Sometimes life can kick you right square in the teeth, and the pain can be totally overwhelming. Such an event happened December 5, 2009, when my perfectly healthy, three week old grandson was found limp and lifeless in his crib. The emotional pain this brought into our lives was beyond description. I've decided that physical pain is nothing in comparison, for physical pain ceases when the cause for it ceases. Emotional pain, however, sometimes has no "cause" that can be confronted. What is the cause when a healthy little baby is taken suddenly in death? Who is to blame? God? The devil? Some kind of "syndrome?"
Forever seared into my mind is the picture of my daughter standing at the back of the ambulance, sobbing, shaking, and pleading with God. Later I would see her literally collapse in the hospital waiting room as someone with no training in the matter told her that her son was dead. "No, God, no! My baby. Oh, God, my baby," she screamed, falling into a heap. My pain was nothing compared to hers, but my insides were being torn to pieces in that moment. We all would have to remain strong for her sake, the baby's father, grandmother, and myself. But, we all just wanted to fall on the floor and weep and wail with her. The worst cruelty of all, perhaps, was that my daughter, in a tiny bit of fitful sleep before dawn, dreamed that this whole night of horror had been just a nightmare, and that upon waking, everything would be restored. She awoke, but her baby was still gone.
The next few days were a non-stop crying binge. All the family came together, and friends came by bringing food and words of encouragement. We hugged one another constantly. We cried until there were no tears left. Our noses were literally rubbed raw by endless boxes of tissue. We ached for our loss, but more than anything, for my daughter and son-in-law. Only three weeks earlier, my son-in-law had delivered his son himself, the birth coming before the midwives could arrive. There were times we would laugh, only to weep incessantly again. Finally, on the third day, there was a noticeable change. It seems that everyone's brain had somehow simply shut down. There was only so much pain that could be endured, and we had all reached that point. God mercifully gave us a brief time of total numbness, so that we would not be grieved beyond our endurance. A brief respite, a re-grouping, then we would cry again.
Everyone wanted to know the same thing, but only my daughter openly asked the question. Why? Why did this happen? Of course, she blamed herself. It was the old "if only" game. She thought, if only I had laid him on his back instead of his stomach. If only I had laid him on his side. If only I had checked on him earlier. If only I hadn't laid him down at that particular time. If only I hadn't laid him down at all. If only, if only, if only. The answers, if there were any, would not come through this maddening form of self-torture. The Bible, too, was mentally searched for "the answer." Job lost ten children in a single day. David and Bathsheba lost an infant shortly after birth. Herod killed a host of infants around Bethlehem. Where was the definitive answer to this horrible event?
New questions arose. Before the funeral and burial, many people came together to pray for the baby's restoration to life. Fervent prayer was offered to God. Faith was present. A lot of faith. But, the baby did not return to life and was buried on December 11, 2009. Why didn't God bring that baby back to life? A different version of "if only" came into play. If only more people had prayed. If only more leaders had been present. If only the right prayer, in the right intonation, with the right words, and the right accompanying Bible verses had been offered. If only the right persons, saying the right prayers had brought about a kind of spiritual critical mass. If only the right button to provoke God into action had been discovered and pushed, then the baby would be with us today. This, too, was another form of self-torture.
It's now been more than three weeks since my grandson died. The definitive answer as to "why" is no closer to knowing now than it was back then. I think that we all know intuitively that some intellectually satisfying, heart warming answer is not going to be known on this side of death. It is not going to come in a dream or a vision or an angelic visitation to someone who can then share it with the rest of us. We won't be saying in grateful response, "so THAT is why this happened." Though we know the definitive answer is not forthcoming, we find no comfort in well-meaning platitudes such as, "God's ways are not our ways."
In the final analysis, we are forced to deal with the unknown by reviewing and reaffirming those things that we do know. There is no other reasonable way to sort through the pain, the anguish, and the aching loss. We confront that which is unexplainable by what we know with certainty. It begins with our faith in God and it ends there as well. So many things cannot and will not be answered, but what things do we already know beyond the shadow of doubt?
First, we know and are persuaded of the absolute goodness of God. His blessings to our family have been far too many to comprehend or count. Shall we accept all these blessings for so many years, only to decide in one moment of tragedy that God can no longer be trusted. Does he go from merciful, loving Father to dirty louse in one moment of time? No. God's goodness and his mercies toward us are without end. We maintain a heart of thankfulness toward him, not for tragedy itself, but because his goodness and love toward us supersedes even death.
