The New Atheist On The Warpath

"The fool says in his heart, 'There is no God'..." (Psalm 14:1, NIV).  NB:  he says this in his heart and is irrational.  

Today's atheists(or anti-theists) are more strident than of yesteryear since they don't "live and let live" with Christians anymore but are bent on eradicating Christ from the public square and discourse--erasing any vestige of religion; not letting any Divine Foot in the door.  Faith in God used to be the default position, but today's resurgent atheists are on the march!  They are on the offensive like the redoubtable Madalyn Murray O'Hair, who succeeded in outlawing prayer in public schools and Bible reading as a mandatory curriculum or requisite.  If these atheists are so sure there's no God, why spend so much energy fighting someone (why are they so angry?) and who doesn't exist, while denying all the causes championed by Christians?

One man in Russia concluded there must be a God since they keep telling him there isn't.  The problem with Marxism, according to Dostoevsky, is atheism--a philosophy hard to buy into since they propagate that "God does not, cannot, and must not exist." Not everyone is so ready to be committed to this bleak outlook on life.  They have a psychological need to be atheists; they may have had estranged relationships with authority figures, especially their fathers, and see the so-called Father Figure as an assault since they don't want any accountability to a Higher Power.  They respect authority figures but deny the Ultimate Authority and Lawmaker.  The atheist doesn't want a Judge to criticize his immorality or lack of ethics, he refuses any guidance for life from a Lord of lords, Guide, or Ruler, he refuses to submit to the authority of King of kings, he wants to deny the natural order of creation with its Creator.  

In this way, he has no hell to shun, no judgment to fear, and no accountability to anyone but himself and he wants to live for the day, not in light of eternity, being a law unto himself and doing what is right in his eyes. They don't want to worship God (his due respect)--they won't worship nothing!   Men will always find "something or someone to worship" (according to Dostoevsky) in the "vacuum" (Blaise Pascal's term) or void left in the soul that is only content in God.

But it is a contradiction in terms to believe in order without an "Orderer," to believe in purpose without teleological sources or a "Purposer" (which is purpose personified) or justice without the Standard of good and evil and a Final Judge. In fact, the word teleology or purpose is a dirty and repugnant word to atheists.   He can look at beauty and deny an Artist!  He looks at the design and insults his Designer!  How can one believe in a "beginning" (i.e., the Big Bang as a scientific fact) and deny a Beginner? It's not a valid faith to deny God since He reveals Himself to all, but He also hides and will only be found by those searching for Him, not triflers.  

The only way you can be an atheist is to be intellectually dishonest, for it's a bankrupt philosophy and one must commit intellectual suicide to be one, for the bulk of evidence is on God's side.  Denying God is a fool's errand and one must muzzle all the inner voices of God bearing witness of Himself in creation. The cosmos didn't create itself (a logical absurdity); creation implies a Creator!  It is intellectually dishonest to deny God since one must be omniscient and omnipresent--being everywhere at the same time and knowing everything; also it's philosophically and logically impossible to prove a universal negative!  For instance, you'd have to be everywhere to prove there are no little green men too.  They can't prove God doesn't exist! We don't know all the answers yet, but we know the Answerer.  

These so-called militant atheists are bent on destroying religion in the name of no God, which seems ludicrous. They seek to eradicate any vestige or trace of God from the open marketplace of ideas, not even letting a Divine Foot in the door.   In fact, they believe, as Freud postulated, that believing in God is a "neurosis" and Richard Dawkins believes is a "mind virus" one catches if naive enough to believe, according to The God Delusion.  God is not a throwback to our need for a Father Figure, on the contrary, He is the fulfillment of who we are and we are made for Him, to bring Him glory, giving us pleasure and fulfillment.  Freud and some psychologists believe we have a psychological need to believe; au contraire, they have a psychological need not to believe!  We all have psychological needs, the point is which ones line up with the facts and evidence.

They say that we have faith, but they have facts!  This is fallacious reasoning since all knowledge is contingent and starts with faith, accepting some presupposition you cannot prove!  It's not a matter of faith versus reason, but which set of presuppositions you want to buy into and accept.  The secular atheist usually bets the farm on the fact that science alone is the only reliable source of knowledge! They also put faith in the belief of materialism and naturalism: all that exists is matter and all things have a natural explanation and that means no supernatural.  Christians are people of faith, as they call us, but they are people of faith too, faith in science!  They know God exists; however, they suppress it feigning intellectual problems.  Faith in God is not "pie in the sky," nor wishful thinking, nor the "opiate of the masses" as postulated by skeptics.....

It's the atheist who's irrational since he denies God in spite of the evidence, while Christians don't believe despite the evidence since there's ample reason to believe and God does show Himself to earnest seekers because He's no man's debtor.  It is the atheist who has blind faith, since he bases it mainly only experience and feelings, not evidence, while Christianity is a fact and history-based faith.  If Christians are obliged to show proof, so must atheists! 

In the final analysis, they are without excuse! As Paul says in Romans 1:20.   No one can disbelieve due to lack of evidence; however, there's never enough for the skeptic.  But there's no "smoking gun" evidence either way--both need faith!  I will close with Norman Geisler:  "I don't have enough faith to be an atheist!" In sum, it's not faith versus reason, but faith versus faith!   Soli Deo Gloria!

