Clear-thinking Prophets

"... But we have the mind of Christ"  (1 Cor. 2:16, ESV).  

Every generation has its voice and witness from God to warn His people and to interpret the times with divine viewpoint and insight.  We are all to "gird up the loins" of our minds and take heed to the signs of the times just as Jesus exhorted us.  Our attitude towards the world, our nation, and our entourage must be interpreted in light of God's truths.  The sign of the unbeliever, as well as practical atheist who believes, yet doesn't act like it, is that God is in none of his thoughts!

By way of definition:  Prophets aren't necessarily seers or those who speak for God and foretell, but those who tell forth the Word of God, and testify of needed messages from God to illuminate His people--to build up or edify the body of Christ as is so desperately needed.

What manner of media and news we expose ourselves to says a lot about our priorities and values. Our attitudes are shaped by our thinking, whether it is godly or not; influenced by the world-system or the Bible.  We need to have our mindset formulated by a Christian worldview and not the secular ones that are so predominant.  The world will squeeze us into its mold if we don't watch our step and keep in step with the Spirit and are clued into basic universal, objective, and absolute truths of Scripture.  We must rein in every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ per 2 Cor. 10:5.   If we are not careful and let the world influence us instead of vice versa, we will experience the phenomenon of GIGO or garbage in equals garbage out!

We must learn to "think on these things" referring to what is noble, right, and praiseworthy per Phil. 4:8.   After all, we are what we think about all day and we aren't what we think we are, but what we think, we are! (sources unknown).  Very few believers actually are equipped to discern good and evil in the events of history and current events, and we are to seek out these modern-day prophets (one was the late Charles Colson).

Ignorance is never an excuse unless we never had the opportunity to know it, and it's ignorance, not knowledge that binds us.   Humility is the order of the day, as we are to have the same mindset as that of Jesus Christ (cf. Phil. 2:5).  If you don't know the prevalent worldviews and the propaganda they disseminate, you are vulnerable to becoming its victim and being bamboozled by lies and deceit.   We are to be infants in evil, but in our thinking, we are to be mature (cf. 1 Cor. 14:20).

Unfortunately, the leading epistemology of today is relativism, whereas truth is only relative:  This is depicted in Alan Bloom's book The Closing of the American Mind.  This is antithetical to the absolute and objective truth of Scripture and one must be ready to oppose it wherever it arises.  Soli Deo Gloria! 

Wolves In Sheep's Clothing

"Enter by the narrow gate.  For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many.  For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few"  (Matt. 7:13-14, ESV).  

Jesus initiated His ministry the right way, by being baptized by John in order to identify Himself with the common Jews and to fulfill all righteousness, though John demurred--He did things the right way and didn't go against the order of the day.  If Jesus could humble Himself, how much ought we?  There likewise comes a day of reckoning and decision for believers, where they express solidarity with the body publicly in order to be accepted publicly.  

We are to beware of pseudo-believers or false brethren (for even the devils may seek to become accepted, if possible!) and those that sneak into the fellowship disapproved, who may "creep in unnoticed," as Jude writes, and are "marked out for condemnation" as "wolves in sheep's clothing," masquerading as angles of light (cf. 2'Cor. 11:4), as it were, and fooling even the elect, if possible (they come to "steal, to kill, and to destroy").  Who is he but one who doesn't enter by the door of the shepherd, but seeks his own way, door, or rules, for he seeks to "climb up some other way" (cf. John 10:1), and "he is a thief [proselytizer or even an apostate] and a robber."

If there's some initiation ceremony (e.g., baptism, testimony, classroom training, et al.) that the church has established, and a seeker or false brother rejects it, then he is going rogue and following his own whims or "inner voice", and not that of Christ. For in God's economy, the way up is down, and we must all humble ourselves in the sight of God first if we expect to be exalted in His eyes--you don't carry rank and privilege with you as you transfer from church to church, but must start at the bottom and work your way up all over again, respecting all in authority and seniority.

In order to get the "right hand of fellowship," and to be accepted as a member of the family of God one must show some fruit!  First we believe and works result and this comes by hearing of the Word of God, then we belong to the family in fellowship, and finally, we become what God intends by participation with the family and recognition of our charisma or gift and sharing it with others. Rick Warren describes our spiritual journey:  "believing (through worship), belonging (through fellowship), and becoming (through discipleship)."  We are always to be congenial and extend our good faith and love to all, regardless of where they are in the Lord, but there comes a day of reckoning when one must decide for or against the fellowship one is associated with and whether or not to endorse it and become a full-fledged member.  They are to "choose this day whom they will serve" per Joshua 24:15.

