One of the failings of the modern day Church, in my opinion, is its inability to translate the message of Christ to people in a way that helps them deal with everyday problems. Too often, today's Christianity either looks like a three ring circus or an exercise in behavior modification. Both of them are not only a hindrance to spiritual growth and evangelism, they don't address the practical needs of those they claim to help. This often leads believers stuck wallowing in the misery of their circumstances believing that they have either been cursed by God, are being ignored by Him, or aren't known by Him at all. Unfortunately, the focus for the troubles of the individual are centered around their own behavior. Thus, they end up trying to right the ship in their lives through endless and ever-changing attempts at trying to please God so He will change their circumstances for the better. Normally, people to turn to religion to change their fortunes rather than Christ. If you know all you have in Christ and how He sees you it will begin to change your outlook on the problems you have in this life.
Recently, I spoke with a fellow Christian about a problem they were facing regarding a unruly teenager as well as their own struggles with an addiction. Perhaps, my response can be of help to others dealing with similar problems:
"Well, that is allot to deal with. I am not sure what I can say that can be of help without coming across as cliche' or flippant. Not being a parent, I can only say that often times what snaps people out of their downward spiral is a life-changing moment. As someone who loves your niece, I know that can be hard to watch. We all want to spare our loved ones of trouble, but know from experience that going through trouble can often be the best teacher. I was speaking to my father tonight about that very same point. As a child we can hear our parents/guardians/loved ones tell us right from wrong until we are blue in the face. But, until we experience that which we were warned about we never really listen. Then the light comes on and we are like, "Oh yeah." The hard part is hoping that the child survives whatever trouble they experience. You are doing the right thing by suffering with her and praying for her. Trust God that, if your niece is willing, something you said, are doing or have been praying for will sink in and change her ways before her life is ruined. Remember, you can' t express the love of God towards others unless they are undeserving of that love. This is a moment where the love God showed you can be reflected through you to your niece.
As for your own issue with addiction, the best advice I can give is for you to do a study on your identity in Christ. When I struggled with abusing alcohol, the key to helping me overcome it was realizing that getting drunk was not consistent with who I am in Christ. It is no different with you. You are a child of God. It is not consistent with how God sees you for you to engage in that behavior. For example, those involved with Alcoholics Anonymous are conditioned to see themselves as alcoholics. Therefore, they may continue to struggle with alcohol because that is the identity they have adopted. An alcoholic, by definition, is someone dependent on alcohol. Therefore, if you identify as one, yet don't engage in the behavior, you are being inconsistent with who you say you are. Alcoholics should be drinking. But, if you area child of God, getting drunk is not consistent with who you are. You realize that your dependency is on the indwelling Holy Spirit, not in the alcohol. Now, apply this to your eating disorder. Are you a Anorexic or bulimia? Or are you a child of God who struggles with an eating disorder? There is a huge difference. Hope this helps some."
Knowing how God sees you is the foundation to how you approach many, if not all, of the problems you will face in this life. If God says He will never leave you or forsake you, and you feel that He has done just that, there is something wrong with what you are believing about Him. Perhaps the following will help you in your understanding of your identity in Christ:
Chosen by God
…just as He chose us In Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him. Ephesians 1:4
Saved by grace
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God not by works, so that no one can boast. Ephesians 2:8-9
God is propitiated satisfied
…and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world. 1 John 2:2
Reconciled to God
For if, when we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to Him through the death of His Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through His life! Romans 5:10
Redeemed
In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace. Ephesians 1:7
Freed from the Law
Therefore, my brethren, you also were made to die to the Law through the body of Christ, that you might be joined to another, to Him who was raised from the dead, that we might bear fruit for God. Romans 7:4
Totally forgiven
When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision Of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave its all our sins, having canceled the written code, with its
regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; He took it away, nailing it to the cross. Colossians 2:13
Totally cleansed
And such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and in the Spirit of our God. 1 Corinthians 6:11
He saved us, not on the basis of deeds we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit. Titus 3:5
Made holy and blameless
But now He has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy In His sight, without blemish and free from accusation. Colossians 1:22
Justified
For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are Justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. Romans 3:23-24
Safe from the wrath of God
Much more, having been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. Romans 5:9
Made at peace with God
Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have , peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Romans 5:1
Freed from condemnation
There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Romans 8:1
Sanctified made holy
By God’s will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus once for all. Hebrews 10: 10
Made perfect forever
For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified. Hebrews 10: 14
Totally accepted
Wherefore, accept one another, just as Christ also accepted us to the glory of God.
Romans 15:7
In fellowship with God
God is faithful, through whom you were called into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ.
1 Corinthians 1:9
…what we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also, that you also may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ. 1 John 1:3
May God continue to reveal to you the blessings you already have in Him.
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
The Righteousness of Noah
Q: I was reading about Noah (in Genesis 6) the other day, and it says more than once that he was a righteous man. Dictionary.com describes righteousness as `morally upright; without guilt or sin`. How would Noah have known what was moral and upright in a society that was so corrupt? (Genesis 6:11-12)
A: We presently live in an age where homosexuality is seen as natural and acceptable behavior, the murder of unborn children is said to be a woman's "right," fornication is expected and taught as being inevitable, drug use is becoming more widespread, suicide bombers murder in the name of their god and Biblical values are being undermined daily. It could easily be said that our society is corrupt. Yet, in the midst of it all, you have Christians that God sees as righteous because of our faith in Jesus Christ. This is not much different than it was in the time of Noah. Noah was a direct descendant of Adam. Therefore, it is not much of a stretch to think that Noah was steeped in the godly traditions of his ancestors. When Noah was born, Lamech, his father said of him, "He will comfort us in the labor and painful toil of our hands caused by the ground the LORD has cursed (Genesis 5:29)." This is evidence that God's curse on the ground (Genesis 3:17) was still common knowledge at the time of Noah's birth. It was this knowledge of God, and His righteous decrees, that most likely was a foundation used by Lamech when raising Noah.
I believe it is safe to say that despite how corrupt the world was during Noah's lifetime, his knowledge of, and adherence to, those godly foundations set him apart from the world around him. This is why scripture says that "Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked with God (Genesis 6:9)." Like Christians today, who walk with God, Noah represented a remnant of godly individuals who are saved. It is my understanding that Noah's name means "rest." The remnant in this case, Noah and his family, were spared God's judgement of mankind by finding rest in the Ark Noah built that would carry them through the destruction of the Flood. The Ark that saved them was a picture of Jesus Christ. Christ, in effect, is the Ark that saves us from the coming destruction and delivers us safely into God's presence in Heaven. God sees the imputed righteousness of Christ on every believer and gives us rest in the midst of the corruption that surrounds us. Because of our faith, God will keep us "strong to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 1:8)."
There is another important reason that Noah found favor in the eyes of God. Just after the Fall, God told the serpent that He would "put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers (Genesis 3:15)." The offspring of Eve mentioned here is God's way of alluding to the future birth of Jesus Christ. Now, if Noah had been deemed by God to be as wicked and violent as the rest of mankind then Noah's subsequent death in the Flood would have snapped the prophetic link from Adam to Jesus. Therefore, there would be a huge discrepancy in the Messianic prophecies about Jesus and the need for Him to come. The reason God judged mankind with the Flood was because of the way in which sin had manifested itself. It is not beyond reason to assume that if God had wiped Noah and his family out along with the rest of the world that the need for man to be redeemed from his sin would have been wiped out as well. There is no need to redeem mankind when there is no mankind left in need of redemption.
"For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God's grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many (Romans 5:15)!" Sin and death entered this world through Adam. Forgiveness and life are found only in Jesus Christ, the last Adam. All mankind is born into this world dead in sin and in need of forgiveness and the life of God found only in Christ. Believers owe Noah a debt of gratitude for him being found righteous in God's sight. For if he had not been found righteous, not only would we not have had the opportunity to come to Christ by faith for salvation, we most likely would had never been born at all. Yes, Noah kept alive the curse of sin that we have all inherited, but more importantly, he kept alive the hope of redemption we have in Jesus Christ. Because of our faith in Christ, like Noah, we are righteous in the eyes of God, without guilt or sin, and are safe from the coming storm.
A: We presently live in an age where homosexuality is seen as natural and acceptable behavior, the murder of unborn children is said to be a woman's "right," fornication is expected and taught as being inevitable, drug use is becoming more widespread, suicide bombers murder in the name of their god and Biblical values are being undermined daily. It could easily be said that our society is corrupt. Yet, in the midst of it all, you have Christians that God sees as righteous because of our faith in Jesus Christ. This is not much different than it was in the time of Noah. Noah was a direct descendant of Adam. Therefore, it is not much of a stretch to think that Noah was steeped in the godly traditions of his ancestors. When Noah was born, Lamech, his father said of him, "He will comfort us in the labor and painful toil of our hands caused by the ground the LORD has cursed (Genesis 5:29)." This is evidence that God's curse on the ground (Genesis 3:17) was still common knowledge at the time of Noah's birth. It was this knowledge of God, and His righteous decrees, that most likely was a foundation used by Lamech when raising Noah.
I believe it is safe to say that despite how corrupt the world was during Noah's lifetime, his knowledge of, and adherence to, those godly foundations set him apart from the world around him. This is why scripture says that "Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked with God (Genesis 6:9)." Like Christians today, who walk with God, Noah represented a remnant of godly individuals who are saved. It is my understanding that Noah's name means "rest." The remnant in this case, Noah and his family, were spared God's judgement of mankind by finding rest in the Ark Noah built that would carry them through the destruction of the Flood. The Ark that saved them was a picture of Jesus Christ. Christ, in effect, is the Ark that saves us from the coming destruction and delivers us safely into God's presence in Heaven. God sees the imputed righteousness of Christ on every believer and gives us rest in the midst of the corruption that surrounds us. Because of our faith, God will keep us "strong to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 1:8)."
There is another important reason that Noah found favor in the eyes of God. Just after the Fall, God told the serpent that He would "put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers (Genesis 3:15)." The offspring of Eve mentioned here is God's way of alluding to the future birth of Jesus Christ. Now, if Noah had been deemed by God to be as wicked and violent as the rest of mankind then Noah's subsequent death in the Flood would have snapped the prophetic link from Adam to Jesus. Therefore, there would be a huge discrepancy in the Messianic prophecies about Jesus and the need for Him to come. The reason God judged mankind with the Flood was because of the way in which sin had manifested itself. It is not beyond reason to assume that if God had wiped Noah and his family out along with the rest of the world that the need for man to be redeemed from his sin would have been wiped out as well. There is no need to redeem mankind when there is no mankind left in need of redemption.
"For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God's grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many (Romans 5:15)!" Sin and death entered this world through Adam. Forgiveness and life are found only in Jesus Christ, the last Adam. All mankind is born into this world dead in sin and in need of forgiveness and the life of God found only in Christ. Believers owe Noah a debt of gratitude for him being found righteous in God's sight. For if he had not been found righteous, not only would we not have had the opportunity to come to Christ by faith for salvation, we most likely would had never been born at all. Yes, Noah kept alive the curse of sin that we have all inherited, but more importantly, he kept alive the hope of redemption we have in Jesus Christ. Because of our faith in Christ, like Noah, we are righteous in the eyes of God, without guilt or sin, and are safe from the coming storm.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
A Clean Forehead
The season of Lent kicks off tomorrow with the celebration of Ash Wednesday. According to the Encyclopedia of Catholicism:
"Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent. On this day ashes are blessed and applied to the foreheads of the faithful as a sign of penance... The traditional formula for the placing of ashes on the forehead is, "Remember you are dust and will return to dust." The formula "Turn from sin and live the gospel" is frequently used today."
A friend of mine recalled that when he asked a Catholic coworker of his why she received ashes on her forehead she replied, "I was raised this way." In other words, her participation in Ash Wednesday is a tradition, a habit. She could offer no biblical support for the practice it is just something she has done all her life. This tradition is a "sign of penance" and a reminder to "turn from sin and live the gospel." This sounds good and religious, but is totally incorrect. When I read something like this I can't help, but be reminded of the words of Jesus in the Gospel of Mark. "Thus you nullify the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And you do many things like that (Mark 7:13)."
How many traditions are there within the so-called Body of Christ that "nullify the word of God?" When it comes to the subject of forgiveness, which is what is at the heart of the tradition of Ash Wednesday, there are countless traditions that nullify the finished work of Jesus Christ. According to NewAdvent.org, penance is defined as a "sacrament of the New Law instituted by Christ in which forgiveness of sins committed after baptism is granted through the priest's absolution to those who with true sorrow confess their sins and promise to satisfy for the same." I barely understand this much less agree with what it says. Sins committed after baptism? Forgiveness granted through the priest's absolution? True sorrow? Promise to satisfy? None of this is biblical! All of it focuses everything on the believer to try and perform sacrifices for their sins and puts the granting of forgiveness in the hands of man. This, dare I say, is heretical. In order to accomplish all these requirements you have to develop a program designed to help a person fulfill the requirements. And that, my friends, is putting yourself back under the law in an effort to achieve through self-effort that which Christ has already done for us.
"Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God. Since that time he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool, because by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy. The Holy Spirit also testifies to us about this. First he says: "This is the covenant I will make with them after that time, says the Lord. I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds."Then he adds: "Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more."And where these have been forgiven, there is no longer any sacrifice for sin." Hebrews 10:11-18
When Jesus Christ died on the cross for the sins of the world, "he sat down at the right hand of God." Why did He sit down? He sat down because, as he proclaimed from the cross, "it is finished (John 19:30)." His work, on our behalf, was complete. Jesus did for us what we could not and cannot do for ourselves. Scripture is clear that the daily sacrifices of priests to absolve sins can never take those sins away. Too many Christians forget that God already had a sacrificial system in place to deal with the sins of the people, the Law. But, if "it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins (Hebrews 10:4)," why do we think confessing our sins to priests is somehow sufficient to satisfy God? The fact is that our sacrifices are not acceptable to God as sufficient to obtain forgiveness of sins nor are they required by Him. By Christ's one sacrifice for sin God was satisfied for all eternity and remembers our sins no more. There is no sacrifice for sins! Confessing to priests, keeping short accounts, answering altar calls, putting ashes on our foreheads and, even, sacrificing bulls and goats will not do for us what only Christ could do. I don't think Christians mean God any harm when they participate in these activities, but you could be guilty of disrespecting the sacrifice of Jesus Christ when you take part in them.
"If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God. Anyone who rejected the law of Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. How much more severely do you think a man deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God under foot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified him, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace?" Hebrews 10:26-29
A relative of mine once said that she asks God to forgive her because "it makes her feel good." While understandable, it definitely is evidence that she doesn't believe Jesus has taken away her sins. Furthermore, it could be construed as insulting the Spirit of grace. The knowledge of truth that Christians deliberately sin against is that Christ's sacrifice was once, final, for all and for eternity. Every time you ask God to forgive your sins, regardless of the procedure involved, you are telling Him that the death of Jesus was not enough. That shouldn't make you feel good. I say all this not to condemn Catholics, but to use Ash Wednesday as an opportunity to tell all Christians that God no longer holds our sins against us. This is not my attempt to encourage people to sin, but to enlighten you to the fact that something greater exists for you. We usually ask God to forgive us because we feel that our sins have separated us from Him. However, because of Christ's once for all sacrifice for sins, the forgiveness we have in Him frees us to approach God in order to receive His love, mercy, kindness and instruction. It is only when we accept that we have been set free from the penalty of death our sins deserve, that we can use that freedom to serve each other in love by allowing the Holy Spirit of God to live the Gospel through us.
"Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent. On this day ashes are blessed and applied to the foreheads of the faithful as a sign of penance... The traditional formula for the placing of ashes on the forehead is, "Remember you are dust and will return to dust." The formula "Turn from sin and live the gospel" is frequently used today."
A friend of mine recalled that when he asked a Catholic coworker of his why she received ashes on her forehead she replied, "I was raised this way." In other words, her participation in Ash Wednesday is a tradition, a habit. She could offer no biblical support for the practice it is just something she has done all her life. This tradition is a "sign of penance" and a reminder to "turn from sin and live the gospel." This sounds good and religious, but is totally incorrect. When I read something like this I can't help, but be reminded of the words of Jesus in the Gospel of Mark. "Thus you nullify the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And you do many things like that (Mark 7:13)."
How many traditions are there within the so-called Body of Christ that "nullify the word of God?" When it comes to the subject of forgiveness, which is what is at the heart of the tradition of Ash Wednesday, there are countless traditions that nullify the finished work of Jesus Christ. According to NewAdvent.org, penance is defined as a "sacrament of the New Law instituted by Christ in which forgiveness of sins committed after baptism is granted through the priest's absolution to those who with true sorrow confess their sins and promise to satisfy for the same." I barely understand this much less agree with what it says. Sins committed after baptism? Forgiveness granted through the priest's absolution? True sorrow? Promise to satisfy? None of this is biblical! All of it focuses everything on the believer to try and perform sacrifices for their sins and puts the granting of forgiveness in the hands of man. This, dare I say, is heretical. In order to accomplish all these requirements you have to develop a program designed to help a person fulfill the requirements. And that, my friends, is putting yourself back under the law in an effort to achieve through self-effort that which Christ has already done for us.
"Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God. Since that time he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool, because by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy. The Holy Spirit also testifies to us about this. First he says: "This is the covenant I will make with them after that time, says the Lord. I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds."Then he adds: "Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more."And where these have been forgiven, there is no longer any sacrifice for sin." Hebrews 10:11-18
When Jesus Christ died on the cross for the sins of the world, "he sat down at the right hand of God." Why did He sit down? He sat down because, as he proclaimed from the cross, "it is finished (John 19:30)." His work, on our behalf, was complete. Jesus did for us what we could not and cannot do for ourselves. Scripture is clear that the daily sacrifices of priests to absolve sins can never take those sins away. Too many Christians forget that God already had a sacrificial system in place to deal with the sins of the people, the Law. But, if "it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins (Hebrews 10:4)," why do we think confessing our sins to priests is somehow sufficient to satisfy God? The fact is that our sacrifices are not acceptable to God as sufficient to obtain forgiveness of sins nor are they required by Him. By Christ's one sacrifice for sin God was satisfied for all eternity and remembers our sins no more. There is no sacrifice for sins! Confessing to priests, keeping short accounts, answering altar calls, putting ashes on our foreheads and, even, sacrificing bulls and goats will not do for us what only Christ could do. I don't think Christians mean God any harm when they participate in these activities, but you could be guilty of disrespecting the sacrifice of Jesus Christ when you take part in them.
"If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God. Anyone who rejected the law of Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. How much more severely do you think a man deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God under foot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified him, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace?" Hebrews 10:26-29
A relative of mine once said that she asks God to forgive her because "it makes her feel good." While understandable, it definitely is evidence that she doesn't believe Jesus has taken away her sins. Furthermore, it could be construed as insulting the Spirit of grace. The knowledge of truth that Christians deliberately sin against is that Christ's sacrifice was once, final, for all and for eternity. Every time you ask God to forgive your sins, regardless of the procedure involved, you are telling Him that the death of Jesus was not enough. That shouldn't make you feel good. I say all this not to condemn Catholics, but to use Ash Wednesday as an opportunity to tell all Christians that God no longer holds our sins against us. This is not my attempt to encourage people to sin, but to enlighten you to the fact that something greater exists for you. We usually ask God to forgive us because we feel that our sins have separated us from Him. However, because of Christ's once for all sacrifice for sins, the forgiveness we have in Him frees us to approach God in order to receive His love, mercy, kindness and instruction. It is only when we accept that we have been set free from the penalty of death our sins deserve, that we can use that freedom to serve each other in love by allowing the Holy Spirit of God to live the Gospel through us.
Monday, February 23, 2009
Rekindle the Fire
Not too long after I accepted Christ I met the pastor of a local Christian fellowship. He invited me to his church and not long afterward I became a member. Naive as to what being a Christian was all about I didn't know what I was about to get myself into. Right from the start they put me to work. They enrolled me in the Singles Ministry and the Men's Ministry. And were always looking for me to "volunteer" for any other group that came along. Before long it seemed like Church had become, like a friend of mine once quipped, "another job." It seemed like every spare moment was to be occupied with something surrounding church. Eventually, I got warn out because of that, and other teaching issues I had with them, and decided to leave the church. That is why I can sympathize with my Christian brethren when they say things like:
"Hey guys for awhile I was absolutely on fire for God. It was like me and him were best friends. Now all of a sudden I feel more distant then ever to him. It was like before I knew that I was saved and I was gonna be in the presence of God forever, but now I seem more to second guess myself. So does anyone have any advice on how can I rekindle that fire for God?. Thanks."
Most of us can remember how we were "on fire for God" when we first got saved. I can still remember all, but shoving Jesus Christ down the throats of friends and family in my zest to share what little I knew of the Gospel with them. It is human nature to want to please others and it is no different then when we come to the Lord. What child doesn't want to make their Father proud of them? The only problem is that for most Christians we are told what we need to do for God rather than being instructed on what God, in Christ, has already done for us.
"It still remains that some will enter that rest, and those who formerly had the gospel preached to them did not go in, because of their disobedience. Therefore God again set a certain day, calling it Today, when a long time later he spoke through David, as was said before: "Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts."For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken later about another day. There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God's rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from his. Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will fall by following their example of disobedience." Hebrews 4:6-11
God is already pleased with us because of our faith in Christ. However, most Christians are told that in order to please God they have to get busy for Him by trying to show Him just how great a Christian they can be. This is the first step on a long, frustrating and burdensome journey. Our initial enthusiasm, which we call being "on fire for God," is the perfect fuel for this well-intentioned, but misguided quest. Like your first day on the job you are eager to get instruction on what you need to do in order to be successful. And each fellowship is more than willing to hand you the list. We are all familiar with terms like the "first act of obedience." This usually means that you have to get water baptised (which isn't a requirement of salvation). Although, it is never identified as such, the "second act of obedience" is to tithe (although Christians are not commanded to tithe) so you can start supporting the church you belong to. With all do respect, this is like a warden taking a collection from the inmates; effectively paying him to keep them incarcerated. Each subsequent "act of obedience" is determined by the respective denomination you enroll in. Thankfully, God is patient with us like any good parent is with their children.
As you progress through your walk you will soon realize that as time passes the requirements to be a "successful" Christian get increasingly more difficult and never ending. The demands on our time, treasure and talent soon become unbearable. Besides our constant involvement in church activity comes the impossible task of trying to reach sinless perfection. This is enough to bury even the most determined individual or, at the very least, leads them to a lifetime of silent suffering as they mask from others the futility and disillusionment they are experiencing. Christian author, Bob George, in his book "Classic Christianity" summed it up this way. "Is this then, what Jesus had in mind when He talked of an "abundant life"? No! But if people have never experienced anything different, they will accept their predicament as normal. They will assume "that's just the way it is. I have got great news. The Christian life really isn't a matter of perfecting your acting ability. It can be real!"
The only way for the Christian life to be real to you is to realize that you can't live it. Best of all is the fact that God doesn't expect you to. If you think about it, if we could live the Christian life than what was the purpose of Christ's coming? Because of the sinless life of Christ, His death, burial and resurrection, we have received a glorious and eternal inheritance. The moment we accepted Christ by faith we received total forgiveness, total sanctification, total acceptance, Christ's righteousness, total justification, total love, eternal life and were made at peace with God. In other words, as scripture says, we have received everything we need for life and godliness and have been blessed with every spiritual blessing. Is this not what your average Christian is striving so hard to receive from God through their efforts? In reality, when we try to receive from God what He has already given to us, as a gift for our faith in Christ, we are being disobedient and are guilty of failing to enter His rest. If you are no longer "on fire for God," chances are that you will not be able to rekindle that fire until you rest from your own work and allow the Lord to live His life through you.
"Hey guys for awhile I was absolutely on fire for God. It was like me and him were best friends. Now all of a sudden I feel more distant then ever to him. It was like before I knew that I was saved and I was gonna be in the presence of God forever, but now I seem more to second guess myself. So does anyone have any advice on how can I rekindle that fire for God?. Thanks."
Most of us can remember how we were "on fire for God" when we first got saved. I can still remember all, but shoving Jesus Christ down the throats of friends and family in my zest to share what little I knew of the Gospel with them. It is human nature to want to please others and it is no different then when we come to the Lord. What child doesn't want to make their Father proud of them? The only problem is that for most Christians we are told what we need to do for God rather than being instructed on what God, in Christ, has already done for us.
"It still remains that some will enter that rest, and those who formerly had the gospel preached to them did not go in, because of their disobedience. Therefore God again set a certain day, calling it Today, when a long time later he spoke through David, as was said before: "Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts."For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken later about another day. There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God's rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from his. Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will fall by following their example of disobedience." Hebrews 4:6-11
God is already pleased with us because of our faith in Christ. However, most Christians are told that in order to please God they have to get busy for Him by trying to show Him just how great a Christian they can be. This is the first step on a long, frustrating and burdensome journey. Our initial enthusiasm, which we call being "on fire for God," is the perfect fuel for this well-intentioned, but misguided quest. Like your first day on the job you are eager to get instruction on what you need to do in order to be successful. And each fellowship is more than willing to hand you the list. We are all familiar with terms like the "first act of obedience." This usually means that you have to get water baptised (which isn't a requirement of salvation). Although, it is never identified as such, the "second act of obedience" is to tithe (although Christians are not commanded to tithe) so you can start supporting the church you belong to. With all do respect, this is like a warden taking a collection from the inmates; effectively paying him to keep them incarcerated. Each subsequent "act of obedience" is determined by the respective denomination you enroll in. Thankfully, God is patient with us like any good parent is with their children.
