Seeing Our Own Sinfulness

"The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God's law, nor can it do so.  Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God"  (Rom. 8:7-8, NIV).
"The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure.  Who can understand it?" (Jer. 17:9, NIV). 
"... But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at the door.  Its desire is for you, but you must rule over it" (Gen. 4:7, HCSB)
"It is no use giving us rules of conduct; we cannot keep them." --John Stott
"In Adam's fall/ We sinned all" (The New England Primer, 1727). 

We all are born "in Adam" (as opposed to becoming "in Christ" upon salvation) or with "original sin" (the result of the first sin) inherited from Adam, by virtue of his being the representative head of our race and acting on our behalf when he disobeyed God. When Adam ate of the so-called "proverbial apple" it was the prototype or model sin:  "He spurned God's grace; contradicted His truth; rejected His authority; disputed His wisdom; repudiated His justice, and resisted His grace" (Author unknown). 

Sin is our birthright and a virus we all have inherited.   It has been defined by the Westminster divines as "any want of conformity to or transgression of the law of God."  By the way, it's "any thought, word, action, omission, or desire contrary to the Law of God" (Charlie Riggs of the BGEA) i.e., anything contrary to the nature of God--our Declaration of Independence from God--it's such a killjoy word for preachers but cannot be ignored without peril. It's our birthright and a virus we inherit.  We must be against it!

We must see our sinfulness to be saved and come to repentance.  The law was given to make us see our sin ("for by the law is the knowledge of sin," cf. Rom. 3:20).   It was never given to save us but to show us we need salvation. We don't know how bad we are, till we attempt to become good, and we cannot become good without knowing how bad we are--the solution to this catch-22 is knowing Jesus as our Savior.  This so-called doctrine of total depravity or more realistically, radical corruption. means our whole being--heart or emotions, mind or intellect, and will or volition--are corrupt and unable to please God--we're not utterly depraved or as bad as we can be. 

Even our reasoning powers and conscience are corrupt--spoiled by sin (cf. Titus 1:15).  We are stubborn, rebellious people whom God has to conform to do His will like a Potter working on clay.  G. K. Chesterton said tongue-in-cheek that this is the only doctrine "that can be proved."  "... [B]ut men loved darkness rather than light" (cf. John 3:19).

Our sinfulness becomes even more apparent to us as we get closer to God--the closer our walk, the more consciousness of sin. Peter exclaimed, "Depart from me O Lord, for I am a sinful man" (cf. Luke 5:8).  Samuel Rutherford said to pray for a hearty sense of sin, because "the greater sense of sin, the less sin."  The point of being bad is not that we are too bad to be saved, but never good enough to be saved--Isaiah 64:6 says "our righteousness is as filthy rags."  

In fact, where sin abounds, grace abounds all the more (cf. Rom. 5:20).  Let's not play the "let's compare game!"   It doesn't matter that we may be better than our neighbor--we all look like saints compared to Saddam Hussein, because God doesn't grade on a curve--we're all in the same boat of falling short of God's glorious ideal per Rom. 3:23.

This solidarity in Adam means we have a legacy of sin as our inheritance and we cannot escape our birthright.  We were born in sin, not born free!   Our wills were in bondage too, not free till we were freed in Christ upon salvation (cf. John 8:36)!  We cannot even save ourselves and don't even meet our own standards of good, as Ovid said, "I see better things and I approve them, but I follow the worst." But the whole point is that the greater we are forgiven, the greater our love, as William Jay of Bath said, "I am a great sinner, but I have a great Savior."

In Adam's fall, we all ceased to be good, though not ceasing to be human.  We all have a dark side or are like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde--we all have feet of clay or a vulnerable side no one sees.  The world thinks a man is basically good, but he is inherently evil and cannot please God--all he can do is sin.  People think this means we are as bad as we can be, but we are as bad off as we can be.  We are not as corrupt as possible, for God restrains sin, but our whole nature is corrupt.--total depravity, not utter depravity.  Why?  God can turn the wrath of man to praise Him (cf. Psalm 76:10).  We see goodness in light of evil and evil brings opportunity for good.  The good news is that no one is too bad to be saved, but grace abounds to the chief of sinners, as John Bunyan wrote (cf. Rom. 5:20).

Sin has been our downfall and we must be reminded of our old sin nature or it will dominate.  "Sin wants to destroy you, but we must not let it" (cf. Gen. 4:7, CEV).  We need to renounce sin in ourselves and turn from it first to have discernment. "The absurd," according to Albert Camus, "is sin without God"--we must become aware of sin to repent of it; that's why knowledge and admission of sin is the missing ingredient (Whatever Became of Sin? by Karl Menninger, MD).

We are all guilty of rebellion, independent attitudes, lawlessness, godlessness, injustice, unbelief, iniquity, and all manner of transgression and unrighteousness--these are all evil violations of God's person and nature.  D. James Kennedy says the law was given to show us we don't keep it, the "law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul" (cf. Psalm 19:7). The Law doesn't convert us or save us, it measures and convicts us! 

In the final analysis, we all must exclaim to God as Paul did, "What a wretched man I am!  Who will rescue me from this body of death?" (Cf. Rom. 7:24).  He answers his own question:  "Thanks be to God--through Jesus Christ our Lord!" (Cf. Rom. 7:25).   The higher law Christians adhere to is the law of love, which is done willingly and gratefully.   Soli Deo Gloria!   

Love Is Our Biggest Asset To Share

"What the world needs now, is love, sweet love; it's the only thing that there's just too little of..." -- a folk song of the 60s
"All you need is love .. Spread the word, the word is love!" --song lyric from The Beatles
"How these Christians love one another." --Celsus, second-century Greek philosopher
"Love makes the world go round." --song lyric from 1961 Broadway play Carnival!
"By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another" (John 13:35, NIV).
"We love because he first loved us" (1 John 4:19, NIV).
"But children, let us not love with words or speech but with action and truth" (1 John 3:18, NIV).
"Once you've experienced it [the love of God], you want to pass it on!" --famous gospel song

Atheist philosopher Bertrand Russell said that "... what the world needs is more Christian love."  He was right that only Christianity is the faith with compassion.  How many hospitals and relief organizations have been founded by infidels?  It was the Christians who came to the rescue at the "killing fields" of Cambodia during the Khmer Rouge persecutions and atrocities post-Viet Nam.  The Eastern faiths recognize only karma as justice and believe people are to work out their own problems and suffer the results of their own evil and sin, which is some iron-clad law known as karma, working like cause and effect.  Mother Teresa Calcutta, now canonized by Rome and who received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979, was only allowed to work with the "untouchables" of India because the elite or upper castes didn't care about them and had written them off.