Our mission is to be "eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace" per Ephesians 4:3, ESV.  Remember the slogan:  "No perfect people need to apply!"  God wants real people, not ideal people and unity, not uniformity.  We don't find shortcuts to the top of the spiritual chain of command, or pecking order, as it were, but must admit our spiritual frailty!  We never "assume" someone is a believer or earnest in his motives, by mere virtue of regular attendance--some people are just "playing church" or are guilty of "Churchianity," not Christianity.

Pseudo-Christian cults and churches do not seek out souls to save, but to steal, they go where Christ is already named and say they have something to add to the truth or have a new and improved Christianity to offer.  These wolves spare not the flock and have no qualms to lead to false doctrine and are thirsty for power (David Koresh, and Jim Jones, et al.).  They are really not members of the church, but mock it and set out to go by their own tradition or belief, that is antithetical to the churches.  They are pushing something secret and claim to be in the know and privileged to be privy to this so-called false knowledge.

In contradistinction to a true shepherd, one ordained and called by God, one who enters by the door--not some secret way (i.e., by way of secret pledge, friendship, reference, handshake, vow, ordination service, et al.), the false teacher, who isn't always a teacher, but just seeks a following and to make a name for himself!

The sheep do not listen to the "voice of a stranger" and know their shepherd, according to John 10:5, and they follow the Lord through His shepherds and they listen to the truth because they are of the truth.  The danger is that factions in the church and party spirit can cause church splits, and nothing ruins a church more than sectarian spirit or a conflict over leadership and loyalty issues--"I am of Apollos!"  The reason we have heresy is so that the teachers approved by God can be made manifest, the church and body of Christ can be cleansed of evil, and it can be renewed in the image of Christ as its head and cornerstone.  Soli Deo Gloria!

God's Debut

"[W]ho, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.  And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross" (Philippians 2:6-8, ESV).  

How should the Son of God make his entree into our domain, but as one of us, so we could readily identify with Him, since we are in the image of God, after all?  If He came as a scholar, monarch, rich man, entertainer, scientist, philosopher, or any privileged, prestigious person we might not think we have had a chance, that the Messiah wasn't for us!  We can all relate to the so-called son of a carpenter, a working-class entrepreneur, and this means ultimately that His salvation is available to all.  "... Peace to those on whom his favor rests," as it is written in Luke 2:10, ESV).

Shepherds were considered among the lowest scum of the trades, and many wouldn't even admit it publicly.  This was God's way of upsetting the religious apple cart. But the angels saw humility in these shepherds, who were not the typical thieves, like so many, and were raising lambs for the temple--God saw potential, and this means He saw potential in us, too.  We see Christ as the Good Shepherd in Scripture and God wants us to see the analogy.

No one can say they humbled themselves more than Jesus, who left His throne and gave up the independent use of His authority, and became "one of us" so that we see ourselves in Him, no matter what status we live in:  There is hope for all in Christ!   No one can charge Jesus with being aloof, indifferent, or disinterested, and that He doesn't feel our pains, struggles, and grief!  "For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses..." (Heb. 4:15, ESV).  He alone can say, "Been there," to any problem we have!

It is no insignificant fact that the angels chose to appear to shepherds, because they would understand the imagery of Christ being the Lamb of God, and thus our Savior.  The fear of the shepherds upon seeing the vision of angels transformed into joy and as they saw the Babe in the manger, they just knew it was true, as the joy of the Lord filled their hearts.

The given name, Immanuel, is not fortuitous, since God is present fully in Christ as His image or icon, and one felt the presence of God with Him, and in all that He did God was with Him.  As it is written:  "The Spirit bears witness with our spirit" (cf. Romans 8:16).  One job description of the Holy Spirit is to encourage us as our Paraclete or Comforter (in the Greek, entheos, or to put God into something!).  Just as it's written in Zech. 4:6 that it is "Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit..."(cf. Zech. 4:6, ESV).  We have the witness of the Holy Spirit in us to be a witness and testimony so that we "just know," like the shepherds "just knew." 

In summation, Jesus humbled Himself (it was voluntary) as a lesson and model for us ("Let this mind be in you"); whereas humility wasn't even considered a virtue before His time! Now being humble is considered a compliment due to Christ. In His humility we see an approachable God, referring to the veil being ripped upon His ignominious death. Seeing Jesus as an underdog (e.g., the son of a carpenter), gives us the courage and hope to identify with--everyone loves an underdog!  

Jesus truly illustrated the truth with His life that the way up is down in God's economy--"Humble yourself before the Lord and he will exalt you"  (James 4:10, ESV).  When He said, "God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble," He has authority to say it as all authority has been given Him (cf. Matt. 28:18).    Soli Deo Gloria!

