Making Plans God's Way

"Then the king ... rejected the advice of the elders'  (2 Chron. 10:13).
"Whatever a man sows, that he will also reap"  (Gal. 6:7).
"Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision!  For the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision"  (Joel 3:14).
"Who is this that darkens my counsel with words without knowledge?"  (Job 38:2).

Too many Christians erroneously make plans without counsel or wisdom from above.  If we rely only on human wisdom and insight we only get human results.  To achieve the impossible, to move mountains, we need God in the equation!  Equate the God factor--everything else are variables and He's a constant.  It is not an option to forget or ignore God and live as if there is no God; whether we believe there is a God or not, this is called "practical atheism."  There is safety in the multitude of counselors according to Solomon, and without counsel, plans fail.

Today we have everything from clergy, deacons, elders,  life coaches, school counselors, social workers, and mental health professionals to assist us in making wise decisions--we are not exempt from being wise, even as believers. God will reveal His will to us day by day and not necessarily in a rolled out itinerary.  For example, in Proverbs 24:27 it says to first make your career and then build your house.  Map things out before getting married, don't just hope to get it all together afterward (don't wait to get your act together!)--this is God's way!  God's way is to always put Him first (set priorities!) and let Him take care of the details and results.  "Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you"  (Matt. 6:33).

Being wise enough to be a success means seeing the Big Picture and not getting too detail-oriented, and thinking small-time. God does have a plan for us and He will get His way regardless of whether we cooperate. In mapping out our life course it is necessary to have "vision," without which we perish according to Proverbs 29:18.  We want God to get all the glory and credit for our success and realize it came from Him and we owe Him and have no place to boast (cf. Deut. 8:17-18) they say, an Englishman is a self-made man who worships his Creator!   Ponder this verse:  "All that we have done [God] has accomplished through us"  (Isaiah 26:12).

God is in control and micromanages our life as well as history itself and no one can say to God: "What hast thou done?"  (cf. Dan. 4:35).  God's will will be done and He has no Plan B case we mess up and ruin our lives; we cannot blame God for our failure because we are still culpable for our errors and sin. "In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps" (Prov. 16:9).  And also in the same vein:  "A man's steps are directed by the LORD.  How then can anyone understand his own way?"  (Prov. 20:24). "Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the LORD's purpose that prevails" (Prov. 19:21).

We may be determined, for example, not to ever marry; however, God may have other plans and we might still end up hitched.  "I know the plans I have for you, says the LORD..." (Jeremiah 29:11) implies that as His children He has good intentions toward us and not evil ones to destroy a good thing.  After all He is the Potter and we are the clay (cf. Isaiah 64:8).   All of our life was laid out before we were born according to Psalm 139:16 and this demonstrates His sovereignty--which is not limited by our so-called free will, which means we cannot frustrate God! (cf. Rom. 9:19 quoted:  "...for who can resist His will?"). Therefore, Job 42:2 says:  "I know that you can do all things; no plan of yours can be thwarted."

In making plans we must turn over the lordship and ownership of our lives to Christ and surrender to God's will in all matters, holding nothing back--without reservation--this is a lordship issue and all believers struggle here because it's ongoing--Satan never relents.  "Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and your plans will succeed" (Proverbs 16:3).  God gives us the power to get wealth and to be a success (Mother Teresa said that God calls us to faithfulness and not to success!). Be careful what you plan for because you may get it (this goes also for praying).  In planning it never hurts to think big and to aim high, because then even if you don't reach your ultimate goal you may still be successful in God's eyes.  The revelation of God's plan or will for our life is conditioned upon our piety:  "Who, then, is the man that fears the LORD?  He will instruct him in the way chosen for him"  (Psalm 25:12).

Don't be wise in your own eyes or think you have a monopoly on wisdom--it takes the body of Christ to function and we all have something to contribute.  Finally, success means that whatever God has called us to do we will bear fruit and glorify God, it doesn't mean achieving the "American dream" or making a lot of money, having power or fame.  A word of wisdom from Deuteronomy 32:29 says: "If only they were wise and would understand this and discern what their end will be!"  In summation, the goal is achieving God's will for your life (a life of relinquishment), and walking with the Lord day-by-day, hour-by-hour, moment-by-moment, in faithfulness and leave the results to Him--just trust and obey!  Soli Deo Gloria!

How Do You Read Scripture?

ATTITUDE CHECK!

"I am profitably engaged in reading the Scriptures"  (Abraham Lincoln).
Challenge:  Do you read with a purpose in mind?
Ezekiel's challenge:  take it and eat the scroll (cf. Ezek. 3:1-3; make it your own!).
Mark Twain wisely quipped:  "It's not the parts of Scripture that I don't understand that bother me, it's the parts I do understand."
"Take it and read it; take it and read it!" (words were spoken to St. Augustine by a child concerning the Bible--this lead to his conversion experience).  EMPHASIS MINE!

"For it is not a futile thing for you, because it is your life, and by this word you shall prolong your days..." (Deut. 32:47, NKJV).

We are responsible for the light we have and to whom much is given much is required--the light that we had access to and cannot claim willful ignorance. When you pass on insight, God grants more! Don't try to understand every passage, but concentrate on what you know and let further light reveal the meaning as God's Holy Spirit illuminates through pastors and teachers.  We are not to ignore the tradition and scholarship of the ages and especially the church fathers of orthodoxy.

It is commanded to read in Isaiah 34:16 saying, "Look in the scroll of the LORD and read...."
There is a blessing in reading it in Rev. 1:3. ("Blessed is he that readeth")
Paul urged Timothy to "pay attention to the public reading of Scripture" in 1 Timothy 4:13.
It is vital to know that we read because we want to and not because we have to and should look forward to our time in the Word as hearing from the Almighty Himself.

According to John MacArthur, the prerequisite to learning something is a teachable spirit, a receptive mind, and an obedient heart.
"As newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby"  (1 Peter 2:2)
"On this one will I look: on him who is poor and of a contrite spirit, and who trembles at My word" Isaiah 66:2).
"For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy" (Rev. 19:10).  We are drawn to the Word because Jesus is in our hearts, i.e., the Author himself!

By way of intro; a word to the wise is sufficient:  Never put someone down for reading the Bible for whatever reason and especially that they may read too much--thirsting for God in essence--("curiosity killed the cat" doesn't apply to the Holy Writ); they will eventually grow up and learn what God is teaching them.  You can't read the Bible enough! It quenches your thirst, then makes you thirsty for more--how blessed that the Word of God abides forever (Isa, 40:8)!  Sola Scriptura!  (Scripture alone is our authority, in other words--from the Latin--a key battle cry during the Reformation period.)

First of all, we follow the rules of reading for any book:  interpreting the obscure in light of the clear, putting things in context, distinguishing genres and interpreting accordingly (poetry, didactive or teaching, prophetic, wisdom or parable, and narrative) and adjust our reading speed and habits as needed.  We need all the skills of reading itself, and learning to read is a skill that does come in handy, though God can speak to the most simple-minded individual if his heart is needy, his spirit is willing, and his mind is open.

We don't want to take any preconceived notions into the Word or to read into it, but to read what God meant it to say--not our own fabrication--for no Scripture is of any "private interpretation" (2 Pet. 1:20).  We have no right to invent truths that God doesn't reveal to other believers.  What does the passage mean and what did God intend for us to know, is more important than what we "feel" is right. We don't want to get mystical or to claim that secret knowledge will save us (this is what Gnosticism was all about). If God speaks to you, share it and don't think that it is some kind of secret!  We have a right to our own opinions, but not our own facts or fabrications.

We don't read the Bible (you have to be alert to genre analysis and distinguish narrative form didactic, poetry from prose, and teaching portions--read them differently!) like it is an ordinary book like it is some interesting tale with a plot to keep us enraptured or engrossed.  We read it like we should read a divine book, to have God speak to us. We read with the purpose in mind and expectation that He will open our eyes to wonderful things that only the Word can do.

We must pray for the Holy Spirit's illumination and guidance to read what He wills for our needs to be met.  It isn't how much we read, but how we read and what we read.  Some may say that they proudly read for two hours a day--well maybe they aren't getting "fed" by the Word but are only reading for "information" to get "informed" and not to be enlightened. We don't need an education or to improve our knowledge, but to change our lives.  God doesn't handicap believers due to a lack of education; it's in their hearts where the issue is.

