That Tickles

In Paul's second letter to Timothy -- the last one from all we know -- Paul gave the young pastor a solemn charge (2 Tim 4:1): "Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction" (2 Tim 4:2). That probably sits wrong with some. It's too tough, too argumentative, too judgmental. "Reprove, rebuke, exhort." "Them's fightin' words." And they are, but Paul had a reason. He was anticipating hard times.

For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths. (2 Tim 4:3-4)

It strikes me that this is a pretty good measure. We have two concepts contrasted: "preach the Word" and "ears tickled."

It doesn't take a super genius to see this in our day. Many of the popular preachers these days are the ones "tickling ears." They are saying things people want to hear. "There is no hell; love wins." "If you believe, Jesus will make you rich." "God wants you to be happy." Oh, I'm sure you can think of who might say things like that and even supply more of the same examples. You see, the Word does not tickle ears. The Word doesn't give us in accordance with our own desires. The Word doesn't make us comfortable. Certainly not, at least, at first.

Paul goes on to warn Timothy, "But you, be sober in all things, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry" (2 Tim 4:5). Knuckle down, Timothy. Be sober-minded. Don't expect ear-tickling; endure hardship. Do the work; fulfill your ministry. That would include reproving, rebuking, and exhorting ... in and out of season -- when it's accepted and when it's not.

What about you? Are you more interested in accumulating teachers in accordance with your own desires or are you ready to hear the Word and act on it? Do you find that you typically find warm and fuzzy things in Scripture or jarring claims? Will you fight the good fight, finish the course, keep the faith (2 Tim 4:7)? Or is "comfortable" and "agrees with me" your aim?

More Sure

We know; we know. All Scripture is inspired by God (2 Tim 3:16-17). Yeah, yeah. And some of us are also clear on the fact that "inspired" isn't the best way to express what that text says. The ESV says "breathed out by God," pointing to the source rather than the receiver. That is, it isn't simply that these writers were inspired; it's that they were targeted by God's breath. It might be instructive to look at this from Peter's perspective.

In his second epistle, Peter explains to his readers, "For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of His majesty" (2 Peter 1:16). Peter was referencing the Transfiguration, an event that, of all of the human race, only three people witnessed -- Peter, James, and John. His point is that it wasn't "made up." It wasn't "cleverly devised myths." He was relating an eye-witnessed event. He was there when God the Father in "Majestic Glory" spoke: "This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased" (2 Peter 1:17). It doesn't get any more sure than that, does it? Well, apparently, to Peter it does. He goes on to say, "We have the prophetic word more sure ..." (2 Peter 1:19). "More sure"? More sure than experience, than being there, than being an eyewitness? Yes! We have the written Word from God. Peter makes that clear. It wasn't decided by human writers, "but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God" (2 Peter 1:21). It wasn't human will (2 Peter 1:21) or human interpretation (2 Peter 1:20). It was the Holy Spirit speaking from God. In fact, that "moved" term there is interesting. It was a nautical term. It primarily referred to sailing vessels being moved by wind. They were along for the ride, so to speak. That is what it means to be "inspired," to be "breathed out by God."

Peter said, "You do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts" (2 Peter 1:19). Not merely pay attention to the Word; pay attention "as to a lamp shinking in a dark place." The psalmist wrote, "Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path" (Psa 119:105). We're in the dark here; we need to watch where we're going. We don't need to be looking around; we need to watch where we're going. God's Word does that. In fact, Jesus said, "Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth" (John 17:17). God's Word is truth, and it is the means by which we are sanctified. We're not looking for evidence or ammunition; we're looking for direction, for light. His Word does that. If we pay close attention, it will keep us from stumbling. We do well to pay attention to God's Word as a lamp shining in a dark place. It is more sure than personal experience or preference. It is God's Word.

Something for Everyone

Paul left Timothy in Ephesus to deal with problems there with false teachers primarily as well as a few other things. His first and second epistles to Timothy were instructions on this topic. At one point Paul tells Timothy, "Have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies; you know that they breed quarrels" (2 Tim 2:23). "See?" some will say, "we're not supposed to argue with people over differences of opinion." The only way you could hold that position is if you stopped reading at that verse, because the next two verses say,

The Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness (2 Tim 2:24-25).

"See," the other side now responds, "we are supposed to correct opponents." And, indeed, that's what Paul says ... but it's not all he says, is it?

The instructions aren't vague. Avoid foolish, ignorant controversies. What are these? These would be controversies unrelated to the reason why we're here. It would be about why gas prices are high or how bad or good the government is or whether or not she looked good in that outfit. We're here as representatives of Christ for the gospel -- here to do God's work. With that agenda, it is clear to see that much of what we argue about is peripheral despite how vital it may feel. We are told to not be quarrelsome -- not being marked as being at war with others. We are to be marked as being kind and patient. "So, we're not supposed to correct others?" No, indeed! We are supposed to respond to those who oppose the truth with the truth, but we're supposed to do it "with gentleness." You know, "A gentle answer turns away wrath" (Prov 15:1). Yes, answer, but gently. Remember the aim is not to win, but to correct. Their response is in view, not your "rightness."

"The goal of our instruction," Paul said, "is love ..." (1 Tim 1:5). That is still true. In Paul's instructions to the young pastor Timothy, he includes instructions for us. Yes, we are to avoid foolish controversies. We are not to engage in every debate. It is not our place to search the Internet because someone someplace is wrong. On the other hand, it is our duty to correct those who oppose the truth, but gently. Something for all of us, whether we like to contend with others or not.

News Weakly - 10/15/22

The Other Shoe
At the beginning of October an Arizona judge removed the block on Arizona's pro-life law. I applauded, but warned, "We will, of course, wait for the other shoe to drop, because we, as a nation, will not long stand for human life over sexual freedom." I'm not saying I'm a prophet or anything, but ... the other shoe dropped. For now.

"We Demand"
There was a "Women's March" in D.C. over the weekend (although women who weren't interested in fighting for the right to kill babies need not attend). The aim was to let the court and the nation know they intended to fight. Ignoring the "abortion = murder" signs of the counter protesters, they warned they would "Stand up, fight back" with simultaneous (illegal) protests at 6 Supreme Court Justice's homes. It's interesting to me that the California court that forced the state to issue marriage licenses against the state laws voted in by the state voters was "justice" but SCOTUS's removal of constitutional protection for killing babies was "partisan" and "narrow-minded." As usual, nobody is nearly as interested in "justice" as much as "what do we want?"

Lower Learning
As some of us are starting to wonder about the quality of education in America in general (and California in particular), UC Berkeley is offering a course on Nicki Minaj to teach about her impact on hip-hop music. (And it's not just Berkeley.) I sure miss the much more useful Underwater Basketweaving option.

Accolades
All praise to our glorious president whose people and policies have brought us from the horrible economic prosperity of the Trump era to ... the highest prices ever and the lowest NASDAQ in over 2 years. I, for one, welcome our deranged overlords.

Evil Chick-Fil-A
A startling TikTok video has outraged consumers by revealing that Chick-Fil-A makes its lemonade from "lemon juice with pulp" (specifically not concentrate) and water. Those dastardly enterpreneurs. Now, I know -- that is the standard recipe for lemonade. Apparently people are just angry because some kid isn't in the back hand-squeezing lemons all day. I don't understand people. Apparently, like Trump, Chick-Fil-A is just a company that people love to hate.

California ... Again
Seriously, this seems to be a weekly installment these days. So late last month Governor Newsom signed a new bill into law that makes California a "refuge" for those seeking "gender-affirming care" (by which they obviously mean "encouraging you away from the gender science says you are"). It legalizes removing children from their parents, bars compliance with subpoenas out of state, and protects those who violate the laws of other states in this regard. Parental rights are banned. Federal and state laws are banned. California will do what California deems right regardless of the harm it does children.

Inequity
In July, Colorado (as an example) dropped their vaccine mandate for health care workers. Last month President Biden declared that the COVID pandemic was over. This week the Biden administration extended the COVID public health emergency declaration while Biden urges Congress to provide billions to pay for vaccines and testing. When President Bush declared victory in Iraq even though there was still fighting there, the media ridiculed him. The media does not appear to be ridiculing Biden. Is it just me, or is this "unequal treatment"?

Bee Happy
There is an upside to our econoomic woes. Christians are finding it easier to stop storing up treasure on earth. After the European Parliament disclosed that Pfizer didn't do proper testing on its COVID vaccine, Pfizer has insisted that it did test it ... on over 5 billion people. And President Biden is admitting that we may have a "very slight" nuclear war with Russia.

Must be true; I read it on the Internet.