The Whereabouts Of God

"... While they say to me continually, 'Where is your God?'"  (Psalm 42:10, ESV).
"And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart"  (Jer. 29:13, KJV).  
"Seek the LORD while He may be found; 
Call upon Him while He is near"  (Isaiah 55:6, NASB).  
"... Why should they say among the peoples, 'Where is their God?'"  (Joel 2:17, NIV).
"... Why my enemies continually taunt me, saying, 'Where is this God of yours?'"  (Ps. 42:3, NLT). 

Have you ever felt abandoned by God like Job?  He wondered that, too:  "Oh, that I knew where I might find him, that I might come even to his seat!" (Job 23:3, ESV).  Job was desperate and was confident it wasn't his fault or that he deserved it, but God was MIA to his reckoning.  Sometimes God withdraws from us to see what is in our heart!  Our faith is more precious than gold and must be tested, to see if we are going by feeling or faith; faith is what pleases God, not feelings or sentiment! We must learn to walk by faith and not by sight (cf. 2 Cor. 5:17).

 Sin separates us from God (Psalm 66:18 says, "If I regard iniquity in my heart the LORD will not hear me"), and God is not the one who moved, you did!   Even Job didn't realize that his sin was self-righteousness if you look at his boasting in Job 31.  In the end, he found repentance at the revelation of God's greatness and it humbled him.

The fact of the matter is that "he is actually not far from each one of us"  (cf. Acts 17:27, ESV).  God is never further than the mention of His name, but even some believers don't know Him by name--His name isn't "God!"  People often mock believers because it seems like their God has abandoned them, but the fact is that He will never leave us nor forsake us (cf. Heb. 13:8).   Jesus said in the Great Commission:  "...I am with you always...." Jesus name is, in fact, Emmanuel, and that is interpreted as meaning that "God is with us"!  That God is nearby is called the immanence of God as per Isaiah 57:15, which says, "This is the high and lofty One [re the transcendence of God] says--he who lives forever, whose name is holy:  'I live in a high and holy place, but also with him who is contrite and lowly in spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite.'" In short, God is above and beyond, yet approachable! 

People often sarcastically inquire where God was in a disaster like 9/11, but people who were there will testify that Jesus was there all the time.  When they ask you where God is, simply ask them where He isn't!  Where was the church?  We don't need a mirror to see that we are walking miracles and, since everything is caused by God, miracles are only unusual events caused by Him, or they'd be called "regulars." There is a God-shaped blank or vacuum in our souls that only God can fill according to Blaise Pascal, and when God lives in our hearts we can communicate and fellowship with Him--that's why we are created in the image of God!  (We alone have the will to obey, the heart to love, and the mind to know God.) Animals never wonder about the whereabouts of God, nor ask, since they are oblivious to the spiritual world and knowledge.

Pascal said that in nature we don't see the manifest presence of God, nor the complete absence of God, but the presence of a hidden God. God wants us to find Him and doesn't show Himself to triflers, but those who seek with their whole heart (cf. Jer. 29:13; Isa. 55:6).  Isaiah announced, "Truly, you are a God who hides yourself..."  (Isa. 45:15, ESV).   It is not a matter of God hiding, but of whether we are looking for Him and seeking His face (as Jesus said in Matt. 7:7, "...[Seek] and you shall find...")! Take comfort in Jesus' promise that whenever two or three are gathered together in His name, there He is among them (cf. Matt. 18:20)!  Sometimes you may honestly wonder where God, is but then you might be finding out where the devil is!

If you think that they had it good in Jesus' day when He was with them, or that some people are more blessed by having had visions, we have it better than they did because we have the resident Holy Spirit and the complete canon of Holy Writ to guide us and for God to speak to us through.  You can find God's presence:  "I permitted Myself to be sought by those who did not ask for Me; I permitted Myself to be found by those who did not seek Me, I said, 'Here am I, here am I,'...." (Isaiah 65:1, NASB).  Christianity is not belief there is a God, but believing in the God who is there!  As Francis Schaeffer said, "He is there and He is not silent!"  In sum, ponder the song:  "Surely the presence of the Lord is in this place...." (cf. Gen. 28:16).    Soli Deo Gloria!

Christ's Credentials

Was Christ who He said He was?  The thrust of His teaching was self-centered, on the theme of His identity:  "Who do men say, that I am?" This was the turning point of His ministry and Peter was inspired by the Father to accurately pinpoint that He was the promised One, the coming Messiah, who was to be the Son of the living God.  To believe in Him was to believe in God the Father, and to reject Him was to reject His Father.  He said, that the Father and He were One, that He is in the Father, and the Father is in Him.  This was a shock to the religious Pharisees, who knew what He was saying and charged Him with blasphemy, saying that He was equal to the Father, calling Him Abba, or Dad.