Some may comment that we must read the Bible a lot to remember so much  (quality, not quantity is the measure of a good reading session), but it is the Spirit that brings Scripture to mind and puts meditations on our hearts.  What is meditation but to digest and rethink a Scripture until we arrive at the meaning God wants us to get? It does no good to read a lot of Scripture if we come away and don't know what God has convicted us about or spoken to us in.  If I don't get an "Aha!" moment I feel I have read in vain. I don't want to be just informed and read for academic reasons to get educated, but to feel that God has met my daily needs and spoken to me personally.

Sometimes it is necessary to read more than usual, because we may have "Bible fatigue" (boredom when it has lost its zing and seems too familiar to excite our spirits, like when we read the same translation too much), but if we faint not God will open our spiritual eyes (conditioned upon our being in fellowship with Him and it is not our fault by harboring some sin we have not known or confessed).  According to Paul in 2 Timothy 3:16 two of the purposes of the Word is reproof and instruction in righteousness--they can show us where we went wrong and how to get back on track!

I challenge you to stick with it till you do have an existential encounter of sorts, and not just read academically (for no practical, but only theoretical reasons) for the info, but to have your soul enlightened.  We must be patient and not give up reading until we feel that God has spoken to us and we have some "meat" of the Word that we can chew on for the day.  It is the condition of our soul not the Bible's problem if we are not fed.  The biggest temptation to read is the desire to know as much as a fellow believer (just because of the motive of wanting to know everything) who has accumulated knowledge by virtue of many years reading and lose track of the goal, to hear from God. It is good practice to pray that God opens the door to knowledge, wisdom, and understanding in the Word prior to reading--keep the faith and don't quit until you feel God has met your needs and spoken to you for the day (i.e., something to chew on or meditate upon). You may read and find some verse that is just what you needed to hear for the day.

Now the whole goal of reading to put into practice God's Word that convicted.  Jesus said that if we know these things happy are we if we do them!   The real joy comes in doing the Word and not just accumulating knowledge, which is a byproduct of our experience in the Word and should never be a goal--so as to think we are a cut above others if we just "know" more.  The more we know, the more responsible we are, but this doesn't mean that ignorance is bliss.  We are commanded to grow in the knowledge of Jesus (cf. 2 Pet. 3:18).

Faith comes by hearing the Word and this doesn't just refer to hearing sermons but to the public reading of Scripture and to any time we hear the Word either from friends or by media.  We are to speak to one another in psalms and hymns, etc. ("Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly" says Col. 3:16), and how can this be if we are not "full of the Word" by virtue of much-devoted reading. Now, the wonderful effect of maturity is to love the Word and to read it because we love it.  "Oh, how I love thy law, it is my meditation all the day long"  (Psa. 119:97). "Great peace have those who love thy law, nothing shall cause them to stumble"  (Psalm 119:165).

We have reached a point of maturity when we actually love the Bible and look forward to a time in the Word to hear from the Lord for the day's needs.  One verse that really speaks to you can have more impact than a whole lot of reading that is just "interesting."  God doesn't want His Word to be just interesting or inspiring (we can go to Shakespeare for that), but life-changing, convicting, and uncomfortable---even knocking us out of our comfort zones.  When God speaks to your spirit you know it and you feel fed and can have the courage and strength to face another day.

The Word has many ways of speaking to us:  Warnings to take, prayers to echo and utter, principles to follow, promises to claim, commands to heed, examples to emulate, and if we read with a purpose and don't quit till we have achieved it we will gain good habits in the regular reading of the Word, that will develop into a lifetime habit and relationship to God that we can confidently go to Him to have Him "speak" to us for our daily needs.

Neglect of the Word estranges or alienates us from God and we are no longer in sync with Him, and cannot walk in the Spirit and in daily fellowship. The characteristic of the Word is that it feeds you, then makes you hungry!  You can never read it enough--you don't just read it and put it aside like a novel or textbook to study and master, but never grow weary of it and get new insight every time you read it. You can never say, "I read it and know what's in it" as if its an ordinary book and put it back on the shelf--for we can never say we know enough or have mastered it as if we are scholars.  If you have never had an existential experience in the Word, you are missing the boat and haven't yet known what it feels like to have God speak to your heart and encourage you in the Word.  It is our lifeline and link to God's will--of which we should desire to know and do. Time in the Word is never wasted and we must remember that we are all at different levels--God's Word is at work in us who believe and has the power to change our lives into Christ's image.

To sum up, we cannot really read it unless we know the author and have a relationship with Him! We speak to God in prayer, but He promises to reply to the Word.  One key to understanding Scripture is to see the big picture and learn to see Christ in it. The Word should not just be important but take precedence:  Billy Graham tells of a man who just made millions of dollars, but when he met Billy he insisted on telling him what the Lord had shown him that morning in the Word! Just have priorities and put first things first!  If we ignore the Word we cannot know God's will for lives, (doing the will of God is the easier yoke that Israel needed from the heavy yoke of the Law) case closed.    Soli Deo Gloria!

Knowing When To Change

VERSES TO PONDER:
"When I think on my ways, I turn my feet to your testimonies"  (Psalm 119:59).
"Let us test and examine our ways, and return to the LORD'  (Lam. 3:40).
"There is a way which seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death"  (Proverbs 14:12).
"... Consider your ways" (cf. Haggai 1:5,7).

This is just as much a confession as it is a doctrinal post.  It seemed like Providence was smiling at me and I took my cue on schedule.  God allowed me to make a fresh start or to have a clean slate once more.  As you will see we have to be willing to step out of our comfort zone (in faith as Abraham did to be the father of the faithful).  As a word to orient you:  I had the biggest to-do list of my lifetime--trying to fit a week's job of organizing and moving into one day (it took over 12 hours!). But the reward was worth it in the end.

A radical change of lifestyle is a sign of a true conversion, for that is what conversion means (change).  "Behold, all things are become new"  (cf. 2 Cor. 5:17). When we heed God's call on our life in His timing it is aided by the grace of God, so it is not in the energy of the flesh.  I'm not against reform or making new resolutions, but they are usually done in the energy of the flesh, and not of God. While we are in the mood, you could say, why don't we take the opportunity to change all our bad habits one by one!  Like Amos talked about in Amos 6:13 saying:  [paraphrased by me] "You boast about accomplishing 'nothing' by your own power!"  Paul said he "ventured not to boast, but of what the Spirit did through [him]," (cf. Rom. 15:18).  

It is clear in Hosea 14:8 that our "fruit" comes from Him.  Our disposition, demeanor, temperament, and personality type are God's gift to us--not our gift to God (He is the Potter, we are the clay).  He doesn't owe us anything and all is of grace!  Isaiah says in chapter 26 verse 12 that all that we have accomplished He has done through us.  God rewards us for working through us as His vessels of honor.  "... [You] have done for us all our works" (Isaiah  26:12b).  Jesus said that "apart from [Him] we can do nothing"  (John 15:5).

There is a "window of opportunity" that we must recognize when God is blessing us to do His will and we are to "seize the day" (carpe diem), as it were.  It gets harder and harder to stop a bad habit or vice the more we "try" to stop and it only gets more ingrained in us as if we were getting "programmed."  I'm not claiming that it is smooth sailing, but Isaiah says, "When you pass through the waters I will be with you" (cf. Isaiah 43:2).  Some people literally don't know when to quit or have gone too far.

My moving experience was sort of an Abrahamic "episode" you might say, because of the parallels. I was "called" to leave my room because I was on the list.  I didn't want to go at first because I was content (or stuck in a rut) to be where I was (maybe complacency too) and had everything the way I wanted after ten-plus years of being there.  I didn't even want to check out the new room but was talked into it.  When I saw it that this was a "promotion" I jumped the chance to better my fortunes because they believed I had paid my dues, however, I wasn't worthy of myself (they say I deserve it because I've been here so long--but what did I ever do?).  Now that I am all settled in, and it was the hardest work I have ever done to move all my stuff and prioritize my belongings, I realized what a blessing it was and was overcome with gratitude to God realizing that the goodness of God leads us to repentance (cf. Rom. 2:4).  

