Living for God

Posted on January 6, 2019 by admin

Andrew Brunson, the American pastor who was held in prison in Turkey for over two years, was recently released.  Speaking of his ordeal, he commented that:  “Sometimes it’s harder to live for God than to die for God”. [1]

We honor those who are martyred for their faith and rightly so.  However, dying for our faith is a short term event; it is an event that is over relatively quickly.

Living for our faith is a life time event.  If, like Paul we are called to serve “the Lord with all humility and with tears and with trials” (Acts 20:19 ESV), it can seem as if our trials and hardships will go on for a lifetime.  Being human, we want these events to end but God calls us to persevere (James 1:12).

This principle also applies to our salvation and it is why we have maintained in this blog that salvation is not a one-time event but a process that lasts a lifetime.  Salvation is not a one-time confession of faith but a lifetime of putting that faith into practice on a daily basis.

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[1]    Mindy Belz.  “A Living Martyr”.  World Magazine, November 24, 2018, p. 38.

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Questions about Christmas

Posted on December 31, 2018 by admin

A few years ago (12-26-2013), we published a blog about whether Jesus was born in a stable or in a private residence.  That prompted me to ask a few more questions about the traditional Christmas story.  These questions will be on my list to ask God when I get home.

Was Jesus born the first night Joseph and Mary arrived in Bethlehem?  Luke 2:6 (ESV) states:  “And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth.”  It almost sounds like they were in Bethlehem for a few days before Jesus’ birth.

How did the shepherds know how to find Jesus?  The angel only told them he was in Bethlehem wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manager.  Did they knock on every door in Bethlehem until they found him?

The general consensus is that the wise men did not find Jesus until he was one to two years old.  This is based upon the fact that Herod ordered the destruction of all male children two years and younger.  Why did Joseph and Mary stay in Bethlehem for one to two years after Christ’s birth?  If Joseph had a carpentry business in Nazareth, then why was he not anxious to return to his lively hood?

How did Joseph finance his family’s trip to Egypt?  Was it from the gifts of the wise man—gold, frankincense and myrrh?

I’m sure there are additional questions about Jesus’ birth but all these questions are secondary to the fact that he was born to teach us about God and to save us from our sins.

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Living by Faith in a Screwed Up World

Posted on December 24, 2018 by admin

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow says it more eloquently than the above title does.  At times it does seem that this world is a lost cause.  It is only because we have “the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1 ESV) that we strive to change ourselves and our world into the likeness of God.  It is only because of this faith that we can look with a positive gaze into the future.

Christmas Bells

I heard the bells on Christmas day, Their old familiar carols play, And wild and sweet the words repeat Of peace on earth, good will to men.

I thought how, as the day had come, The belfries of all Christendom Had rolled along th’unbroken song Of peace on earth, good will to men.

And in despair I bowed my head:  “There is no peace on earth,” I said, “For hate is strong and mocks the song Of peace on earth, good will to men.”

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:  “God is not dead, nor doth he sleep; The wrong shall fail, the right prevail, With peace on earth, good will to men.”

Till, ringing, singing, on its way, The world revolved from night to day, A voice, a chime, a chant sublime, Of peace on earth, good will to men! [1]

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[1]   Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Christmas Bells, 1807–1882.

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Lucky or Unlucky

Posted on December 16, 2018 by admin

When things go our way, we tend to think of ourselves as lucky.  When things do not go our way, we think of ourselves as unlucky.  A recent column in Flying magazine puts a different perspective on this issue.

Peter Garrison designed and built his airplane which he flew across the Pacific so it is obvious he is an accomplished aviator.  In 1982 as he was holding short of a runway, another propeller driven aircraft ran into his aircraft and proceeded to chew his airplane into pieces.  Fortunately, Mr. Garrison was able to escape.  When the news media arrived on the scene, one reporter asked Mr. Garrison if he felt lucky.  That seemed like an odd question to Mr. Garrison because he had just lost his aircraft into which he had invested so much of his life and he thought that was very unlucky.  However, Mr. Garrison recognized that from the reporter’s perspective, he had survived an airplane accident and to survive such an accident obviously one must be lucky. [1]

So was Mr. Garrison lucky or unlucky?  That all depends upon your perspective.  This particular event had aspects of both—Mr. Garrison was lucky he escaped with his life but he was unlucky he lost his airplane.

As Christians we can learn from this story.  While we are confident that ultimately “all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28, ESV), even in our present circumstances we should recognize that there are good and bad aspects to what we experience in our lives.  Whether we see the positive or negative is just a matter of our perspective.