We also know that not everything that happens in this universe is God's perfect will. Too many Christians have bought into a pathetic theology that tells them that since God is all-knowing and all-powerful, then whatever happens in life must be "his will." How could it be otherwise, they ask? The illogical, but inescapable, conclusion of this perverted thinking is that God must somehow want and desire all the wars, murders, mayhem, bloodshed, destruction, rapes, robberies, terrorism, and death since Adam and Eve to the present. These Christians have created a schizophrenic God who doesn't quite know whether he wants to be good or evil, so he's alternately both. One day he blesses a family with the joy of a newborn infant. The next he makes sure that someone else dies in a head-on collision on the interstate. Both are equally "his will" in the minds of some Christians.
The truth is that our all-knowing, all-powerful God does not get everything he wants -- at least not immediately. Obviously, this is by his own choice. He permitted sin to enter into a creation that he himself had declared was "very good." And, through that sin, death entered into the world. Thousands of years later we find an entire creation that "groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now." Simply put, God's creation has run amok, and God has allowed it to to be so, even against his perfect will, until the times of restitution of all things. The alternative was to create a race of robots incapable of sin or disobedience, but then we would hardly have been created in his image and after his likeness.
So then, we understand that there are two principal powers at work in the universe, one absolutely good and the other absolutely evil. God is the absolutely good side of this equation. When my grandson was taken in death, it was not God playing the evil tyrant on odd numbered days. Yes, God "permitted" his death, but on this side of his soon-coming Kingdom, God does not attempt to rectify every single wrong that occurs throughout the world. One day he will, but not now. Until that occurs, all of humanity will know seasons of joy and sadness, blessings and suffering, good and bad, life and death. Rain has a way of falling on both the just and the unjust. The world we live in has remnants and reminders of its original perfection, but there are also the painful reminders of sin, death, and our fall from paradise.
Jesus Christ was manifest to destroy the works of the devil. Until the present, this has been a process, beginning in the hearts of men and women throughout the world. The glory of God is seen in the transformation of their hearts and lives by the power of God's Holy Spirit through the preaching of the Gospel. Lives are literally transformed from the kingdom of darkness into God's kingdom of light in a moment of time. One day, with the literal and physical coming of Jesus to this earth again, he will begin the final restoration of all things, culminating in the destruction of the last enemy, death. It is then that will come to pass the Scripture, "And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away." We know this for certain. It is an eternal truth. It is reality.
Finally, we know beyond any doubt that we will see my grandson again. His spirit and soul left his tiny body and was taken by angelic escort into the presence of Jesus himself. A great loss for us, but certainly not for him. We then placed his body into the earth, like farmers planting a grain of wheat. We did this as an expression of our faith in the resurrection of the dead on the last day. Jesus himself is the Resurrection and the Life. Until that glorious day, there will be other joys, heartaches, blessings, and losses, because that is the nature of life in a fallen world. But God is greater than all these things! Thus, in everything and in every situation, whether in life or in death, God ALWAYS causes us to triumph in Christ Jesus. The evidence of this was quite apparent, when my daughter herself sang a beautiful song praising God at the funeral of her son. Some things in life are beyond understanding, such as the death of an infant. But, when there are no answers, there are things in Christ Jesus that we surely know and can stand upon forever.
Dec 29, 2009
Dec 5, 2009
A Time for Civil Disobedience -- Now
On December 1, 2009, Judge Frank Roesch of California's Alameda Superior Court denied a motion sought by the parents of elementary-age school children seeking to opt them out of mandatory pro-homosexual curriculum. In denying the parents the right to have their children excused from these lessons, Judge Roesch repeatedly insinuated that the parents were bigots, and insisted that there could not possibly be any pro-homosexual indoctrination involved in the curriculum because people are born that way. The parents, represented by the Pacific Justice Institute, were seeking exemption for their children from the classes under California's Education Code, Section 51240 which allows a parent to have a student excused, "If any part of a school's instruction in health conflicts with the religious training and beliefs of a parent or guardian of a pupil." The judge insisted that Section 51240 did not apply in this case. The Pacific Justice Institute also reported that, "The judge equated a view contrary to his own with creationism, and called both false." Somehow, we're supposed to believe that all this is ultimately about showing tolerance.
OK, where do I begin with this one? First, a brief note about the Biblical view of homosexuality, because it's not really the point or issue of this writing. Nowhere in Scripture does it state that homosexuality is the unpardonable sin, nor does it state that homosexuality is a sin far above all others. But, it does state unequivocally that homosexual conduct is a sin, and that unrepentant homosexuals will not enter the kingdom of heaven. Christians who simply accept the teaching of Scripture on the subject are vilified as homophobic bigots of the worst kind. In truth, Christians willing to stand on God's side of this debate are, perhaps, the only persons on the planet who have any genuine love for homosexuals. That's because they seem to be the only persons willing to tell homosexuals that "the bridge is out" and that continuing down the road they are on will only lead to eternal destruction.