Now, this new attitude of gratitude has spilled out into other domains of my life and it shows.  Moving is usually the time people get rid of excess baggage and personal effects, and reevaluate their lives, putting them into perspective--their values, that it.  We tend to "accumulate" in more than one dimension of being.  Sometimes we don't realize how much we have till we move. Was I willing to part with some of these things or not?  I was forced into an assessment or an inventory, as it were.  Abraham had to shed all idols, and only take what was necessary and what was God's will--no idols--a tall order in those days of idolatry.

Now, why do you hear about so many people testifying that it was easy for them to "quit?"  Because they did it when God convicted them and when He was giving them the grace to do it in His power of the Spirit.  Repentance comes naturally when prompted by the Spirit and is not forced--we want to change and don't feel we are forced to.  Once true repentance or genuine repentance--versus spurious repentance or regret--(always accompanying the flip side of saving faith) only then can conversion transpire, and as Jesus gets the "passkey" to our inner sanctum or sanctuary of our soul and we allow Him to clean house, as it were, the more He is allowed, the easier it gets to yield more to Him.  If there is something that we are withholding and unwilling to surrender, that will paralyze our walk and God will have to deal with these "lordship issues."

When I got moved to a bigger and better room where I reside, I felt it was time to take inventory and take stock of what paraphernalia I actually needed.  It was a shock at how much "stuff" I had been holding on to just because I didn't like to throw things out!   It would have been postmortem embarrassment to realize someone actually going through my personal belongings and being able to judge what kind of person I was.   

Matthew Henry said to live each day as if it were your last.   I want to be ready and have a "clean house" when my time comes.  Corrie ten Boom always said to "hold things loosely." A. W. Tozer writes of the  "Blessedness of Possessing Nothing," meaning that nothing possesses you--and you realize that you are only the steward of God (do you control and manipulate it or does it control you?), and you are not a materialist guilty of idolatry.   

Obadiah says that Israel shall "possess their possessions [we don't possess people!]." We manipulate things and love people, we don't manipulate people and love things! There is a point of fanaticism (being a "fan" to the max) or when we idolize someone, putting them on a pedestal, and we are too devoted to people too--our sole celebrity or object of worship should be Jesus!  There is a certain freedom and inner catharsis or release when we give back to God of what He has given out of His bounty as our provision.  "It is more blessed to give than to receive," as Jesus said (cf. Acts 20:35).


Another godly trait I determined to undertake as I moved was to get organized:  "For God is not a God of confusion, but of peace" (1 Cor. 14:33).  It made me even feel more godly:   My friend and fellow veteran and resident says he worked in a warehouse twenty years and learned that for everything there is a place and a place!  I took his advice seriously as I moved and found out as I did it as a man "on a mission" it was actually a joy to work so hard and work up a sweat like I never had before--labor can be rewarding if we know the why and have a purpose.  I wanted to make my room presentable as if Jesus Himself were to be my visitor!   I changed the decor and took this into consideration.  Case in point:  I even got rid of some possibly offensive CDs!

Doing things God's way and not your way is the only way:  Jesus said, "I am the way...."   It is not one of several ways, nor the best way, but the only way!  The key to staying in fellowship with our Heavenly Father throughout the day, as Brother Lawrence wrote about in his book,   The Practice of the  Presence of God, is to keep short accounts of when we get convicted and to do things God's way and according to the light we have, of which we are responsible for.  We are not people-pleasers" in the least, but when we are approved of God, there is inevitable approval by God's people and the world will not understand our motives, which are not as selfish as theirs are.

Another thing that contributed to my attitude was gratitude to God for this new room and that I was finally getting some respect it felt like a whole new "born-again" (it is like a new beginning and new world to get to know) experience with my move because I used it as an opportunity to rededicate myself to being a better man and develop healthier coping skills and mechanisms and to have good habits, not bad--would you believe that the power is there to do this because the timing is right. I try to write when I feel the juices flowing  (when the Spirit moves), as it were, and when in the mood and the Spirit are calling me--and not to be disobedient to the heavenly "vision" of exercising my spiritual gift.

In summation:  If you don't change when God is convicting you---then you may be like a drinker or smoker who claims he can't lick his vicious habit, in actuality, vice.  You cannot do it in your power, so you might as well do it with God!  Clean up your act and make your lifestyle presentable to God for ready inspection.  It is like God told Hezekiah to "get his house in order."  In other words "Be ready!" Death is a promotion and a door to a superior way of living!  We never know when our master will come or our time is finally up and we shall meet our Maker.  "...[Prepare] to meet your God, O Israel" (Amos 4:12c ).  Soli Deo Gloria!

To Possess Or, Not To Possess...

"Even though the fig trees have no blossoms, and there are no grapes on the vines; even though the olive crop fails, and the fields lie empty and barren; even though the flocks die in the fields, and the cattle barns are empty, yet I will rejoice in the LORD! I will be joyful in the God of my salvation!" (Hab. 3:17-18, NIV).
"...[A]nd the house of Jacob shall possess their own possessions" (Obadiah v. 17, ESV).
"... Though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor so that by his poverty he could make you rich" (2 Cor. 8:9, NIV).
"... Freely give as you have freely received" (cf. Matt. 10:8).

A. W. Tozer wrote of the Blessedness of Possessing Nothing.  What he implied is that, like Abraham sacrificed his greatest prize (Isaac), we are to let go of our most valued) possessions and let God own everything--"The earth is the LORD'S and the fullness thereof" (Psalm 24:1).  One of the richest men of his day was not preoccupied with his riches--they didn't distract his devotion to God.  It takes more faith to be loyal to God during prosperity than during deprivation when we naturally turn to God.

"Somehow, not only for Christmas
But all the long year through
The joy that you give to others
Is the joy that comes back to you.  (John Greenleaf Whittier)

We often forget God when all is going well.  Prosperity is no sign of God's favor, though it is a blessing:  "... for it is he who gives you the power to get wealth" (Deut. 8:18).  Corrie ten Boom said often that her secret was to always "hold tings loosely."  The more attached we become to things the less place we have for God:  He cannot pour out His blessings into hands already full!   We must come to the realization that we are only stewards of what God has given us and will be held accountable.  "What do you have that you didn't receive?"  (Cf. 1 Cor. 4:7).

We have received our eye color by genetics just the same as our choice of career laid out by God's providence (cf. John 3:27, NLT), in knowing what's best for us in the long run(cf. Job 23:12, 14, Psalm 31:15 139:16).  "Moreover, it is required of stewards that they are found trustworthy" (1 Cor. 4:2).  "Beware lest you say in your heart, 'My power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth'" (Deut. 8:17).

God blesses everyone in some ways, and some in all ways; this is because of the so-called "common grace" that He sheds on everyone as His creatures.  No one can say God was against them!  We all have much to be grateful for.  "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change"  (James 1:17).

The book of Obadiah mentions Israel finally shall "possess its possessions" (Obadiah 17).  We don't want to be materialists: What this means is that they don't possess you!   Who's in control?  We use things and manipulate things, but we have relationships with and love people. We don't love things and use or manipulate people.  We should not love material things period.  We can appreciate and be blessed by them--but it is a misnomer to say we love them, a much-misused word in English.

St. Francis of Assisi said that it is in giving that we receive!  Jesus also said, "It is more blessed to give than to receive" (Acts 20:35).  If you give it up and it returns, it is yours.

In sum, we must learn to "let go" of what God has given us and give it as an act of devotion back to Him as a" sacrifice of thanksgiving" and dedicated to His service.  Soli Deo Gloria!

Talking The Talk

Yet "... it is written:  'I believed; therefore I have spoken.'  With that same spirit of faith, we also believe and therefore speak"  (2 Cor. 4:13).
"For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard," (Acts 4:20, KJV). 

In the seventeenth century, it was every gentleman's hobby to converse in "God-talk" or be clued in on theology and in the know, as it were. But this is no guarantee that one knows the Lord, simply because he is acquainted with Scripture!  Even the devil quotes it for his own purposes.

