The Post-ethical Society

"Nothing good ever came from Christianity." --Madalyn Murray O'Hair, atheist activist
"Morality is a nebulous thing; listen to the God within." (New Age philosophy)
"The summation of Christian ethics:  "Follow Me," Jesus
"The test of an idea is not whether it's true, but whether it works." --John Dewey, father of American public education and philosopher-author of A Common Faith
"Ethics is about not getting caught."  --Author unknown
"Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people" (Prov. 14:34, NIV). 
"Morality is merely an extension of self-interest." --Karl Marx
"The Law of God is engraved in man." --John Calvin
"...[T]he propitious smile of Heaven" that fall only on that nation that does not "disregard the eternal rules of order and right which Heaven itself has ordained." --George Washington from Democracy in America by Alexis de Tocqueville as quoted by David Noebel.  
"If we are not governed by God, then we will be ruled by tyrants." --William Penn
"Morality is not based on private opinion, but transcendent truth.  Morality is merely responsible decision-making [to the secularist]" --Charles Colson
"There is a way which seems right unto a man, but the end thereof is death" (Prov. 14:12; 16:25, NIV). 
"All a mans' ways are right to him, but the LORD weighs the heart" (Prov. 21:2, NIV). 
"... Hate what is evil; cling to what is good" (Rom. 12:9, NIV). 
"Let all things be done decently and in order" (cf. 1 Cor. 14:40).
"A person may think their own ways are right, but the LORD weighs the heart" (Prov. 21:2, NIV).  
"Who stands fast?  ..., not the man whose final standard is his reason, his principles, conscience, virtue but God." --Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a martyr in his own right during Nazi regime who opposed Hitlerism

By way of intro, Kant's moral argument for God is as follows: ethics exist, to be possible, justice must exist, because it must occur in the afterlife; therefore a Judge must exist; the one who is capable to render it must be all-powerful and all-knowing.

READ ON TO SEE HOW OUR MORAL LAXITY HAS DEVOLVED INTO MORAL PARALYSIS AND MORAL DEPRAVITY, DUE TO LOSS OF BIBLICAL VALUES AS OUR ANCHOR.


We have inherited a post-ethical world that doubts the very existence of any objective, absolute, and universal morals and ethics, but that they are only relative to society, culture, time, person, and situation.  This is called moral relativism and the ethics of situation-ethics.  Kant pondered the very existence of ethics too and concluded that they don't exist if one rules out God from the equation--they both necessitate the other. Kant reasoned that God must exist for ethics to be possible.   "If God does not exist," goes Dostoevsky's dictum, "then all things are permissible."  But we know ethics do exist and guilt is real, whether psychologists can explain it away or not.  We are responsible, moral creatures that will have to give an account of ourselves to God at Judgment Day.


Secular Humanism has ruled God out and will not let a Divine Foot in the door to interfere with their personal mores and standards of behavior, which allows them to live like animals because they believe they are, in essence, animals. You can rise no higher than your image of yourself!  And what you think about God, according to A. W. Tozer is the most important thing about you.  The thing about ethics to realize is that where you begin determines where you'll end up.  Doctors still take the Hippocratic Oath, but their interpretation of it is purely humanistic.  The basic command is: "First, do no harm!"  Christianity is the only worldview that gives dignity to man and thus purpose, meaning, understanding, and legitimate goals.


We are not headed toward a utopia and man is not perfectible, contrary to modern thought.  They reason that if a man is perfectible and always evolving then so is society.  The truth is that we now have more knowledge but less wisdom and that is a dangerous combo. Most people today believe they have a right to make up their own code as they go along and whatever "feels right" to them is the right thing to do.  This all started going into a downward spiral after the teaching of Dr. Timothy Leary, who said, "Turn on, tune in, drop out!"  A whole generation was lost in the quest to find themselves and gave no credence to religious feelings or interest.


The formula of Secular Humanism was "down with God, up with man!"  We deify man and dethrone God.  This kind of thinking goes back to Protagoras saying, "man is the measure of all things" or Homo mensura in Latin, WHEREBY WE BEGIN WITH MAN TO MAKE OUR CONCLUSIONS. NOTE THAT ATHANASIUS, FATHER OF ORTHODOXY, SAID, "The only system of thought Christ will fit into is the one where He is the starting point."  The conclusion of the matter is that without God there is no anchor to weigh in on and to tie everything together with, no grounds for commonality and unit and no common thread or unifying factor.  If there is no God, then there are no moral absolutes and all values, principles, ethics, and standards are relative.  In essence, this is to say that if we let ethics be the result of personal decision and whim, it's the same as denying any ethics at all--if there is no universal standard, there is no standard; this will lead to utter chaos and destruction of society, for no society has survived the loss of its gods, according to George Bernard Shaw.


There are many ethical systems and most people seem to think the ends justify the means, which is pure pragmatism and what communists embrace.  The New Morality says all that matters is the motive of love or good intent, not the results.  In reality, the motive and the end result must be righteous and pure in God's eyes for it to be ethical. Politics without principle is one of the Seven Deadly Sins named by Gandhi--that is our present reality, in which pragmatism and expediency rule.  And to most people, the Golden Rule has degenerated into the phrases:  He who has the gold, rules! Might makes right! Do unto them before they do unto you!  It is a proven fact that Americans follow the Brazen Rule, which says treat unto others the way they treat you!  They certainly don't go high when others go low, but stoop to their level and are a no better example of righteousness. Our contemporary intelligentsia believes ethics evolve with time and are suitable only for the age they are in, but morals are timeless: what was right in Moses' day, is still valid today--God's principles and laws don't waver, because God is immutable and never whimsical, arbitrary, nor capricious.


The whole premise of having ethics is that we are in God's image and are obliged to act like He would, just as Plato observed:  If I want to know how to live in reality, I must know what God is really like!  The good news is that Jesus came to explain God to us and to show us the Way!  We have no excuse not to know the highest ethic achievable:  The Sermon on the Mount highlighted in the Golden Rule.  But this can only be realized by believers living in the Spirit.  The Christian life has not been found unworkable and failed, but found difficult and not attempted.  Christianity is not the first choice of many because it demands so much--denying yourself, giving up all, and following Christ no matter the cost.  In religion, you can be good without God, and are already considered good by nature.


