (Rev. 21:4, NASB) 

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¹ “Suffering | Definition of Suffering in English by Oxford Dictionaries.” 2019. Oxford Dictionaries | English. Oxford Dictionaries. Accessed January 2. https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/suffering.

² “Death | Definition of Death in English by Oxford Dictionaries.” 2019. Oxford Dictionaries | English. Oxford Dictionaries. Accessed January 2. https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/death.

³ “Intensive Care Unit | Definition of Intensive Care Unit in English by Oxford Dictionaries.” Oxford Dictionaries | English. Accessed January 2, 2019. https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/intensive_care_unit.

In His Steps

Recently, I read In His Steps by Charles Monroe Sheldon. The book was first published in 1896 and has sold over 30,000,000 copies.[1]

Summary of Contents

The story is set in the late 1800’s in the midwest. A young man visits the community of Raymond. A community of well to do people. He came not looking for a hand-out but direction for employment and perhaps a little kindness. One morning he sits in on the service of the First Church of Raymond. After the pastor Henry Maxwell closed, the young man began to speak. The young man was troubled by hearing Christians sing,

“All for Jesus, all for Jesus,

All beings ransomed powers,

All my thoughts, and all my doings,

All my days, and all my hours.”

He was troubled by what they meant, because the words did not fit their actions. He said, “It seems to me there’s an awful lot of trouble in the world that somehow wouldn’t exist of all the people who sing such songs went and lived them out.” After saying these things, he collapsed and later died.

The pastor and others were convicted by the young man’s dying speech. The following Sunday, at the end of the service, Henry Maxwell asked for volunteers from the First Church who would take the pledge to not do anything for the next year without first asking, “What would Jesus do?” After asking, each volunteer is to follow what he/she knows Jesus would do, no matter the consequence. He challenged them to follow Jesus’ steps as closely and as literally as he taught his disciples to do.

There were about fifty persons who took the pledge; however, the narrative follows the lives of ten individuals who committed to follow Jesus’ steps: Henry Maxwell (pastor), Rachel Winslow (opera singer), Virginia Page (wealthy young woman), Mr. Norman (news paper owner), President Marsh (college president), Alexander Powers (railroad superintendent), Milton Wright (local store owner), Dr. West, and Jasper Chase (novelist) who broke his commitment and went back to the world. Others entered into the story the second year having been inspired by these disciples to follow Jesus’ steps. 

Evaluation of Contents

I had been led to believe that asking, “What would Jesus Do?” is a bad idea, because it causes people to create a Jesus who looks like oneself rather than the Jesus of scripture. However, this is not what I found in the context of Sheldon’s book. After taking the pledge, the characters seriously contemplated and asked, “How are we to know what Jesus would do?” The answer that they came to was two fold: First, they would know what Jesus did by studying his life and what he taught his disciples. Second, each of their situations are different than that of Jesus and his apostles; therefore, they needed to know what principles to follow. The group met together regularly to discuss what following Jesus Christ meant and Henry Maxwell (pastor) was their guide on what the scriptures taught. But it is the Spirit who would be their guide on applying the principles in each of their own life situations.

I believe that asking, “What would Jesus do?” before doing anything at all is what every Christian should be doing, but in order to do so, one must be studying what Jesus did and taught his disciples on a regular basis. This should be done in private study, contemplation and prayer, but it should also be done in community with other disciples seeking to follow in the steps of Jesus. Reading what Jesus did and taught must first be understood in the first century Jewish-palestine context in which he and his disciples lived. Second, one must understand what the universal principles taught in the text are. Thirdly, one must contemplate how those principles should be applied in his or her own situation.

Like the early church, the Characters in Sheldon’s book learned that seriously following Jesus is going to cost you something. The disciples in Sheldon’s story called it taking up the cross. Should we seriously follow Jesus Christ? Is marginal Christianity enough? Is marginal Christianity even Christian? I spent this advent season reading some of the things that the early church writers wrote. Christianity for the first 300 years of the church was illegal; therefore, Christians suffered greatly for following Jesus Christ. Marginal Christianity is not Christian. The characters in Sheldon’s book are fictional, but asking “What would Jesus do? before doing anything at all is a good one. This is something that I will be seriously considering in any decision I make going forward. Read “In His Steps” by Charles Sheldon.

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[1]In His Steps, cdli:wiki, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_His_Steps#cite_note-2. 

Are Today’s Hospitals Hospitality Houses Anymore?

The Greek word philoxenia φιλονεξία literally means the love of strangers. (cf. Rom 12:13; Heb 13:2) The adjective form philoxenos φιλόξενος means to be hospitable. (cf. 1 Tm 3:2; Ti 1:8; 1 Pt 4:9) Both noun and adjective forms are a two part Greek word philos-loving and xenos-stranger.1 The NASB New Testament uses the English word hospitality three times: two of which are in Rom 12:13 and Heb 13:2 but another instance occurs in 1 Tm 5:10. In the Timothy passage hospitality is translated from the Greek verb xenodocheo ξενοδοχέω. We have already shown that xenos means stranger; however, docheo means to receive. Hospitality in 1 Tm 5:10 is the act of receiving strangers.2 Therefore; hospitality in the context of these New Testament letters is the Christian duty bound by the law of Christ (love) to feed, lodge and protect strangers.