In the Last Days

In the third chapter of Paul's second letter to Timothy, Paul warns "that in the last days difficult times will come" (2 Tim 3:1). He goes on to describe what people will be like the closer we get to the end. Number One on the list is "lovers of self" -- selfish people (2 Tim 3:2). It seems as if the rest of the list -- and it is long (2 Tim 3:2-5) -- is simply the logical outcome of that first one. If you are selfish, you will love money. If you are selfish, you will be boastful -- self-aggrandizing to others -- and arrogant -- believing you are better than others. You will be ungrateful, irreconcilable, loving pleasure, and so on. Makes sense. And it makes sense that the closer we get to the end, the more these things will manifest themselves.

One of the descriptive terms offered in that list is a little oblique in its English translation. Paul says they will be "unloving." Okay, yes, fairly accurate, but it misses the nuances. In Greek, there are multiple words for "love" that express different versions of love. There is agape which essentially expresses an unconditional type of love -- something we choose rather than just feel. There is philos which is a "friendly" kind of love. You know, "You make me feel good." There is eros which doesn't appear in Scripture that, obviously, refers primarily to sexual love. Another that doesn't appear in the pages of the Bible is storge which talks about natural familial affection. You know, that natural-bond-that-family-has kind of love. I say that this term doesn't appear in the Bible, but what does appear there is astorge, where "a" is the "not" function for storge. That's the word Paul uses in 2 Timothy 3:3. He says in the last days people will be "unloving" -- without natural affection.

Let's look at that yardstick for a moment. Is it not true that our society, certainly more so than in the last century, has been losing their natural family affection? Look at the number of mothers who have harmed, abused, tortured, or even killed their children in the past 10 years, for instance. The number of wives who divorce their husbands and then leave the children with them -- a notion that screams against the norm of moms loving their children -- has risen in the 21st century. Well, look, between 1973 and 2020 65 million babies were killed by their mothers so their mothers would have a "better life." And they're fighting tooth and nail to retain that option. It seems irrefutable that modern society is surging toward Paul's "unloving" -- "without natural family affection" -- in ways that we've not seen before.

The list from 2 Timothy 3 reads like a description of modern folk. I've seen much of it in casual complaints about "millenials" and the current "me generation." It's not getting better. Paul doesn't offer the warning about "last days" to create fear. He offers it to inform Timothy -- and us -- that it is coming, will only get worse, and has a suitable response.

But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. (2 Tim 3:14-17)

God's prescription for believers (us) in the last days -- Scripture.

Not Missing

Sorry. I've missed today's entry. I've been caught up in some family emergencies and tied up for a couple of days. I'll get back to you all forthwith.

Sacred Writings

In Paul's second letter to Timothy, Paul references "the sacred writings." He was telling Timothy that the last days would be filled with false teachers characterized by self-love and the host of evil that self-love spawns (2 Tim 3:1-9). "But don't worry," he seems to say, "there is an answer. You have closely followed the example you've seen in me" (2 Tim 3:10-11). "Things will get worse," he goes on to warn, "but you continue in the things you have learned and become convinced of, knowing from whom you have learned them" (2 Tim 3:14). We're in the last days, we're told, and the solution is to avoid the wrong crowd (2 Tim 3:5) and follow the right one. How did Timothy know who the right ones were? "From childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus" (2 Tim 3:15).

What a glorious heritage! Timothy had a believing grandmother and mother (2 Tim 1:5) who immersed Timothy when he was young in "the sacred writings." These are effective. They defend against the wrong ideas and ways. They give wisdom, a wisdom that leads to salvation through faith in Christ. These are solid. "Trust them, Timothy," Paul is saying. Why? Why trust them? Because "All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work" (2 Tim 3:16-17). There are a lot of "sacred writings" for a lot of religions, but only one "Scripture" -- only one "God-breathed" version. Only one that is as profitable as the one we have. It will make the man of God complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work. It is sufficient and authoritative. It is trustworthy when so many other things and people are not.

We are in the last days (1 John 2:18). We know that because of all the false teachers tumbling out of our churches. Every day is one day closer to the end, to Christ's return. The promise is that things will get worse, not better. Especially in the church, the primary source of false teachers more in love with self that God. But there is help. God has breathed out His Word. It is reliable, effective, authoritative, and sufficient. That, of course, will make it one of Satan's first targets, and he has done so from the beginning. Which also happens to be a good way to tell if you're hearing a follower of Christ or a false teacher. Do they agree with the Word or deny it, twist it, edit it, alter it? Our Bible is "sacred writing," but not in itself. It is God's words to us, and He has made it such. So who are you going to believe?

Count the Cost

Jesus said He came to give us abundant life (John 10:10). There is a sense among most American Christians that that means we're supposed to have an easier life. Discomfort is not on our approved list. A difficult time, a death in the family, a lost job, an illness, most difficulties at all are not allowed and if they come we will complain. That includes collisions with God's Word. "Well, yes, it looks like it says that, but I don't like it, so it's out."

What a contrast with Jesus's own instructions.

If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me. (Luke 9:23)

"If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple. Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. For which one of you, when he wants to build a tower, does not first sit down and calculate the cost to see if he has enough to complete it? (Luke 14:26-28)

Now there's a harsh collision between Scripture and American Christianity. Paul promised, "Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted" (2 Tim 3:12). And we're thinking, "Better not be." James wrote, "Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing" (James 1:2-4). We'd rather be imperfect, thank you very much. Peter wrote, "Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you; but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that also at the revelation of His glory you may rejoice with exultation" (1 Peter 4:12-13). We'd prefer to pass.

Jesus warned about counting the cost before we commit to something (Luke 14:28). The cost to follow Christ is death to self. It will include suffering. Oh, the benefits are many and far exceed the cost. But we need to know that it's not an easy thing and we need to accept that ... as good from the hand of God.

Daniel and You

We live in ... interesting times. Okay, less and less comfortable times. For Christians, I mean. Oh, nothing like the early Christians faced or anything, but, let's face it, Christianity in America is falling into more and more disfavor. They're forcing some Christians to violate their principles or face consequences. They're telling us all that if we take a biblical view on marriage, transgenderism, and homosexuality, we're "haters." It may not be lions and burnings yet, but it is what Jesus called "persecution" (Matt 5:10-11). And then there is all the discomfort of home -- inflation, foolish government, plummeting morals with its associated moral insanity, and so on. Things look a bit gloomy.

You remember the story of Daniel in the lions' den, right? Darius was king and liked Daniel, but the mucky-mucks didn't. They tricked the king into passing a law that would certainly entrap Daniel. And when it did, they sprung the trap. So Darius was forced to throw Daniel to the lions. When he did it, he told Daniel, "Your God whom you constantly serve will Himself deliver you" (Dan 6:16). Imagine that! The king got it! So they carried out the sentence and the next morning he went back and found Daniel safe, just like he thought. Well, the mucky-mucks were the next meal for the lions and the king made a decree to the people.

I make a decree that in all the dominion of my kingdom men are to fear and tremble before the God of Daniel; For He is the living God and enduring forever, And His kingdom is one which will not be destroyed, And His dominion will be forever. He delivers and rescues and performs signs and wonders In heaven and on earth, Who has also delivered Daniel from the power of the lions. (Dan 6:26-27)

Now think about that. Daniel was in trouble not for doing bad things, but for praying and giving thanks to God. Hey, that's interesting! We're commanded to do the exact same thing (1 Thess 5:17-18)! So here's my suggestion in troubling times. Let's try that out and see if the God that we constantly serve will save us. Darius believed God "delivers and rescues and performs signs and wonders In heaven and on earth." Do you?

Am I One of the Elect?

Marshal Art asked how one can know if they are among the elect. Good question. There is a biblical answer.

For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins. Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall. For in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. (2 Peter 1:5-11)

In this text Peter offers a string of qualities to be added to faith. They are given in succession. Then he says, "If these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ." Notice he adds "are increasing." So we're looking at a continuous spiral ascending, so to speak. You add virtue to faith, knowledge to virtue, self-control to knowledge, steadfastness to self-control, and godliness to steadfastness. And then you do it again -- increasing. That is, he says, if you know Jesus, your life changes. The knowledge is "fruitful." And it is that ongoing life change that signals clearly that you are called, you are elect. It is how we confirm our own calling and election.

Notice that it begins with "For this very reason." What reason?

His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us to His own glory and excellence, by which He has granted to us His precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. (2 Peter 1:3-4)

How is this stuff accomplished? His divine power and the knowledge of Him. We have "precious and very great promises." He provides escape from the corruption in the world.