We have a president with no moral compass, it's alleged, is it any wonder that our nation is becoming numb to ethical dilemmas and growing apathetic and calloused toward ethical issues, with a gradual normalization of wrong?  When you have everyone doing their own thing, chaos results and it turns out like Israel before it had a king:  "Everyone did what was right in their own eyes" (cf. Jdg. 21:25). Our nation is in moral paralysis and it has little or no sense of "ought" to judge our laws by, which are only the vested interest of those with the most money, loudest voice, and most influence with the rich and powerful and/or ruling class.


People have traded morals for practicality and we live in a market-driven and results-oriented society that is not truth-centered or oriented.  According to pragmatism, the value of an idea is its result, not its truth, which cannot be ascertained.  They say we must be results-oriented.  The rich and powerful have succeeded, by and large, in eradicating God from the public arena and common marketplace of ideas, and the Christian voice has been muffled and nearly silenced, and even fallen for Satan's lies, as the Evangelical Right turns a deaf ear to political mischief.


Alas, the day when our nation decides that anything goes and we are answerable to no one and there's no Higher Power we are held accountable to--a day when God is dead in our nation, or no longer relevant and believable. We are approaching that day now when all we get is lip service and an occasional nod to God to satisfy the so-called Evangelical Right, who believe they represent God but have hijacked the faith. In the final analysis, morality matters simply because God is the moral center of the universe--He is our judge, we are not His judge.


The ultimate questions we must inquire concerning are:  Does man have a purpose?  Can man live without God?  Has man forgotten God?  The idea of Secular Humanism is being good without God, a religion without God in the picture.  We must rise to the occasion and fly our Christian colors and vociferously proclaim and spread the Word of our Great Commission. CAVEAT:  God is the only reliable anchor of society, the glue that holds it together via His divine institutions family, church, government--all meant to curtail and keep evil at bay.


A word to the wise is sufficient from Saint Aurelius Augustine, Bishop of Hippo: "Government is not a necessary evil, but necessary because of evil."  But then again, as an afterthought, I daresay our Bohemian and iconoclastic president has defied all norms of expectation and seems to be more of a Teflon president than Reagan, getting by with his unconventional M.O. without losing any of his loyal, devoted "base."      Soli Deo Gloria!

Answering The Ultimate Questions

All worldviews attempt to answer the ultimate questions of life:  where did we come from? how did we get here? why are we here? where will we end up? what makes life worth living?  Mankind has always asked these challenging questions.  This is where religion came on the scene, for God has put eternity in our hearts from the beginning and man has always wondered about life after death, as the ultimate issues and the big question.  All religions and worldviews attempt to give satisfying answers to these questions and to "save" mankind.  Some people think religion is just escapism or a crutch, but secular people have crutches too and just put their faith in science that it has the answer or can find them.





Everyone is a person of faith!  It just depends on what your presupposition is, i.e., it's not a matter of faith versus reason, but what you are willing to accept as truth, to begin with.  We must begin with God and explain our worldview, not start with some interpretative framework and explain away God--for where you begin usually determines where you will end up; even Darwin pondered, "Would you trust the convictions of a monkey's mind?" It has been said that if you teach a man he's an animal that he'll act like one; some men want to believe they are animals so they can have the morals of one.





Man is not an animal in the sense that he seeks the reason for being, meaning, purpose, and understanding in life--we wonder "why" and contemplate ourselves.  We not only know things but know that we know and ponder why we know it and what we can know even how we know things.  In other words, man is a natural philosopher, while animals don't wonder or think about the bigger issues in life besides their basic needs.  Even having an education, a higher standard of living, and freedom, man can be empty inside.  Man needs fulfillment and relationships, for we are a social, spiritual, moral, rational creature and have personalities that relate to others on a  personal level, giving man the unique ability to know and relate to one another.





Science can indeed give us the "know-how," but it cannot help us with the "know-why" of life, it cannot give us purpose in life and hope for the future, nor satisfy our longings for truth, identity, impact, importance, guidance, and meaning in life--animals have no such need. Do animals wonder who they are and try to find themselves or get in touch with themselves? Only man wastes time by worrying about the future and regretting the past.  Man is by nature a religious being too, and if he doesn't worship God he'll worship something or someone else; on the other hand, no one has ever observed a monkey building a chapel outside of The Planet of the Apes!




It is my premise that Christianity answers these questions better and fuller than any religion or secular worldview.  There is a harmony, coherence, and unity in the Christian worldview that lines up with the Bible as the authority.  Christianity outshines all other worldviews in reasonableness, personal experience, and foundation in fact and history. The Bible is the foundation upon which the faith stands.  Every worldview must have some authority or "scripture," and the Bible is the highest standard attained by man and it's self-attesting.  It appeals to no authority higher than itself for proof and proves itself.  This is not circular reasoning to say we believe the Bible is the highest authority because it claims to be, because God has the authority to speak through His Word and if He appealed to anything else or we did, like science or history, God would be taking a backseat to them and not be the ultimate authority figure.





Secularism believes that everything has a natural cause and can be explained naturally--there's no place nor need for miracles!  The supernatural is ruled out from the get-go and doesn't enter the equation.  Only the strong survive in this dog-eat-dog world of survival of the fittest and the law of the jungle--the real rat race.  We are just all lucky to be here due to some great cosmic accident eons ago.  They offer no explanation for life and their origin-of-life experiments (Miller-Urey experiments of 1952) fail to come off, and they must see the cosmos and life as mere givens, and incapable of being explained as common or natural phenomena.




In their view, everything is an infinite series of finite, efficient causes and there was no First Cause, which they refuse to accept as possible and necessary because it sounds too much like God.  But students of logic, science, philosophy, and mathematics know that an infinite series of causes is impossible--there must be a first cause!  This is called the impossibility of crossing infinity.  But they have no room for God in their equation and will not let a Divine Foot in the door, thinking that religion is a neurosis or delusion, a crutch for the weak.  


Much more they refuse to accept the spiritual dimension of life--everything is material and made up of matter and energy, without any spirit or Ultimate Mind behind it.  For instance, the brain is just a cog of machines, made up of electronic circuits, and the mind doesn't exist independently of it, just another name for the brain.  We have, therefore, no soul and no spirit worth saving.