Anyone can say that they are who they choose, but do they have the credentials:  I mean the character that is consistent, that confirms, that doesn't belie the claim; the signs and wonders to accompany the claim and make it authentic that sets Him apart; the witnesses to verify that it is not on His own authority that He makes the claims.

Jesus claims were one of a kind:  His character unique; His conduct unprecedented; His credentials unequaled; His works and signs unmatched!  No one has ever surpassed or excelled, neither predecessor nor disciple, His qualifications and merits to deity.  He is the one and only Son of God and we cannot compare Him to any mortal; even if we called Him Jesus the Great or the greatest man who ever lived, that would not do Him justice, nor satisfy us.  We don't compare Him to others, nor contrast Him, for there is no equal in any category of personality--the greatest charismatic person who ever lived.  You cannot add to His name, simply Jesus will do, for He is the Savior and His purpose is to save us from our sins, as it is written in Matt. 1:21.

He made the claim that He was God in the flesh and had the moral authority to do it, for He even challenged the authorities to find fault with Him and charge Him with sin--at His trial the only charge that stuck was political and not moral.  The disciples, who were close to Him for three years (and normally familiarity breeds contempt), had the consensus that He committed no sin.  ("In Him was no sin, " says 1 John 3:5; "committed no sin," in 1 Pet. 2:22; "had no sin," in 2 Cor. 5:21.)

The closer you get to Him, the more you realize you are a sinner, not Him!  For instance, Peter confessed: "Depart from me, O Lord, for I am a sinner."  The leaders of other faiths are flawed in character, yet Christ stands out as the model of perfect manliness and godliness.  What they say is that He had no sin, He did no sin, He knew no sin!  If He were one, He couldn't save sinners!   His challenge was: "Can you prove Me guilty of sin?"  This was the greatest sign or miracle!

There is circumstantial evidence that is compelling, and this is evidence that is admissible in a court of law, we have eyewitness accounts of His resurrection and many facts cannot be explained apart from believing He rose from the dead.  The written records verify His life, secular and clerical--there is no doubt of His historicity, so you must come to terms with Him and not dismiss as fable, myth, or even legend. Psychiatrists have examined Him and find Him to be perfectly balanced and His sermons are not the rantings and ravings of a madman-quite the contrary--He is perfectly balanced and the ideal man, someone whom all of us can emulate.  Even intellectuals have called Him the model of mankind, and someone to imitate. Even the testimony of the close disciples cannot be dismissed so easily.

What His enemies said:  They tried to trap Him in His words and accuse Him of blasphemy and couldn't believe He associated with known sinners and publicans, their favorite command, the Sabbath, was the main thrust of their attacks, for they could not bear someone breaking the traditions of the elders, but Jesus called Himself the Lord of the Sabbath--mind-boggling to them.   The way He came eating and drinking they accused Him of gluttony and of being a drunkard and that His religion was frivolous.  They accused Him of having a demon, but He had authority to cast them out and said that Satan would not be divided against himself, casting demons out.  Three unlikely enemies (Pilate, Judas, and the centurion) all concluded that He was innocent blood and righteous ("Truly this was the Son of God!").

Look at the way He taught:  As one having authority (cf. Matt. 7:29).  He never footnoted His sermons nor quoted the authorities:  He didn't speak by authority, but with authority.  His only source was Himself (what the Father told Him to say) and the Scripture.   He illustrated His teachings with signs and wonders or miracles to do lessons and proof that He was the Son of God in the flesh: Like feeding the multitude to prove He's the bread of life or raising the dead to prove He's the resurrection and the life.

Now anyone can claim to be God, for instance, Father Divine did, but can you prove it:  The ultimate proof of Christ's claim is His resurrection which has many infallible proofs (Acts 1:3) and is the one sign that sets Him apart as the incarnation of God, who demonstrated victory over death and hell. The prime difference between His claims and those of others is the caliber of His life and that He offered proof to verify it.

For instance, if I claimed to be born of a virgin, you might think I'm unbalanced, but if the caliber of my life demonstrated no sin, you might take me more seriously.  Not only His sinless morality, but His witnesses of John the Baptist, the most popular prophet of the day, and the over 500 who say Him rose from the dead, even what His enemies conceded unbeknownst to them, and the signs of His miracles (for if He had performed none, He would have ended up a mere footnote in history), and if you take away these miracles His witness is not credible, but the teachings themselves are such sublime words that only God could have originated them.

He came teaching and preaching (practicing what He preached and preaching what He practiced) but He upset the whole religious apple cart (the establishment) and the Pharisees were jealous of His influence and power over the people.  What can you say, but that there is no hypothesis that fits the facts better than the one that He is indeed the Son of God, who came to visit and save man, by becoming one of us.   Soli Deo Gloria!