No Biggie Miracles

"A miracle is an event which is not producible by the natural causes that are operative at the time and place that the event occurs." --William Lane Craig

Jesus simply wouldn't accommodate the Pharisees when challenged for a showy miracle they couldn't deny was from God; why should He oblige unbelievers?  After the resurrection, he showed Himself only to believers!  Remember:  Miracles don't make faith, faith makes miracles.  Even King Herod tried to entice Jesus into doing a trick on demand, and when He wouldn't they mocked Him (presumably for not offering any proof of His kingly pedigree).  Jesus did say that the only miracle that the evil generation would see was the sign of Jonah (i.e., the resurrection), which was the greatest miracle in history.  But Jesus doesn't have to validate Himself to believers who see Jesus in action in their personal lives.  Transformed lives from an encounter with Jesus is the biggest miracle of all we can witness.

When people doubt certain miracles, they are really doubting the very possibility of miracles at all. They deny the supernatural completely in their Secular worldview.   Are they calling the apostles deliberate liars and deceivers?  Science cannot disprove miracles because they lie outside its domain. Science cannot forbid miracles, period.  They are unusual events caused by God; for if they happened all the time, they'd be called regulars.  Miracles are not a violation of the laws of nature as skeptic David Hume posited.

And miracles are vital to the Christian experience and faith since we believe in a God of wonders; if you take miracles out of the other religions they remain intact.  But if Jesus had performed no miracles, He would've been but a footnote in history. Jesus needed to authenticate His messiahship and deity; they weren't done willy-nilly nor for personal profit, convenience, or favor.  They can be seen as a visible attestation of God's presence.   Miracles were never merely for show, but had met a purpose and taught an important lesson concerning Jesus' deity; however, even though Jesus did perform many "signs" the people still "would not believe" in Him (cf. Psalm 78:32; John 12:37)--not that they could not, but would not! 

Jesus had nothing to prove or gain personally and knew that miracles only give a desire for more miracles and don't always have an impact on faith (look at the stubbornness of Israel who had experienced the miracles of Moses!).  He did say that if Sodom and Gomorrah had seen the miracles Capernaum had, they would've repented.  They didn't conjure up faith as a rule because faith is given, not achieved!       Soli Deo Gloria!

Epistemological Humility

"The discerning heart seeks knowledge, but the mouth of a fool feeds on folly" (Proverbs 15:14, NIV).  
"Only simpletons believe everything they're told" (Prov. 14:15, NLT). 
"The lips of the wise broadcast knowledge [feed many]" (Prov. 15:7, HCSB).
"...[U]ntil the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts" (2 Pet. 1:19, NIV). 
"...If anyone does not speak according to this word, they have no light of dawn" (Isa. 8:20, NIV).
"[W]ho carries out the words of his servants and fulfills the predictions of his messengers" (Isa. 44:26, NIV).
"A man convinced against his will, is of the same opinion still." --old saying that rings true biblically

The Christian ought to be humble regarding what he knows for sure and can't be dogmatic about and what is a matter of opinion.  There will come the time when we beg to differ!  As Protestants, we must utter:  "I disagree, I dissent, I protest."  Augustine's dictum applies here:  "In essentials, unity; in nonessentials, liberty; in all things, charity."  Paul also warned (cf. 1 Cor. 8:2, NIV) that "the man who thinks he knows something doesn't yet know as he ought to know."  Socrates said that we cannot learn until we admit our ignorance; we must admit we could be wrong!  Plato taught that all knowledge begins in faith and the Bible teaches it commences with the fear of the Lord (cf. Prov. 1:7). While Bacon said, "Knowledge is power" (cf. Prov. 24:5) love is the goal in the application.

When we disagree with believers, it ought to be in a humble attitude, not condescending or disdainful.  The problem with most people is that what they know "ain't so!"  People are so filled with misinformation, propaganda, disinformation, and lies from Satan, even heresies and false doctrines of demons, that they don't recognize the truth when it strikes a note.  The truth should resonate and strike a chord that vibrates in the soul, hitting home where it counts!

Most people have opinions, and opinions are what you hold, but convictions hold you!  Most people twist the facts to fit their theories and only believe what they agree with already!  Most people don't hold any cherished beliefs they would kill or even die for if necessary--they're just opinions.  And most people have their minds made up and don't want to be confused with the facts!  Most people talk because they have to say something, while the wise talk because they have something to say; viva la difference!  We must have several attitudes to be teachable:  a willing spirit, an obedient and needy heart, and an open mind (we must not be looking for a fight or something to disagree or take issue with).

We need to be thirsty for the truth if we are to achieve it, and no one has a monopoly on the truth no matter how gifted they are--they're only part of the puzzle or picture (IT'S A BIG STORY AND WE'RE ONLY PART OF IT!) and the whole body needs and works together.  But the strengths of one person are complemented by those of others and there is a coordinated search for truth, not the blind leading the blind.  It is vital that we realize that all teachers are human and must not pontificate like the Pope or believe he has the right to speak ex-cathedra or from the chair (i.e., of St. Peter in Rome).

We all must admit that we are to edify and teach each other and use our gifts to build up the body accordingly.  I know of several Christian authors that I disagree with on certain items or doctrines, but that doesn't keep me from reading them, for they are scholars in their own right and know what they are talking about.  There is always an ear to hear or heed a person with a message (written or oral).

