Q: What does the Bible say about `activism` or peaceful demonstration against current Government policy. Example: the recent Tea Parties? Should a Christian participate?
A: Yes, I believe a Christian should participate in activism regardless of what it is for or against. While the Bible may not specifically command a Christian to engage in activism against the government, I believe activism to be one of many byproducts of being a Christian. Understand that engaging in activism, and to what extent, is a personal decision that neither I or anybody else can make for you. However, there are many issues that strike at the heart of Christianity. Some of those are items like our ability to worship freely, the definition of marriage, the sanctity of life, our ability to be a witness for Jesus Christ and others. When deciding what to do, if anything, you must first ask the Lord for direction. "If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him (James 1:5)." I would think about activism in terms of evangelizing for Jesus Christ.
The Bible tells us that we are "Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making His appeal through us (2 Corinthians 5:20)." An ambassador is someone who represents his or her country in a foreign land. As Christians, representing God, this earth we are on is like a foreign land. We are here to witness to the lost people of this world in an effort to save some of them by bringing them to faith in Jesus Christ. When we are doing this, it is safe to assume that we will have opposition from the majority of those we encounter. Yet, we do it anyway because we know the importance of what we do. I believe activism can be another way in which to be a witness for the Lord. Take for example the issue of marriage. Scripture says that a "man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh (Genesis 2:24-25)." Do you think it is right to have the Bible's definition of marriage changed from a man and a woman to any two consenting adults regardless of gender? I don't. When Christians stand for the biblical definition of marriage, in the public arena, they are in effect being a witness for the Lord. Eventually, a Christian will be asked why they believe the way they do and the door is open to being able to give a reason for your belief. It is the same with any hot button issue of the day; abortion, public prayer and displays of our faith, the scientific debate over origins and so forth.
The recent Tea Parties on April 15th are a perfect example of faith in action. The Tea Parties were organized as a public demonstration against what those involved called "out of control spending at all levels of government." Many of those involved were Christians. Christians who were tired of seeing the freedoms that the Founding Fathers of the United States sacrificed to create and died to uphold being taken away. Many of those same founders of our country were Christians who fought for their religious and personal freedom while relying on their faith to support them. If you believe in something strongly enough you should participate. There are a myriad of issues out there to choose from. All of which have their own impact on the life you and I are able to lead as Christians and as citizens. It all boils down to one simple question. Do you want a society that reflects a biblical worldview or one that reflects a secular worldview? If you want one that reflects the mind of Christ then you are going to have to participate in order to achieve and maintain it.
"For who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct him?" But we have the mind of Christ (2 Corinthians 3:16)." As Christians we have the mind of Christ. Because of that fact, the deepest questions of our being are being answered. Questions like, "Who am I?", "Where did I come from?", "Where am I going?", "What is true and what is false?", "How should I live my life?" and "Does God exist and how should I respond to Him?" These are the same questions the rest of the world asks. The only way to reach them with the answers found in Christ is through preaching the Gospel. And one of the best ways to preach the Gospel is by creating an environment conducive for doing so. That is mainly achieved through activism on some level. While God can and has reached people everywhere in any circumstance, wouldn't you rather do it an environment friendly to the message you wish to proclaim? We live in a country that was once dominated by a biblical worldview. That has significantly changed in the last 50 years or so. If you want that trend to change I encourage you to act. As you ponder what direction to go in be reminded of the fact that God, in Christ, demonstrated a form of activism for you. "For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God (1 Peter 3:18)."
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
I am the Storehouse
At the end of the Gospel of Matthew Jesus gives what has come to be known as the Great Commission. Jesus tells the eleven disciples to "go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you (Matthew 28:19-20)." Christians have taken this instruction to heart and, today, there is hardly a place on the planet that hasn't at least heard of Jesus Christ. One thing you do not read is Jesus saying to go out and build churches of bricks and mortar. Many Christians seem to think that there is something holy about the places which we gather for fellowship. For example, when trying to defend Christian tithing, a Christian writes:
"God says bring all your "tithes" to the Storehouse(church were you are member), we say, oh that's for only people in the Old Testament. Why would God tell them (people in the "old testament to do, but not "you")"
There is no doubt that the Bible commands to bring "the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house (Malachi 3:10)." However, there are two things that seem to go ignored by many Christians. First of all, this passage begins with the Lord talking to the descendants of Jacob. Who are the descendants of Jacob? It is Israel! In other words, God is talking to Jews not Christians. Secondly, and more importantly, is the fact that the storehouse is not the church where Christians are members. The Church is not a building, it is each individual member of the Body of Christ. "His purpose was to create in himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace, and in this one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility (Ephesians 2:15-16)." The Church is individual Jews and Gentiles who have placed faith in Jesus Christ. There is nothing spiritual or holy about the places we attend in which to worship and fellowship with each other.
When you make the mistake of believing that the church you attend is the Church, then all your other findings will be off. And like the individual above you will have to twist Old Testament scriptures in order to justify your belief. How many of you have been sitting in church and had one of the leaders say something like, "Thank you for coming to the house of the Lord!" Now, I have attended churches or fellowships that have met in an old grocery store, an elementary school gymnasium and the nursery of a YMCA. Am I to believe that those places are God's storehouses? Not to be silly, but I even belong to an Internet fellowship. Is the Internet God's storehouse also? God may be present in these situations, but it isn't because He dwells in these buildings or on the web. If He is there it is because He is dwelling within the spirit of each individual believer in attendance. The question must be asked, "Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you (1 Corinthians 3:16)?"
Case closed. The individual believer is the Church. Our membership is in God's family that comes through faith in Jesus Christ. If Christians want to bring their tithe to the storehouse, then I will volunteer to be that storehouse. After all, if the church is the storehouse and I am the Church then it is the logical thing to do, right? Of course, I am just kidding. But, do you see how we can get all mixed up in our theology when we don't correctly discern scripture? Christians are not Old Testament Jews living under the Levitical Priesthood. Christians are not commanded to tithe. The church we are members of is not a "storehouse." Jesus is our High Priest. Christians live under the New Covenant and are to excel in the "grace of giving (2 Corinthians 8:7)." The Church is individual believers all over the world that form one Body. God told Jews to tithe and not me because I am not a Jew! God did not save us in order to put us back under the same law which was given to lead us to Christ in the first place.
I sincerely believe that at the root of all this confusion over tithing and storehouses is the desire to have our flesh blessed. "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ (Ephesians 1:3)." As Christians we already have every spiritual blessing. Therefore, our tithes wouldn't be of any use in that area. If you already have everything, what more is there to get? That is why Christians turn to having their fleshed bless by subjecting themselves to the law. God does grant fleshly blessings for those that obey the law. However, He also has an unpleasant list of curses that Christians seem to ignore when they try to live under the law. Furthermore, not everybody who tithes gets blessed. I am a proof of this point. I used to tithe, faithfully, and found myself in more financial turmoil for doing so. The problem is that Christians tithe because by doing so they believe God will be pleased with them and bless them. Unfortunately, many Christians don't realize that they are expecting something from God He didn't come to give by participating in something He has not commanded us to do. God doesn't want your money. God wants you!
"God says bring all your "tithes" to the Storehouse(church were you are member), we say, oh that's for only people in the Old Testament. Why would God tell them (people in the "old testament to do, but not "you")"
There is no doubt that the Bible commands to bring "the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house (Malachi 3:10)." However, there are two things that seem to go ignored by many Christians. First of all, this passage begins with the Lord talking to the descendants of Jacob. Who are the descendants of Jacob? It is Israel! In other words, God is talking to Jews not Christians. Secondly, and more importantly, is the fact that the storehouse is not the church where Christians are members. The Church is not a building, it is each individual member of the Body of Christ. "His purpose was to create in himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace, and in this one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility (Ephesians 2:15-16)." The Church is individual Jews and Gentiles who have placed faith in Jesus Christ. There is nothing spiritual or holy about the places we attend in which to worship and fellowship with each other.
When you make the mistake of believing that the church you attend is the Church, then all your other findings will be off. And like the individual above you will have to twist Old Testament scriptures in order to justify your belief. How many of you have been sitting in church and had one of the leaders say something like, "Thank you for coming to the house of the Lord!" Now, I have attended churches or fellowships that have met in an old grocery store, an elementary school gymnasium and the nursery of a YMCA. Am I to believe that those places are God's storehouses? Not to be silly, but I even belong to an Internet fellowship. Is the Internet God's storehouse also? God may be present in these situations, but it isn't because He dwells in these buildings or on the web. If He is there it is because He is dwelling within the spirit of each individual believer in attendance. The question must be asked, "Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you (1 Corinthians 3:16)?"
Case closed. The individual believer is the Church. Our membership is in God's family that comes through faith in Jesus Christ. If Christians want to bring their tithe to the storehouse, then I will volunteer to be that storehouse. After all, if the church is the storehouse and I am the Church then it is the logical thing to do, right? Of course, I am just kidding. But, do you see how we can get all mixed up in our theology when we don't correctly discern scripture? Christians are not Old Testament Jews living under the Levitical Priesthood. Christians are not commanded to tithe. The church we are members of is not a "storehouse." Jesus is our High Priest. Christians live under the New Covenant and are to excel in the "grace of giving (2 Corinthians 8:7)." The Church is individual believers all over the world that form one Body. God told Jews to tithe and not me because I am not a Jew! God did not save us in order to put us back under the same law which was given to lead us to Christ in the first place.
I sincerely believe that at the root of all this confusion over tithing and storehouses is the desire to have our flesh blessed. "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ (Ephesians 1:3)." As Christians we already have every spiritual blessing. Therefore, our tithes wouldn't be of any use in that area. If you already have everything, what more is there to get? That is why Christians turn to having their fleshed bless by subjecting themselves to the law. God does grant fleshly blessings for those that obey the law. However, He also has an unpleasant list of curses that Christians seem to ignore when they try to live under the law. Furthermore, not everybody who tithes gets blessed. I am a proof of this point. I used to tithe, faithfully, and found myself in more financial turmoil for doing so. The problem is that Christians tithe because by doing so they believe God will be pleased with them and bless them. Unfortunately, many Christians don't realize that they are expecting something from God He didn't come to give by participating in something He has not commanded us to do. God doesn't want your money. God wants you!
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
God must be Dizzy!
Christians across the board will say that God loves us. However, many of those same Christians will talk out the other side of their mouth and basically nullify that which they claim to believe. We speak of God's grace, His forgiveness and His lack of condemnation. But, when it comes to our sins there will always be someone who will say something that makes you think God is still holding our sins against us. For instance, take the following statement which was the byproduct of a conversation about whether or not God's grace is a license to sin:
"I believe that God withdraws from us when we continue to go against His will. His grace and mercy is for those who put forth every effort to stay true to His word, however for those who only talk and there is no action, then He turns His back on them. God knows that we are human and that we sin daily, but it those sins that we knowingly continue to do that causes us to be out of His grace and mercy."
I have one question. Since when is God's forgiveness and faithfulness conditional on what we are doing? If God turns His back on us when we fail to perform, He must never be facing us for long. He would be spinning around nonstop making Himself dizzy as He turned His back to us and then turned back around after we performed the appropriate sacrifice.
Fact is, God's forgiveness and faithfulness is not conditional on how we act. Did any of us ask God to become a man, live a sinless life, die for our sins and be raised from the grave for our salvation? Of course not. Roman 5:8 says, "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." God sent Christ out of His love for us not out of an obligation to respond to a request which we did not make.
We have to defer to passages, like Romans 8:1, which state, "there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." Or verses, like 1 Corinthians 1:9, that say, "God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful." Hebrews 13:5 says, "...Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you." A Christian's right standing before God is not conditional on what we do, but on what He has done. If He withdraws from us and turns His back on us then there is condemnation, He is not faithful and He does forsake us. God's love says that our "sins and lawless acts I will remember no more (Hebrews 10:17)." Why would He turn His back on us or withdraw from us for sins He no longer remembers?
To say that we have to put forth effort in order to keep God from withdrawing from us means we have to create a system of laws in which to follow in order to prevent that from happening. We all know that we are not under law, but that is exactly what we put ourselves under when we add our behavior to the equation. But, the apostle Paul told Titus that God "saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy (Titus 3:5)." We must remember that our sins deserve death! Christians who take sin lightly are the ones that believe that all we have to do is live up to certain standards and perform certain religious duties. But, God's standard is perfection (Matthew 5:48). If we could live up to God's requirements Jesus would never have had to come in the first place. "I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing (Galatians 2:21)!" Whether it is the Mosaic Law or our own religious and personal laws, we can not be made righteous through our attempted obedience.
God turns His back on our sins, not on His children. It is imperative to know that God desired a relationship with us as much as we desired one with Him. After all, it was He that created mankind and breathed His life into us, Adam, in the beginning. It was God who created the Garden of Eden for our enjoyment. Even after the Fall, it was God who gave the law to the Jews in order that through their, and later our, constant disobedience and failure would be drawn back to Him. "So the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith (Galatians 3:24)." God did not give the law to lead us to Christ only to have us put ourselves right back under it. He gave us the law to show us that we are dead in sin and incapable of restoring ourselves to Him. Therefore, He first took our sins away for eternity in Christ and then, through the resurrection, offered His life to us as a free gift. For those who accept Christ by faith we have a relationship with God. Sustaining that relationship is not dependent on our ability to perform for God, but our ability to rest in Christ's finished work for us and resurrected life in us.