Travel in the first century was difficult. If you were wealthy you might have animals to assist in travel but the majority had to traverse the highways and byways afoot caring few supplies. They would arrive hungry, tired and possibly sick or injured. The Christian who received these traveling strangers would need to prepare food for them and care for the sick and injured while they convalesce. It is no surprise that these convalescent houses got the name Hospital. The hospitals that we have today are a far cry from these first century convalescent houses but my question is: Are today’s hospitals hospitable in the context of the Greek word philoxenos?

On December 11, 1997, I graduated from nursing school. Over 21 years ago I became a Registered Nurse and began working at the bedside with the sick and injured. There was a strong push when I was in nursing school for nurses to call the ones that we care for clients rather than patients. This had to do with nurses wanting to be considered professionals like doctors, lawyers, engineers etc. Not long after I became a nurse the drive to use the term client was dropped but the desire for nurses to be considered professionals did not stop. Today’s nurses seek advanced degrees and leave the bedside in droves, driven by a desire to be considered equals among the other professions in America. This has caused a devastating affect on the purpose for nursing. The purpose of nursing is for the other, a nurse is to be above all else hospitable; receiving and loving strangers. In addition, one of the biggest drives in hospitals these past few years has been customer service. This has further driven nurses away from the purpose of nursing. Hospitals have become money making machines. Everything about today’s hospitals is about bring in as much revenue as possible while keeping overhead as low as possible. I think a reformation is in order but where do we begin? Perhaps we should begin where the first century Christian began: With the Son of God Jesus Christ.

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1 W. W. Vine, Merrill F. Unger and William White Jr., Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words, (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1996), Hospitality.
2 Ibid, Stranger.

What is Christmas but the Incarnation; God into Human Flesh?

Do you have a favorite Bible story? Perhaps it is the birth of Jesus Christ; Luke 2:1-20 is often recited in Christian homes on Christmas Eve. However, this is not my favorite Bible story, but another Christmas passage is my favorite Bible story. My favorite Bible story is the prologue to The Gospel According to John. Did you know that John 1:1-18 is a Christmas story? It is indeed a Christmas story and a very strong Christmas story for three reasons:

1. In the beginning the Word was both with God and the Word was God. (1:1-5)
2. The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. (1:6-14)
3. The man Jesus Christ is the incarnate Word. (1:15-18)

To be a Christian means that you believe in the essential doctrines taught by the church and follow the teachings of Jesus Christ:

1. God is Trinity: There is one God who exist simultaneously in three divine persons; the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.
2. Jesus is both fully God and fully man in one person.
3. Jesus death on the cross was a sin sacrifice.
4. Jesus bodily rose from the dead.
5. There will be a bodily resurrection of all the dead at the judgment on the last day.

Every heresy throughout the history of the Christian church denies at least one of these essential doctrines. The second essential, that Jesus is fully God and fully man became an issue when Christianity became predominantly Graeco-Roman in its persons. The writers of the New Testament were Jewish, or in the case of Luke at least associated with Jews; therefore, the gospels were written from a Jewish worldview; and not a Graeco-Roman worldview. When someone asks, “Who is Jesus Christ?” If the question is asked from a Graeco-Roman worldview the answer that one would expect to hear has to do with his nature, but if the question is asked from a first century Jewish worldview the answer that one would expect to hear has to do with His function.1 Historical heresies that have to do with the person of Jesus Christ: Docetism,2 Arianism,3 and Nestorianism4 all sought unbiblical Graeco-Roman answers. However, the first century Jewish/Christian understanding had to do with his function; therefore, this is how we should understand the incarnation.

In John 10:31 the Jews pickup stones to stone Jesus because He made himself out to be God. Jesus did not say to them “I Am God,” but because he declared his function to be the same as the Father’s the Jews understood His statement to mean that He is God. (cf. Jn 10:33) When Phillip asked Jesus to show the disciples the Father, Jesus said: “Have I been so long with you, and yet you have not come to know Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?”

God is all-powerful, all-knowing and morally perfect. Man has limited-power, limited-knowledge and morally imperfect. It is our sin that separates us from God. Jesus came so that we may have life and have it abundantly. (Jn 10:10) Grace and truth came through Jesus Christ, (Jn 1:17) He has shown God to man (Jn 1:18) because eternal life is knowing God. (Jn 17:3)

What is Christmas but the Incarnation; God in human flesh? “No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him.” (Jn 1:18) This Christmas come to know God through the incarnation; the Word who was with God and was God became flesh and dwelt among us in the person of Jesus Christ the Son of God. (Cf. Jn 1:1-18)

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1 Millard J. Erickson, Christian Theology, 3^rd3d., (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2013), 638.

