Today's Speaker: Eager Avenue Grace Church extends a warm welcome to Ken Wimer. Ken is pastor of Shreveport Grace Church and once again we welcome him as our guest speaker. Ken will conduct both the 10:00 am and 11:00 am services today. Pray for him as he delivers God's Word.

Next Weeks Guest Speaker: Bill Parker, Pastor of 13^th. Street Baptist Church, Ashland, Ky. will be our guest speaker on Feb. 10^th.

Birthdays: Rose Jones - Feb. 4^th.

Radio Broadcast: Sunday morning at 9:30am on 98.7 FM -WISK

The Two Men of Scripture

Our standing does not change after regeneration and conversion, our state does. Our standing is one of being already acquitted, forgiven, justified and seated with Christ in the heavenlies because of Christ's finished work at Calvary, Romans 5:9-11. Our state however is changed from death to life, ignorance to knowledge, rebellion to submission, etc, John 5:24.

If this important distinction is made plain in our hearts and minds, it will affect how we approach the 'TWO MEN' of Scripture, not seeing these as two opposing experiential states (natures), but rather two different POSITIONS or STANDINGS in God, one opposed to the other. We really only have one nature- sinful and depraved, but we are in one of two positions as sinners- either in Adam or Christ (the two men).

For the sake of clarity, I believe the following principle of interpretation to be correct. The Old Man refers to our POSITIONAL DEATH IN ADAM (when he died we died) and the New Man refers to our POSITIONAL DEATH IN CHRIST (when He died we died). If the Old Man/New Man scriptures are understood in this light it makes sense to speak of what we were in Adam (guilty and under legal condemnation and sentence of death) and what we ARE now in Christ (righteous, sinless, and perfect before God), not in our experience, but in our standing with God. However, if any try to explain these in the experiential sense, then it falls apart, and cannot be defended without compromise, for who can say that they have ever had a sinless thought or action. In Christ (the NEW MAN) we died positionally, judicially, and everlastingly to the Old Man (Adam). The forgiveness of our sins at Calvary was NON-EXPERIENTIAL when it took place, being a positional finished work that is true of us, to be believed, reckoned upon. THIS IS THE WHOLE BASIS OF BEING JUSTIFIED (LEGALLY RIGHTEOUS) FROM THE CROSS.

I am persuaded that if we do not understand this distinction between positional and experiential, there will be confusion, inconsistency, and misunderstanding with passages like Romans 6:1-10 where some say that our Adamic nature (experiential) has been put to death, but then it hasn't; OR they say we are given a new nature (experientially) that is sinless, but then again, none can ever honestly attest to ever having had a sinless thought. The only proper interpretation in my view is to see Paul's statements there and elsewhere as POSITIONAL, i.e. positionally in Christ, we are without sin (BY REPRESENTATION AND IMPUTATION), even though experientially, we continue to be what we are in Adam as sinful creatures. The work of the Spirit then is to continue to show us that nothing in our experience gives us righteous acceptance with God, being yet sinners by nature, but only being in THE NEW MAN (CHRIST), as opposed to the OLD MAN (Adam).

Ken Wimer - Pastor of Shreveport Grace Church

"What NAME Have You Called On?

The Scriptures make it quite clear that every sinner elected by God the Father in the everlasting covenant of grace, is justified freely by Christ's substitutionary work of redemption at Calvary, and will call on the name of the Lord. "And because YE ARE sons, (an event that has already occurred in spiritual adoption) God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father."(Gal.4:6) "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved."(Rom.10:13) The Scriptures declare boldly that "BECAUSE YOU ARE SONS", you will in time evidence your sonship by calling on God as YOUR FATHER.

Here is an important question: ‘If almost everyone we know (including ourselves) has at some point called on the name "Jesus," and asked Him to save them, can we assume they are indeed God's children?' Before answering, HEAR GOD'S WORD-"Not every one that saith unto me (lit., to call by name), Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven." ( Matt.7:21) "Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble."(James 2:19) Now that simple verse, "For whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved," doesn't seem so simple. Dear friend, this is a life or death matter, and we must be certain of the name we have called on as the God of our salvation.

You might be asking yourself: What NAME must I call on? First of all, you need to realize that your calling on God (faith) isn't the ground, cause, or hope of your salvation-"Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; Which He shed (not will shed) on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; That being (already) justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life."(Tit.3:5-7) Secondly, you need to understand that God's name is uniquely revealed to each of His children, AND THEY ALL KNOW HIS NAME-"And this is life eternal, that they might know Thee," (know in an intimate relationship as Adam KNEW Eve, and she conceived) THE ONLY TRUE GOD, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.(Jn.17:3) God revealed His NAME to Moses and that name was directly related to His glory-"And He (God) said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before thee; and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy."(Exo.33:19) His NAME is what reveals how He can be just and justify ungodly sinners-"And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS (JEHOVAH WHO SAVES): for he shall (not might) save his people from their sins."(Matt.1:21) If YOU ARE A SON, then you either are calling on (in true worship) or will yet be brought to call on JESUS as "the Lord your righteousness," the ONLY HOPE OF SALVATION. If the ‘jesus' you call on only made your salvation possible, you are still in a state of lostness. I pray you have called and are calling on "THE NAME OF THE LORD," worshipping Him in spirit and truth, wholly forgiven and justified by His blood and righteousness alone, Philippians 3:3.