As you progress through your walk you will soon realize that as time passes the requirements to be a "successful" Christian get increasingly more difficult and never ending. The demands on our time, treasure and talent soon become unbearable. Besides our constant involvement in church activity comes the impossible task of trying to reach sinless perfection. This is enough to bury even the most determined individual or, at the very least, leads them to a lifetime of silent suffering as they mask from others the futility and disillusionment they are experiencing. Christian author, Bob George, in his book "Classic Christianity" summed it up this way. "Is this then, what Jesus had in mind when He talked of an "abundant life"? No! But if people have never experienced anything different, they will accept their predicament as normal. They will assume "that's just the way it is. I have got great news. The Christian life really isn't a matter of perfecting your acting ability. It can be real!"
The only way for the Christian life to be real to you is to realize that you can't live it. Best of all is the fact that God doesn't expect you to. If you think about it, if we could live the Christian life than what was the purpose of Christ's coming? Because of the sinless life of Christ, His death, burial and resurrection, we have received a glorious and eternal inheritance. The moment we accepted Christ by faith we received total forgiveness, total sanctification, total acceptance, Christ's righteousness, total justification, total love, eternal life and were made at peace with God. In other words, as scripture says, we have received everything we need for life and godliness and have been blessed with every spiritual blessing. Is this not what your average Christian is striving so hard to receive from God through their efforts? In reality, when we try to receive from God what He has already given to us, as a gift for our faith in Christ, we are being disobedient and are guilty of failing to enter His rest. If you are no longer "on fire for God," chances are that you will not be able to rekindle that fire until you rest from your own work and allow the Lord to live His life through you.
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Wondering if you are Saved
Q: I accepted CHRIST as my Saviour many years ago but i still have problems with sin in my life. I some times wonder if i am saved. Is this the devil trying to deceive me or what ? My brother who lost his son at the age of 37 last summer claims you cant really know if your saved until you die. What are some thoughts on my comments?
A: A Christian will always have problems with sin in their life. Becoming a Christian doesn't mean that you stop sinning. Becoming a Christian means that you have "crossed over from death to life (John 5:24)." I don't say this to diminish the struggles you are going through in regards to your present struggle. I say this because you will never grow as a Christian and begin to see a diminishing of sin in your life until you realize that your sins have already been forgiven by God. You can never experience the love of God in your life until you realize "that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them (2 Corinthians 5:19)."
When we don't know that our sins no longer separate us from God, we are sitting ducks for Satan to steal the joy of our salvation. We all have experienced times when we have sinned and are overcome by the guilt and embarrassment that comes along with our sin. It is at that time that Satan will come along and suggest the things that plant seeds of doubt in our mind. He will say things like, "How can you be a Christian and do what you just did?" And without a firm understanding of the forgiveness we have in Christ we start doubting everything from our forgiveness to our salvation. Remember, it was the serpent that asked Eve, "Did God really say, 'You must not eat from any tree in the garden' (Genesis 3:1)?" When we don't know the truth about our sins being put behind God's back for eternity, we give Satan an opportunity to ask the same kind of question to us. "Did God really say He wasn't counting your sins against you?"
Once the doubt is planted in our minds we usually do the rest by equating our sinful behavior with whether or not we are saved. That is what leads people like your brother to say that we can't really know if we are saved until we die. Our salvation is not based on our ability to behave properly and to stop sinning. Our salvation was purchased by, and kept for us, through the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. If we can't know we are saved until we die than we have to explain the words of John when he said, "I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life (1 John 5:13)." John wasn't writing to dead people. He was reassuring his audience that because of their faith in Jesus Christ they had eternal life as a present possession. Our sins are evidence of the fallen flesh that we live in. The same flesh that, according to 1 Corinthians 15:50, "cannot inherit the Kingdom of God." The question you must ask yourself is what is your understanding of the Gospel?
Many of our incorrect beliefs stem from the fact that we don't have a full grasp of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. For allot of Christians they believe the Gospel is simply Jesus died for their sins. While that is not incorrect, it is incomplete. The death of Jesus Christ on the cross does not save anybody. His death made salvation possible through His resurrection. After Adam ate the forbidden fruit in the Garden, God removed His life from Adam and he died. Subsequently, all mankind is born into this world spiritually dead to God in our sins. But, before God could restore His life to us, He had to deal with the sin that caused that life to leave in the first place. Jesus was the only man born into this world with a life to give that would satisfy God as payment for our sins. Now, raised from the dead, the life of God can now be offered as a free gift to anybody who accepts Christ by faith. And because of His death on the cross, there is now no sin that can cause that life to leave. Thus, the life we have received is an eternal life. A life that carries us through the rest of our lives and into eternity even after we physically die. The truth of this is revealed in passages like the following:
"But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him! For if, when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!" Romans 5:8-10
My prayer is that you will come to understand the truth that God is no longer counting your sins against you. And that through that understanding you will begin to trust Him with your life and respond to the leading of His indwelling Holy Spirit. As time passes you will notice a diminishing of the sins in your life, but not a total disappearance of them. After all, God is not going to lead you into a life of sin. But, thanks be to God that when you do sin, and you will, the sacrifice of Jesus Christ allows you, and all of us, to "approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need (Hebrews 4:16)."
A: A Christian will always have problems with sin in their life. Becoming a Christian doesn't mean that you stop sinning. Becoming a Christian means that you have "crossed over from death to life (John 5:24)." I don't say this to diminish the struggles you are going through in regards to your present struggle. I say this because you will never grow as a Christian and begin to see a diminishing of sin in your life until you realize that your sins have already been forgiven by God. You can never experience the love of God in your life until you realize "that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them (2 Corinthians 5:19)."
When we don't know that our sins no longer separate us from God, we are sitting ducks for Satan to steal the joy of our salvation. We all have experienced times when we have sinned and are overcome by the guilt and embarrassment that comes along with our sin. It is at that time that Satan will come along and suggest the things that plant seeds of doubt in our mind. He will say things like, "How can you be a Christian and do what you just did?" And without a firm understanding of the forgiveness we have in Christ we start doubting everything from our forgiveness to our salvation. Remember, it was the serpent that asked Eve, "Did God really say, 'You must not eat from any tree in the garden' (Genesis 3:1)?" When we don't know the truth about our sins being put behind God's back for eternity, we give Satan an opportunity to ask the same kind of question to us. "Did God really say He wasn't counting your sins against you?"
Once the doubt is planted in our minds we usually do the rest by equating our sinful behavior with whether or not we are saved. That is what leads people like your brother to say that we can't really know if we are saved until we die. Our salvation is not based on our ability to behave properly and to stop sinning. Our salvation was purchased by, and kept for us, through the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. If we can't know we are saved until we die than we have to explain the words of John when he said, "I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life (1 John 5:13)." John wasn't writing to dead people. He was reassuring his audience that because of their faith in Jesus Christ they had eternal life as a present possession. Our sins are evidence of the fallen flesh that we live in. The same flesh that, according to 1 Corinthians 15:50, "cannot inherit the Kingdom of God." The question you must ask yourself is what is your understanding of the Gospel?
Many of our incorrect beliefs stem from the fact that we don't have a full grasp of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. For allot of Christians they believe the Gospel is simply Jesus died for their sins. While that is not incorrect, it is incomplete. The death of Jesus Christ on the cross does not save anybody. His death made salvation possible through His resurrection. After Adam ate the forbidden fruit in the Garden, God removed His life from Adam and he died. Subsequently, all mankind is born into this world spiritually dead to God in our sins. But, before God could restore His life to us, He had to deal with the sin that caused that life to leave in the first place. Jesus was the only man born into this world with a life to give that would satisfy God as payment for our sins. Now, raised from the dead, the life of God can now be offered as a free gift to anybody who accepts Christ by faith. And because of His death on the cross, there is now no sin that can cause that life to leave. Thus, the life we have received is an eternal life. A life that carries us through the rest of our lives and into eternity even after we physically die. The truth of this is revealed in passages like the following:
"But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him! For if, when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!" Romans 5:8-10
My prayer is that you will come to understand the truth that God is no longer counting your sins against you. And that through that understanding you will begin to trust Him with your life and respond to the leading of His indwelling Holy Spirit. As time passes you will notice a diminishing of the sins in your life, but not a total disappearance of them. After all, God is not going to lead you into a life of sin. But, thanks be to God that when you do sin, and you will, the sacrifice of Jesus Christ allows you, and all of us, to "approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need (Hebrews 4:16)."
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
A people for His Name: Part 2
Q: Thank you for answering! The greatest question and of most CONCERN to me was WHOSE NAME they were to be CALLED BY----I didn`t know if it was Jehovah or Jesus. The answer comes at the end of your 1st paragraph: `in CHRIST, God created a people for HIS NAME` from among the Jews and Gentiles. Your information verifies the information I found in the NASB Interlinier Bible: The Greek word for LORD is Kurios (koo`-ree-as). Under Kurios it states: this title is given to: God, the Messiah . I take that as Christ (also a reference to the Trinity) and thereby Christians (believers in Christ).This is where the Jehovah Witness Organization is misunderstanding the Scripture: Acts 15:14 & 17. They take HIS NAME to be God`s name (JEHOVAH) not the NAME of CHRIST and that is why they are so NAMED (AFTER GOD`S NAME). I was told if I did not join their Organization, I would not be saved. Please pray as I try to convey this correct information to some Jehovah Witnesses. If I`m incorrect in any of my remarks to you, please correct me.
A: Hello, and thank you for your kind words and encouragement. I don't see anything incorrect in your understanding of what I tried to convey to you or in what you found on your own. Whenever somebody says that you have to be a part of their organization in order to be saved red flags should go up in your mind. That is the first sign that what they proclaim is not of God. The Apostle Paul talked about Christians having the "full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ (Colossians 2:2)." He said this because, as he continues, "so that no one may deceive you by fine-sounding arguments (Colossians 2:4)." As we mature in Christ we are better able to discern good and evil as the Holy Spirit illuminates truth to us. Satan is able to deceive many by what appears to be logical and biblical arguments. However, we all know that the Body of Christ is an organism, not an organization. It is made up of individuals all over the world who are indwelt by the Holy Spirit. The error of the Jehovah's Witnesses becomes clear when we are certain of the truth of Scripture.
Jehovah's Witnesses deny foundational truths about God, the Bible and Jesus Christ. They deny the trinity, the deity of Christ, the bodily resurrection of Christ, Christ's visible return, the Person of God the Holy Spirit, the promise of Heaven to all believers, the need to be born again, the eternal security of the believer and eternal punishment for unbelievers. However, the Bible affirms the exact opposite of what Jehovah's Witnesses teach.
The Trinity:
Father: "To all in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ." Romans 1:7
Son: "Thomas said to him, "My Lord and my God!" John 20:28
Holy Spirit: "Then Peter said, "Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land? Didn't it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn't the money at your disposal? What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied to men but to God." Acts 5:3-4
The Deity of Christ:
"For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form..." Colossians 2:9
The bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ:
"The Jews replied, "It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?" But the temple he had spoken of was his body." John 2:20-21
Christ's visible return:
"Look, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him; and all the peoples of the earth will mourn because of him. So shall it be! Amen." Revelation 1:7
God, the Holy Spirit:
"Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit..." Matthew 28:19
The Promise of Heaven to all believers:
"After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands." Revelation 7:9
The need to be born again:
"In reply Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again... You should not be surprised at my saying, 'You must be born again.'" John 3:3, 7
The eternal security of the believer:
"And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life." 1 John 5:11-13
Eternal punishment for unbelievers:
"When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left...Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels." Matthew 25:31-33, 41
The best way to convey the correct information to Jehovah's Witnesses, to any unbeliever for that matter, is to know the truth yourself. When Jesus Christ was led out into the wilderness to be tempted by Satan, He responded every time with "it is written," referring to the Word of God, in order to rebuke Satan. It is no different with us when we are tempted by the error of those trapped inside a false religion. This is not to say that you shouldn't at least have some knowledge of what others believe. I only want to encourage you to continue know the truth about God, Jesus and the Bible. When it is all said and done, the only thing that matters is what a person does with Jesus Christ. The Jehovah's Witnesses, to their destruction, do not believe Jesus Christ is God. But, the Bible affirms that Jesus Christ is 100 percent God and 100 percent man. It is Christ, in the Person of the Holy Spirit, who indwells you and will be with you whenever you encounter a Jehovah's Witness. When Christ was telling His disciples about the end of the age, He told them, "Whenever you are arrested and brought to trial, do not worry beforehand about what to say. Just say whatever is given you at the time, for it is not you speaking, but the Holy Spirit (Mark 13:11)." Trust and believe that God will give you what to say at the appointed time and that some of the Jehovah's Witnesses you speak to will respond accordingly. God Bless.
A: Hello, and thank you for your kind words and encouragement. I don't see anything incorrect in your understanding of what I tried to convey to you or in what you found on your own. Whenever somebody says that you have to be a part of their organization in order to be saved red flags should go up in your mind. That is the first sign that what they proclaim is not of God. The Apostle Paul talked about Christians having the "full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ (Colossians 2:2)." He said this because, as he continues, "so that no one may deceive you by fine-sounding arguments (Colossians 2:4)." As we mature in Christ we are better able to discern good and evil as the Holy Spirit illuminates truth to us. Satan is able to deceive many by what appears to be logical and biblical arguments. However, we all know that the Body of Christ is an organism, not an organization. It is made up of individuals all over the world who are indwelt by the Holy Spirit. The error of the Jehovah's Witnesses becomes clear when we are certain of the truth of Scripture.
