Salvation by Works

Every (or, at least, nearly every) religion on the planet has a "works-based" method for getting to heaven (whatever that entails). Do enough good and you'll be fine. Well, at least be better than some. At least one, I suppose. ("Well, I'm not as bad as Hitler, so I'll be okay.") The problem in the New Testament period was the notion that you could be saved by obeying the Law. Same concept. The only problem, of course, was that it was plainly impossible.

The concept of "saved by works" is ludricrous in biblical thinking. The standard in the Old Testament was "Cursed be anyone who does not confirm the words of this law by doing them" (Deut 27:26). (Compare with Gal 3:10.) Perfect obedience. The New Testament doesn't get better. Jesus said, "You are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect" (Matt 5:48). Perfect obedience. So let's think this through. What would it take to be saved by works? Well, the standard is perfect obedience, so, obviously, it would take perfect obedience. But if someone was to achieve perfect obedience, what would they need to be saved from? They wouldn't be under the wrath of God. No problem; no salvation needed. On the other hand, if someone broke one -- just one -- law, what would it take to remedy that? Extra obedience? Can't happen. 100% is 100%. You can't be more obedient than perfectly obedient. That's why Paul declares clearly and concisely, "By the works of the Law no flesh will be justified" (Gal 2:16). The Law wasn't given for that purpose. It was simply laid down to document the standard we have to meet ... or, rather, the standard we fail to meet.

Still, Satan keeps peddling his lie. "Be good enough and you can go to heaven." It is, in fact, true. It just leaves out the fact that no one, with the singular exception of the Son of God, can manage it. And foolish humans (Rom 1:22) keep buying Satan's goods. "I can do it. I can be good enough. God wouldn't keep me out of heaven just for some infractions, for some minor things" (where "minor things" can involve all manner of sin). We deceive ourselves (Jer 17:9) and think we're okay. We need a Savior, so God, in order to be both just and justifier, provided One (Rom 3:24-26). And our only hope is to trust God's provision. Thanks be to God!

The Truth That Sets Us Free

Jesus famously said, "If you abide in My word, you are truly My disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free" (John 8:31-32). Even many in the world know that "the truth will set you free" line. Oddly enough, many self-professed Christians seem to fail to see that "the truth will set you free" is part of a prior thought. "You will know the truth," Jesus had said, and that truth will set you free. What truth? Not just any truth. Not "2 + 2 = 4." It's true, of course, but that's not the truth that, knowing it, sets you free. What truth? "If you abide in My word ..." That truth. Knowing that truth includes defining where you live, where you "abide." And it includes the Word. Not the red letters of the Bible. All of it. Because, after all, Jesus Himself "was the Word" (John 1:1). So our Bibles, breathed out by God (2 Tim 3:16-17), are the expression of God and, thus, are the truth that Jesus refers to as "My word." Jesus said, "Your word is truth" (John 17:17).

It seems quite clear. It doesn't seem vague, ambiguous, or relative. If you abide in the word, it is a mark of a genuine disciple of Christ. A true disciple is an actual follower of Christ. I think when we put it that way, it's obvious. If you are to be a follower of Christ, you have to be His disciple, and if you are to be His disciple, you have to follow what He says. Not controversial at all. "If you abide in My word," He said. Notice that He did not say, "My words." It was, therefore, the sum total of what He taught, not just the things He was saying. Jesus, as the expression of God, gave us all of the Word. All of it. And the requirement is to "abide" there. It's where we live. It shapes our worldview, alters our thinking and living, defines our values, directs our choices and lifestyles, empowers our convictions. Abiding in His word means to continuously live according to His word.

It is somewhat important, then, to look at the unstated flip side. What if you do not abide in His word? What if you shape your own thoughts, define your own values, take or leave what His word says depending on your own perceptions and preferences? What if you are not able to be described as abiding in His word? That would say, then, that you do not have the truth. You know ... the truth that sets you free. Worse, that would say that you may not be His disciple. Both are terrifying places to be.

Resisting the Obvious

The Bible is clear on a whole lot of things. There is a God. He made everything that exists. He has been active and involved throughout history. Humans are sinners. There is a substantial list. I'm not talking about the vague, the marginal, the unclear. What exactly is the Revelation talking about? We're all a bit murky there. Who did Cain marry? No help there. No, I'm talking about the clear stuff. Now, it's no surprise that those who reject the Bible would reject the truths it offers, clear or otherwise. What amazes me are the Christians -- nominal or thoroughly genuine -- who consciously choose to resist clear Scripture at some point or another.

Take, for instance, Creation. Genesis is not vague. It is written in standard historical narrative format and declares over the first two chapters that God created everything. This was so abundantly clear that Jews and Christians never questioned it ... until the 19th century when "modern science" decided that there were natural explanations for how everything that exists came from nothing at all. Never mind the obvious irrationality of the claim. It still shakes up Christians today. Never mind that the science is not as clear or uncontroversial as you are told. Bible-believing Christians will reject plain Scripture in this case in favor of ... some sort of substitute. Take, for instance, the clear instruction that women are not allowed to teach or exercise authority over men (1 Tim 2:12-15). So many Christians today have decided that it doesn't mean what it clearly says. "It's there because women weren't educated back then." No, it's there because Adam was made first and Eve was deceived (1 Tim 2:13-14). It is rooted in Genesis 1-3, not 1st century educational conditions. But modern Christians will not take this text at face value. So we'll ordain women pastors or smuggle in women to take leadership over or teach men. And defend it angrily. Take, for instance, the mutual submission of Ephesians 5. Paul writes, "Submit to one another in the fear of Christ" (Eph 5:21), and it is not ambiguous. He tells how wives are to submit (Eph 5:22-24) and husbands are to submit (Eph 5:25-30) and how children and fathers are to submit (Eph 6:1-4) and how slaves and masters are to submit (Eph 6:5-9). It is not ambiguous. But that whole "Wives, submit to your husbands" thing is right out these days. Hardly even visible in the Church today. And the "Husbands, love your wives" thing -- giving self up -- that's certainly not going to happen either. We're modern Christians and we know better. Just a few examples.

Like I said, that unbelievers would resist this stuff is no surprise. That self-professed believers would is baffling. We appear to substitute, almost randomly, modern thinking for Scripture whenever it suits our fancy. "Science has shown us a better way." Except it hasn't. "Female submission is a patriarchal error." Except it isn't; it's a biblical statement. "No one can expect husbands to give self up." No one, perhaps, but God who breathed this stuff into the writers. And while we congratulate ourselves for having the truth about God and the gospel and such, we embarrass ourselves by selectively ignoring God's word ... which Jesus said is truth (John 17:17). Brothers and sisters, these things ought not be.

News Weakly - 8/12/23

Unclear on the Concept
A protest by an environmental campaign group disrupted the UCI Cycling World Championships because, well, as everyone knows, cycling is harmful to the environment. Oh ... no. Yeah, like so many of these things, makes no sense.

Reimagine Hate
J.K. Rowling has been evicted from the Museum of Pop Culture for, among other things, "the lack of LGBTQIA+ representation" in her books as well as her pro-science view that women, not men, are people who menstruate. "Hateful" and "transphobic" remarks. The message of Pop Culture is a loud and clear, "Do not believe the science!"

Delusional?
Biden is hoping to take some of the light off the Trump stuff in order to rev up his campaign by touting his wonderful "Biden economics". Really? AP reports that 34% of Americans approve of Biden's handling of the economy. I know my dollar doesn't go as far as it did, say, two years ago ... not even close. I know that everything is more expensive, that the economy is struggling, that we're on the edge of a recession that we hope to avoid. I know my taxes are up. Yes, Mr. President, you go with that. And don't forget things like your fine handling of Afghanistan and the whole Hunter Biden thing. All winning points for your campaign.

Strike Out
They are rescheduling the Emmy Awards due to the ongoing writers' strike. Oh, you hadn't noticed they were on strike? Yeah, that says a lot, doesn't it?

Loud and Clear
Mike Pence was being ridiculed because of an ad he put out. He is at the gas pump with his pick-up talking about Biden's energy policies that have driven up prices and he wants to fix it. Was he inaccurate? No. He's being ridiculed because he wasn't actually pumping gas. Clearly not fact-based ridicule; it's hate-based ridicule. And I hate to say it, Mr. Pence, but that level of hate should give you pause in choosing to run.