"I believe that God withdraws from us when we continue to go against His will. His grace and mercy is for those who put forth every effort to stay true to His word, however for those who only talk and there is no action, then He turns His back on them. God knows that we are human and that we sin daily, but it those sins that we knowingly continue to do that causes us to be out of His grace and mercy."
I have one question. Since when is God's forgiveness and faithfulness conditional on what we are doing? If God turns His back on us when we fail to perform, He must never be facing us for long. He would be spinning around nonstop making Himself dizzy as He turned His back to us and then turned back around after we performed the appropriate sacrifice.
Fact is, God's forgiveness and faithfulness is not conditional on how we act. Did any of us ask God to become a man, live a sinless life, die for our sins and be raised from the grave for our salvation? Of course not. Roman 5:8 says, "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." God sent Christ out of His love for us not out of an obligation to respond to a request which we did not make.
We have to defer to passages, like Romans 8:1, which state, "there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." Or verses, like 1 Corinthians 1:9, that say, "God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful." Hebrews 13:5 says, "...Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you." A Christian's right standing before God is not conditional on what we do, but on what He has done. If He withdraws from us and turns His back on us then there is condemnation, He is not faithful and He does forsake us. God's love says that our "sins and lawless acts I will remember no more (Hebrews 10:17)." Why would He turn His back on us or withdraw from us for sins He no longer remembers?
To say that we have to put forth effort in order to keep God from withdrawing from us means we have to create a system of laws in which to follow in order to prevent that from happening. We all know that we are not under law, but that is exactly what we put ourselves under when we add our behavior to the equation. But, the apostle Paul told Titus that God "saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy (Titus 3:5)." We must remember that our sins deserve death! Christians who take sin lightly are the ones that believe that all we have to do is live up to certain standards and perform certain religious duties. But, God's standard is perfection (Matthew 5:48). If we could live up to God's requirements Jesus would never have had to come in the first place. "I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing (Galatians 2:21)!" Whether it is the Mosaic Law or our own religious and personal laws, we can not be made righteous through our attempted obedience.
God turns His back on our sins, not on His children. It is imperative to know that God desired a relationship with us as much as we desired one with Him. After all, it was He that created mankind and breathed His life into us, Adam, in the beginning. It was God who created the Garden of Eden for our enjoyment. Even after the Fall, it was God who gave the law to the Jews in order that through their, and later our, constant disobedience and failure would be drawn back to Him. "So the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith (Galatians 3:24)." God did not give the law to lead us to Christ only to have us put ourselves right back under it. He gave us the law to show us that we are dead in sin and incapable of restoring ourselves to Him. Therefore, He first took our sins away for eternity in Christ and then, through the resurrection, offered His life to us as a free gift. For those who accept Christ by faith we have a relationship with God. Sustaining that relationship is not dependent on our ability to perform for God, but our ability to rest in Christ's finished work for us and resurrected life in us.
Monday, April 27, 2009
Swine flu over the Cuckoos Nest
I was reading something from my Chiropractor that I thought I'd share regarding the Swine Flu scare. It is entitled, "How did we ever Survive this long?"
"Have your heard enough about the Swine Flu yet? Are you scared? Have you bought one of the surgical masks? Have you ever wondered why is this flu thing coming up again? Well, let's cut the fat out and look at substance. So far in Mexico, with a population of 109,955,400 people, only 1,400 people have bee sick with this flu. A report showed that 82 have died from the Swine Flu. I tried to calculate what percentage of the population got sick (symptoms). My calculator could not do it because it was such a small number; less than 1 in 1 millionth of a percent. And my computer spit out a number I couldn't comprehend. So, I then calculated that only 5% of the people who have been sick actually died. Do we need to worry? ABSOLUTELY NOT..."
Just be careful when you hear the hysteria and fear created by the media. Is Swine Flu serious? Yes. Should you take precautions? Of course. But, don't fall right in line with the fear mongers and worriers simply because the sickness exists. More people die from Heart Disease each hour than the Swine Flu has killed in the last week! Hopefully, that will put all this in perspective. Remember all the headlines diseases like SARS, Monkeypox and bird flu generated? You barely hear about them now. If you're a Christian, God gave you the mind of Christ to think with. Use it to better discern when and where you should react and to what extent.
"For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline." 2 Timothy 1:7
"Have your heard enough about the Swine Flu yet? Are you scared? Have you bought one of the surgical masks? Have you ever wondered why is this flu thing coming up again? Well, let's cut the fat out and look at substance. So far in Mexico, with a population of 109,955,400 people, only 1,400 people have bee sick with this flu. A report showed that 82 have died from the Swine Flu. I tried to calculate what percentage of the population got sick (symptoms). My calculator could not do it because it was such a small number; less than 1 in 1 millionth of a percent. And my computer spit out a number I couldn't comprehend. So, I then calculated that only 5% of the people who have been sick actually died. Do we need to worry? ABSOLUTELY NOT..."
Just be careful when you hear the hysteria and fear created by the media. Is Swine Flu serious? Yes. Should you take precautions? Of course. But, don't fall right in line with the fear mongers and worriers simply because the sickness exists. More people die from Heart Disease each hour than the Swine Flu has killed in the last week! Hopefully, that will put all this in perspective. Remember all the headlines diseases like SARS, Monkeypox and bird flu generated? You barely hear about them now. If you're a Christian, God gave you the mind of Christ to think with. Use it to better discern when and where you should react and to what extent.
"For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline." 2 Timothy 1:7
Saturday, April 25, 2009
"Literally" destroying the Gospel
Anybody that knows anything about me and my faith knows that I do not believe in evolution. Besides the fact there is no evidence for evolution, my primary reason for my belief is that evolution teaches that death, and the subsequent effects of it, like disease and bloodshed, were in the world prior to the existence of mankind. Yet, the Bible clearly teaches that death came through the sin of Adam. Now, this belief may fall on deaf ears when it pertains to unbelievers, but when believers try and fit evolution into the Bible, they don't realize how they inadvertently destroy the Gospel. I recently posted an article about this fact, written by Ken Ham of Answers In Genesis Ministries. It led to the following response from a fellow Christian:
"God's time is not man's time. He is timeless. He is beginning and end and everything in between. In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God. I believe God (Triune) created Heaven and Earth. I don't believe in full literal interpretation of the Bible. When the creation is described, one might take the word "day" as a literal 24 hour period of time. 2Pet. 3:8 - But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. This is not a a mathematic equation, but a statement about God in reference to our temporal view of time. The rest of this passage has to do with His patience, mercy, and His quick judgement...when he is ready to judge. In the end, regardless of what they find on Earth, whether it be dinosaur bones or whatever, God created it!" (sic)
Are you surprised like I am that a supposed Christian would say they "don't believe in [a] full literal interpretation of the Bible"? Now, I know that not everything said in the pages of scripture is to be taken literally. However, this individual is relating his comment to Creation. If you believe in evolution that does not mean that you are not a Christian. If you are born again of the Spirit of God through faith in Jesus Christ, you are saved and have eternal life. But, if you are a Christian who believes in evolution, as Ken Ham states, "it WILL stop you from correctly explaining the gospel message to someone." If death did not come from the sin of Adam, then the redemption purchased by Jesus Christ, the Last Adam, on the cross is for nothing. One also has to realize that you can't take a passage like the one in 2 Peter 3, written in Greek, to determine the meaning of a word in Genesis, written in Hebrew!
Think about it this way. If the days of creation are not ordinary days, when is a day an ordinary day in the Bible? We read where "Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights (Jonah 1:17)." Is use of day here not literal? Perhaps it means thousands or millions of years. Maybe Jonah is still in the belly of fish. Yes, ridiculous, but it has to be addressed. Furthermore, if we can't take the example of Jonah literally than you have to explain why Jesus did. "For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth (Matthew 12:39-40)." I don't know of any Christian, worth their salt, who will deny that Christ was in the grave three days and nights. Yet, Jesus used the example of Jonah as a foreshadow of what He was to endure.
Jesus said, "But at the beginning of creation God 'made them male and female' (Mark 10:6)." I don't think it a coincedence that Jesus, in response to a question about divorce, uses the account from Genesis as His authority. It is plain to see that Jesus believed the creation record as true and divinely inspired. After all, why wouldn't He? He was there. We also see from the words of Jesus that there is no separation between the creation of Adam and Eve and the beginning of creation. He talks about them as events taking place during the same period of time. Yet, more evidence that the days of Creation are literal days. Mankind was created on Day 6 of Creation week, just five days after God started.
There are more examples that reinforce the idea of taking the days of Genesis 1 as literal. You have the 40 day Global Flood of Genesis 6. There is Joshua marching around Jericho for seven days in Joshua 6. The temptation of Jesus took place in the desert over a period of 40 days and nights in Matthew 4. How come people don't question whether or not these events took place over literal 24 hour days? It is because Genesis is the only place you can fit in thousands, millions and even billions of year and be allowed to get away with it. Trying to fit evolution into the Bible is trying to fit man's ideas into God's Word. And you end up destroying the foundation of the Bible when you do it. If we can't take God at His word from the very first word, then when can we? And when we destroy the very Gospel that Jesus gave His life for is it really worth it? I don't think God would call His creation "very good (Genesis 1:31)" if it had already been destroyed by death and bloodshed.
"God's time is not man's time. He is timeless. He is beginning and end and everything in between. In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God. I believe God (Triune) created Heaven and Earth. I don't believe in full literal interpretation of the Bible. When the creation is described, one might take the word "day" as a literal 24 hour period of time. 2Pet. 3:8 - But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. This is not a a mathematic equation, but a statement about God in reference to our temporal view of time. The rest of this passage has to do with His patience, mercy, and His quick judgement...when he is ready to judge. In the end, regardless of what they find on Earth, whether it be dinosaur bones or whatever, God created it!" (sic)
Are you surprised like I am that a supposed Christian would say they "don't believe in [a] full literal interpretation of the Bible"? Now, I know that not everything said in the pages of scripture is to be taken literally. However, this individual is relating his comment to Creation. If you believe in evolution that does not mean that you are not a Christian. If you are born again of the Spirit of God through faith in Jesus Christ, you are saved and have eternal life. But, if you are a Christian who believes in evolution, as Ken Ham states, "it WILL stop you from correctly explaining the gospel message to someone." If death did not come from the sin of Adam, then the redemption purchased by Jesus Christ, the Last Adam, on the cross is for nothing. One also has to realize that you can't take a passage like the one in 2 Peter 3, written in Greek, to determine the meaning of a word in Genesis, written in Hebrew!
Think about it this way. If the days of creation are not ordinary days, when is a day an ordinary day in the Bible? We read where "Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights (Jonah 1:17)." Is use of day here not literal? Perhaps it means thousands or millions of years. Maybe Jonah is still in the belly of fish. Yes, ridiculous, but it has to be addressed. Furthermore, if we can't take the example of Jonah literally than you have to explain why Jesus did. "For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth (Matthew 12:39-40)." I don't know of any Christian, worth their salt, who will deny that Christ was in the grave three days and nights. Yet, Jesus used the example of Jonah as a foreshadow of what He was to endure.
Jesus said, "But at the beginning of creation God 'made them male and female' (Mark 10:6)." I don't think it a coincedence that Jesus, in response to a question about divorce, uses the account from Genesis as His authority. It is plain to see that Jesus believed the creation record as true and divinely inspired. After all, why wouldn't He? He was there. We also see from the words of Jesus that there is no separation between the creation of Adam and Eve and the beginning of creation. He talks about them as events taking place during the same period of time. Yet, more evidence that the days of Creation are literal days. Mankind was created on Day 6 of Creation week, just five days after God started.
There are more examples that reinforce the idea of taking the days of Genesis 1 as literal. You have the 40 day Global Flood of Genesis 6. There is Joshua marching around Jericho for seven days in Joshua 6. The temptation of Jesus took place in the desert over a period of 40 days and nights in Matthew 4. How come people don't question whether or not these events took place over literal 24 hour days? It is because Genesis is the only place you can fit in thousands, millions and even billions of year and be allowed to get away with it. Trying to fit evolution into the Bible is trying to fit man's ideas into God's Word. And you end up destroying the foundation of the Bible when you do it. If we can't take God at His word from the very first word, then when can we? And when we destroy the very Gospel that Jesus gave His life for is it really worth it? I don't think God would call His creation "very good (Genesis 1:31)" if it had already been destroyed by death and bloodshed.
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Mass suicide, Masada and the Bible
Q: Would the Bible condone the mass suicide that took place at Masada?
A: No, I do not think God, or the Bible, would condone mass suicide, like the one at Masada, or an individual who takes their own life. When you realize that our lives are like "a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes (James 4:14)" something very stressful must be taking place in order for someone to end their own life. However, I do believe God is a sympathetic God who understands the pain and fear that usually accompanies people committing suicide. If you consider what those who committed suicide at Masada endured it is understandable why they did what they did. After the Romans destroyed Jerusalem in 70 A.D., the surviving Jews fled to Masada where they held out for three years. The Jews were aware that the Roman Legion that was attacking them would eventually breach their defenses at Masada. The choices available to the Jews were slim and none. They could either be captured by the Romans where the men would be enslaved and the women would be enslaved and sold into prostitution or they could commit suicide which was strictly forbidden by Jewish law. The decision couldn't have been a comfortable one to make.