The Shrine Of Almighty Chance

People who play the lotto or gamble compulsively don't realize that God micromanages the cosmos and superintends every creature and event under the sun as His divine sovereignty dictates; i.e., there is no such thing as chance, but a mathematical probability and it's blind, whereas God sees all--it is not an entity and it's corollary, luck, is dumb (whereas God is omniscient), and fortune is a way to avoid the word blessing!   I realize some people's retirement plan is to win the lottery, but this is vain and contrary to the Word, where we should be wise in stewardship and plan ahead while trusting in God, not our money to save and provide for us!

Is your security in your portfolio or in Providence?  God is in control, for what kind of God wouldn't be:  There is not one maverick molecule in the universe!  Fate, by the way, is impersonal and even blind, whereas God is personal and involved with care in our lives. There's no such entity as good fortune, but God is good to all and blesses them either directly or by association.  Do you ever say to yourself, "Let's not meet by accident [referring to a collision]!"  Or even, "Fancy meeting you here!" We make mistakes and have accidents as humans, but God overrules and puts meaning in them--there's even meaning in suffering, which is God's megaphone to speak to us.  God's cosmos is not random, but intricately designed and under control.  It has been said that the entire universe is like one vast mathematical equation form God's mind.

God even works through diabolical events (cf. Acts 2:23, 4:28) such as the crucifixion to bring about blessings out of curses, and Joseph met his brothers and told them that, though they meant it for evil, God meant it for good! There are no flukes of nature or accidents of history--we must realize God's wisdom in allowing or causing them to happen.  Wycliffe said, "All things come to pass of necessity." "The steps of a man are established by the LORD" (cf. Psa. 37:23).  God's answer to happenstance is Providence and this is meant to be comforting and assuring that God reigns and rules overall.  "In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will"  (Eph. 1:11, NIV).

Nothing happens by chance or coincidence: There is no fortuitous event, but everything under the sun has purpose and meaning in God's eyes, even if we don't fathom it (cf. Prov. 16:4; Prov. 16:33; Eph. 1:11).  Purpose is a naughty word for the modern man who believes in random chance and even denies there is purpose in life itself.  But it behooves us to realize the reasoning behind God's blessings and His providence in our lives--don't shrug off something as getting lucky or fate smiling on you, but give the glory to God who has blessed you and sees and knows all possibilities and can coordinate and orchestrate our lives with utmost care, having written them down before we were born (cf. Psalm 139:16).  

NB:  the providence of God.    "LORD, I know that people's lives are not their own; it is not for them to direct their steps"  (Jer. 10:23, NIV). "A man's steps are directed by the LORD.  How then can anyone understand their own way?"  (Prov. 20:24, NIV).

We really shouldn't accommodate the secularists by using these words in our vocabulary, but boldly witness and testify of the providence and blessings of God on our behalf, who watches over us to provide us all our needs.  Ben Franklin observed and gave the testimony:  "I have lived a long time, and the longer I live, the more I'm convinced that God governs in the affairs of men."

Note:  God is the sole primary cause of the cosmos, who either directs or permits all events:  Nothing just happens according to the law of causality (cause and effect); and if God caused it, it must have purpose, because He's a God of purpose and design, known as teleology.  We are secondary causes and agents of God being used for His ultimate will. 

The conclusion of the matter is this:  "The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the LORD" (Prov. 16:33, NIV).  This implies there are meaning and purpose in everything to God (cf. Prov. 16:4), but we are not capable of discerning or deciphering it all the time--just take it by faith that God is with you.   Soli Deo Gloria!

Humanism, An Idea From Antiquity

You may believe that Secular Humanism is something "new under the sun," but it was an idea in the Aegean Sea area of classical Greece. Protagoras said, "Man is the measure of all things" (homo mensura).  It goes earlier than that to the plain of Shinar in Gen. 11:4 where men sought to "make a name for themselves."

"For though they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God or show gratitude.  Instead, their thinking became nonsense, and their senseless minds were darkened claiming to be wise, they became fools..." (Romans 12:221-22, HCSB).  


The essence of humanism:  glory to man in the highest:  the deification or exaltation of man, and dethroning of God.  Humanism 101:  "Up with man; down with God, because we can do good without Him!"  What they mean is to start with man as the measure or standard and judge everything accordingly:  Instead of starting the rationale with God--"In the beginning God..," they commence with man and his finite cerebral capacity, whereby God is infinite and the Greeks said that the finite cannot grasp the infinite--how ironic!