There are basically three religions thriving in India (Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism), with only a minority of Christians, who face persecution most everywhere, though the apostle Thomas founded a church there that still exists.  The best way to reach out to these pagans is to show them what they lack and what Christ has to offer: love.  Only Christianity is a faith of love and believes God is love; Muslims reject this kind of deity and the consequence is that the Golden Rule is also rejected because there is no reason to love the "infidel" or non-Muslim. 

The church needs believers filled with the Spirit and with the love of Christ to show what Christ can do in transforming souls.  Love is the first of the fruits of the Spirit and this means all Christians know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge through the Spirit. " It costs so little to teach one to love, and so much to teach them to hate," according to Father Flanagan, founder of Boys Town in Omaha, NE.

The point is that missionaries must start young, reaching out to the youth, who represent the future, and are not so committed to the traditions of the ancestors, but are impressionable and teachable.  If you want to change a nation for Christ, the younger generation must be reached and seeds planted. God's Word will not come back void (cf. Isa. 55:11).  Mother Teresa was right in her devotion:  Christ has no hands but ours to do His work, no voice but ours to speak up for Him, no ears but ours to listen for Him, and no feet but ours to go for Him.  We also have the mind of Christ to implement His will and to out-think the enemy. 

God wants to do a mighty work but He has chosen to use the church, not angels.  If we cannot go, we must be committed to sending and preparing, and even supporting those who will go.  Truly "God's love has been poured out into our hearts" and we are Christ's "ambassadors" and representatives of it on earth in real time 24/7.  (Cf. Rom. 5:5).

When we realize that the harvest is ready (cf. Matt. 9:37-38) and abundant like Jesus promised and predicted, we are all the more committed to the cause of the Great Commission.  The Lord of the Harvest is reaping and sending and calling missionaries to the mission field.  All Christians are given a part in this commission and must spread the Word to the best of their abilities, with their spiritual gift--we are all men and women on a mission!   The point is to start where we are--bloom where we are planted and let God promote us--and He will if we are willing.  I've heard it said that we should be willing to go anywhere, as long as it's forward to manifest this love--the greatest expression of love we can share is to preach the gospel in Jesus' name.  

Discipleship entails following Jesus wherever He leads us and no one knows the will of God for his entire life ahead of time, or where God may send him.  Look at Abraham, not knowing where he was going, but stepping out in faith.   The Christian life takes faith and walking in the Spirit on a daily basis through all life has to offer.  Christ's love has no ebb and flow like ours does, and we are given this agape or divine love in Christ in order to share with the world. The point is that no one knows where Christ will lead him if he's obedient to the heavenly calling.  One may join the military not knowing where he'll be deployed and God will use him, or his occupation may force moving to new locals to plant seeds.  All God asks is for us to be willing and obedient. As Mother Teresa said so eloquently: "It's not what you do, but how much love you put into it that matters."

But we must set our hearts upon finishing the mission given us ("my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me--the task of testifying to the good news of God's grace," (Acts 20:24, NIV).  We must not pawn the mission off on our brother, but seek the gift we have and be faithful to it, so the Lord will indeed say, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant."  We all have a part in this great work and no believer is diminished.   God doesn't want our achievements; He wants our obedience; to obey is better than sacrifice per 1 Sam. 15:22.  We must not disparage some one's gift or look down on him for we all must be faithful to what we are given.  We all share in the mission:  some go; some send; some prepare; some teach; some support;  some pray!   Soli Deo Gloria!

Christianity Is Good Psychology...

"There is something about the way God is that is like the way we are." --J. P. Moreland and Scott Rae  

"Psychologist, heal thyself." --Joyce Milton  

"If there is no God, all things are permissible." -- Dostoevsky 

"... [A]nd [God] breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul"  (Gen. 2:7, KJV).
Remember the Greek antiquarian axiom:  Know thyself!  

NB:   PSYCHOLOGY IS THE STUDY OF THE SOUL BY DEFINITION.  

The Christian faith is a school of psychology, in fact, a better one than pop or even traditional psychology, and it is a competing one for the hearts and minds of Christians, some of whom feel alienated from the church and don't find solutions in its traditions and teachings.  Too often Christians seeking psychological counseling just have unresolved personal problems and aren't obedient believers repenting of their sins and being accountable--the troubled souls need guidance and support for the social maladjustment.  But psychology is starting to realize the importance of accountability and of making choices again, which is a kind of recognition of sin, the ultimate irresponsibility. The point is that without God there is no sin and we are not accountable!

The fact is that only the church offers answers to all the ultimate questions and dilemmas of man, and psychology focuses on behavior, dodging the bullet.  Psychology is supposedly the study of the soul or psyche, but it has reverted to studying and modifying behavior.  They don't have the big answer to what's wrong with us but focus on diagnosis and so-called self-help therapies. We instinctively sense something is awry with our condition.  William Kirk Kilpatrick concludes, "The real test of a theory or way of life, however, is not whether it can relieve pain but what it says about the pain it cannot relieve."  Why is it that religious people are known to be less stressed than nonbelievers?

Christian psychology, which seems like an oxymoron, focuses on positive psychological hygiene, as well as avoiding bad, destructive behavior.  We are supposed to cease to do evil and learn to do good.  Don't just avoid sin, but do the right thing and live right.  According to Christian psychologists, most mental illnesses don't really exist, but they are over-diagnosed to people who have emotional problems with life adjustment and coping in the real world.  They have not learned to hack Reality 101.  (Modern psychology doesn't know any answers to life's problems and issues, such as the meaning and purpose of life, where we came from, where we're headed, and why we are here.)  They study behavior but cannot define human nature and don't know what makes us human--the image of God!