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[1]   Peter Garrison.  Technicalities:  “Random Acts of Luckiness”.  Flying, December 2018, pp. 68-69.

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Religion

Posted on December 9, 2018 by admin

Christianity is one of the world’s great religions.  But what is a religion?  Webster’s New Universal Unabridged Dictionary defines religion as:  a set of beliefs and practices concerning the cause, nature, and purposes of the universe.  Christianity definitely does that.

Now many Christians maintain that Christianity is more than a religion; it is more than a set of beliefs and practices.  They assert Christianity is a way of life; it is a personal relationship with God.  But is this what our Christian doctrine teaches?  I thought Christian doctrine taught all one needed to do to become a Christian was to profess faith in Jesus and his death for our sins; that nothing else was required.  As some theologians admit, it is possible for “a person to receive Jesus as Savior without in any way embracing him as Lord.  Neither repentance or submission to Christ’s Lordship is a necessary element of saving faith” [1]  So if our doctrine is correct, then our statement that Christianity is more than a religion is incorrect.  If the statement “Christianity is more than a religion, it is a relationship with God” is accurate, it needs to be reflected in our doctrine.  Why is it not?

What we have advocated in this blog and in my book is that our doctrine needs to change because Christianity is more than just another religion; it is the renovation of our soul so it becomes like God.

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[1]   R. C. Sproul, Faith Alone, Grand Rapids, MI:  Baker Books, 1995, pp. 168-169.

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Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Posted on November 30, 2018 by admin

Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a German theologian and pastor during the World War I and II eras.  He actively participated in the plot to assassinate Hitler and as a result paid for it with his life.

From his father, Bonhoeffer learned to bring a “critical and ‘scientific’ attitude to all questions of faith and theology.” [1]   Why?  The reason was he “wished to arrive at answers that could stand up to every scrutiny because one would have to live out those conclusions.  They would have to become actions and would have to become the substance of one’s life.  . .And actions in Germany at that time had serious consequences.” [2]

Should we not have the same attitude today?  For most of us, unlike Bonhoeffer, our lives are not on the line but there are other reasons to scrutinize our faith.  In my book we quote David Elton Trueblood who has Bonhoeffer’s mind set but gives us a slightly different perspective.

“There is really no hope for the Christian faith apart from tough-mindedness in matters of belief.  If God is not, then the sooner we find it out the better.  If belief in God is not true, it is an evil and should be eliminated from our entire universe of discourse.  False belief is evil because it diverts energy from practical tasks that require attention.  If prayer is not an objective encounter with the Living God, we shall do well to make this discovery and give up the nonsense as soon as possible.” [3]

How many Christians have this attitude?  Do you?

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[1]   Eric Metaxas.  Bonhoeffer:  Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy.  Nashville:  Thomas Nelson, 2010. p. 54.

[2]   Metaxas, p. 127.

[3]   David Elton Trueblood. A Place to Stand.  New York:  Harper & Row, 1969, p. 19.

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The Divorce of Religion and Morality

Posted on November 23, 2018 by admin

Scott Hendrix states in Martin Luther:  Visionary Reformer that Luther’s revolutionary innovation was separating religion from morality.  ”True religion demands the heart and soul, not deeds and other externals. . .” [1]  Now the dictionary definition of morality is “conformity to the rules of right conduct”.  So can we honestly say the Bible is silent about morality?  Does God not impose certain requirements upon us in terms of our behavior?  What are the Ten Commandments?

If true religion demands something of our soul, how do we change our soul that is desperately wicked (Jeremiah 17:9)?  While God is working in us (Philippians 2:13) does not God also expect something of us?  Does not God tell us we are to work out our own salvation (Philippians 2:12)?  If our actions or deeds are not important, why is the Bible full of instructions on how we are to act?  Erasmus states that there are over 600 verses in the Bible where God requires something of us. [2]

C. S. Lewis states our actions and deeds are essential if we are to change.

The rule for all of us is perfectly simple.  Do not waste time bothering whether you “love” your neighbor; act as if you did.  As soon as we do this we find one of the great secrets.  When you are behaving as if you loved someone, you will presently come to love him.  If you injure someone you dislike, you will find yourself disliking him more. [3]

C. S. Lewis also talks about Christians being the sons of God and “dressing up as Christ”. He advocates pretending to be like Christ because it will lead to a change in a person. “Very often the only way to get a quality in reality is to start behaving as if you had it already.” [4]

God requires that our entire soul, not just part of it, be changed so it becomes like him.  That is why there are over 70 verses in the Bible which state salvation is through means other than belief in Jesus and some of those verses address our conduct.  So how can we separate religion from morality?