Have to See it to Beelieve it
Chicago's mayor is asking that people stop using the word "Chicago" due to its negative connotations. The Bee suggests that Trump has been indicted for questioning election results while not being a Democrat. Maybe they have a point? (As a point of fact, in the 21st century, prior to Trump's debacle, 3 other challenges to the certification of the results were brought, all by the Democrats.) And going with the story about Biden's economic success, the Bee has a story about how he has been so successful that everyone has twice as many jobs as they used. Look they have to to survive, don't they?

Must be true; I read it on the Internet.

Jesus on Penal Substitutionary Atonement

During His time here on Earth, Jesus said a lot of things about His purpose in coming. He told His parents early on that He had to be in His Father's house (Luke 2:40-52). He came to do His Father's will (John 6:38). He came to be a servant (Matt 10:28). We know these things. Jesus also told us that He came to die (John 2:19-21). He came to lay His life down for His sheep (John 10:11). He clearly stated, that He came to give His life as a ransom for many (Mark 10:45).

It shouldn't be a surprise. Isaiah famously wrote about the Messiah as a suffering servant. "Surely our griefs He Himself bore, and our sorrows He carried; yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities. The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, and by His scourging we are healed. All of us like sheep have gone astray; each of us has turned to his own way. But the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on Him" (Isa 53:4-6). Isaiah's Messiah took our punishment for our sin on Himself -- smitten by God -- and died "for our transgressions" -- in our place. His death served as a substitution for the punishment we so richly earned. He "gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed" (Titus 2:14).

Jesus said He came to give His life as a ransom for many. He came to pay the redemptive price that we owed. (That's the meaning of the term, "ransom".) He gave Himself as a substitution in our place and took our sin and our punishment. Jesus said, "This is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for forgiveness of sins" (Matt 26:28). Dance around it if you like, but you do so in direct opposition to Jesus's own words and to the rest of Scripture (John 1:29; 2 Cor 5:21; Gal 3:13; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 2:2; 1 Peter 3:18; Rom 6:23; Matt 20:28; John 10:18; Rom 3:25-26; etc.). One has to wonder, then, why there are those who oppose this clearly biblical principle, even in the face of Christ?

The Gospel According to Isaiah

There is a famous passage in Isaiah where the prophet talks about "good news."

How lovely on the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who announces peace and brings good news of happiness, who announces salvation, and says to Zion, "Your God reigns!" (Isa 52:7)

The good news was "salvation," and that salvation was, "Your God reigns!" When Jesus arrived on the scene, He started out almost immediately proclaiming the gospel. "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel" (Mark 1:14-15). "The time is fulfilled." For what? For that "salvation" to arrive, for that "good news" Isaiah wrote about, for "Your God reigns!" Jesus said, "The kingdom is at hand."

There is a problem. People are sinners. The mind set on the flesh is hostile to God (Rom 8:7). We are not naturally wired to embrace God. So there's a big problem. But Jesus said, "For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many" (Mark 10:45). Ah! See? A solution. A way to make things right. And Paul said that the gospel at its core was "Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures" (1 Cor 15:1-4). He said He came to give Himself as a ransom, and He did.

The gospel, then, is that God reigns. It's as easy as that. It started in Genesis 1:1 -- "In the beginning, God ..." When Jesus arrived, He taught that God's reign was at hand. It was imminent. But here's the problem: that's not a good thing to sinners. It's not good news to those who are enemies of God. It only becomes good if there is a solution to the problem of sin. So Christ came to give Himself as a ransom for many. And He succeeded. The good news, then, is that God reigns, and those who are His can rejoice.

What Do You Want?

It's said that everyone wants to go to heaven, but no one wants to die to get there. Maybe. But I have to ask. Why do you want to go to heaven?

Our normal, first priority is our own comfort. Now, Christians are supposed to get past that, but I would guess that many of us still look at heaven as "I will finally be ... comfortable. No more tears. No more sadness. Just happy all the time." I recently heard a song about heaven in which they kept joyously repeating, "I'll have a new body." Good, yes, but is that what we're looking for in heaven? Some people don't want to go to heaven because they think it will be boring. "Hanging around clouds, playing harps. Boring!" Either of these two options -- a place of personal comfort or a boring place -- are premised on the same thing ... me. Is that what we need to consider in going to heaven? I once heard a fellow telling his "died and went to heaven" experience. He said, "I saw Jesus and the first thing I asked Him was, 'Please watch over my wife.'" Really? Are these our primary concerns for heaven?

Someone asked me once, "If you knew that you would go to heaven and be happy -- no more tears -- but Jesus wouldn't be there, would you want to go?" A pointed question. Most of us are looking for a unique "happy place." The real question to me is can you be happy where Jesus is not? Or, put the other way around, is Jesus your primary joy or is it something else? Jesus said, "Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also" (Matt 6:21). Is your treasure in Christ or in your own personal comfort? If it is not Christ, I would suggest you could never be happy in heaven because ... your heart just wouldn't be in it.

WWJD

It was a popular acronym at one point. WWJD -- What would Jesus do? It was, however, typically thrown up in the face of Christianity, pushing things like "tolerance" (that wouldn't tolerate) and "nonjudgmentalism" (which proved very judgmental) and inclusion (that is enforced by exclusion). "Jesus wouldn't do those things." Except ... He did. So we rarely looked at the question much. What would Jesus do? I think the answer might be surprising.

In John 13 the writer begins the story of the Last Supper. Jesus met with His disciples and "loved them to the end" (John 13:1). So He got up from supper, took off His outer garment, and washed their feet. Washed their feet! That wasn't the job of a Master, a Rabbi. Ironically, Peter responded, "Lord" (Do you see the irony?) "do You wash my feet?" (John 13:6). What would Jesus do? He would serve. He said, "For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many" (Mark 10:45). Jesus came to serve. He also came to "give His life a ransom for many." Paul wrote, "God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" (Rom 5:8). He went on to describe us as "enemies" (Rom 5:10). Christ came to die, and not to die for friends. He came to die for sinners and enemies. What would Jesus do? He would die for His enemies. In Philippians we read an overview, as it were.

Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. (Php 2:5-8)

What would Jesus do? He would empty Himself. He would model humility.

Jesus did a lot we know about. He fed the hungry. He healed the sick. He comforted sinners. Lots of things we know we should be doing. But if we are being "conformed to the image of His Son" (Rom 8:29) as the ultimate good God is doing (Rom 8:28), then we should be modeling ourselves more and more after Him. That includes doing good to people. That includes seeking to please God. That includes helping needy people. But that also includes loving God's people sacrificially, making being a servant a way of life, loving our enemies, and giving up self. Some of you are probably a lot closer to that than I am. I have a ways to go.

Love and Power

You've heard, I'm sure, of the classical "problem of evil." There is evil in the world. If there is evil in the world and there is a God, why hasn't He stopped it? Well, they come up with two possibilities (which doesn't preclude both are true). Either 1) God can't stop it -- not omnipotent -- or 2) God doesn't care -- not all-loving. Ergo, no God. Now, there are several ways to approach that challenge, and I've even done it before, but that's not what is currently of interest to me.

Turn in your Bible with me, if you will, to Psalm 59. The psalm was written by David. This one specifies the occasion of the writing. It was "when Saul sent men and they watched the house in order to kill him." The story is told in 1 Sam 19:1 and following. You get the picture. David is being hunted by the king and it's too dangerous to go home. This is David's prayer in a difficult time. So he begins, obviously, with "Deliver me from my enemies, O my God; Set me securely on high away from those who rise up against me" (Psa 59:1). You can read it. They're not hunting him for anything bad he's done (Psa 59:3-4). They're out to get him (Psa 59:6). "But You, O YHWH," he says, "laugh at them" (Psa 59:8). Nice! "O my Strength, I will watch for You, for You, O God, are my fortress. My God in His steadfast love will meet me; God will let me look in triumph on my enemies" (Psa 59:9-10).

Now isn't that interesting. David bases his confidence in God in the worst of times on the very two things on which skeptics challenge God -- omnipotence and love. "I will sing of Your strength," David declares. "I will sing aloud of Your steadfast love in the morning. For You have been to me a fortress and a refuge in the day of my distress. O my Strength, I will sing praises to You, for You, O God, are my fortress, the God who shows me steadfast love" (Psa 59:16-17). Where naysayers challenge God, believers find their greatest comfort. And, of course, if you begin with belief in God, His omnipotence, His love, and the certainty that He can do what's best for you, then the whole "question of evil" becomes moot. His love and power are evident. We have experienced both. Look somewhere else for someplace to attack God.