The meaning of the cosmos hangs on which came first and which has precedence:  mind or matter.  Either one or the other preceded:  In the beginning ultimate mind; in the beginning ultimate matter.  The Bible starts out: "In the beginning God..." John elaborates as "In the beginning was the Word..." The Logos here referred to is the "expressed thought of God."  Either mind created matter or mind evolved from matter--there's no other option.  It's impossible for there to be nothing in the beginning, for "out of nothing, nothing comes." goes the axiom:  ex nihilo, nihil fit.





Cosmologists now reckon a beginning to time, as the Bible has always predicated (cf. 2 Tim. 1:9; Tit. 1:2).  Time, being the corollary of space and matter, didn't always exist, and God must be outside of the time/space continuum to be the First Cause and get the ball rolling (something timeless created time!).  What or who fired the shot of the Big Bang, who banged the Bang?  We conclude that there must be someone behind the cosmos who is responsible and intelligent and programmed the universal constants, called the Anthropic Principle or the fine-tuning of the universe.



All worldviews aim to save the world too and to make a brighter future for posterity.  Christians don't believe we can save society and do not attempt to save man through politics.  Most secularists are highly Utopian and believe man is capable of perfection and therefore so is society.  But this kind of dreaming is pie in the sky and gives false hopes, like believing someday man will know how to become immortal.  There are those who freeze their bodies in hope of man someday figuring out how to thaw it out and revive it. 



In the meantime, all members of the worldviews attempt to better themselves and their world and make it better for succeeding generations. "But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the LORD on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare" (Jer. 29:7, ESV).   Doing good works is a part of every worldview, it's the motivation that differs:  Christians do it out of gratitude and love for God and others, while other worldviews want to earn their way to salvation or just make themselves feel good, because of their unresolved guilt.  Soli Deo Gloria!

The Evil Question, What About It?

"... [B]ut I want you to be wise about what is good and innocent about what is evil" (Rom. 16:19, NIV).
"The LORD saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time" (Gen. 6:5, NIV). 
"In regard to evil be infants, but in your thinking be adults" (1 Cor. 14:20, NIV).
"Don't ask for whom the bell tolls, it tolls for thee." --John Donne
"If there is no God, all things are permissible." --Fyodor Dostoevsky

Do we need to apologize for evil in the world? No!   We live in "the best of all possible worlds," according to Leibniz, and this means God has a purpose for everything and allows evil to exist for the greater good (cf. Gen. 50:20; Prov. 16:4; Psalm 76:10).  God is able to turn evil into good and to overrule it for His glory, even making the wrath of man to praise Him (cf. Psalm 76:10).  Whenever men intend it for evil, God intends it for good (cf. Gen. 50:20).  There is a silver lining behind every gray cloud.  

Jesus said that the man was born blind that the goodness of God would be manifest in him. God sees the big picture, we are near-sighted.  Eph. 1:11 says God supervises all events according to His will.  John Milton wrote Paradise Lost to explain and defend the ways of God to man--this has been an issue from the beginning of all sin, even back to the Garden of Eden where Satan accused God of holding back on Adam and Eve.  Remember:  Hindsight is always 20/20!

We must be ever vigilant against evil and show our colors whenever possible--not standing on the sidelines--for we may all be called "for such a time as this" (cf. Esther 4:14).  We would not appreciate good, if not for the existence of evil!   Good is contrasted with evil and evil cannot exist apart from good, for it's merely a corruption of it or absence of it. Good and evil are not coequals in some cosmic battle like the yin/yang of Oriental philosophy, but evil is already defeated by good in Christ at the cross and we live in a mop-up effort between D-day and V-day so to speak.  

We need not apologize for its existence, for Wycliffe's tenet says "that all things come to pass of necessity."  Fear not though:  God did do something about evil--He made you!  You must ask yourself:  "What's wrong? Start with you.   The evil questioned has been solved by the death of Christ and its resolution is only a matter of time.

Many skeptics see evil everywhere and say why, rather than seeing the good possibilities and say why not.  Do you see possibilities in every difficulty or difficulties in every possibility?  It's not: if there is so much evil, where's God, but if there's so much good, where isn't He?  The force of God's good will eventually overcome evil!  We want to be part of the answer, not part of the problem.  That is our M.O. to take the high road and defeat Satan by the power of the Spirit in us.  We may look at the world and may even doubt God and wonder where He is; however, we really should say, "Where isn't He?"  The real issue is where the church is, not where God is.  God uses His church and has commissioned it as His ambassadors of goodwill, for God is the moral center of the universe.

If God were to stamp out evil where would you and I be?  Would we escape judgment ourselves? We are not without evil.  Let's indeed start with us and repent of our own evils.  Don't blame God for evil--He didn't create it nor direct it but allowed its entree by virtue of the gift of Adam's free will in eating of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil--the opportunity to decide for or against Him and thus creating the possibility of evil's existence. Remember: It's impossible to have free will without both good and evil and the power to choose between the two.  We can be grateful for the patience of God in extending the day of grace so that we all have space to repent.

The world is filled with evil and no one escapes blame. There seems to be a lot of evil turning into good because there's a lot more of it.  Remember, it's only in contrast to evil that we see good!  But people react differently to the same evils: some become bitter; some become better!  As they say, "The same sun hardens the clay, melts the butter."  Here's one quotable remark:  In response to the article, "What's wrong with the world?  I am, sincerely yours, G. K. Chesterton."   If we yielded fully to God's will to accomplished His work we could usher in the kingdom of God a lot sooner, for we are to speed His return (cf. 2 Pet. 3:12); i.e., fulfilling the Great Commission, which is Job One.   Soli Deo Gloria! 

Refraining From Lottery Tickets And Legalism

"Accept the one whose faith is weak without quarreling over disputable matters" (Rom. 14:1, NIV).
"I have the freedom to do anything, but I won't be controlled by anything" (1 Cor. 6:12, CEB).
"Everything is permitted, but everything isn't beneficial.  Everything is permitted, but everything doesn't build others up" (1 Cor. 10:23, CEB). 
"So, whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, you should do it all for God's glory" (CEB).
"The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the LORD" (Prov. 16:33, NIV).