So, here we have a group of parents in California wishing to keep their elementary aged children from government sponsored indoctrination on the topic of homosexuality. The judge says, no way. What's a parent to do? Well, that brings us to, perhaps, the largest single issue in this matter. Why are these parents asking the courts for permission to do what is right with regard to their children? Yes, Christians are called upon to be obedient to lawfully instituted authority (see Romans 13), but ultimately they cannot abdicate their parental responsibilities to government or anyone else. There are times, when Caesar must be repudiated.
For many years I have been warning Christians of the collision course that we are on with the world. I have warned repeatedly that we need to determine now where we will draw the line. I have warned that it will be too late to begin thinking about these things when that knock on the door comes in the middle of the night. If we have not decided what to do before then, then circumstances alone will determine the course of events. I have repeatedly told believers that this collision with the world is going to primarily be focused upon our children. I have warned that the State believes, and believes fervently, that it has a greater compelling interest in our children than we do as parents. Alameda, California is merely the tip of the iceberg. The socialist engineers of contemporary society really do believe that "It Takes a Village" to raise our children. We, as parents, are considered to be sorely lacking in those essentials needed to raise a child of this new age, especially those of us clinging to any backwoods, hillbilly superstitions such as belief in the Bible.
Romans 13 clearly states that Christians are to obey the authorities, because government is established by God himself. Knowing the wicked heart of mankind, God mercifully put man under the yoke of government to curb the murder and mayhem that would result otherwise. Sorry, but people are not basically good at heart, and that's just the plain, ugly truth. God put us under government, and Paul correctly states that whoever resists government, is actually resisting God. So, is that the end of the matter? We've just got to obey, even when we don't like it? Yes, but possibly no. Yes, you do have to obey laws that you don't like. For example, you may not like having to drive only 55 mph on the freeway, but that's the law. You have to do it, or possibly pay the consequences. Obeying such laws is hardly likely to violate your conscience. On the other hand, if you were a citizen of China and the law said that you must submit to a forced abortion for having more than one child, would you obey that law? God help you, if you thought "yes." Obviously, you would say "no" to the State in such circumstances, but you must also expect to suffer the consequences of "breaking the law."
Scripture has many examples of persons who were honored and recognized by God for refusing to obey the authority of government. Yes, this is the same God who has told us that we must obey authority. Shiphrah and Puah were midwives in Israel during its captivity in Egypt, when Pharaoh, concerned about the growing size and strength of his slave population, ordered that all male children born to the Israelites were to be killed. There it is. The absolute command of the king. It must be obeyed, right? Romans 13 says so, right? Scripture says of these women: "But the midwives feared God, and did not as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the men children alive." Not only did their civil disobedience result in the saving of Israel's future deliverer, Moses, but Scripture also says, "Therefore God dealt well with the midwives..."
Daniel refused to obey the king's law to cease praying to God. He was thrown into the lions' den as a result. Shadrach, Mesach, and Abednego refused to worship a pagan idol and were also given the death penalty. God affirmed his pleasure with these men's civil disobedience by rescuing them all from death. In the New Testament, the Apostles refused to obey the edict of the religious authorities to cease preaching, saying simply, "We ought to obey God rather than men." Even though God blessed these acts of civil disobedience, it is important to note that those doing them suffered the consequences of that disobedience. The Apostles were physically beaten and threatened by these authorities, but immediately returned to preaching anyway. Church tradition holds that some of them eventually paid the ultimate price when government had them executed. What all these examples demonstrate is that obedience to God must take precedence over man's edicts and laws, whenever they are in conflict. Even so, obeying God is not without obvious consequences. You may be exactly in the center of God's will... behind bars.
In Germany parents are often fined and even jailed for trying to homeschool their children. Perhaps these parents have a different perspective on their country's history between 1933-1945. This collision with the world is not taking place solely in America. Schools around the world are key battlegrounds for the hearts and minds of our young people, and young, captive audiences are ideal blank slates. Thus, it is no wonder that the battle rages in this forum so intensely. Virtually anything and everything goes in public schools, with the exception of Christianity or anything to do with its values. For example, how about the state mandated curriculum in California (yep, California again) that requires seventh grade students to learn about Islam? According to the Thomas More Law Center, a public interest law firm that sued the school district over this mandatory curriculum, the course had children:
* Recite aloud Muslim prayers that begin with "In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful..."
