Of course I heard there was an earthquake.  But I have been so wrapped up in Greek, and papers, and sermons, and so forth, that I have failed to take even a moment to show concern and compassion for the people of New Zealand.

It was not until this (Friday) afternoon that I was confronted with a photo essay detailing the destruction.  It was not until today that I even offered a prayer on behalf of those whose lives have been devastated.

As I look back on the week and recognize how consumed I have been with “good things,” I cannot help but wonder who I may have passed by that was also devastated.  What man or woman who needed me to care about them did I flippantly pass?  What friend or family member needed me just to take the time to listen?

Think about how busy we all are.  Are we too busy to care about our brothers and sisters around us?

May next week be a better week.

Luke 18 tells the story of a rich young ruler approaching Jesus and asking, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Christ’s response saddened the young man and shocked the disciples. His response insinuated that salvation could not be achieved through the keeping of the commandments, yet the kingdom of heaven was still associated with great cost. The Gospels tell of many such accounts, when Jesus welcomed sinners in with open arms, but sternly warned them to count the cost. The cost, according to Jesus, was the renunciation of all.

Tragically, the majority of churches today present Christianity in radically different terms than Jesus did in Luke 14. The “easy-believism” of Hodges and Ryrie has turned conversion into a mere intellectual ascent and appeal to Christ. Finney’s “new measure” revivalism has turned man into the agent of his own spiritual birth. With the popularization of these and many other ideologies, the “cheap grace” Bonhoeffer warned of abounds in our local churches. Bonhoeffer saw this “justification of sin, without the justification of the sinner” as the “deadly enemy of the Church” and unfortunately, for the faithful pastor, the already deep waters of salvation have been muddied. Perhaps justification is presently eclipsed in a manner not seen since the Reformation. Faithful Christian pastors must now more than ever be equipped to counsel those who ask the question, “Do I possess saving faith?” It is to the Word of God that one must turn in an effort to display the biblical marks of the Spirit of God at work in someone’s life.

In keeping with the tradition of such men as Jonathan Edwards, who have set about a similar task, this study will begin by highlighting the marks that neither prove nor disprove genuine saving faith. Many common misconceptions concerning such marks of faith abound, the most basic of which is that belief in God is enough for salvation. Scripture clearly refutes this claim, teaching that it is possible to believe in and know God and yet remain condemned (Romans 1:21). It is even possible to possess intellectual knowledge of proper doctrine without possessing saving faith. James 2:19 reminds us, “You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder!” Belief, even proper belief, in God is no sure evidence of saving faith. Knowledge is no substitute for justification. Let Edwards’ declaration that even “the devil is orthodox in his faith” serve as a reminder to all.

It is often said that there will be many “good” people in hell. While we know Scripture teaches that there are no good people, the point is not to be taken likely. Jesus constantly combated moralism during his earthly ministry. The Pharisees were known to be strict keepers of every one of the 613 laws contained in the Torah. However, Jesus constantly attacked their self-righteous mindset with statements such as Matthew 9:13, “I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.” No amount of visible morality provides conclusive evidence of salvation. The rich young ruler spoken of earlier displayed great evidence of morality, yet he could not follow Jesus. How many in our churches are deceived because their conduct is “better” than most? How many feel comfortable of their salvation based on their Christian ethics when in reality they remain under the fiery wrath of God? Pastors must be clear, to be a Christian entails living morally but living morally does not entail being a Christian.

While one could go on citing many more inconclusive evidences of saving faith, the last one highlighted will be remembering a time of decision for Jesus. The abuse of the alter-call and the baptism of children too young to truly understand a commitment to Christ have given many churchgoers a memory of a time of decision in their lives that may or may not be a true conversion experience. In Luke 8, Jesus tells the parable of the sower, explaining to his disciples that there would be some who hear the Word and “believe for a while, and in time of testing fall away” and also that some would be “choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of life.” Sadly, many today fall into these two categories. Those who may have walked the aisle as a child feel safe in their damned state because their faith lies in a memory of a time of decision and not in the true Savior. A genuine concern for the eternal fate of unbelievers must propel pastors to debunk such false beliefs and lead men and women to what Scripture puts forth as proof of true Christianity.

The most basic evidence of saving faith is a genuine love for God. Psalm 42:1 states,  “As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God.” Does one’s soul thirst for the living God like the psalmist? In response to a question concerning which is the greatest commandment, Jesus responds in Matthew 22:37 with, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” For Jesus, this was the “great and first” commandment and according to Luke 10:26-28 is sufficient for inheriting eternal life. Pastors must put forth what Edwards would call a “raised esteem” for Jesus Christ as the first evidence of true conversion. Without the work of the Spirit in one’s life, no true love for God can exist. When one has been truly converted, love must abound.

Another confirmation of true conversion is evidence of a transformed life. 1 Corinthians 5:17 states, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” Pastors and disciplers must continue to ask the question of “how has Christ transformed your life?” True conversion produces a new man in which the Spirit of God dwells. This consequence of conversion produces drastic change. If there is no evidence of a transformed life in Christ, there is a good possibility that person remains in the likeness of the old Adam.