The Crucifixion We Hate

Christians are all about the Crucifixion, right? I mean they wear crosses to remind them of Jesus's death and resurrection. They make signs of the cross and put crosses on their cars to identify themselves as Christians. We know that the cross represents our salvation (1 Cor 15:3-5) and we treasure it. Sort of. We treasure what Christ's cross meant to us, but I'm not so sure we are very keen on the ramifications.

Baptism, Paul tells us, is a symbol of dying ... with Christ (Rom 6:3). Baptism immerses us into His death (Rom 6:4). Paul said, "I have been crucified with Christ" (Gal 2:20). And while most of us nod our heads and agree ... we agree in principle. Not practice so much. We're fine with the idea that we are to identify with Christ's death, but actually living a crucified life is really not a pleasant notion to most of us.

It's not rational, you know. We like the "raised to newness of life" thing (Rom 6:4), just not the dying part. But you can't be raised to new life if you don't die. And it is this fundamental truth that makes Christianity what it is. When we balk at putting the flesh to death (Rom 8:13; Col 3:5), it simply cuts us off from "the life which I now live I live by faith in the Son of God" (Gal 2:20). We cut ourselves off from the fruit of the Spirit (Gal 5:22-23 as opposed to Gal 5:19-21). The old self has to die if we are to enjoy a life lived in the Spirit. I'm afraid that's a crucifixion we don't much like.

News Weakly - 8/5/23

No News is ... No News
Canada's women's national soccer team is allowing a transgender to compete in the Women's World Cup. Except "transgender" itself has devolved in meaning. Quinn is a biological female who identifies as "nonbinary" and is, therefore, "transgender" ... except she's still a woman and the only news here is the convoluted thinking people are going through these days.

Indicted
Trump has been indicted a third time, this time for trying to overturn the 2020 election. The scheme includes "fake electors" and "deceiving supporters." (Do they actually think that Trump did not believe the election was illegally stolen?) A high-ranking Justice Department official is named as a co-conspirator. Oddly, none of the lists of those accused of working against Trump in the 2020 election inside of the FBI and other government agencies are facing any questions for the same sort of thing. I don't think there's any question that the aim of this indictment (and, likely, the others) is simply to get him off the election market. It would be unreasonable to expect 1) a fair and impartial judgment or 2) a quick resolution. I think this is more of an indictment of the opposition for playing dirty pool.

Four Fingers Pointing Back
Fitch downgraded the U.S. credit rating, and the White House was quick to blame it on the Republicans. After all, it was their policies that allowed for a lackluster recovery from an historic pandemic and their policies that brought on the biggest inflation we've seen in 50 years (and while the media keeps reporting that inflation is down, the Fed isn't impressed) and their policies that caused U.S. weekly jobless claims to go up this month, right? Oh, yeah, no. That wasn't them.

Assault Weapons Ban
In South Korea a man drove his car onto a sidewalk, then got out and started stabbing people. Thirteen people were injured by the car and the knifing. Seoul is seeking to ban cars and knives as assault weapons. Oh, no?

Postpartum Abortion is Still Not Legal?
A mother who dumped her newborn baby into the ocean five years ago was sentenced to 14 years in prison for manslaughter. Apparently it was just bad timing. She said she didn't know she was pregnant until she gave birth and dropped the baby in the water the next day. Apparently "mother doesn't want the baby" does not define "not human"? It's some magical birth canal transition?

Things That Come to Bee
With Trump's third indictment, the Dems are assuring us that no one is above the law ... that they selectively enforce. After Neil deGrasse Tyson declared gender is a spectrum -- that science is insufficient to explain genders -- the Bee reported that a pretend scientist announced belief in pretend genders. And the Bee offers a helpful article on how to tell if you're in a nursing home or the U.S. Senate chamber. Thanks, Bee.

Must be true; I read it on the Internet.

What Does He Know?

We often describe God with some "omni's." You know ... omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient ... that sort of thing. All-powerful, present everywhere and always, knows all things. Now, hang on a minute. Do we really believe that God knows all things? Open theists will tell you that, no, He doesn't. He can't, for instance, know the choices you haven't made yet. He only makes very good guesses. Some people point to Scripture that says, "I, even I, am the one who wipes out your transgressions for My own sake, And I will not remember your sins" (Isa 43:25). So clearly God doesn't know your forgiven sins. Then He's not omniscient ... right?

What made us think He was omniscient in the first place? Well, quite clearly, John wrote, "God is greater than our heart and knows all things" (1 John 3:20). David wrote, "Even before there is a word on my tongue, Behold, O LORD, You know it all" (Psa 139:4). He went on to say, "Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; And in Your book were all written The days that were ordained for me, When as yet there was not one of them" (Psa 139:16). Jesus said your very hairs were numbered (Matt 10:30). The author of Hebrews said, "There is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do" (Heb 4:13). In Isaiah 46 God claims to declare the end from the beginning (Isa 46:9-10). I don't know ... it looks a lot like God actually knows everything. John said just that. Scripture says He sees everything (Prov 15:3), knows every word we will speak before we speak it, knows every day of our lives before they exist, and knows the end before it happens. It seems as if Scripture does declare Him omniscient.

So what about the open theists? They draw their view primarily from a prior conviction that God knowing everything means that humans can have no free will, so it isn't Scripture at the root, but philosophy. As for the statement that God won't remember our sins, we should interpret that in light of the rest of Scripture. Surely it cannot be that we know things God doesn't? Do we remember sins that He has forgotten? In fact, there is no reason to assume that the Isaiah 43 text says God forgets our sin. It says He doesn't remember them. To forget means to lose the memory of something, but to remember means to call something up from memory. "Remember" means "to be mindful of again" (from "re", meaning "again" and "memory"). What God says is that He won't be calling up your forgiven sins again. He won't be putting them in front of you or using them in His considerations of you. You know how we throw past transgressions in others' faces? He won't do that. Because God is omniscient -- He doesn't forget the sins that you still remember -- but He is also gracious and forgiving. It might be a little frightening to know we have a God who knows everything, but in the end it really turns out to be a good thing.

How Good?

We Christians share a common belief that God is good. How good? Really good. We have that little ritual we do sometimes where someone says, "God is good" and the rest respond, "all the time." Now, when Scripture says, "God is love," that doesn't mean that God and love are equivalent. It means that God defines love. In the same way, the phrase, "God is good," indicates that good is defined by God. James wrote, "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change" (James 1:17). In Genesis, Abraham asked, "Shall not the Judge of all the earth do what is just?" (Gen 18:25). A rhetorical question, obviously. In the same way, we can be sure that our God who is good will always do what is good. But I have to ask. Just how good is your God?

Jeremiah, quoting God, wrote, "'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the LORD, 'plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope'." (Jer 29:11). Now, either Jeremiah misquoted God or God failed, because Jeremiah's job was to tell Israel that their doom was at hand if they didn't repent. And they wouldn't. And they were hauled away into captivity. Does that mean that God's plans failed? Depends on how good your God is. We routinely get angry at God when He fails to come through as we wanted. He doesn't heal a loved one, doesn't get you that job you hoped for, doesn't meet your felt needs, whatever it might be. "Why would God do that?" is our common cry at that point. Depends on how good your God is. Jesus, at Gethsemane, prayed, "Let this cup pass from Me" (Matt 26:39). God didn't. Did He fail to do what was best? Depends on how good your God is. If "Our God is in the heavens; He does all that He pleases" (Psa 115:3), does He? Depends on how good your God is. Ask yourself. Is this the best of all possible worlds? Depends on how good your God is.

Paul wrote, "And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose" (Rom 8:28). Do we? Do we know that? "All things," he says. Joseph was slated to be killed by his brothers but barely escaped death by being sold into slavery where he was enslaved, wrongfully accused, jailed unjustly for years, and finally brought to his ultimate place. He told his brothers, "You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good" (Gen 50:20). How good is your God? If you can declare that all God does is good -- "even this" -- you have a good God. If you're second guessing Him, you might not know the God of the Bible. Because it really is true that God is good ... all the time.