* Memorize the Muslim profession of faith: "Allah is the only true God and Muhammed is his messenger."
* Chant "Praise be to Allah" in response to teacher prompts.
* Profess as "true" the Muslim belief that "The Holy Quran is God's word."
* Take an Arabic name from a list of 30. etc., and so on.
Yes, this is happening in your public schools. And, ready for this? The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in this case that the Islamic classes did not violate the Establishment Clause of the US Constitution. Can you even begin to imagine the outcry and media circus that would erupt if this had been a course on learning about Christianity or Judaism? Students then being asked to take names such as Mary, Joseph, or Isaiah, instead of Muhammed? Here's an even biggger question. Did parents in that school district simply throw up there hands and say, "Oh well, we must do as the court orders?" I pray they did not. Christians, it is time to wake from your deep, deep slumber. It is much later than you think. You are on a collision course with the world that is unavoidable. If you have children, that collision is only going to be more immediate and more focused upon them. Now is the time to determine where you will draw the line, and upon what principles you will say, "We ought to obey God rather than men." I can only tell you, with all the fervency I can generate, these things will be coming directly to your doorstep in the days ahead. If not regarding the indoctrination of your children in school, then they will come regarding a myriad of other issues that are surfacing in this politically correct environment. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but if you wanted something politically correct to believe in, Christianity is not it. We have already seen pastors in other countries thrown into jail for merely reading certain passages of Scripture. Their reading of the Word was considered "hate speech."
Jesus said, "Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law. And a man’s foes shall be they of his own household. He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me." I'm compelled to say it. Jesus is the most divisive person who ever lived on planet earth. He is the most dogmatic, narrow minded, exclusive figure in human history. He stated categorically that he was the only way to God -- period, end of story. All other religious figures, leading people into all other kinds of religions, he called thieves and robbers. Do you want to follow this man? Then you must obey him, rather than men. But, you must also be prepared to suffer the wrath of human governments and social bureaucrats outraged because you refuse to conform to their image of the new and glorious citizen of the world. Worse still, is their outrage because you refuse to turn your children over to them for "re-education." Christians must understand the necessity of government, but must also have no illusions about its inherent goodness. If you have read to the end of the Book, you will see government at the end of this age running around killing anyone who does not take the government-mandated "mark."
I'll close with another quote from Jesus, which is, perhaps, more applicable in this day and age than ever before. "Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?" The collision is coming, folks. Your jail cell awaits. Have you prepared your heart, your soul, your mind?
Info on Alameda curriculum taken from worldnetdaily.com article by Chelsea Schilling.
Info on Islamic curriculum taken from postchronicle.com article, unknown author
OK, where do I begin with this one? First, a brief note about the Biblical view of homosexuality, because it's not really the point or issue of this writing. Nowhere in Scripture does it state that homosexuality is the unpardonable sin, nor does it state that homosexuality is a sin far above all others. But, it does state unequivocally that homosexual conduct is a sin, and that unrepentant homosexuals will not enter the kingdom of heaven. Christians who simply accept the teaching of Scripture on the subject are vilified as homophobic bigots of the worst kind. In truth, Christians willing to stand on God's side of this debate are, perhaps, the only persons on the planet who have any genuine love for homosexuals. That's because they seem to be the only persons willing to tell homosexuals that "the bridge is out" and that continuing down the road they are on will only lead to eternal destruction.
So, here we have a group of parents in California wishing to keep their elementary aged children from government sponsored indoctrination on the topic of homosexuality. The judge says, no way. What's a parent to do? Well, that brings us to, perhaps, the largest single issue in this matter. Why are these parents asking the courts for permission to do what is right with regard to their children? Yes, Christians are called upon to be obedient to lawfully instituted authority (see Romans 13), but ultimately they cannot abdicate their parental responsibilities to government or anyone else. There are times, when Caesar must be repudiated.
For many years I have been warning Christians of the collision course that we are on with the world. I have warned repeatedly that we need to determine now where we will draw the line. I have warned that it will be too late to begin thinking about these things when that knock on the door comes in the middle of the night. If we have not decided what to do before then, then circumstances alone will determine the course of events. I have repeatedly told believers that this collision with the world is going to primarily be focused upon our children. I have warned that the State believes, and believes fervently, that it has a greater compelling interest in our children than we do as parents. Alameda, California is merely the tip of the iceberg. The socialist engineers of contemporary society really do believe that "It Takes a Village" to raise our children. We, as parents, are considered to be sorely lacking in those essentials needed to raise a child of this new age, especially those of us clinging to any backwoods, hillbilly superstitions such as belief in the Bible.
