For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace, because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God. (Romans 8:5-8, NASB)

Christ Jesus Said You Must Be Born Again

The ad for God’s To-Do List: 103 Ways to Be an Angel and Do God’s Work on Earth (GTD) by Dr. Ron Wolfson on Alljudaica.com: Your Source For Quality Judaica And Books tells us, “You Are God’s Partner Put on This Earth to Do God’s Work.”

And further:

—from the Introduction
All human beings are made in the image of God. But for what purpose were you made? The biblical answer is clear: you are to imitate God in order to bring God’s presence into your life and the lives of others.

What on earth are you here for? To do the tasks that God has for you…. You can call someone who is lonely. You can visit a friend who is sick. You can read a book to a child. You can comfort a mourner. You can volunteer your time. You can make a difference. You can give of your self—a self that is infused with godliness. (Online source)

But the Bible informs us that man is corrupt and decidedly not “infused with godliness,” and according to our text in Romans above, prior to being born again—those who are in the flesh cannot please God. Now you may not know that Dr. Wolfson is president of Synagogue 3000 whose mission is:

a catalyst for excellence, empowering congregations and commnities to create that are sacred and vital centers of Jewish life.
(Online source)

And the S3K website tells us further that Ron Wolfson:

is a visionary Jewish educator whose enthusiasm for bringing Judaism alive in homes and synagogues has shaped his work in the community. He is the author most recently of The Spirituality of Welcoming: How to Transform Your Congregation Into a Sacred Community…
(Online source)

Being that GTD is written by one who is not regenerated in Christ we would not expect a real Christian pastor to endorse this book—save possibly John Hagee who, along with the Jewish Ron Wolfson, denies that Jesus is the Messiah—but we’d be wrong. Turns out that the Purpose Driven Pope Rick Warren loved GTD enough to lend it his name and his considerable credibility in Christian circles:

“This book is built on a great premise: Figure out what God does and then do that with other people! Simple but profound. I loved this book!” —Rick Warren, author, The Purpose-Driven Life (Online source)

And from the skewed perspective of Warren’s man-centered pragmatic purpose-driven and works-oriented “Deeds—Not Creeds” new evangelical religion it makes perfect sense. Just like Robert Schuller, one of his mentors, Warren believes—right along with Ron Wolfson—that there is an inherent goodness (read: human potential) within man. So in their collective warped view of the actual nature of humanity they think that if they can just get people doing enough good deeds then God will love them even more.

The eternal tragedy for those who follow such a dead wrong view is that they stand in stark opposition to the view of the LORD God Almighty Who has already told us in the Old Testament—and in the clearest possible terms—the intent of man’s heart is evil from his youth (Genesis 8:21, NASB). Then when our Creator God Jesus Christ of Nazareth stood upon His own planet He spoke again of unregenerate mankind—“you are evil” (Matthew 7:11).

I fully realize that this is not making anybody feel good about themself, but even though I am called as one of Christ’s pastor-teachers I will also be the first to say—along with the Apostle Paul—I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh (Romans 7:18, NASB). So I encourage you today to seek God about indescribable gift of salvation, which He freely offers to you, in order that you too may exclaim with joy—right along with the rest of us whom the Lord has redeemed by His grace alone; through faith alone, in Christ alone:

What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!
(Romans 7:24-25)

See also:

“PROTESTANT” PASTOR RICK WARREN CONTINUES RECOMMENDING THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH

ROBERT SCHULLER MENTOR TO RICK WARREN ON THE LOVE OF MAN: CHRIST DIED FOR NEGATIVE SELF-IMAGE

*UPDATE* ROB BELL AGREES WITH NEW AGE GURU MARIANNE WILLIAMSON

YOUR EVIL “TRUE SELF”