One main reason that I don't believe God condones suicide is because suicide is sin. I don't believe a holy and loving God would even encourage, much less condone, sin of any kind. However, there are those that believe suicide is an unforgiveable sin. This is because they say a person cannot repent of their sin after committing it because they are dead. But, what is suicide? It is murder; self-murder to be exact. Is murder a sin? Yes. Did the death of Jesus Christ take away that sin for all eternity? Yes. In fact, "He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption (Hebrews 9:12)." Christians have eternal redemption, the forgiveness of sins for all eternity. We could not have eternal life without it. Otherwise, there would be a sin that could cause us to lose that life. And eternal life is not eternal if it can be lost. Suicide does not separate one from the love of God. I know from personal experience that there are times when life can get us down to the point where all we want to do is die. This is not something lost on our God. "For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are - yet was without sin (Hebrews 4:15)."
Imagine, for a moment, what must have been going through the mind of Jesus leading up to His death on the cross. I am sure as He was being tortured for our sins He wanted nothing more than for it to end. I am not saying He would have committed suicide, but I am sure He was tempted with the same thoughts as those at Masada, or any other individual who has contemplated suicide or committed it. God knows what we go through and understands the hopelessness that we can experience during our lives. Even the Apostle Paul struggled. "We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about the hardships we suffered in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life (2 Corinthians 1:8)." Granted, neither Christ or Paul committed suicide, but we can see from their experiences that the pain and suffering that leads one to take their life was not lost on them. However, those who died at Masada can help us understand a deeper truth about God.
The struggles one endures that leads them to decide to kill themselves are the same struggles that make us all call out to God. The effects of sin on us and the world around us can lead us to asking why is all of this happening? And that is where the pain and suffering of our lives can actually serve to benefit us. I am not aware if any of the Jews that took their lives at Masada were Christians. But, I am sure that everything leading up to that moment served to get all the Jews involved focus on God. Nothing makes one focus on the things of the Lord and eternity like imminent death. When you know your life is about to end you know all that awaits you is the afterlife. For a Christian we have the hope of eternity and would "prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with Lord (2 Corinthians 5:8)." For an unbeliever the opposite is true. And, quite frankly, an eternity separated from God is a fate worse than death. God does not condone suicide, but He allows the troubles in our lives to break us down to the point where we call out to Christ for salvation. Perhaps, when we enter Heaven we will meet some of those from Masada who accepted the Lord in their final moments on earth. After all, we know that, in His love for mankind, God is patient "not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9)." Yes, even those who took their lives at Masada.
A: No, I do not think God, or the Bible, would condone mass suicide, like the one at Masada, or an individual who takes their own life. When you realize that our lives are like "a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes (James 4:14)" something very stressful must be taking place in order for someone to end their own life. However, I do believe God is a sympathetic God who understands the pain and fear that usually accompanies people committing suicide. If you consider what those who committed suicide at Masada endured it is understandable why they did what they did. After the Romans destroyed Jerusalem in 70 A.D., the surviving Jews fled to Masada where they held out for three years. The Jews were aware that the Roman Legion that was attacking them would eventually breach their defenses at Masada. The choices available to the Jews were slim and none. They could either be captured by the Romans where the men would be enslaved and the women would be enslaved and sold into prostitution or they could commit suicide which was strictly forbidden by Jewish law. The decision couldn't have been a comfortable one to make.
One main reason that I don't believe God condones suicide is because suicide is sin. I don't believe a holy and loving God would even encourage, much less condone, sin of any kind. However, there are those that believe suicide is an unforgiveable sin. This is because they say a person cannot repent of their sin after committing it because they are dead. But, what is suicide? It is murder; self-murder to be exact. Is murder a sin? Yes. Did the death of Jesus Christ take away that sin for all eternity? Yes. In fact, "He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption (Hebrews 9:12)." Christians have eternal redemption, the forgiveness of sins for all eternity. We could not have eternal life without it. Otherwise, there would be a sin that could cause us to lose that life. And eternal life is not eternal if it can be lost. Suicide does not separate one from the love of God. I know from personal experience that there are times when life can get us down to the point where all we want to do is die. This is not something lost on our God. "For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are - yet was without sin (Hebrews 4:15)."
Imagine, for a moment, what must have been going through the mind of Jesus leading up to His death on the cross. I am sure as He was being tortured for our sins He wanted nothing more than for it to end. I am not saying He would have committed suicide, but I am sure He was tempted with the same thoughts as those at Masada, or any other individual who has contemplated suicide or committed it. God knows what we go through and understands the hopelessness that we can experience during our lives. Even the Apostle Paul struggled. "We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about the hardships we suffered in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life (2 Corinthians 1:8)." Granted, neither Christ or Paul committed suicide, but we can see from their experiences that the pain and suffering that leads one to take their life was not lost on them. However, those who died at Masada can help us understand a deeper truth about God.
The struggles one endures that leads them to decide to kill themselves are the same struggles that make us all call out to God. The effects of sin on us and the world around us can lead us to asking why is all of this happening? And that is where the pain and suffering of our lives can actually serve to benefit us. I am not aware if any of the Jews that took their lives at Masada were Christians. But, I am sure that everything leading up to that moment served to get all the Jews involved focus on God. Nothing makes one focus on the things of the Lord and eternity like imminent death. When you know your life is about to end you know all that awaits you is the afterlife. For a Christian we have the hope of eternity and would "prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with Lord (2 Corinthians 5:8)." For an unbeliever the opposite is true. And, quite frankly, an eternity separated from God is a fate worse than death. God does not condone suicide, but He allows the troubles in our lives to break us down to the point where we call out to Christ for salvation. Perhaps, when we enter Heaven we will meet some of those from Masada who accepted the Lord in their final moments on earth. After all, we know that, in His love for mankind, God is patient "not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9)." Yes, even those who took their lives at Masada.
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Christ's Death is a means to an End
Q: Could you please clarify this for me? -----Many Christians believe that they are saved by the death of Jesus Christ. But, His death on the cross, while a necessary part of salvation, does not save anybody. I just kinda get lost at this point. I understand what you have written, just this sentence seems like it might be missing something. Thanks for your time.
A: I would be glad to clarify my statement. From my perspective there is such an emphasis on sin within the Body of Christ that a misconception arises about what the real problem is between man and God. Believers and unbelievers alike are told that their sins separate them from God. While that is not necessarily untrue, it is incomplete. The biggest problem that exists between man and God is that we all are born into this world spiritually dead to God, without His life indwelling us. It all started in the Garden of Eden. In Genesis 2:7 it reads, "Then the LORD God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being." God created man for the purpose of indwelling Him and being his very life. However, just a few verses later we see God give Adam a warning. "The LORD God commanded the man, saying, "From any tree of the garden you may eat freely; but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die (Genesis 2:17)." We know for a fact that Adam disobeyed God and did eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. But what kind of death did Adam suffer?
Adam lived to be 930 years old according to scripture. But, God said that Adam would die on the day he ate from that tree. The kind of death Adam died was a spiritual death. The life that God breathed into him, recorded in Genesis 2:7, was removed from Adam when he ate the forbidden fruit. The life of God that made Adam a living being was removed and he died to God. This brings us to another misconception many hold to regarding mankind. That misconception is that all mankind is created in the image of God. Adam was created in the image of God with the life of God indwelling Him. However, Adam and Eve did not have any children prior to Adam eating the forbidden fruit. Therefore, everybody born into this world after that point in time is not in the image of God. Rather, we are born in the image of Adam. As Genesis 5:3 states, "When Adam had lived one hundred and thirty years, he became the father of a son in his own likeness, according to his image, and named him Seth." We are all born into this world spiritually dead to God in our sins, but physically alive to the world. God, in His love desired to restore His life to mankind, but He first had to deal with the sin that caused that life to leave in the first place before He could do so.
Take for example someone who dies of cancer. Now, if you bought that person back to life, but never cured the cancer they would simply die again. Therefore, in order for that person to keep on living after they are brought back to life you would have to cure the cancer first. That is where the death of Jesus Christ comes into the picture. Because Jesus is God, He was the only person ever born that had a life to give that would satisfy God as payment for our sins. "The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29)!" Jesus was the perfect sacrifice that took away our sins because He lived a sinless life, which we could not do, and died in our place, which we deserved for our sins. The death of Christ was, in effect, the cure for the cancer that caused us to spiritually die. Now, that the sin issue no longer stands between man and God, He was able to offer His life to us, that we lost in Adam, as a free gift through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Salvation is the restoration of the life of God through faith in Jesus Christ. The death of Christ was a means to this end, but not an end in and of itself.
1 Corinthians 15:17 says, "And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins." This is what I mean when I say the death of Christ does not save any of us. If Christ had not been raised we are still spiritually dead to God without His life indwelling us. Mankind has a greater need than the forgiveness of our sins. We need life because we are dead. And once we accept Christ’s offer of salvation we get the life of God restored to us and forgiveness of sins as a part of that life. And because of the eternal consequences of the death of Jesus Christ, there is now no sin that will ever cause the life of God to be removed from us. That is why the life we have is an eternal life. A life that will carry a believer through the rest of their life and on into eternity even after they physically die. This truth is summed up for us in Romans 5. "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)!" We are saved by the resurrected life of Christ, not merely His death for our sins. The Good News of the Gospel is that Jesus gave His life for you so that, raised from the dead, He could give His life to you. I hope I was able to clarify why the death of Jesus Christ doesn’t save anybody.
A: I would be glad to clarify my statement. From my perspective there is such an emphasis on sin within the Body of Christ that a misconception arises about what the real problem is between man and God. Believers and unbelievers alike are told that their sins separate them from God. While that is not necessarily untrue, it is incomplete. The biggest problem that exists between man and God is that we all are born into this world spiritually dead to God, without His life indwelling us. It all started in the Garden of Eden. In Genesis 2:7 it reads, "Then the LORD God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being." God created man for the purpose of indwelling Him and being his very life. However, just a few verses later we see God give Adam a warning. "The LORD God commanded the man, saying, "From any tree of the garden you may eat freely; but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die (Genesis 2:17)." We know for a fact that Adam disobeyed God and did eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. But what kind of death did Adam suffer?
Adam lived to be 930 years old according to scripture. But, God said that Adam would die on the day he ate from that tree. The kind of death Adam died was a spiritual death. The life that God breathed into him, recorded in Genesis 2:7, was removed from Adam when he ate the forbidden fruit. The life of God that made Adam a living being was removed and he died to God. This brings us to another misconception many hold to regarding mankind. That misconception is that all mankind is created in the image of God. Adam was created in the image of God with the life of God indwelling Him. However, Adam and Eve did not have any children prior to Adam eating the forbidden fruit. Therefore, everybody born into this world after that point in time is not in the image of God. Rather, we are born in the image of Adam. As Genesis 5:3 states, "When Adam had lived one hundred and thirty years, he became the father of a son in his own likeness, according to his image, and named him Seth." We are all born into this world spiritually dead to God in our sins, but physically alive to the world. God, in His love desired to restore His life to mankind, but He first had to deal with the sin that caused that life to leave in the first place before He could do so.
Take for example someone who dies of cancer. Now, if you bought that person back to life, but never cured the cancer they would simply die again. Therefore, in order for that person to keep on living after they are brought back to life you would have to cure the cancer first. That is where the death of Jesus Christ comes into the picture. Because Jesus is God, He was the only person ever born that had a life to give that would satisfy God as payment for our sins. "The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29)!" Jesus was the perfect sacrifice that took away our sins because He lived a sinless life, which we could not do, and died in our place, which we deserved for our sins. The death of Christ was, in effect, the cure for the cancer that caused us to spiritually die. Now, that the sin issue no longer stands between man and God, He was able to offer His life to us, that we lost in Adam, as a free gift through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Salvation is the restoration of the life of God through faith in Jesus Christ. The death of Christ was a means to this end, but not an end in and of itself.
1 Corinthians 15:17 says, "And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins." This is what I mean when I say the death of Christ does not save any of us. If Christ had not been raised we are still spiritually dead to God without His life indwelling us. Mankind has a greater need than the forgiveness of our sins. We need life because we are dead. And once we accept Christ’s offer of salvation we get the life of God restored to us and forgiveness of sins as a part of that life. And because of the eternal consequences of the death of Jesus Christ, there is now no sin that will ever cause the life of God to be removed from us. That is why the life we have is an eternal life. A life that will carry a believer through the rest of their life and on into eternity even after they physically die. This truth is summed up for us in Romans 5. "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)!" We are saved by the resurrected life of Christ, not merely His death for our sins. The Good News of the Gospel is that Jesus gave His life for you so that, raised from the dead, He could give His life to you. I hope I was able to clarify why the death of Jesus Christ doesn’t save anybody.