Romans 13 clearly states that Christians are to obey the authorities, because government is established by God himself. Knowing the wicked heart of mankind, God mercifully put man under the yoke of government to curb the murder and mayhem that would result otherwise. Sorry, but people are not basically good at heart, and that's just the plain, ugly truth. God put us under government, and Paul correctly states that whoever resists government, is actually resisting God. So, is that the end of the matter? We've just got to obey, even when we don't like it? Yes, but possibly no. Yes, you do have to obey laws that you don't like. For example, you may not like having to drive only 55 mph on the freeway, but that's the law. You have to do it, or possibly pay the consequences. Obeying such laws is hardly likely to violate your conscience. On the other hand, if you were a citizen of China and the law said that you must submit to a forced abortion for having more than one child, would you obey that law? God help you, if you thought "yes." Obviously, you would say "no" to the State in such circumstances, but you must also expect to suffer the consequences of "breaking the law."
Scripture has many examples of persons who were honored and recognized by God for refusing to obey the authority of government. Yes, this is the same God who has told us that we must obey authority. Shiphrah and Puah were midwives in Israel during its captivity in Egypt, when Pharaoh, concerned about the growing size and strength of his slave population, ordered that all male children born to the Israelites were to be killed. There it is. The absolute command of the king. It must be obeyed, right? Romans 13 says so, right? Scripture says of these women: "But the midwives feared God, and did not as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the men children alive." Not only did their civil disobedience result in the saving of Israel's future deliverer, Moses, but Scripture also says, "Therefore God dealt well with the midwives..."
Daniel refused to obey the king's law to cease praying to God. He was thrown into the lions' den as a result. Shadrach, Mesach, and Abednego refused to worship a pagan idol and were also given the death penalty. God affirmed his pleasure with these men's civil disobedience by rescuing them all from death. In the New Testament, the Apostles refused to obey the edict of the religious authorities to cease preaching, saying simply, "We ought to obey God rather than men." Even though God blessed these acts of civil disobedience, it is important to note that those doing them suffered the consequences of that disobedience. The Apostles were physically beaten and threatened by these authorities, but immediately returned to preaching anyway. Church tradition holds that some of them eventually paid the ultimate price when government had them executed. What all these examples demonstrate is that obedience to God must take precedence over man's edicts and laws, whenever they are in conflict. Even so, obeying God is not without obvious consequences. You may be exactly in the center of God's will... behind bars.
In Germany parents are often fined and even jailed for trying to homeschool their children. Perhaps these parents have a different perspective on their country's history between 1933-1945. This collision with the world is not taking place solely in America. Schools around the world are key battlegrounds for the hearts and minds of our young people, and young, captive audiences are ideal blank slates. Thus, it is no wonder that the battle rages in this forum so intensely. Virtually anything and everything goes in public schools, with the exception of Christianity or anything to do with its values. For example, how about the state mandated curriculum in California (yep, California again) that requires seventh grade students to learn about Islam? According to the Thomas More Law Center, a public interest law firm that sued the school district over this mandatory curriculum, the course had children:
* Recite aloud Muslim prayers that begin with "In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful..."
* Memorize the Muslim profession of faith: "Allah is the only true God and Muhammed is his messenger."
* Chant "Praise be to Allah" in response to teacher prompts.
* Profess as "true" the Muslim belief that "The Holy Quran is God's word."
* Take an Arabic name from a list of 30. etc., and so on.
Yes, this is happening in your public schools. And, ready for this? The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in this case that the Islamic classes did not violate the Establishment Clause of the US Constitution. Can you even begin to imagine the outcry and media circus that would erupt if this had been a course on learning about Christianity or Judaism? Students then being asked to take names such as Mary, Joseph, or Isaiah, instead of Muhammed? Here's an even biggger question. Did parents in that school district simply throw up there hands and say, "Oh well, we must do as the court orders?" I pray they did not. Christians, it is time to wake from your deep, deep slumber. It is much later than you think. You are on a collision course with the world that is unavoidable. If you have children, that collision is only going to be more immediate and more focused upon them. Now is the time to determine where you will draw the line, and upon what principles you will say, "We ought to obey God rather than men." I can only tell you, with all the fervency I can generate, these things will be coming directly to your doorstep in the days ahead. If not regarding the indoctrination of your children in school, then they will come regarding a myriad of other issues that are surfacing in this politically correct environment. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but if you wanted something politically correct to believe in, Christianity is not it. We have already seen pastors in other countries thrown into jail for merely reading certain passages of Scripture. Their reading of the Word was considered "hate speech."