Jehovah's Witnesses deny foundational truths about God, the Bible and Jesus Christ. They deny the trinity, the deity of Christ, the bodily resurrection of Christ, Christ's visible return, the Person of God the Holy Spirit, the promise of Heaven to all believers, the need to be born again, the eternal security of the believer and eternal punishment for unbelievers. However, the Bible affirms the exact opposite of what Jehovah's Witnesses teach.
The Trinity:
Father: "To all in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ." Romans 1:7
Son: "Thomas said to him, "My Lord and my God!" John 20:28
Holy Spirit: "Then Peter said, "Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land? Didn't it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn't the money at your disposal? What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied to men but to God." Acts 5:3-4
The Deity of Christ:
"For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form..." Colossians 2:9
The bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ:
"The Jews replied, "It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?" But the temple he had spoken of was his body." John 2:20-21
Christ's visible return:
"Look, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him; and all the peoples of the earth will mourn because of him. So shall it be! Amen." Revelation 1:7
God, the Holy Spirit:
"Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit..." Matthew 28:19
The Promise of Heaven to all believers:
"After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands." Revelation 7:9
The need to be born again:
"In reply Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again... You should not be surprised at my saying, 'You must be born again.'" John 3:3, 7
The eternal security of the believer:
"And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life." 1 John 5:11-13
Eternal punishment for unbelievers:
"When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left...Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels." Matthew 25:31-33, 41
The best way to convey the correct information to Jehovah's Witnesses, to any unbeliever for that matter, is to know the truth yourself. When Jesus Christ was led out into the wilderness to be tempted by Satan, He responded every time with "it is written," referring to the Word of God, in order to rebuke Satan. It is no different with us when we are tempted by the error of those trapped inside a false religion. This is not to say that you shouldn't at least have some knowledge of what others believe. I only want to encourage you to continue know the truth about God, Jesus and the Bible. When it is all said and done, the only thing that matters is what a person does with Jesus Christ. The Jehovah's Witnesses, to their destruction, do not believe Jesus Christ is God. But, the Bible affirms that Jesus Christ is 100 percent God and 100 percent man. It is Christ, in the Person of the Holy Spirit, who indwells you and will be with you whenever you encounter a Jehovah's Witness. When Christ was telling His disciples about the end of the age, He told them, "Whenever you are arrested and brought to trial, do not worry beforehand about what to say. Just say whatever is given you at the time, for it is not you speaking, but the Holy Spirit (Mark 13:11)." Trust and believe that God will give you what to say at the appointed time and that some of the Jehovah's Witnesses you speak to will respond accordingly. God Bless.
Monday, February 16, 2009
Fairness Doctrine..
There are allot of things about God that we don't know. But one of the things we do know is His plan of salvation for mankind. The Bible is clear that only through faith in Jesus Christ is one able to come to the Father. That truth is very difficult to swallow for some folks. Often times a question that is asked that trips us up centers around individuals who may have died or will die apart from ever being able to hear the message of salvation. Case in point is the following statement made by a Christian mother in reference to her daughter:
"My daughter, who is only 11 asked me... about people who have never heard of Christ, and about the other people that were raised in different religion? What will happen to them? Is it fair that they were born in a country that didn't have an opportunity to hear the gospel? Honestly, with all my time spent listening to a lot of apologetics programs, I still didn't know how to answer it. Especially when she mentioned the word "fairness." (sic)
I can understand her frustration. I think her inability to answer this question affords her an opportunity to possibly doubt her own salvation. I posed this question to a few of my Christian friends and received some interesting responses. One person said that "we know that apart from Christ they do not have life," which is true, but then they went on to say, "will it (life) be imputed to them because of their ignorance.. do we know.. can we really say?" Another response was, "I can only surmise that God will not judge folks for what they do not know." These answers are unacceptable. Both comments imply that scripture doesn't give answers to this question. Honestly, I don't think they have looked very deeply for the answer.
"Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on him." John 3:36
Jesus said that for those who reject Him the wrath of God remains on them. That means that before an individual is presented with and, subsequently, rejects Christ's offer of salvation, they are already under the wrath of God. In other words, people are not condemned to hell for not believing in Jesus. People are already condemned to hell because of their sin.
"The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse." Romans 1:18-20
Whoever one might believe these people to be, who never have the opportunity to hear the Gospel, it is clear that they haven't heard it because they don't want to know God. In almost every corner of the world you will find the locals worshiping something or someone they believe to be god. This is evidence that scripture is correct when it says that men suppress the truth. If we are to suggest that not being presented with the Gospel may lead to a person having salvation "imputed" on them by God, then Christians are doing a disservice to the world by being witnesses for the Lord. It would be better for a person not to have heard the Gospel than to have heard it and reject it. We might as well have book burnings, shut down crusades, bring all the missionaries home, turn off Christian television and radio outreaches and so on. Let us just all be silent! That they won't be judged for what they do not know. Sorry, that is just ridiculous. God has revealed Himself to mankind in three ways. First, He has revealed Himself through His creation. Second, He has revealed Himself through our conscious. And, finally, He has revealed Himself in the Person of Jesus Christ. It is up to the individual to respond to the truth God has already revealed to us all.
"From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us." Acts 17:26-27
Perhaps the most unbelievable statement I read on this subject is, "And I have never heard of any examples of sincere natives walking out of the jungle with a full understanding of the scriptures, a bible in their own language, and a correct gospel...their thoughtful seeking is obviously not sufficient.. they have to have a human bring the gospel to them.." You must be kidding me. Since when is God limited by our ability to understand how He reaches people? Since we haven't seen a news story aired on a native walking out of the jungle with the knowledge of Jesus, I am supposed to believe that God can't reach this person? Again, this is a human argument. We have stories of donkey's talking to people in the Bible. Jesus proclaimed that the stones would cry out if His disciples stopped preaching. And the Apostle Paul was converted through a direct encounter with Christ! Who is to say this can't happen today? God knows where every individual on earth is and how they got there. Is our God so small that He has forgotten somebody? Of course not.
"The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance." 2 Peter 3:9
Everyone on earth is responsible for making their own choice when it comes to having a relationship with God. God is not limited by the supposed isolation of people who live in remote locations of the world or grew up in non-Christian cultures. Every major religion on earth has an opinion about Jesus. So, it is not as though they haven't heard about Him. And yet they reject Him. Even those who aren't aware of Him do so out of choice not ignorance. Man seeks a God who will cater to his flesh. A god who provides all the food, clothing, shelter, materials and long life they desire. They don't seek a God who died for their sins and rose from the grave to offer them eternal life. You aren't accountable to God if you only live within the confines of a so-called civilized society. Everybody is accountable to Him regardless of circumstances or living conditions. Besides, if God were to grant people who never heard of Jesus an opportunity to accept Him after they die, would that really be a choice? Nobody is going to choose eternal damnation at that point. Ignorance is not bliss, whether it is from a lost person who never heard of Christ, or a Christian unable to give an answer to an 11 year old child. The question is not if is it fair for God to send someone to hell who hasn't heard the Gospel? The question is if it is fair for God to allow any one of us a place in His eternal Kingdom?
"My daughter, who is only 11 asked me... about people who have never heard of Christ, and about the other people that were raised in different religion? What will happen to them? Is it fair that they were born in a country that didn't have an opportunity to hear the gospel? Honestly, with all my time spent listening to a lot of apologetics programs, I still didn't know how to answer it. Especially when she mentioned the word "fairness." (sic)
I can understand her frustration. I think her inability to answer this question affords her an opportunity to possibly doubt her own salvation. I posed this question to a few of my Christian friends and received some interesting responses. One person said that "we know that apart from Christ they do not have life," which is true, but then they went on to say, "will it (life) be imputed to them because of their ignorance.. do we know.. can we really say?" Another response was, "I can only surmise that God will not judge folks for what they do not know." These answers are unacceptable. Both comments imply that scripture doesn't give answers to this question. Honestly, I don't think they have looked very deeply for the answer.
"Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on him." John 3:36
Jesus said that for those who reject Him the wrath of God remains on them. That means that before an individual is presented with and, subsequently, rejects Christ's offer of salvation, they are already under the wrath of God. In other words, people are not condemned to hell for not believing in Jesus. People are already condemned to hell because of their sin.
"The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse." Romans 1:18-20
Whoever one might believe these people to be, who never have the opportunity to hear the Gospel, it is clear that they haven't heard it because they don't want to know God. In almost every corner of the world you will find the locals worshiping something or someone they believe to be god. This is evidence that scripture is correct when it says that men suppress the truth. If we are to suggest that not being presented with the Gospel may lead to a person having salvation "imputed" on them by God, then Christians are doing a disservice to the world by being witnesses for the Lord. It would be better for a person not to have heard the Gospel than to have heard it and reject it. We might as well have book burnings, shut down crusades, bring all the missionaries home, turn off Christian television and radio outreaches and so on. Let us just all be silent! That they won't be judged for what they do not know. Sorry, that is just ridiculous. God has revealed Himself to mankind in three ways. First, He has revealed Himself through His creation. Second, He has revealed Himself through our conscious. And, finally, He has revealed Himself in the Person of Jesus Christ. It is up to the individual to respond to the truth God has already revealed to us all.
"From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us." Acts 17:26-27
Perhaps the most unbelievable statement I read on this subject is, "And I have never heard of any examples of sincere natives walking out of the jungle with a full understanding of the scriptures, a bible in their own language, and a correct gospel...their thoughtful seeking is obviously not sufficient.. they have to have a human bring the gospel to them.." You must be kidding me. Since when is God limited by our ability to understand how He reaches people? Since we haven't seen a news story aired on a native walking out of the jungle with the knowledge of Jesus, I am supposed to believe that God can't reach this person? Again, this is a human argument. We have stories of donkey's talking to people in the Bible. Jesus proclaimed that the stones would cry out if His disciples stopped preaching. And the Apostle Paul was converted through a direct encounter with Christ! Who is to say this can't happen today? God knows where every individual on earth is and how they got there. Is our God so small that He has forgotten somebody? Of course not.
"The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance." 2 Peter 3:9
Everyone on earth is responsible for making their own choice when it comes to having a relationship with God. God is not limited by the supposed isolation of people who live in remote locations of the world or grew up in non-Christian cultures. Every major religion on earth has an opinion about Jesus. So, it is not as though they haven't heard about Him. And yet they reject Him. Even those who aren't aware of Him do so out of choice not ignorance. Man seeks a God who will cater to his flesh. A god who provides all the food, clothing, shelter, materials and long life they desire. They don't seek a God who died for their sins and rose from the grave to offer them eternal life. You aren't accountable to God if you only live within the confines of a so-called civilized society. Everybody is accountable to Him regardless of circumstances or living conditions. Besides, if God were to grant people who never heard of Jesus an opportunity to accept Him after they die, would that really be a choice? Nobody is going to choose eternal damnation at that point. Ignorance is not bliss, whether it is from a lost person who never heard of Christ, or a Christian unable to give an answer to an 11 year old child. The question is not if is it fair for God to send someone to hell who hasn't heard the Gospel? The question is if it is fair for God to allow any one of us a place in His eternal Kingdom?
Saturday, February 14, 2009
A people for His Name
Q: Would you interpret Acts 15:14 & 17. Especially, in verse 14: taking from among the Gentiles a people for HIS NAME. And, in verse 17: And all the Gentiles who are CALLED BY MY NAME.
A: James is basically describing how the Gentiles accepting of Jesus Christ as their savior is both an expression of God's love for all mankind and the fulfillment of prophecy. In verse 14, we read that God "first showed His concern by taking from the Gentiles a people for himself." The use of the word "concern" indicates that God loved the Gentiles enough to offer them salvation. This section of scripture comes in the midst of a debate between members of the early Church over the issue of circumcising Gentile converts to Christianity. Many in the early Church believed that Gentiles must first become Jews before they could be saved (Acts 15:1) and, therefore, be required to be circumcised and obey the law of Moses (Acts 15:6). Even others didn't believe Gentiles could become Christians much less be loved by God. It is with that thought in mind that Peter was inspired to get up and proclaim that "God made a choice among you that the Gentiles might hear from my lips the message of the gospel and believe (Acts 15:7)." The message of the Gospel is that, in Christ, God has created a people for HIS NAME from both Jews and Gentiles.