Saturday, April 18, 2009
The Middle of the Road on the Left
Just like I predicted, in the minds of many minorities, the election of Barack Obama as President hasn’t "changed" anything. Last night I was involved in a discussion with a young lady who considers herself a Christian who is politically in the middle of the road. She, from what I can tell has a successful career going for herself. However, when the subject came up of her missing out on a chance to further her career her immediate reaction was to say it was because of racism. When I asked her what made her believe it was racism her only answer was that the individual(s) who were received what she wanted were less qualified. That is a subjective argument at best and one that is all too common. No doubt racism still exists and, in my opinion, will always exist. It is a condition of the heart and there is only so much that legislation can do to stop it. However, using racism seems to be a convenient excuse to explain the failures of minorities in this country without pointing the finger of responsibility at the individual. Unfortunately, this status quo response from her was just the tip of the iceberg.
Along with pulling the race card to explain her failures, she also defended Barack Obama’s association with his anti-American and racist pastor as though it was something the President was not aware of for twenty years. Other things that she accepted at face value despite credible evidence to the contrary were:
There were others, but these seem to the majority of what kept coming up during the discussion. Quite frankly, this doesn’t represent a middle of the road political viewpoint, but rather a liberal, left-wing view point.
I am all for being a steward of the planet, but I am not about to radically change my lifestyle and give up my hard-earned money because some believe the planet is dying because of America. My friend comes across as a person who has guilt over living in a country that is so powerful and influential. Therefore, we must be change our living habits because she falsely believes in Global Warming. The fact of the matter is that America is the biggest producer of any nation on the planet. We feed the world and pollute the planet far less than some of these communist and totalitarian countries do. Most of these other countries depend on this country for their very existence. If we go down the drain over false claims of destroying the planet, the planet just might be destoroyed.
Without going into a long diatribe about global warming and the hoax I believe it to be I will let Bruce Berkowitz, a fellow at the Hoover Institution, talk for me. "The effect of solar activities and volcanoes are impossible to miss. Temperatures fluctuated exactly as expected, and the pattern was so clear that, statistically, the odds of the correlation by chance were one in 100...Try as we might, we simply could not find any relationship between industrial activity, energy consumption and changes in global temperatures." Enough said.
Along with pulling the race card to explain her failures, she also defended Barack Obama’s association with his anti-American and racist pastor as though it was something the President was not aware of for twenty years. Other things that she accepted at face value despite credible evidence to the contrary were:
- America is destroying the planet
- Global Warming is a fact
- America (whites in general) is a racist country
- Democrats have done more for minorities than conservative Republicans
- The destruction of the black family is because of racism.
There were others, but these seem to the majority of what kept coming up during the discussion. Quite frankly, this doesn’t represent a middle of the road political viewpoint, but rather a liberal, left-wing view point.
I am all for being a steward of the planet, but I am not about to radically change my lifestyle and give up my hard-earned money because some believe the planet is dying because of America. My friend comes across as a person who has guilt over living in a country that is so powerful and influential. Therefore, we must be change our living habits because she falsely believes in Global Warming. The fact of the matter is that America is the biggest producer of any nation on the planet. We feed the world and pollute the planet far less than some of these communist and totalitarian countries do. Most of these other countries depend on this country for their very existence. If we go down the drain over false claims of destroying the planet, the planet just might be destoroyed.
Without going into a long diatribe about global warming and the hoax I believe it to be I will let Bruce Berkowitz, a fellow at the Hoover Institution, talk for me. "The effect of solar activities and volcanoes are impossible to miss. Temperatures fluctuated exactly as expected, and the pattern was so clear that, statistically, the odds of the correlation by chance were one in 100...Try as we might, we simply could not find any relationship between industrial activity, energy consumption and changes in global temperatures." Enough said.
The Middle of the Road on the Left, Part 2
I am the first one to say that we cannot deny the racism that has been a part of this nation since its beginnings. However, I won’t be so short-sighted as cast all white people as racist or that all whites throughout history were racist. And more importantly, I refuse to let a convenient excuse like slavery be used as a constant trump card to be pulled to wash my hands of any of my individual failures. Things have changed in this country. Most people go out of their way to try and be sensitive and accommodating about differences. As I mentioned earlier, we have a Black President, which in and of itself is strong evidence of how racial divisions have healed over the years. I guess the fact that whites have suffered and died to try and reach racial equality falls on deaf ears when it is not politically or personally expedient. As I told my friend the dominant form of racism today comes from those of us who give ourselves hyphenated labels like African-American.
There is nothing wrong with being proud of your heritage. However, how will you ever see yourself as an American when you identify yourself by that which makes you different right up front? All it does is separate us by telling others, "I am different and you better treat me as such." And then everybody else has to bend over backwards trying not to offend you. If we don’t want to be judged by our racial and ethnic background then stop labeling ourselves by it! If, as Martin Luther King, Jr. "dreamed," we are to judge people by the content of their character, let us stop focusing on the color of our skin or where the roots of our family tree are buried. I was not and am not a supporter of Barack Obama. Not because of his racial or ethnic background, much of it I share. I did not like his character, his world view or those he associated with. That is the real judge of a person. It is time we started acting the way in which we want others to act.
Without rehashing the Civil Rights Movement of the early and mid 20th century, I want to bring up a point I shared with my friend about the history of the Democrats and Republicans as it pertains to Civil Rights. Most people simply fall back on the stereotypes that Democrats are for the minority and Republicans are not. Some go so far as to label Republicans and conservatives as racists, sexists, bigots and homophobes. How many people view the 1964 Civil Rights Act as a cornerstone of what the Democrats have done to advance the cause of equality? But, how many know that more Democrats voted against the 1964 Civil Rights Act than Republicans? 80 percent of Republicans voted for the act while only 63 percent of Democrats did. And how many people realize that the Klu Klux Klan was an offshoot of the Democratic Party? They were formed, amongst other things, to keep blacks from voting. You won’t hear that history mentioned too often.
Being a black man, I particularly take notice of the terrible state the black family is in today. But, when my friend blames everything that goes on in the black community strictly on racism that is a dangerous cop out that could be racist in itself. It is as if blacks have no ability to change their circumstances or be responsible for their choices because of racism. The blame for the destruction of the black family, ultimately, must be laid at their own feet. For example, I have read were in 1960 the illegitimacy rate among blacks was 23 percent. Not good, but utopian compared to the 68.8 percent rate by the end of the twentieth century! Over a 45% increase in 40 years! How can that be the fault of racism when during the heat of the Civil Rights movement, when racism was overt and obvious, out-of-wedlock births were less than 25%? The out-of-wedlock birthrate in the black community is almost double the national average of 37%.
There is nothing wrong with being proud of your heritage. However, how will you ever see yourself as an American when you identify yourself by that which makes you different right up front? All it does is separate us by telling others, "I am different and you better treat me as such." And then everybody else has to bend over backwards trying not to offend you. If we don’t want to be judged by our racial and ethnic background then stop labeling ourselves by it! If, as Martin Luther King, Jr. "dreamed," we are to judge people by the content of their character, let us stop focusing on the color of our skin or where the roots of our family tree are buried. I was not and am not a supporter of Barack Obama. Not because of his racial or ethnic background, much of it I share. I did not like his character, his world view or those he associated with. That is the real judge of a person. It is time we started acting the way in which we want others to act.
Without rehashing the Civil Rights Movement of the early and mid 20th century, I want to bring up a point I shared with my friend about the history of the Democrats and Republicans as it pertains to Civil Rights. Most people simply fall back on the stereotypes that Democrats are for the minority and Republicans are not. Some go so far as to label Republicans and conservatives as racists, sexists, bigots and homophobes. How many people view the 1964 Civil Rights Act as a cornerstone of what the Democrats have done to advance the cause of equality? But, how many know that more Democrats voted against the 1964 Civil Rights Act than Republicans? 80 percent of Republicans voted for the act while only 63 percent of Democrats did. And how many people realize that the Klu Klux Klan was an offshoot of the Democratic Party? They were formed, amongst other things, to keep blacks from voting. You won’t hear that history mentioned too often.
Being a black man, I particularly take notice of the terrible state the black family is in today. But, when my friend blames everything that goes on in the black community strictly on racism that is a dangerous cop out that could be racist in itself. It is as if blacks have no ability to change their circumstances or be responsible for their choices because of racism. The blame for the destruction of the black family, ultimately, must be laid at their own feet. For example, I have read were in 1960 the illegitimacy rate among blacks was 23 percent. Not good, but utopian compared to the 68.8 percent rate by the end of the twentieth century! Over a 45% increase in 40 years! How can that be the fault of racism when during the heat of the Civil Rights movement, when racism was overt and obvious, out-of-wedlock births were less than 25%? The out-of-wedlock birthrate in the black community is almost double the national average of 37%.
The Middle of the Road on the Left, Part 3
The illegitimacy rate in the black community, the ignorance and denial of historical facts surrounding the struggle for equality and those who assisted in making it a reality, the constant practice of identifying ourselves by what makes us different, the acceptance and promotion of stereotypes to appease a misguided sense of anger and the belief in questionable, if not false, subjects like global warming all find there origins in the denial of truth and the evil hearts of all mankind.
As I have said before there is only one truth on just about every subject. We cannot all be correct, but we can all be wrong. So it is with the subjects I have tried to discuss here. The fear, anger, denial of facts, promotion of error, lack of personal responsibility can all be traced back to what is inside each of us. For those who know me, it is no secret that when I accepted Jesus Christ as my Savior, He not only restored the life of God to me, He also began to lead me into all truth. And the direction His revelations began to lead me in were not solely relegated to the realm of the Bible. One thing you begin to realize is how your eyes begin to open to everything around you. For me, I started realizing that traditions, beliefs, stereotypes and things I took for granted were not all I believed them to be. Not only were my beliefs about God changing, but so were my political, social and economic beliefs. Now, do I have total knowledge of everything? Of course not! Will I ever? No. However, the phrase, "takes one to know one" can be applied to my situation.
My friend, in many ways was just like me. Like her, I had based many of my opinions on two things; stereotypes and experiences. That is the quickest way in which to have rock solid opinions based on zero information. Like her, I claimed to be a Christian. While we never were able to break the discussion down to the topic of what she knew and believed about Jesus Christ, I would not be surprised if she was like I used to be. I was a churchgoer, who claimed to be a Christian, but whom defined my faith not through a personal encounter with Jesus Christ, but through the prism of my religious upbringing. They are not the same thing. I personally do not believe one stays in the dark, holding on to experiences, stereotypes and excuses, if they have had a saving encounter with Jesus. The Bible talks about taking up your cross daily. I believe that means that we will suffer loss on some level each day because of our faith in Him. That suffering can come in the form of what it is we have to discard from our past in order to be led by Him and to grow in our relationship with Him.
Ultimately, if we want to change the world, we have to start with ourselves. That must begin with a change of heart. And the only true change of heart comes when we realize that we are dead in sin and in need of the life of God through faith in Jesus Christ. I have heard it said that truth is whatever corresponds with reality. And Jesus Christ is Truth that, definitely corresponds with reality. Jesus, being God, will lead us into all truth so as to better understand and discern both spiritual and secular truths. "For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate. Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has God not made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know Him God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe.. For the foolishness of God is wiser than man’s wisdom and the weakness of God is stronger than man’s strength (1 Corinthians 1:19-21,25)."
As I have said before there is only one truth on just about every subject. We cannot all be correct, but we can all be wrong. So it is with the subjects I have tried to discuss here. The fear, anger, denial of facts, promotion of error, lack of personal responsibility can all be traced back to what is inside each of us. For those who know me, it is no secret that when I accepted Jesus Christ as my Savior, He not only restored the life of God to me, He also began to lead me into all truth. And the direction His revelations began to lead me in were not solely relegated to the realm of the Bible. One thing you begin to realize is how your eyes begin to open to everything around you. For me, I started realizing that traditions, beliefs, stereotypes and things I took for granted were not all I believed them to be. Not only were my beliefs about God changing, but so were my political, social and economic beliefs. Now, do I have total knowledge of everything? Of course not! Will I ever? No. However, the phrase, "takes one to know one" can be applied to my situation.
My friend, in many ways was just like me. Like her, I had based many of my opinions on two things; stereotypes and experiences. That is the quickest way in which to have rock solid opinions based on zero information. Like her, I claimed to be a Christian. While we never were able to break the discussion down to the topic of what she knew and believed about Jesus Christ, I would not be surprised if she was like I used to be. I was a churchgoer, who claimed to be a Christian, but whom defined my faith not through a personal encounter with Jesus Christ, but through the prism of my religious upbringing. They are not the same thing. I personally do not believe one stays in the dark, holding on to experiences, stereotypes and excuses, if they have had a saving encounter with Jesus. The Bible talks about taking up your cross daily. I believe that means that we will suffer loss on some level each day because of our faith in Him. That suffering can come in the form of what it is we have to discard from our past in order to be led by Him and to grow in our relationship with Him.