It seems like some reticent Christians who think "talk is cheap" (Rom. 10:17 says faith comes by hearing by the way!) and they attack believers who voice their opinions, saying that if you don't "walk the walk, you shouldn't talk the talk."  Satan will muster all his forces to shut us up!  However, we are commanded to speak out to the best of our ability.  These cliches are unbiblical and have no basis in truth--can you give me a Bible verse to back them up?   If we had to wait till we were perfect to talk we would have an excuse to keep quiet all our lives because we are always working in progress and no one can say that he has "arrived." 

However, we don't want to be hypocritical in our talk and talk a talk that contradicts us.  When one is filled with the Spirit he wants to talk about spiritual matters and share Christ with others, whether he is "perfect" or not.  "As for us, we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard" (Acts 4:20).  In other words, they got the "can't-help-its" as they say.

Fellowship is not just for a few elite believers who have their act together, but for all of the body and no one can say that he doesn't need some "body part."  In my experience, one merely doesn't have the ability to speak of spiritual things and share Christ without the guidance of the Holy Spirit;  it is not mere energy of the flesh, but the power of the Spirit--(cf. Zech. 4:6 says:  "... Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit," says the LORD of Hosts").

It is the religious people who think they are better than others by virtue of their performance and are a cut above other believers, that don't think God can speak through the least of these of Christ's brethren.  The devil is the one who wants to muzzle the ox that treads out the grain and can't stand it when someone speaks for Christ or witness and says he is "unworthy."  But no one is worthy and it is because of grace alone that we have the privilege of speaking on Christ's behalf as His ambassadors of reconciliation.

Now, my interpretation of this matter is that if you don't witness, you shouldn't pass yourself off as an expert on the subject (however, I'd still like to hear your opinion of what you do know or think you know!); and if you don't pray don't teach about it, but it is always fitting and proper to boast in the Lord and of what He has done through you ("I venture not to speak, but of what Christ has accomplished through me," says Rom. 15:18).

You don't earn the right to witness, you just see an open door and take advantage of the opportunity whenever the Spirit leads--we are commanded to witness via the Great Commission.  Fellowship is a birthright of all believers, not just a select few.   All believers have the right to witness and should never be ashamed that they are Christians or of the gospel (cf. Rom. 1:16 which says:  "I am not ashamed of the gospel...").

It is vital that we practice what we preach, but the devil will do everything to muzzle us and keep us from speaking for Christ.  It is a shame that some who profess a faith in Christ deny Him by their works and life testimony.   (Cf.  Titus 1:16:  "They profess to know God, but by their works they deny Him.")   In conclusion:  God will not stand for hypocrisy and we have to be careful not to condemn ourselves by our speech because Jesus did say that it is by our own words that we will be judged--but do not get discouraged that you aren't good enough, because no one is.   Soli Deo Gloria!

"Has God said ...?"

 Doubt in its place can be a good thing:  "Tell me your certainties, I have enough doubts of my own"  (Goethe).
Skepticism goes all the back to the Greek philosophers of antiquity, so it is not new--they wondered about knowing anything at all.
David Hume, the extreme skeptic philosopher, was known for doubting the very possibility of miracles, saying they were a violation of natural law (thus personifying science):  He repudiated the idea of certainty.
Rene Descartes, the father of modern philosophy in an age of Rationalism, refused to believe anything unless provable: Cogito, ergo sum was all he could muster (I think, therefore I am).
Has anything ever not rung true to you?  Read on!

"It is to a man's honor to avoid strife, but every fool is quick to quarrel:  (Proverbs 20:3).
First three paragraphs are an introduction, disclaimer, and platform:

My goal herein is to provide a rationale for avoiding unnecessary conflict whether by specious (questionable and dubious) argument or even by cogent, rational assertion.  I'll attempt to keep the rhetoric at bay and won't engage in a war over ideas (the only war worth fighting at all costs is the gospel and constituent truths).  (Some argument is better suited to the open marketplace of ideas and not between loved ones.  If you can't say it in public, it might not be worth saying.)  This is based on personal experience and what the Lord has taught me, and is not intended to offend anyone.  We must be prepared to have an answer for the hope that is within us, yet with gentleness and respect according to 1 Peter 3:15; otherwise we lose by default and confirm them in their ignorance.  (Refutation and rebuttal ability are acquired skills through practice and are not as necessary as a thorough knowledge of the Word of Truth--knowing the Bible is more valuable than an education.)

This is my dialectic about being skeptical and putting skepticism in its place.  I am hoping to shun animosity and discord, but I have found it necessary to blog on this matter and not concede without saying my peace of mind and getting it off my chest about what I know something about.  In the final analysis, I hope you will ascertain your position and, if you disagree, be tactful, kind, and loving in your reaction, comment, or response (it is the spirit that something is done in that matters and is apparent).  A final word to the wise is sufficient:  An opinion is something you hold, but convictions hold you and you are usually willing to make sacrifices for them, to die for, that is, even the ultimate sacrifice itself.

In the so-called great quest or pursuit of truth and thirst for knowledge, I endeavor to make an intelligible discourse to delineate my stand on argumentation and skepticism (I believe there comes a time when we must make our position known and stand up for what we believe).  I intend to tone down the rhetoric and be as coherent and lucid as I am can.   Sometimes we are not presenting the offense of the cross, but being offensive and obnoxious jerks in our interpersonal intercourse.  I am aware that some of the great philosophers and theologians have declared that "all truth is God's truth," but in my nomenclature, the truth is divine revelation that changes lives and gives life to the soul.  All of us err on occasion as Augustine said, "If I err, I am."  Also, "to err is human...."  Finally, these views are what I espouse and subscribe to and I do not claim to be inerrant, or infallible, neither do I speak ex-cathedra, nevertheless,  I am articulating my own viewpoint.

You may recall that this is what Satan said to Eve when he so slyly introduced the concept of skepticism to her.  Some people are born skeptics and are naturally inquisitive or inquiring, even too curious or doubtful for their own good--there is a place for faith and all knowledge begins with it.  There are some things we ought to be skeptical about, like politicians who act out of expediency (Goethe said politics is a dirty business).  But there is a time and place for every matter under heaven and one should know when to be skeptical and put it in its place.

Gen. George C. Patton's book Patton's Principles:  A Handbook for Managers Who Mean it says we should "pick our fights" because there may be more to lose than to gain.  We can win an argument and lose a friend--I personally believe relationships are more important than showing off your debating skill.  Proverbs says, that a brother offended is harder to win over than a fortified city.  Sometimes wisdom tells us not to go there because we have more to lose than to gain.  Arguments can generate more heat than light and people are rarely won over by argument--you cannot argue someone into the kingdom, for instance.

R. C. Sproul says that the Bible forbids being argumentative, divisive, contentious, or judgmental.  This is true because Paul says in 2 Tim. 2:24 that "the Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome [must not strive]."  We are peacemakers, not troublemakers, and one of the six things God hates listed in Prov. 6:19 is sowing discord (one of the fruits of the flesh listed in Gal. 5) among brethren.  I'm not saying we cannot disagree, but the Lord exhorts us to agree in the Spirit and be of one accord.  We can agree to disagree without being disagreeable, as the cliche goes--but this is a vital one too--we don't want to be known or pegged for being a contentious, contrary, or disagreeable person.

"Endeavor to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace," Paul says in Ephesians 4:3.  A fellowship is when two fellows are on the same ship, so how can the fellowship be about two people trying to prove the other wrong (which is my definition of an argument)?  Usually, people stop seeking the truth and just get stubborn and step into a belligerent or attack mode, picking a fight, as it were, even judging and resorting to ad hominem attacks (insulting the person rather than the facts themselves)--and I am as guilty of this as the next guy.  Mea culpa!

It is beautiful when brethren get along in the Spirit and can calmly discuss matters without it escalating into something undesirable and uncalled for among believers.  Most tiffs are the result of misunderstanding j(a failure to communicate!) and especially of semantics or diction where we don't know where the other party is coming from.   The better we know someone, the more we know or should know, how to get a rise out of them, know how to push their buttons,  or what offends them--and to not go there.  There will be disagreements (Augustine's dictum, "In essentials, unity; in nonessentials, liberty; in all things, charity" applies) and they are inevitable because we are human ("to err is human, to forgive divine").