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[1]   Marvin Olasky, “Beyond sunny stories of how good we are”, World Magazine, October 28, 2017, p. 41.

[2]   Ernst F. Winter, ed. and trans. Discourse on Free Will. New York:  Frederick Ungar Publishing Co., Inc., 1961, p. 59.

[3]   C. S. Lewis.   Mere Christianity.  New York:  The Macmillan Company, 1952, p. 101.

[4]   C. S. Lewis.  Mere Christianity.   p. 147.

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Faith and Deeds

Posted on November 12, 2018 by admin

In a recent feature article on sexual abuse in Protestant and Catholic organizations, the World Magazine ends the articles by quoting columnist Rod Dreher who Twittered “Nice worlds from Pope Francis, but after all this time, and all these empty promises from the episcopate, what counts now are **deeds**.” The author then ends the article by saying that is what counts in Protestant churches as well. [1]

In the Protestant doctrine of salvation, all that is required is words.  All we need to do to be saved is to believe.  Why do we have one standard for sexual abuse in the church (deeds matter more than words) but think God has another standard for our salvation (only words matter)?  Maybe we ought to read the book of James more.  “Do you want to be shown, you foolish person, that faith apart from works is useless?” (James 2:20 ESV).

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[1]   Sophia Lee.  “Crouching at Every Door–Conclusion”.  World Magazine.  September 15, 2018, p. 41.

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The Children

Posted on November 4, 2018 by admin

One of the consequences of the existence of evil in our world is the price children pay for this evil.  Children are innocent; they can do little to defend themselves.  Yet they too suffer pain because of the evil in our world.  In the last blog we learned that John Hicks believes that God allows evil and suffering in our world so we will learn to change our soul so it becomes like him. [1]

Is it just to let children suffer so we can learn this lesson?  Ivan Karamazov in Fyodor Dostoyevsky’s novel, The Brothers Karamazov, declares that “And if the suffering of children go to swell the sum of suffering which was necessary to pay for truth, then I protest that the truth is not worth such a price”. [2]

Hicks says the problem of suffering is that “it is distributed in random and meaningless ways, with the result that suffering is often undeserved and often falls upon men [and children] in mounts exceeding anything that could be rationally intended.” [3]

That Jesus had a special place in his heart for children is without question.  Jesus said:  “Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.  (Matthew 18:5-6 ESV)  So how can God allow children to experience all this suffering?

Moses Maimonides, a 12 century Jewish scholar, philosopher, and medical doctor has stated we suffer because of evil and the causes of this evil are three.  The first is because we have a material existence.  The second is the evil people do to each other.  The third are the result of our own actions.  And the second and third causes constitute the vast majority of these cases. [4]

So if we ask who is responsible for most of the suffering children experience, we will need to first look at ourselves—at both of our acts of commission and omission.

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[1]   John Hicks.  Evil and the God of Love.  New York:  Palgrave McMillan, 2010, p. 257.

[2]   Fyodor Dostoyevsky.  Translated by Constance Garnett.  The Brothers Karamazov.  New York:  New American Library, pp. 225-226.

[3]   Hicks., p. 333.

[4]   Moses Maimonides.  Shlomo Pines, Translator.  The Guide of the Perflexed.  Chicago:  The University of Chicago Press, 1963, pp.443-446.

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A Soul Making Machine

Posted on October 26, 2018 by admin

For ages, people have asked the question of why, if God is a God of love, evil and suffering exist in our world.  John Hick proposes an answer to this question.  As the Bible states, God created humans in his own image but Hicks believes that is just the beginning. [1]  God created us and placed us in this world with the purpose of changing our soul so it is like him.  This world is the environment God has made “in which moral creatures may be fashioned, through their own free insights and responses, into children of God”. [2] See II Corinthians 3:18. Romans 8:28-30, Ephesians 2:19-22, Ephesians 3:14-20, II Corinthians 4:16.

Hicks maintains God did not design this world to be a paradise; it is not heaven.  The pleasure of humans is not God’s primary concern. [3]  Evil, which is primarily produced by us humans, produces suffering but God will use this suffering to change our soul (Romans 8:28).

And this is exactly what we have taught in this blog.  God’s purpose for us is not just to change our belief system, it is the renovation of our soul so it becomes like him.

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[1]   John Hicks.  Evil and the God of Love.  New York:  Palgrave McMillan, 2010, p. 254.

[2]   Hicks, p. 257.

[3]   Hicks, p. 258.

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