We have reached a level of maturity when we can distinguish our beliefs and our ignorance (know what you know and what you don't!), and be able to read writings of those we find occasion to disagree with but are still challenging or edifying; don't just read those we are inclined to agree with perfectly!   No one should feel he has to agree with everything some writer or teacher puts out, but God will bless the search for the truth.   It's a no-brainer that we shouldn't seek out teachers who say just what we want to say with itching ears.

Don't believe everything you hear or read, but search the Scriptures if there's question or doubt.  Even Socrates had to awaken from his dogmatic slumber to start learning.   But one thing is certain:  God will work through the body and we ought to take heed to what the Spirit reveals to it through gifted individuals, for God can speak through a child!  All in all, we must never claim to know all the answers but to be part of the answer or solution, not part of the problem.

NB: The whole church was wrong about the sun revolving around the earth and Galileo was put under house arrest during the Catholic Inquisition.  Also, the Reformation itself was proof that the established church can be in error.

CAVEAT:  ONE SHOULD BEWARE LEST HE BECOMES A KNOW-IT-ALL AND PUT MORE WEIGHT ON HIS SUBJECTIVE VALUE JUDGMENT THAN WHAT IS DUE; WE MUST KNOW OUR LIMITS OR DOMAIN AND AREA OF ENLIGHTENMENT, EXPERTISE, AND GIFTING.  In closing, G. K. Chesterton said, quite tongue in cheek, "We have found all the questions, now let's find the answers."   Soli Deo Gloria!

What Really Counts Is Love In Action

"Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law" (Rom. 13:8, NIV).  "For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command:  'Love your neighbor as yourself'" (Gal. 5:14, NIV).
  
Christians are to be God's voice of love in the world, where communication has broken down, and even where there is a failure to communicate.  As Bertrand Russell said,  "[W]hat the world needs is Christian love or compassion."  We have a good message to share: one that transforms and offers genuine, in-real-time hope.  There is so much disinformation, outright lies, propaganda, fake news, and mudslinging out there that a believer can hardly discern good from evil and truth from falsehood.  The mature Christian knows good from evil and "hates evil," a definition for fearing the Lord. We live in a day and age when "the powers that be" are those of the most clout by virtue of donations and PAC money, almost unlimited spending on behalf of special interests--power is bought!

The so-called Evangelical Right has hijacked the Christian faith claiming to stand for it and going against its agenda labels you a "liberal." The Evangelical Right isn't always right though it presumes to speak in God's name!  There are many believers they don't speak for.  God doesn't approve of using labels for people because that is a way of judging them or putting them in a box or analyzing them.  People are complicated and in God's image and deserve the benefit of the doubt on disagreements--don't be an extremist or absolutist.  We shouldn't quarrel about mere differences of opinion (cf. Rom. 14:1).  The world sees no love lost which is tragic.

 It seems like the ones who make the most noise make the biggest impact on politics without regard to right and wrong--people lose rationality when their emotions get the best of them.  You can be sure the most terrible sign of our times is that there is a rampant demonizing going on, where people think of their "tribe" as being all right, and the other "tribes" as being evil or all wrong. "My party, right or wrong!"  There is much so-called "groupthink" but this is when a group isn't thinking at all in reality.  Much could be accomplished if parents simply taught their children a little respect to whom respect is due (this doesn't mean agreeing with everything!).

There is a grain of truth in all political views and sometimes it's the ones that get the biggest rise out of people that are focused on.  The Christian virtue of tolerance is quite different from the world's view.  We respect a person's dignity and self-worth and the right to disagree with us, but we don't think their views are equally valid or they must accept our political views.  In fact, the only thing we are to be dogmatic on is Bible doctrine, not our political persuasions--leave room for disagreement--mere differences of opinion.  We can disagree without being disagreeable and agree to disagree on some issues that the Bible isn't clear about or is open to interpretation.

It's all about putting love into action and living out our faith so that others can see we are true to our colors.   As Paul said in Gal. 5:6 that "the only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love" (cf. NIV).  We are to win people over by example!  This means applying the Bible to political movements and issues.  It is a compliment when believers are known by their love.  That is the telltale sign and mark of a true Christian, who simply wants to pass on the experience of love in Christ he has known.  We ought to win them over by our example of love in action expressing our faith through good deeds.  It is far more important to God that the believer's heart be in the right place than he belongs to the right party.  God is not a member of a party since that would be putting Him in a box or labeling Him!  It so vitally important to know that God will not ask us what party we belonged to, but whether we loved the brethren.

We ought not to be known as the Evangelical Right but as the "Evangelical."  But there has been a cleavage in politics today!  There are people who actually despise Christians because of the appalling fruit of the Evangelical Right!   When will they learn that not all problems are political and politics is not always the answer?  (WHAT ABOUT INTERCESSION?)  Hasn't God commissioned us to transform the culture and persons by example, evangelizing, and by doing good deeds with reforms such as ending slavery, not to take over the government in the name of Christ, and hijack the faith to be revolutionists in the name of God?