Ultimately, if we want to change the world, we have to start with ourselves. That must begin with a change of heart. And the only true change of heart comes when we realize that we are dead in sin and in need of the life of God through faith in Jesus Christ. I have heard it said that truth is whatever corresponds with reality. And Jesus Christ is Truth that, definitely corresponds with reality. Jesus, being God, will lead us into all truth so as to better understand and discern both spiritual and secular truths. "For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate. Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has God not made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know Him God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe.. For the foolishness of God is wiser than man’s wisdom and the weakness of God is stronger than man’s strength (1 Corinthians 1:19-21,25)."
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
The Battle for Grace
I have been involved in a day long discussion with an old friend I got reacquainted with on the Internet. We will call him C. I guess he is involved in ministry and posts questions on his page everyday. His question for today is below followed by my response. His response to me took place on email. Don't let anyone put you under the law! P.S. I have no idea why he calls me "Champion." Enjoy...
C: THE QUESTION IS: WHAT DOES THE "TEN COMMANDMENTS SHOW US?"
ME: The entire law, not just the 10 Commandments, show us our sinfulness so we will turn to Christ by faith. The Law is for unbelievers not for Christians. "So the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith. Now that faith has come, we are no longer under the supervision of the law (Galatians 3:24-25)." "We also know that law is made not for the righteous but for lawbreakers and rebels, the ungodly and sinful, the unholy and irreligious; for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers, for adulterers and perverts, for slave traders and liars and perjurers-and for whatever else is contrary to the sound doctrine that conforms to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, which he entrusted to me (1 Timothy 1:9-11)." Christians are led from within by the Holy Spirit. We are not led by laws designed to modify our behavior.
C: Champion,great great word and thanks for your answer. Everything you said is correct, but what does it "show" us, and do Christians still need to obey the ten commandment. for example in the ten commandments (Old testament) is says don't commit adultery, but in the new testament it says if a man "lust" after a woman he commits adultery in his heart.
ME: Hey C, no Christians do not need to obey the 10 Commandments. Christ amplified the law in order to bury us so that we would realize that we cannot live up to God's standard of perfection. God doesn't require our best efforts, He demands perfection. A perfection we are unable to live up to. The law was God's contribution to man's best effort to be like Him. And we fail miserably. That is why Jesus did for us what we could not do; fulfill the law by walking in perfect obedience and dying in our place so that, in Him, we could approach God. The New Covenant did not start until after Jesus died, it was not in effect during His life. That is why He preached the law. He was preparing us for the cross. According to Titus, it is the grace of God that teaches us to say no to ungodliness, not the law of God. We live by faith in Christ and what He has done for us and desires to do through us. If Christians were to live by the law then there was no need for Christ to have come.
C: Champion everything you said is correct, but if we had nothing to obey, then would there be any disobedience?. The ten commands is a "mirror" of who we used to be and our need for a savior. It shows us our flaws. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, therefore any man who is in Christ Jesus he is a new creation, old things have passed away and all things our new. Let me ask you this, if we don't have to obey the ten commandment, then why is stealing wrong, [adultery] wrong, taking God's name in vain wrong, disrespecting our parents wrong. Yes we are not "under" the law but we still as christian must "obey" the Ten commandment. Champion your input is awesome. Thanks for being apart of these questions. It is to help us grow "together" as believers in Christ.
ME: Hey C, if we are under the law then we are subject to the penalties for disobeying the law, which is death in just about every situation. Romans 1:17 and Galatians 3:11 say that the "righteous will live by faith." We don't live by law. As I stated earlier, Titus 2:12 says it is the grace 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." Let me ask this, if we are being controlled by the Holy Spirit from within is He going to lead us into sin? Sin is still sin regardless of the Covenants, but the Christian life is not about learning to stop sinning, it is about learning to trust God in the midst of our sins. James 2:10 says that "For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it." If we are subject to the law we have to obey all 613 commandments not just the first 10. How are you doing in that area? Besides, am I subject to keeping the Sabbath as well? That is one of the 10. How are you doing at not coveting? That is one of the 10 as well. And if we are to keep the law, we have to institute the penalties and sacrifices required by the law when we sin. And Hebrews 10:18 says, "there is no longer any sacrifice for sin." If someone steals, commits adultery or violates the Sabbath are we to take them to the city limits and stone them to death? That is what the law requires. If you want to live under the law that is your choice. However, I don't want to fall from grace (Galatians 5:4) by trying to live under laws designed to lead me to Christ. Thanks.
C: All that is right. We are not under the law, but we still need to obey what it says. Thanks bro.
ME: Thanks for discussion, man.. Although, I have to say that if you believed all I wrote was right, you would not conclude we can obey the law. Nobody can.
C: You are right, but we still have to obey His word bro. we are "not"under the law, but we still need to obey it. Champion do study on it bro. If that was the case we could live anyway want. Champion I want you to read Mathew 5:26-30.
ME: Thanks C, I am familiar with that passage and the Sermon on the Mount. I am not new to the subject. We just disagree on what Jesus was trying to do. He was trying to bury his audience who thought they had a righteousness of their own through their obedience. Jesus was preparing them (and us) for the cross by trying to show us we could not live up to God's standards (Matthew 5:48). If Christians are under law than we have to throw away the Pauline epistles and the book of Hebrews. I put up enough scripture I believe clearly states we are not under law. We will just have to agree to disagree. In Him.
C: Bro, I am not saying we are under the "law", we are NOT UNDER THE LAW, but we still have to obey it. Plain and simple bro. Champion have a great day. Champion JOHN 14:15 says, if you LOVE [ME] YOU WILL"OBEY" ME. 1 SAMUEL 15:22, God says, He wants are "obedience" more than sacrifice.The standard we should be living by is all of His word not some of His word. Luke 6:46 says why do you call me lord lord and don't "obey". We can't obey on our own, you are right but the Holy [Spirit] empowers and convicts us to obey bro. I really appreciate the input bro.
ME: Under it and obeying it are the same thing. The Holy Spirit did not come to help us obey the law. The Holy Spirit is our life who guides us from within. As for John 14:15, you have to conclude that you don't love God because you can't obey His commands. We love because He first loved us (1 John). C, you have to obey the entire law and if you don't you are subject to the penalties for disobedience. God doesn't demand our best efforts, he demands perfection. I know you haven't obeyed the law perfectly. If law keeping was what we were to do, why did Paul consider his legalistic righteousness as loss? You have yet to address the passages from Romans and Galatians. We can go round and round on this. As I said before, if you want to try and obey the law, obey all of it, not just those things easiest to obey like not committing adultery. I refuse to allow myself to be burdened by a yoke of slavery not even the Jews could obey. I live by faith, not by law. I am righteous in God's site because of my faith in Christ, not because of my obedience to the Law. In Him
....AND THE BATTLE CONTINUES
C: THE QUESTION IS: WHAT DOES THE "TEN COMMANDMENTS SHOW US?"
ME: The entire law, not just the 10 Commandments, show us our sinfulness so we will turn to Christ by faith. The Law is for unbelievers not for Christians. "So the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith. Now that faith has come, we are no longer under the supervision of the law (Galatians 3:24-25)." "We also know that law is made not for the righteous but for lawbreakers and rebels, the ungodly and sinful, the unholy and irreligious; for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers, for adulterers and perverts, for slave traders and liars and perjurers-and for whatever else is contrary to the sound doctrine that conforms to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, which he entrusted to me (1 Timothy 1:9-11)." Christians are led from within by the Holy Spirit. We are not led by laws designed to modify our behavior.
C: Champion,great great word and thanks for your answer. Everything you said is correct, but what does it "show" us, and do Christians still need to obey the ten commandment. for example in the ten commandments (Old testament) is says don't commit adultery, but in the new testament it says if a man "lust" after a woman he commits adultery in his heart.
ME: Hey C, no Christians do not need to obey the 10 Commandments. Christ amplified the law in order to bury us so that we would realize that we cannot live up to God's standard of perfection. God doesn't require our best efforts, He demands perfection. A perfection we are unable to live up to. The law was God's contribution to man's best effort to be like Him. And we fail miserably. That is why Jesus did for us what we could not do; fulfill the law by walking in perfect obedience and dying in our place so that, in Him, we could approach God. The New Covenant did not start until after Jesus died, it was not in effect during His life. That is why He preached the law. He was preparing us for the cross. According to Titus, it is the grace of God that teaches us to say no to ungodliness, not the law of God. We live by faith in Christ and what He has done for us and desires to do through us. If Christians were to live by the law then there was no need for Christ to have come.
C: Champion everything you said is correct, but if we had nothing to obey, then would there be any disobedience?. The ten commands is a "mirror" of who we used to be and our need for a savior. It shows us our flaws. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, therefore any man who is in Christ Jesus he is a new creation, old things have passed away and all things our new. Let me ask you this, if we don't have to obey the ten commandment, then why is stealing wrong, [adultery] wrong, taking God's name in vain wrong, disrespecting our parents wrong. Yes we are not "under" the law but we still as christian must "obey" the Ten commandment. Champion your input is awesome. Thanks for being apart of these questions. It is to help us grow "together" as believers in Christ.
ME: Hey C, if we are under the law then we are subject to the penalties for disobeying the law, which is death in just about every situation. Romans 1:17 and Galatians 3:11 say that the "righteous will live by faith." We don't live by law. As I stated earlier, Titus 2:12 says it is the grace 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." Let me ask this, if we are being controlled by the Holy Spirit from within is He going to lead us into sin? Sin is still sin regardless of the Covenants, but the Christian life is not about learning to stop sinning, it is about learning to trust God in the midst of our sins. James 2:10 says that "For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it." If we are subject to the law we have to obey all 613 commandments not just the first 10. How are you doing in that area? Besides, am I subject to keeping the Sabbath as well? That is one of the 10. How are you doing at not coveting? That is one of the 10 as well. And if we are to keep the law, we have to institute the penalties and sacrifices required by the law when we sin. And Hebrews 10:18 says, "there is no longer any sacrifice for sin." If someone steals, commits adultery or violates the Sabbath are we to take them to the city limits and stone them to death? That is what the law requires. If you want to live under the law that is your choice. However, I don't want to fall from grace (Galatians 5:4) by trying to live under laws designed to lead me to Christ. Thanks.
C: All that is right. We are not under the law, but we still need to obey what it says. Thanks bro.
ME: Thanks for discussion, man.. Although, I have to say that if you believed all I wrote was right, you would not conclude we can obey the law. Nobody can.
C: You are right, but we still have to obey His word bro. we are "not"under the law, but we still need to obey it. Champion do study on it bro. If that was the case we could live anyway want. Champion I want you to read Mathew 5:26-30.
ME: Thanks C, I am familiar with that passage and the Sermon on the Mount. I am not new to the subject. We just disagree on what Jesus was trying to do. He was trying to bury his audience who thought they had a righteousness of their own through their obedience. Jesus was preparing them (and us) for the cross by trying to show us we could not live up to God's standards (Matthew 5:48). If Christians are under law than we have to throw away the Pauline epistles and the book of Hebrews. I put up enough scripture I believe clearly states we are not under law. We will just have to agree to disagree. In Him.
C: Bro, I am not saying we are under the "law", we are NOT UNDER THE LAW, but we still have to obey it. Plain and simple bro. Champion have a great day. Champion JOHN 14:15 says, if you LOVE [ME] YOU WILL"OBEY" ME. 1 SAMUEL 15:22, God says, He wants are "obedience" more than sacrifice.The standard we should be living by is all of His word not some of His word. Luke 6:46 says why do you call me lord lord and don't "obey". We can't obey on our own, you are right but the Holy [Spirit] empowers and convicts us to obey bro. I really appreciate the input bro.
ME: Under it and obeying it are the same thing. The Holy Spirit did not come to help us obey the law. The Holy Spirit is our life who guides us from within. As for John 14:15, you have to conclude that you don't love God because you can't obey His commands. We love because He first loved us (1 John). C, you have to obey the entire law and if you don't you are subject to the penalties for disobedience. God doesn't demand our best efforts, he demands perfection. I know you haven't obeyed the law perfectly. If law keeping was what we were to do, why did Paul consider his legalistic righteousness as loss? You have yet to address the passages from Romans and Galatians. We can go round and round on this. As I said before, if you want to try and obey the law, obey all of it, not just those things easiest to obey like not committing adultery. I refuse to allow myself to be burdened by a yoke of slavery not even the Jews could obey. I live by faith, not by law. I am righteous in God's site because of my faith in Christ, not because of my obedience to the Law. In Him
....AND THE BATTLE CONTINUES
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Go ahead and take it. It is Free!
Today at fellowship, a young lady who was visiting wanted to purchase some material produced by the pastor. She didn't have the exact change in order to make the purchase. When a friend of hers searched her purse for the correct funds I chimed, "Just take it." The young lady was surprised that I said that and didn't feel comfortable doing it. I reassured her that I was not encouraging her to steal, but knowing the pastor's heart on such situations I knew he would tell her just to take what she wanted. The pastor is more interested in getting the material out and in circulation moreso than always being compensated for it. She was also surprised that nobody was manning the table in order to make sure transactions were being done in an honest manor. I am not sure what the outcome of her situation was, but a few minutes later I noticed her having a conversation with the pastor. He walked over to the table and grabbed a CD set on Spiritual Warfare and gave it her. In effect, this proved my point. He was more interested that she get answers to her questions than getting reimbursed for the products. Now, don't get me wrong, we all know that to produce materials costs money, but in this particular case that wasn't the issue. It reminded me of what we are celebrating today.