Some believers may feel holier-than-thou (cf. Isa. 65:5) and by restraining from what they define as gambling--the lottery, they get a spiritual high.  They may even have told them that God told them so!  This is hogwash and mysticism, for God doesn't reveal truths to a certain elite group of privileged believers so that only they are in the know. They may feel this is their weakness, to gamble, but this is a personal choice, not something the Bible forbids directly nor indirectly by implying.  First, Christianity isn't a list of dos and don'ts as if we are better Christians if we don't do this or that: e.g., watching the hemlines, ticket lines, and hairlines to legalists.  Christianity isn't about what you don't do, but a relationship with Christ in knowing Him.  There is so little stated in Scripture about gambling that you just can't make any anti-gambling case on it.  When the Bible does forbid something and you do it, that's sin, not legalism.  We don't need a longer to-do list or what-not-to-do list.

The Bible does state that the faith you have, keep to yourself and don't be a stumbling block.  We are not to go "beyond that which is written" (cf. 1 Cor. 4:6).  When our conscience is clear, we see right and wrong clearly and it can be a guide, but if the conscience isn't enlightened by Scripture it is a hindrance to spirituality.  He that is spiritual must make the Bible his ultimate, final rule of faith.  We question authority when it contravenes Scripture. Caveat:  Don't focus on the sin of others and apply the Word to them, apply it to yourself--we all tend to see other people's sins.  (As a rule of thumb the Bible nowhere prohibits the casting of lots, which was common, and by the argument from silence one could reason that it's up to the individual person, situation, or conscience.)

One might argue that God will supply all their needs and you don't need to gamble, but that doesn't mean God won't give a little extra blessing from time to time, something going above and beyond the mere essentials.  CAVEAT:  When believers start quoting God and claiming God spoke to them to grant them special revelation so that they know something others don't, this is mysticism.  A believer must never feel condemned or judged by another believer nor let him be put under any nonbiblical criticism: The Scripture plainly says in Rom. 8:1 that there is "no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus," period!  Who is he who condemns but the devil and accuser of the brethren? (Cf. Rom. 8:34).  Who wants to play the role of adversary to the believer?

The problem inherent in legalism is seeing sins, not sin.  Going by the letter of the law, not the Spirit.  It is said that the old nature knows no law, while the new nature needs no law.  We must refrain from ignoring major sins and focusing scrupulously on minor points or sins (cf. Matt. 23:23-24).  Some sins are indeed more serious and deserve more attention.  The only cure for legalism and its influence is a thorough study of the Word and to become grace-oriented. We must not bind people with legalistic demands but set them free; however, we are not ever free to live as we want, but as we ought.  We ought to impose no restraint on the believer that is unbiblical, or that which goes beyond that which is written (cf. 1 Cor. 4:4).

What is important is that we overcome the sin which so easily entangles us (cf. Heb. 12:1), and from our private sin.  We don't want any certain sin to dominate us (cf. Psa. 119:133):  "...let no sin rule over me."  We are overcomers when we have our own sins under control, and not what others define as sin; for some things may be sin for one person and not another--"whatever is not of faith is sin" (cf. Rom. 14:23).

Weaker brothers who object should grow in knowledge, while stronger believers ought to grow in love.  At any rate, both ought to respect the faith of the other in dubious or questionable areas.  In fact, the faith you have, you are to keep to yourself between you and God as much as possible; this means don't parade your freedom or flaunt it before others!  In sum, the legalistic believer is living in paralysis, a parody of the real thing--not realizing his real freedom in Christ.      Soli Deo Gloria!

The Art Of Bible Study Approach And Technique

"[A]nd there he revealed himself to Samuel through his word" (1 Sam. 3:21, NIV).
"[T]ill what he foretold came to pass, till the word of the LORD proved him true [tested him]" (Psa. 105:19, NIV).  
"For I have not shunned to declare unto you the whole counsel of God" (Acts 20:27, NKJV).
"Open my eyes, that I may see wondrous things from Your law" (Psa. 119:18, NKJV).
"It's not the parts of the Bible I don't understand that bother me, it's the parts I do understand." --Mark Twain

NB: It is one thing to know the Scriptures, and quite another to know the Author, as the Bible doesn't so much as describe God as to make Him known.  

We all need to address a problem with a plan of attack and studying the Bible is no easy one for the novice.  Basically, all the rules that apply to any literature also do apply to Scripture, only more so.  The Bible, for instance, is to be taken literally, at face value, but not everything is meant to be literal but as plays on words and figures of speech.  Poetry is usually figurative and not to be taken literally all the time, which is a common mistake; likewise, citing Proverbs as promises you can take to the bank or divine directives is mistaken--all genres must be treated accordingly.  One common error is to interpret the Bible according to our experience; the flip side is correct, though--interpret experience according to the light of the Scripture.  The Bible makes sense and common sense is a basic concept--if common sense makes sense, seek no other sense, or you'll have nonsense, it is said.

The Bible is a library with a coherent theme that forms a complete picture taken as a whole, and to see the big picture one must recognize the storyline, the revelation of Jesus everywhere, and main message, which even a child can comprehend.  Normally, we interpret it as it's written and let Scripture be its own interpreter or Supreme Court.  This means understanding poetry as poetry and narrative as narrative, history as history, etc; i.e., distinguishing genres.  Be careful not to read into the Bible what you already believe and are just looking for proof texts to validate yourself.  We must search for the intended meaning to the recipients and what the author meant, not what it means to us when we see some far-fetched idea from some isolated passage.  Don't look for far-out truths, but try to see the obvious ones first.  Caveat for mysticism:  Note that "no prophecy is of any private interpretation" (cf. 2 Pet. 1:20), and God isn't going to show you unique, or personal truths that no one else knows as some special revelation--He reveals truth to the body of Christ and the church in particular to confirm it.  "For it is no empty word for you, but your very life..." (cf. Deut. 32:47, ESV).

The Bible is meant to change our lives, not increase our knowledge and it will keep us from sin, or sin will keep us from it.  We must apply ourselves to the study of the Word, and be in the right spirit, frame of mind, having an open, willing, and obedient attitude. We need to be like Ezra, who "prepared his heart to seek the Law of the LORD," (cf. Ezra 7:10).  God's Word will test you and it's what sanctifies us as Jesus called it truth (cf. Psalm 105:19; John 17:17).  Don't think it needs to be rewritten, it just needs to be reread, for you don't read it once and put it on the shelf. Even Lincoln said he was profitably engaged in reading the Bible!  We need to be like Paul said, "The Word is very near you...."  Paul urged Timothy to give himself wholly to the Scriptures (cf. 1 Tim. 4:15).