NB:  There are no certain types of government though that God endorses;  one thing they ought to be dedicated to is the rule of law, separation of powers, equality under the law, liberty for all without exception, respect for human dignity, natural law, and human rights conferred by God and secured by government--all are biblical and can be summed up with justice for all ("all men are created equal"), and God is opposed to the perversion of justice.  CAVEAT:  WE ARE KNOWN BY OUR FRUITS AND IT'S EVIL TO SOW DISCORD AND FOSTER DIVISION AMONG BROTHERS, SINCE THE STRATEGY OF THE DEVIL IS TO DIVIDE AND CONQUER.  Soli Deo Gloria!  

Who Created God?

"Every house is built by someone, but God is the builder of everything" (Hebrews 3:4, CEB). 
NOTE:  WE ARE ASSUMING EVERYTHING HAS BEEN CREATED!  

This is a trick question since God is the Creator Himself, and no one else can create ex nihilo (out of naught) but Him.  The question implies God can be created or that there is a Superior Being to God in the same universe!  If God were created then He would not be Creator but created, and would not be eternal but captive to time with a beginning like us. God exists independent of the time-space continuum and therefore has no beginning (being eternal) and therefore cannot be created.   But this is the one question that led to Bertrand Russell's faith collapsing--he couldn't reconcile this.

Nothing can create itself, or it would be a contradiction in terms--both a creator and created, both existing and not existing before itself!  We know from the rules of logic that nothing can create itself nor be its own cause.  Anything that has a cause is not eternal; God is eternal, and therefore uncaused. There can be causes without a cause but not an effect without a cause--God is no effect and not a creation but the original Cause and Creator.  If someone caused God or created Him, that person would be the Creator or First Cause, Causa Prima, or Primary Mover of the cosmos--we define God as the Uncaused Cause, Uncreated Creator, Prime Mover, or Unmoved Mover.  This is His self-existence or aseity.  God is independent of everything and everyone and needs no one or nothing, not even a cause.

This is all Cosmology-101 (or dealing with causality--nothing just happens by itself!) and it demonstrates that you cannot cross infinity or infinite regress is impossible.  That means that you cannot have an endless series of finite causes, but must have a first cause to start the chain of events.  Every event has a cause (if an explosion happened, you would want to know what caused it).  According to the kalam cosmological argument for God, "everything that begins to exist has a cause"--the universe began to exist and therefore had a cause or Beginner, while God didn't begin to exist and has no cause (creator)!  But God is no event and a living Being that doesn't change, while being created implies being changed.  God is the perfect One who needs no improvement, who cannot change for the better since He's already perfect and cannot change for the worse since He is perfect and needs no change or improvement and is immutable, according to Arthur Pink.

None of us will ever have a grasp on the creative act of God and the know-how of it, but we must accept God as our Creator by faith since faith pleases God.  It is not too difficult to imagine something uncreated:  where did love come from? where did justice and righteousness come from?  what about fairness and mercy?  God is love and without love, there would be no God--that's His essence.  God needs no one and is a Law unto Himself with no one to be accountable to but Himself; i.e., He is also self-sufficient and meets all His own needs without us. He is complete in and of Himself.   If He wants something He creates it.  In this sense, God is the only free Being in the universe who can act freely and without restraint on His wants.  We are fortunate that God wants us by His grace!

By contrast, men like to say they are self-made men, but this means they worship their creator, which is themselves!  We need God--He doesn't need us!  He is our judge; we are not His judge or critic. God shares of Himself and blesses us with gifts to be used as gifts back to Him; i.e., He gives us faith as a gift to us, and what we do with it is our gift to Him!  In closing let me state that God is the Supreme Good and the standard and measure of goodness--the ultimate plumb-line.  Without God, we would not know good--where would the idea come from if not God?  And so goodness just exists as part of God's nature and it wasn't created either.          Soli Deo Gloria!

The Endless Pursuit Of Pleasure As A Goal

"If I want to know how to live in reality, I must know what God is really like." --Plato
"The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever." --The Westminster Shorter Catechism, 1646  "The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith" (1 Tim. 1:5, NIV, emphasis added).

The Epicureans (cf. Acts 17) were known as pleasure seekers (today known as hedonism), who were essentially atheists who lived for the here and now: "Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die!"  (Those on this pursuit are really searching for happiness without God's input.)  This saying is actually from the Bible too (cf. Isa. 22:13; 1 Cor. 15:32; Luke 12:19).  In the worldview of Secular Humanism, one does just that without living in light of eternity as the Christian.  When you remove God from religion or the equation and live for self as the dynamic of one's life, all that's left to relate to is man as "the measure of all things" and this life to think about: no hell to shun, no divine Law to obey, no heaven to prepare for nor to expect and hope for.  They don't take any responsibility for their actions, good or evil since they deny Judgment Day and any divine accountability.

This is where Christianity breaks with Secularism and Hedonism:  they want believers to get out of their pants and stop interfering with their own mores and values, which they see as relative or unknowable, even nonexistent.  The Bible clearly states we are mere stewards of all the resources God has granted us in this life and will be rewarded or judged accordingly; i.e., vis-a-vis our works and that which is done in the flesh.  The Epicureans weren't seekers of maximum physical pleasure though, but what they deemed optimum pleasure--a point of contentment and balance, even of intellectual pleasure to boot. NB:  Didn't Solomon experience the vanity of intellectual pursuits, obsession with possessions or materialism, and sensual or sexual pleasure-seeking for fulfillment? If you seek pleasure, you'll never find it--seeking God it's part of the package.

