Knowing The Answers

'The discerning heart seeks knowledge, but the mouth of a fool feeds on folly" (Prov. 15:14, NIV).  
"...'From the lips of children and infants you, Lord, have called forth your praise?'" (Matt. 21:16, NIV).

It has been said that the prerequisite for learning is admitting ignorance and it is often the outcome.  Some people have an irrational, inordinate desire to be right all the time as a preoccupation or obsession.  You learn by finding out things you don't know!  Christians who desire to know all the answers and to know things for their own sake miss the boat. We do not learn for knowledge's sake or for its own sake, but for a purpose, especially to apply it and share it.   Knowledge is no end in itself and isn't meant to be for show or having an advantage over others or even to brag about. 

Knowledge can puff up if not matched with love and action--it must be put into context and applied.  We must always wonder what our motive for studying something is and whether we have more than selfish gain in mind.  We must live out our knowledge because faith is knowledge in action.  Knowledge can lead to pride and it takes a special kind of person to be a scholar and humble at the same time--because some people misuse knowledge as an advantage over people, like intimidating them or belittling them.

As believers, we don't have to know all the answers, because we know the Answerer!  Sometimes we just have to admit we don't know the answer and that it's a good question--we will try to find out the answer and get back to them!  Paul probably needed a thorn in his flesh to keep him from getting a big head, and we all may have our own "crosses to bear."  It is erroneous to play the "let's compare" game and wonder why God doesn't seem to treat everyone equally--don't equate equity with fairness because God is not obliged to show equal grace to all (He blesses all in some ways, but some in all ways who are doubly blessed; however, God is good to all! according to Psalm 145:9).

Kids are born with a natural inclination to ask why and that everything has a purpose in life (known as teleological thinking, a dirty word to secularists)--this curiosity must not be squelched by a crabby parent who sounds discouraging to the child and inhibits his queries.   Sometimes it seems the only way to answer a difficult challenge is to bring God into the equation!  That's right!  God is the answer to our problems.  And the Bible may be the Answer Book. God knows everything and can answer our questions.   A person is escaping reality by denying His existence or relevance to all of life and the big picture.

A scientist is a person with an insatiable thirst for knowledge applied or theoretical, just like the philosopher is a person with a love of knowledge itself, and these two disciplines were not distinguished in antiquity but the same endeavor of higher learning.  We must encourage curiosity and the thirst for the truth, for believers are given a natural desire to know God and the truth, as all truth is God's truth and meets at the top, according to philosophers. Oh, to have the thirst for learning of a child and to seek the truth so as to be humble in admitting we don't' know it all or could even be wrong, for Socrates said that we must admit we could be wrong before we can learn anything--admitting our ignorance!

We have so much to learn from kids and their questions can be so profound that we wonder how they thought of them.  They do indeed keep us on our toes and make us all realize we don't have all the answers and that we may have to admit this to them too.   The innocence of a child's question is often humbling and we may even wonder how they thought of that, as it seems so "grown-up."  Normally, when we say, "That's a good question," it can mean that it's the gist of what you're saying or that there's no good answer, but we all need to foster natural curiosity and knowing how to ask all the right questions.

In my day, people used to seek the aid of a librarian when stumped for answers and doing research; nowadays, most folks just resort to their favorite search engine and, voila, the answers are ready to be had!  Thus, there's no excuse for being an internet cripple or handicapped and challenged with technology.  The scholar isn't always the person with the most knowledge, but the person who knows how to do research and to whom to go for answers, for no one has a monopoly on knowledge and knows all the answers, though kids often seem like "know-it-all's."  We must never lose our childlike thirst for learning and remember, as Art Linkletter did, that "kids say the darndest things!"   Soli Deo Gloria!

A Time To Repent...

"I was blameless before him, and I kept myself from my guilt [sin]" (Psalm 18:23, ESV). 
"... [A]nd be sure your sin will find you out" (Numbers 32:23, ESV). 

"Repent and turn from all your transgressions, so iniquity shall not be your ruin," (cf. Ezek. 18:30). 
"... Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near [is at hand]" (Matt. 4:17, NIV).