Nothing But New

Our world operates on the basis of materialism, the perception that everything is physical. We have a sense that there is something else -- the spiritual -- but we can't measure it and we can't explain it, so a lot just ignore it. Some these days, when it comes to emotions, also chalk that up to the material. Chemicals in the brain ... that sort of thing. So we have flesh. We have fleshly desires and fleshly resources and fleshly pursuits. The problem with that, of course, is that it isn't accurate. It isn't true. This is not all there is. So we pursue things that exist, perhaps, but not that are of as much value that we perceive them to be.

In Paul's letter to the churches of Galatia he takes the party of the circumcision to task. They are false teachers, "anathema" (Gal 1:8-9), not of God (Gal 5:8) and pending judgment (Gal 5:10). Their goal, Paul says, is to "make a good showing in the flesh" (Gal 6:12). That is, if they can get believers to succumb to their lies, that will show people they're right and Paul (and anyone who believes the gospel) is wrong. It will eliminate the persecution that the cross of Christ brings. Wait ... what? What persecution does the cross bring? According to Paul, the cross stands as a "stumbling block" (Gal 5:11) to those who teach salvation by Law because it eliminates any room for boasting. "Yes, I am saved by faith, but I helped! Lord, Lord, look at what I've done for You!" In this confused world, religious people think that our efforts to do stuff earns favor with God in direct opposition to grace -- unmerited favor. It doesn't work, and trying to get ahead by keeping the rules simply means you have to keep them all (Gal 5:3). Good luck with that.

Paul offers an alternative. In chapter 2 he said, "I am crucified with Christ" (Gal 2:20). His alternative is death with Christ. In that, he says, "the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world" (Gal 6:14). What then? "Neither is circumcision anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation" (Gal 6:15). What's important? Being a new creation. This new creation is "faith working through love" (Gal 5:6). This new creation operates by faith, walking in the Spirit rather than operating in the flesh. The only thing that matters is the new creation. But that, of course, will put us outside the normal world perspective. Which, I would think, is a good thing.

Therapeutic

Dr. Larry Crabb was a clinical psychologist who specialized in Christian counseling. So it was interesting to read a book by a psychologist who said that our -- Christians -- current view of the world is, mistakenly, therapeutic. We think with the right pills or the right mindset or the right counseling we can manage this life. He said it was nonsense.

The flesh, the enemy within, dons a friendly uniform, one that a Christian might wear, and suggests reasonable directions. We welcome him into our ranks. When he causes trouble, we try to whip him into shape, get him to cooperate with the program and stop interfering with our efforts to do things right. Or we work hard to figure him out. What makes him tick? Why does he demand gratification that way? Maybe a journey into the past will uncover the source of these crazy tendencies and enable us to reason more effectively with him.

What we need to do, of course, is shoot him ... And if he doesn’t stay dead, we must shoot him again, then beat him, then tie him down in the sand under a hot desert sun, turn loose an army of red ants on his body, and walk away without sympathy. And then we must do it again and again, 'til we're home. An overdone metaphor? Not when we see the enemy for who he is, for what he wants to do. We are at war. The enemy within is the flesh, and he wants to ruin our relationships and thwart God's plan.

What am I to kill? The answer, of course, is the flesh, that nature within me inclined to sin. But what is it? How do I recognize it? As a start, think of it this way: sin is any effort to make life work without absolute dependence on God. It is giving higher priority to my satisfaction than to God’s pleasure. It involves a follow-up commitment to find joy for my soul outside of God, a commitment rooted in the belief that there is something truly good that God does not provide. It boils down to self-dependence and self-preoccupation and self-centeredness, attitudes that look to other people and things for the satisfaction we were designed to enjoy. (From Connecting by Larry Crabb)

I think he's got something there.We need to die. Die to this world. Die to our lusts and passions. Die to self. We don't get to "make it better." It has to go.

Many Christians have bought the lie that we can manage things here. Scripture disagrees.

Farming Faith

Last week I wrote about band-aids as a tool to assist injury, but not a solution. I wrote about how we tend to miss this in the rest of our lives, looking at band-aids as solutions when the real problem is somewhere else, somewhere deeper.

It's interesting, then, that I came across this text in Galatians. Paul wrote, "The one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life" (Gal 6:8). ("Um ... okay, Stan. What does that have to do with band-aids?") As it turns out, this is exactly what I was referring to. In our world, the majority of people sow to the flesh. Their only resource is the flesh. Their only tool is the flesh. Their only answer is the flesh. So they pursue the flesh in order to solve their problems. That, the text says, obtains nothing but corruption, decay, ruin. It's a waste. This is why handing out clean needles to drug users is not a solution to drug use, or handing out condoms to teenagers is any kind of a solution to the problem of illicit sex. This is why "gender-affirming care" doesn't solve the problem of why some people born one biological sex end up seeing themselves as something wholly irrational -- the opposite sex. Just a few examples. "It will keep them safe," they say, but it doesn't. It allows them to continue "safely" in their degrading choices. Corruption. It's the outcome of all our solutions because it's our only option as humans.

The text offers an alternative. It is not the flesh. It is the Spirit. It doesn't count on solutions to our problems from the humans who cause them. It rests on the divine, on the Spirit. Putting our resources into the Spirit's work will result, it says, in eternal life. Counting on God's hand to work will produce positive outcomes beyond our capacity to provide. It will change lives, change worldviews, change directions. God is able to do "exceedingly abundantly beyond what we can ask or think" (Eph 3:20). We -- Christians -- sometimes (often?) lose sight of this. I hope, then, to remind you. Jesus is the solution and the Spirit is the answer to all of life's real problems. The flesh is not.

All We Need is Love

In the '60's they told us, "All you need is love." There was a lot of that in the '60's. "Come on, people now. Smile on your brother. Everybody get together, Try to love one another right now." How hard can it be? In the now famous words of Rodney King, "Can't we all just get along?"

You'd think it would be easy. The '60's hippies urged us to "Make love, not war." There was a surprising (given today's cultural outlook) number of songs from black groups urging blacks and whites to all get along. If we just ask nicely, wouldn't it be a simple thing? Today, of course, the gaps are greater. "Polarized" they call it. Politically, socially, religiously, morally, in just about every way, we are so very far from "love one another" in everyday life that it can't even be imagined. During the Enlightenment, they thought, "If we could just apply scientific principles, we could solve all the world's problems ... without God." They called it "modernism." That one died after two rapid-fire world wars. One estsimate I read said that in 3400 years of recorded history we've had only 268 years without war. That is a pitiful record. And we don't appear to be making any headway toward ... love.

According to Paul, "It was for freedom that Christ set us free" (Gal 5:1). Free for what? "You were called to freedom, brethren," he told the Galatians so they could "through love serve one another" (Gal 5:13). "All we need is love"? Jesus thought so (Matt 22:37-40). But, as it turns out, love begins with an outward view, an inner selflessness, setting aside my concerns and desires for the sake of others. And, frankly, goes against human nature. It isn't natural. We might feel warmly toward others and we might even sacrifice some of ourselves for them, but, on the whole, that's a small number. We are not likely to "smile on your brother" and "get together" because we are primarily concerned about self. Which is why we need a Savior, a new birth, a new character. That's freedom -- freedom we don't really understand. Freedom to love. Something we desperatly need.

News Weakly - 7/29/23

Fascism in "I Disagree"
Researchers at Oregon State University were upset when they tried to survey engineering and computer science undergrads about racial and transgender issues. They concluded "fascist ideologues" were living there because of "malicious" responses like "Come on man, these questions are stupid. Everyone is a grab bag of genetics from all over the world." The researchers reported having their moral and mental health profoundly impacted. I'll be interested in the study that examines why "I am profoundly harmed by people who disagree with my worldview" is so widespread.

Proving the Case
I recently read a story that claimed that a transgender proved that "anti-trans" people were wrong when they said that men can't give birth. How? Well, this biological female who identified as male -- thus, by today's standard, is a male even though it's begging the question -- went off her testosterone, had intrauterine insemination, and had a baby daughter. There ... see? Classic logical fallacy. Claim: "A biological male cannot give birth." Response: "A biological female who believes she's a male can." QED. Case proved. Or ... not. (FYI, a uterus is exclusive to females. Believe the science.) "Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools ..." (Rom 1:22)

Stranger Danger
Some people warn that cell phones can be dangerous. Others liken such talk to QAnon conspiracy thinking. Well, here's proof. A man in Ohio received a concussion when someone lost their iPhone on a roller coaster. See? Dangerous. (I mean, have you ever heard of any stranger danger?)