If you look at the list of qualities, it can seem daunting. But Peter doesn't say, "If you possess these in full" but, rather, you possess them and increase them. Beyond that, it is accomplished by God's power and by knowing Him. It is a command to "confirm your calling and election," so we must, but we shouldn't have to worry about it. If we belong to Him, He will be at work in us (Php 2:13).

News Weakly - 10/8/22

Crazy California
In what appears to be a weekly feature here, California is at it again. (I don't mean to imply all Californians as crazy, but quite a few keep voting this guy in.) This time Governor Newsom announced that oil refineries can sell "more polluting winter-blend gasoline" ahead of schedule to try to ease soaring fuel prices. (Interesting to note. For anyone who has lived in California, we always understood that gas prices would jump when they changed fuel mixes, so Newsom is hoping to bring this jump on early to "ease soring fuel prices"?) This while they plan to terminate all fossil fuel cars and prevent natural gas appliances "for the environment" ... apparently as long as environmentalism doesn't get too expensive. He's not bothered by the hobgoblin of consistency.

Then Governor Newsom signed a bill that made jaywalking legal in California. Billed as the "Freedom to Walk Act," it allows Californians to finally cross in previously illegal-because-it-was-unsafe ways in the name of racial equity. Nice. Now pedestrians can risk being run down equally in California.

Finally, Governor Newsom has launched a billboard campaign in seven of the most abortion-restrictive states calling on women to come to California to kill their babies. One includes a biblical quote -- Mark 12:31. "Love your neighbor as yourself." John MacArthur has responded with an open letter to the governor urging his repentance. Note to the governor: killing babies cannot be classified as "love your neighbor." (I loved this Babylon Bee piece on Newsom calling for John MacArthur the baptist's head on a platter.)

Once More Into the Breach
Colorado baker Jack Phillips is on the hot seat again. A transgender lawyer asked for a cake to celebrate his (he says "her") gender transition and Phillips refused. It violated his religious beliefs. The lawyer admitted the purpose of the request was to "challenge the veracity" of Phillips. It's not about cakes or LGBT; it's about whether or not someone is allowed to hold an opinion opposed to LGBT. It is indeed about religious convictions for Christians in America.

Too Much Bad News
The headline reads, "World Of Irish Dancing Jolted By Competition Fixing Scandal." Jolted. Really. Dancing competition fixed. Really. First world problems.

Media Bias?
Two stories, unconnected, but notice the tone. In one, "A disgraced FBI special agent was found guilty on Tuesday for accepting cash ..." Notice the distance given. "Disgraced FBI special agent." They're saying, "He's not one of our boys." In the other story, "A south Alabama pastor has been indicted on rape and sex abuse charges." Not "disgraced pastor" or "failed pastor" or "false teacher" as we might have done. No. Save the face of the FBI, but sully the name of Christ's followers by pointing to one who claims to be but is not.

Weapons Out of Control
Mass knifings took place in London and Las Vegas this week. Three people were stabbed in London and in Vegas 2 were killed and 6 hurt. For reasons unclear to me, there is no call for "knife control."

Nosey
"Republican" Liz Cheney of Wyoming is urging Arizona voters to avoid voting Republican. She said if she was in Arizona, she would vote Democrat. She's not. Arizona Republican voters are urging Liz Cheney to keep her nose out of Arizona politics.

Not Genius; Genesius
Brought to you this week by the Genesius Times. The story is out. The FBI has opened an investigation into Kanye West after his "White Lives Matter" t-shirt stunt. He is suspected of being a black white supremacist. Joe Biden is promising to help those hit by Hurrican Ian by giving $13 billion more to Ukraine. What a guy!

Must be true; I read it on the Internet.

A Book to Read

One of the books that really changed my life (after, of course, the Bible) was written by R.C. Sproul. It didn't change my life because of who wrote it, but because of what it contained. I first heard it preached and then read the book and the impact continues to this day. The book is The Holiness of God. (You can see it preached here or read it.) The holiness of God (the reality as explained by the book) changed my life.

The Bible, God's revelation of His actions and attributes, includes quite a few attributes. We know about love and grace and mercy. We agree on omniscience and omnipotence and omnipresence. He claims Sovereignty (the only) and Providence. We get all that and it's very good. The only one, however, that is repeated ... twice ... is "holy." In Isaiah 6:3 and in Revelation 4:8 God is called not just "holy" or even "holy, holy," but "holy, holy, holy." The technique is a hebraism. In the previous sentence here I italicized a word to give it emphasis, and I bolded and underlined the next one for more emphasis. Repetition is how the Hebrews did the same thing in speech. So when God is described as "holy, holy, holy," it's like italics, bold print, and underline all in one. It is "holy" with exclamation marks (plural). There are other things in Scripture that are described as "holy" but God alone is described with the thrice "holy."

Now, we really aren't clear on the meaning of the term. Generally, we think of it as "separate from sin," and that is somewhat true. But it is more literally "set apart," so that would be "set apart from sin" and then some. The Hebrew word there is most literally "other" and God is truly "other." So God is righteous like no other. God is eternal like no other. God is Sovereign like no other. And while we are image bearers of the divine, He is not like us; He is other.

If we can grasp this, it changes things dramatically. God is ultra-"other." He is not like us. He is above and beyond us. He alone is this kind of "other." He is "other" in His other attributes like love and grace and mercy. We have a sense of them, but He is so "other" that we cannot completely grasp it. This kind of holiness brought God's prophet -- His mouthpiece -- to his knees crying, "Woe is me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts" (Isa 6:5). Grabbing a piece of this kind of holiness changes everything. God does what God will do and it's alright with you because He is holy and you are not. It becomes impossible to stand in His presence with arrogance because He is holy and you are not. It changes thinking, direction, choices, perspectives, understanding ... every facet of your being. God is not merely holy. He is holy, holy, holy, and it will take an eternity to grasp that about Him.

Objections Answered

I was reading in 2 Timothy where Paul tells Timothy to warn his people "not to wrangle about words, which is useless and leads to the ruin of the hearers" (2 Tim 2:14). Twisting words provides no benefit and ruins hearers. He goes on to say that this only leads to further ungodliness and spreads like gangrene (2 Tim 2:16-17). He says that talk like this will "upset the faith of some" (2 Tim 2:18). He goes on to tell Timothy that God's servant "must not be quarrelsome" but does correct "with gentleness" (2 Tim 2:24-25). The day after I read it, I received a comment from "Anonymous" on Election.

But, it's not Grace at all if you're one of the majority your god chose not to choose and, instead, created for destruction. THAT God is a whimsical monster to most people, right? I mean, just objectively speaking, if you're one of the destined to be damned and tortured for an eternity for the "crime" of being imperfect, you WILL recognize that God as a graceless monster, won't you?

I don't know who Anonymous is. (Not all "anonymouses" are Dan.) I don't know the person's intent. I don't know if it's a Christian willing to toss aside God's Word¹ or a skeptic using this as a pry bar to harm the faith. So I won't be responding to Anonymous here. But, based on Paul's words to Timothy, I will respond to the dangerous ideas. There are several components to address here. There is the notion that it would be wrong of God to make people who will be damned. There is the idea of the "whimsical monster." And there is the question of "Is that grace?"

So, the first. I don't make up the answer; I read it in Scripture. "You will say to me then, 'Why does He still find fault? For who resists His will?' On the contrary, who are you, O man, who answers back to God? The thing molded will not say to the molder, 'Why did you make me like this,' will it? Or does not the potter have a right over the clay, to make from the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for common use?" (Rom 9:19-21). There is the perception in our sinful hearts (Jer 17:9) that says "God owes us." It says, "He has to be gracious to us," which, of course, denies grace at its core, since grace is unmerited favor. Sinful man is an enemy of God (Rom 8:7) largely because we consider ourselves at least equal to Him. So He cannot do this. But Scripture says He does. Scriptures says that the potter has the right over the clay. Jude says that people are "marked out for condemnation" before time began (Jude 4). This objection says that God "created [some people] for destruction." And that is unacceptable. Except that, whether or not election is true, God knows who will be saved and still made some people, knowing they wouldn't. So, yes, God makes people and He knows that some ("many") were made ultimately for destruction. (In fact, Paul answers why that might be so just after the above passage (Rom 9:9:22). He intends to show His power and wrath.) No, the Potter doesn't owe the pottery any favors. Grace is unmerited favor, and He can do with His creation whatever He wills.

Then there's that question of "whimsical." God chooses us not because of us, but because of Him. That does not require "whimsy" or "capriciousness" or "random." Because you can't lay your finger on the reason why God chose this person and not that one does not mean that there is no reason. What we do know is that it is for a reason and it is always His reason for His glory. Not "whimsy."