It's always time to repent, for the first of Martin Luther's Ninety-Five Theses was that repentance is not a one-time but a continuous and ongoing, progressive event in the believer's heart, testimony, and life.  We must come to believing repentance or penitent faith to be saved, for they go hand in hand and cannot be divorced or separated, but only distinguished.  One cannot have genuine repentance without saving faith!   We must come to the end of our rope and throw in the towel of trying to justify our sins.  If we hide our sin and don't admit it we will not prosper in God's will for our life.  He who confesses his sins and forsakes them will find mercy (cf. Prov. 28:13).

Repentance is an imperative or mandate for all in Scripture and involves a transformation by the work of God of the heart, intellect, and volition, being more than simple remorse or regret, but a desire to make things right and give up the sin. We call a spade a spade, acknowledge our sin before God, and seek renewal in the Spirit.  It is granted by grace (2 Tim. 2:25; Acts 5:31; 11:18) and proved by deed (Acts 26:20; Matt. 3:8).  Note that it means a change of mind literally (from Greek metanoia), but involves much more than a mere change of opinion--the attitudes and life must show change to be a reality. Repentance is a recurring motif in the New Testament and is often used interchangeably with believing, for they are juxtaposed and two sides of one coin. Finally, by definition, repentance is more than turning over a new leaf, making an AA pledge, making a rash vow or promise, making a New Year's resolution, or getting fire insurance; it's getting a new start in life (a clean slate) with Jesus in charge of your affairs as the owner!

We must also beware lest our sin finds us out or catch up with us by living in sin or continuing in a pet sin (which easily entangles us and trips us up) that we refuse to acknowledge or repent of--God insists we repent of all our sins!  There is indeed a time for every purpose under heaven and God will always let us know in grace when He is calling us to repentance of a sin that easily besets us; we can overcome and live in victory if we walk in the Spirit and intimately with the Lord--the key is to keep short accounts with God concerning our sins and to immediately confess and repent sincerely.  (God doesn't require perfection, but unfeigned and sincere repentance.)

Perfection is indeed the standard, progress, and direction the test--we are all works in progress and God isn't finished with us yet, chipping away at everything that doesn't resemble His Son in our lives much like a sculptor chipping away at granite to make a horse.  Cf. Psalm 119:96 saying that the psalmist had "seen the limit of all perfection" and Prov. 20:9, NIV, says, "Who can say, 'I have kept my heart pure; I am clean and without sin'?"  The doctrine of perfectionism (or entire sanctification) is deceptive and wrong, for we never reach a state of sinless perfection on this side of glory.

Abiding in Christ (cf. John 8:31;15:7), a requisite for discipleship, and abiding in fellowship are no cakewalk but require honesty with ourselves, others, and God and to be able to be rebuked by the Word and be accountable, not a spiritual Lone Ranger.  In fact, the closer we get to God, the more aware and convicted we become of our sins and we abhor them, not love them--we have a God-given desire for holiness and to please God.  We can only repent by the grace of God, for it's a work of God in the heart just like its flip side faith and God must first convict us of our sin (we are only responsible for those that we get convicted of). We may not feel so good and even guilty and uneasy, but this may be God's wake-up call to shock us out of our comfort zone and return to fellowship.

In the final analysis, we must bring forth fruit in keeping with our repentance (cf. Luke 3:8; Acts 26:20) to prove its validity and genuineness by our good behavior.  NB:  Our conversion is more than an acceptable way to have a nervous breakdown, but a witness to the power of God to change lives, that He is alive and well in the world, and still in the miracle and resurrection business.   Soli Deo Gloria!

Awaiting The Final Verdict

"This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil" (John 3:19, NIV).
"They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do" (1 Pet. 2:9, NIV).
"For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Thess. 5:9, NIV).

The verdict is that man is guilty as sin (AS CHARGED!) but doesn't even acknowledge his own sin--he's not aware of his predicament and dilemma before an angry God, who cannot tolerate any sin in His presence and is only postponing judgment--for justice delayed isn't judgment denied. Men love darkness rather than light and therefore won't come to the light, lest their misdemeanors are exposed. The final verdict has already been rendered in God's court and cannot be reversed. "Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?" (cf. Gen. 18:25).. 