Remember, when reading, that the entirety of God's Word is truth (cf. Psalm 119:160), and this means the sum of it, and you cannot divorce or isolate Scripture to suit your private interpretations.  What would the reader have understood? That means don't try to apply ex-post facto standards or laws to Bible times, but interpret according to the time written and don't fit it into politically correct norms.  The whole purpose of reading is to see the world through the spectacle of God's Word and get a Christian worldview, experiencing the mind of Christ and thus be sanctified by the Truth.  It is said the Bible is our beacon, our celestial fix, our heavenly GPS, and our guidance system for life; however, it's much more than a rule book or set of instructions or code to live by--we experience God in the Word and find that He speaks through it.

One key to reading, as with all reading, is to do it with purpose and have the right attitude:  a needy heart, a willing spirit, and an open mind.  God will show us "Aha!" moments in the Word if we do this. We learn to experience the living God in the living Word!  No need to get Bible fatigue, or boredom from overuse of familiar versions, try new ones!  When we learn to see Jesus in the Word, we can rightly divide the Word of Truth (cf. 2 Tim. 2:15), as exhorted; the whole of Scripture is about Him in some fashion.

The most common mistake is to take texts out of context and get a pretext, even when using it as a proof text. As is the case with all reading, common sense, grammar, logic, diction, syntax, and the rules of inference and allusion or quotation apply.  Don't read into the text (eisegesis) with preconceived notions and opinions just looking for verifications!  You must be willing to go where the Truth leads and be willing to admit you could be wrong!  There is no such thing as total or perfect objectivity but this is no excuse not to have sound study technique and habits.

In studying it, be sure to interpret narratives or history in light of didactic or teaching passages, implicit in light of explicit, obscure and unclear in light of the clear, and also don't forget that we interpret the New Testament in light of the Old Testament and vice versa--never dividing what God has progressively revealed and joined (cf. Mark 10:9). A caveat for Gnosticism or mysticism:  Don't individualize it or think it applies especially to you and no others or there is some secret message or knowledge to be had.  It is easy to take a mere academic approach or to over-spiritualize, allegorize (see it merely as a tall tale and only a practical lesson to be learned), or be guilty of subjectivism (inserting personal opinion and feelings).

For example, seeing the story of Job as merely a grin and bear it, or David and Goliath as standing up to your foes; or the feeding of the multitude as being prepared.  Even though some passages are allegorical, such as Sarah and Isaac and Ishmael, but we must see the deeper meaning of what is intended, that which only the Holy Spirit can illuminate.  Thus, there is grave danger in negligence of the author's intent and concentrating on your immediate impression.  In other words, we don't read it like we would Aesop's Fables for the moral of the story, that we could learn from any fictional source.  We can expect "the day to dawn and the morning star to arise in [our] hearts" (cf. 2 Pet. 1:19).

There's more than one way to skin a cat:  Do word studies traced through the Word; look for the big picture and see the main message gradually revealed from book to book; take on a subject and see the entire Word develop the doctrine, known as topical study; trace the development of a doctrine; study one book at a time or certain genres of books; study by genre, such as poetry, proverb, history, prophecy, law, and gospel; do an exegesis of one text and analyze it critically, in context, to decipher its message in detail, or do expository studies to reveal and expose truths needed to be discovered,  broadcast, or disseminated.

In sum, we take Scripture at face value (the Bible does engage in symbolism and Jesus didn't always beat around the bush though) and take it according to the whole analogy of the Word and we cannot fabricate our own truths; we have a right to our own opinions and applications, but not our own truths. 

CAVEAT:  We need to steer clear of being mystical and interpreting passages with private meanings that others don't see; i.e., wondering what it means to us, not what the writer intended and what the recipient understood--the Bible isn't a fairy tale or bedtime story.    Soli Deo Gloria!

When No Man Can Work

"But I said, 'I have labored in vain; I have spent my strength for nothing at all.  Yet what is due me is in the LORD's hand, and my reward is with my God'" (Isa. 49:4, NIV).  "The LORD will fulfill his purpose for me..." (Psalm 138:8, ESV).  "I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work you gave me to do" (John 17:4, ESV).

The night will come when labor ceases and no man can work (cf. John 9:4), and evaluation or judgment takes place, the reward according to our deeds.  Some people of great faith made good on it and produced labors worthy of their God-given faith, which was God's gift to them, not their gift to God, just like our righteousness is by grace.  We are all here for a purpose to fulfill and if the bugle doesn't give a distinct call, no one will be ready for battle (cf. 1 Cor. 14:8). The psalmist said that the LORD will fulfill His purpose for him (cf. Pss. 138:8; 57:2).  We are all here for a reason and we must find our calling to be fulfilled persons in the will of God.

The only happy people, according to Albert Schweitzer, are those who've learned to serve.  It is in serving that we find our mission; only those who've never ventured out of their comfort zones and tried to serve don't know of any spiritual gift or grace from God.  We must even serve if we don't think it's our gift and make ourselves available, for availability is the greatest ability.  God does indeed call us to faithfulness in what He does bestow and not to success, which is up to Him to make the seed grow and provide life.

Paul was aware that he must suffer many things for the sake of the cross.  The more God blesses us, the more is expected from us, for to whom much is given, much is required (cf. Luke 12:48).  Paul said, "The most important thing is that I complete my mission, the work that the Lord Jesus gave me" (Acts 20:24, NCV).  It may seem that our work is in vain, but Paul said in 1 Cor. 15:58 that no work done in the name of the Lord is in vain.

Sometimes we don't comprehend the purpose of our efforts or the seeming fruitlessness, and it all seems in vain, as Isaiah said in Isa. 49:4 that his work seemed "useless."  This is merely a test of faith to see what our true motives and intentions are, just as God withdrew from Hezekiah to see what was on his heart (cf. 2 Chron. 32:21).  It has been proven that a person can endure nearly any trial if he sees purpose in it; Job was put on trial for no fault of his own and shows us the ultimate in patience in testing and the lesson that God is always just in the end and will reward us for the year the locust has eaten (cf. Joel 2:25) or make it up to us for the bad years with good ones (cf. Psalm 90:15.  We are never in a no-win situation with God and it always pays to trust in the Lord and lean not unto our own understanding (cf. Prov. 3:5).