I have, I think, already answered "Is that grace?" If grace is not earned, not merited, not owed, but given as favor free of obligation, then the fact that God doesn't give everyone this favor is not a surprise. The fact that He gives anyone this favor is the big surprise (Psa 8:4). Why would He? We have all demonstrated our hostility. We have all earned death. If God were to act with pure justice, none of us would stand and no one could complain about it. So, yes, indeed, that God favors anyone with being chosen for salvation is a huge act of grace and those who don't see it are missing that very important fact. Will those who aren't chosen see it as grace? Well, of course not. They've been blinded (2 Cor 4:4) and cannot grasp the things of God (1 Cor 2:14). Their blindness doesn't change the fact that it is grace that anyone would be saved.

Scripture warns that there are those outside and inside our churches who would wish to turn us from the faith. Scripture warns that our first inclination is to be wicked and deceived (Jer 17:9). Scripture warns that Satan is the god of this world who blinds people (2 Cor 4:4). So don't be surprised, but, also, don't be fooled. Election is not a fiction built by some fringe folks. It's Scripture. Dr. Al Mohler said, "Rejecting God's self-revelation in favor of our own ideas about what He would or wouldn't do is the height of self-righteous pride." It's true. Either you can believe some emotional response predicated on an exaggerated view of self over God who made the claim, or you can submit to the God who made the claim and believe that He is faithful, righteous, and good. You do not have to be fooled by objections like this.
________

¹ Apart from the whole of the Old Testament premised on Israel, God's chosen people, here is a partial list of texts from the New Testament. You can also do your own word search and find out how many times "elect" or "chosen" is used in this sense. It isn't "Calvin" or "the Reformation" or some guy's idea; it's Scripture. John 15:16; Eph 1:4-5; Rom 8:28-30; Acts 13:48; 2 Thess 2:13; Rev 13:8; Mark 13:20; Rom 9:11; Titus 1:1; Rom 8:33; John 17:9; Mark 13:27; 2 Peter 1:10; Eph 1:5; Luke 18:7; Col 3:12; 1 Thess 1:4; 1 Peter 2:9; Matt 24:31; Rom 9:15; 2 Tim 2:10.

Soldiers on the Battlefront

In Paul's 2nd letter to Timothy Paul is urging the young pastor to "Be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus" (2 Tim 2:1). Now, telling someone to do something good is fine, but telling them how is even better, and Paul does so. He gives Timothy several strategies for remaining strong (2 Tim 2:2-7). One of them caught my eye.

Paul told Timothy to teach, to be a soldier, to be an athlete, to be a farmer. The one that stood out to me this time was that soldier analogy. He told Timothy to "suffer hardship" and then explained,

No soldier in active service entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life, so that he may please the one who enlisted him as a soldier. (2 Tim 2:4)

There are a few components there worth examining. Notice the term, "active service." We believers are, as it turns out, all on "active duty." We are all on the "front lines." It's not a fight with just anyone. It is "against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places" (Eph 6:12). And there is no place in that conflict that is not "front lines." We can't leave the front and go for a leave. It is full time active duty.

He says that active duty personnel aim to please the one who enlisted them. Now, in this analogy, who enlisted us? That would be God, of course. We are the called, the "elect." We have been enlisted in this war and, if we are to be good soldiers, our aim must be to please Him. Not ourselves. Which, of course, goes against human nature that automatically attempts to please self.

How, then, are we to seek to please Him and not ourselves? We are not to entangle ourselves in the affairs of everyday life. That's what Paul said. It's interesting that he didn't differentiate between good and bad affairs. Everyday life includes both. And we get that we're not to entangle ourselves with sin or even temptation, but what about the good stuff? What about family and church and loving our neighbor and all? What about eating and sleeping and that stuff? Note that he doesn't say not to do it; he says not to be entangled in it. It sounds similar to what Jesus said when He told His disciples,

He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. He who has found his life will lose it, and he who has lost his life for My sake will find it. (Matt 10:37-39)

Jesus didn't say not to love father or mother; He said to prioritize who you love. He said that He needs to be first. In this way we are not entangled even though we are in it.

The demands of Christ on His followers are often counterintuitive. Jesus came to give us abundant life (John 10:10) ... and expects us to "suffer hardship" as good soldiers. We do need to be part of "everyday life" and, yet, we're not to be entangled by it. We are called to be strong, and part of that is done by suffering for Him and being in this world while not being of it. If we aren't aware of these things, we might miss them, and if we missed them, we would be failing to please the One who enlisted us. Which would keep us from some of that abundant life. So, onward, Christian soldiers.

Election, the "Bad" Doctrine

There is no small number of Christians who have heard of the doctrine of "election" ... and don't like it. God chooses us? Seems wrong. So they abuse the doctrine until they're blue in the face. "What makes you better than the rest who aren't chosen?" "If God chooses, then we don't have to do anything at all, do we?" "God doesn't choose us; we choose Him." Oh, and the ever popular "He chooses us after we choose Him." And on it goes. This all goes fine ... until you run into Scripture.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. (Eph 1:3-4)

There are lots of uses of "elect," "chosen," and the like, especially in the New Testament. In the Old, of course, Israel was God's "chosen people," and He was very specific about that. "The LORD did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any of the peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples, but because the LORD loved you and kept the oath which He swore to your forefathers, the LORD brought you out by a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt" (Deut 7:7-8). It wasn't because they were the best; it was based solely on God's choice. In the New Testament, then, the idea simply carries beyond the Jews. But in that text from Ephesians it says that He "chose us in Him before the foundation of the world." Before the world began, those who were going to be chosen were already chosen. If you are a member of the elect, you were a member before you were born. And it wasn't because of your foreseen choices. "So then it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy" (Rom 9:16). Not your will; not your efforts. God alone.

The concept is biblical. It may seem to elevate some, but that's a mistaken impression. God has chosen for His own purposes and not because of who we are. Oh, we still have to act. We still have to come in faith, still must be born again. But it is first and foremost an act of God's will that gets you saved, and that was fixed before the foundation of the world. If you think about it, that should give you some measure of assurance. If He started it and brought it about and chose you, there is nothing you can do to end it or lose it. That's a relief.

Sound Words

Paul sure had a way with words, didn't he?

If anyone advocates a different doctrine and does not agree with sound words, those of our Lord Jesus Christ, and with the doctrine conforming to godliness, he is conceited and understands nothing ... (1 Tim 6:3-4)

This, of course, flies in the face of modern thinking. Not the content as much as the concept. We're not supposed to point this stuff out. You know, agree to disagree. Don't be judgmental. All that stuff. You don't tell people they are conceited and understand nothing. That's just not nice, Paul. And, yet, there it is.

It is something like Jesus in the Temple. He is known biblically as a "lamb," meek and mild, but when moneychangers turned a profit in the Lord's Temple, He got ... miffed. He turned over tables and used a whip to clear the place out. There are indeed times to be gentle and there are times to "answer a fool according to his folly" (Prov 26:5) as it were.

It sounds contradictory, but it's not, actually. That's because there is an overriding aim here. "The goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith" (1 Tim 1:5). If the aim is love, the approach is determined by the best way to love another person. How do you obtain what is best for them? More often than not, it is with "honey" -- gentle and respectful. But sometimes ... just sometimes ... there needs to be some kick to it. Paul did it. Jesus did it. Love demands it.

Going back, then, to the original text, it would appear that those who do not agree with sound words -- especially those of Christ (that's not just a reference to the red letters in the Bible; Jesus is the Word) -- or with doctrines that conform to godliness (as opposed to those who advocate conforming doctrine to their version of godliness) are in need of a jolt if they are to be loved properly. It sounds as if opposing biblical words and doctrines is a real problem.

Worship is "Worth-ship"

We know that there won't be any dogs in heaven (Rev 22:15), but there will be cats. How else will they make harp strings? No, that was a joke. We do know that harps are mentioned in Revelation (although nothing about fat cherubs sitting on clouds playing them), but are you aware that there will be singing there, too?

One big one is found in Revelation 5. In this scene the Lion who is the Lamb has taken the book with seven seals and heaven -- "many angels around the throne and the living creatures and the elders; and the number of them was myriads of myriads, and thousands of thousands" (Rev 5:11) -- breaks into singing.

"Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing." And every created thing which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all things in them, I heard saying, "To Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, be blessing and honor and glory and dominion forever and ever." (Rev 5:12-13)

(Huh. How about that? Not singing; saying. Well, okay.)

The point is not the singing or saying. The point is not harps. The point is the Lamb. He is identifed as the One that was slain. He is worthy to receive it all. And they -- "every created thing which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all things in them" -- offer it all to Him "forever and ever."