"In all his scheming, the wicked arrogantly thinks: 'There is no accountability since God does not exist" (Psalm 10:4, HCSB).  "...[All] is thoughts are, 'There is no God'" (Psalm 10:4, ESV).  (God is in none of his thoughts!)  When you take God out of the reckoning man becomes depraved without limit and God gives them up to go their own way--yes, even man's brain or intellect is depraved and is incapable of spiritual apprehension:  "No one understands" (cf. Rom. 3:10f).   "...My people do not understand" (Isaiah 1:3, NASB).   "...So the people without understanding are ruined"  (Hos. 4:14, NASB).  "...The whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint"  (Isaiah 1:5, ESV).

Secular Humanism is defined as a religion without God in the equation.  It is completely incompatible with the Judeo-Christian worldview. Humanists do not believe that there is a supernatural and deny any deity or divinity of any notion in their reckoning.  When you take God out of the equation man loses focus and orientation, and has no moral compass to guide him and sees a distorted reality: such as Eastern religion seeing all reality as Maya or an illusion.  Humanism is a religion with high priests, meetings, and even has the Humanist Manifesto of doctrines to adhere to. And John Dewey was one of the early proponents who introduced the ideas into our educational system and is the so-called father of American public education.  They even have "Secular Humanist of the year" awards!  Their chief tenet is that there is no absolute moral code to live by and we are capable of concocting our own morality.

America is entering the New World Order (or era):  Trump vows to keep God out of it [politics]. Humanists want a world without God and any religious influence--even banning signage of the Ten Commandments in courtrooms and schools, taking the motto "In God We Trust" off our coins, and "One nation under God" off our pledge of allegiance (they have already banned Bible reading and classroom prayer in public schools in 1963, when infamous atheist Madalyn Murray O'Hair protested and litigated).  Will we have a National Day of Prayer and a prayer breakfast at the White House? They are opposed to Christianity because they cannot stomach the fact that some people are "lost" and need salvation, and they believe in their Humanist Manifesto II of 1973:  "No deity will save us, we must save ourselves."

Their faith is in science, or should I say "scientism," which is using science for non-scientific purposes such as finding ethical, philosophical, and religious truth (an example is saying that the cosmos is all there is and all there was and all there ever will be--Carl Sagan). They are people of faith too--in the scientific method to solve our problems and lead to all truth.  There are not people of faith and people of reason or rationale, because everyone has faith and starts with some presupposition they cannot prove.

The building block of the "religion" is evolution and they regard any encroachment upon this dogma as heretical and intolerable. For example, Carl Sagan said that evolution is a "fact", not a "theory." Note:  It's unproven and unprovable since history is nonrepeatable, there are no witnesses, they cannot account for the origin of life nor the arrival of the fittest,  and a new species has never been observed to evolve in either the fossil record or in real time.

Humanism is indeed a religion, though they say it is not because they don't believe in "God." But even John Dewey said in A Common Faith that you can be "religious" without having "religion." Atheism has been declared a religion by the Seventh Court of Appeals!   Humanism is more than disbelief in God; it's anti-God and, as a worldview, interprets everything without God in the picture, which is contrary to the rise of Western civilization.  We might call Secular Humanism a post-theological worldview and they are in the process or rewriting history--a red flag!

A fundamental repercussion of their worldview is that God never intervened in history (Jesus is seen as a legend, myth, lie, etc.), and worse yet, man is not created in the image of God with a soul and spirit, but is a materialistic, naturalistic hodgepodge of atoms colliding with no divine purpose--life has no meaning or purpose (words anathema to them), and, since we are animals in heat avoiding pain and seeking pleasure, we can feel free to live without moral restraint, hell to shun, nor judgment to fear, just like animals and feel no "guilt," which comes only from religion. Note:  We are not a freak biological accident or some fluke of nature!  In scientific parlance, they are monists, not believers in dualism like Christians, in that they don't believe we have a mind, separate from our brain, but it's only a projection of brain activity and there is no soul or spirit within us.

The whole point of Secular Humanism is to be good without God and to be religious without so-called religion! They deify and exalt man and dethrone and ignore God, making a name for man and blaspheming God's name! Idolatry is not giving God His rightful domain!

So what?  Secular Humanists want Christians in their camp, but they must be willing to privatize their faith, not flaunting it or making it public--keep it in church!  What we are beholding is the secularization of our society where "man has forgotten God" (Will Durant, humanist historian).  The Constitution guarantees the free expression of faith or religion with no State interference or regulation.  Playwright George Bernard Shaw said that "no nation has ever survived the loss of its gods."  Dostoevsky said that "without God, all things are permissible:"--this is our future?  Caveat: Secular Humanists pin the blame for our problem on man's preoccupation with the spiritual element and mostly fault Christianity!  Soli Deo Gloria!

Our Brother's Keeper

"Oh that you were like a brother to me..." (Song of Solomon 8:1, ESV).