Every rational person knows about the existence of good and evil, and has eaten of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in Adam, but most people still think man is basically good, while Christianity is counter-cultural and says we are basically and intrinsically evil and corrupt through and through--no one escapes corruption and is pure in God's eyes.  This raises a red flag when they cannot account for the evil in the world and don't even have a definition for it.  But Paul said, "Wretched man that I am, who will rescue me from the body of this death?" (Rom. 7:24).  We must know ourselves as the Greeks admonished, and the picture isn't pretty.  A famous Christian philosopher remarked:  "What is wrong with the world?  I am, sincerely yours, G. K. Chesterton."  Christianity gives us dignity and makes us accountable and oriented toward reality, and isn't a cop-out or escape.  Christianity is the only worldview that adequately answers all the ultimate questions plaguing mankind.

Christianity is unique too:  the problem is sin, Christ is the answer!  Man is plagued by real guilt (not a guilt-complex a la Freudian psychology) and needs forgiveness and freedom from guilt which can only be realized in spiritual renewal and salvation.  We are each individually responsible to God and accountable and will be judged as to what we did with our gifts from God.  Christianity doesn't give us the freedom to live as we want, but the power to live as we ought and sets us free from the bondage of sin's power over us. We were born in bondage not born free!  Only in Christianity is there meaning in suffering and the guilt problem is dealt a final blow and resolved for good so that it doesn't dog a person the rest of his life.

We are in the image of God, having intellect, will, emotion, intuition, conscience, etc., and must seek the good and moral choice, as well as avoid the evil one:  Doing the right thing while avoiding bad behavior as well.  We all have human traits of wisdom, courage, humanity, justice, temperance, and transcendence to name a few of the known 52 virtues delineated in Scripture.  The goal is not to pinpoint blame or to point the finger, but to bring healing through reconciliation to God.  Only then will we realize what makes life worth living.      Soli Deo Gloria! 

How Does Knowledge Puff Up?

"Then I will give you shepherds after my own heart, who will lead you with knowledge and understanding" (Jer. 3:25, NIV).  
"... How long will mockers delight in mockery and fools hate knowledge?" (Prov. 1:22, NIV).
"Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but whoever hates correction is stupid" (Prov. 12:1, NIV).  
"The wise store up knowledge, but the mouth of a fool invites ruin" (Prov. 10:14, NIV).
"... We know that 'We all possess knowledge.'  But knowledge puffs up while love builds up.  Those who think they know something do not yet know as they ought to know" (1 Cor. 8:1-2, NIV).

1 Cor. 8:1 says that "knowledge puffs up, but love edifies."  Paul also warns in 1 Tim. 6:20 that there is "knowledge falsely so called."  Why is it that Hosea says that the "people perish for lack of knowledge" and that those "without knowledge will come to ruin"?  There must be a valid knowledge that God wills us to possess.  Point to ponder:  Scripture isn't anti-intellectual or anti-intellect.  It's not the intelligence or the knowledge that offends God and others, but the arrogance so often accompanied with it.  We must cater to intellectual honesty or integrity, but not pander to intellectual arrogance.  Job challenged God without proper knowledge and needed to be clued in.  He found out that no one has a monopoly on knowledge, wisdom, understanding, or truth.

It is said of sophomores (wise morons) in college that they are wise guys because they have enough knowledge to be dangerous or are half-educated.  When you think you have all the answers, like a youth rebelling against parental authority, you don't know as you ought to know.  It is said that all knowledge begins in faith and we cannot find a knowledge of the truth unless we are willing to admit we are wrong!  Because no one is infallible and can't stand corrected at times.  It is no shame to love wisdom and knowledge--philosopher means love of wisdom--because true believers have an innate love of the truth and unbelievers reject the truth (cf. 2 Thess. 2:10; Rom. 2:8).

A sign of a truly wise man is that he's hungry for the truth and is a permanent student in the school of Christ, ever increasing and growing in the grace and knowledge of the Lord.  Sir Francis Bacon, Christian philosopher, scientist, mathematician, said that "knowledge is power," echoing Prov. 24:5 that says we increase strength with our increase of knowledge.  Getting back to the sophomore analogy:  we never really graduate from the school of Christ we have matriculated in and are permanent students of the Book and the more we learn the more we realize we don't know, but that we have merely scratched the surface.  A student entering college thinks he knows something, then gets somewhat overwhelmed, then he becomes a wiseguy thinking he knows it all and is "educated," but then gets humbled and finds out how ignorant he is, and hopefully, he will see graduation as only the beginning of his search for the truth and not the endpoint of it.   It is said of the true student of Christ that he has a thirst for the truth and knowledge because "all truth meets at the top" (acc. to Aquinas) and "all truth is God's truth" (acc. to Augustine).

There is a spiritual gift of knowledge and God grants a spirit of wisdom, knowledge, and understanding so that we all can become wise men and counsel others to the truth.  The wise are known as those who are hungry for the truth, while the fool feeds on trash.  The lips of the wise disperse knowledge according to Prov. 15:7.  We are commanded to add knowledge to our virtue in 2 Pet. 1:5.  We must never forget that according to Prov. 1:7 all knowledge is contingent and begins with a fear of the Lord; for without God's knowledge and revelation, we could know nothing for certain.  "To the person who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge and happiness..." (Eccl. 2:16, NIV).  CAVEAT:  If we have all knowledge and not love we are nothing; one must keep the main thing the main thing and realize that the aim and focus are to use our knowledge wisely, for the inclination of man is to increase in knowledge and not know how to use it to God's glory.  That's why Peter warns us not to be unfruitful in our knowledge (2 Pet. 1:8).  Solomon also realized the importance of acquiring knowledge from God to be able to lead Israel.

Solomon noticed that too much knowledge can be a grief and bring sorrow, but that is only when it's not focused on Christ and not oriented to the glory of God and one has no God-centered purpose in learning but is only learning for its own sake or for the wrong motives--knowledge is not an end in itself, but a means to an end!   "But since you excel in everything--in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in the love we have kindled in you...." (2 Cor. 8:7, NIV).  Daniel is the patron saint of those of the knowledge of the system, and the priest is to guard and preserve knowledge for he is the messenger of the Lord (cf. Mal. 2:7).