The mature Christian (and when Paul "became a man he put away childish things") doesn't live for pleasure-seeking, but for a purpose, meaning, and fulfillment in Christ as he brings glory to Christ through a life of good deeds that are foreordained.  He doesn't dwell on just "having fun" as some people are focused on and feel their day is wasted if they got none!  Specifically, he would rather be doing the Lord's work than spending the day at Disney World!  Don't get me wrong: there is a degree of pleasure watching one's children grow up and enjoy themselves and there is vicarious fun. 

But how many parents would go there by themselves without the kids?  Most vacations are heavy on relaxation, withdrawal, and recreation, not having fun in a conventional way. The Christian defines fun in a lot different manner than do children and may think it's fun to have a fruitful conversation.  The Bible says in Ecclesiastes that man is meant to find enjoyment in his labor and in his eating.  The believer's so-called fun is much more sophisticated and is basically R & R so that he is up to getting back to doing the Lord's work or fulfilling his calling.

But the believer doesn't make pleasure-seeking the goal or purpose of his life and doesn't feel left out if he didn't have all the fun he felt entitled to--felt needs are often ignored by God.   The whole Christian walk is to be one of abundance and fulfillment in Christ and we are complete in Him.  In contrast, it's the job of kids to play and have fun, they are not mature enough to know the fulfillment of finding the image of Christ in work and doing God's will. 

The more we understand who we are in Christ, the more focused we who know our God can "be strong and do exploits" (cf. Dan. 11:32).  In a way, all play of childhood is merely a foreshadow of what the work-world is like when one has found his higher calling.  One may wonder where some believers get their drive, and the only answer is that they know the Lord and are purpose-driven, not fun-driven for our emotions and feelings can be deceptive and mislead us.

This is where the Protestant work ethic enters the equation and one actualizes his potential in Christ to the full.  Luther restored dignity to all labor, not just the noble pursuits and we must realize we are a creature not made or hard-wired for idleness, but meant to walk with Christ in a joy-filled life; i.e., "rejoice in the Lord always" (cf. Phil. 4:4).   On the other hand, the believer must beware not to be all work and no play, so to speak, and to be no fun, neither the party-pooper nor necessarily the life of the party either; however, things go better with Christ!  Our pleasure ought to be in God!

CAVEAT:  SATAN WILL ENTICE US WITH HIS DELICACIES AND IF WE FALL IN LOVE WITH THE WORLD AND WHAT IT HAS TO OFFER, IT DIMINISHES OUR APPETITE FOR THE SPIRITUAL AND DIVINE AND WE BECOME SPIRITUALLY HANDICAPPED.  

In sum, when one seeks pleasure it eludes him, but when one seeks God pleasure is a byproduct and blessing.  In the final analysis, we all must take stock of what drives us, what our pleasure is, what motivates us, and what inspires us and gives us a reason to live--taking a spiritual inventory or checkup; can man survive without God in the picture?      Soli Deo Gloria!  

The Prototype Sin

"But sin took advantage of this law and aroused all kinds of forbidden desires with me!  If there were no law, sin would not have that power [to foment what it prohibits]" (Rom. 8:8, NLT).  

"... [S]in is crouching at the door.  Its desire is for you, but you must not let it" (Gen. 4:7, HCSB). 
[sin is ready to destroy you, but don't' let it!]  

The New England Primer begins:  "In Adam's fall, we sinned all."  This references original sin in the Garden of Eden--the result of this first sin.  We are all subsequently "in Adam" and live out our solidarity in Adam experientially; it's the only doctrine that can be proved, said G. K. Chesterton in a tongue-in-cheek manner.  Yes, Adam and Eve jointly connived and plotted to take of the forbidden fruit, otherwise known as the proverbial apple, which was the only rule and off-limits.  I'm not saying they had aforethought or it was a premeditated act, but the sin had been hatching and this only incubated it.  They were indeed vulnerable and Satan took advantage of their weaknesses.

All sin has its root in this prototype sin that prefigures all our rebellion in one notorious and infamous act.  Adam acted as the head of the human race and that is why we are accountable and culpable as being represented by our race in Adam.  Likewise, in Christ, we are saved as the head of the new man.  It is worth noting in passing that Eve was deceived and Adam joined her revolt against God's authority knowingly and willingly.

In being in Adam, we are only capable of sin and not righteousness in God's eyes and are not as bad as we can be, but merely as bad off as we can be; we are as far from the kingdom of God as possible and need to repent and believe the gospel to be restored.  Salvation is a reconciliation with God or brings back ourselves into the right relationship with God that we should enjoy with Him.  The fellowship had been severed and broken as Adam broke faith with God in the covenant of works in the Garden of Eden.  Ever since man has had an alienation from God, being estranged from communion and a slave to his sinful nature. Jesus acts as the intercessor and mediator of a New Covenant of grace.   This depravity is the result of the original sin and is God's estimation of man, not man's own estimation of himself--for he may think he's all right.  The problem with man is that he doesn't see his own sin!