Cain denied being his "brother's keeper," but he should have observed the law of love and not to be envious or have the evil or jaundiced eye.  Brothers are "born for adversity" according to Prov. 17:17 and we are blessed to know brotherly love as an affectionate and loyal one. There is a kind of love that is natural just because of being related, but brotherly love is seen as a model of the kind we should have for our Christian brothers (not called that for no reason).  "Let brotherly love continue" (cf. Heb. 13:1).  Note that friends can be more intimate than brothers:  "... [B]ut there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother" (Prov. 18:24, ESV).

Deut. 23:7 says not to "abhor an Edomite, for he is your brother"--this means we should never despise, look down, or resent our brother, who is own flesh and blood.  Brothers can disagree but they should find areas of commonality--they can agree to disagree and disagree without being disagreeable.  Proverbs 6 lists sowing discord among brothers as one of the things that are an abomination to God.

Most arguments aren't worth the adrenaline and they generate more heat than light!  According to Patton's Principles: A Guidebook for Managers Who Mean It, we should never engage in an argument we have nothing to gain from--some are just trivial; on the other hand, there are godly controversies and we are called to engage in them (but don't split hairs!).   Abraham didn't want any discord with his brethren and in Gen. 13:8 (ESV) he says, "Let there be no strife between you and me ... for we are kinsmen."  But there is always a challenge from an equal and "iron sharpens iron" as Proverbs 27:17 declares.  Caveat:  "A brother offended is more unyielding than a strong city..." (Prov. 18:19, ESV).

We are to see our brother in need and to volunteer our time, resources, talents, and finances:  "But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him?   (1 John 2:17, ESV).  Paul says in (1 Tim. 5:8, ESV):  "But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever."   Soli Deo Gloria!

Real Humility

"He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God"  (Micah 6:8, ESV, italics added). 

"For thus says the One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy; 'I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly, and to revive the heart of the contrite"  (Isaiah 57:15, ESV, lowly means humble!).

"Listen to me, you who pursue righteousness, you who seek the LORD:  look to the rock from which you were hewn, and to the quarry from which you were dug"  (Isaiah 51:1, ESV, remember your roots and from whence you came!). 

Christ is said to have "emptied Himself" when He became man, which really is another way of saying He laid aside His omniscience, omnipotence, and omnipresence to take the form of man and relate to us on our terms--such as finding out what tears felt like, or sweat on the brow.  He didn't cease being God the Son, though!  Jesus saw things through the eyes of man for the first time and now He can relate to us as a faithful high priest, tempted in every way as we.  Philippians 2 uses the word kenosis in Greek to mean emptying, but He didn't empty Himself of His deity, but merely restrained the independent use of it and served the purpose of the Father.

Jesus humbled Himself by leaving His throne, to being born in a manger because there was no room at the inn, suffering the humility of a crucifixion between two malefactors.  We must, therefore, keep on eyes on Jesus (cf. Heb. 12:1), as it is said:  look at the world and distressed; look at yourself and be depressed; look at Christ and be at rest ("Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose thoughts are stayed on Thee," says Isa. 26:3).

Humility gets down on its knees and nothing is beneath it, much the way Jesus did in the Upper Room in the servile act of washing His disciples' feet.  John the Baptist said that Jesus must increase, and he must decrease.  "...[He] crowns the humble with victory [salvation]"  (Psalm 149:4, ESV).  He understood that the way up is down in God's economy! "...[A]nd humility comes before honor"  (Prov. 15:33, ESV).   "Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he will exalt you"  (James 4:10, ESV, italics mine).   Jesus was asked who would be the greatest in His kingdom:  He who humbled himself as a child (cf. Matt. 18:3)!  We, too, can empty ourselves of all pretense and stoop to help those in need that God brings our way or into our sphere of influence.

If Jesus could humble Himself, it's not beneath our dignity to do any "foot-washing--in public or private." He said we ought to do likewise, instituting the "order of the towel." "In his humiliation justice was denied him..." (Acts 8:33, ESV). A good example of a humble mind is George Whitefield saying, "There but for the grace of God, go I," when seeing a criminal going to the gallows.  We are to prefer one another and honor one another in Christ (as Romans 12:10, NKJV says, "....in honor giving preference to one another"), not thinking more highly of ourselves than we ought (cf. Romans 12:3).

There is no caste system in the church, as each of us is one in Christ and all brethren in the family of God. Service is where it's at:  The more you serve, the greater you are, not the more who serve you! Albert Schweitzer said that the only really happy people are those who've learned to serve.  A non-serving Christian is a contradiction in terms, as we are called to serve one another in Christ.   We must be willing to follow Jesus in humility and serve Him in whatever capacity possible.