Fake News You Can Trust
You heard that Hunter Biden's plea deal hit a problem. The Bee tells us it's because his bribery check bounced. In the realm of Christian living, we've had an update. Gluttony has been demoted to "only 'kind of a sin'." Good to know. And I couldn't get the link, but the Bee had a great headline about a Christian who switched his ringtone to "Amen! Hallelujah!" Genius! Finally, in the wake of the mayor of NYC claiming they can't take anymore immigrants, there is a story about a new sign on the Statue of Liberty reading, "New Jersey -- that way." You know, since they won't admit your poor, tired, huddled masses anymore.

Must be true; I read it on the Internet.

Freedom

We're Americans. We know freedom. Or ... do we? The fifth chapter of Paul's epistle to the churches of Galatia is about freedom. Paul wrote, "It was for freedom that Christ set us free" (Gal 5:1). See? Jesus said, "You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free" (John 8:32). We're all about freedom.

Paul speaks there specifically about freedom from the penalty of the Law, so it would easy to conclude, based on our general concept of "freedom," that this means we can do whatever we want. We can sin freely. No law. Addressing that, then, Paul goes on to say, "You were called to freedom, brethren; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another" (Gal 5:13). Well, that took a turn, didn't it? We were called for freedom ... the freedom to serve.

Christian freedom is just that. Without Christ, we are not free. We are not free to be good (Rom 3:12). We are not even free to love (1 John 4:7-8). Love, you see, is an outward view, seeking the very best for others. In a life driven by sin nature, that's not possible. I'm the most important. In the flesh we are pursuing the things that please us (Gal 5:17-21). Christ, then, sets us free to do what we ought -- to love. And in that, "the whole Law is fulfilled" (Gal 5:14). And that love is a product of the Spirit (Gal 5:22). That is Christian freedom.

The Danger of "Another Gospel"

Paul tells us "It was for freedom that Christ set us free" (Gal 5:1). Sounds pretty obvious and, actually, a good idea. So why is it that we prefer "a yoke of slavery"? The problem in the churches in Galatia was people preaching "saved by faith ... and." "Yes," they would agree, "we're saved by faith. But that's only the beginning. We also have to do things to remain saved." For the Galatian Christians, it was the Judaizers. "You're saved by faith, sure, but now you need to follow the Law. Circumcision, days and festivals ... that kind of thing." For which Paul declared (twice for emphasis), "He is to be accursed!" (Gal 1:8-9). This kind of "faith+" thinking is not uncommon. It is prevalent. Why is it so dangerous?

Paul warned that going to that "plus" after faith offers "a yoke of slavery" (Gal 5:1). After having been set free from the penalty of the Law, going back means that "Christ will be of no benefit to you" (Gal 5:2). Tell that to the Roman Catholic Church which consciously and heartily embraces "faith+" as their method of salvation. Or the LDS or the Jehovah's Witnesses or too many well-meaning Baptists. Submitting again to the Law cuts you off from Christ -- from His freedom -- and from grace (Gal 5:4). This line of thinking is not from God (Gal 5:8). Instead, it is a hindrance (Gal 5:7). A little bit of this kind of thing can cause widespread harm (Gal 5:9), and it will bring judgment from God (Gal 5:10).

Judaizers gave Christians in the first century their "faith+" in the form of "follow the Law." Today we have our own version, legalists who argue, "Drinking is a sin" or "If you don't do right you can lose your salvation" or "Divorce/Homosexuality/Suicide (whatever) is an unpardonable sin" or "The real unpardonable sin is failing to take care of the poor" or the like. Biblically, we are given two modes of operation: flesh or Spirit (Gal 5:16). We can operate in our own flesh, satisfying our desires in opposition to the Spirit or we can walk by the Spirit (Gal 5:16), putting to death the flesh with its passions and desires (Gal 5:24). Only two. It cannot be "faith+." And the consequences of "faith+" -- what Paul calls "another gospel" -- are, ultimately, fatal. It is not a mere matter of opinion or an alternate approach.

Band-Aids

The child falls and skins his knee and we put a band-aid on it to protect the site and staunch any bleeding. All is well. What we do not do is put a band-aid on it to heal the injury. Band-aids don't do that. We use the term for a variety of makeshift, temporary solutions recognizing that it's not a fix. We have all sorts of those things around. We have "gun control" to remedy a problem of the heart that allows people to bypass conscience and kill at will ... with whatever weapon is at hand. We offer "restraining orders" to keep a dangerous person from threatening someone ... even though the person is already dangerous and likely won't care about your restraining order. We provide "gender-affirming care" for people who think they're born the wrong sex even though transgenders have one of the highest suicide rates in the country (a clue to a deeper problem than "gender") and science tells us there is only "male" and "female" as a biological reality. Homosexual sex is known to have a high risk for AIDS/HIV, so they now offer a pill to decrease the risk ... but not the drive. They offer free condoms and needles to decrease the chance of unwanted pregnancy or illness caused by illicit sex or drug use ... but do nothing to help stop illicit sex or drug use. Band-aids.

Scripture does offer actual solutions. We just don't like it. The obvious biblical solution is to trust Christ. That sounds simplistic, even ludicrous. "You're saying that by trusting Christ I will have solutions to massive problems like we talked about?" Yes. But that's because "trust Christ" results in "born again," a "new creation" (2 Cor 5:17). "Trust Christ" results in God working in you to will and to do His good pleasure (Php 2:13). It is a changed heart. Not just a band-aid. We don't like it, however, because the way it works is ... death. It means identifying with Christ's death (Gal 2:20) and considering yourself dead to sin and alive to God (Rom 6:11). It is a self-crucifixion (Matt 10:38; Matt 16:24). It requires crucifying the flesh with its passions and desires (Gal 5:24). And that is not a "warm and fuzzy," popular approach.

A band-aid is a temporary measure to cover a problem. It is supposed to aid in the solving of that problem, but we generally use it to cover the problem -- out of sight, out of mind. Real problems in this life generally don't solve themselves, and simply using a form of a band-aid is no real help. But we know the real solution. We know the Savior. We need to avail ourselves of that solution and offer it to others.

God Meant It For Good

No matter who you are, you will likely admit that we live in unsettling times. The rise of hate on all sides, the decline of morals ... on all sides, the political climate all around, the polarization of society, the isolation that technology aimed to eliminate but only made worse, and on and on and on. We don't think we live in unsettling times because everything looks too good; we think it because there are too many problems.

For those without God, it's just too bad. If you're paying attention, the troubles seem insurmountable. That, basically, is because they are. We start to look at, for instance, "How do we stop gun violence?" only to discover that it's not gun violence that is the problem, but violent people. "How do we make people less violent?" That's not as clear. We were pretty sure it was violent video games and violent cartoons, but that hasn't made a dent. What's going on? Well, of course, it's a whole conspiracy. Not some QAnon type. This is a conspiracy that has gone on since Adam and Eve. Satan, opposed to God, has used humans to oppose God. We are sinners by nature, blinded by the god of this world, dead in sin. Fix that.

Of course, there is a fix. That's Jesus Christ. So we who know God -- or, rather, are known by God (Gal 4:9) -- have a unique privilege. We have the solution. We have the answer. Beyond that, the answer is the Master of the Universe. He works all things after the counsel of His will (Eph 1:11). He works all things together for good (Rom 8:28) -- the good that we will be conformed to the image of His Son (Rom 8:29). In the end, then, Satan and his minions intend it for evil, but God -- what a wonderful phrase -- but God intends it for good. All that turmoil, all that immorality, all that nastiness ... all of it is within His control and He will use it for good. We can count on it. Now we just have to live it.

God Is Not All-Loving

In 1929 Cole Porter wrote the cute little tune, What Is This Thing Called Love?. Actually, a better question than you might imagine. The claim of many Christians is that God is "all-loving" just as He is omnipresent and omnipotent and omniscient. It is, in fact, one of the premises in the most popular argument against the existence of God. "If there is evil in the world, either God is not all-loving or not all-powerful." I would argue, however, that God is not all-loving. Let's take a look. We know that Scripture (my unbreakable standard) says that "God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life" (John 3:16). "There," those who are prone to disagree with me out of the gate, "that says you are wrong. God loves the world so much." That's not actually what that text says. That "so" is not a quantity -- "so much" -- but a quality, as in "just so." It is "in this way." "God loved the world in this way." What way? He gave His Son for whoever believes. There are limits. But that's not really my point here.