When it comes to the resurrection of Jesus Christ, and the salvation He offers in His life, many people find it hard to believe that something so powerful is free. "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 6:23)." The reason God's offer of eternal life in Christ is free is because the price we would have to pay to receive it is too high for any man, woman or child to pay. The other day I was speaking to a coworker about salvation. When I talked about it being a free gift her response was "that is too easy." Too easy? You see, like everyone of us, we have a hard time accepting gifts. We always feel that we must earn something rather than be given something. Ever notice how embarrassed people get if they have to accept charity. In many cases it makes them feel worthless as if they have failed at life and need the help of others. Our pride will not allow us to simply say thank you and accept a gift.
It is understandable why it is difficult to accept a gift, especially the gift of eternal life from the Creator of the universe. After all, nearly everything else we achieve in this life is earned or cost money, which is earned. Religion feeds off this idea and millions fall right in line because it is what they are used to doing. Nearly every religion on earth, Christianity included, is full of teachings designed to get you to be acceptable to God if you only do what they say. If you would only do what is good and avoid what is evil you will be pleasing to God. This appeals to the flesh, but ultimately will not reward the individual with what they seek. "For if a law had been given that could impart life, then righteousness would certainly have come by the law (Galatians 3:21)." If we could earn eternal life than Jesus would not have had to come. God already had the law in place to show us what He demanded of us in order to be like Him. Yet, even if we had obeyed it completely, we would not have received eternal life for our efforts. That is something that we should meditate on whenever we feel we are pleasing to God by our perceived righteous behavior.
When this lady today wanted to purchase the materials she was doing the right thing. They were in fact for sale at a price. However, when what she desired was offered to her as a free gift she initially balked at the offer. But, when the pastor gave it to her, she freely accepted. While she could have affored the material we, on the other hand, could not afford the price of salvation. We can't even live up to God's law, but somehow think we can earn salvation. In His love for us, God has freely offered eternal life as a gift to all who accept it. He did for us what we could not do for ourselves. In love "he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves (Ephesians 1:5-6)." None of us would consider charging others for sharing the Gospel with them. Yet, we some how think we must pay God for offering eternal life in His Son to us. If you are an unbeliever all you have to do with the offer of eternal life in Christ is to accept it. If you are a believer, accept the fact that you have freely been given eternal life and are not required to compensate the Lord for His gift.
When it comes to the resurrection of Jesus Christ, and the salvation He offers in His life, many people find it hard to believe that something so powerful is free. "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 6:23)." The reason God's offer of eternal life in Christ is free is because the price we would have to pay to receive it is too high for any man, woman or child to pay. The other day I was speaking to a coworker about salvation. When I talked about it being a free gift her response was "that is too easy." Too easy? You see, like everyone of us, we have a hard time accepting gifts. We always feel that we must earn something rather than be given something. Ever notice how embarrassed people get if they have to accept charity. In many cases it makes them feel worthless as if they have failed at life and need the help of others. Our pride will not allow us to simply say thank you and accept a gift.
It is understandable why it is difficult to accept a gift, especially the gift of eternal life from the Creator of the universe. After all, nearly everything else we achieve in this life is earned or cost money, which is earned. Religion feeds off this idea and millions fall right in line because it is what they are used to doing. Nearly every religion on earth, Christianity included, is full of teachings designed to get you to be acceptable to God if you only do what they say. If you would only do what is good and avoid what is evil you will be pleasing to God. This appeals to the flesh, but ultimately will not reward the individual with what they seek. "For if a law had been given that could impart life, then righteousness would certainly have come by the law (Galatians 3:21)." If we could earn eternal life than Jesus would not have had to come. God already had the law in place to show us what He demanded of us in order to be like Him. Yet, even if we had obeyed it completely, we would not have received eternal life for our efforts. That is something that we should meditate on whenever we feel we are pleasing to God by our perceived righteous behavior.
When this lady today wanted to purchase the materials she was doing the right thing. They were in fact for sale at a price. However, when what she desired was offered to her as a free gift she initially balked at the offer. But, when the pastor gave it to her, she freely accepted. While she could have affored the material we, on the other hand, could not afford the price of salvation. We can't even live up to God's law, but somehow think we can earn salvation. In His love for us, God has freely offered eternal life as a gift to all who accept it. He did for us what we could not do for ourselves. In love "he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves (Ephesians 1:5-6)." None of us would consider charging others for sharing the Gospel with them. Yet, we some how think we must pay God for offering eternal life in His Son to us. If you are an unbeliever all you have to do with the offer of eternal life in Christ is to accept it. If you are a believer, accept the fact that you have freely been given eternal life and are not required to compensate the Lord for His gift.
Saturday, April 11, 2009
Law and Grace
How many Christians mistakenly believe that they must uphold the law in order to be pleasing to God, obtain their salvation, maintain their salvation or some combination of them all? Jesus didn't come to help us obey the law and then give us grace when we fall short. Scripture is clear that if righteousness could come through obedience to the law than Christ died for nothing. There is something much more glorious available to the believer; the grace of God. Bob George of People to People Ministries and www.realanswers.net takes a moment to shed some light on this critical issue. God Bless and Enjoy.
Thursday, April 9, 2009
The Birth of the Apostle Paul
Q: When did Paul become an apostle as he was not one of the original 12?
A: Paul became an apostle on his way to persecute Christians in Damascus. His plan was to take those Christians he found there as prisoners and deliver them to Jerusalem. However, in Acts 9 we learn that God had a different plan. "As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me (Acts 9:3-4)?" Paul immediately recognized he was having an encounter with God as his response would indicate. ""Who are you, Lord?" Saul asked (Acts 9:5a)." Jesus responded, ""I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,"...."Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do (Acts 9:5b-6)." The conversion of Paul to Christianity and his installation as an apostle was a unique experience not shared by any other apostle.
Unlike the other apostles Paul may not have met the criteria that was set for one to become an apostle. After the death of Judas, the remaining apostles decided that to become one of them it was "necessary to choose one of the men who have been with us the whole time the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, beginning from John's baptism to the time when Jesus was taken up from us. For one of these must become a witness with us of his resurrection (Acts 1:21-22)." We see that in order to become an apostle you had to be with them from John’s baptism to the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Paul may have been around during these events, but we know he was not even a believer in Jesus at that time much less a candidate to be an apostle. But, we do know that God found Paul worthy enough to become an apostle. So much so that He personally confronted Paul in order to make it happen. However, Paul was not readily accepted by the other apostles or other Christians after his conversion.
After Paul’s encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus, he was left without his site. Therefore, the Lord ordered a man named Ananias to go to Paul and restore his site. But, Paul’s reputation preceded him and Ananias’ initial reaction was to question God about His instructions. "Lord," Ananias answered, "I have heard many reports about this man and all the harm he has done to your saints in Jerusalem. And he has come here with authority from the chief priests to arrest all who call on your name (Acts 9:13-14)." The fear displayed by Ananias is understandable given Paul’s reputation for persecuting the Church. Although, just as his exploits worried many of the saints, his conversion to the faith emboldened many as well. Paul writes in Galatians that the churches in Judea rejoiced at the news of his conversion. "They only heard the report: "The man who formerly persecuted us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy." And they praised God because of me (Galatians 1:23-24)."While the conversion of Paul was met with mixed reaction from the existing Body of Christ, Paul was humbled by it for the remainder of his ministry.
Due to the circumstances surrounding Paul’s conversion and his elevation to the level of apostle, he often struggled with what the Lord had called him to do and what he had done to the Lord’s Church in the past. "For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God (1 Corinthians 15:9)." We can learn a lot from the conversion of Paul. Paul did a complete 180 degree turnaround after coming to faith in Christ. He went from a persecutor of the Church of Jesus Christ to proclaiming His saving Gospel. We should realize that our past apart from Christ does not effect how God can use us in the future after we come to faith in Jesus. God used the apostle Paul to write the majority of the New Testament despite what Paul had previously done to the Church. I doubt many of us have a past similar to that of Paul. But, like Paul, God can use us mightily for the Kingdom because He doesn’t hold our past against us. Like Paul, let the memory of who we once were spur us as we allow God to use us to reach the lost with the Gospel.
A: Paul became an apostle on his way to persecute Christians in Damascus. His plan was to take those Christians he found there as prisoners and deliver them to Jerusalem. However, in Acts 9 we learn that God had a different plan. "As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me (Acts 9:3-4)?" Paul immediately recognized he was having an encounter with God as his response would indicate. ""Who are you, Lord?" Saul asked (Acts 9:5a)." Jesus responded, ""I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,"...."Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do (Acts 9:5b-6)." The conversion of Paul to Christianity and his installation as an apostle was a unique experience not shared by any other apostle.
Unlike the other apostles Paul may not have met the criteria that was set for one to become an apostle. After the death of Judas, the remaining apostles decided that to become one of them it was "necessary to choose one of the men who have been with us the whole time the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, beginning from John's baptism to the time when Jesus was taken up from us. For one of these must become a witness with us of his resurrection (Acts 1:21-22)." We see that in order to become an apostle you had to be with them from John’s baptism to the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Paul may have been around during these events, but we know he was not even a believer in Jesus at that time much less a candidate to be an apostle. But, we do know that God found Paul worthy enough to become an apostle. So much so that He personally confronted Paul in order to make it happen. However, Paul was not readily accepted by the other apostles or other Christians after his conversion.
After Paul’s encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus, he was left without his site. Therefore, the Lord ordered a man named Ananias to go to Paul and restore his site. But, Paul’s reputation preceded him and Ananias’ initial reaction was to question God about His instructions. "Lord," Ananias answered, "I have heard many reports about this man and all the harm he has done to your saints in Jerusalem. And he has come here with authority from the chief priests to arrest all who call on your name (Acts 9:13-14)." The fear displayed by Ananias is understandable given Paul’s reputation for persecuting the Church. Although, just as his exploits worried many of the saints, his conversion to the faith emboldened many as well. Paul writes in Galatians that the churches in Judea rejoiced at the news of his conversion. "They only heard the report: "The man who formerly persecuted us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy." And they praised God because of me (Galatians 1:23-24)."While the conversion of Paul was met with mixed reaction from the existing Body of Christ, Paul was humbled by it for the remainder of his ministry.
Due to the circumstances surrounding Paul’s conversion and his elevation to the level of apostle, he often struggled with what the Lord had called him to do and what he had done to the Lord’s Church in the past. "For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God (1 Corinthians 15:9)." We can learn a lot from the conversion of Paul. Paul did a complete 180 degree turnaround after coming to faith in Christ. He went from a persecutor of the Church of Jesus Christ to proclaiming His saving Gospel. We should realize that our past apart from Christ does not effect how God can use us in the future after we come to faith in Jesus. God used the apostle Paul to write the majority of the New Testament despite what Paul had previously done to the Church. I doubt many of us have a past similar to that of Paul. But, like Paul, God can use us mightily for the Kingdom because He doesn’t hold our past against us. Like Paul, let the memory of who we once were spur us as we allow God to use us to reach the lost with the Gospel.
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
We Are A Christian Nation
One of the cornerstones of our country has been its Judeo-Christian foundation. While we do not, and should not, have a theocracy in this country, we must not forget where our values and heritage originated. The other day President Barack Obama was talking about the United States. The following excerpt was taken from the Huffington Post:
"At a press conference in Turkey, President Obama casually rebuked the old chestnut that the United States is a Judeo-Christian nation."One of the great strengths of the United States," the President said, "is ... we have a very large Christian population -- we do not consider ourselves a Christian nation or a Jewish nation or a Muslim nation. We consider ourselves a nation of citizens who are bound by ideals and a set of values.""
Where does the President get his information? It certainly isn’t from the history of our nation. I wonder if he was from Israel if he would say that country was not a Jewish nation? Perhaps, if he was from Saudi Arabia, or any one of many Middle Eastern countries, would he say that the country was not a Muslim nation? While our nation is not a Christian nation in the sense that to be a citizen doesn’t require one be a Christian, the "ideals and set of values" that bond this country originated from a Judeo-Christian beginning. "When the foundations are being destroyed what can the righteous do (Psalm 11:3)?" Are not we always told that if you don’t know where you have come from you don’t know where you are going? President Obama is guilty of not knowing the past of this country. And I am afraid of what direction he appears to be taking it. A brief look at the sayings of the Founding Fathers will quickly diminish any idea that this country is anything other than a Christian nation.
"The general principles on which the fathers achieved independence were the general principles of Christianity. I will avow that I then believed, and now believe, that those general principles of Christianity are as eternal and immutable as the existence and attributes of God." John Adams - Second President of the United States and signer of the Declaration of Independence.
"In the chain of human events, the birthday of the nation is indissolubly linked with the birthday of the Savior. The Declaration of Independence laid the cornerstone of human government upon the first precepts of Christianity." John Quincy Adams - Sixth President of the United States.
"I conceive we cannot better express ourselves than by humbly supplicating the Supreme Ruler of the world . . . that the confusions that are and have been among the nations may be overruled by the promoting and speedily bringing in the holy and happy period when the kingdoms of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ may be everywhere established, and the people willingly bow to the scepter of Him who is the Prince of Peace." Samuel Adams - Signer of the Declaration of Independence.