In Amos 9:11-12, there is a prophecy that states God will restore the Davidic Kingdom. This prophecy is retold in Acts 15:17. Part of the fulfillment of this prophecy is God gathering His people from amongst the nations of the world, the Gentiles, through faith in Jesus Christ. In God's eyes, there are only two types of people in the world, Jew and Gentile. As stated earlier, from those two He makes His Church. Through faith in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ we have the right to call ourselves children of God (John 1:12). "There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus (Galatians 3:28)." Those who are CALLED BY MY NAME are the Christians who have been called by the Lord from amongst the ranks of the Gentiles and the Jews. The focus of this particular chapter is to establish that the Gentiles were not called to Christ in order to obey Jewish laws. All believers, regardless of whether we are Jews or Gentiles, are "a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come (2 Corinthians 5:17)!"
God did not call us to Christ in order that we burden ourselves with Jewish laws. The purpose of the law is to lead a person to Christ. "So the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith (Galatians 3:24)." Paul didn't wish to be cursed and cut off from Christ, for the sake of his Jewish brothers, if adding Jesus to Jewish law was what salvation entailed. There would not have been any need for Christ to have come and died for our sins if righteousness could be attained through obedience to the law. Gentiles were already converting to Judaism prior to the beginning of Christ's ministry. That is why Acts 15 begins with the debate over circumcising Gentile converts to Christianity. As 2 Corinthians 5:17 states, "the old has gone, the new has come." Not only are we a new creation in the sense that Jews and Gentiles are one in Christ, we are a new creation in the way that we approach the life we live as Christians as well. We don't live by obedience to the law of Moses or the law of Christian denominations.
God called us to be a people for His name so that He alone would be the source of our life as Christians. It is through relying on and trusting in Him that He lives His life in and through us. And what does being called by His name mean to us? "In his name the nations will put their hope (Matthew 12:21)." "[R]epentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all the nations... (Luke 24:47)." By believing Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, "you may have life in his name (John 20:31)." "[E]veryone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name (Acts 10:43)." When Adam sinned, we all died. In Christ, we all live. God set aside the Jewish people in order that His plan of salvation would come to fruition in Christ Jesus. Now, because of what Christ has done, we Gentiles, who were once far away from God, have been made at peace with Him. Therefore, along with our Jewish brothers and sisters in Christ, "we both have access to the Father by one Spirit (Ephesians 2:18)." We have been called to so much more than to try and live a life of obedience and repentance to laws designed to modify our behavior. We have been called to a life of faith and trust in a God who guides us from within in the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen!
A: James is basically describing how the Gentiles accepting of Jesus Christ as their savior is both an expression of God's love for all mankind and the fulfillment of prophecy. In verse 14, we read that God "first showed His concern by taking from the Gentiles a people for himself." The use of the word "concern" indicates that God loved the Gentiles enough to offer them salvation. This section of scripture comes in the midst of a debate between members of the early Church over the issue of circumcising Gentile converts to Christianity. Many in the early Church believed that Gentiles must first become Jews before they could be saved (Acts 15:1) and, therefore, be required to be circumcised and obey the law of Moses (Acts 15:6). Even others didn't believe Gentiles could become Christians much less be loved by God. It is with that thought in mind that Peter was inspired to get up and proclaim that "God made a choice among you that the Gentiles might hear from my lips the message of the gospel and believe (Acts 15:7)." The message of the Gospel is that, in Christ, God has created a people for HIS NAME from both Jews and Gentiles.
In Amos 9:11-12, there is a prophecy that states God will restore the Davidic Kingdom. This prophecy is retold in Acts 15:17. Part of the fulfillment of this prophecy is God gathering His people from amongst the nations of the world, the Gentiles, through faith in Jesus Christ. In God's eyes, there are only two types of people in the world, Jew and Gentile. As stated earlier, from those two He makes His Church. Through faith in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ we have the right to call ourselves children of God (John 1:12). "There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus (Galatians 3:28)." Those who are CALLED BY MY NAME are the Christians who have been called by the Lord from amongst the ranks of the Gentiles and the Jews. The focus of this particular chapter is to establish that the Gentiles were not called to Christ in order to obey Jewish laws. All believers, regardless of whether we are Jews or Gentiles, are "a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come (2 Corinthians 5:17)!"
God did not call us to Christ in order that we burden ourselves with Jewish laws. The purpose of the law is to lead a person to Christ. "So the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith (Galatians 3:24)." Paul didn't wish to be cursed and cut off from Christ, for the sake of his Jewish brothers, if adding Jesus to Jewish law was what salvation entailed. There would not have been any need for Christ to have come and died for our sins if righteousness could be attained through obedience to the law. Gentiles were already converting to Judaism prior to the beginning of Christ's ministry. That is why Acts 15 begins with the debate over circumcising Gentile converts to Christianity. As 2 Corinthians 5:17 states, "the old has gone, the new has come." Not only are we a new creation in the sense that Jews and Gentiles are one in Christ, we are a new creation in the way that we approach the life we live as Christians as well. We don't live by obedience to the law of Moses or the law of Christian denominations.
God called us to be a people for His name so that He alone would be the source of our life as Christians. It is through relying on and trusting in Him that He lives His life in and through us. And what does being called by His name mean to us? "In his name the nations will put their hope (Matthew 12:21)." "[R]epentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all the nations... (Luke 24:47)." By believing Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, "you may have life in his name (John 20:31)." "[E]veryone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name (Acts 10:43)." When Adam sinned, we all died. In Christ, we all live. God set aside the Jewish people in order that His plan of salvation would come to fruition in Christ Jesus. Now, because of what Christ has done, we Gentiles, who were once far away from God, have been made at peace with Him. Therefore, along with our Jewish brothers and sisters in Christ, "we both have access to the Father by one Spirit (Ephesians 2:18)." We have been called to so much more than to try and live a life of obedience and repentance to laws designed to modify our behavior. We have been called to a life of faith and trust in a God who guides us from within in the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen!
Thursday, February 12, 2009
How to Train an Elephant
A friend of mine gave me the following story:
"Have you ever wondered how to train an elephant? The first step is making it believe it can't run away. Get your elephant -- preferably a baby one -- and tie it to a strong steel stake in the ground, like you would tie a horse to a hitching post. The baby elephant will try to break free, but it won't have the strength to do so. Eventually, the little elephant will give up and stop trying to escape from the rope and the stake that limit its range. Once the young elephant has learned that it cannot pull the stake from the ground, you can replace the strong stake with a smaller wooden one, even though it wouldn't have enough strength to hold the elephant. An elephant trained in its babyhood to believe that the stake is strong and won't budge won't attempt to break loose and run away -- even after it has grown strong enough to easily yank almost any stake out of the ground."
I cringe when I hear someone say that they "have been a Christian all their life" or that they were "raised a Christian." This sends off red flags to me because it makes me wonder if these people have ever had a moment in their life when they expressed a true saving faith in Christ. Nobody has been a Christian all their life. They may have been raised in a family who were involved in a local fellowship or denomination. However, going to church all your life doesn't make you a Christian anymore than sleeping in a garage makes you a car. Normally, these people end up having placed faith in their church rather than in Christ. Yes, they will say they are saved, but it is a byproduct of their familiarity with the scriptures, in my opinion, rather than a recognition of a point in their lives when they became born again of the Spirit of God through faith in Jesus Christ. When you talk to these people they define their faith through the prism of their religion not through an encounter with the living God. They are great defenders of their faith, but not of Christ.
"And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching." Hebrews 10:24-25
The elephant was trained since infancy to be in bondage to that pole. Even when it was big enough and strong enough to pull that stake out the ground it stayed still. This is no different than believers, or churchgoers, who have been told that they have to go to church in order to be a Christian. Hebrews 10:24-25 is the primary passage used to foster this belief. However, when this passage was written, the organized church had not yet been developed. There were no buildings on each corner full of so-called worshipers. The actual church, individual believers all over the world, has been replaced with organization after organization claiming to be the Body of Christ. Like the mature elephant still in bondage to that stake, believers grow in the knowledge of their particular fellowship rather than in the Lord. They don't have a relationship with their God. They have a relationship with their church. They become proclaimers of its teachings rather than proclaimers of Christ. It is funny how so called believers jump from one faith to the next and still call themselves Christians. They convert to a different organization, but still claim to be a Christian despite all the varying doctrinal beliefs. The Body of Christ is an organism, not an organization.
"We have much to say about this, but it is hard to explain because you are slow to learn. In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God's word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil." Hebrews 5:11-14
What happens when you are built up in the knowledge of your church instead of Christ is that you don't know the basics of the Gospel message. Everything you say and believe is filtered through your church experience. I have lost count of all the so-called believers who can go on for hours about their church history, church doctrine and the pillars of their faith, but can't tell you the meaning of the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Their "gospel" is inviting people to church, sending them to a class on church membership and a vast array of other religious functions. They may sound knowledgeable, but are mere infants in Christ, if they are in Him at all. I don't say all this to tell people not to attend church or to fellowship with each other. I attend a fellowship weekly and fellowship daily on the Internet. But, I do this in order to be equipped for the work of the ministry not for training and instruction in the unique beliefs of a denomination or fellowship. Christians don't go to church. Christians are the Church! We take the message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the world. And we can only do that when we are built up and rooted in Christ. You cannot go out into the world and fulfill the Great Commission when you are tied to the stake of your denomination or fellowship. It is time to rip the stake out of the ground and go out into the world to share with others that which God, in Christ, has given to you. Stop being elephants and start being evangelists.
"Have you ever wondered how to train an elephant? The first step is making it believe it can't run away. Get your elephant -- preferably a baby one -- and tie it to a strong steel stake in the ground, like you would tie a horse to a hitching post. The baby elephant will try to break free, but it won't have the strength to do so. Eventually, the little elephant will give up and stop trying to escape from the rope and the stake that limit its range. Once the young elephant has learned that it cannot pull the stake from the ground, you can replace the strong stake with a smaller wooden one, even though it wouldn't have enough strength to hold the elephant. An elephant trained in its babyhood to believe that the stake is strong and won't budge won't attempt to break loose and run away -- even after it has grown strong enough to easily yank almost any stake out of the ground."
I cringe when I hear someone say that they "have been a Christian all their life" or that they were "raised a Christian." This sends off red flags to me because it makes me wonder if these people have ever had a moment in their life when they expressed a true saving faith in Christ. Nobody has been a Christian all their life. They may have been raised in a family who were involved in a local fellowship or denomination. However, going to church all your life doesn't make you a Christian anymore than sleeping in a garage makes you a car. Normally, these people end up having placed faith in their church rather than in Christ. Yes, they will say they are saved, but it is a byproduct of their familiarity with the scriptures, in my opinion, rather than a recognition of a point in their lives when they became born again of the Spirit of God through faith in Jesus Christ. When you talk to these people they define their faith through the prism of their religion not through an encounter with the living God. They are great defenders of their faith, but not of Christ.
"And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching." Hebrews 10:24-25
The elephant was trained since infancy to be in bondage to that pole. Even when it was big enough and strong enough to pull that stake out the ground it stayed still. This is no different than believers, or churchgoers, who have been told that they have to go to church in order to be a Christian. Hebrews 10:24-25 is the primary passage used to foster this belief. However, when this passage was written, the organized church had not yet been developed. There were no buildings on each corner full of so-called worshipers. The actual church, individual believers all over the world, has been replaced with organization after organization claiming to be the Body of Christ. Like the mature elephant still in bondage to that stake, believers grow in the knowledge of their particular fellowship rather than in the Lord. They don't have a relationship with their God. They have a relationship with their church. They become proclaimers of its teachings rather than proclaimers of Christ. It is funny how so called believers jump from one faith to the next and still call themselves Christians. They convert to a different organization, but still claim to be a Christian despite all the varying doctrinal beliefs. The Body of Christ is an organism, not an organization.
"We have much to say about this, but it is hard to explain because you are slow to learn. In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God's word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil." Hebrews 5:11-14
What happens when you are built up in the knowledge of your church instead of Christ is that you don't know the basics of the Gospel message. Everything you say and believe is filtered through your church experience. I have lost count of all the so-called believers who can go on for hours about their church history, church doctrine and the pillars of their faith, but can't tell you the meaning of the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Their "gospel" is inviting people to church, sending them to a class on church membership and a vast array of other religious functions. They may sound knowledgeable, but are mere infants in Christ, if they are in Him at all. I don't say all this to tell people not to attend church or to fellowship with each other. I attend a fellowship weekly and fellowship daily on the Internet. But, I do this in order to be equipped for the work of the ministry not for training and instruction in the unique beliefs of a denomination or fellowship. Christians don't go to church. Christians are the Church! We take the message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the world. And we can only do that when we are built up and rooted in Christ. You cannot go out into the world and fulfill the Great Commission when you are tied to the stake of your denomination or fellowship. It is time to rip the stake out of the ground and go out into the world to share with others that which God, in Christ, has given to you. Stop being elephants and start being evangelists.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Abstain from Evil
Q: In 1 Thessalonians 5:22 it says to `abstain from the very appearance of evil.` How are we to do this when evil is constant and visible everywhere we look? We would have to be a monk living in a cave in order to abide by this law.