Likewise, we ought to avoid the presence of the fool, the one in whom we don't find the words of knowledge.  Never forget that true knowledge of the Lord is real understanding and wisdom and something to boast in (cf. Jer. 9:24).  Remember that a little knowledge is a dangerous thing, and therefore one must commit to a serious, lifelong pursuit of it to keep from conceit, lest we become like Job who "spoke without knowledge" and his words had no insight, thinking he knew it all per Job 34:35. An example of foolishly using knowledge is to be a showoff or to parade it or to endeavor to "wow" people with our scholarship or higher learning when we need to meet people where they are and connect with them at their level--no one likes the know-it-all.

Some knowledge is too wonderful (cf. Psa. 131:1) for us because of our human limits (cf. Psa. 139:6).  A sign of the last days is that according to Daniel 12:4 "knowledge shall increase," but this is the unwise use of it and referring to a technical advance of civilization, not true godly knowledge, which doesn't increase but remains to be discovered anew in each generation.  I believe we are going backward in this category!  Caution:  Ignorance is not bliss, and it's ignorance that binds us not knowledge.   In sum, we all need to know the value of knowing the scoop, but we need to add a cup of discernment with it to keep it in perspective and ourselves properly oriented to reality and the main thing that counts--love.   ("I desired the knowledge of God ... more than burnt offerings" (Hos. 6:6, NIV).    Soli Deo Gloria!

The Heavenly Quest

Man has been on the quest for paradise on earth, much more in the afterlife ever since the dawn of time. God implanted this idea, it is not of our creation or imagination.   But this has meant different strokes for different folks!  Man is not invariably pure spirit, nor is he spiritually pure or meant to be a spirit--we will have spiritual bodies in heaven, but they will be bodies like Christ's, nonetheless, that can live in other dimensions so as to walk through walls, and probably eat without gaining weight!  No man is so spiritual he can worship God forever, unceasingly ad nauseam; however, there are angels assigned to this task and they are privileged to be so close to God, not cursed to praise God in worship songs forever!  Watching reruns of Green Acres would be hell on earth to me!  We all have our dreams and nightmares of eternity.  But one thing for sure, we will be fulfilled and filled with joy everlasting knowing and praising God, even in our work and labors.  

There is a multitude of ways to worship God and we will find ways to bring Him glory in all we do in our heavenly estate and an eternal home in the heavenly city of the New Jerusalem.  People who are extremely musical wish they could enjoy music all day, and there are Christians who listen to Christian radio and think they are worshiping God all-day-long--this is passive, and worship is active or something that takes effort. Both work and play can become worship!  God is the receiver and recipient of worship in the Spirit and not ourselves--we find our fulfillment in worshiping God in the way we are hard-wired, but certainly to worship in spirit and in truth. 

Personally, I wish I was so spiritual I could sing praises to Him night and day, but I don't think that level of spirituality is possible in the flesh.  People say that heaven is not a perpetual church service, and I hope not, because God can be worshiped in so many ways besides that.  But we should never put down some one's idea of what heaven would be to them because no one will be disappointed.  The Christian life is not about walking in the glow of a transforming experience the rest of your life nor about living in a perpetual high on Cloud Nine to be no earthly good.

The important point is that we will all be fulfilled and spiritually joyful and content in our realization of heaven--God will let no one down.  The important thing about thinking of heaven is that it helps us to live in light of eternity, to get proper focus, and put things in perspective.  We are but pilgrims just passing through and have spiritual green cards that we will one day exchange for a heavenly occupation and residence.  This life is but a dress rehearsal or prelude to heaven and every note we strike sounds a chord that will vibrate into eternity.

Many Christians think we are here to get the American dream realized: education, culture, standard of living, and freedom, but these will find us fleeting fulfillment, and they only get our focus off Christ the center of our attention and what it's all about--bringing Him glory and living for Him, enjoying Him in the process.  Christ came to give us eternal life and a more abundant one, even in the here and now, and this life, which is not probationary, beginning at salvation and cannot be forfeited by sin, for Christ is our intercessor when we do and holds onto us and won't let go nor give up on us (cf. Phil. 1:5).

The joy we share in Christ now is but a preview of our heavenly, beatific vision.  Many believers get a misconception of the real life in Christ by focusing on musical megastars, who perform before large crowds, and consequently believe they should imitate them or emulate them as living the ideal Christian life by virtue of their gifting in the Spirit--we all need to be ourselves and look to Jesus as our Supreme Exemplar and not to any man as personifying the Spirit--as an ideal of spirituality, or as being spiritual giants.

One thing heaven is not is monotony or routine:  Is there anything you could do without ceasing, ad infinitum without getting bored or out of your comfort zone?  If you love reading, would you love to read forever?  Nothing is mundane or perfunctory in heaven! There may be routines but no monotony.  Even if you enjoy preaching, eating, or even singing, you wouldn't want to engage it forever; for we are hard-wired for work (though some think work is a curse--not in heaven!) and productivity; diversity is the stuff of life and we ought not to strive with our Maker (cf. Isaiah 45:9)!

We are not self-deceived like Muslims believing in a Paradise is of man's own imagination and "wine, women, and song" or having "seventy virgins," but we believe heaven is far more surreal than we can envision with our limited senses and intellects--the finite cannot contain the infinite.    Soli Deo Gloria!  

The Antiestablishment Christian

"Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities [powers that be in KJV], for there is no authority except that which God has established" (Rom. 13:1, NIV). 
"What can the righteous do, when the foundations are destroyed?"  (cf. Psalm 11:3).  

People are against the establishment and even resent authority and authority figures for that matter, especially the government, but note that all authority is ordained by God and we ought to obey except when in conflict with Scripture. Government is not a necessary evil, according to Augustine, but necessary because of evil.  There are even people who are against the church as part of the establishment but for Jesus and don't see any contradiction.  Jesus, according to Humanist historian Will Durant, was the greatest revolutionist in history.  Jesus was antiestablishment par excellence!  The church is not an institution or an organization, but an organism--a living relationship and fellowship of believers on a mission.  There is a difference between establishment and institution that we should beware of.  You don't have to be for the establishment, or the system, to be in favor of the institution of government per se, or its branches.