"As to Jesus of Nazareth, my opinion of whom you particularly desire, I think the system of morals and His religion as He left them to us, the best the world ever saw or is likely to see." Benjamin Franklin - Signer of the Declaration of Independence.
"The practice of morality being necessary for the well being of society, He [God] has taken care to impress its precepts so indelibly on our hearts that they shall not be effaced by the subtleties of our brain. We all agree in the obligation of the moral principles of Jesus and nowhere will they be found delivered in greater purity than in His discourses." Thomas Jefferson - Third President of the United States, Signer of the Declaration of Independence.
"The blessing and protection of Heaven are at all times necessary but especially so in times of public distress and danger. The General hopes and trusts that every officer and man will endeavor to live and act as becomes a Christian soldier, defending the dearest rights and liberties of his country." George Washington - First President of the United States, President of the Constitutional Convention
This is just a partial list of the feelings and thoughts of some of the Founding Fathers. I don’t have the exact numbers, but I understand the at the founding of this country 98% of its citizens identified themselves as Christian. The other 2% were Jewish. Granted, there were no doubt different religions, practices and beliefs within those Christians, but they all had the Bible as a common denominator. The miracle of the United States is that we have all been able to live together in relative harmony despite all our various backgrounds and beliefs. People of all faiths are welcomed here and encouraged to worship as they please. But, we must never forget that the foundations that have made this country what it is come directly from God’s Word and the men and women who used it as a moral and spiritual guide to building this country.
If we forget or deny our foundations how will we know that which made us a great nation and has preserved us for over 230 years? This country was founded because men and women fled religious tyranny in order to worship the Lord as they pleased. Our Christian foundations saw us through the Revolutionary War. Our Christian foundations helped us overcome the evil of slavery and its bitter fruit of segregation and separation. It helped us through the Great Depression. It saw us through World War II. It helped us come together and heal after 9/11. Our Christian heritage is the United States. While other countries and people groups may not share our faith in the Lord, they definitely recognize what reliance on Him produces; the United States. It does not behoove us to start acting as though we aren’t a Christian nation, in order to appeal to the to the rest of the world, when it could lead to our demise. Who we are as a country is traced directly back to our Christian heritage. Who we become in the future is directly related to us acknowledging and preserving that same Christian heritage. It would behoove President Obama to remember this truth.
"At a press conference in Turkey, President Obama casually rebuked the old chestnut that the United States is a Judeo-Christian nation."One of the great strengths of the United States," the President said, "is ... we have a very large Christian population -- we do not consider ourselves a Christian nation or a Jewish nation or a Muslim nation. We consider ourselves a nation of citizens who are bound by ideals and a set of values.""
Where does the President get his information? It certainly isn’t from the history of our nation. I wonder if he was from Israel if he would say that country was not a Jewish nation? Perhaps, if he was from Saudi Arabia, or any one of many Middle Eastern countries, would he say that the country was not a Muslim nation? While our nation is not a Christian nation in the sense that to be a citizen doesn’t require one be a Christian, the "ideals and set of values" that bond this country originated from a Judeo-Christian beginning. "When the foundations are being destroyed what can the righteous do (Psalm 11:3)?" Are not we always told that if you don’t know where you have come from you don’t know where you are going? President Obama is guilty of not knowing the past of this country. And I am afraid of what direction he appears to be taking it. A brief look at the sayings of the Founding Fathers will quickly diminish any idea that this country is anything other than a Christian nation.
"The general principles on which the fathers achieved independence were the general principles of Christianity. I will avow that I then believed, and now believe, that those general principles of Christianity are as eternal and immutable as the existence and attributes of God." John Adams - Second President of the United States and signer of the Declaration of Independence.
"In the chain of human events, the birthday of the nation is indissolubly linked with the birthday of the Savior. The Declaration of Independence laid the cornerstone of human government upon the first precepts of Christianity." John Quincy Adams - Sixth President of the United States.
"I conceive we cannot better express ourselves than by humbly supplicating the Supreme Ruler of the world . . . that the confusions that are and have been among the nations may be overruled by the promoting and speedily bringing in the holy and happy period when the kingdoms of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ may be everywhere established, and the people willingly bow to the scepter of Him who is the Prince of Peace." Samuel Adams - Signer of the Declaration of Independence.
"As to Jesus of Nazareth, my opinion of whom you particularly desire, I think the system of morals and His religion as He left them to us, the best the world ever saw or is likely to see." Benjamin Franklin - Signer of the Declaration of Independence.
"The practice of morality being necessary for the well being of society, He [God] has taken care to impress its precepts so indelibly on our hearts that they shall not be effaced by the subtleties of our brain. We all agree in the obligation of the moral principles of Jesus and nowhere will they be found delivered in greater purity than in His discourses." Thomas Jefferson - Third President of the United States, Signer of the Declaration of Independence.
"The blessing and protection of Heaven are at all times necessary but especially so in times of public distress and danger. The General hopes and trusts that every officer and man will endeavor to live and act as becomes a Christian soldier, defending the dearest rights and liberties of his country." George Washington - First President of the United States, President of the Constitutional Convention
This is just a partial list of the feelings and thoughts of some of the Founding Fathers. I don’t have the exact numbers, but I understand the at the founding of this country 98% of its citizens identified themselves as Christian. The other 2% were Jewish. Granted, there were no doubt different religions, practices and beliefs within those Christians, but they all had the Bible as a common denominator. The miracle of the United States is that we have all been able to live together in relative harmony despite all our various backgrounds and beliefs. People of all faiths are welcomed here and encouraged to worship as they please. But, we must never forget that the foundations that have made this country what it is come directly from God’s Word and the men and women who used it as a moral and spiritual guide to building this country.
If we forget or deny our foundations how will we know that which made us a great nation and has preserved us for over 230 years? This country was founded because men and women fled religious tyranny in order to worship the Lord as they pleased. Our Christian foundations saw us through the Revolutionary War. Our Christian foundations helped us overcome the evil of slavery and its bitter fruit of segregation and separation. It helped us through the Great Depression. It saw us through World War II. It helped us come together and heal after 9/11. Our Christian heritage is the United States. While other countries and people groups may not share our faith in the Lord, they definitely recognize what reliance on Him produces; the United States. It does not behoove us to start acting as though we aren’t a Christian nation, in order to appeal to the to the rest of the world, when it could lead to our demise. Who we are as a country is traced directly back to our Christian heritage. Who we become in the future is directly related to us acknowledging and preserving that same Christian heritage. It would behoove President Obama to remember this truth.
Monday, April 6, 2009
They're at War with Us
ANKARA, Turkey – Declaring the U.S. "is not and never will be at war with Islam," President Barack Obama worked Monday to mend frayed ties with NATO ally Turkey and improve relations with the larger Muslim world.
This is the opening sentence of an article describing what President Barack Obama said in an effort to "improve relations with the larger Muslim world." The statement of the President may be true, but he doesn't take into consideration that much of the Islamic world is at war with the U.S. and the world. Everybody is familiar with the attacks on New York and Washington, D.C., on September 11, 2001. Over 3,000 people were murdered on that day. A day my generation will never forget. While some have claimed it was America's "chickens coming home to roost," a swipe at the foreign policy of the U.S., I believe it is just another in a long list of attacks against freedom loving people around the world. I think people forget that 9/11 was not the first time that the United States had been attacked by these terrorists.
This is the opening sentence of an article describing what President Barack Obama said in an effort to "improve relations with the larger Muslim world." The statement of the President may be true, but he doesn't take into consideration that much of the Islamic world is at war with the U.S. and the world. Everybody is familiar with the attacks on New York and Washington, D.C., on September 11, 2001. Over 3,000 people were murdered on that day. A day my generation will never forget. While some have claimed it was America's "chickens coming home to roost," a swipe at the foreign policy of the U.S., I believe it is just another in a long list of attacks against freedom loving people around the world. I think people forget that 9/11 was not the first time that the United States had been attacked by these terrorists.
- November 4, 1979 - Hostages taken at the U.S. Embassy in Tehran. Fifty-two American citizens were held hostage for 444 days by radical Muslims.
- April 18, 1983 - Bombing of the U.S. Embassy in Beirut. Sixty-three people, 17 of which were Americans were murdered when a truck filled with explosives was rammed into the U.S. Embassy by members of Hezbollah, a militant Islamic group.
- October 23, 1983 - Bombing of Marine barracks in Beirut. Just seven months after the embassy attack, 241 U.S. Marines were murdered when a suicide bomber set off another truck full of explosives at the barracks located at Beirut International Airport.
- February 26, 1993 - The first attack on the World Trade Center. Six people were killed and 1,000 more injured when Al-Qaeda operatives blew up a truck at the base of one of the Towers.
- October 12, 2000 - U.S.S Cole attack. Seventeen sailors were murdered when their Navy destroyer, the U.S.S. Cole, was attacked by members of Al-Qaeda who detonated a boat full of explosives next to it.
There are countless other attacks on the United States and other countries. According to TheReligionofPeace.com, there have been 13,011 deadly terrorist attacks around the world since 9/11! It is no secret that the world is under attack by individuals claiming to be acting in the name of Islam. Scholars can debate about the true teachings of Islam. The President can say the U.S. is not at war against the religion. But, somebody forgot to tell those carrying out these attacks that they are not at war. If you notice, the two main countries that are threatened and attacked are the United States and Israel. Why? Because both countries are populated by Christians and Jews.
It was Jesus who said, "They will put you out of the synagogue; in fact, a time is coming when anyone who kills you will think he is offering a service to God (John 16:2)." He may not have been referencing Islamic terrorism when He uttered these words, but they are very applicable. One of the reasons it is so difficult to combat Islamic terror is because those perpetrating the attacks believe they are "offering a service to God" when they attack Christians, Jews and any other non-Muslim. Although, they are not doing it in the name of the one true God of the Bible. How can you negotiate with someone who believes they are on a mission from God to destroy you? You cannot. Unfortunately, you have to stop them before they destroy you. If in fact, nobody is killed in the struggle, you can then try and talk some sense into them after you have subdued them. Christians are often criticized for what some call, "turn or burn" evangelism. But, in most cases it is not anything that threatens the safety, much less the life, of the one being evangelized. That is not the case with this morbid sort of evangelism conducted by the terrorists. You rarely get the opportunity to "turn," but you will definitely be "burned" if you don't.
The United States and Israel are arguably the most free countries in the world, with America being the dominant world power. The envy and hatred of those who do not like what these countries stand for is at the root of much of the violence these countries endure. One need look no further than the nicknames bestowed on the two countries by their enemies; Great Satan (U.S.) and Little Satan (Israel). Jesus also said, "If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first (John 15:18)." Jesus Christ is the foundation of Christianity and, although He is God, was a Jew in His earthly form. Now, you begin to see why the two countries, and those that sympathize with their values, are hated so much. As a Christian we shouldn't be surprised. After all, the terrorists don't know the Lord and act accordingly. But, as believers, we must keep in mind that Satan does not reside in the U.S. or Israel. Satan is at work in the hearts and minds of evil men who murder people, and even kill themselves, in the name of their god.
"For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms (Ephesians 6:12)." It is not only the evil that men do in the name of Islam that we are at war against. It is the "powers of this dark world" and the "spiritual forces of evil" that we fight against. Satan is controlling these people who love death more than they love life. Just as a Christian loves others because God first loved us, so it is the opposite with Islamic terrorists. They hate because the "god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God (2 Corinthians 4:4)." We are at war. It may not be with Islam, as the President suggests, but it is definitely with the forces of evil that motivate so many to take the lives of others as a service to their god. Freedom isn't free and it must be defended. If Christ died to set us free from sin and death, the least we can do is fight against those evil forces who have embraced it.
Friday, April 3, 2009
Fully Convinced In His Own Mind
Q: Could you address the rigid compulsion some have to `praying a blessing` over every meal, especially when in a group? I've found no biblical warrant for that. Now, I don`t want to be rigid in that, either. But my concern is that if people don`t do it before every meal on their own (even if alone), then isn't doing it out loud merely Pharisaical? And further, since people tend to repeat stilted phrases anyway when doing it, is it really edifying and God honoring? Of course, some are just fearful to pray in public and often this is one situation (whether at a lunch with fellow Christians or when having them at their home) that they may be put on the spot. And not everyone has a family meal at which this is regularly practiced (literally and figuratively). Naturally this bends into a different question which you may want to address: how can one overcome their fear of praying in public? The above is indeed a subset, but I see them as different.
A: With all the religious traditions that permeate Christianity there could be many reasons as to why some people feel the compulsion to "pray a blessing," or say grace, over every meal. Some may do it out of habit. Some may do it because of pressure being put on them by others. While there are also those that do so out of a sincere desire for God to bless their meals. Whatever the motivation, it is not something to condemn others for doing. Nor should you allow yourself to be condemned by others should you refrain from "praying a blessing" over a meal. As Christians, we are free to decide what course of action to take on our own. As the Apostle Paul says, "Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. He who regards one day as special, does so to the Lord. He who eats meat, eats to the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he who abstains, does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God (Romans 14:5-6)." In other words, praying over your meal is strictly up to you to decide. It is not something that others should decide for you. As one teacher jokingly said, "I will show God how thankful I am for this meal by eating it."