We don't want to be "yes-men" or sycophants that encourage someone in their error.  An honest answer is a kiss on the lips according to Proverbs; that is to say, it is better to be honest sometimes, though the truth may hurt. Proverbs also say that the wounds of a friend can be trusted.  The truth can hurt, so we have to learn tact and be sensitive when necessary. We can do a person more of a favor sometimes by disagreeing and telling the truth as we see it!

There is a command to stand up for the truth (but this is only for absolute truth found in Scripture); Jude urges us to "earnestly contend for the faith" in Jude 4.  Jesus said that he didn't come to bring peace, but a sword, and to set a fire and he wishes it had already been kindled!  Families often divide on religion and Christ predicted this, but they need not do so on the basis of politics for example.   The rapprochement or reconciliation after a fight is harder than to avoid it in the first place and we have to learn to be tactful, sensitive, and political in family or friendship circles.  The truth is always fighting for, but only the Bible is called "truth."

Jesus claimed to be the personification or embodiment of truth itself (that means there is absolute truth)--other things may be true, but cannot legitimately be called truth--it is the truth that sets us free spiritually (John 8:32).   We are sanctified by the truth  (John 17:17), and Jesus purpose in coming was to" bear witness of the truth" as he gave the testimony to Pilate (John 18:37).  This is our calling and commission as Christians, not to turn people into our political persuasion, et alia.

The church has had many splits and factions because of contention (this is why there are so many denominations) and after the reformation contention arose because Catholics gave equal authority to tradition as to Scripture.  The best way to diffuse an argument is to admit you could be wrong!  Be the humble one who is not stubborn and seek the truth of the matter.  Paul says to Timothy:  "The man of God must not strive [quarrel] ...."  There is a place for debate now, which is another ballgame.  Like in the Senate chambers where a bill must be discussed and the pros and cons weighed.  The purpose of debate is to win and there is a moderator and judge to decide this--sometimes a vote transpires.  In an argument, the purpose shouldn't be to win, but to seek the truth, if one stays objective and has an open mind.  Remember, Satan is at work and his chief strategy is to divide and conquer.

Now to find the truth you must go with the flow (the direction of evidence and argument) and be willing to admit you are wrong (before you can be educated, you must admit your ignorance), which you may be, because no one has a monopoly on the truth and has cornered the market so that they have the right to be intolerant of disagreement.  "Behold how pleasant it is when brothers dwell together in unity" (Psalm 133:1).    The best way to discuss a matter is to have it based on the truth, which is Scripture, and use the Bible to back up your ideas.  "Then shall I have an answer for him who taunts me..." (Psalm 119:42).  Jesus also quoted Scripture to defeat Satan:  He said, "It is written...."

When you disagree it may be wise to just change the subject and pursue it no further--it may not be worth the argument or being disagreeable about--people's feelings get hurt even if we are just being ourselves or telling the truth--sometimes the truth hurts and we are not being tactful--we may also be hypersensitive ourselves and carry our feelings on our sleeves--we should be ready to take anything our friends dish out in confidence that they love us and are not perfect.  We are all "works in progress" and will make mistakes--no one can say he has arrived at perfection.

In summation:  Keep it in check and under restraint--don't ever knowingly and willingly jeopardize a close and meaningful relationship!    Soli Deo Gloria!

Critique Of The Blame Game

Premise:  God is the sole, ultimate, First Cause of the universe.  You need to see the Big Picture!
"If you do away with the yoke of oppression, with the pointing finger and malicious talk...then your light will rise in the darkness..." (Isaiah 58:9).

God is sovereign through Providence, but cannot be charged with wrongdoing or be responsible for evil, though He uses secondary causes as vessels of dishonor to accomplish His will and even turn curses into blessings ("The wrath of man shall praise thee," says Psalm 76:10).  Joseph said, "You meant it for evil, but God meant it for good" (Gen. 50:20).

You have to go back to the Garden of Eden to see how Operation Fig leaf started and the blame game began.  Eve blamed the serpent, Adam blamed Eve!  Today we cannot put the culpability on them, not only because Adam was the head of the race, but we would've done likewise--it was such a representative sin that all are guilty of.  God is our judge then, and we are not His:  God is the moral center of the universe, not us!  He is accountable to no one.  All creatures owe accountability to their Maker.

"Every house is built by someone, but God is the builder of everything" (Hebrews 3:4) [one proof text referring to God's primary causation and being called the First Cause].  Nothing can be its own cause no more than its own creator-but it is possible for something to be self-existent and have no cause logically, scientifically, and theologically.  God had no beginning and needs no antecedent cause because of not being an effect.  We conclude that something must be "uncaused" or self-existent for anything to exist today because there couldn't have been a "time" when nothing existed--there would be nothing now (ex nihilo, nihil fit or out of nothing, nothing comes; an ancient axiom). [So cites R. C. Sproul concerning Immanuel Kant's proofs for God.]

God micromanages the universe from the smallest molecule to the largest galaxy to be under His care and control.  He even orchestrates history to turn out the way He wills it and has never lost control or given up His throne to Satan, though he is the ruler of this age under the limiting restraint of God and cannot do anything apart from divine permission.  Everything is going according to Plan A and there is no Plan B.  

He merely uses everything and everyone as His tools and vessels of honor and dishonor to accomplish His good pleasure and glorify Himself.   For instance, you look at all the evil in the world and wonder why God hasn't done anything about it:  Well, God made you--what is your excuse?  If God were to eradicate all evil from the universe no one would be left--so He has to work with evil to glorify Himself.  No one ever does anything that he doesn't want to (he always does what seems good for him at the moment) and God never makes someone do what they don't want to do:  That would be coercion or determinism and like being forced to do something against your own will--God doesn't interfere with your free will in this respect [however, ultimately He can change your beliefs and make a believer out of you at will by His sovereignty over all]; however, our will is only a small part of our decision-making process:  for instance, our nature given by God (sanguine, phlegmatic, choleric, melancholic, etc.); our environment; our family; our genes; our education, et al.

Daniel 4:35; cf. Job 9:12, says:  "Who can stay his hand, or say to him:  'What hast thou done?'"  John Wesley used to read the newspaper and when asked why:  "So I can see what God is doing in His world."  Yes, He's got the whole world in His hands.  If you want to start blaming someone, there's enough to blame in you--a good place to start and to also pray for the corporate sins of the nation or body.   When Daniel prayed in chapter 9 he confessed "the sins we have done," to paraphrase him.

There is a vast difference between a link or correlation and a cause:  The former cannot be proved, and the latter can and is without a doubt.  Smoking used to be linked to cancer, now it is a known cause!   Diet soda and obesity are linked, but not yet proved to be the cause.   Freud saw a link between religion and neurosis.  We are too apt to jump to the conclusion and believe what we want to after only examining the evidence that we are prone to believe.

I regard to causation and assigning blame or credit, there are other mistakes in thinking apropos:   The mistake in diagnosis is the so-called "common-factor fallacy."  One merely looks for something in common and assumes that it is the cause.  He drank water and aspirin, water and a laxative, water and a sleeping pill:  Water must be making him sick.  Reality is usually more complicated than a simple formula.  People don't use proper empirical methods or analytic thinking such as induction and deduction.  [In deduction we deduce particulars from universals and go from effect to cause; while in induction we find generalized or universals from the particular or go from the effect to the cause or the converse,  a posteriori reasoning (or after the fact) is going by experience, and a priori (before the fact) are by logic or inference like Sherlock Holmes used to do.]

To this day the basis of logic dates to Aristotle who formulated its laws, and all knowledge is on the premise of logic and that there is reason or logos behind the cosmos.  The enemy of science is chaos according to R. C. Sproul and we must assume order and design in the universe to study it.  Bear in mind:  There would've been no science had not Christians believed in a rational universe governed by a universal reason to be discovered and applied.  Science is the daughter of Christianity.

When we look at the evidence we look at chief indicators and what is major and minor because not everything has equal causation.  I am referring to the law of causality or cause and effect which says that everything that begins to exist or has a beginning must have an antecedent cause. Nothing happens by itself!  Who is the Beginner?  The Big Bang must have someone who fired it and set it off to motion and programmed it with all the universal constants, such as the force of gravity, charge of the electron, and speed of light, among almost fifty other ones, i.e., the fine-tuning of the cosmos.