Proverbs 28:13 teaches, “Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy.” Repentance from sin is an authentic mark of the work of the Spirit. To the true Christian, 1 John 1:8,9 is one of the most comforting declarations in Scripture; stating, “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Those whom God has saved know full well the extent of their sinful hearts and their utter unrighteousness. However, this knowledge leads to repentance to God and thanksgiving to Christ for his work on the cross. True repentance involves godly sorrow and a turning from sin. Repentance from sin must be one of the primary evidences of the Spirit displayed in a true Christian.

Other authentic proofs of conversion exist, however the author must conclude by highlighting one of the least visible evidences of true Christianity in Evangelical Christianity today. James 4:4 warns, ‘you adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.” Separation from the world is an evidence of true Christianity put forth in Scripture. 1 John 2:16 explains what is in the world as “the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions.” The passage is very clear that if anyone loves these things, the love of God is not in him. Pastors must encourage an examination of the heart in an effort to determine where one’s love resides. Is it in the world and the things of the world or does one’s love reside in eternal things? Scripture seems clear that the true Christian will display authentic proof of conversion by being noticeably different from the world.

It is true that only God knows the eternal destiny of a man, but Christians are not left without a guide. 2 Timothy 3:16,17 states that, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.” As pastors and Christian brothers and sisters, we must be committed to using the Scriptures to fulfill the command of 2 Corinthian 13:5 and encourage ourselves and others to “examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith.”

Resources that influenced my thought on this subject:

Treatise on Religious Affections, Distinguishing Marks of a True Work of the Spirit of God, “True Grace Distinguished from the Experience of Devils,” by Jonathan Edwards

The Essential Edwards Collection: Jonathan Edwards on True Christianity, Jonathan Edwards on the Good Life, Jonathan Edwards Lover of God by Owen Strachan and Doug Sweeney

The Cost of Discipleship by Dietrich Bonhoeffer

The Saint and His Saviour by C.H. Spurgeon

The MacArthur Study Bible



The conference started Thursday evening and concluded Monday morning. About 60 men participated in the weekend of learning about and watching firsthand how a healthy church is run. I was able to sit in on an elders meeting, listen in as cases of church discipline were being discussed, and learn about sermon preparation. I learned about children’s ministry, how to choose elders, discipleship, service planning, and much more. The experience of learning from the crew at CHBC was invaluable and the information I learned and examples I witnessed will be extremely beneficial when I enter the world of pastoral ministry.

For more information about 9Marks and how to build a healthy church I would strongly recommend checking out their website, www.9marks.org. 9Marks offers valuable resources that will help ground your church in the Word of God. And is that not what our churches so desperately need?

The job hunt is going pretty well, however, it is also very time consuming. After a pretty good interview yesterday, we decided to head out to some different school districts just to touch base and drop off a resume. Our trip wound up consisting of visiting 5 different school districts. The crazy thing was,to my knowledge, they were all in the same county. Whitney got a few good leads to follow up on. So if you will, continue to be in prayer about that.

Of the many other places we have been since we have gotten here, one stands out in my mind above the rest. Whitney never changed her name in Alabama, so we paid a visit to the Social Security Adminstration. Although we were just there for a name change, there were many others there for quite different reasons. There were some immigrants, some disabled, and some obviously impoverished. However, what is stuck in both of our minds, is the smell of the waiting room in which we were sitting. It was an odor that can only be described as the smell of destitution and poverty. It was more than a foul odor, it was a reminder of how blessed we are. Although we may not be rich, it is by God’s grace that we are not covered in a smell of destitution and poverty. We had a reminder today to be very thankful that we are able to bare the sweet aroma of God’s blessings, not just with prayers of thanksgiving, but with actions that show how truly thankful we are.

Who we are? Make Full Proof is the ministry of Dustin and Whitney Bruce.  Recently married on June 20 after both graduating from Auburn University, we are now embarking on the next big journey of our life.  On Thursday, July 9th we leave to prepare for a lifetime of ministry.

What is Make Full Proof? Make Full Proof is our attempt to minister to our family, our friends, our many supporters back home, and any who may come upon our blog.  We hope to use this as a format to keep people informed on what Christ is doing through us, what struggles we are going through on our journey, any prayer needs or praise reports, and just anything we may want to share with all of our supporters.

Where will we be? Fort Worth, Texas is our new home!  We plan to be there for about three years while Dustin attends Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.  Whitney hopes to get a job teaching at a local elementary school, so keep that search in your prayers.

Why are we entering into ministry? This is a question I didn’t have a good answer for until the past week or so.  Obviously the main factor behind our decision was having a strong calling placed on our heart by God, but I was thinking there was more.  After going through one of the toughest things I have experienced in a while the answer was clear. Telling my family and friends goodbye over the past week has been an extremely hard thing to do.  Just the thought of moving a few hundred miles away from the people I love breaks my heart.  This pain is nothing in comparison to how it would feel to be separated from a loved one for all of eternity.  This day and age there is almost no place on earth where you cannot communicate with or quickly get to family and friends.  However, once someone passes on without having a personal relationship with Christ, the separation is complete and eternal.  God has placed a passion in our lives to work so that fewer people will have to experience that separation.  Only by spreading the saving message of Christ is this possible.

Thank you for reading our first blog post!  We sure hope you enjoyed it.  Our prayer is that God will use our story to bless you in some way.  Please pass this on to others and feel free to leave a comment.

Take care and God Bless.

Dustin and Whitney