It's Sunday. It's the Lord's Day. Surely we can participate in that once a week. More would be better. Daily would be grand. Because He is worthy.

News Weakly - 10/1/22

Those Crazy Californians
California has become the first state to ban gas heaters and furnaces ... a state that is also experiencing electricity shortages and requiring more and more electrical devices. What could go wrong?

At the same time, we have Gov. Newsom on a junket using his campaign funds in hopes of transforming GOP states into the California scheme. Governor Abbott thinks it might help his campaign.

And then, at the end of the week, California passed a law that prohibits law enforcement or corporations from cooperating with out-of-state entities regarding warrants for investigation into or enforcement of laws restricting abortion. Yes, they are legal warrants. No, California will not comply. Apparently a new Sovereign Nation.

Arizona Chooses Life
Back in 1901 before the sixties' "Sexual Revolution" that called for sex on demand at all costs, Arizona banned abortion except in the case of saving the mother's life. You know, a pro-life position. That, of course, has been on hold for 50 years even after the SCOTUS ruling earlier this year because it was held up in court, but a Superior Court judge has released the block. Arizona now holds that all life deserves protecting. In the seventies the nation bought the notion that when women referred to "my body," they included the human being inside, and they could do whatever they wanted with that human being -- keep it or dismantle it. This law reverses that form of human ownership. We will, of course, wait for the other shoe to drop, because we, as a nation, will not long stand for human life over sexual freedom.

Inflation Revival Act
In light of the apparently slowing inflation, California Governor Newsom signed legislation to extend union options to farm workers. Mind you, farm workers are not part of the official labor force in this country but, setting that aside, we can be sure that farm workers will unite and drastically drive up the cost of farm products so they can have a better life.

Don't Bee Surprised
Not to be outdone by rightwing conspiracy theorists, Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams claimed "there is no such thing as a heartbeat at six weeks. It is a manufactured sound designed to convince people that men have the right to take control of a woman's body." (No, that was not the Bee; that was real.) So the Bee offered other ways women might be tricked into thinking babies are alive like those devious "ultrasound videos," crazy "genetic testing", and "feeling the 'baby' move." Oh, no, we won't be suckered into those lies. In other news (an oldy but goody), apparently Joel Osteen has tested negative for Christianity after he came in contact with a Bible. In other religious news, the FBI stormed a convent to arrest a group of dangerous pro-life extremist nuns. Nice!

Must be true; I read it on the Internet.

The Severity of Christ

The texts of Scripture that frighten me the most come from the lips of Jesus Christ. In Matthew 7 we read,

"Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it. (Matt 7:13-14)

Just in terms of numbers, a statistical analysis, the text is frightening. We live in a nation that considered itself "Christian." The 2020 Census of American Religion holds that 70% of Americans are Christian. While some of us are concerned because that's down from the 75-80% of just a few years ago, I would argue that the numbers are wrong simply based on Jesus's statement. "The way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it." It would only make sense, assuming Jesus was right, that this 70% number is inflated and a significant number of the people who identify as "Christian" simply are not.

Which brings me to the other, nearby text that is equally frightening to me.

Not everyone who says to Me, "Lord, Lord," will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of My Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to Me, "Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and cast out demons in Your name, and do many mighty works in your name?" And then will I declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you workers of lawlessness. (Matt 7:21-23)

As if in answer to that 2020 survey, Jesus says that not all who identify as Christians actually are. Note from Jesus's statement, however, that they don't seem to know it. They refer to Him as "Lord." They believed they were doing His work. They're quite confident they're "in." They're not. Jesus lists two tells, as it were. First, are they doing the will of God? Second -- and this one we often get turned around -- does Jesus know them? Not "Do they know Jesus?" The word "know" there refers to a relationship (as opposed to simple knowledge -- data). Jesus is not saying, "I have no knowledge or your existence." He is saying, "We have never had a relationship." "Many," Jesus said, would fall into that category. And that's frightening. That's scary for us and for others we care about.

I have not been put on this earth to determine your eternal state. It's not my job or even my capacity to determine whether or not Jesus has a relationship with you, where "you" includes my readers as well as all the people I care about. My intent here is not to point fingers. My aim here is to get each of us to ask ourselves and God, "Does Jesus have a relationship with Me? Am I doing the will of God? Or am I deceiving myself?" Because "The way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it," and many will come to Jesus in the end, too late, only to discover they never had that relationship. You don't want to be in that number.

Neglect

According to Scripture, all believing Christians are given at least one spiritual gift. No oversights, no mistakes, no missed believers. "To each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good" (1 Cor 12:7). They are empowered by and distributed by the Holy Spirit "as He wills" (1 Cor 12:11). So in Paul's 1st letter to Timothy, he urges Timothy "Do not neglect the spiritual gift within you" (1 Tim 4:14) and in his 2nd letter he tells him to "kindle afresh the gift of God which is in you" (2 Tim 1:6). How many of us could use the same instruction today?

There seems to be two groups in Christendom. One side embraces the gifts and the other largely ignores them. However, both tend to be extremes. One side holds onto all sorts of things that aren't biblical while they indulge and rejoice in their gifts while the other side might acknowledge, "Yes, I have a gift ... the gift of gab" as they glibly shrug their shoulders and move on. The group in the middle, both biblical and using gifts, seem to be a small group. To the former group Paul wrote grand warnings about misusing and misvaluing gifts (1 Cor 12). To the other Paul's words to Timothy are more appropriate. "Do not neglect the spiritual gift within you." Too many of us do.

On one hand many of us operate in a fantasy land. We have direct words from God that, therefore, require people to obey because "it's from God." We have unsaved people gifted with ecstatic gifts (in direct opposition to Scripture (1 Cor 2:14)). We have people so gifted by God that they receive corrections to Scripture from the mouth of God. On the other hand, we have teachers and exhorters and servants and administrators and ... an ongoing and unnumbered list of gifts that are going unused simply because we ignore them. When Paul wrote Timothy the 2nd time, it was to encourage a tired young preacher in the face of hard times and Paul's chains. Paul told him he didn't need to be ashamed of the gospel or his imprisonment because God had gifted Timothy and we have not been given "a Spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline" (2 Tim 1:7). That gifting and that Spirit are the things that enable us to be empowered in an increasingly hostile world. We can, like Paul, suffer loss because we know whom we have believed and what He can do (2 Tim 1:12). We can retain the standard of sound words (2 Tim 1:13) against a world that wants to twist and oppose them because of that gifting and that Spirit. We must not neglect the gift(s) given us. We must retain the standard of sound words. This day -- our day -- is no time to let it decay.

What Could Go Wrong?

The Satanic Temple is suing Indiana for their "near-total abortion ban." They claim that it violates provisions of the Constitution and temple tenets. Now, I was not aware that laws cannot violate religious tenets, so that was news to me. But, moving on, they claim that a baby in the womb at 24 weeks is "part of the pregnant woman's body and not imbued with any humanity or existence separate from her." Since one of their primary tenets is absolute personal sovereignty, she should be allowed to do with "her body" whatever she wants. Now we can debate all day long about religious freedom and the freedom of religion to impose laws on everyone else. We can have long duels with words over whether or not a fetus is a human being and what is the magic that turns it into one at some point? And at what point? We can pull out science and religion and philosophy and battle this out. But I have a different question. If we are excluding what is scientifically defined as a "human being" in the womb from being human and, therefore, excluding it from any intrinsic worth, where does intrinsic human worth come from? If we are excluding religion entirely (unlike, say, the Founding Fathers who based our rights on a Creator) from the question, on what basis is it wrong to kill a human but not wrong to kill, say, a mouse? What criteria are we going to use to classify a being as "intrinsically valuable" and ... not?

Australian philosopher Peter Singer argues that preferring humans over animals is "speciesist" just as preferring one race over another is racist. He bases the valuation on being personally aware. In his version, a 2-year-old human child is no more self-aware than a 3-year-old chimpanzee and shouldn't, therefore, have special valuation. In his version, a Down Syndrome child never gains real self-awareness and should be able to be eliminated (or used for experimentation like other lesser animals) even after birth. Now, while most of us would rebel at that evaluation, we also tend to have a mere intuition about why or what we feel. We sense that there is a qualitative difference between a human child and a baboon baby, but what that is isn't really defined in our minds. But there are still many among us who claim "life is life" and deny, like Dr. Singer, any intrinsic, special value in humans. So how do we determine it? Where does it come from? Is there any logical reason to confer special value on human beings over any other living thing?

