Author: Christian ambassador (Shawn Brasseaux)

Grace and peace! What a privilege to be an ambassador for the risen Christ here on WordPress! I am a Pauline dispensationalist Christian saved by grace through faith in Christ Jesus plus nothing! My goal is to "have all men saved, and come to the knowledge of the truth" (1 Timothy 2:3,4). I seek to preach Jesus Christ crucified for our sins, buried, and raised again for our justification as the only way to salvation. Also, I seek to edify and perfect the saints using dispensational Bible study and the Authorized Version King James Bible!

I Just Wanted to Get Away! #5

Sunday, September 14, 2025

“And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself” (Genesis 3:10 KJV).

Will sinners “get away” from accountability before God?

Another useful method of evading culpability before God is known as “relative righteousness.” In this scenario, someone points to another and declares, “I am not as bad as that person.” They, of course, are probably referring to people such as inmates confined to the cells of maximum-security prisons—prostitutes, drug dealers, pedophiles, murderers, rapists, thieves, and so on. We can summarize their boast with the ditty, “I neither smoke nor chew, nor run with the girls who do!” They puff out their little chests and lift their noses up high. Many such goody-goodies could be found in ancient Judaism.

The classic Biblical example of this is Luke 18:11,12: “The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican [tax collector]. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.” Unfortunately, there are people who are better than we, so, our bragging must cease when they come into the picture. Moreover, the fact of the matter is, “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). No one is as good as He is or sinless like He is!

I once had an “intellectual” friend and college classmate who joined a strange Eastern religion. The topic came up as we were eating lunch in the school cafeteria one day. I had never heard of this philosophical system before, so I asked him quite bluntly an extremely simple question, “What will you do with your sin?” After a brief pause to think, he replied, “I will get back with you on that.” Some 15 years later, I am still waiting for an answer from him—and I know one will never be forthcoming. To my knowledge, he is still dodging accountability before God, trying to achieve a state of “spirituality” without coming through Calvary’s cross.

Alas, time is running out for him and all lost sinners, and they will not get away….

I Just Wanted to Get Away! #4

Saturday, September 13, 2025

“And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself” (Genesis 3:10 KJV).

Will sinners “get away” from accountability before God?

Perhaps the simplest way to avoid accountability before God is just to deny His existence. This is the atheist’s preference. If there is no higher authority beyond the sinner, the sinner can believe and do as he or she pleases without fear of ultimate scrutiny or eternal punishment. In that case, “being good without God” is as self-righteous as those who attend church and boast of their religious rites, rituals, ceremonies, and commandment-keeping (“I am good enough! I do the best I can!”). Both classes are struggling to “get away” from answering to God.

Let us go over to John 3:16-21 now: “[16] For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. [17] For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. [18] He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. [19] And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. [20] For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. [21] But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.”

Did you notice how sinners avoid the light? They do not want their deeds to be “reproved” (criticized), so they hide in darkness, where they think no one can see them and their evil activities. This matches what Adam and Eve did when they “hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden” (Genesis 3:8). Like their parents, they will either blame God or blame Satan when the light shines upon them and their nakedness….

I Just Wanted to Get Away! #3

Friday, September 12, 2025

“And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself” (Genesis 3:10 KJV).

Will sinners “get away” from accountability before God?

Recall that amusing—but true—story. The police forced a robbery suspect, speeding down the interstate, to stop. As they placed him in handcuffs, that adult wept and whined, “Man, why did y’all do that to me?! I was just wanting to get away! I was just trying to get away!” Study those words carefully, friend, for they are a glimpse into the sinful human heart and mind. At no point did he admit any wrongdoing. Instead, he carefully shifted the blame over to the police: the authorities were “at fault” because they prevented his escape! Like almost everyone else being taken to jail, he was “innocent.” Yet, if he were guiltless, why did he run… and for so long?

The parallel is striking. Sinful man supposes he can “get away” from accountability before a holy, righteous Creator God. Adam and Eve repeatedly tried this method in Genesis chapter 3, failing miserably. Religious people have done it through all these subsequent ages too. They presume they can cancel their sins by doing various good works—obeying commandments, helping the poor, getting water baptized, confessing sins, praying faithfully every day, giving money to a denominational institution or theological system, joining a church, eating communion wafers, teaching religion classes, and so on.