We all stand condemned apart from the mercy of God. This is God's estimation of man, not our own. We are all guilty as charged and need to see how bad we are to recognize our need for salvation, and we cannot realize our depravity till we've attempted good or repentance--it's a catch-22. Only the grace of God opens our eyes to our plight, and we are as bad off as possibly could be, though not as bad as can be--God restrains some evil in the world out of mercy (cf. Psalm 76:10).

Now, a jury doesn't need all the evidence to render a verdict, but only needs to go in the direction of the evidence, i.e., the preponderance of the evidence. Likewise, we don't need all the answers to believe and repent or to have believing penitence or penitent faith. But here's the rub: you must want to believe and be willing to do God's will and repent before you are rendered capable of faith as God kindles or awakens faith in you. In a court of law, the evidence isn't always conclusive or final, but only an argument for or against a case. In other words, there is evidence pro and con! One must weigh the evidence and decide according to one's conscience and convictions. There's no such thing as perfect objectivity, and so the court system must err on the side of innocence, not guilt out of mercy.  But God is objective and knows all the evidence!  

They say that if the evidence is against a case (and it's stacked against us), plead the law; if the law is against the case, plead the evidence! Sometimes you have to plead the case for a change of venue if all else fails, plead guilty and work out a plea bargain! In our case, there are no pleas bargains possible except as charged. Christians believe that God is a God of justice and that no one will escape it in the end--in eternity if not in this world. There is such a thing as justice and just law because God is a God of justice and cares a lot about right and wrong.

We must never lose faith in the system and realize that God is always in control and that criminals and outlaws will someday meet their comeuppance. Our system of justice depends upon jurors taking their oath seriously and being fair and unbiased, hearing both sides without turning a deaf ear. We all will either face the Bema of Christ (Judgment Seat) or the Great White Throne Judgment of condemnation. Our justification isn't legal fiction but forensic and just in God's eyes.

God is able to save the worst of sinners and we can escape judgment by believing in His Son as Lord and Savior (cf. John 5:24). God is unjust to no one! He chooses to save some by having mercy and to bypass others who receive judgment and justice by virtue of His holiness demanding retribution. Mercy and grace are not forms of injustice, but forms of nonjustice. God reserves the right to have mercy on whomever He wills (cf. Rom. 9:15). God is under no obligation to save anyone at all! If He were obliged to save us for any reason, it would be justice, not mercy! 

To be saved, no one is entreated to believe despite the evidence nor to commit intellectual suicide--there are ample and sound reasons to believe based on reasonable circumstantial and historical evidence--but it takes a leap of faith. There is never enough evidence for the skeptic who doesn't want to believe and no one can disbelieve out of lack of evidence. There is just enough light to see for the willing and enough darkness to keep the unwilling from believing.  Jesus said that if a person is willing to do His will he shall know whether it's of God.

Finally, if the skeptic asks the person of faith to come up with evidence, he should be asked what evidence he sees that there isn't a God. God's existence is self-attested and He doesn't need to prove Himself. There's more evidence in the affirmative than the negative for you cannot prove a universal negative according to the laws of logic; in other words, both believer and skeptic are people of faith, it just depends upon what the presupposition is. 

If the believer must come up with proof, then the infidel must too. There's no smoking-gun evidence either way that proves beyond a shadow of a doubt--one must exercise faith on both sides. God doesn't need to give more evidence to convince the hardened heart but says that no one has an excuse for not believing the self-evident. There's plenty of proof, one must have his heart in the right place and not have moral issues--for intellectual issues are a sham and masquerade and cover-up for moral rebellion and an unrepentant heart.

CAVEAT: GOD'S VERDICT IS FINAL AND PERMANENT WITH NO APPEAL POSSIBLE, WHAT YOUR FATE IS DEPENDS UPON YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH JESUS CHRIST. Soli Deo Gloria!

Marriage Manifests The Deity...

There are only three bona fide institutions ordained by God:  family, church, and government.  They are all necessary for society's function and stability--the glues that hold us together and hinder Satan's work and keep evil at bay.  Marriage especially preserves society from evil becoming rampant or out of control.  Augustine is attributed with saying that "government is not a necessary evil, but necessary because of evil!"  We all need to find fulfillment in these institutions, or our mission from God. Everyone is responsible for his own assigned domain.  We are all on a mission!  That involves our roles or duties in our family, our church, and government--we don't concede the world-system to Satan by default.