I am convinced that apart from God there is no possible, consistent, rational argument that applies any special value to human beings over other living things. We can assert "volition," but animals make choices. We can assert "emotion," but animals experience emotion. We can assert "reasoning," but animals do indeed have reasoning. If we try to claim levels -- humans have higher levels of these kinds of things -- then we simply set up a hierarchy of valuation when it's okay to kill an ant, less okay to kill a mouse, really less okay to kill an ape, not okay to kill a human. Simply because a human has more. Oh, that sounds quite "supremacist," doesn't it? And quite arbitrary. "Because we can" is a bad reason to deem something as moral. So I'm pretty sure that our current trend to eliminate God from the public square will eliminate things we don't want eliminated. It's wrong to kill humans because they are made in the image of God. Okay, well, God is out. So it's wrong to kill humans because they're human ... unless we deem them not yet human. Then it's wrong to kill humans over the age of, say, 5 years old because have you seen what animals those younger kids are? And over 80, because most of them have lost much of their human faculties. Look, why not broaden that? What makes the 6-to-79 crowd more valuable than the rest? On what basis do we regulate that? Without God, none. We're currently standing firm, feet planted in air, holding fast to human worth while denying it in the womb and thinking we're safe. What could go wrong?

Please Forgive My Math

Let's do a little math problem. The Bible talks about "talents" and "denarii" as two forms of money used in Jesus's time. So, what are they worth? Well, in those days, the lowest one was the denarius ("denarii" is the plural). A denarius was simply the coin for a single day's wage for your average worker. The talent was the largest coin in the realm at the time and it was worth about 6,000 denarii. That is, if a worker worked a 6-day work week and saved up all he earned, it would take him 19 years to earn one talent. So let's convert that to something more modern. In Arizona, the average annual income, they tell me, is $31,380. In 19 years (without accounting for inflation), that would come to about $600,000.

"Great, Stan," you're likely thinking, "where are we going with this?" Well, of course, we're going to Scripture. You remember Jesus's parable of the unforgiving servant, right (Matt 18:21-35)? Peter had asked if he could limit forgiveness to 7 offenses from one person. Jesus, in effect, said "No." And He used this parable. A king had a servant that owed him 10,000 talents. Ah! There it is. So, let's see ... 10,000 talents would be on the order of $6 billion. Based on our calculations above, that would take 192,000 years to accumulate (as long as you never spent what you earned). So, when Jesus said "he did not have the means to repay" (Matt 18:25), that's the understatement of the year (so to speak). No way, no how. Could not happen. Impossible. Yet, when the slave prostrated himself and begged for patience so he could repay everything (already an established impossibility), the king felt compassion and released him and forgave his debt. He didn't give him time to pay up; he let it go. He nullified it. He threw it out. No more debt. Wow! So, in sheer gratitude, seeing he no longer owed a penny to the king, he went out and ... demanded 100 days' wages from a fellow slave who, when he asked for the very same thing -- patience until he could pay -- got thrown into jail. Well, you remember the outcome of that foolishness. Word got back to the king and he threw the first slave into jail to be tormented until he repayed all he owed (an eternity, as it were).

It's an enlightening parable. How often should we forgive? Without limit. (Jesus said "70 x 7", but if we're not supposed to keep accounts (1 Cor 13:5), that's without limit.) Why should we forgive? Because they're nice people. No! Because we're forgiven so very much. No one can wrong us as much as we've wronged God. On that basis, it is horribly wrong to fail to forgive anyone. And what does it say if we refuse to obey? We are not forgiven (Matt 18:35). Because, as Jesus says elsewhere, the person who is forgiven much loves much; if you love little (as demonstrated in the lack of forgiveness in this case), you were not forgiven much (Luke 7:47). So you have to ask yourself, "Do I forgive others, or am I more likely to hold a grudge?" The answer might be a spotlight on a bigger problem. Genuine believers ought to be the most forgiving people on the planet. The alternative is not good.

Take Me to Your Leader

In this world there are all sorts of authority structures. Let's call them "spheres of authority." So, for instance, you might be the master of your home. No one else determines how it is decorated or what goes on in there. But, of course, you fall in the sphere of some authorities. So the city may have laws that you must observe with your house or the county or state or ... well, you get the idea. Biblically, wives are commanded to submit to their husbands, but not to all husbands or all men. So a husband has a sphere of authority over his wife that not all husbands have. Further, each sphere of authority seems itself to be under other authority. We are under city government which is under county government which is under state government which is under federal government which is, in a grand loop, under the people. Authority everywhere. Just about every human being is in authority somewhere, somehow, and every human being is also under authority. So what is all this nonsense about "Sovereignty"?

In Paul's first letter to Timothy, he makes a unique claim.

[Jesus Christ] is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone possesses immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see. To Him be honor and eternal dominion! Amen. (1 Tim 6:15-16)

I call it unique because of the "only" and "alone" terms in it. God "alone" possesses immortality and dwells in unapproachable light. It is so unique that no man has seen or can see it. But the one I'm particularly keen on here is that He is the "only Sovereign." Now, we just covered the fact that this isn't true, didn't we? Didn't we just agree that all humans have some sovereignty over something? How is He, then, the only Sovereign? Well, clearly, because He's the ultimate Sovereign. He alone has no one over Him. You can see this is the intent when Paul says He is the King of kings and the Lord of lords. That is, sure, there are other kings and other lords, but He is above all. In the same sense, there are other sovereigns, but He is above all. Or, as Jesus said, ""All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth" (Matt 28:18). Ultimately, He is the ultimate authority.

This isn't a moot point. It's neither pointless nor impractical. We live in a sin-sick world where people buy wrongheaded notions like "gender is a social construct" or "we can stop inflation by increasing government spending and increasing costs to the public" or ... well, I'm sure you can think of a list of them. We demand inclusivity and do it by excluding people. We require respect for human life and claim that this includes respecting the wanton destruction of human life. And, of course, Scripture promises that "all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted" (2 Tim 3:12). Things look bleak. But they're not if you understand that God is the only Sovereign, that all things conform to His ultimate will (Eph 1:11), that He works all things together for good (Rom 8:28), that He does whatever pleases Him (Psa 115:3), that nothing is too hard for Him (Jer 32:17), that not even us humans can prevent His will (Prov 19:21). There are indeed other spheres of authority. You're in some of them. But all of them fall under one overarching sphere -- God's -- and He never fails.

For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be glory forever. Amen. (Rom 11:36)

To Die is Gain

I think it is the hardest principle in Christianity for believers to grasp, let alone embrace. It is so ... foreign. "It can't mean what it says." It is counterintuitive and contrary to everything basic to human nature. What is this principle? Jesus put it this way. "If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me" (Luke 9:23). What does it mean to take up a cross? That's death. In order to follow Christ, we have to deny self and die. Well, now, that makes perfect sense, doesn't it? No, not really. At least not at first.

Most of us approach the Christian faith from the opposite view. We want to follow Christ because in Him we gain the most. We like those verses that say, "God loved the world so much ..." (although that's not what it says). We like all the references to "abundant life" and joy and prospering and all that. Good stuff. So Jesus's "take up your cross" line collides with our basic drive function -- self. Jesus said, "Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit" (John 12:24). And we say, "No ... thank you."

It's all over the Scriptures. "I am crucified with Christ" (Gal 2:20). "You have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God" (Col 3:3). "We know that our old self was crucified with Him" (Rom 6:6). "Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to His cross and crucified them there" (Gal 5:24). "You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desire" (Eph 4:22). "I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship" (Rom 12:1). "For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel's will save it" (Mark 8:35). And so much more. Get the idea? Fundamental to following Christ is the basic concept of dying to self. And we, the wise, say, "No thanks. I'm good." And we're not.

The most basic command of Scripture is love -- love God; love your neighbor (Mark 12:29-31). Here's the thing about love, biblical style. It is completely selfless. It is not about self. It is outward focused. And the primary goal of the entire Christian life is to do all to the glory of God (1 Cor 10:31). Everything. So here we are, living in this world, seeking to please God. Our underlying motive is to glorify God in all we do and all we do is aimed at loving God and others. Somehow, we don't really figure in any of this, do we? We are not the point, are we? So we are crucified with Christ. Oh, don't worry. We still live. But that life is "Christ in me" and the life that we now live is by faith in the Son of God (Gal 2:20). And, again, counterintuitively, it all works out for our very best. Which, I suppose, is why Paul said, "I die daily" (1 Cor 15:31). I would suspect that would be a good goal for all who believe.