So infatuated with their “goodness,” so in love with self and their religious busyness, they show absolutely no interest in hearing about Christ’s finished crosswork on Calvary. As they rattle on and on (brag ad nauseam!!!) about how they have “done this” and “done that,” they sidestep accountability before God—and are therefore like our first parents, Adam and Eve. They respond, “No, I am not ‘that bad!’” Bearing a serious facial expression, some have even announced to me how they are truly sinless. They believe they have done no wrong at all. Ironically, if you point out their sin problem in an effort to lead them to Christ the Saviour of sinners, they accuse you of self-righteousness (!).

Indeed, they “just want to get away….”

God’s Offer to the Nations

Thursday, September 11, 2025

“…[T]hat God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation” (2 Corinthians 5:19 KJV).

Today’s Scripture is God’s offer to all the nations of the world today.

September 11, 2001 was a day that changed our nation forever. It was the worst terrorist attack in our two-century national history. Afterward, many Americans began to talk about “God Bless America” and “God Save the United States.” These phrases are not as commonplace as they used to be.

In the 24 years that have passed since that awful day, it is a sad commentary that “God” is now the least of our nation’s concerns. With the redefining of marriage, controversial political arena, moral decay, skyrocketing national debt, and the uncertainty as to what constitutes a human life and what does not, obviously, the God of the Bible has been largely pushed out… until we need His help, and then we cry out to Him. Unless we need Him, we rather not think about anything He has to say.

While many argue that God is judging America today for its sins, the Bible does not support such an idea. Certainly, God dealt with Israel in that manner—“Do good and I will bless, but disobey and I will curse” (Leviticus chapter 26; Deuteronomy chapter 28)—but we have no relation to that Old Covenant of Law.

For the last 20 centuries, God has offered His grace to all the world’s nations, to have a right standing before Him by trusting Jesus Christ. People still die and go to hell, but today’s Scripture says that God is not judging nations for their sins. Through Jesus Christ’s finished crosswork, God offers reconciliation to sinners, whether here or around the world. However, that grace is exhaustible, and one day, it will be replaced with His wrath (Romans 2:1-16). Still, we believers are not appointed to God’s wrath; we are saved from all wrath through Jesus Christ (Romans 5:9; 1 Thessalonians 1:10; 1 Thessalonians 5:9).

The only hope for America—yea, for any nation—is faith in Jesus Christ alone!

*You can also see our 2011 Bible study commemorating the 10th anniversary of 9/11. It can be watched here or read here.

I Just Wanted to Get Away! #2

Wednesday, September 10, 2025

“And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself” (Genesis 3:10 KJV).

Will sinners “get away” from accountability before God?

In Genesis 3:1-6, Adam and Eve chose to live outside of the sphere of existence their Creator God had ordained for them. It was activity contrary to how He designed their life to work. Eve was deceived, but Adam was not (1 Timothy 2:11-14). Adam failed to function as his wife’s Bible teacher, and Eve was negligent by not asking her husband for spiritual counsel.

Their first response to their sin problem was to sew fig leaves together to make clothes to cover their nakedness (Genesis 3:7). Here is works-religion. Instead of asking God to intervene, they took matters into their own hands and attempted to make themselves acceptable in His sight. Man sidesteps accountability for the first time. He is too proud to confess his inadequacy. Adam and Eve knew their manmade coverings of fig leaves were not enough, so they hid from the LORD God when they heard Him approaching (Genesis 3:8). Man avoids accountability for the second time.

Read Genesis 3:9-13: “And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou? And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself. And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat? And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat. And the LORD God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.” God calls Adam, the spiritual leader, to confession and accountability—but Adam blames his wife and God (!) for his eating of the forbidden fruit. Man avoids accountability for a third time. Eve then shifts her blame over to the Devil! Here is man’s attempt to justify himself yet again.

While some view Genesis as nothing more than fairytale or legend, they betray their spiritual ignorance. These reactions of Adam and Eve have been played out in every human’s life every day for thousands of years….