2 Docetism: a belief the Jesus was a spirit and not a physical being like man.

3 Arianism: a belief that Jesus was man and not God.

4 Nestorianism: a belief that Jesus was two persons, one God and one man.

Plantinga, Alvin, Knowledge and Christian Belief. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2015.

Biographical Sketch of the Author

Alvin Plantinga is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Notre Dame. He has a Ph.D., from Yale University. His interest: epistemology, metaphysics, and philosophy of religion.  He has written several books on these subjects: Where the Conflict Really Lies: Science, Religion and Naturalism. New York Oxford University Press, 2011. Are Science and Religion Compatible? New York: Oxford University Press, 2003. Warranted Christian Belief. New York: Oxford University Press, 2000.1

Summary of Contents

The main topic of this book is a question: Is Christian belief justifiable, reasonable and rational? He begins by professing that God is the all-powerful, all knowing, perfectly good creator of all. The argument ensues that if such a God exist he is beyond our minds to conceive. He then proceeds to say that many concede that there is such a thing as Christian belief but think that it is unjustified. He the divides the objectors into two groups: De facto objectors vs. De jure objectors.

The de facto objector claims that Christian belief is false or improbable. For example, “the problem of evil” is a de facto argument against God. The de jure objector says that belief in God is arrogant, unjustified and irrational. He then goes on to argue that the only promising candidate for a de jure objection is Freud’s claim that Christian belief does not have warrant for sufficient knowledge. By showing that the Christian faith does have sufficient knowledge all de jure objections fail.

He then presents what he calls the Aquinas/Calvin model to demonstrate that the Christian has sufficient knowledge about God and the gospel to warrant faith. He then deals with objections to this model. Then he spends the last three chapters of the book regarding possible defeaters of the Aquinas/Calvin model: Historical biblical criticism, religious pluralism and the problem of evil. He concludes that none of these are actually defeaters for Christian belief.

Critical Evaluation

First, let me say that I really enjoyed reading this book because its logic affirms the conversation that the Lord Jesus Christ had with the Pharisee Nicodemus and the writings of the apostle Paul. I am not saying that Alvin Plantinga is on par with the wisdom of the apostle Paul or what he has written is inspired writing; however, the logic that he uses in this book and the way he explains it in a modern context images the way the apostle Paul wrote to the Romans in their first century Jewish-Gentile church context. He spends the majority of the book arguing that the Christian faith is warranted and the logical argument that he gives is cohesive with the word of God. 

De facto arguments simply say that there is no proof of God; there are however, several natural arguments for the existence of God: cosmological, contingency and ontological to name a few. But the main focus of this book is regarding the de jure argument that Christian belief lacks warrant. The de jure argument doesn’t argue that your belief is false like the de facto argument but says that your belief is unwarranted because it is without knowledge. Is this a valid argument?

In this book Plantinga argues that Christian belief does have warrant because it is a belief that has knowledge. He makes this argument based on a claim made jointly by Thomas Aquinas and John Calvin. Aquinas and Calvin both agree that there is a natural knowledge of God. Calvin takes this further saying that it is a sense like our physical senses: smell, taste, hearing, seeing and feeling. Calvin calls this: “sensus divinitatis” sense of divinity. This sense of divinity has been suppressed in man because of sin; therefore, a new birth is needed. He also says that man has an affective disorder. Man was created in the image of God with an intellect and a will. Sin is a turning of the human will away from God which affects our minds. Therefore, sin is an affective disorder of the human will.

Here is a summary of the Aquinas/Calvin model proposed by Alvin Plantinga:

We humans have fallen into sin, a grievous condition from which we cannot extricate ourselves. Jesus Christ, both a human being and the divine Son of God, made atonement for our sin by way of his suffering and death, thus making it possible for us to stand in the right relationship to God. The Bible is (among other things) a written communication from God to us human beings, proclaiming this good news. Because of our fallen condition, however, we need more than this information: we also need a change of heart. This is provided by the internal instigation of the Holy Spirit; he both enables us to see the truth of the great things of the gospel and turns our affections in the right direction. 

From this argument it stands to reason that the Christian belief has warrant. I know it to be true because what Dr. Plantinga describes in this model actually happened to me. I know that the gospel is true because I have been given a change of heart by the internal instigation of the Holy Spirit. Formally my sense of divinity was clouded by my desire for sin. I now see the truth of the great things of the gospel because my affections have turned towards God although I am still tempted by sin. 

One thing that Plantinga does not address is the level of knowledge that the Christian has. The apostle Paul said, “For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known.” (1 Cor 13:12, NASB) I have knowledge of God and the gospel because my affection has changed but sin keeps me from seeing clearly and having full knowledge; nevertheless, my faith is not without knowledge. The caveat that I can see to this model is with regard to the de jure objector; he is not going to except these things unless he has a change of heart by the internal instigation of the Holy Spirit especially if his worldview is modern.

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1 University of Notre Dame. 2018. “Alvin Plantinga // Department of Philosophy // University of Notre Dame.” Department of Philosophy. Accessed December 6. https://philosophy.nd.edu/people/emeritus/alvin-plantinga/.