The establishment may include a police force that profiles illegally, for instance, and you are against it.  This is why we protest to show our disdain for the status quo and don't have to accept injustice and inequity. Jesus did a lot to overthrow the establishment of the Pharisees and Sadducees but posed no viable, practical threat to Caesar.  He was a threat to the Pharisees turf and influence.  You could say he upset the religious apple cart!  Jesus was a controversialist and wasn't afraid to take a stand for what was right and to condemn the hypocrisy of the religious leaders.

It is not good to be a troublemaker; Paul had this reputation as "ringleader" of the Way, and also Elijah, who was "the one who troubled Israel".  But heresies must come to show who is approved and this does not give us free rein to be divisive, contentious, argumentative, nor judgmental--instead, we are to be peacemakers, sometimes standing in the gap and reconciling opponents.

Note that God has ordained and established the institutions of family, church, and government and we ought to be in submission to them as appropriate (cf. Rom. 13:1).  We can be against a certain leader and still be for the institution for which he stands, i.e,. respect for the office, not the officeholder.  We are not to ever become revolutionaries to overthrow the government for Christ, so as to usher in the kingdom, but that doesn't mean we cannot be reformers and heroes of our cause.  We have no social commission to "reclaim America for Christ."   We must stand up for our faith and not only declare our Christian colors but fly them proudly. We must not lose by default!    And we must maintain law and order in society and faith in the institutions or the powers that be, for if the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do? (cf. Psalm 11:3).

The rule of law was first expounded by Rev. Samuel Rutherford in his book, Lex Rex, or "the law is king." We believe in the rule of law, not men!  It upset the whole royal landscape.  We are not to be a nation of men ruling but laws ruling. No one being above the law and equally subject to it ("equal justice under the law"). Any form of the perversion or miscarriage of justice or its corruption is forbidden by God.  It seems sometimes like what James Russell Lowell said, "Truth forever on the scaffold, wrong forever on the throne."

Christians have no right to wreak havoc on the social order or to support an uprising or revolution, even if they disagree with the "system."  We must limit the powers of government leaders as Lord Acton warned:  "Power tends to corrupt; absolute power corrupts absolutely."  If we disagree, we not only have the right to protest in civil disobedience but the mandate as long as it is concordant with the God's will and Word.

This is supposedly a constitutional republic and that means it abides by the rule of law and no one is above it.  These very concepts of justice and judicial precedent are being challenged as our president demands to see the evidence against him and to investigate the investigators of himself as the target.  This is all unprecedented.  It's been the tradition that the law is king, not the king and even the king must obey and submit to it.  We are a nation of laws, not of men, which would give us a highly whimsical and capricious government. 

You don't have to agree with the system to be for the preservation of our institutions.  Christians have no right to wreak havoc on the social order and to create or fuel chaos or anarchy, on the other hand, we are salt and light and to be of positive influence.  Christians should care a lot more about preserving our institutions than getting their agenda accomplished, no matter how noble in intent (results and unwanted repercussions matter too).  We must beware of authoritarianism, which can devolve when the checks and balances of the branches of government are dysfunctional.   

It's our right to protest or to do civil disobedience when the government demands unjust or immoral laws be obeyed--we must obey God and not man in these cases.  But we are to be model citizens otherwise and not a liability to our nation's success and prosperity.       Soli Deo Gloria! 

Ethical, Or True Lies?

My premise is that there may be times when one has no choice but to lie because the person doesn't deserve the truth and the truth does more damage in the final result.  Numbers 23:19 says God is not a man that He should lie--implying men lie!   Note that even Paul was apologetic and insisted he wasn't lying in Rom. 9:1 and Gal. 1:20.  In Col. 3:9, where it forbids lying to each other, this is referencing the body of Christ in context.  We ought to be in sync with the Holy Spirit and walking in the light so as not to lie to the Holy Spirit per Acts 5 when Ananias and Sapphira dropped dead. The warning in Revelation is to those who "love and practice lies."  Job interestingly denies lying to his comforters' faces.   We ought to be in the habit of practicing the truth not lies, but there are always exceptions to the rules.  God cannot lie (cf. Heb. 6:18; Titus1:2) but it's impossible for man not to lie!

Eph. 4:15 does say to "speak the truth in love" (and speak "lies" in love too!), but sometimes the truth often hurts and should be shirked--it's never warranted to insult or use hate speech.  We never have the prerogative to be judgmental, divisive, critical, argumentative, nor contentious in our speech or conversation. Don't ever cast a slur on your fellow man.  Note that when the Bible speaks of "truth," it's mainly specifying Scripture (cf. John 17:17)--i.e., speak the Word of God in love, not to stir hatred.  Many believers become legalists; but it is written: "do not go beyond that which is written" (1 Cor. 4:6).  What does this mean?

We can interpret the Ninth Commandment as prohibiting and forbidding false testimony in court that would damage some one's reputation and change the verdict, what is verboten here is meant to apply to that but it is elaborated further in Scripture and people have generally believed all lying, even nonintentional ones or white lies, which only are made to keep from hurting one's feelings, are patently, unequivocally wrong.  We ought never blatantly to tell falsehoods to our neighbors but what about our enemies--do they deserve the truth?  "Do not be overrighteous ... why destroy yourself?" (Eccl. 7:16, NIV).

We as believers in Christ are not "under the law" (cf. Rom. 6:14) and operate or function under a higher law at work--the law of love, and if it serves to love our neighbor better by covering up the truth or letting a misrepresentation go, then the higher law overrules.  What if telling the truth would lead to the death of your wife?  Even Abraham lied about his wife being his sister, which technically was a half-truth!  What if it meant compromising the safety of thousands of persecuted Jews during the Holocaust--when papers were counterfeited?  What if a Nazi asks you if you are harboring Jews or know their whereabouts like Corrie ten Boom did?  What if you are undercover as a mole or counterespionage agent and your concealed identity and falsehoods must be secretive?  What about the pleasantries of greetings when we cover up our malady and say, "I'm fine," when we're not in a good mood and you want to avoid pity or attention.  You may feel you don't owe them the truth concerning your privacy--it's none of their business.  There are many ethical dilemmas that one may have and the best advice is to pray that you enter not into temptation. (Plead the Fifth!). For instance, either you tell a lie, or your daughter gets raped?  We are not culpable for coerced acts done non-voluntarily.