News Weakly - 9/24/22

Schizophrenic
I have good news and I have bad news. Ligonier has released their State of Theology report for 2022. In it we find things like more than 50% believe that God cannot make mistakes and God learns and adapts to different circumstances. More than 70% believe everyone is born innocent in the eyes of God (including 65% of "Evangelicals"). A mere 36% think Christians have an obligation to be part of a local church. A growing number claim the Bible holds helpful stuff, but is not literally true. Really disturbing things like 43% of Evangelicals believing that Jesus was a great teacher, but not God. (I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but that "Christ" is not the Christ of the Bible and, as such, cannot save.) And more. And even worse. There are things that appear to be improvements (good news) and then their is decay in things that are in direct contradiction (bad news) ... which, it appears, proves the premise that sin rots the brain (Rom 1:28). And Scripture is right (e.g., Matt 24:24; 1 Tim 4:1; 2 Tim 3:1-5).

Another Pandemic
Experts from the CDC are saying that sexually transmitted diseases are at an all-time high and "out of control." Ignoring (again) the standard medical approach to preventing disease transmission, no one is suggesting controlling sexual behavior. Go figure. COVID locked us all away, but monkeypox and STDs run rampant because we don't want to "stigmatize" anyone. God, on the other hand, doesn't mind it.

Without Hope
An "influential health group" has proposed that doctors should screen more for anxiety. Ya think? For years now we've lived under this cloud of "pandemic" that just keeps getting dragged along with others thrown in. We've had "insurrection" and "microaggression" and "gender dysphoria" and all sorts of crises that the media, social and mainstream, has fed us. No one is reporting on the 99% who are not encountering these problems because, well, that's not news. So we are fed a steady stream of "anxious" and wonder why we've become so anxious, "having no hope and without God in the world" (Eph 2:12). Go figure.

Fake News
This can't be. America's gas prices are on the rise again. Must be fake news. Didn't they pass that epic "Inflation Reduction Act"?

In other fake news, those Fox News guys are reporting that House Dems voted down an investigation into Hunter Biden's business schemes. Now, we know that can't happen. We know that the Dems are just as diligent in pursuing wrong doing by folks like Hillary. We know that Dems would never, say, load an investigation with, say, Trump haters, to, oh, I don't know, investigate Trump, would they? So why would they do anything like this? All they want is justice ... for the other guy.

Don't Beelieve the Media
From the seasonal to the touching to the timely, the Bee is on the job. A cutsie one about authorities reminding the nation that Fall doesn't officially begin until Carol puts up her "It's Fall Y'all" sign. A story about Martha's Vineyard taking revenge on DeSantis by shipping him 50 Karens. (They have enough that they can afford to do that, I'd think.) And then the sad story of Biden giving a tearful sniff at the Queen's casket.

Must be true; I read it on the Internet.

The Evil Rich

It is assumed in many corners that "rich = evil." We saw it in the "Occupy Wall Street" protests against the "1%." We see it in the Social Justice Warriors who argue that rich people need to have their money removed to make the world a more equitable place. We even see it in Christian realms arguing that Jesus commanded us to "sell all that we possess and give to the poor" (Luke 18:22). (Oddly enough, it is a very rare Christian who quotes this, means it, and does it themselves.) Even among those who don't believe being rich is the same as being evil, there is a gut feeling that it just might be. I mean, didn't Paul write, "Money is the root of all evil"?

What does the Bible say? Let's address that first biblical reference. A rich young ruler asked Jesus, "Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?" (Luke 18:18). Jesus's first response was to question his ability to define "good." "No one is good except God alone" (Luke 18:19). But Jesus told him in order to inherit eternal life (not necessarily the same as being "saved") that he had to keep the commandments (Luke 18:20). Interestingly, the commandments Jesus gave him were the "horizontal" ones, the people-to-people ones. The Ten Commandments have two components -- vertical and horizontal. The first is a right relationship with God and the second is with each other. The young man claimed to have kept the horizontal part, so Jesus went to the vertical. "One thing you still lack; sell all that you possess and distribute it to the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me" (Luke 18:22). This was not a command. It was not a universal requirement. Jesus was simply pointing out that "Section One" -- love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, strength, and mind -- was a failure. This young man loved his money more than his God.

The second text is also interesting. First, as some of you have noticed, it isn't in the Bible. (Which is why I gave no reference.) Here's the actual quote.

For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. (1 Tim 6:10)

It does not say money is the root of all evil. It says that the love of money is a root. And it doesn't actually say "it is the root of all evil," but that it is a root of all sorts of evil. So the problem here isn't money; it is love. It gets even clearer if you take it in context. Paul was warning Timothy about those who advocate different doctrines (1 Tim 6:3) and mistakenly see godliness as a way to gain wealth and power (1 Tim 6:5). Instead, Paul says, godliness is a means of great gain when it includes contentment (1 Tim 6:6). If we are satisfied with what God gives us ("contentment") then we can avoid the "snare" of wanting to get rich (1 Tim 6:9) -- the love of money (1 Tim 6:10). So, no, Paul isn't saying that being rich is a sin; he's saying that loving money is.

If you'd like further confirmation, just look a little farther down in the same chapter.

Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy. (1 Tim 6:17)

Interesting, isn't it? Not "Instruct those who are rich to sell everything." Not "Tell them to repent." No, tell them to fix their hope on God. He supplies us with all things to enjoy. Biblically, then, being rich is not a sin. Loving money is. Placing your trust in money is. Seeking to be rich is. Or, conversely, failing to be content with what God has given us. So we need to ask ourselves not "Do I have too much money?" but "Do I love money?" We have a helpful tool here to answer with -- "Am I content with what I have?" If the answer is "No" (as our society tells us it should be), then we have a problem. And it's not money. It's the rich young ruler's problem -- loving possessions more than God. And that is sin.

The Cleansing?

Recently the Pew Research Center came out with a study that suggests that in less than 50 years Christians could make up less than half of the U.S. population. "Oh, my!" "If Christians keep leaving religion at the same rate observed in recent years," they say, by 2070 the best outlook for Christianity is 54% in America and the worst case would be down around 35%. "Oh, my goodness!!" Of course, I would argue that it's all nonsense, and not necessarily because their numbers are wrong.

First, what do we mean by "Christians"? For most of us today the term refers to anyone who claims it. No context. No content. Just the simple claim. Years ago a friend of mine told a woman, "I am a Christian, you know." She answered, "Aren't we all?" That kind of thinking. But is that a "Christian?" In institutional terms, it can refer to that organization we call "Christianity" that has no qualifications except the willingness to call it your own. In biblical terms that's not Christianity. Christianity in the Bible is referred to as "the faith" and requires adherence -- agreement with -- the faith to be part of it. Frankly, so does every other organization. "If you want to be part of us, you have to agree with us." So today's modern "Christianity" is an anomaly and a bizarre one. Instead, Jesus (You know, the one for whom "Christianity" is named) said, "Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it" (Matt 7:13-14). That is, modern society says "The gate that is 'Christianity' is wide and many find it" in direct contradiction of Christ. Jesus said, "He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me" (Matt 10:37-38). In distinction, modern, "crossless" Christianity denies it all. So, I would argue, that's not "Christian." And, I would suggest, Christians -- Jesus's version -- have always been a minority.

The fear of Christians and the fear of many in this country regarding Christians is the political power they wield. They wield that power in a democracy because they are a "majority." And when they become a "minority," they won't. So this report, for Christians (by their reckoning) is that they'll lose political power. For the rest, it's good news. But genuine Christians were never about political power. Jesus said, "My kingdom is not of this world" (John 18:36). He went on to say, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth" (Matt 28:18). So political power here and now is meaningless. Instead, we serve a God who is able to do "exceedingly abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us" (Eph 3:20). Our modern pseudo-Christianity may lose political power, but Christians have no need to be concerned about that. Not with that kind of power within.

It is said that America is (or, at least, was) a Christian nation. Since no nation can meet the demands of faith and practice that identifies one as "Christian," it is nonsense, of course. But that's not what is meant by the term, "Christian nation." The term refers to a nation whose laws and culture tend more toward the laws and values that are found in (genuine) Christianity than in the world. And there was a time when a majority of unbelievers would still submit to those kinds of laws and values even if they didn't believe in Jesus. In that sense, we were, once, a Christian nation. And, in that sense, we clearly are no longer that nation, as we watch such laws and values erode in our time. But the truth is, Christians (the genuine type) are not driven by laws or social pressure; they are driven by the Spirit within. So if the Pew Research Report is perfectly accurate, what we're looking at is not a decay of Christianity. It is as peeling off of a false veneer to reveal the real core of what it means to be a follower of Christ. (In biblical terms, "They went out, so that it would be shown that they all are not of us" (1 John 2:19).) Our real concern won't be political power or even a decline of the faith; those are false concepts. It will be that we have submitted ourselves "to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy" (Jude 1:24). Because He is the One who builds His church. Because in Him we are more than conquerors (Rom 8:37).