In order to bring you a special study tomorrow, we will temporarily break away from this devotionals arc….

I Just Wanted to Get Away! #1

Tuesday, September 9, 2025

“And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself” (Genesis 3:10 KJV).

Will sinners “get away” from accountability before God?

A robbery suspect once led police on a high-speed chase down the interstate. With his vehicle forced to stop after some minutes, officers got him out and onto the ground. As he was handcuffed, the adult man sobbed like a little child and cried out, “Man, why did y’all do that to me?! I was just wanting to get away! I was just trying to get away!” It is human nature to evade accountability. This goes all the way back to the literal events of Genesis 3:1-8, when our parents, Adam and Eve, hid from God because of their guilt.

“Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.

“And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons. And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden.”

Let us see if they “got away….”

The Social Club with the Steeple #6

Monday, September 8, 2025

“But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth” (1 Timothy 3:15 KJV).

Is our local church building the meeting-place of people filled with God’s life, or just “a social club with a steeple?”

Read 2 Timothy 4:3,4, an excerpt from one of Paul’s “pastoral epistles” (church handbooks of 1 and 2 Timothy, Titus, and Philemon): “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.”

In order to have turned away from the truth, they had to first have/know the truth. Now, they want nothing to do with it. They prefer hearing fables or “feel-good” religious stories (speculations and opinions of men), not sound Bible doctrine. If this does not describe many of our “Christian” churches and “Christian” schools today, nothing does! In the midst of that apostasy, the Holy Spirit through Paul directed Timothy in verses 1 and 2: “I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom; Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.”

There will be no great revival before Christ returns. Anyone who says otherwise contradicts the Bible and entertains wishful thinking. This should not discourage us though. Regardless of what dreadful events take place (even in the so-called “Grace Movement”), we should keep teaching and preaching sound Bible doctrine, dispensational truth—even as those who support it become fewer and fewer. Indeed, we will not turn the apostasy around, but we can slow it down ever so slightly. A few souls here and there can be saved from that inevitable, universal slide into doctrinal error. Let us go about our Father’s work sharing His rightly divided Word (King James Bible in English!) with those who want to hear, as we wait for our Lord’s return to get us! 🙂

Saints, please remember this work of the ministry requires monthly financial support to operate (Galatians 6:6; Philippians 4:16-17; 2 Corinthians 9:6-7). Those who prefer electronic giving can donate securely here: https://www.paypal.me/ShawnBrasseaux. Anyone who wishes to donate by regular mail can visit https://333wordsofgrace.org/contact-us-mailing-address-for-donations/ for details. Thanks to all who give to and pray for us! Unfortunately, since our ministry audience is so large and our ministry staff is so small, I can no longer personally respond to everyone. Thanks so much for understanding in this regard. 🙂

The Social Club with the Steeple #5

Sunday, September 7, 2025

“But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth” (1 Timothy 3:15 KJV).

Is our local church building the meeting-place of people filled with God’s life, or just “a social club with a steeple?”

As a preacher observed long ago, some local churches have actually not had any controversy in many years. Holding services and implementing programs, they are nevertheless spiritually dead churches. Whenever the Spirit of God works, the flesh opposes (Galatians 5:17). Therefore, if no doctrinal disagreements exist, it is because of one of two options. Either everyone in the assembly knows everything (highly unlikely!), or they do not discuss doctrine because they fear conflict. In the latter case, emotions, speculations, stories, and/or experiences take preeminence. Though the local church should be alive with God’s life and serve as “the pillar and ground of the truth” (today’s Scripture)—elevating the truth and supporting the truth—doctrine frequently means nothing to professing Christians. They want error instead! Remember, “God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth” (John 4:24).