The moment of truth is not when we are challenged to admit the truth to an adversary but when we are honest to God at the time it would cost us something if we are honest, e.g., reveal some secret fact about yourself or others.  We need to get away from making such high ethical standards for our selves that we can never achieve and end up falling into a rut of self-defeat and failure, resulting in low self-image or esteem, ultimately leading defeated lives spiritually.  I know that God abhors a (habitual, uncontrollable, pathological) lying tongue (per Prov. 6:16f), but everyone is a liar according to Romans 3:4.  Technically anyone who ever told a lie is a liar then and that includes believers, for there is one God of truth.

Technically, you could say Jesus "lied" when He was on the road to Emmaus and he led on or "pretended" or made like He was going on farther ahead or playing along with their notion of the situation.  If you want to get technical, this is one sin that there are literally dozens of ways to commit it and we all do unbeknownst to ourselves. The truth is that we are only judged according to our awareness of truth and knowledge, and anything done in faith is not sin, and only if we know the right thing to do and fail to do it, is it sin.  The kind of liar that God says is an abomination and He abhors is deliberate and habitual and even pathological, not occasional or necessitated.

Any man that claims he's never lied or doesn't do it is a liar by definition--he's self-condemned and doesn't know his own nature. A real liar is one who commits to lying as a way of life like a con artist, not a person who has found it necessary to lie.  George Washington said he couldn't tell a lie, which was a lie!  Mark Twain was more honest in saying he could tell a lie, but wouldn't!  In determining the morality of a "lie" one must examine the motive (cf. Prov. 16:2), the desired effect, and any fallout, byproduct, or unintended consequences and results (cf. Deut. 32:29), which we are held accountable for--we don't believe just because a person's motives were pure or he did it in love, that he is justified.

What is the real crime, is not just telling a little lie, but living a big one?   It's not a contest to see who can be the most honest or reveal the most secrets, sort of like comedians do when they joke about themselves--be relevant and appropriate!   What matters in the long run, is that you are on the side of the truth and don't suppress it, namely ("true truth," as Francis Schaeffer called it) and listen to the truth--God's Word is Truth! (Cf. John 18:27; Rom. 1:18).  So, who do you want as your confidant? (Cf. Psalm 25:14).  Soli Deo Gloria!

The Lukewarm Churchgoer

"All that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing." --Edmund Burke
"Do not be overcome with evil, but overcome evil with good" (Rom. 12:21, NIV).  
"The Lord says:  'These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.  Their worship of me is based on merely human rules they have been taught'" (Isa. 29:13, NIV).
"He defended the cause of the poor and needy, and so all went well.  Is that not what it means to know me?' declares the LORD" (Jer. 22:16, NIV).
"For the lips of a priest ought to preserve knowledge, because he is the messenger of the LORD Almighty and people seek instruction from his mouth" (Mal. 2:7, NIV).  

But where there's a clear-cut command in Scripture we must fly our Christian colors and take our stand--only the coward stands aside according to James Russell Lowell:  "Once to every man and nation, Comes the moment to decide, In the strife of Truth with Falsehood, For the good or evil side, Then it is the brave man chooses, While the coward stands aside." 
"We must show our Christian colours, if we are to be true to Jesus Christ.  We cannot remain silent and concede everything away." --C. S. Lewis
"The bottom line is that at a certain point there is not only the right, but the duty, to disobey the State." --Francis A. Schaeffer, A Christian Manifesto

By definition, you can hold opinions, but convictions hold you, according to Rick Warren: you may discuss an opinion, but you would be willing to suffer, even die for a conviction--Christ ought to be OUR conviction.  We ought never to be caught on both sides of the equation, straddling the fence as it were, unwilling to declare and our stand for or make known our convictions. Silence isn't always golden!  

CAVEAT:  DO NOT USE YOUR INFORMED CONVICTIONS AS TOOLS TO JUDGE OR CONDEMN A WEAKER BROTHER'S CONSCIENCE--WE ALL HAVE A RIGHT TO OUR OWN CONVICTIONS AND WILL BE JUDGED ACCORDINGLY.  AS AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO SAID CONCERNING THE CHURCH, "IN NONNEGOTIABLES, UNITY; IN NEGOTIABLES, LIBERTY; IN ALL THINGS CHARITY."  DON'T ARGUE OR CAUSE DIVISION ABOUT MERE DIFFERENCES OF OPINION!  AND NEVER BE CONTENTIONS, DIVISIVE, ARGUMENTATIVE, OR JUDGMENTAL IN SPIRIT!  NOTHING SO DESTROYS A CHURCH LIKE PARTY SPIRIT, WHEREAS SHEEP ARE TAKING SIDES BETWEEN LEADERS.  ALSO, WHEN SINCERE BELIEVERS ON BOTH SIDES OF THE ISSUE CONFESS CONTRADICTIONS, ONE OUGHT NOT TO BE JUDGEMENTAL OR AN ACTIVIST--CUT SOME SLACK AND GIVE THE UNINFORMED AND UNEDUCATED A BREAK!   THE WORLD LIES IN THE POWER OF THE EVIL ONE.  


Christ will spew the lukewarm or tepid believer or churchgoer (ones having a bogus profession), out of His mouth in disgust and judgment, writes John in Revelation 3:16.  But the debate goes on about just what this means.  I contend that it doesn't necessarily just mean low-energy believers, or lackadaisical ones, or even ones with little sentimentality or feeling--OR NO FEELINGS.  Because God is pleased with faith, not feeling anyway.  What kind of believer is repulsive and ignominious or odious to God?  The believer who won't apply what he knows and stand up for Jesus when a time to give testimony is at hand and someone is needed to stand for the truth.  You cannot remain neutral on everything to please everyone, that's the path to failure.