Cole Porter asked the right question: "What is this thing called love?" When we say, "God is all-loving," to what "loving" are we referring? In today's venacular, we speak easily of "making love." That love? When we think of love, we think of romance, of "I can't live without you" love. That love? When we imagine love, we think of heart-thumping, pulse-racing passion. That love? Paul, on the other hand, talks about love (1 Cor 13:4-8) that is patient (not emotional) and kind (not emotional). He includes "not arrogant," "does not insist on its own way," and "not resentful." He says that "Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things." None of these are predicated on either a romantic or sexual concept of love ... for us or for God.

When we hear "God loves you" we think of a God who is enraptured with us. He feels oh so warmly toward us. Like the father of a cute little demon child, this parent can't be upset with the little dickens ... because He loves us. That's not God's love. That's not even good love. Be careful when you read, "God is love" (1 John 4:8) and envision a warm-hearted, soft-and-cuddly God who is so enamored with you that you can do no wrong. God is love, but that's not love and He's not that love at all.

How Much Is Enough?

Paul opens his letter to the church at Ephesus with the bold declaration, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places ..." (Eph 1:3). "Really, Paul? 'Has blessed us'? 'With every spiritual blessing'?" Paul goes on to list some (Eph 1:4-14), but clearly not all of them. Quite a claim.

Paul's list includes being chosen in Him before the foundation of the world, being holy and blameless, being predestined to adoption as sons, being redeemed through His blood, forgiveness of trespasses, knowing the mystery of His will (the summing up of all things in Christ), an inheritance, being sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit, and being God's own possession, all "to the praise of His glory" (Eph 1:6, 12, 14). It isn't a complete list, I would imagine, but it is a good one.

It begs the question, doesn't it? We often pray that God would bless us. And that's fine. But do we actually believe that He already has? With every spiritual blessing? Sure, it may not be in our hands yet. We have an inheritance coming. A guaranteed inheritance. So it makes me wonder, at least about myself; how much is enough? Is "every spiritual blessing" enough, or am I demanding more?

News Weakly - 7-22-23

Unequal Treatment
When George Bush touted "Mission Accomplished" after the fall of Baghdad, the media laughed. I mean, look, we were at war until ... what ... 2022? What a joke! So why isn't the media laughing at Biden's "Russia has already lost the war in Ukraine" remarks? Oh, yeah, I forgot. The media is tied to the Left. (Does anyone actually believe in an unbiased media anymore?)

Say Goodbye
The story is out that Disney has decided to go politically correct on their live-action retelling of Snow White. It's not a big deal that they cast a Latina for the starring role, but now they've decided to eliminate the seven dwarfs. They will be 7 ... creatures of mixed genders and ethnicities. They'll be humanish, but not actually human. Disney tells its audience, "We will tell you how to think and you will pay us well for doing so." I say "Goodbye" to Disney.

What Could Go Wrong?
Illinois has become the first state to eliminate cash bail. Instead, if a judge feels they pose a threat, the judge can simply require them to avoid a person or place, because, as we all know, people will certainly not violate the rules. The reason, they say, is that it is unfair to low-income people. So I'm pretty sure if we can make it easier for people with less money to walk free then they will be fine, upstanding citizens causing no further harm because they are no longer held accountable. Makes sense.

Unusual Civil Liberties
The Secret Service concluded its investigation into the cocaine found at the White House without a resolution because they didn't conduct interviews. They couldn't interview everyone because it was too much work and "might infringe upon civil liberties" ... which, apparently, includes taking coke into the White House without consequences.

A Hot Town
Phoenix, AZ, is making news with their record heat. They've broken a couple of record highs, but the real story is straight days above 110°F. Saturday will be Day 23. The forecast is for 29 straight days. Mind you, it is a desert and it is summer, but what is most heartbreaking is the fact that so many people who hate this kind of heat are forced against their wills to stay here and endure it. So sad.

Pointing Fingers
Three women in Texas testified against the Texas abortion ban. They testified that doctor's delayed care because they were unclear on the law. Texas argues that the doctors are the problem, not the law. In Texas, doctors can perform "medically necessary abortions." These women blame "the people who support these bans." Life, you see, is just really not that precious.

Hard to Beelieve
Hollywood's writers strike has entered its 3rd month, proving that the world doesn't need more Hollywood. In Washington, President Biden blamed the White House cocaine on the black guy who lived there before. Given the success of the Sound of Freedom movie about an agent who went rogue to save some kids who had been abducted for sex and the outrage from the Left against such things, this story from the Bee was nearly not funny. It was about how journalists were calling Amber Alerts for abducted children a "QAnon-adjacent conspiracy." I might have laughed if it wasn't so close to true, so sad, and so evil (and not on the part of the Bee).

Must be true; I read it on the Internet.

Stay Weird

I saw a t-shirt the other day that read, "Stay Weird." Um ... okay. Cute ... I guess. But is it purely humor? Well, of course, that's the main idea, but it struck me that it might not be a bad recommendation for believers.

Did you know that the fundamental idea behind the word, weird, is "suggesting something supernatural." That's interesting. Paul said, "If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ" (Gal 1:10). Aiming to please people is normal. Not pleasing people, but aiming to please God is weird. Stay weird. Scripture says, "We know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose" (Rom 8:28). That's a weird way to see things. Stay weird. We find in multiple places that we should rejoice in tribulation (Matt 5:11-12; Rom 5:2-5; 1 Thess 5:17; James 1:2-4; etc.). That's really weird. Stay weird. Our world tells us that "normal" is "looking out for #1" and anything else is weird. Scripture says, "Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others" (Php 2:3-4). Jesus said, "If anyone would come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me" (Mark 16:24). That's all in direct contradiction to the world's "normal." That's all very weird. Stay weird.

No, it's true. I'm quite sure that t-shrit wasn't encouraging believers to be radical believers in Christ, following His Word and trusting Him over our own eyes and ideas. That was not the purpose. I'm sure it was more at "Be yourself." Which, as it turns out, is precisely the opposite of how my interpretation of "Stay weird" looks. Don't be yourself; be a serious follower of Christ. That will be weird, but a good weird.

What Gospel Did Jesus Preach?

We read that Jesus's first teaching after coming out of the 40 days in the desert was "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel" (Mark 1:14-15). Did Jesus preach the same gospel that Paul claimed was "the gospel of Christ"? That all depends. Do you believe the Gospels?

Jesus famously said, "God loved the world in this way; He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16). He made it abundantly clear that "Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God" (John 3:18). Jesus told His listeners "Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears My word and believes Him who sent Me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life" (John 5:24). What was the critical component for "has passed from death to life"? Believe. "Now, hang on, Stan," someone might say, "He specifically said 'believes in Him who sent Me.' That's God." Yes, indeed, and He also said, "Whoever believes in Me, believes not in Me but in Him who sent Me" (John 12:44), making believing in Jesus and believing in God equivalent and making Himself equivalent with God. He told them "Whoever believes in Me shall never thirst" (John 6:35). He told Martha, "I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in Me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in Me shall never die" (John 11:25-26). Jesus repeatedly correlated "Believe in Me" with eternal life. That was His gospel.

Paul says that the gospel he preached -- the only gospel (Gal 1:6-9) -- was not his invention. He says he didn't learn it from anyone, but was given it "through a revelation of Jesus Christ" (Gal 1:11-12). He calls it "the gospel of Christ" (Gal 1:7 and elsewhere). He points to Abraham as his prime example of "saved by faith" (Rom 4:2-3; Gal 3:5-9). In fact, Jesus said, "Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see My day. He saw it and was glad" (John 8:56). It would appear that Paul, Abraham, Jesus, and God are all in agreement. The good news is that we are not saved by being good, but by putting our faith in Christ, either looking forward (as did Abraham) or looking back (for us). Despite the Pauline Dispensationalists who claim that Jesus taught a different gospel than Paul or the Social Justice Warriors that argue that Jesus taught a "good news for the poor" rather than "saved by faith" gospel, it appears that Jesus and Paul taught the same gospel: repent and believe and you will have eternal life.