To be good we must see how bad we are (this is the catch-22) and to see how bad we are we must try to be good.  We all have feet of clay (sin not so readily apparent). But salvation is a work of grace transforming the heart of man from stone to flesh, making him willing to do God's will.  God can make the unwilling willing and causes us to believe.  We are not elected because God foresees faith (which would be meritorious), but elected unto faith as a gift.   We are all a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde; i.e., we all have a dark side no one sees, but God.  God may expose us for what we are to make us have a spiritual wake-up call.

The first sin in a perfect environment prefigured all sins and we all would've done the same and dittoed Adam and followed suit.  It has been delineated:  He spurned God's grace; contradicted His truth; rejected His authority; disputed His wisdom; repudiated His justice; and resisted His grace.  Adam was not choosing evil over good even though the tree was called the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, he was choosing his way over God's way and to find fulfillment outside of God's plan for him.  He became selfish and saw things as they relate to him, not God's glory.

What is so sad is that we all confirm ourselves in Adam's sin and do the same thing--eating our forbidden fruit and apple of wisdom.  We all can say that there are things we wish we hadn't seen or heard.  We have lost the innocence of our own volition and it cannot be retrieved.  Consequently, we are all born in sin, and the slave to our "old sin nature" and can only be set free by the Son of God who is Jesus Christ.   In the meantime, Christians are justified sinners (cf. Gal. 2:17) or possessing a dual nature--in the nature of the old man Adam and the new man Christ. We are declared righteous, not made righteous! 

Ever since Adam, we have a legacy and virus of sin--our birthright!  Adam declared independence from God's sovereign plan.  Defying God's plan, we have all broken faith in the Designer.  We are not inherently good, but evil and not ever good enough to be saved, but bad enough to need salvation.  Jesus sees through the veneer of our guise or semblance of righteousness (even hypocrisy and sanctimoniousness) and knows we all have feet of clay or flaws not readily apparent.  We all see the good and don't do it because of this slavery to sin--"Who will deliver me from the body of this death?" (Cf. Rom. 7:24).  It's no use just giving us rules to keep; we cannot keep them! We never ceased to be human but ceased to be good, inclined to please God.

In fact, every part of our nature and essence is tainted with sin:  our wills are stubborn, our thoughts are evil, and our conscience is corrupt, our minds are defective, and feelings selfish--every part of us needs salvation (intellect, emotion, will or heart, soul and mind).  We went from creation to corruption!  We all even stand self-condemned and in need of grace and mercy from God--and since we are great sinners, He is a great Savior.   In sum, we are not sinners because we sin, but we sin because we are sinners; i.e., we're born in sin enslaved, not free to become set free in Christ.  Only Christ can set us free!     Soli Deo Gloria! 

Lust At Ninety-Percent Containment

"'I made a covenant with my eyes not to look lustfully [with desire] at a young woman'" (Job 31:1, NIV).

Wildfires may be considered under control when 90-percent contained (this fails the plumb line of God and we must not be weighed in the balance and found wanting--NOT GOOD ENOUGH FOR GOD!) but we must have absolutely pure minds that are 100-percent contained from the fires of immorality to be pleasing in God's eyes not ever guilty of playing with fire.  We must never let up and think we've got it under control once tempted--we'll always overestimate our self-control or virtue. 

By definition, lust is an unnatural or excessive desire and it can be manifested in multiple ways.  We need fire per se, by analogy, but it must be fully contained and harnessed for good.  The best proactive procedure is to flee all immorality and don't even test your limits or even go there thinking you may be able to control yourself.  We're all in the same boat and have our breaking point, much more, the devil knows our weaknesses.

In other words, don't play with fire or even matches!  There's no such thing as a small wildfire that poses no threat--they're all potential hazards to public safety:  When the damage of lost innocence is done and is permanent.  The only hope is to rebuild or let Christ transform your life with a new beginning, who can WIPE the slate clean and help us rebuild and begin anew from the inside out--the principle that we are not punished for our sins, but by them, resonates and RINGS SO TRUE.

People tend to think that God's so-called rules on sexuality are too binding and not up to date or even obsolete by modern standards.  But God made these rules for our own good and what was wrong at the time of Moses is still wrong!  Morality is not relative to culture and situation but is absolute and universal, applying to everyone all the time. Is it any wonder a woman feels violated by male, predatory, sexual advances against her will and unsolicited?  Sexual assault destroys innocence that leaves a permanent stain on one's psyche and soul.

 Sometimes it all begins with a fling or affair that seems so innocent or even platonic, and then the compromising position or situation presents itself and the rest spins out of control, beyond the point of no return.  The best inoculation is to be prepared, but knowing right from wrong and not letting yourself be put in such situations in the first place.  Don't think that your affair is innocent because you are wiser or more experienced than others or you know your limits and boundaries!

The world will tell you, "Turn on, tune in, drop out!" like Dr. Timothy Leary propagated in the 60s.  And "The Summer of Love" (1967) with the "sexual revolution" has not changed God's litmus test of purity--unstained from the world--these are mandated not suggestions!  The thing about purity and innocence is that you don't lose it by accident or fortuitously, but by one's own volition.  It's an overt act of the will succumbing to Satan's agenda and program.  The world will tell you that we are nothing but animals in heat, seeking pleasure, and avoiding pain!  But the Bible gives a bigger picture with God in the equation. If we are taught we are animals; is it any wonder we act like them?  But we are in God's image and the only creature responsible to God for our actions: we will stand judgment meeting our Maker one on one.