The most rewarding epitaph we can have is "MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!"  To know that the Lord will be pleased with our labors and that we will be deemed good and faithful servants of what He entrusted us with is an intrinsic reward in itself.  True holiness, according to Mother Teresa of Calcutta, is doing the will of God with a smile!  We are formed to serve God and can only find fulfillment in doing that; a "non-serving Christian is a contradiction in terms," according to Rick Warren.  When we leave to our reward let us be like Jesus, who said, "I have finished the work You have given me to do" (cf. John 17:4).

We were created to be servants and will only find fulfillment in finding service!  Even Jesus came not to be served, but to serve (cf. Mark 10:45).  We don't serve to be noticed or to make a name for ourselves, but to bring glory to God and to do it in His name!   Many people are willing to serve, but for the wrong motive--we must be pure before God and do it by the power of the Spirit, as Zechariah 4:6 says, "Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit."

We must be willing to keep a low profile and not draw attention to ourselves when the real glory belongs to God.  Some people are merely people-pleasers or work with eye service to gain the approbation of man, like to curry favoritism, but we must focus on the eternal goal and serve in light of eternity, where we will be rewarded--for some, their reward and portion is in this life (cf. Psa. 17:14).   See yourself as a special agent of God on special assignment or in the secret service!  Remember we are created unto good works and are expected to fulfill the mission assigned us faithfully, which was even foreordained for us and planned out by God (cf. Eph. 2:10).

The right mental attitude is one of excellence and of doing our best for the Lord, for there is a curse on one who does the Lord's work with slackness (cf. Jer. 48:10).   We ought to have the frame of mind to do our utmost for His Highest.  It's all right to have godly ambition, but "selfish ambition" is forbidden and worldly, not spiritual (cf. Jer. 45:5; Phil. 2:3).  In other words, do not "seek great things" for yourself, but look out for the Lord's interests and expect big things from Him as you attempt big things [plans or projects] for Him, as William Carey said.   Soli Deo Gloria!

Nature Versus Nurture 2?

"If God does not exist, all things are permissible." --Fyodor Dostoevsky 

This was a great debate a few years ago in the discipline of psychology, and even of sociology.  What if it's neither (i.e., nature nor nurture)?  They left out one important possibility or factor to insert into the equation as a constant and/or variable, a key player but ultimately sovereign, and a given:  God. Don't rule God out!  What if God says we are to blame?  But we are the clay and God is the Potter and guides the details of our lives.  Christianity is a type of psychology too and does offer real solutions, if taken seriously, to behavior issues, and offers counseling to help troubled individuals with unresolved personal problems and issues, or in some cases salvation, if they are lost.

Two people can react quite differently to the same stimuli or tragedy with divergent results: it's not what happens to you but in you that counts!  The same sun melts the butter, hardens the clay and the same hammer that forges steel and breaks the glass.  We all react according to our God-given nature and either become bitter or better for we are all mere clay in God's hands as our Potter.  Our worldview affects greatly how we interpret our world and react to it; it's not a matter of faith versus reason, but which set of presuppositions we accept as fact. Everyone has faith, even the secular person can have faith in science as the answer to problems.  God thus orchestrates our life to make us what we are.

No God means no sin as Albert Camus said, "The absurd is sin without God." We do well to heed the admonition of psychiatrist Dr. Karl Menninger's book Whatever Became of Sin?  This means we are responsible for our choices!   But guilt (from this sin) is real and cannot be denied--it can dog us all our lives, but it can be good to feel bad and it's therapeutic, forcing self-examination and soul-searching, though there is psychological guilt that is imagined and cruel, and this must be dealt with to bring healing to the soul, i.e., there's ultimate meaning in all suffering.  Note it was Freud who popularized the notion of a "guilt complex."  Perhaps we feel guilty because we are guilty!  We're fighting God!  We all make choices!  You simply cannot blame your genes for your bad behavior or weaknesses, they are sins--this is just inventing pretty names for them! You have no right to claim:  I was born this way!  It's a cop-out to blame the environment, family, upbringing, or society (the first sin was committed in the idyllic place known as the Garden of Eden), but we should never be in the blame game, period.

Sin is our fault and we are culpable!  We shall be judged if we do not find the mercy of God.  Sin is only a sign of the virus inherited from Adam and everyone has it.  Yes, no one is perfect nor can they put themselves on a pedestal.  We must assume individual responsibility and come clean.  Sir Francis Crick, co-discoverer of DNA, said we are "not pawns of our genes," and therefore we cannot play the blame game.  Scientists do say that some people are more vulnerable than others and it's only stressors that trigger illnesses, but that is the case with all sin--some may be more vulnerable to committing rape or murder, but they are still going to be judged and are responsible.

Why?  Because God's grace is sufficient and can change us from having hearts of stone to hearts of flesh (cf. Ezek. 36:26) and regenerate us into new creatures (cf. 2 Cor. 5:17).  Christ is still in the resurrection business and changes lives!  The biggest miracle that cannot be denied is how He transforms sinners into saints!  We all have the opportunity to repent and believe in the gospel and if we turn our back on Christ and harden our hearts, it's our blame, not our genes nor our environment--there's no excuse, period!   Yes, we are worse off, but not too bad to be saved!  No one is too far gone.  Some people just need to come to an end of themselves to realize their need for grace in their lives, and that they aren't in control as the master of their fate and captain of their soul.  God can conquer anyone and is stronger than we are (cf. Jer. 20:7).

It's been postulated by John Locke, et al., that children are born with a tabula rasa (are blank slates), not prone to evil, but inherently or intrinsically good, merely spoiled or corrupted by the impure environment, which is to blame (favoring the nurture in the debate). This erroneous hypothesis arises from eliminating God from the equation and refusing to factor Him into consideration--it's a cop-out!  Where you start determines where you'll end up--this is a recipe for psychological chaos (for cosmos without Logos, the expression of God, the logic of God is chaos) and makes all scientific endeavor futile.  We must begin with God and explain our problem and not with the problem and explain away God!