In troubleshooting one always checks out the obvious first!  Experience and wisdom to use your knowledge are next in line--it usually is not a matter of sheer brilliance or an epiphany or serendipity! There isn't always a smoking gun or obvious indicator of what's wrong--the culprit may take trial and error and elimination of variables one by one in a controlled situation.

God had no beginning, and therefore no cause because He is not an effect and has always existed as the "uncaused cause."  It has been said that to discover the truth you must eliminate the impossible, and whatever is left, no matter how improbable, must be the truth. God is totally uninfluenced by man and does not need Him as the unmoved mover.

Where am I going with this?  God is also sovereign over salvation (Rom. 5:21).  Faith is the key to knowledge; we understand through faith!  Faith is the means by which we are saved by grace alone and not merit--it is a gift whereby God quickens faith within us.  It is God's gift to us, but we have to believe ourselves--God doesn't believe for us!   Faith began to exist in us and had an external cause which Reformed theologians call "irresistible grace."  An example of God doing something else that is irresistible that is an analogy is when you see a pretty girl that you can't resist and it is your hormones, genes, and nature that were God-given that made you feel that way.  [God was in charge of that, not you. N.B. that you can cause something in a negative way by withholding influence or action or withdrawing guidance or grace!  This is what God does in "judicial hardening" like what He does to reprobates who reject Christ and harden their own hearts.]

But you did nothing against your will and you weren't forced to like this attractive girl that just happens to be your type!  Get the big picture of God in your belief system or worldview.  Our virtue is God's gift to us, not our gift to Him.  Get the equation with respect to the fact that all good things come from God (James 1:17).

Faith is the instrumental cause of justification, but God is the primary cause who planned it, authored it, accomplished it, executed it and applied it on our behalf.  Faith is a gift and not a work as Romanists believe (it would be a basis for merit, as they maintain one must have).  It is the work of God that we believe according to John 6:29: "This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent."  Acts 18:27 says that we "believed through grace."  It has been granted us the ability to believe according to Philippians 1:29.  We have received a like faith according to 2 Peter 1:1.

Why faith then?  Faith is the beginning of all knowledge and some philosophers deny the certainty of any knowledge, but only probability.  They say, "All truth is relative."  This statement is nonsensical because it would make itself also relative and to have no value as a truth claim.  In fact, "All truth is God's truth" and the gift of God as John 8:32 says:  "You shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free."  Jesus came to "bear witness of the truth" (John 18:37).  The so-called assertion that truth is relative and not absolute is the prevalent idea currently among the elite of academia.  ("You can know nothing for sure.")  [I refer to Allan Bloom's book, The Closing of the American Mind.]  What may be true for you, and not for them:   No wonder Pontius Pilate said, "What is truth?"  A common greeting: "What do you know for sure?"  Tell them that Jesus is alive and well.  We believe in order to understand according to Aristotle and not vice versa.  We are seekers of truth with a capital T. It is true regardless of who believes it or objectively true and absolutely true for all times, peoples, cultures, situations, et al.

Our faith must be tested by fire:  it is more precious than silver or gold.  The same sun melts the butter hardens the clay.  In all of Job's troubles, he did not charge God with wrongdoing but was patient in affliction.

Faith is the thing that pleases God according to Hebrews 11:6 and it takes faith no matter what your position; in fact, it takes more faith to deny God and Christ than to affirm Him (you cannot disprove a universal negative and say there is no God with certainty--it is an act of faith--Norman Geisler says he doesn't have enough faith to be an atheist. You cannot disprove God either--both stands take faith!

It takes more faith to deny God than to believe in Him because he more questions and fewer answers to account for.   No one has all the answers, but you don't need all the answers to believe; you merely go in the direction of the preponderance of the evidence like any legitimate jury would.

Is there proof for faith to be based on?  There is such a phenomenon called "properly-basic belief" whereby the proof is in the pudding--taste it and see for yourself that God is Good, and don't just take my word for it! Psalm 34:8 says:  "Taste and see that the LORD is good...."  Jesus can be experienced and Christianity is not just some pie in the sky faith that has no relevance.  When we invite Christ into our hearts we experience Him and He lives in our hearts; we love Him with our hearts and it's not all in our heads.   Jesus lives in our hearts but this feeling and experienced is based on objective historical fact (the resurrection of Christ the basis)--it is not a totally subjective and personal feeling, but one shared and given a testimony of.

In conclusion of the matter in question about believing God no matter what:  We should start the blame with ourselves and realize that God is still in control and rules over the nations.  As Dostoevsky said, "If there is no God, all things are permissible."  In other words, there is no one to blame and there is no such thing to contemplate.  Wycliffe's tenet that "all things come to pass of necessity" means that we are not to question God's wisdom and sovereignty.   Soli Deo Gloria!

One Day At A Time...

By definition "time" is only a corollary of space and matter/energy and is part of God's creation; therefore God is sovereign over it, not bound by it, nor defined, or limited by it--it is irrelevant to Him!  Let's perceive reality from the divine viewpoint!  That is to say:  Put God in the equation!  You don't see the Big Picture apart from Him!

I used to like the TV show of that title in the '70s and it is a valid philosophy even for unbelievers--psychiatrists would acknowledge this too.  I'm not saying that reminiscing has no place in our lives, but where our daily focus is.  Remember the TV series "Happy Days?"  People tend to think of the olden days as the good old days, and Solomon warned us against doing this in Eccles. 7:10 saying: "Do not say, 'Why were the old days better than these?'"  God has "set eternity in the heart of man" (we have the unique ability that animals don't have to anticipate the future, but a side-effect is that we also can worry about it!) but we are not meant to live oriented only for the "here and now." "Where there is no vision, the people perish," according to Proverbs 29:18 and we must look ahead in making plans, but not in presumption or preoccupation.  ("Commit whatever you do to the LORD, and He will establish your plans.")  "There is a proper time and procedure for every purpose under heaven."  "He makes everything beautiful in its time," so it is said:  Go by God's timetable, not yours!

"So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom" (Psalm 90:12).  The older we get, it seems like time is more of the essence (Ernest Hemingway said,  "Time is the thing we have the least of.").  Time goes faster and the birthdays even are a blur. Tempis fugit (time flies).   The Bible says, "As thy days, so shall thy strength be" (Deut. 33:25).  Our life is but a "vapor" that vanishes! Like the grass that withers!

Depression is rampant today: It is mainly caused by people living and dwelling on the past; misinterpreting the present; and anticipating the future.  But we should always remember the words of wisdom:  Yesterday is gone, tomorrow is not yet given to us, so why not live today!  We get ahead of ourselves and make plans thinking that tomorrow is guaranteed, but we are to live one day at a time and commend the future to God's care. "Boast not thyself of tomorrow, for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth" (Proverbs 27:1).  Jesus taught us to pray to "give us this day our daily bread" for a reason.  Psalm 118:24 says:  "This is the day that the LORD has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.

Some people do the extreme of just living for the "here and now" and "Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die [quoting 1 Cor. 15:22, ESV, cf. Isaiah 22:13]."  This philosophy dates back to antiquity and Democritus who espoused us to seek "man's fulfillment in the here and now of this world."  We are to live each day to the fullest, but in light of eternity, doing God's will--which is revealed one day at a time, i.e., we don't know God's will for our whole life like a rolled-out revealed agenda.  "My times [future] is in thy hands"  (Psalm 31:15).

We trust God for the future and make our plans "but the LORD establishes [our] steps" (Prov. 16:9). Since we are given one day at a time and live it one day at a time let us heed the advice of Matthew Henry:  "Live each day as if it were your last."  If you aren't prepared to die, you are not prepared to live; for it is in the fear of death that the devil holds people captive to do his will. No one is guaranteed tomorrow!  However, seeing the spiritual dimension gives you a whole new outlook.