A: Scripture warns us against being taken "captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ (Colossians 2:8)." The basic principles of this world fall into two categories. The first category is one of repentance and obedience. The second category is one of maximizing pleasure and minimizing pain. Both of them are not representative of life as a Christian. The first thing you must avoid when trying to understand 1 Thessalonians 5:22 is the temptation of putting yourself under the law. It is easy to want to come up with a list of what is good and try to obey it and a list of what is evil and try to repent of it. This type of attitude is at the root of every religion on earth. And the goal of most religion is to try and be like God. This sounds good at first, but is actually a message that can be traced back to the Garden of Eden and from the mouth of Satan, himself.
When Satan was tempting Eve in the Garden he said, "For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil (Genesis 3:5)." Most Christians (religious people in general) will not admit, or even realize, the fact that their actions are an exercise in trying to be like God. You will hear it taught that we should be more Christlike in our actions. Well, who is Jesus Christ? He is God. Or maybe someone will say that we need to get all the sin out of our lives. Who is the only sinless person that ever lived? Jesus Christ. And, again, He is God. Don't get me wrong, I am not advocating that a person should not avoid sin. There is no question that a believer should make every effort to do so. However, as I have heard it put, we are living in the wrong tree, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, by trying to be like God. The question that must be answered is "what is your motivation behind living the Christian life?"
The Christian life is not about trying to stop sinning, but learning to trust God in the midst of our sins. In Titus we learn that it is the grace of God, not the law of God, that "teaches us to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age (Titus 2:12)." Therefore, the motivation for the Christian life is the indwelling Holy Spirit guiding us from within, not through modifying our behavior through obedience to rules and regulations that try and define good and evil. And if the Holy Spirit is guiding us in our daily lives, is He going to lead us into sin? Of course not. He guides us by reminding us of who we are in Christ and of all we have been given through faith in Him. Sin can best be defined as our attempts to satisfy the deepest desires of our heart in anything except our relationship with God. When we are not responding to the truth revealed to us by the Holy Spirit we are going to give the appearance of evil because our only alternative is to seek what we desire most from the world. And all the world has to offer are poor substitutes that can only be experienced through various forms of sin.
With this in mind it should be easier to determine how a Christian is to "abstain from the very appearance of evil." The last verse of the chapter says that the "grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you (1 Thessalonians 5:28)." This is a summation of everything that came before it. How is it that a Christian is patient with everyone (verse 14), doesn't pay back wrong for wrong (verse 15), is joyful always (verse 16), gives thanks in all circumstances (verse 18) and holds on to the good (verse 21), amongst other things listed? It is by trusting in, and depending on, the Holy Spirit to remind us of all we have received as a gift of God's love for us. All these actions are fruits of the Spirit of God being produced through us as we learn to rely on Him with our lives. It is Jesus Christ who lives the Christian life, only He can live, in and through us. Jesus said that "apart from me you can do nothing (John 15:5)." Our lives are not about discovering which set of rules are best for us to live by and then dedicating ourselves to a life of obedience to them. We will only waste allot of time before admitting that we can't do it. The good news is that trying to live the Christian life, through futile attempts at obeying what is good and avoiding what is evil, will lead us to one important conclusion about Jesus Christ:
"The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it (1 Thessalonians 5:24)."
A: Scripture warns us against being taken "captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ (Colossians 2:8)." The basic principles of this world fall into two categories. The first category is one of repentance and obedience. The second category is one of maximizing pleasure and minimizing pain. Both of them are not representative of life as a Christian. The first thing you must avoid when trying to understand 1 Thessalonians 5:22 is the temptation of putting yourself under the law. It is easy to want to come up with a list of what is good and try to obey it and a list of what is evil and try to repent of it. This type of attitude is at the root of every religion on earth. And the goal of most religion is to try and be like God. This sounds good at first, but is actually a message that can be traced back to the Garden of Eden and from the mouth of Satan, himself.
When Satan was tempting Eve in the Garden he said, "For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil (Genesis 3:5)." Most Christians (religious people in general) will not admit, or even realize, the fact that their actions are an exercise in trying to be like God. You will hear it taught that we should be more Christlike in our actions. Well, who is Jesus Christ? He is God. Or maybe someone will say that we need to get all the sin out of our lives. Who is the only sinless person that ever lived? Jesus Christ. And, again, He is God. Don't get me wrong, I am not advocating that a person should not avoid sin. There is no question that a believer should make every effort to do so. However, as I have heard it put, we are living in the wrong tree, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, by trying to be like God. The question that must be answered is "what is your motivation behind living the Christian life?"
The Christian life is not about trying to stop sinning, but learning to trust God in the midst of our sins. In Titus we learn that it is the grace of God, not the law of God, that "teaches us to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age (Titus 2:12)." Therefore, the motivation for the Christian life is the indwelling Holy Spirit guiding us from within, not through modifying our behavior through obedience to rules and regulations that try and define good and evil. And if the Holy Spirit is guiding us in our daily lives, is He going to lead us into sin? Of course not. He guides us by reminding us of who we are in Christ and of all we have been given through faith in Him. Sin can best be defined as our attempts to satisfy the deepest desires of our heart in anything except our relationship with God. When we are not responding to the truth revealed to us by the Holy Spirit we are going to give the appearance of evil because our only alternative is to seek what we desire most from the world. And all the world has to offer are poor substitutes that can only be experienced through various forms of sin.
With this in mind it should be easier to determine how a Christian is to "abstain from the very appearance of evil." The last verse of the chapter says that the "grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you (1 Thessalonians 5:28)." This is a summation of everything that came before it. How is it that a Christian is patient with everyone (verse 14), doesn't pay back wrong for wrong (verse 15), is joyful always (verse 16), gives thanks in all circumstances (verse 18) and holds on to the good (verse 21), amongst other things listed? It is by trusting in, and depending on, the Holy Spirit to remind us of all we have received as a gift of God's love for us. All these actions are fruits of the Spirit of God being produced through us as we learn to rely on Him with our lives. It is Jesus Christ who lives the Christian life, only He can live, in and through us. Jesus said that "apart from me you can do nothing (John 15:5)." Our lives are not about discovering which set of rules are best for us to live by and then dedicating ourselves to a life of obedience to them. We will only waste allot of time before admitting that we can't do it. The good news is that trying to live the Christian life, through futile attempts at obeying what is good and avoiding what is evil, will lead us to one important conclusion about Jesus Christ:
"The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it (1 Thessalonians 5:24)."
Monday, February 9, 2009
Ignorance of Who We Are
Ask any parent what they did when they had their child and they would answer with something like, "We made sure it knew that it was loved and we would do anything to provide for it." Prior to a mother giving birth it is tradition to throw her, and perhaps the father, a baby shower. At this shower gifts are given to make sure that the parents have everything they need to assist them in taking care of their baby. Gifts may include such items as diapers, clothing, a crib, wipes, blankets and much more. Basically, the goal is that the child is not in need of anything and is assured that it is totally loved. With that thought in mind why would we treat a new Christian any different when they first come into the Body of Christ? Unfortunately, some are not treated like newborns. A well-known denomination promotes on a website what they deem is necessary to properly disciple a new believer:
- Receive assurance of salvation.
- Develop a consistent devotional life.
- Understand the basics for victorious living.
- Assimilate into the life of the church.
- Learn the basics of sharing faith.
This list of five things is about four too long. I agree that a new believer needs to be assured of their salvation. However, the last thing a new believer needs is to be put to work. And that is what is entailed when you look at steps 2 through 5. In other words, it is like telling a new believer, "God loves you now get to work." You need to read your Bible daily. You need to start eliminating all the sin in your life. You need to make this fellowship the center of your life. You need to tell everybody you know about Jesus. Whoa! Hold on one minute. Would a new parent tell their newborn they need to start walking, talking, feeding themselves and become independent right out the womb? Of course not. But that is exactly what this list entails. A parent makes sure that all the child has to do is be loved. In a sense, the parent is like God to that baby. They make sure that baby knows whose child they are, that they are completely loved and that its parents will do anything for them. Is our God any different?
"I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God." Ephesians 3:16-19
The moment we are born again of the Spirit of God through faith in Jesus Christ we receive an inheritance. That inheritance includes such things from God as being totally loved, totally forgiven, totally righteous, reconciled, redeemed, sanctified, justified, being made a part of the Body of Christ, having citizenship in heaven, having eternal life and being made a brand new creation. All that, and more, from one act of faith. When a parent looks into the eyes of their child they don't feel any different about it then God feels about a new Christian. A child, from birth, has everything it needs to make it in this world. It doesn't get more fingers, more toes, more eyes, another nose, another brain and so on. It is no different with a believer. We have been given everything we need for life and godliness the moment we accepted Christ. Yes, like that child, we need to mature and grow. And with that growth comes a greater ability to understand what we have and how to allow God to use us. But, we are not expected to set the world on fire from birth. If a child is expected to perform the tasks of an adult it will fail, miserably. Studying scripture, involvement with a body of believers, trusting God more with our lives and evangelism will all come in time. But first we need to know who we are in Christ.
"So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness." Colossians 2:6-7
I am not a parent, but I know that one of the joys of being a parent is seeing your children grow up to be a good representation of yourself. You desire nothing more than for them to be a reflection of you, your values, your beliefs, your ideals, etc. Many times people who encounter your children see them as a reflection of you. When a child realizes all the sacrifices made for them, in love, they respond with a lifetime of thankfulness. As children of God, our God is no different. As we grow in our understanding of who we are in Christ, the byproduct will be that we reflect all we have been given in Him to all those we encounter. However, as a popular Christian teacher once put it, "the tragedy of modern-day Christianity is our utter ignorance of who we are in Christ." Rather than being instructed on who we are in Christ, how God sees us and all we have in His Son, we are given a list of things to do in order to keep us busy. We end up operating in our own strength and soon burn out, become despondent, and in many cases, have little to do with the faith. We become anything, but thankful. We must remember that new Christians need to be loved and informed of who they are in Christ, allowing them the time to grow in the grace and knowledge of our God. By this they will become rooted and built up in Him and begin to experience the real Christian life. A Christian life that is motivated by faith in Jesus, not in our works for Him.
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Nobody wants to walk through the Door
During a family discussion today on death, the comment was made that, "Everybody wants eternal life, but nobody wants to walk through the door." Knowing the intent behind the comment I say that I agree with it. The problem with mankind is that we all want to be author and finisher of our faith. In other words, we want to be our own gods. Anytime anybody makes a dogmatic statement about the afterlife, heaven or salvation, there is always someone to disagree. As I have stated before, I never understand how people who don't know God can say that someone else hasn't found Him. A door, by definition, is "a means of approach or access." In many instances doors provide access or prevent access to something valuable. For those desiring eternal life or heaven, I would assume that they would consider that destination to be of value.
"Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me." Revelation 3:20
You would think that if Jesus Christ was knocking at your door you would open it. No matter your faith or belief, I bet everybody would at least take the opportunity to meet Him. Some would fall at His feet in worship. Others would love the chance to match their so-called "intellect" with Him. Still others to chastise Him for His "failure" to be the person they wanted Him to be. Regardless, there is a large segment of the world who want eternal life, whatever they deem that to be, but don't want anybody else to define it for them or how to achieve it. There in lies the meat of what is meant by nobody wanting to walk through that door to eternal life.
"Now having been questioned by the Pharisees as to when the kingdom of God was coming, He answered them and said, "The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed;
nor will they say, 'Look, here it is!' or, 'There it is!' For behold, the kingdom of God is in your midst." Luke 17:20-21
In 2005, an ABC News polls found that nearly "nine out of 10 people in the United States say they believe in heaven." And just like I thought, nearly every one of those nine people had a different belief about heaven and how to get there. The article talks of heaven in terms of places like Valhalla, states of mind called nirvana, that heaven and hell are right now in this life, that your status in heaven depends on what you do here on earth and so on. There was even talk of something called a "God gene" which determined a person's level of spirituality. You must be kidding me. The one thing all this speculation has in common is that it originates from man and not from God. The world looks for everything under the sun to help them determine what heaven and eternal life will be like. Unfortunately, while many search high and low, their search is in vain. They won't find heaven in any other place, but the Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus talked about people looking everywhere, but to Him, for eternal life.
"The one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what pleases him... Can any of you prove me guilty of sin? If I am telling the truth, why don't you believe me?" John 8:29,46
"But Jesus remained silent and gave no answer. Again the high priest asked him, "Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One?" "I am," said Jesus. "And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven." Mark 14:61-62
With His life on the line and standing in front of those who wanted to see Him dead, Jesus boldly affirmed that He was the sinless Messiah, the Son of God, God in the flesh! For those nine out of 10 people who believe in heaven, plus the one that doesn't, and anybody on this planet who falls into those categories, one thing must be made clear. Jesus is God and the only way in which to get to heaven. Regardless of what you may believe heaven to be like, or what you think is necessary to get there, you won't see heaven apart from faith in Jesus Christ as your Savior. In fact, you will find yourself in the exact opposite location. If you think we already live in a sort of heaven and hell right now you are sadly mistaken. A mistake that could be eternal if you don't take the time to test out the claims Jesus made about Himself. Jesus Christ was not persecuted to the point of death because of anything He did, not because of any moral teaching He proclaimed, but because of who He claimed to be!