People pleasers are losers!  It has been said that there may not be a formula for success but the sure road to failure is to try to please everyone.  If we are following Christ we will have people who despise us, hate us, and misuse us and even harass and persecute us, to the point of mocking on occasion--we will have enemies!  We must be willing to lay down our life and be ready to give Christ our life in the ultimate sacrifice.  We are not saved by martyrdom, but we must hate our very own life and love Christ will all our being, as number one priority. We are not to get a martyr complex, though, thinking that the more we are persecuted, the better believer we are, either--persecution comes with the territory.

There comes a time and opportunity when we not only have the right to disobey the state and even all authority but the duty.  Martin Luther said, "I dissent, I disagree, I protest" and the Reformation was born.   We must obey God rather than man!  Taking stands is progressive and God tests us:  some believers have never stood for anything!  They have never been against anything, nor even for anything.  We should not just see the evil and say "Why?" but see the good and say, "Why not?"

On a personal level, a real friend will not desert you in time of trouble and will come to your aid, sticking up for you.  If someone bad-mouths or disses your friend, do you defend his honor or integrity or do you just let it slide and let someone cast a slur on your ally?  Lincoln pitied that man who couldn't feel the pain when the whip was on another man's back.

And so the lukewarm believer (I use this term loosely because unsaved people can have head belief) is a persona non grata and in limbo or no-man's-land (out of fellowship), and no one knows where he stands so they exclude him from fellowship by virtue of God's judgment.  He may have worldly friends, but he's no friend of God. Christ calls us to make informed stands for Him and to show or declare our Christian colors to the world at large as its salt and light.  Christians can be wrong politically and still be good Christians!  We are not to render Christ irrelevant to the marketplace of ideas and rule Him out of the equation and public dialogue though.  Being silent when we ought to speak up is a grave sin of omission!

In a sense, God does respect those who take stands more than those who refuse to take a stand and remain neutral, even if they are wrong because He knows where they are spiritually and God respects moral courage more than a timid spirit.  He has not given us a spirit of fear.  That doesn't mean they are saved, but God can work with them and they have hope.  Jesus said He'd rather have us hot or cold, but not lukewarm.  To say we ought not to take stands because we could be wrong is a cop-out and fails to understand the condition of the unsaved.

Newsflash:  we all could be wrong!  "Whatever is not of faith is sin," (cf. Rom. 14:23) period.  God doesn't expect righteous deeds from the unbeliever, period.  It's the same in war, God hates cowardice and there's a special place in hell for cowards, regardless of which side they were on God expects bravery to the bitter end.

Remember, God starts small and works the way up to greater responsibilities of moral courage, but one must have moral authority as the prerequisite.  We must pick our battles or quarrels, and realize that some are not worth the adrenalin and cause more heat than light, but not to get into the habit of being neutral--we must stand for something, or we stand for nothing.  Stronger believers need to grow in love and weaker ones in knowledge.

The adage that sincerity is what matters doesn't hold water, for our God is the God of truth and all truth meets at the top as God's truth.  In the final analysis, all of us will give account of ourselves to Christ at His Bema (tribunal or Judgement Seat) and we have no right to do evil in God's name, nor to hijack our faith and declare that our cause celebre is God-given or that we speak for Christ as some kind of vicar as the Pope does when he pontificates.

In sum, we shouldn't just memorize the Dance of the Pious, go simply through the motions, nor follow the crowd of least resistance (for narrow is the way to eternal life and few there be that find it); this means not just going with the flow (for something dead can go with the flow!) but this entails knowing Christ with first-hand experience and knowledge and desiring to live it out the faith in love. But don't be a believer who wants the benefits without the Benefactor or the perks and privileges without the responsibilities.

CAVEAT:  HE WHO KNOWS THE RIGHT THING TO DO AND FAILS TO REALIZE IT OR CAPITALIZE ON IT SINS: WE OUGHT NOT TO PRIVATIZE NOR FLAUNT OUR FAITH!   (cf. Js. 4:17).    Soli Deo Gloria!

Should We Raise Clones Of Ourselves?

"I have no greater joy than this:  to hear that my children are living according to the truth" (3 John v. 4, CEB).  

Some children grow up to be genuine chips off the old block and realize their parents wildest fantasies or dreams, even surpassing them.   It was said of Seth that he was in Adam's image, this may have been what was meant--someone to carry on the true family heritage and legacy.  We all leave a legacy, good or evil and will be remembered by more than a brief epitaph on our tombstone.  To be serious, parents are proud when their children are like them on a rare basis, because then they would be clones with all the flaws they have. Do they want them to make the same mistakes?  Where would we be if no one ever went out on a limb or took chances, but always played it safe, taking the road of least resistance and following the crowd? 

Kids are looking for role models, even Michael Jordan ("I want to be like Mike"), instead of looking to Jesus as the Exemplar and perfect man as well as perfect God, while parents are often remiss to be the role models their position of authority as in loco Dei (Latin for "in the place of God") implies. To make matters worse, our leaders are forsaking their role models and character seems to no longer matter.

We all have feet of clay or have faults not readily apparent to the public eye.  You could also say that we all have skeletons in the closet and are glad that only God knows the real us.  They say there are four personas we show:  one to the world; one to our friends; one to ourselves; and one that only God can see and know in reality--which is the real self and may not even be known by us, for we don't even know ourselves as well as God does.  All parents, in reality, want their kids to grow up to better themselves in the rat-race and the dog-eat-dog world and to even be better off financially and to find their dreams and realize the American dream as individuals.

No parent really wants their kids to make the same mistakes they did, or to have the same personality traits, flaws included or even illnesses and defects included--they want good parenting skills too.   If you are bipolar, for instance, you don't want that curse on anyone, and just because you have learned to manage it (you never overcome it, cure it, or defeat it), you wish for your kids to be normal, whatever that means, and in today's society the normative behavior standards are indeed questionable and social workers don't talk of being abnormal, but "deviant" (from the expected)--what's normal? is the new mantra.