Jesus said, "Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law. And a man’s foes shall be they of his own household. He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me." I'm compelled to say it. Jesus is the most divisive person who ever lived on planet earth. He is the most dogmatic, narrow minded, exclusive figure in human history. He stated categorically that he was the only way to God -- period, end of story. All other religious figures, leading people into all other kinds of religions, he called thieves and robbers. Do you want to follow this man? Then you must obey him, rather than men. But, you must also be prepared to suffer the wrath of human governments and social bureaucrats outraged because you refuse to conform to their image of the new and glorious citizen of the world. Worse still, is their outrage because you refuse to turn your children over to them for "re-education." Christians must understand the necessity of government, but must also have no illusions about its inherent goodness. If you have read to the end of the Book, you will see government at the end of this age running around killing anyone who does not take the government-mandated "mark."
I'll close with another quote from Jesus, which is, perhaps, more applicable in this day and age than ever before. "Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?" The collision is coming, folks. Your jail cell awaits. Have you prepared your heart, your soul, your mind?
Info on Alameda curriculum taken from worldnetdaily.com article by Chelsea Schilling.
Info on Islamic curriculum taken from postchronicle.com article, unknown author
Dec 2, 2009
Sin in the Church -- the new "Freedom in Christ?"
The Apostle Paul in several of his epistles warned his Christian readers to "be not deceived." Unfortunately, there is a tendency in the human heart, even the heart of believers, to be deceived. The Apostle Peter describes this same gullibility of the heart when referring to those who "willingly are ignorant." It seems that the bottom line of the human heart is its insistence to believe what it wants to believe. And, this it does in spite of any evidence to the contrary.
Paul warns the Church that before the coming of the Lord there must come both a "falling away" and the revealing of the Man of Sin. It should be obvious that those falling away are those from within the Church. The unsaved and unregenerate of this world can hardly be considered to have fallen away from anything. Paul's reference then is concerning Christians, who from all appearances, were once walking in the truth and light of the gospel, only to eventually fall away from the faith. Arguments about predestination and eternal security of will have to wait for another day. Suffice it to say that the falling away is from among the ranks of those who at least consider themselves believers.
Is there evidence of this falling away and great deception being present in the Church today? Certainly. Very few believers, however, would consider that such warnings and admonitions would or could apply to their own lives. It must be noted, however, that the sins which characterize this present world are all present in great abundance within the Church. Controversy on this point is simply the fact that some sin is no longer sin in the minds of many. The disagreements of the past regarding things such as drinking, dancing, and smoking are being pushed into moral obscurity by new and prevalent assertions regarding the legitimacy of using illicit drugs, watching pornography, or being a committed Christian homosexual. Are we experiencing new revelation and enlightenment regarding these things, or are we experiencing the falling away and having our hearts "hardened through the deceitfulness of sin?" Is this a new freedom in Christ, or just more of the same old sin?
The scope of this brief writing does not permit discussion of every point and counter point regarding particular sins or "freedoms in Christ." Some general observations will have to suffice. Some years ago, while in Jerusalem, I was having a meal with several Christian believers. One man in particular was drinking and smoking to great excess, not simply my own opinion, but his own, demonstrated by his overly loud and boisterous comment, "Thank you, Lord, for the freedom to indulge in these things." I point to the attitude of the heart, not the specific indulgence, where arguments about moderation might prevail. But, surely, we can agree that God wants our hearts to belong to him. Allowing them to be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin is simply too easy and too prevalent in this day and age.
Out of one side of its collective mouth, the Church (for the most part anyway) condemns drunkenness, illicit drugs, homosexual behavior, adultery, fornication, pornography, etc. Out of the other side, however, is a reluctant admission that Christians indulge in these same sins to virtually the same degree and extent as the rest of the world. The fact that Christians behave essentially no differently than unbelievers speaks volumes regarding the current state of the Church. What kind of thinking has taken hold of Christians? Is fornication now an acceptable Christian practice as long as the couple plans to eventually marry? Is marijuana an acceptable recreational drug because God has given us "every green herb" for meat? Can believers now be practicing homosexuals because they've recited the sinner's prayer and, after all, God looks upon the heart? And perhaps these things represent the "falling away" Paul warned us about. Perhaps we have forgotten the Lord's admonition, "Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord..." Perhaps the Church no longer sees any need to be a unique and peculiar people unto the Lord.