Adoption

One of the unusual if not unique aspects of the Christian faith is the concept of adoption. We think of "the universal fatherhood of God," and in the sense that He made us all it's true, but in a relational sense, the Bible tells us that some of us are "of your father, the devil" (John 8:44) and others are adopted ... by God (Eph 1:5). Those who come in faith are received by God as sons and heirs with Christ. "If you belong to Christ," Paul wrote, "then you are Abraham's descendants, heirs according to promise" (Gal 3:29). In Galatians we read

But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, so that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. Because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, "Abba! Father!" (Gal 4:4-6)

I was reading some of this and wondered what the Jewish mind did when it heard "adoption," so I looked up the Jewish tradition on adoption. I found something interesting.

According to Jewish tradition, a child whose mother is Jewish is also Jewish, but a child whose father is Jewish but mother is gentile is not. The remedy for this is adoption. This would have been the case, for instance, for Boaz, a Jew, whose wife, Ruth, was a Moabitess. When she had Obed, presumably Boaz would have done this procedure to make Obed a full Jew. The process requires what they term a "conversion ceremony." This ceremony includes "immersion" -- a ritual cleansing -- and circumcision. They call it a "symbolic rebirth." Isn't that interesting? I find it fascinating because to become a child of God we have to convert. We have to come to Christ in faith, being immersed into His death (Rom 6:3-6). It is what they call "symbolic rebirth," or, in Jesus's words, "born again." Jesus said it had to be in water and in Spirit (John 3:5). One final interesting note. On circumcision, Paul wrote, "In Him [Christ] you were also circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, in the removal of the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ, Col 2:12  having been buried with Him in baptism" (Col 2:11-12). Paul refers to baptism as this removal of the flesh -- Christian circumcision. One other point of note. Under Jewish tradition, an adoption cannot be annulled. Once adopted, always adopted.

The ramifications are various. If the Christian faith has, as a centerpiece, adoption as sons of those who are not God's children, the process is to come in faith to Christ wherein we are immersed -- and we have a symbolic immersion to show it outwardly -- and are born again to sonship. We are not in a direct line, but we are adopted into the family. Adoption is not a matter of works or being worthy; it's a matter of the Father's choice. And adoption cannot be undone. You cannot be adopted, unadopted, readopted (and, yes, I just made up those two last words because they don't exist). Once we are adopted, we are adopted for life. Interesting parallels between Jewish tradition, biblical truth, and the Christian faith.

I Believe

Do you remember the father who came to Jesus for help with his demon-possessed son? Jesus told him, "All things are possible for one who believes." The father cried out and said, "I believe; help my unbelief!" (Mark 9:20-24).

John 11 is the story of the raising of Lazarus. It's an interesting study in faith. First, remember the set up. Jesus was informed that His dear friend, Lazarus, was sick, so He ran off to save him. Well, no. The Scripture says, "When He heard that Lazarus was ill, He stayed two days longer in the place where He was" (Luke 11:6). Of course, Lazarus died while Jesus delayed. So, 4 days after he died, Jesus came around. Lazarus's sister, Martha, told Him, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died" (John 11:21). He told her, "Your brother will rise again" (John 11:23), but she thought He was talking about the last day. So Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in Me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?" (John 11:25-26). When He saw Lazarus's other sister, Mary, she said the same. "If you had been here ..." So He went to the tomb and wept and then raised His thoroughly dead friend from the grave (John 11:34-44). The response of the onlookers was fascinating. Some believed but some ran to the Pharisees to report it (John 11:45-46). In the face of a bone fide resurrection from the dead, they denied their own eyes and sought to have Jesus (and Lazarus -- John 12:9-11) killed. That is hardcore unbelief. But there was another version of unbelief there. It belonged to the "believers," those who knew Jesus and "trusted" Him. Both Mary and Martha thought that Jesus had made a mistake in not coming to Lazarus's aid when He was called. They could have very well said, "I believe; help my unbelief!"

Mary and Martha were not unique or even unusual. When Jesus did what they thought was best, they were happy with Him. But, like us, when He did what they considered to be a mistake, it wasn't approved. Mind you, Jesus knew what He was doing. He intentionally waited for Lazarus to die (John 11:6-11). It wasn't a mistake; it was the plan. And it was for good -- the good of Lazarus, the good of His followers, the good of the onlookers, and, ultimately for His glory. But they, like we, were pretty sure He messed up. He didn't. And we, like them, have a hard time believing when God doesn't do what we think is best. When someone dies or something bad happens, we challenge God's wisdom, power, or love. Perhaps we can learn a thing or two from their experience, because the truth is that God always does what is best. The question is, will you believe?

Thinking Positive

AI, they tell us, will save us. No, really. It will solve so many problems; you can't imagine. Once again, technology is our savior. It will augment our abilities and make life better and, in the end, save us from ... everything. Yes, I exaggerate, but there are those who thoroughly and warmly embrace our coming AI overlords. I am not one of them.

I don't think we'll end up with killer robots a la Terminator or iRobot. Nothing so blatant. You see, technology isn't moral. Technology is a tool. How a tool is used determines whether it is moral or not. A knife can be used to cut vegetables -- good stuff -- or throats -- definitely bad. Knives (an early technology) are not the issue; people are. Through history we've been developing technology that will always "make life better." From rudimentary technology like plows or horse-drawn carts through to modern computers and smartphones, we've developed technology to ease our load, do our work, and make us happy. And we've repeatedly failed miserably because of the ongoing and constant unexpected consequences. America today, for instance, is an obese nation because of technology. We have so many work-savers that we just don't have to do much physical labor, the very thing necessary to maintain a healthy weight. They tell me that our nation -- especially the younger generation -- is suffering from an epidemic of depression and loneliness. Why? Technology. The very technology that was intended to connect us all -- the Internet, social media, smartphones, etc. -- has, in fact, created vast distances. Humans took over the technology and created algorithms to engender reliance and addiction to their technology. Where families used to sit down to a meal together, now they sit down to a screen session with smartphones in hand, ignoring one another while they're with one another. I know people who list as their primary friends people they've never seen because they're all online friends. That is a different category of "friendship" than the normal human version. We no longer remember facts because we can look them up or phone numbers because they're stored on our phones or how to spell because we have spell checkers, all if which are not improvements for the human mind. And so it goes.

Here's the actual problem. I have it on good authority that the heart is deceitful and desperately wicked (Jer 17:9). I have it from reliable sources that humans as a whole are sinners (Rom 3:23), generally hostile toward God (Rom 8:7), unable to understand spiritual things (1 Cor 2:14). What we are doing now with AI is creating new, extremely powerful technology for a depraved society to use as its tool. It is naive to think that we will use it for good. We don't even have a grasp of "good" (Rom 3:12). So we are, in essence, creating a weapon that can be used for good or evil and putting it in the hands of sinful humans, and we're hoping for a positive outcome -- we, who don't even know what "a positive outcome" really is in the eyes of our Maker. AI is aiming to solve problems in a materialist world where the actual problem is spiritual ... and neither its makers nor AI itself (which is now making much of its own existence) has a clue. If I'm trying to think positively here, I'm fairly positive that this won't go well for us as a race (Prov 14:12). I am equally positive that my God rules.

Unprecedented

Many of us feel like we're living in unprecedented times. Never has there been such immorality, such depravity, such evil. We in our times have developed more and more means of sin and more and more embracing of sin and, as a natural consequence, less and less awareness of it all. Like frogs in a pot, we've become used to it and barely recognize the sinful conditions or the downward spiral we're in.

I would argue that it's just not true. This sin problem has been around since the beginning. Starting with Adam and Eve getting kicked out of the garden, we've always been on this cycle of decay and destruction. God had to wipe it out in Noah's time and start over -- a "great reset" as it were. He doesn't do that anymore, but He has required "resets" throughout history to counter the constant slide. There was Abraham and Moses, a constant cycle of sin and judgment in early Israel, a Messiah -- God Incarnate -- and so on. From what I've read, Roman society achieved far worse sin than we've yet attained. But we won't be second place and we're working hard to exceed their depravity. I think we're on the path to do it, too.

Sin in our world is not unprecedented. What is unprecedented is God. Never before has there been a God like ours. There is none like Him (2 Sam 7:22; 1 Chron 17:20; Jer 10:6-7). This world and its depravity -- former, present, or future -- is not a surprise to Him. It is not out of His control. It is not beyond His power. So while most people have only their world to go with the flow or stem the tide of sin, we have a God above and beyond the whole conflagration. When you look around and find yourself worrying about tomorrow because today it looks like unprecedented evil, remember: we have an unprecedented God and He always wins.