Likewise, believers in a church body are not meant to be clones of each other, i.e., having the same spiritual gifting.  Some are eyes, some voices, some hands, some even hearts for the Lord, and we all need each other, no person has all the gifts and is self-sufficient, an island or rock, that is. The song is sung, "I am a rock, I am an island" is the world's philosophy, not biblical. Also, no one person has a monopoly on the truth, has cornered the market on knowledge, wisdom, and understanding, and knows it all, or can speak for Christendom or the even the church body at large, in which case they are really hijacking the faith and pontificating for Christ, as the Pope does when he speaks ex-cathedra as the Vicar of Christ.

However, Christians need to take stands for what they believe, noting that even a dead fish can go with the flow, but they can be wrong and are responsible to God, and that is why they should not be so presumptuous as to believe they can speak for Christ, we are all fallible, even the so-called infallible Pope. We are meant to work in harmony and unity, that doesn't mean uniformity and there will be disagreements (there are many so-called gray areas in which we must be tolerant and not dogmatic):  "In essentials, unity; in nonessentials (nonnegotiables), liberty; in all things, charity," as Saint Augustine of Hippo said.   But we ought never to become disagreeable and learn to agree to disagree; steering clear of ungodly controversy but not shying away from godly and necessary battles for the truth, fighting the war of polemics and contending for the faith.

We ought, therefore, to submit to one another and serve one another, looking out for each other, so to speak, not just taking an interest in how they're doing.  The church is a family, an organism, a fellowship, a ministry and mission in one, and a flock of God, but not an organization or a crowd to hide in--you must have an opportunity to serve, function, and grow in the faith according to your gifting, whether ministry to believer or mission to unbeliever.  In a body, as well in a family, we ought to celebrate diversity as a sign of strength and that God has given more opportunity to show His love for the brethren and ministry opportunity.

Note that life is about making choices and being responsible for them, no one can remain neutral, for taking no stand for Christ is one against Him. He who is not with Him is against Him.  The conclusion of the matter is that we don't want our children to be like us, imitating us, but individuals who want to be like Christ, and God will decide what gifting they receive and the amount of opportunity and ministry given to be faithful in.  (Remember Paul in chains preached that he wished Agrippa could be like he was, except for his chains!)  Soli Deo Gloria!

What Are We Fighting For?

"Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your families, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes" (Neh. 4:14, NIV). 

Famous quotes not in the Bible: 
"To cut off Law from its ethical sources is to strike a terrible blow at the rule of law." --Russell Kirk Kilpatrick
"The bottom line is that at a certain point there is not only the right but the duty, to disobey the State." --Francis Schaeffer  "... [B]ut as for me, give me liberty or give me death! " (Patrick Henry, 1775).  "I regret that I have but one life to give for my country."  (Attributed to John Paul Jones). 

Nehemiah was a great extrinsic and intrinsic motivator (he got results!) to get the people to work building the wall and to fight for the nation against any enemy.  All soldiers eventually wonder what they are fighting for and if it's a worthy cause or in vain.  Who wants to die for a lost cause?  Regardless, veterans serve the country by virtue of obeying orders and submitting to authority, which they vowed to do. 

In Alfred, Lord Tennyson's epic poem "The Charge of the Light Brigade," we see that it's not the job description of soldiers to second-guess their superiors, ("ours is not to reason why?"), but they must be willing to pay the ultimate sacrifice, of laying down one's life for one's friends (Jesus called this the greatest sacrifice and expression of love), the soldier must be willing to give their all ("ours is but to do and to die").  There would be utter chaos in battle if every soldier thought he had the moral authority to question orders (unless they are immoral or illegal).  The chain of command has earned moral authority and it should be respected and shown all due respect.  "The powers that be" are of God (cf. Rom. 13:1), even Jesus told Pilate his power was granted from above.

What inspires troops to die?  It certainly isn't for a tax cut, political agenda, or factory job!  They got inspired by Thomas Paine's Common Sense during the Revolutionary War about the ideals of constitutional democracy--our grand experiment.  All veterans who fought for our nation ultimately believed in the rule of law, the bill of rights including free speech, freedom of religion and the freedom of the press, and equal justice under the law, that no one should be above the law, for the law is the king as Samuel Rutherford wrote in Lex Rex (the rule of law) under the Supreme Law of the land, the US Constitution, as we are a nation of laws, not of men.  They swore allegiance to the US Constitution and all enemies domestic and foreign. 

Do I need to remind Americans that both Democrats and Republicans have given their lives for our freedom?  Freedom isn't free, it has been bought in blood sacrifices.  We don't have a Republican Guard like Saddam Hussein did, or a Gestapo like Hitler, we have Americans of all political persuasions giving some and some gave all for our country.  We all need to fight for something bigger than ourselves, that will outlast us, and show our Christian colors, not standing cowardly on the sidelines, but undauntedly engaged in everyday mundane realities and exigencies.

There is more that unites us than divides us and servicemen find this out in the military.  "United we stand, divided we fall!"   We need not wonder how brothers in arms unite in the time of need and learn that their buddy may be of a different political persuasion, but it doesn't matter in the foxhole!  We need to have unity without uniformity and keep our nation "one nation under God."   We don't have to agree on everything but can find commonality and common ground to come together in our common fight against all enemies of our constitutional democracy.

".... But they refuse to stand up for the truth...." (cf. Jer. 9:3).  Cowards don't have anything worth fighting much less dying for (they won't take a stand or be counted for Jesus), and we all need to reexamine our priorities and live on purpose, knowing that life and principle is something of value and worth it all.  If you have nothing worth dying for, you haven't yet begun to live. To sum up:  the primary purpose of government is to curtail evil and keep it at bay, and when obstruction of justice occurs, it's the greatest of evil: government overreach and interventionism.   But God hates the perversion of justice (cf. Deut. 16:19). And Augustine said that an unjust law is no law at all!  

CAVEATS: "You twist justice making it a bitter pill for oppressed.  You treat the righteous like dirt .. How you hate honest judges.  How you despise people who tell the truth." (cf. Amos 5:7,10).  "Truth forever on the scaffold; wrong forever on the throne." (James Russell Lowell).   Soli Deo Gloria!