We must never play with fire or test our limits, for we are not strong enough to fight the onslaught of Satan ourselves once we've given in to temptation.  We all tend to overestimate ourselves and think we are strong enough, but we are testing God too, who always provides a way out to escape it so that we have no excuse (cf. 1 Cor. 10:13).  The best defense is a good offense, which is the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God.   We must always maintain a divine point of view and see it as God would, through His eyes, not the world's.  We need to approach the fire of the world with the fire of the Spirit!  Fight fire with fire!  If we do get exposed even we may not walk away without a first-degree burn or temporary setback.   But God is able to heal and we must not lose focus on our Creator who knows us and didn't design us for immorality or promiscuity for our own good.

"Keep thy heart with all diligence, for out of it are the issues of life," according to Proverbs 4:23, KJV.    God has given us a message to proclaim to the world as salt and light and we must not jeopardize our testimony by sinning against the body, which sexual immorality is.  We have to choose purity to get it; the choice isn't automatic or made for us.  We must avoid any destructive lifestyle by allowing ourselves to be in compromising positions.   In other words, we must "walk worthy of our Lord" (cf. Eph. 4:1) for our bodies are not our own but have been bought (cf. 1 Cor. 6:20).   We are to seek "holiness, without which no one will see the Lord"(cf. Heb. 12:14). Moral laxity is always wrong.

The problem with immortality is that people don't know their own weaknesses and how to protect themselves.  The end result is never just bittersweet, an understatement because there are always consequences; the end result is reaping what we sow, for God always disciplines His children.  In other words, the best policy is zero tolerance with yourself--don't even experiment to see what you can get away with! Don't get too close to the "fire" because you're curious either--you will get burned--or too close for comfort!   Finally, going against God's perfect design for mankind breaks faith the Designer Himself.  FINAL CAVEAT AND WORD TO THE WISE:  "...But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at the door.  Its desire is for you, but you must rule over it" (Gen. 4:7, HCSB).   Soli Deo Gloria!     

Lordship Of Christ Issues

"You are slaves to the power you choose to obey"  (cf. Rom. 6:16).
"People are enslaved by whatever defeats them" (cf. 2 Pet. 2:19).  
"Through him we received grace and apostleship; to call all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith for his name's sake" (Rom. 1:5, NIV).
"[S]o that all the Gentiles might come to the obedience that comes from faith--" (Rom. 16:26, NIV).  
"[A]nd every tongue [shall] acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father" (Phil. 2:11, NIV).   ALL EMPHASIS MINE.  

Jesus was crowned Lord of all by the Father when he was raised.  The way up is down in God's economy--what a paradox!  Jesus began in humility to increase as He entered His ministry when He was baptized by John who said, "He must increase, but I must decrease."  John did away with his ego and didn't let it get in the way; likewise, our egos must die and we must say "No" to self before we can say "Yes" to Christ.  It's a contradiction to reply "No, Lord!" For that would be breaking faith! That's what faith in the Lord is:  giving up, surrendering, committing, and trusting--that's much more than acquiescence or simply easy-believism."  It is said:  Faith is not believing despite the evidence, but obeying in spite of the consequences!  

God never grants cheap grace which justifies the sin, not the sinner.  We become Christians with our prayer of relinquishment giving over ownership of our lives to the Lord of All.   Yes, this was also Jesus' motto of life:  "Thy will be done!"  The problem is that we are all volitionally defiant and have a will of our own--even our wills are depraved and in need of salvation.   It has been said justly so that Jesus "will not barter away His right to be Lord" and "will save no one whom He cannot command," according to A. W. Tozer.  When we address Him as Lord, it implies we are His servants and subject to His authority.  We must not be control freaks or enthusiasts over our lives!

We must obey our Lord for "to obey is better than sacrifice" (cf. 1 Sam. 15:22).   Heb. 5:9 (cf. Acts 2:39), NIV, says, "...[H]e became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him [italics mine]."  Jesus also said that if we love Him we will obey Him.  But it's not a legalistic attitude of having to, but a new change of heart of wanting to please our Lord.  This is accepting Christ for who He is--Lord and Master!  He has been exalted with all authority granted Him.   The more in bondage we are to our Lord, the more freedom we experience!  Any other belief in Jesus is rejecting Him.   He is worthy of our submission for we are not our own and have been bought with a price (cf. 1 Cor. 6:20).  This is interpreted as meaning that we undergo a reorganization of our life priorities.

We must never forget that true Lordship entails the flip side of faith which is repentance--we have a believing repentance or a penitent faith, so to speak.   This radical change in our life is from the inside out--not turning over a new leaf, making a New Year's resolution, or making an AA pledge.  We must own up to our sins and come clean with God, doing a 180-degree turnaround, a U-turn, or about-face, having a complete change of heart concerning sin as well as our sins.  Christianity has nothing to say to the unrepentant.  It's not always how big your faith is but how thorough your repentance. The call to repent was the first word of the gospel from John and then Jesus and they must be made manifest by fruits worthy of them.