With that being said, there is biblical precedent for praying a blessing over a meal. Just before Jesus fed 5,000 people the Bible records Him "Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves (Matthew 14:19)." Jesus gave thanks for His food on many other occasions (Matthew 15:36; 26:26; Mark 14:22). Now, does this mean we are commanded to do this every time we eat? Of course not. We are not under any law or obligation to perform a certain way, whether alone or in a group. But, when you think about it, is there really anything wrong with thanking God for a meal? No. Besides, we are told to have a mindset of "always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ (Ephesians 5:20)." The problem as you have identified comes when we take something as lovely as thanking God for our meals and turning it into a requirement that must be done, especially in a group setting.
If you are ever asked to pray for a group there is the human tendency to feel that you have to pray in such a manner as to come across as though you are super spiritual. Not to mention the feeling that you are not allowed to decline the request without being looked down upon. Many of us have issues with public speaking, much less public praying. The last thing we want to do is come across as though we are not Christian because of our ability, or lack thereof, to pray in a manner deemed acceptable by those surrounding us. While Jesus gave thanks to God before breaking bread He also had something to say to those who like a public audience when they pray. "And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men (Matthew 6:5)." I wager that many who like to be "seen by men," when they pray in public, do not desire the same attention towards their private lives. There is a great chance that their public persona does not equal who they are in private.
No one knows the heart, or motivation, of someone who advances the idea that praying over meals and praying in public is an expectation of the Christian life. Thus, we must be careful not to judge their motivation for doing so. Most likely they are weak in their faith and do not know any better. Keep in mind that fear is a great motivator and may play a role in the actions of those you speak of. We all have a tendency to treat others in the manner in which we believe God is treating us. If we are afraid of being punished by God for our actions then we will demand others imitate our behaviors or we will punish them for their failures. Scripture reminds us that "there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1)." Therefore, we should pay no attention to those who burden us with the responsibility of public prayer or praying a blessing over a meal. It is simply a reflection of what they have put faith in and, in turn, they feel obligated to get you to share their beliefs.
I don't know if overcoming the fear of praying in public is a noble goal to try and achieve. If you don't want to pray in public then don't do it. It is not a reflection of your level of maturity or your love of God. It is a matter of personal preference. Scripture doesn't encourage the idea of praying in public. In fact, it encourages the exact opposite. "But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen (Matthew 6:6)." Jesus instructed us to pray to God in private. I believe He said this because it is in private that we feel comfortable enough to open up to God and truly reveal to Him what is on our hearts. That rarely is the case in times of public praying because we are praying to receive the approval of men. If you want to pray in public you are free to do so. Regardless of when and where you pray or what you are praying about, examine the motivation of your heart. If your prayers are motivated out of fear or to gain public approval it is not something that God put on your heart to do. Maybe it is something you should pray about and allow God to reveal to you the information that will convince you of what you should do.
A: With all the religious traditions that permeate Christianity there could be many reasons as to why some people feel the compulsion to "pray a blessing," or say grace, over every meal. Some may do it out of habit. Some may do it because of pressure being put on them by others. While there are also those that do so out of a sincere desire for God to bless their meals. Whatever the motivation, it is not something to condemn others for doing. Nor should you allow yourself to be condemned by others should you refrain from "praying a blessing" over a meal. As Christians, we are free to decide what course of action to take on our own. As the Apostle Paul says, "Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. He who regards one day as special, does so to the Lord. He who eats meat, eats to the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he who abstains, does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God (Romans 14:5-6)." In other words, praying over your meal is strictly up to you to decide. It is not something that others should decide for you. As one teacher jokingly said, "I will show God how thankful I am for this meal by eating it."
With that being said, there is biblical precedent for praying a blessing over a meal. Just before Jesus fed 5,000 people the Bible records Him "Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves (Matthew 14:19)." Jesus gave thanks for His food on many other occasions (Matthew 15:36; 26:26; Mark 14:22). Now, does this mean we are commanded to do this every time we eat? Of course not. We are not under any law or obligation to perform a certain way, whether alone or in a group. But, when you think about it, is there really anything wrong with thanking God for a meal? No. Besides, we are told to have a mindset of "always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ (Ephesians 5:20)." The problem as you have identified comes when we take something as lovely as thanking God for our meals and turning it into a requirement that must be done, especially in a group setting.
If you are ever asked to pray for a group there is the human tendency to feel that you have to pray in such a manner as to come across as though you are super spiritual. Not to mention the feeling that you are not allowed to decline the request without being looked down upon. Many of us have issues with public speaking, much less public praying. The last thing we want to do is come across as though we are not Christian because of our ability, or lack thereof, to pray in a manner deemed acceptable by those surrounding us. While Jesus gave thanks to God before breaking bread He also had something to say to those who like a public audience when they pray. "And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men (Matthew 6:5)." I wager that many who like to be "seen by men," when they pray in public, do not desire the same attention towards their private lives. There is a great chance that their public persona does not equal who they are in private.
No one knows the heart, or motivation, of someone who advances the idea that praying over meals and praying in public is an expectation of the Christian life. Thus, we must be careful not to judge their motivation for doing so. Most likely they are weak in their faith and do not know any better. Keep in mind that fear is a great motivator and may play a role in the actions of those you speak of. We all have a tendency to treat others in the manner in which we believe God is treating us. If we are afraid of being punished by God for our actions then we will demand others imitate our behaviors or we will punish them for their failures. Scripture reminds us that "there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1)." Therefore, we should pay no attention to those who burden us with the responsibility of public prayer or praying a blessing over a meal. It is simply a reflection of what they have put faith in and, in turn, they feel obligated to get you to share their beliefs.
I don't know if overcoming the fear of praying in public is a noble goal to try and achieve. If you don't want to pray in public then don't do it. It is not a reflection of your level of maturity or your love of God. It is a matter of personal preference. Scripture doesn't encourage the idea of praying in public. In fact, it encourages the exact opposite. "But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen (Matthew 6:6)." Jesus instructed us to pray to God in private. I believe He said this because it is in private that we feel comfortable enough to open up to God and truly reveal to Him what is on our hearts. That rarely is the case in times of public praying because we are praying to receive the approval of men. If you want to pray in public you are free to do so. Regardless of when and where you pray or what you are praying about, examine the motivation of your heart. If your prayers are motivated out of fear or to gain public approval it is not something that God put on your heart to do. Maybe it is something you should pray about and allow God to reveal to you the information that will convince you of what you should do.
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
An Appetite for Sin
Peter Beck, Assistant Professor of Religion at Charleston Southern University, writes in his article, An Appetite for Sin, "Looking is just the beginning. Looking is what got Eve into trouble. Moses tells us that she found the forbidden fruit pleasant to the eyes. David couldn’t stop looking at a bathing Bathsheba and couldn’t stop himself from taking what was not his. Once you look, it’s hard not to touch." He makes a good point. I struggled with abusing alcohol in the past. Therefore, as I have often said, it wouldn't make sense for me to take a job as a bartender knowing my weakness. This is the same for just about any sin, especially those that we struggle with the most. However, while I agree with Professor Beck's assessment, I don't think he goes far enough in his article. In his conclusion he states, "Don’t just try to close your eyes to sin. Open them to God’s provision instead. Ask God for help. Pray that you will be filled with the Spirit not with the things of this world. Keep your eyes on the grand prize not earthly consolations." Close but, not close enough.
What is God's provision? Should we pray for the filling of the Holy Spirit when He is already indwelling us? This concluding statement sounds good, but is very vague in describing anything of substance for a believer to hold on to. When he says that looking is just the beginning, I think he is forgetting something very important. Just prior to destroying the earth God "saw how great man's wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time (Genesis 6:5)." Sin begins in the heart. It may manifest itself in what we look at and, eventually, in what we do, but it is trying to satisfy the desires of our heart that leads us to sin. Eve was tempted to eat the fruit and David was tempted to sleep with Bathsheba because each of them believed that what sin offered would satisfy what they didn't believe they already possessed. And that is the case with all of us when we sin.
As Christians God "has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ (Ephesians 1:3)" and "has given us everything we need for life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3)." Now, if we have all of this in Christ, what would we possibly expect to receive through sin? Part of God's provision for us is that He has fulfilled the deepest needs of our heart through faith in Christ. Every individual is looking for unconditional love, acceptance, meaning and purpose to life. When we fail to understand all we have in Christ our only alternative is to turn to the world in an effort to find it. All the world has to offer can only be received through engaging in sin. In spite of having the life of God indwelling her, Eve desired to "be like God" and ate the forbidden fruit. David believed that committing adultery and murder to be with Bathsheba would fulfill the greatest needs of his heart. Both were terribly wrong and suffered the consequences for their sin.
Both the actions of Eve and David displeased the Lord. Eve contributed to Adam eating the forbidden fruit which led directly to their spiritual death and sin entering the world. The sin of David led the Lord to declare, "the sword will never depart from your house (2 Samuel 12:10)." All of us can insert our own set of consequences we have experienced for our sin. My drunkenness nearly took my life when I briefly dozed off while driving home one night. As Christians, our lack of faith in what God has freely given us is what leads to our futile attempts to search for in the world what we already have in Christ. Sin begins in the heart. If we feel something is missing it will eventually materialize into some sort of sin. We must realize that the condition of man is that we are all born into this world spiritually dead to God in our sins. But, God's one and only provision is eternal life in the gift of His risen Son, Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit, the very life of God once lost when Adam sinned, is now freely given to all believers "as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come (2 Corinthians 1:22)."
It is in the life of God that we have received, as a free gift, everything our hearts desire. Is it love that you desire? "How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are (1 John 3:1)!" You are totally loved in Christ. Is it acceptance that you seek? "God, who knows the heart, showed that he accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as he did to us (Acts 15:8)." In Christ, you are totally accepted. Are you still searching for meaning and purpose to your life? "Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires (2 Peter 1:4)." By understanding what you already have in Christ you will not be looking to the world for what it can only offer through sin. Therefore, you will be able to share with others that which you have received in Christ so as to turn them from the sin of the world and towards Christ. When the desires of our hearts are filled by what only God can offer in Christ, our appetites will be for the "bread of life" and not for the "forbidden fruit" of sin.
What is God's provision? Should we pray for the filling of the Holy Spirit when He is already indwelling us? This concluding statement sounds good, but is very vague in describing anything of substance for a believer to hold on to. When he says that looking is just the beginning, I think he is forgetting something very important. Just prior to destroying the earth God "saw how great man's wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time (Genesis 6:5)." Sin begins in the heart. It may manifest itself in what we look at and, eventually, in what we do, but it is trying to satisfy the desires of our heart that leads us to sin. Eve was tempted to eat the fruit and David was tempted to sleep with Bathsheba because each of them believed that what sin offered would satisfy what they didn't believe they already possessed. And that is the case with all of us when we sin.
As Christians God "has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ (Ephesians 1:3)" and "has given us everything we need for life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3)." Now, if we have all of this in Christ, what would we possibly expect to receive through sin? Part of God's provision for us is that He has fulfilled the deepest needs of our heart through faith in Christ. Every individual is looking for unconditional love, acceptance, meaning and purpose to life. When we fail to understand all we have in Christ our only alternative is to turn to the world in an effort to find it. All the world has to offer can only be received through engaging in sin. In spite of having the life of God indwelling her, Eve desired to "be like God" and ate the forbidden fruit. David believed that committing adultery and murder to be with Bathsheba would fulfill the greatest needs of his heart. Both were terribly wrong and suffered the consequences for their sin.
Both the actions of Eve and David displeased the Lord. Eve contributed to Adam eating the forbidden fruit which led directly to their spiritual death and sin entering the world. The sin of David led the Lord to declare, "the sword will never depart from your house (2 Samuel 12:10)." All of us can insert our own set of consequences we have experienced for our sin. My drunkenness nearly took my life when I briefly dozed off while driving home one night. As Christians, our lack of faith in what God has freely given us is what leads to our futile attempts to search for in the world what we already have in Christ. Sin begins in the heart. If we feel something is missing it will eventually materialize into some sort of sin. We must realize that the condition of man is that we are all born into this world spiritually dead to God in our sins. But, God's one and only provision is eternal life in the gift of His risen Son, Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit, the very life of God once lost when Adam sinned, is now freely given to all believers "as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come (2 Corinthians 1:22)."
It is in the life of God that we have received, as a free gift, everything our hearts desire. Is it love that you desire? "How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are (1 John 3:1)!" You are totally loved in Christ. Is it acceptance that you seek? "God, who knows the heart, showed that he accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as he did to us (Acts 15:8)." In Christ, you are totally accepted. Are you still searching for meaning and purpose to your life? "Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires (2 Peter 1:4)." By understanding what you already have in Christ you will not be looking to the world for what it can only offer through sin. Therefore, you will be able to share with others that which you have received in Christ so as to turn them from the sin of the world and towards Christ. When the desires of our hearts are filled by what only God can offer in Christ, our appetites will be for the "bread of life" and not for the "forbidden fruit" of sin.
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