Man is complete in marriage, just as we are complete in Christ, and need each other in the church, and the government doing what the others are not meant to do, each with their own sphere of sovereignty.  One institution has no right to intrude on the other's responsibilities or powers.  Now the Bible says that everything created by God is good and all good comes from God--that includes these institutions.  Woe to those who call good evil and vice versa!  But beware:  Satan is bent on destroying our society and make us independent of God--he doesn't care how good we are as long as we keep Him out of it and privatize our faith--eradicate God from the public square of discourse!

Marriage, biblically, is a union between a man and a woman, that is meant to be permanent and exclusive and is a mutual give and take or sharing, sacrifice, responsibilities, stewardship, compromise, and relationship that each compliment the other and unselfishly meet or fulfill each other's needs (psychological, emotional, social, and physical)--everyone needs someone to share their life with.  There is meant to be unity, not uniformity!  Marriage works if you work at it, they say!  They are a team and need each other.  Intimacy is a primary goal, just like it is with God--we are social creatures and desire to be known and to know one another.  Marriage is a good way for the couple to find their identity and to see where they can have an impact and make a difference with their common calling.  We all have a need to interact and socialize.  This institution should not be maligned because it has God's blessing as defined by Him, not the government!

The biggest anchor of our society is marriage and it is often called the great civilizer because each partner grows in maturity and character and they each realize their unique potential in building relationships and foundations for a witness to the world at large. The woman was created from man's rib so that she would be close to him and be of his essence as the finishing touch of all God's work--afterward, He could say nothing but "very good."   When God created woman as the consummation of His creation, and for this reason, marriage is good because God declared it to be. The purpose of marriage is not merely to propagate the species or to copulate, but this is an expression of true love being fulfilled and shared by two caring and intimate individuals.

Marriages only last if the solidarity is in God as the center and focus.  Marriage is meant to be a representation of God at work and is in this respect the crown of creation (mankind) made plain to see, saying it was very good.  It needs that third participant for meaning and fulfillment.  Marriage without God in the equation will not be all it's cracked up to be and may seem like a dead end or lost cause.  The whole purpose of marriage is oneness, or to be so involved on all levels that your acquaintance of each other is unavoidable and productive--one's spouse has a unique contribution to the relationship based on personal insight and intimacy.  Removing God from the picture only invites disaster and neglects the rock of stability in Christ.

Partners or mates (spouse is a secular word) can pay special attention to Augustine's dictum and apply it wisely when they find themselves disagreeing, and they will:  "In essentials, unity; in nonessentials, liberty; in all things, charity."  Remember:  Each partner needs the other and is perfectly designed for them as God's plan and intention with His blessing.  They're the one meant for each other and need to learn to work things out not fight or quarrel.  Marriage is not a power play, though the man is the head of the household (the role of subordination does not mean inferiority), Christ is His head and he should love his wife as Christ loves the church--it's an institution of equals!   Each should be fully convinced that they are meant for each other and God has a plan for them to do jointly.

There can be a great fallout from contention, argument, divisiveness, and judgmental attitudes because there is always the ingredient or fallout of sin. Remember who the enemy is, know your enemy and beware of his schemes of psychological, mind games and to divide and conquer.  Sometimes marriage seems to deteriorate into being each other's number one critic.  When a marriage is successful, people may wonder what kept them together and the best answer is the grace of God and applying His principles.  Remember:  Marriage was God's idea and His invention and is not subject to man's revisionism, revamping, tampering, re-interpretation, or inventions.  It was here long before government was instituted and has priority over it in its domain!

In sum, what brought the couple together initially was probably shared interests and commonalities, being made for each other, and complimenting each other, but what keeps them knit together with the tie that binds is their union in Christ as the cohesive factor (or missing ingredient in some marriages)--that is why they must never jeopardize their relationship and faith by being unequally yoked, for it's meant to be a representation of Christ and the church, which is a mystery!   Thus, we recognize that God is a triune relationship and reveals Himself to us personally in marriage!  Each partner is to offer support to the other half for they are one flesh, and hopefully, one in spirit and in the Spirit, sharing common goals of oneness, not mere friendship!   NB:  Marriage differs from casual friendships and ties in that there's commitment, much like the one made to find salvation.   Soli Deo Gloria!