We must learn to "trust and obey" as the hymn says and "walk in a manner worthy of our Lord" (cf. Eph. 4:1).  He is worthy of our worship as well as our allegiance!    Remember, we have the power to live in the Spirit, not the permission to live in the flesh; that is, our sins show our slavery, they don't demonstrate our freedom.   Saving faith (not dead faith) is manifest only in obedience as Dietrich Bonhoeffer said, "Only he who believes is obedient; only he who is obedient believes."  To call Him Lord and to disobey are contradictions (cf. Isa. 1:19, Heb. 3:18-19)!  We must never dichotomize Christ's offices as Lord and Savior:  we submit to Him as Lord and trust Him as Savior, we must receive Him as Lord and Savior; i.e., the whole package!  

Gal. 2:20 sums up our new life in Christ or our walk of faith showing we live a substituted, inhabited, exchanged, and surrendered life.  Finally, do you see yourself as Jesus' sidekick or colleague to be befriended, or as the Personage you own as Lord?  In sum, acknowledging Jesus as Lord is what our faith is all about--all else pales in comparison.   Soli Deo Gloria!

Your God Is Too Small

"Who has understood the mind of the LORD, or instructed him as his counselor?" (Isaiah 40:13, NIV). "O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out! (Romans 11:33, KJV).

The most important thing about us is our concept of God (just look at how Joseph treated his estranged brothers because he believed in Providence yet he told them God had done it (cf. Gen. 50:0). The issue is how big our God is (not how big our faith is! And we must realize He's bigger than we can fathom, bigger than all our issues and problems. Our beliefs do indeed affect our actions, character, demeanor, disposition, track record, credentials, and behavior. That's why it's important to have a divine viewpoint, or see things from God's perspective (i.e., having a Christian worldview).

Martin Luther told Erasmus that his thoughts of God were too human!  This is the issue: People limit God and don't apprehend that you cannot put the infinite into a finite space, or, to use a cliche, put God in a box or make Him one-dimensional!   The old Latin phrase (finitum non capax infinitum) said that the finite cannot grasp (apprehend or contain) the infinite. This is why we will never peg God or figure Him out, He is beyond our analysis (cf. Isaiah 55:8-9; Rom. 11:33). Even after many eons in eternity, we will still be just scratching the service in knowing Him; we can never know Him exhaustively, but only truly! 


What is the practical application of this? God is not defined or delimited by man and we cannot compare Him to us, but only contrast Him, and only draw analogous inferences. Only that which is revealed in Scripture belongs to us and the secret things belong to God (cf. Deut. 29:29). To be more specific, you cannot say God is a member of your party, He would drive a Harley, or even be a gun-toting, loyal member of the NRA (they wouldn't even accept God as a member even if He did apply!)--or even that God is American, even though our nation is especially blessed, it is not superior or even God-inspired. Our status as the city on a hill is eroding fast! The nation Israel is God's chosen people forever. 


Christendom is from God but God reveals Himself in manifold ways around the world, not just in our culture. So don't think you're becoming more Christlike by joining some elite or exclusive club or that your loyalty matters to God in it, because your citizenship is in heaven and God demands ultimate and final devotion and loyalty. Even if you have faithfully, as a believer, voted one party all your life, don't assume that God is a member of that party--even if your spiritual leaders all are members and you believe the other parties are of the devil or completely wrong and out of God's will. It is like saying God favors a sports team and rigs games with divine "luck." ("God is no respecter of persons," or He shows no partiality; Acts 10:34: Romans 2:11)


God doesn't even vote on one issue, like some who say they vote the Second Amendment or with the stance of the NRA (who says this is a right God gives us anyway? or they always choose the pro-life candidate, as the Roman Catholic Church requires its members to do. God is too complicated to make Him a one-issue voter; this is like being biased and showing favoritism--there is no partiality with God--His political stands cannot be comprehended nor defined by us and we will never know who He thinks is the best candidate till he wins--Providence ultimately reveals it. God has reasons for His will, that our reason cannot fathom. 

The world is too complicated, ("He's got the whole world in His hands"), and God has all of it in His care, and limiting God to one issue as being of paramount value is putting God in a box and making Him smaller than He is--there is always more to God than we can apprehend. "Canst thou by searching find out God?" asked Zophar in Job 11:7. We oversimplify the issues when we rank them or put them in some value system as to their relative importance--every issue is important to God, but He reserves the right to overrule our will with His divine wisdom, which consists of knowing the best means to the best ends.


God exalts one and demotes another at will (cf. Psa. 75:7), and the president elected is God's man for the time being in a sense of speaking. Why does the pendulum swing at the whim of the fickle people who go from one extreme in politics to another--never finding a happy medium? God is at work and has to correct our erroneous concepts of politics, and we often don't know why our God put them there till after elected (for instance, look at the wonderful job JFK did with the Cuban missile crisis!). Our nation most likely wouldn't have survived the Civil War had it not been for Lincoln, yet there were believers who seceded with the Confederacy. Lincoln wasn't even a believer till after Gettysburg, yet he was God's person for the job. 

That's why Christians ought to pray for the president all the more because it is our God who installed them there in that position of power under God. It shouldn't upset us if our favorite candidate doesn't win the election, because God is still on the throne and He rules over the nations, which are" like a drop in the bucket" (cf. Psa. 22:28; Isa. 40:15). Soli Deo Gloria!