True humility is not having low self-esteem or thinking less of yourself, but not thinking of yourself at all. When you think you've arrived at true humility, you have lost it! "...' God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble"" (cf. James 4:6; 1 Pet. 5:5).   Therefore, we all have the tendency to have pride in ourselves and to think highly of ourselves (more highly than we ought!), wanting to be seen in the best possible light (with a good reputation), but with Christ in our heart, we see things through His eyes and lose all pretense of our own self-importance.

No one is ever truly humble a la Christ, (for example, only Jesus and Moses are called humble or meek in Scripture!).  When we think we're humble or that we've arrived, we have missed the boat!  Humility means that all we are is servants of God and the most we can hope for is to hear with joy the words:  "Well done, thou good and faithful servant enter thou into the joy of the Lord!" To reiterate:  Our greatness is not in how many people serve us, but how many we serve--just the opposite of human insight or viewpoint.  We should not desire to be number one as Diotrephes did in 3 John, but esteem others with all due respect.  One statement that humbles me is from Mother Teresa of Calcutta (now canonized):  God doesn't call us to success, but to faithfulness!   Never lose sight of the fact that it's not about you! 

The conclusion of the matter is: The best leaders are those who've learned to follow, the ones with servant's hearts know their Lord and aren't power-hungry or lustful, but see leadership opportunity as stewardship possibilities.  God's purpose is to keep us from getting a big head!   Soli Deo Gloria!  

Looking For A Loophole?

"[Since] they show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts now accusing, now even defending them"  (Romans 2:25, NIV).

By definition, conscience is an innate sense of right/wrong and the ability to apply it to conduct in situations. 

W. C. Fields was said to peruse the Scriptures on his death bed and when asked why he quipped: "Well, it occurred to me that I might be wrong, so I'm looking for a loophole?"  Everyone is in the same boat, susceptible to error (to err is human!).  Only God is infallible or incapable of error and His divine impeccability is one of His traits.  We can be inerrant, but not infallible:  For example, if you scored 100 percent on a spelling test, you were inerrant; but you're not infallible!

Some Christians similar to claiming infallibility (which is pontificating from the chair of St. Peter called speaking ex-cathedra in Latin).  We are to trust no human as infallible, but hold only the Holy Scriptures to that standard, as Augustine wrote Jerome on his convictions.

We all have a conscience or the ability to relate standards to conduct and situations and make judgments of right and wrong.  We are held to be responsible to our conscience, and it either accuses or excuses us  (cf. Rom. 2:25).  But we can indeed have a clear conscience and be in sin or be dead wrong at the same time because you can be sincerely wrong, but this is no excuse to go against conscience as our guide as Martin Luther said, "To go against conscience is neither right nor safe." Jiminy Cricket said to always let our conscience be our guide--but it should be enlightened by the Word of God.

It is obvious that God is a God who cares a lot about right and wrong and He has gifted us with a moral compass as a guide to behavior in all situations (you instinctively know not to bud in line, for instance, unless you've hardened your conscience--if you ignore it, it'll go away!).  Where do we get a sense of fair play, good faith, altruism, courage, good faith, frankness, objectivity, integrity, and sportsmanship?  It's obvious that this is a reflection of God's character.  This is why we learn a lot about life playing sports and through the wisdom of the school of hard knocks in life's spiritual journey.

There is a natural or higher law that all people know, which is supreme over the law of the government.  Being legal doesn't mean it's right, ethical, or moral!   We are responsible for this moral code, whether we admit it or not.  We have a built-in sensitivity to evil and all of us have eaten of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, by virtue of being Adam's progeny.  None of us can claim innocence!  We are moral creatures responsible for our actions and that's where sin comes in; animals are not moral creatures.  We alone are designed to communicate with God with a heart to love Him, a mind to know Him, and a will to obey Him.

Mark Twain was said to say that it wasn't the Scriptures he didn't understand that bothered him, but the ones he did!   We all have some manner of inner moral compass and fabric to convict us.  "If there is no God," Fyodor Dostoevsky's dictum goes, "everything is permissible," and up for grabs, and we are without a moral compass as animals and can act like them, not being accountable and not awaiting judgment.   We all have a sense of "ought" however, and this is evidence for God's existence.

God alone is the moral center of the universe and everything's is relative to Him.  In sum, there is no loophole, all of mankind will be judged by Christ if they are not found in Him, and they will be condemned by their own words and conscience!  In the meantime, judge nothing before the time (cf. 1 Cor. 4:5).  We don't want to be like Israel in Judges:  "Everyone did what was right in his own eyes"  (cf. Judges 17:6; 21:25).  The cross is the only way out by faith in it as the propitiation of our sins, being God's satisfaction or propitiation of justice on our behalf.   Soli Deo Gloria!