What is the solution then?  Only in genuine repentance and saving faith in Christ, acknowledging our guilt before a holy God, seeking reconciliation, as we are personally culpable before God, to deliver us from the power of sin over us--though we must live with the consequences they are neutralized and turned to our benefit and overall blessing.  Remember, God will discipline the wayward child who persists in living a life of sin without repentance and will not countenance it.  To just make excuses or shift the blame only compounds the problem and evades the issue.  The missing link in the equation is that we're created in God's image and there's something about us that is like God, and we need to find out what it means to be human.  All worldviews must contemplate what's wrong with man--some only learn by the school of hard knocks. Soli Deo Gloria!

Have Thine own way, Lord!
Have Thine own way!
Thou art the Potter, I am the clay.
Mold me and make me after will,
While I am waiting yielded and still.
--famous gospel hymn, public domain

The Way Up Is Down

"He must increase, but I must decrease" (John 3:30, NASB).
"Humble yourself before the Lord and he will exalt you" (James 4:10, ESV).
NB:  A non-serving Christian is a contradiction in terms, for Christ came to serve (cf. Mark 10:45).  
"... [T]he straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie" (John 1:27, NIV).

In God's economy, the way up is down, so to speak, because humility comes before honor; God is opposed to the proud but gives grace to the humble (cf. 1 Pet. 5:5; James 4:6).  John was inclined to put this into action by demurring to baptize Jesus, saying he wasn't worthy to untie Jesus' sandals, and ultimately said, "He must become greater, I must become less" (John 3:30, NIV).  

Jesus humbled Himself ultimately to the point of death on a cross, but on the eve of the Passover celebration, the Seder, He took a towel to do some foot-washing--demonstrating that nothing should be beneath us if we have a servant's attitude and heart, i.e., menial chores. This can be called the order of the towel whereby we serve one another in the body, for there is no elite in the church but we are all members one of another and family. No one is indispensable in the sense of not being replaceable gift-wise in the body, and we are all necessary for the body to be healthy.

Jesus is the supreme exemplar of servanthood, for He emptied Himself (kenosis in Koine). He took on our infirmities and limitations as man and stood in the gap experiencing our pain in order to be able to sympathize and intercede for us as our High Priest in heaven.  We are exhorted to think of ourselves as Christ thought of Himself--to be of the same mind (cf. Phil. 2:5). Everyone wants to be Number One in the kingdom, but Jesus stated that the first shall be last (cf. Mark 9:35)!  

Greatness in God's economy is not measured by how many people serve you, but by how many you serve!  Real servanthood is when we forget ourselves long enough to lend a helping hand (cf. Phil. 2:4, MSG), and make a difference in the world for the good. No one serves in obscurity, for God sees in secret and will reward us in time.

John Wesley's motto was an example to emulate:  "Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as you ever can."  Servants make themselves available and see open doors and opportunities to use whatever God has entrusted them to as stewards.  Don't ever say that you are a limited servant and cannot make yourself useful when there's a need: if you see a man in a ditch, pull him out--don't say you don't have the gift of "helps!"   Matt. 10:42 says that even offering a cup of cold water for the sake of the Name will not go unrewarded.  When we've done it to the least of His brethren, we've done it unto the Lord (cf. Matt. 25:40).

In God's economy, it's not how much we can exalt ourselves or play the fool, it's how low we can go, for the kingdom of God goes to the lowest bidders--we must realize our unworthiness.  "... He that humbles himself shall be exalted, "(cf. Matt 23:12).  We ought not to think of ourselves any more highly than we ought (cf. Rom. 12:3).  "Live in harmony with one another.  Do not be proud but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited" (Rom. 12:16). 

Caveat:  Do not imitate Diotrephes (cf. 3 John), who loved to be first and lord it over the flock, but be examples of having the mindset of a servant, i.e., of Christ.   A final word to the wise:  He who humbles himself shall be exalted!      Soli Deo Gloria! 

Loving Darkness Or Light?

"I form light and create darkness..." (Isa. 45:7, ESV).
"The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it" (John 1:5, ESV).
"The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God" (2 Cor. 4:4, NIV).
"The unfolding of your words gives light..." (Psa. 119:130, NIV).  
"For with you is the fountain of life; in your light, we see light" (Psa. 36:9, NIV).
"Send me your light and your faithful care, let them lead me" (Psa. 43:3, NIV).
"I selected and sent you to bring light and my promise of hope to the nations" (Isa. 42:6, CEV).

This is the verdict:  men loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil, and refused to come to the light, lest their deeds are exposed (cf. John 3:19). Woe to those who put light for darkness and darkness for light (cf. Isa. 5:20).  Coming to the light is the same as coming to Jesus and coming clean.  There is just enough light to see if one wants to and enough darkness to keep those in the dark who wish to stray there and not come to the light (cf. John 7:17).

It's true that seeing isn't believing, but believing is seeing because we believe in order to understand according to Augustine.  No one is in total darkness (cf. Acts 14:17), but there is always a light to show the way for those who might repent.  We all experience darkness on occasion because we shouldn't "... doubt in the dark what God told [us] in the light (attributed, Raymond Edman).  Jesus came to bear witness of the light and enlightened every man.  When we see the light, our lives are transformed, on a mission, and we see Jesus in action.

The reason we can't see God, who is Light, and dwells in unapproachable light (cf. 1 Tim. 6:16), is because we cannot even bear to look into the sun, one of His creations, much less see His glory.  There is no darkness with God (cf. 1 John 1:5).  It has been told of a man who lived in a dark cave and when he went outside was afraid of the light and went back into the dark cave where he felt secure and unseen.  Newsflash:  God sees in the darkness and nothing is hidden from Him (cf. Psa. 90:8). When we get saved we see the light and our spiritual eyes are opened, especially in reading the Bible.

Christians are called to be lights and not to hide our light but to let it shine and change the world with it collectively.  We are the light of the world (cf. Matt 5:14).  We are to be children of light, putting off the works of darkness, and to act like it as God's ambassadors (cf. 2 Cor. 5:20), and witnesses to a dark, fallen world that doesn't see the way, doing works of light.  Our light is equated with truth (cf. John 3:21, "he that doeth truth cometh to the light"), and Amos accuses the people of "twisting the truth and stomping on justice"--the same thing is occurring today as we see Postmodern worldviews becoming predominate and people not even knowing what truth is, much less what a lie is--they seem to think that truth is what they prefer to believe or what works for them, and another person's truth has no power over them because it's all relevant.