"I and the Father are one." Again the Jews picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus said to them, "I have shown you many great miracles from the Father. For which of these do you stone me?" "We are not stoning you for any of these," replied the Jews, "but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God." John 10:30-33
They picked up stones to stone Jesus because He claimed to be God! This conflict, as scripture proclaims elsewhere, is why the Jews see Jesus as a stumbling stone while Gentiles (all other people on earth) see His claim as foolishness. The Jews have rejected Christ because He wasn't the Savior they wanted Him to be. Gentiles have rejected Him because they don't see themselves as sinful, much less in need of a Savior. But the question remains, "Who do you say Jesus is?" Regardless of what you may believe about heaven, or how to get there, you must admit that you don't know everything there is to know about life. That being the case you have to at least address the possibility that there is a God. And if that is the case, you must inquire as to what His opinion is about His heaven and how to get there. And if a figure arises in history proclaiming to be God, like Jesus Christ, you have to address His claims. As one Christian teacher so eloquently puts it, "[t]he question is not whether Christ was a great religious leader in history or a great ethical teacher. He is either the greatest con artist who ever lived, a total madman, or He is God in flesh who is the only 'way, truth and life.'"
"Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it." Matthew 7:13-14
Walk through the Door.
"Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me." Revelation 3:20
You would think that if Jesus Christ was knocking at your door you would open it. No matter your faith or belief, I bet everybody would at least take the opportunity to meet Him. Some would fall at His feet in worship. Others would love the chance to match their so-called "intellect" with Him. Still others to chastise Him for His "failure" to be the person they wanted Him to be. Regardless, there is a large segment of the world who want eternal life, whatever they deem that to be, but don't want anybody else to define it for them or how to achieve it. There in lies the meat of what is meant by nobody wanting to walk through that door to eternal life.
"Now having been questioned by the Pharisees as to when the kingdom of God was coming, He answered them and said, "The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed;
nor will they say, 'Look, here it is!' or, 'There it is!' For behold, the kingdom of God is in your midst." Luke 17:20-21
In 2005, an ABC News polls found that nearly "nine out of 10 people in the United States say they believe in heaven." And just like I thought, nearly every one of those nine people had a different belief about heaven and how to get there. The article talks of heaven in terms of places like Valhalla, states of mind called nirvana, that heaven and hell are right now in this life, that your status in heaven depends on what you do here on earth and so on. There was even talk of something called a "God gene" which determined a person's level of spirituality. You must be kidding me. The one thing all this speculation has in common is that it originates from man and not from God. The world looks for everything under the sun to help them determine what heaven and eternal life will be like. Unfortunately, while many search high and low, their search is in vain. They won't find heaven in any other place, but the Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus talked about people looking everywhere, but to Him, for eternal life.
"The one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what pleases him... Can any of you prove me guilty of sin? If I am telling the truth, why don't you believe me?" John 8:29,46
"But Jesus remained silent and gave no answer. Again the high priest asked him, "Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One?" "I am," said Jesus. "And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven." Mark 14:61-62
With His life on the line and standing in front of those who wanted to see Him dead, Jesus boldly affirmed that He was the sinless Messiah, the Son of God, God in the flesh! For those nine out of 10 people who believe in heaven, plus the one that doesn't, and anybody on this planet who falls into those categories, one thing must be made clear. Jesus is God and the only way in which to get to heaven. Regardless of what you may believe heaven to be like, or what you think is necessary to get there, you won't see heaven apart from faith in Jesus Christ as your Savior. In fact, you will find yourself in the exact opposite location. If you think we already live in a sort of heaven and hell right now you are sadly mistaken. A mistake that could be eternal if you don't take the time to test out the claims Jesus made about Himself. Jesus Christ was not persecuted to the point of death because of anything He did, not because of any moral teaching He proclaimed, but because of who He claimed to be!
"I and the Father are one." Again the Jews picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus said to them, "I have shown you many great miracles from the Father. For which of these do you stone me?" "We are not stoning you for any of these," replied the Jews, "but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God." John 10:30-33
They picked up stones to stone Jesus because He claimed to be God! This conflict, as scripture proclaims elsewhere, is why the Jews see Jesus as a stumbling stone while Gentiles (all other people on earth) see His claim as foolishness. The Jews have rejected Christ because He wasn't the Savior they wanted Him to be. Gentiles have rejected Him because they don't see themselves as sinful, much less in need of a Savior. But the question remains, "Who do you say Jesus is?" Regardless of what you may believe about heaven, or how to get there, you must admit that you don't know everything there is to know about life. That being the case you have to at least address the possibility that there is a God. And if that is the case, you must inquire as to what His opinion is about His heaven and how to get there. And if a figure arises in history proclaiming to be God, like Jesus Christ, you have to address His claims. As one Christian teacher so eloquently puts it, "[t]he question is not whether Christ was a great religious leader in history or a great ethical teacher. He is either the greatest con artist who ever lived, a total madman, or He is God in flesh who is the only 'way, truth and life.'"
"Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it." Matthew 7:13-14
Walk through the Door.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
A Hundred and Twenty Years
The other day I had a short conversation with the wife of my chiropractor. I asked where her husband got the idea that mankind is supposed to live for 120 years? After all, his practice is always playing videos on how to maximize your life through a healthy lifestyle that includes, of course, chiropractic care. Many of these videos center around individuals from remote parts of the world who, through a simple and healthy life, are living well into their hundreds and still having active lives. I am all for trying to be healthy because our health can effect our outlook on life as well as our faith. And since my body is the temple of God, who indwells me, I would like to keep the "temple" in good condition. I never got a firm answer to my question. Therefore, I did some research myself and came across a verse in Genesis 6.
"Then the LORD said, "My Spirit will not contend with man forever, for he is mortal; his days will be a hundred and twenty years." Genesis 6:3
Perhaps this is the verse that he has in mind when he talks about the maximum lifespan for an individual. According to Wikipedia, since 1955, the oldest living person was Jeanne Clement. She lived to the age of 122 (1875-1997). That is incredible by today's standards. However, we all know that there are references to people in the Bible that document their ages well into the hundreds of years. In fact, Adam, the first man lived 930 years. That is over seven times the, apparent, 120 year threshold put forth by my chiropractor. Yet, the passage from Genesis seems to be taken out of context. God was displeased with the extent to which "man's wickedness on earth had become (Genesis 6:5)." He was "grieved that He had made man on the earth (Genesis 6:6)." His displeasure led Him to declare that He would "wipe mankind...from the face of the earth (Genesis 6:7)." With these statements as a backdrop, I am left to conclude that the declaration that man's days would be a 120 years is in reference to the time left before God would destroy mankind with a global flood not a cap on how long each of us can live.
"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?... Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." Matthew 6:25-27,34
One thing inherent in the pursuit of living to be 120 years old through "healthy" practices is the assumption you are promised another day. I spoke with a woman today who was beside herself with grief over the loss of her husband. As she put it he was a healthy, middle-aged, man who experienced a "sudden death." Most of us, including myself, are guilty of taking for granted that we will wake up in the morning. And to a certain extent we have to believe that in order to function in life. The alternative is a life lived in fear and dread. I am all for trying to add life to your years if not years to your life. However, we are all one heartbeat away from eternity. The issue is are you prepared for that eternity? As I told my chiropractor "We could live the healthiest lives possible, but we still die at the end." Jesus Christ reminds us that we are not to worry about tomorrow or, for that matter, a hundred and twenty years of tomorrows. While we may be able to rationalize being healthy in order to be better used by God, in the end, all God needs is us.
"On hearing this, Jesus said to them, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners." Mark 2:17
One of the centerpieces of the ministry of Jesus Christ were the healings He performed. The sick were made well, the lame made to walk, the blind made to see and even the dead were brought back to life. However, the greatest healing Christ offers to mankind is the healing of our dead spirits. A person can get eight hours of sleep every night, eat a diet full of fruits and vegetables, drink eight 8 oz. glasses of water a day and exercise three times a week, but never be able to make well that which ails them. All mankind is born with the "sickness" of spiritual death. The life of God once breathed into mankind at Creation was lost to us all through sin. However, through the death of Jesus Christ, the penalty for sin has been removed for eternity. This allowed God, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, to offer His life back to mankind as a free gift to all who come to Christ by faith. By doing so we are born again of the Spirit of God, raised from the dead, healed of the spiritual death that separated us from God. And even our physical deaths will not separate us from Him through all eternity. When you are in Christ, your goal is not to live to be 120 years old as a byproduct of a healthy lifestyle. Your goal is to make yourself available to God to live His life in and through you because you know the life you have is an eternal life.
"Then the LORD said, "My Spirit will not contend with man forever, for he is mortal; his days will be a hundred and twenty years." Genesis 6:3
Perhaps this is the verse that he has in mind when he talks about the maximum lifespan for an individual. According to Wikipedia, since 1955, the oldest living person was Jeanne Clement. She lived to the age of 122 (1875-1997). That is incredible by today's standards. However, we all know that there are references to people in the Bible that document their ages well into the hundreds of years. In fact, Adam, the first man lived 930 years. That is over seven times the, apparent, 120 year threshold put forth by my chiropractor. Yet, the passage from Genesis seems to be taken out of context. God was displeased with the extent to which "man's wickedness on earth had become (Genesis 6:5)." He was "grieved that He had made man on the earth (Genesis 6:6)." His displeasure led Him to declare that He would "wipe mankind...from the face of the earth (Genesis 6:7)." With these statements as a backdrop, I am left to conclude that the declaration that man's days would be a 120 years is in reference to the time left before God would destroy mankind with a global flood not a cap on how long each of us can live.
"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?... Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." Matthew 6:25-27,34
One thing inherent in the pursuit of living to be 120 years old through "healthy" practices is the assumption you are promised another day. I spoke with a woman today who was beside herself with grief over the loss of her husband. As she put it he was a healthy, middle-aged, man who experienced a "sudden death." Most of us, including myself, are guilty of taking for granted that we will wake up in the morning. And to a certain extent we have to believe that in order to function in life. The alternative is a life lived in fear and dread. I am all for trying to add life to your years if not years to your life. However, we are all one heartbeat away from eternity. The issue is are you prepared for that eternity? As I told my chiropractor "We could live the healthiest lives possible, but we still die at the end." Jesus Christ reminds us that we are not to worry about tomorrow or, for that matter, a hundred and twenty years of tomorrows. While we may be able to rationalize being healthy in order to be better used by God, in the end, all God needs is us.
"On hearing this, Jesus said to them, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners." Mark 2:17
One of the centerpieces of the ministry of Jesus Christ were the healings He performed. The sick were made well, the lame made to walk, the blind made to see and even the dead were brought back to life. However, the greatest healing Christ offers to mankind is the healing of our dead spirits. A person can get eight hours of sleep every night, eat a diet full of fruits and vegetables, drink eight 8 oz. glasses of water a day and exercise three times a week, but never be able to make well that which ails them. All mankind is born with the "sickness" of spiritual death. The life of God once breathed into mankind at Creation was lost to us all through sin. However, through the death of Jesus Christ, the penalty for sin has been removed for eternity. This allowed God, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, to offer His life back to mankind as a free gift to all who come to Christ by faith. By doing so we are born again of the Spirit of God, raised from the dead, healed of the spiritual death that separated us from God. And even our physical deaths will not separate us from Him through all eternity. When you are in Christ, your goal is not to live to be 120 years old as a byproduct of a healthy lifestyle. Your goal is to make yourself available to God to live His life in and through you because you know the life you have is an eternal life.
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
I-anity
A coworker of mine gets daily reminders from an inspirational "Christian" calendar. Every day contains a scripture reference along with an encouraging message based on the accompanying passage. My coworker, an unbeliever, felt the need to share them with me to see if they would encourage me. The entry for January 29, 2009, was based on Matthew 5:6.
None of us is perfect. We all make mistakes, and we can learn to obey our consciences if we can be big enough to say, "I'm sorry, I didn't treat you right, I'll do better next time." If you remain sensitive and maintain a clear conscience, there's no limit to what God will do in your life.
In general this sounds good. However, it doesn't define what the origin of these actions will be and doesn't seem to give justice to the passage it claims to extrapolate on. There is no reference to the author of the passage from Matthew 5:6, Jesus Christ. Furthermore, this attempt at inspiration indirectly sheds light on a huge problem within the Body of Christ. When you make God's work in your life conditional on your ability to obey your conscience it puts God in the position of responding to you rather than you responding to Him. When the emphasis is on what you are doing for God instead of what He has done for you Christ is nowhere to be found. Instead of being a Christian, you are practicing "I-anity."