Oh, Behave

If you look through the pages of the U.S. Constitution and its Amendments, there are some things in there that are not, things you were pretty sure were but, as it turns out, really aren't. One of the most obvious is the "right to privacy." It's not in there. It may be implied. Your right against illegal search and seizure, for instance, might hinge on some aspect of a right to privacy, but, in fact, the right to privacy is not in our Constitution.

One that is currently coming up more often in the news these days is parental rights. In the same way that pro-abortion folks have believed that abortion is a constitutional right, we seem to have believed all along that we have parental rights to direct the upbringing and education of our children. So when schools and doctors, for instance, start encouraging our children to change genders and hide it from their parents, we are miffed. (Is that an understatement?) We are outraged at the violation of our constitutional, parental rights. And, as it turns out, they're not in there. You can be prosecuted for failing to execute your parental responsibilities, but you have no legally protected rights in that regard. We believe that parents should be allowed to raise their children, for instance, in biblical teaching, protected by our rights as parents. It's not in there. Some states have those rights in their laws, but they're not protected by the federal laws. So today, 21 states have policies that require teachers to assign new names and pronouns to students who identify as "trans" without notifying or getting the consent of parents. Because your so-called "parental rights" are not protected by our Constitution. What are we to do?

Be the Parent
Let's face it; being a parent is work. Hard work. Continuous and lifelong work. Most parents think the hard work is that early "no sleep" phase. Would that it were so easy. After that it only gets harder. Fathers are told, "Do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord" (Eph 6:4). It is the duty of all parents to discipline and instruct their kids in the Lord. Wait ... let me look again. We all seemed to think it is the duty of all parents to be their kids' best buddies. Hmm. Not in there. Imagine that. Children will have friends throughout their lives, but parents are much more rare ... and much more necessary. God has assigned you parents to be ... parents. So we parents need to teach and train and guard our kids while they're young and do the same, in modified fashion perhaps, for life. Because we live in a world hostile to God and we are their first line of defense.

Guard their Influences
The psalmist wrote, "Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers ..." (Psa 1:1). Solomon wrote, "Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm" (Prov 13:20). Paul assured the Corinthians, "Do not be deceived: 'Bad company ruins good morals'" (1 Cor 15:33) So what do we do? "Well, we don't want to interfere in our childrens' lives too much. We don't want to come across as too harsh. Let's let them choose their own friends." Or, let's put it another way. "Since Satan is the 'god of this world' (2 Cor 4:4), let's let his people be our kids' primary influence."

Not only are their peers a primary influence; so are their teachers (which makes it odd that so many parents opt out of teaching their own kids). We elected to let schools teach our kids "information" and churches teach our kids "religion" and ... well ... at least that's off our plates. As public schools have become more inculcated with anti-Christian teaching and principles, it becomes clearer that public school teachers, while certainly not all bad, are not all safe. Safe in the sense of not contravening your influence, not teaching your kids that you're wrong, not turning your kids against you and your God. And churches are certainly (hopefully) better, but how many are actually teaching kids rather than entertaining them? How many are pushing your kids to dig deeper into God's Word? How many are challenging your kids to love God? From what I've seen over the last 30 years or so, that is declining, but most parents aren't paying attention.

Be the Parent
("Didn't he just say that?" Yes, I did, but ...) There is more. What your kids need more than anything is a united mother and father so dedicated to their relationship with God that they emulate Christ's relationship with the Church in their marriage in front of their kids and live dedicated to Him, to each other, and to their children. Our world tells us that's confused. Our world tells us, "You need 'Me time.' Your kids' needs are not nearly as important as your own." So we pursue our own relief and hand the kids off to "responsible adults" -- school teachers, church youth groups, etc. -- and the gaggle of unbelievers that must necessarily form a large part of the kids' friends, and are baffled when we see too much of the world in our children. We minimize our own influence and can't figure out why 1) we find our own influence minimized and 2) why we didn't see these things coming. "My child would never do that." What makes you think you would know? Are you close enough to see? And our world has warned us against godly discipline, and we're not doing it. It's not because the Scriptures are unclear (e.g., Prov 23:13-14; Heb 12:7-8; etc.) It's because we aren't being the parents we are supposed to be.

Satan has a plan. He has a plan for our children: divide and conquer. Cut them out of the "flock" where the flock is parents and other godly influences and then bring them down. Modern parents buy it. Even Christian parents. We neglect our responsibilities as parents and focus instead on our own felt needs and can't figure out where we went wrong. We seek to be our kids' pals and not their parents -- "Too authoritarian" -- and find our influencing waning quickly, even in small children. Most importantly, we forget that we are commanded to love and teach our children and we are empowered by God to do it. I would argue that Satan is executing his plan very well. I would suggest that executing God's plan for parents and their kids with extreme prejudice might be important right now. The goal of our instruction is love (1 Tim 1:5). Ignoring God's plan for our kids with us as their responsible parents is not love.

Jesus v Paul -- Let's Get Ready to Rumble!

At one point in His ministry Jesus had a young man ask Him, "Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?" (Matt 19:16) Jesus, unaware that salvation was by grace through faith, mistakenly told him the works he needed to do to be saved: follow the laws (Matt 19:18) and sell all you have and give it to the poor (Matt 19:21). It was that last good deed, apparently, that the man lacked, so he was pretty high up on the "godly" ladder, so to speak. Unfortunately, he just couldn't reach that top rung (Matt 19:22). Jesus went on to give His disciples (who wondered, "If the rich can't make it, how can anyone?" (Matt 19:26)) what we call today the Prosperity Gospel. "Everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, for My name's sake, will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life" (Matt 19:29). So we have this dilemma. Paul claimed we are saved by faith apart from works and Jesus claimed we are saved by selling all we own and giving to the poor ... but don't worry; when we do, we get rich. Who was right? Hang on. The question gets worse. If the two, Jesus and Paul, are categorically opposed -- if one is wrong and the other is right -- then where is your "Word of God" now? In what possible sense can the Bible be God's Word if it is obviously and blatantly wrong? First, let's put that to rest. Jesus and Paul don't contradict each other. The man asked how to inherit eternal life, not how to be saved. How does one inherit, on his own, eternal life? Live perfection. This man didn't and Jesus pointed it out. So what was Jesus's gospel?

The Gospels tell us that Jesus preached the gospel. Of course, His gospel was not "Believe that I have died and risen again and you will be saved" because, well, He hadn't yet. No, Jesus preached a "kingdom" gospel -- "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand" (Matt 4:17; Mark 1:15). Matthew wrote, "He went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people" (Matt 4:23). He sent His disciples to preach the same (Luke 9:2). In fact, the first proclamation of the gospel -- of "good news of great joy" -- came at His birth. The angel told the shepherds, "I bring you good news of a great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord" (Luke 2:10). The gospel -- the good news -- then, is Jesus. He is the good news, the gospel.

How? First, there is the gospel -- good news -- that He came ... came at all. Second, there is the gospel that He is the Savior promised from old, the Messiah, the Lord. So it would stand to reason that He would preach a gospel -- good news -- of His kingdom which was promised before and was "at hand" -- coming to its fruition now. That kingdom would be established on His death and resurrection (Php 2:5-11). That kingdom includes "All authority in heaven and on earth" (Matt 28:18). Our typical gospel is "Jesus died to save us." Jesus's gospel was much, much bigger ... and no less. Did Jesus preach His death? Sure! He told His disciples repeatedly. He told them about the "new covenant" at the Last Supper (Luke 22:20). He referenced perhaps the most explicit prophecy of the death of the Messiah (Isa 53) and applied it to Himself (Isa 53:12; Luke 22:37). He told of the praying sinner who went home justified because he looked to God and not self (Luke 18:9-14). Jesus did preach that gospel ... and more.

The Philippian jailer asked, "What must I do to be saved?" to which Paul answered, "Believe that Jesus died and rose for the forgiveness of your sins and you will be saved." Oh ... wait ... no he didn't. He said, "Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved" (Acts 16:31). Paul's gospel was "the Lord Jesus." What does that include? It includes a Son who clothed Himself in flesh and came to Earth to die (Php 2:5-8). It includes "that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that He was buried, that He was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures" (1 Cor 15:1-9). It includes this life -- the "here" -- and the next -- the "hereafter." It includes faith in the Son of God and faith in the Risen Lord. It includes, in the words of the old hymn, "Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow." There are those who would have you believe the gospel is "A better life now." There are others that are quite certain it is "In the sweet by and by." Both are right ... and wrong. The gospel is for now and later. The gospel is the kingdom of God now and forever. It is both better now and better later and so much more. Both exceed our limited views. And, no, Jesus and Paul don't contradict.