It is unfortunate, as James Russell Lowell says:  "Truth forever on the scaffold, wrong forever on the throne."  There seem to be no truths anyone is willing to die for anymore. Hosea 5:6 says that when people refuse the light, it's withdrawn from them.  It is only by God's grace that we acknowledge the truth (cf. 2 Tim. 2:25) and the highest regard is to be well spoken of by the truth (cf. 3 John v. 12).  It is the truth that sets us free (cf. John 8:32), referring to knowing the Lord, for Augustine said "all truth is God's truth" and Aquinas added that "all truth meets at the top," to discover the truth is to discover the God of truth in some manner.

We are to walk in the truth, or in the light figuratively because the Word of Truth is what sanctifies us (cf. John 17:17).  God is light and in Him is no darkness, and therefore there is no fellowship between light and darkness and we are to come out from it and be separate or holy.  "Come, ... let us walk in the light of the LORD" (Isa. 2:5, NIV). When we walk and abide in the light, even as Christ is in the light, we have sweet fellowship with one another (cf. 1 John 1:7).

The fool walks in darkness though (cf. Eccl. 2:14), so we must show the way and be lights in a dark world, putting on the armor of light (cf. Rom. 13:12).  If we say we are in the light, we ought to walk in the light (1 John 2:9ff).  "The LORD is my light and my salvation..." (Psa. 27:1, NIV):  everyone needs to see the light.  

In summation, let's fulfill the Word of God in Isa. 60:1, NIV, saying, "[A]rise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD has come upon you."   It's a known, undisputed fact among believers that the closer you get to the light, the more imperfections are seen.   Soli Deo Gloria!

Where Is Boasting Then?

"[Y]ou who rejoice in the conquest of Lo Debar [nothing] and say, Did we not take Karnaim by our own strength?" (Amos 6:13, NIV).
"... [A]ll we have accomplished is really from you" (Isa. 26:12, NIV).
"But, the one who brags, should brag in the Lord" (2 Cor. 10:17, CEB).
"For who makes you different from anyone else?  What do you have that you did not receive?  And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?" (1 Cor. 4:7, NIV).
"My hope is built on nothing less, Than Jesus' blood and righteousness; I dare not trust the sweetest frame, But wholly lean on Jesus' name." --Edward Mote

We must come to the eventual realization that we have nothing to boast of in God's eyes--our righteousness is not our gift to God, but His gift to us (cf Isaiah 45:24)!  If we choose to boast, Jeremiah makes the point:  Let it be done in the Lord, that we know Him.  Israel had a problem with pride in their conquering of lands in Amos 6:13; however, God said it was nothing they had done at all.  Paul stresses that he would boast of nothing but of what Christ had done through him as a vessel of honor (cf. Rom. 15:18):  "I will not venture to speak of anything but of what Christ has accomplished through me..." (NIV).

It would've been a temptation for Paul to boast since he had nearly single-handedly converted the Roman empire through his missionary journeys, and he didn't even brag of his visit to the third heaven (cf. 2 Cor. 12:2). But Paul was forced to be braggadocio (cf. 2 Cor. 12:1) because he was defending the integrity of his credentials and ministry.  But the difference with his boast is that he knew it was all grace from beginning to end, grace was not only sufficient but necessary!  Just as Jesus said in John 15:5 that we can do nothing apart from Him.  Paul seized the day (carpe diem in Latin) and foretold of his weaknesses, not his strengths or accomplishments--for God is not interested in our achievements as much as our faithfulness and obedience! 

What we have accomplished must be done for the sake of the Name and in the power of the Holy Spirit or anointed by God to be worthy of reward.  Paul wasn't against good works at all, even his own, just those done in the energy of the flesh (cf. Rom. 8:7-8).  No matter how great, they are not good enough to boast of. Our righteousness is as filthy rags (cf. Isa. 64:6).  Paul was ready to embrace the grace that was his and that God always met his needs and when he had God, Paul had the confidence that he had all he needed.  God reminded Paul after he had prayed to have the thorn in his flesh removed that God's grace is sufficient for him--God knows our limits and strengths too (this evidently kept him from getting a big head!). 

Why boast of our weaknesses, as Paul suggested?  Because God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the strong, and not many mighty are called by God for this reason--God's power can use anyone and empower him to His glory. God likes to use ordinary men like the twelve were.  The lesson goes that the weaker we are, the greater the grace that is manifest and thus the greater glory for God.  We are never to play one-upmanship and try to compare ourselves with each other by some common, invented scale. 

The more we learn to lean on Jesus the more we credit Him for our deeds and realize that it is by the grace of God that we are what we are, as Paul said in 1 Cor. 15:10.  George Whitefield was asked about a criminal going to the gallows and remarked:  "There but for the grace of God go I!"  This is the right attitude: that we are no more worthy than anyone else and cannot merit our salvation or even being used by God as a vessel of honor. 

It is so important that we become grace-oriented and realize that we don't deserve our relationship with God (we have no claim on His friendship), we cannot earn salvation, and will never be able to pay it back.  Christ is the one who paid the penalty He didn't owe for a people who couldn't pay.  When we realize that the price is of infinite value we will awaken to the value of the grace of God on our behalf:  IT IS FINISHED! or PAID IN FULL!   It is done!   Praising God and worship are a form of boasting in the Lord and giving Him the glory He deserves, although we share in it and will be glorified in eternity (cf. 1 Pet. 5:10; Psa. 84:11; Rom. 8:30) just as Christ is in us for the hope of glory (cf. Col. 1:27).

Worship, though, belongs to Him alone, for He is worthy and has paid the price by His blood, obedience, submission, and humiliation for our salvation.  God will get all the credit for our salvation (to God alone be the glory, Soli Deo Gloria!), from beginning to end, start to finish, as the author and finisher of our faith (cf. Heb. 12:2), because it's a work of God in us, not of cooperation, or a joint adventure, but of the grace of regeneration to convert us from hearts of stone to hearts of flesh (cf. Ezek. 36:26). 

Note that even our faith is the gift of God, it's not merit-based work, for we have "believed through grace," according to Acts 18:27.  At judgment hopefully, we will gleefully sing the hymn, "Nothing in my hands I bring, Simply to Thy cross I cling."   Soli Deo Gloria!