Unfortunately, our contemporary theology plays a role in this growing confusion. A significant portion of the modern Church has now told several generations of believers that the gospel of Jesus Christ in its entirety is to simply repeat the sinner's prayer. That's all, folks. Absolutely, positively nothing more. We have guaranteed eternal salvation to any and all who perform this modern sacrament, assuring them that their earthly problems will soon be a thing of the past. When many of these converts rush disillusioned back into the world, we still assure them that the sinner's prayer once-spoken is the "sure foundation" of their eternal life, no matter what lifestyle they may pursue. Only Colonel Harvey's Indian Elixir (It Cures What Ails You) ever came with a better guarantee. This new theological way of thinking, however, has swept its way into all parts of the Church. Too many Christians think that we can do anything, be anything, and still have our eternal cake. We can fornicate, but still enter the kingdom of heaven. We can watch endless hours of pornography and still enter the kingdom of heaven. We can commit adultery, smoke pot, snort cocaine, lie, cheat, steal, and still enter the kingdom of heaven. After all, didn't we say the sinner's prayer while the choir was still singing, "Just as I am?"
The heart never changes. Paul had to deal with this same kind of modern thinking, and was compelled to warn believers to "be not deceived." He said, "Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God." (I Co.6) This present writing is not a call to a gospel of works, nor to any vain efforts to perfect the flesh through works of the flesh. It is a call for the Church to quit deceiving itself. It does matter what you do. Are you continuing in fornication, idolatry, homosexuality, thievery, drunkenness, and the like? If so, the Apostle of the Lord said, "Be not deceived, you shall not inherit the kingdom of God." Is God even able to convict you of sin anymore? It was prophesied of Jesus, before his birth, that "he shall save his people from their sins." Thus, God's people are to be saved and rescued from their sin, so that they no longer are slaves to perform it. This is not an argument for sinless perfection of the flesh, but we must recognize that sin has become an accepted way of life for the Christian. It seems that almost every believer has their pet indulgence or sin that they refuse to give up or even be convicted about. We must repent of treating the precious blood of Christ as some common and contemptible thing that can be kept on hand for immediate use right after our pre-planned and prolonged forays into our favorite sin.
The Church in these last days is being called to repentance. I am learning that this is more than merely an acknowledgement of sin (quite easy), but involves a true turning away from it (very difficult). This present writing is also a call for believers to "abide in Christ." This is the only true method of overcoming sin, the world, the flesh, and the devil. Apart from abiding in him, Jesus said we can do nothing. How does one truly abide in Christ? I have no idea. I'm still working that one out with fear and trembling, yet confident and secure that "he which hath begun a good work in me will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ." You must work out this "abiding" in your own life as well. Dear Believer in Christ, be not deceived. You cannot simply live as your flesh pleases, indulging in any sin that your heart happens to lead you into. Your heart will only get harder and harder, until you are no longer convicted by the Holy Spirit of anything. Freedom in Christ is not freedom to sin and indulge in anything you want. Freedom in Christ is freedom from the bondage and deception of sin. The Scriptures are at odds with modern thinking both within and without the Church. Redefining and rewriting Holy Writ does not alter the objective truth and reality that God has decreed. All Christians are called to pursue the holiness which can only come from Him, "without which no man shall see the Lord." We must walk in the light now, because darkness is rapidly descending upon the world, and upon the Church too. The "falling away" is not on its way, but is already here.
Paul warns the Church that before the coming of the Lord there must come both a "falling away" and the revealing of the Man of Sin. It should be obvious that those falling away are those from within the Church. The unsaved and unregenerate of this world can hardly be considered to have fallen away from anything. Paul's reference then is concerning Christians, who from all appearances, were once walking in the truth and light of the gospel, only to eventually fall away from the faith. Arguments about predestination and eternal security of will have to wait for another day. Suffice it to say that the falling away is from among the ranks of those who at least consider themselves believers.
Is there evidence of this falling away and great deception being present in the Church today? Certainly. Very few believers, however, would consider that such warnings and admonitions would or could apply to their own lives. It must be noted, however, that the sins which characterize this present world are all present in great abundance within the Church. Controversy on this point is simply the fact that some sin is no longer sin in the minds of many. The disagreements of the past regarding things such as drinking, dancing, and smoking are being pushed into moral obscurity by new and prevalent assertions regarding the legitimacy of using illicit drugs, watching pornography, or being a committed Christian homosexual. Are we experiencing new revelation and enlightenment regarding these things, or are we experiencing the falling away and having our hearts "hardened through the deceitfulness of sin?" Is this a new freedom in Christ, or just more of the same old sin?