Providence is manifest:  "A man's steps are from the LORD; how then can man understand his way?" (Prov. 20:24);  "I know, O LORD, that the way of man is not in himself, that it is not in man who walks to direct his steps" (Jeremiah 10:23); "Commit your work to the LORD, and your plans will be established"  (Prov. 16:3).  God is never frustrated and we do not ever interrupt His plans according to Ephesians 1:11 which says:  "[We are being] predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things after the counsel of his own will." Daniel 4:35 says:  "...none can stay his hand, or say to him, 'What doest thou?'"

God orchestrates history and "...he does whatever he pleases"  (Job 23:13).  From God's perspective there is no time element; for He is outside, not defined, nor limited by the time-space continuum which He created for us:  This means He is all-wise (pansophic) and we must trust Providence and not try to think we can predict or see the future.  Hindsight is always 20/20 and we are all geniuses at this, so we shouldn't feel guilty and regret the past as believers.

It is time to take inventory and assess our way of life:  Are we getting what we expected and what we want out of life--life is empty without God in it (enthusiasm means putting God into it).  Nature abhors a vacuum and boredom indicates a lack of purpose and fulfillment and humans are known for this propensity whereas animals aren't.   Socrates said that the "unexamined life is not worth living."  The Latin saying carpe diem or seize the day is pertinent!  In summary:  There is no Plan B, but everything is going according to God's glory and being cognizant of Providence gives us great faith and patience in everyday events.  Soli Deo Gloria!

Should Christians Argue?

"Don't have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels. And the Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome but must be kind to everyone ..." (2 Tim. 2:24-25).


It's been wisely said that it's better to debate a matter and not settle it than to settle it without debate.

R. C. Sproul says the Bible states we are not to be "divisive, contentious, argumentative, or judgmental;" I might add: As brethren--it is unfruitful and doesn't work to the benefit of the body. We are to seek unity and to be one in the Spirit and in agreement as much as possible (cf. Eph. 4:3).   "Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called children of God"  (Matthew 5:9).  We may be called to restore a fellowship and be mediators or go-betweens.   We don't want the reputation of being troublemakers.

By way of definition, this is the way I see it, for the purpose of this post:  Arguing is when we purposely strive to show that someone is wrong or misinformed.  The word has negative connotations for some and they refuse to have anything to do with them.  We may just be calmly debating back and forth and just asking and answering questions; it doesn't necessarily mean we are raising our voices or getting vociferous.  We should always be tactful and sensitive, all the more when we know someone.  The pitfall is when an innocent argument leads to a quarrel and worse yet a feud or permanent cleavage in a relationship.  Simple inquiries or debates can escalate into full-blown quarrels if we are not vigilant and careful.  Arguments per se are not taboo for the believer--it is one methodology of exposing truth or falsity.

To arrive at the truth you must be willing to admit you may be wrong:  the quickest way to diffuse an argument is to say, "Then, again, I may be wrong!"  That's because there is no such thing as total objectivity apart from God, and neither of the participants may be right.  As part of our image of God, we all have an inner sense of right and wrong and we always end up appealing to some standard and we end up arguing.

Notice it says "foolish and stupid arguments."  John Stott (one of the 100 most influential people in the world one year) wrote the book Christ the Controversialist.  "To avoid controversy is to avoid Christ" according to R. C. Sproul.   Christ was no stranger to controversy and dared to challenge the system with clever logic and even answering a question with a question.  Some controversies are godly and necessary; otherwise, we would not be able to refute heresy and false teaching.  But there is a difference between being contentious, argumentative, and starting arguments, and after the truth in a methodical spiritual manner.  Are we seeking to heal or hurt is the question; are we seeking the truth on a godly issue or are we being argumentative and challenging someone.

 Remember that relationships are the most important thing, not how clever we can be to outwit our win an argument.  You can win an argument and lose a friend.  Some people are familiar with each other may just know how to pull each other's strings.  Christianity is not about how smart we are but our relationship with the living God, largely manifested by our fellowship with fellow believers, especially if they are family.  It is a good thing to avoid unnecessary family tiffs.  But if it is about Christ then God says that Christ will even split a family.  Matthew 10:34 says that He came not to bring peace, but a sword!

Our debate skills (and I was on the debate team and even judged debates, so I am qualified to comment here) are not on the line in our friendships and family ties. We aren't debating our brethren in the Lord on personal matters,  and we should restrict debate to where it belongs:  politics and issues of doctrine that are paramount to the church.   We don't try to one-up our brothers and sisters or get into the habit of comparing or bragging.  "Love doesn't brag," but in a family it is understood (it is more like "news" and we believe they want to know it) that there is a place for sharing things with family members and to brag on each other--this is not the time of bragging it is talking about. What is good is when we took someone else's horn or brag about them and they don't have to do it.  We really shouldn't toot our own horn according to the Bible.

"As far as it is possible, be at peace with all men, "says Romans 12:18.  This means that we keep the peace the best we can,  and not see if we can ruffle some feathers and stir up a lively or contentious conversation that has no positive fruit. Sometimes it is easy for more educated people to see an opportunity to pick apart the brains or conversation of those less in the know or clued in (don't  "wow them with your scholarship" as Chuck Swindoll has written).  Do everything in love and seek harmony and peace, not division!  Sometimes it is tempting to let the steam out of one's balloon or deflate their ego; but Scripture says clearly to "rejoice with those who rejoice," (Rom. 12:15a).

I can remember an example when someone was really excited that our team won, and I commented that it was against a losing team:  I was not rejoicing because he replied that a w is still a w.  What this means is that if someone is happy about something that we should not find reasons for them not to be happy and bum them out and show the negative side.  If one hears good news, we don't seek the bad news somewhere hiding in the shadows.

Case in point:  Suppose brother A says that his town was chosen as the best town in the state to live and he was celebrating the good news and maybe even bragging a bit, but only to close family and friends whom he knew.  And brother B was very skeptical and challenged his "fact" and wanted to know the source of such info. What if he didn't know and interpreted B's skepticism as doubting his "word" and calling him "naive" or "gullible."  What I'm saying is that it is far better and more Christ-like to say something like:  "That's very good for your town and I'll bet you're glad you live there now!"  This sounds far more positive and constructive to a good relationship. People do take a lot of pride in the places they live and could take it as a personal offense to question their belief in it being a good place to live.

Where am I going with this and what's the conclusion of the matter?  Let's say that we must learn to pick our battles: George C. Patton wrote a book Patton's Principles: A Handbook for Managers Who Mean It.  In other words, choose an argument that is worth something and you may have something to lose or gain spiritually by.  It is not worth just arguing just for the sake of arguing just to see who wins!  We must try to stay positive and rejoice with those who rejoice and not always present the pitfalls or negative side which may bum them out!  We may even have the skills of a lawyer, but that doesn't entitle us to use them haphazardly or recklessly on family and friends if we want to stay in fellowship.  Soli Deo Gloria!

So, Are You A Sinner?

"If we say we have not sinned, we make Him a liar" (1 John 1:10).
"For everyone who commits sin is guilty of lawlessness, sin is lawlessness" (per John).
"And who fain would serve Thee best
Are most conscious of wrong within."
John Stott:  "It is no use giving us rules of conduct; we cannot keep them."

That's a loaded question and not so easily expounded upon. First of all, according to R. C. Sproul, the renowned Reformed theologian, we are all sinners in that we sin and we sin because we are sinners, we are not sinners because we sin (i.e., we are born with the inclination to sin or with the cards stacked against us). We are born in sin (Psalm 51:5 says, "Surely, I was sinful at birth....")  You could say we lie because we are natural born liars and we don't become liars when we tell our first lie.

We are deeply flawed and radically corrupt and deformed in our heart, mind, and will by depravity, and are inherently evil, not basically good, as humanists assert.  My pastor says that God no longer "classifies us as sinners [though we really are]."  He also says, "Sin no longer defines us."  This means that we are above it and God no longer holds it against us (Psalm 32:2 says, blessed are those "whose sin the LORD does not count against them."