Talking with people of various persuasions all these years, I conclude the vast majority are not attending church services because they hear the truth there. Instead, it is a cultural motivation. They were raised in that belief system, their parents went to that church, their friends go there—and they visit for social connections rather than doctrinal reasons. Hence, they react with indifference when you show them the church’s false teachings. Unconcerned, they elect to keep going. Why? Doctrinal integrity was never their incentive anyway! They liked eating the potluck suppers, felt happy with the amusement (music, singing, dancing, joke-telling), had great joy with the foolishness (tongue-talking or ecstatic utterances, hand-raising, “supernatural” storytelling, snake-handling, healing miracles), or liked reducing the Bible to an “intellectual” or literary work (analyzing its arguments, terms, grammar, historical/cultural background). They do not actually believe or appreciate the Holy Scriptures as the living Word of the living God. Brethren, may we identify them and withdraw from them for our own spiritual health’s sake!

Let us summarize and conclude this devotionals arc….

The Social Club with the Steeple #4

Saturday, September 6, 2025

“But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth” (1 Timothy 3:15 KJV).

Is our local church building the meeting-place of people filled with God’s life, or just “a social club with a steeple?”

Once, a family member announced online how she had just returned from “fun” church services during which she “learned some new dance moves.” She had gone there for amusement! I accessed the website of the church of another relative of mine. Their Sunday School, named after a famous “thinker,” was nothing more than a “philosopher’s club:” they had “intellectual” discussions instead of actual Bible study! In his biography on the church’s website, the “worship leader” actually named some of the worldliest, vulgarest musicians as his inspiration!

Several years back, a churchgoing woman notified me her local assembly was, in her words, a “social club.” When she asked the pastor to intervene regarding the false doctrine one of their Sunday School teachers was promoting, the pastor refused to get involved. Once she moved to Heaven, three new pastors were installed in a span of just a few years… and the congregation really went on a downward spiral doctrinally. The first new preacher threw out the old members (loyal to the former pastor) and brought in new people to support him and his “modern reformations.” I spoke with those next two new pastors: they are apostates, having no desire to hear Bible truth.

If it is not sound doctrine, it is not teaching or information worthy of our faith or trust. One fact is clear from the Bible Books of 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, Titus, and Philemon. The local church must not change the doctrine; chiefly, it is not to throw away Grace to take up the Law. We must continue in sound Bible doctrine. This—not entertainment—is (should be) the focus of the local assembly. Yet, it has become increasingly common for pastors, teachers, and denominations to not make an issue of doctrine because “doctrine divides.” “Narrow-mindedness” offends! Instead of worrying about doctrine, they wish to broaden their audience with various errors and thereby increase revenue (the love of money!).

Yes, they are running “social clubs with a steeple….”

The Social Club with the Steeple #3

Friday, September 5, 2025

“But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth” (1 Timothy 3:15 KJV).

Is our local church building the meeting-place of people filled with God’s life, or just “a social club with a steeple?”

To “behave thyself in the house of God” (today’s Scripture) means believers of the congregation observe the grace principles presented in this local-church handbook of 1 Timothy (plus companions 2 Timothy, Titus, and Philemon). One recurring idea in 1 Timothy is “doctrine” (teaching worthy of our faith/trust).

“As I besought thee to abide still at Ephesus, when I went into Macedonia, that thou mightest charge some that they teach no other doctrine,… For whoremongers, for them that defile themselves with mankind, for menstealers, for liars, for perjured persons, and if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine;…” (1 Timothy 1:3,10). Carefully read verses 3-11.

“If thou put the brethren in remembrance of these things, thou shalt be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine, whereunto thou hast attained…. Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine” (1 Timothy 4:6,13). “Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honour, especially they who labour in the word and doctrine” (1 Timothy 5:17). “Let as many servants as are under the yoke count their own masters worthy of all honour, that the name of God and his doctrine be not blasphemed… If any man teach otherwise, and consent not to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness;…” (1 Timothy 6:1,3). Read 1 Timothy 6:3-5 carefully.

“Sound” in 1 Timothy 1:10 is not in the sense of acoustics (hearing), but healthy (as in a “sound” mind, not sick or diseased). We get our English word “hygiene” from that Greek term. It is also rendered “wholesome” in 1 Timothy 6:3, plus translated “whole” (physical healing or bodily health) in Luke 5:31, Luke 7:10, Luke 15:27, and 3 John 2. As we learn also from 2 Timothy 1:13; 2 Timothy 4:3; Titus 1:9,13; and Titus 2:1,2; sound doctrine matters….