"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled." Matthew 5:6
Taken out of context, this passage is right up the alley for a person who believes that if they work hard enough God will reward their efforts. Righteousness can be defined to mean just about anything. Hunger and thirst can describe anybody with a desire to be more "spiritual." Scripture says that one of the sinful traits of mankind is our tendency to do what is right in our own eyes. As far as the Christian faith is concerned, many believe that hunger and thirst for righteousness is measured by our commitment to the doctrines of a particular faith. Were you baptised? Do you tithe? Is your attendance at 100 percent? Have you stopped sinning yet? You can fill in the blank with any denominational requirements. For that matter you can insert the tenants of any other religion and the result would be the same. All of it is based on human effort with the goal of getting God to owe you something for your work. And human effort gets you nowhere! What Jesus is trying to do in this passage is point His audience towards Himself. The hunger and thirst mentioned is the spiritual death all mankind suffers from apart from a relationship with the living God. The righteousness we seek can only come from the imputed righteousness of Jesus Christ. When we enter into a saving relationship with God, we are "filled" by His life as a free gift for our faith in Christ.
"It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption." 1 Corinthians 1:30
There are only two kinds of righteousness in the world. There is self-righteousness, which is no righteousness at all. And there is the righteousness from God which comes through faith in Christ. If you believe that as long as you are a good person, who obeys your own conscience rather than the leading of the Holy Spirit, than you are guilty of trying to establish your own righteousness before God. While it is admirable to say you're sorry, admit your wrongdoing and promise you will do better in the future, it is futile to believe your efforts will be rewarded by God. We all stand before God dead in our sins and separate from Him. Nothing we propose to do in the energy of our own flesh will cause God to act on our behalf. The love of God is that He acted on our behalf, not because of anything we had done, but because of His desire to have a relationship with us. Jesus Christ died for our sins because no man had a life worthy enough to give that would satisfy God as payment for our sins. Therefore, God was able to offer His life through the resurrection of Jesus Christ to all who accept Him by faith. This life is a gift offered out of the endless love of God. It is not a reward for our ability to keep a clear conscience and remain sensitive to those around us. Apart from Christ we can do nothing. With Christ we can do nothing. It is all Christ. The life we live is through faith in Christ to live His life through us.
"I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me." Galatians 2:20
None of us is perfect. We all make mistakes, and we can learn to obey our consciences if we can be big enough to say, "I'm sorry, I didn't treat you right, I'll do better next time." If you remain sensitive and maintain a clear conscience, there's no limit to what God will do in your life.
In general this sounds good. However, it doesn't define what the origin of these actions will be and doesn't seem to give justice to the passage it claims to extrapolate on. There is no reference to the author of the passage from Matthew 5:6, Jesus Christ. Furthermore, this attempt at inspiration indirectly sheds light on a huge problem within the Body of Christ. When you make God's work in your life conditional on your ability to obey your conscience it puts God in the position of responding to you rather than you responding to Him. When the emphasis is on what you are doing for God instead of what He has done for you Christ is nowhere to be found. Instead of being a Christian, you are practicing "I-anity."
"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled." Matthew 5:6
Taken out of context, this passage is right up the alley for a person who believes that if they work hard enough God will reward their efforts. Righteousness can be defined to mean just about anything. Hunger and thirst can describe anybody with a desire to be more "spiritual." Scripture says that one of the sinful traits of mankind is our tendency to do what is right in our own eyes. As far as the Christian faith is concerned, many believe that hunger and thirst for righteousness is measured by our commitment to the doctrines of a particular faith. Were you baptised? Do you tithe? Is your attendance at 100 percent? Have you stopped sinning yet? You can fill in the blank with any denominational requirements. For that matter you can insert the tenants of any other religion and the result would be the same. All of it is based on human effort with the goal of getting God to owe you something for your work. And human effort gets you nowhere! What Jesus is trying to do in this passage is point His audience towards Himself. The hunger and thirst mentioned is the spiritual death all mankind suffers from apart from a relationship with the living God. The righteousness we seek can only come from the imputed righteousness of Jesus Christ. When we enter into a saving relationship with God, we are "filled" by His life as a free gift for our faith in Christ.
"It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption." 1 Corinthians 1:30
There are only two kinds of righteousness in the world. There is self-righteousness, which is no righteousness at all. And there is the righteousness from God which comes through faith in Christ. If you believe that as long as you are a good person, who obeys your own conscience rather than the leading of the Holy Spirit, than you are guilty of trying to establish your own righteousness before God. While it is admirable to say you're sorry, admit your wrongdoing and promise you will do better in the future, it is futile to believe your efforts will be rewarded by God. We all stand before God dead in our sins and separate from Him. Nothing we propose to do in the energy of our own flesh will cause God to act on our behalf. The love of God is that He acted on our behalf, not because of anything we had done, but because of His desire to have a relationship with us. Jesus Christ died for our sins because no man had a life worthy enough to give that would satisfy God as payment for our sins. Therefore, God was able to offer His life through the resurrection of Jesus Christ to all who accept Him by faith. This life is a gift offered out of the endless love of God. It is not a reward for our ability to keep a clear conscience and remain sensitive to those around us. Apart from Christ we can do nothing. With Christ we can do nothing. It is all Christ. The life we live is through faith in Christ to live His life through us.
"I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me." Galatians 2:20
Sunday, February 1, 2009
The "in" Question
In answering the question, "What does it mean to say the Holy Spirit is in you?" popular Christian apologist, Hank Hanegraaf, replies with:
First, to say that the Holy Spirit is in you is not to point out where the Holy Spirit is physically located, but rather to acknowledge that you have come into an intimate, personal relationship with him through faith and repentance. As such, the preposition "in" is not a locational but a relational term. Bible Answer Book, pg. 31
Hanegraaf, undoubtedly, has helped hundreds of believers and nonbelievers with their questions about the Christian faith. In fact, his work on false teachings and false religions has been of great help to myself. However, as elegant as his response sounds to, what he calls "the "in" question," I adamantly disagree with him. To say that the Holy Spirit does not indwell a believer is to deny a fundamental truth about salvation. He is correct in saying that a believer has an intimate and personal relationship with the Holy Spirit. But, our relationship with the Lord is so much more than that.
"But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you." John 16:7
The Counselor is the Holy Spirit. People either don't know or have forgotten that before the resurrection of Jesus Christ, nobody was spiritually alive. As I have heard it stated, Jesus started His ministry with 12 spiritually dead disciples and ended His ministry with 12 spiritually dead disciples. The Holy Spirit has been sent to us and has taken residence up within our Spirits. The restoration of the Holy Spirit is the final, and most important, piece of salvation and the Gospel message. If the Holy Spirit doesn't indwell you, you don't belong to God and, therefore, you are not born again, not saved and not a Christian. Furthermore, you will not be able to discern scripture, say no to ungodliness, experience the love of God or have a relationship with Him.
"And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being... but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” Genesis 2:7, 17
The Holy Spirit, the life of God, was breathed into Adam and he became a living being. This is pretty clear evidence that, at one point in our history, God physically indwelt mankind. In fact, He was our life! But, when Adam sinned God removed His life and Adam died, just as God promised would happen. We know this death was not a physical death because Adam lived 930 years before he physically died. Therefore, that death was a spiritual death. This is a condition all mankind suffers from when they are born into this world. We are born into this world spiritually dead to God in our sins, but alive to the world. It is why Jesus told Nicodemus, "You must be born again (John 3:7)." What is birth? It is life. We have physical life already. When we accept Christ by faith we are born again, spiritually. At that moment of salvation, the Holy Spirit of God indwells us, seals us and carries us throughout eternity. That is why a believer has eternal life. The life of God, in the Person of the Holy Spirit, has raised us from the dead spiritually and will carry us through this life and on into eternity even after we physically die!
"To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory." Colossians 1:27
The mystery of the Gospel is Christ in us. The life of God, once lost in the Garden through the sin of Adam, has now been restored to us, in Christ, because of His resurrection. If Christ doesn't indwell us then we have some questions to answer regarding passages of scripture that seem to indicate otherwise.
"Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own..." 1 Corinthians 6:19
How is our body the temple of God if the Holy Spirit doesn't physically indwell us?
"To this end I labor, struggling with all his energy, which so powerfully works in me." Colossians 1:29
Why would Paul say he struggles with Christ's energy, which works in him, if he didn't have the Holy Spirit in him struggling for him?
"If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!" Luke 11:13
What is it that Jesus is saying the Father will give those who ask if it is not a real thing?
"The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned." 1 Corinthians 2:14
If the Holy Spirit doesn't indwell us then how are we able to accept and discern the things that come from the Spirit of God?
This last question would seem to apply to Hanegraaf in regards to the "in" question. If you don't believe the Holy Spirit actually indwells a believer it could be because he doesn't indwell you. Now, I don't mean to call into question his salvation because I don't know his heart. If he is truly saved, the Holy Spirit indwells him whether he acknowledges it or not. However, his apparent inability to discern this foundational truth of the Gospel is concerning. All believers are one "in Christ" because we all have been baptised by the Holy Spirit into the family of God. Eternal life is just that, life. What is death? The absence of life. And before salvation we are all spiritually dead to God. What is birth? Life. Being born again means we have come alive to God just like Adam before us, but even better. The life we now have cannot leave us because there is no sin that will cause that life to leave thanks to the cross of Christ. Jesus died for us so that, raised from the dead, He could live "in" us now. The question to ask is "Do you believe this?"
First, to say that the Holy Spirit is in you is not to point out where the Holy Spirit is physically located, but rather to acknowledge that you have come into an intimate, personal relationship with him through faith and repentance. As such, the preposition "in" is not a locational but a relational term. Bible Answer Book, pg. 31
Hanegraaf, undoubtedly, has helped hundreds of believers and nonbelievers with their questions about the Christian faith. In fact, his work on false teachings and false religions has been of great help to myself. However, as elegant as his response sounds to, what he calls "the "in" question," I adamantly disagree with him. To say that the Holy Spirit does not indwell a believer is to deny a fundamental truth about salvation. He is correct in saying that a believer has an intimate and personal relationship with the Holy Spirit. But, our relationship with the Lord is so much more than that.
"But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you." John 16:7
The Counselor is the Holy Spirit. People either don't know or have forgotten that before the resurrection of Jesus Christ, nobody was spiritually alive. As I have heard it stated, Jesus started His ministry with 12 spiritually dead disciples and ended His ministry with 12 spiritually dead disciples. The Holy Spirit has been sent to us and has taken residence up within our Spirits. The restoration of the Holy Spirit is the final, and most important, piece of salvation and the Gospel message. If the Holy Spirit doesn't indwell you, you don't belong to God and, therefore, you are not born again, not saved and not a Christian. Furthermore, you will not be able to discern scripture, say no to ungodliness, experience the love of God or have a relationship with Him.
"And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being... but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” Genesis 2:7, 17
The Holy Spirit, the life of God, was breathed into Adam and he became a living being. This is pretty clear evidence that, at one point in our history, God physically indwelt mankind. In fact, He was our life! But, when Adam sinned God removed His life and Adam died, just as God promised would happen. We know this death was not a physical death because Adam lived 930 years before he physically died. Therefore, that death was a spiritual death. This is a condition all mankind suffers from when they are born into this world. We are born into this world spiritually dead to God in our sins, but alive to the world. It is why Jesus told Nicodemus, "You must be born again (John 3:7)." What is birth? It is life. We have physical life already. When we accept Christ by faith we are born again, spiritually. At that moment of salvation, the Holy Spirit of God indwells us, seals us and carries us throughout eternity. That is why a believer has eternal life. The life of God, in the Person of the Holy Spirit, has raised us from the dead spiritually and will carry us through this life and on into eternity even after we physically die!
"To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory." Colossians 1:27
The mystery of the Gospel is Christ in us. The life of God, once lost in the Garden through the sin of Adam, has now been restored to us, in Christ, because of His resurrection. If Christ doesn't indwell us then we have some questions to answer regarding passages of scripture that seem to indicate otherwise.
"Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own..." 1 Corinthians 6:19
How is our body the temple of God if the Holy Spirit doesn't physically indwell us?
"To this end I labor, struggling with all his energy, which so powerfully works in me." Colossians 1:29
Why would Paul say he struggles with Christ's energy, which works in him, if he didn't have the Holy Spirit in him struggling for him?
"If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!" Luke 11:13
What is it that Jesus is saying the Father will give those who ask if it is not a real thing?
"The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned." 1 Corinthians 2:14
If the Holy Spirit doesn't indwell us then how are we able to accept and discern the things that come from the Spirit of God?
This last question would seem to apply to Hanegraaf in regards to the "in" question. If you don't believe the Holy Spirit actually indwells a believer it could be because he doesn't indwell you. Now, I don't mean to call into question his salvation because I don't know his heart. If he is truly saved, the Holy Spirit indwells him whether he acknowledges it or not. However, his apparent inability to discern this foundational truth of the Gospel is concerning. All believers are one "in Christ" because we all have been baptised by the Holy Spirit into the family of God. Eternal life is just that, life. What is death? The absence of life. And before salvation we are all spiritually dead to God. What is birth? Life. Being born again means we have come alive to God just like Adam before us, but even better. The life we now have cannot leave us because there is no sin that will cause that life to leave thanks to the cross of Christ. Jesus died for us so that, raised from the dead, He could live "in" us now. The question to ask is "Do you believe this?"
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)