This may also seem like a trick question:  Either way, you answer it, you can be refuted!  N.B. that the Bible calls Christians "saints" and sinners are generally referred to those who are lost in their sin and not overcoming it. An exemption is Gal. 2:17 calling Christians sinners ("...we ...find ourselves also among the sinners").  We are no longer slaves to sin, nor under its power as believers.  We don't have the right to live in the flesh because we are forgiven, but the power to live in the Spirit.  Martin Luther, the renowned theologian, and pastor who inaugurated the Reformation said that we are at the same time sinners and just.  God reckons us as just as righteous as Christ because He sees us in Christ as our position.  In the Bible, when it calls people "sinners" it is generally referring to the lost or the unjust--that doesn't mean Christians aren't sinners who have reached "perfectionism" or "entire sanctification" (cf. Psalm 119:96 says, "  To all perfection I see a limit;" Prov. 20:9 says, "Who can say, 'I have kept my heart pure; I am clean and without sin'?"

The titanic struggle that Christians have is to overcome sin; even pagan writer Ovid wrote that he "sees the better things and approve them, but he follows the worst:"  This is exactly what Paul was referring to in Romans 7 when he said that nothing good dwells in him and said, "I do not understand what I do.  For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.  And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good.  As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it but is sin living in me" (Rom. 7:15-17).

The key to conquering sin, and we are more than conquerors in Christ, is to keep our eyes on Jesus and stop trying so hard--but learn to trust!  The more we try to stop sinning in our own strength, the more enslaved we become, because we are reinforcing it (my pastor says).  Some good ideas to avoid sin is to keep busy, especially in the work of the Lord, and to think of things of good report and of virtue as Phil. 4:8 says.   There's always a way of escape according to 1 Cor. 10:13 and we never have to sin anymore.

It is important to realize how bad of a sinner we are and that we have no hope of saving ourselves, but throw in the towel and give up the ship to Christ as one's captain.  We don't realize how bad we are till we try to be good, and, conversely, we can't be good until we realize how bad we are.   This is a catch-22 to reflect on.  We are not as bad as we can be, but are as bad off as we can be--even Hitler loved his mother and wasn't as bad as he could have been and he is considered by many to be the paradigm of evil along with Judas.

This is God's estimation of man, not man's estimation of man!  Our sin, no matter how much or how little is enough to condemn us, because to God sin is like antimatter to matter.  I am grateful that even though I am a great sinner, I have a great Savior!  I just keep short accounts and "move on" as my pastor says.  I don't live in the past.

The devil accuses you of sin, but the Holy Spirit does an open and shut case against you and there is no argument.  We all have feet of clay and have weaknesses not readily apparent. But God doesn't grade on a curve!   Jesus sees through the veneer and exposes our dark side that we want to hide--He is the only one that really knows us better than we know ourselves even.  God doesn't grade on a curve!  Yes, we are bad, but not too bad to be saved!  We are never good enough to be saved, in other words, but bad enough to need salvation:  ironically, some people don't even want to admit they are sinners because they "haven't done anything that bad."

We often compare ourselves with others who seem worse and get proud:  "Compared to Saddam Hussein I am a saint!"  We may think of ourselves as just a "run-of-the-mill" sinner, but we should be comparing ourselves to Christ who is the express image of His glory and the divine standard:  "Be ye perfect as your Father in heaven is perfect" (Matt. 5:48).  Caveat:  God doesn't grade on a curve;  the standard is is perfection, the test is direction!

Well, what is the biblical definition of sin?  In the study of hamartiology sin is from the Greek word hamartia, a marksman's word for "missing the mark."  It is suggested that one shoots at a target and misses the bull's eye.  When one misses achieving this standard he "sins."  There are both sins of omission and commission.  When God says in negative terms:  Thou shalt not, and we do, it is a sin of commission  When we fail to do God's will and leave something undone, which we should have done, it is also sin--this is a sin of omission.  Having a mind and willpower makes us able to sin.  Basically, sin is nonconformity to the law of God, anything not of faith, when we know the right thing to do, and fail to do it, any transgression, trespass, or perverted act.

Some things may be sin for one brother and not another.  We can sin against a brother (cf. 1 Cor. 8:12), but basically all sin is against God and only His forgiveness brings salvation from past, present, and future sins.  Any act of unbelief is a sin according to 1 John 5:10.  Sin is also lawlessness according to 1 John 3:4.  The Anglican Book of Common Prayer adds: "leaving undone that which I ought to have done."

However, Jesus internalized sin (the Pharisees had "externalized" sin by reducing it to what can be seen by men like fasting; eating kosher; ceremonial washing; et cetera), saying that "out of the heart proceed evil thoughts."  It is not a matter of having clean hands, but a clean heart to be pure in God's eyes.  "As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he" (Prov. 23:7).  Sin is a disease or an illness and we cannot say we have a little sin no more than we can say one is a little pregnant!  In short, when we sin against God, we violate His nature and holiness; when we sin against man, we violate his humanity and dignity as a human in the image of God, according to R. C. Sproul.  He goes on to say that all sin is an act of treason to overthrow God.  I have heard it said, that sin is "man's declaration of independence from God."

It is a grave mistake to rename sin with pretty names to be less offensive like:  shortcomings, errors, mistakes, habits, vices, et cetera.  Billy Graham says that this is like relabeling a poison and calling it the Essence of Peppermint, which would make it more dangerous to the kids.  The closer you get to God the more aware you are of sin:  Samuel Rutherford said, "Pray for a lively sense of sin, then you'll have less sin."   Great saints have often discounted their holiness and downgraded themselves out of humility:  John Bunyan wrote Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners."  Paul called himself "the chief of sinners."  A good definition from Charlie Riggs is "any thought, word, omission, action, or desire contrary to the Word of God."  The whole purpose of the law is to make us cognizant of our sin not to be a way of salvation, or a code to live by for good measure--we are incapable of keeping it:  "For by the law is the knowledge of sin"  (Rom. 3:20, Phil.).  The Law measures us, it doesn't save us!

To become Christians we must be willing to turn from sin (repentance) and turn to God (through faith in Christ by grace).  We need not only to be against sin in theory but renounce sin and any individual sins God has laid on our hearts.  [Believers are still sinners, by the way, according to Gal. 2:17. and John says in 1 John 1 that "if we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us in v. 8.] We need to repent of all our sins, not just the ones we don't like and keep our pet sins. Legalists see sins and not sin (God can make us a new person with a victory over it by putting a new man in the suit, not a new suit on the man):  Our problem is the old sin nature, or our sinful flesh or carnal man.  We must be changed (passive case) from the inside out (i.e., God does it!).  This is due to our solidarity in Adam and what's known as "original sin" (therefore sin is universal (termed the universality of sin) and the common-held belief that nobody's perfect--as they say, "To err is human."

We don't try to be the Holy Spirit and convict people of their sins, that's the role of the Holy Spirit alone.  In due time He will show them the error of their ways:  thus we have so many Christians doing what we wouldn't because they haven't matured to our level yet.  It is the consensus that we all grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (cf. 2 Pet. 3:18).  We go from glory to glory and increase in Christ-likeness as we grow and mature according to 2 Cor. 3:18. ("...we are transformed into His image with ever-increasing glory....").

Albert Camus said that "the absurd is sin without God."  This is true:  if there is no God, there is no absolute value system and everything is only relative.  No one can say with certainty that something is a sin.  We need a divine standard to appeal to:  some call this "natural law"--this is what convicted the Nazi war criminals who claimed they only obeyed the law of the "Fatherland."  We all have a conscience and an innate sense of right and wrong which makes us culpable for our sin.  Dr. Karl Menninger wrote a famous book: Whatever Became of Sin?  Even psychiatrists are starting to use the word again and think that "God" may have a point!

There is a very well-known preacher of a megachurch that refuses to preach on sin because he regards it as a "killjoy word."  I recall Calvin Coolidge, the man of few words, coming home from church and his wife asking him what the sermon was about:  "Sin."  "What did he say?" "He was against it!"  If  I make any point, I want you to be sure that God cannot tolerate sin in His presence (Satan was booted out of heaven) and His eyes are too pure to behold evil (Hab. 1:13). God is just and must do something about the sin question.

But God is love and also gracious and has found a way out of the dilemma.  The gospel message is that God has solved the sin problem through the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ.  If we truly repent of our sins and receive Christ as our Lord and trust Him as our Savior we will be delivered and rescued from the coming wrath or calamity of God (1 Thess. 1:9).    Soli Deo Gloria!