The scope of this brief writing does not permit discussion of every point and counter point regarding particular sins or "freedoms in Christ." Some general observations will have to suffice. Some years ago, while in Jerusalem, I was having a meal with several Christian believers. One man in particular was drinking and smoking to great excess, not simply my own opinion, but his own, demonstrated by his overly loud and boisterous comment, "Thank you, Lord, for the freedom to indulge in these things." I point to the attitude of the heart, not the specific indulgence, where arguments about moderation might prevail. But, surely, we can agree that God wants our hearts to belong to him. Allowing them to be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin is simply too easy and too prevalent in this day and age.
Out of one side of its collective mouth, the Church (for the most part anyway) condemns drunkenness, illicit drugs, homosexual behavior, adultery, fornication, pornography, etc. Out of the other side, however, is a reluctant admission that Christians indulge in these same sins to virtually the same degree and extent as the rest of the world. The fact that Christians behave essentially no differently than unbelievers speaks volumes regarding the current state of the Church. What kind of thinking has taken hold of Christians? Is fornication now an acceptable Christian practice as long as the couple plans to eventually marry? Is marijuana an acceptable recreational drug because God has given us "every green herb" for meat? Can believers now be practicing homosexuals because they've recited the sinner's prayer and, after all, God looks upon the heart? And perhaps these things represent the "falling away" Paul warned us about. Perhaps we have forgotten the Lord's admonition, "Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord..." Perhaps the Church no longer sees any need to be a unique and peculiar people unto the Lord.
Unfortunately, our contemporary theology plays a role in this growing confusion. A significant portion of the modern Church has now told several generations of believers that the gospel of Jesus Christ in its entirety is to simply repeat the sinner's prayer. That's all, folks. Absolutely, positively nothing more. We have guaranteed eternal salvation to any and all who perform this modern sacrament, assuring them that their earthly problems will soon be a thing of the past. When many of these converts rush disillusioned back into the world, we still assure them that the sinner's prayer once-spoken is the "sure foundation" of their eternal life, no matter what lifestyle they may pursue. Only Colonel Harvey's Indian Elixir (It Cures What Ails You) ever came with a better guarantee. This new theological way of thinking, however, has swept its way into all parts of the Church. Too many Christians think that we can do anything, be anything, and still have our eternal cake. We can fornicate, but still enter the kingdom of heaven. We can watch endless hours of pornography and still enter the kingdom of heaven. We can commit adultery, smoke pot, snort cocaine, lie, cheat, steal, and still enter the kingdom of heaven. After all, didn't we say the sinner's prayer while the choir was still singing, "Just as I am?"
The heart never changes. Paul had to deal with this same kind of modern thinking, and was compelled to warn believers to "be not deceived." He said, "Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God." (I Co.6) This present writing is not a call to a gospel of works, nor to any vain efforts to perfect the flesh through works of the flesh. It is a call for the Church to quit deceiving itself. It does matter what you do. Are you continuing in fornication, idolatry, homosexuality, thievery, drunkenness, and the like? If so, the Apostle of the Lord said, "Be not deceived, you shall not inherit the kingdom of God." Is God even able to convict you of sin anymore? It was prophesied of Jesus, before his birth, that "he shall save his people from their sins." Thus, God's people are to be saved and rescued from their sin, so that they no longer are slaves to perform it. This is not an argument for sinless perfection of the flesh, but we must recognize that sin has become an accepted way of life for the Christian. It seems that almost every believer has their pet indulgence or sin that they refuse to give up or even be convicted about. We must repent of treating the precious blood of Christ as some common and contemptible thing that can be kept on hand for immediate use right after our pre-planned and prolonged forays into our favorite sin.
The Church in these last days is being called to repentance. I am learning that this is more than merely an acknowledgement of sin (quite easy), but involves a true turning away from it (very difficult). This present writing is also a call for believers to "abide in Christ." This is the only true method of overcoming sin, the world, the flesh, and the devil. Apart from abiding in him, Jesus said we can do nothing. How does one truly abide in Christ? I have no idea. I'm still working that one out with fear and trembling, yet confident and secure that "he which hath begun a good work in me will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ." You must work out this "abiding" in your own life as well. Dear Believer in Christ, be not deceived. You cannot simply live as your flesh pleases, indulging in any sin that your heart happens to lead you into. Your heart will only get harder and harder, until you are no longer convicted by the Holy Spirit of anything. Freedom in Christ is not freedom to sin and indulge in anything you want. Freedom in Christ is freedom from the bondage and deception of sin. The Scriptures are at odds with modern thinking both within and without the Church. Redefining and rewriting Holy Writ does not alter the objective truth and reality that God has decreed. All Christians are called to pursue the holiness which can only come from Him, "without which no man shall see the Lord." We must walk in the light now, because darkness is rapidly descending upon the world, and upon the Church too. The "falling away" is not on its way, but is already here.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)