News Weakly - 7/15/23

Consistent
In her true "shake things up and change the world" style, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) has endorsed the rich old white guy, Joe Biden, for president in 2024. Another good reason not to vote for Biden.

Unnatural
The CDC has issued guidelines in their "Health Equity Considerations" for biological males who wish to "breastfeed" their infants. Never mind the difficulty. Never mind the effects of the medication required on the infant (unknown at present). Never mind the concept of "unnatural." And they say we're "anti-science."

Losing His Religion
Jesus famously prayed, "Our Father in heaven ..." (Matt 6:9). Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell has decided that the phrase is "problematic." I find it problematic when someone calling themselves a "Christ follower" considers Christ's choice of words "problematic." If people have a problem with it, they need to be adjusted, not Jesus.

Finally! Some Good News
The Writers Guild has been on strike since June and now the SAG-AFTRA actors are striking as well. They need "higher compensation." To me this seems like good news. I mean, we can surely do without Hollywood for awhile, can't we? Or are we all addicts that need to quit cold turkey?

I'm Okay, You ... Not So Much
I have no reason to support a church that calls for capital punishment for gay people, but there is another problem here. LGBTQ+ forces are upset about not being accepted where they are, but they're protesting a church moving to Dallas County. "You're not welcome here!" Except ... wasn't that the message that the church is giving that they don't want to hear?

Hard to Beelieve
They finally released Sound of Freedom, a true movie about an agent that went rogue to free kids from sex trafficking. The Bee jokes about how Hollywood is baffled that they would portray child sex traffickers as bad guys. I'd laugh if I didn't feel like it might be too close to the truth. In California, they realized that Spanish only has two gender options for nouns, so they've banned Spanish. And now D.C. residents are voicing concerns about a crack house on Pennsylvania Ave that could drag down housing prices.

Must be true; I read it on the Internet.

I'll Never Understand

I just don't get it. To me it looks like blatant contradiction, but so many people are happy holding contradictions in both hands and claiming they're true. Like, they tell me, "I have a high regard for Scripture" and then explain all the errors in Scripture. "No, Jesus didn't die for our sins." "No, Scripture is not inerrant or infallible even though it is God-breathed." "No, Paul was wrong when he said he was preaching the gospel of Christ. His gospel was not Christ's gospel." And the list goes on and on.

The New Testament is full of "saved by grace through faith apart from works" as the gospel, but these argue that the gospel is something else. Maybe it's "Saved by faith ... but ultimately you have to work for it." Maybe it's "Everybody goes to heaven" even though Jesus said, "For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it" (Matt 7:14). Maybe it's "God forgives all sin" even though the Bible is clear that God is just (e.g., Psa 33:5), and simply forgiving sin is not justice (Nah 1:3). A currently popular "gospel" seems to be taken from Jesus's words in Luke 4:16-21. There Jesus quotes Isaiah 61:1 where God proclaims good news to the poor, the captives, the blind, and the oppressed. "That's a gospel for everyone," they tell me. But, of course, it's not. It's more of a "best life now" promise that provides temporal relief to a select group -- the poor and marginalized -- with nothing good to offer to the rest. It ignores Jesus's, "Repent and believe the gospel" message (Mark 1:15) because there is no repentance in Isa. 61:1. And if the good news was relief for the poor and marginalized, apparently Jesus Himself didn't know that "The poor you will always have with you" (John 12:8). If that was the gospel that Jesus preached, it was a failed gospel ... by Jesus's own words.

So people stand there with the "revered" Scriptures in one hand and obvious denials in the other and are happy with it. They get to decide which part of "God-breathed" applies and which does not. If it meets their standards, God is blessed to have His Word affirmed; if not, too bad. And that is "high regard." That's what passes for respect for God's Word. That's what passes for respect for God. I'll never understand this kind of thinking.

Not All Bad

"The only thing we have to fear," FDR famously said, "is fear itself." We humans have a love-hate relationship with fear. We embrace it all the time -- horror shows, scary rides, irrational fears, etc. -- but we shun it with a vengeance. "There's nothing to be afraid of." "Fear," a popular Christian song says, "is a liar." So ... what about fear? Is it good or is it bad? The correct answer is "Yes."

We often hear in the Bible, "Fear not." Is that an injunction not to fear? No. No, it is not. One of the accusations against Man is "there is no fear of God before his eyes" (Psa 36:1; Rom 3:18). So, without much digging, we can see that there are times not to fear and there are times we ought to fear. In fact, fear, rightly applied, is God's mechanism built into His creation that is designed to keep you safe. In the right doses, fear will keep you from stepping in front of a moving bus or taking unnecessary risks. Fear gives you a heightened awareness and a readiness to respond to dangerous circumstances. They tell me that fear can help you lose weight and boost your immune system. Scripture tells me that the fear of the Lord is absolutely necessary and the failure to have that fear is a flight from reality.

We try to tell people that fear is pointless and we ought to discard it. It might, when wrongly applied, keep you from the best, but fear is not your enemy. Wrong thinking is. "The fear of the LORD," Scripture tells me, "is the beginning of wisdom; all those who practice it have a good understanding" (Psa 111:10). It is the beginning of knowledge (Prov 1:7), prolongs life (Prov 10:27), and turns us from evil (Prov 16:6). Fear, despite what FDR assured us, is not all bad.

Dance With The One Who Brung Ya

Paul's letter to the churches of Galatia is one of the harshest letters he wrote. He's writing to people he brought to Christ and he trained -- he knows are genuine believers -- and he begins with "I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you ..." (Gal 1:6) followed by a curse ("anathema") on any gospel but the one he preached (Gal 1:6-9). He submits his papers -- his proofs that he is an actual, God-ordained Apostle (Gal 1:1; Gal 1:11-2:21). And then he says, "O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you?" (Gal 3:1). That "foolish" is an interesting term. It means, literally, "not exercising your brain." "What's wrong with you?" he says. "You're not thinking. You're acting like someone cast a spell on you." So he takes them down the logical path. "Let's think this through."

First, then, he asks, "How did you get here? How did you receive the Spirit?" (Gal 3:2). "Was it by something you did, or was it by hearing with faith?" Then, "Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?" (Gal 3:3). "Think about it!" he says. "Do you actually think, having started with faith, you get to finish it with your flesh?" You see, we come to Christ not on our own. It's the function of the Spirit. The Spirit convicts of sin (John 16:8). We are born again by the Spirit (John 3:5-6). We enter the Body of Christ in the Spirit (1 Cor 12:13). We are filled by the Spirit (Eph 5:18). We are sealed by the Spirit (Eph 4:30). It is that Spirit in you that enables you to will and to do His good pleasure (Php 2:13).

The Spirit is not merely our starting point. That is, He is our starting point, without whom we never even enter into a relationship with God, but it isn't like He boosts us into the kingdom and now we're on our own. Lots of us seem to think that, on the basis of our faith, He opens the door for us into the kingdom and now we're more or less on our own to complete this sanctification process. Paul told the Galatian Christians, "Dance with the One who brung ya. You came in here with the Spirit. It is nonsensical to think you're going to do this yourself." Don't be a foolish Galatian. Paul calls that "mindless."

Paul's Gospel

In Galatians Paul tells his readers that his gospel was not man-made. He didn't just come up with it on his own. He says, "I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ" (Gal 1:11-12). Now, he doesn't explicitly explain how he received it, but I think it's pretty clear. He got it ... from Scripture. Indeed, he got it from the Old Testament during those three years in the desert (Gal 1:17).

You don't have to be a sleuth to figure this out. Paul gives it himself. For one, he loves to quote from the Old Testament in his writings. He quoted the Torah 45 times, the Prophets 53 times, the Psalms 23 times, and other texts 10 times for a total of 131 Old Testament quotes. He wasn't messing around. One of his most famous quotes comes from Hab. 2:4 - "The righteous will live by his faith." It was the phrase that launched the Reformation. I would contend it was his theme, his primary point, his gospel. He quoted it in Rom 1:17 and in Gal 3:11, and if he wrote Hebrews as some believe, he did it again in Heb 10:38. On multiple occasions he wrote about justification by faith apart from works using Abraham as his "proof text." He quotes Gen 15:6 -- "Abraham believed God and it was counted to him as righteousness" -- in Rom 4:3, 9, and 22 and again in Gal 3:6. (James quotes it in James 2:23, too.) In other words, Paul found "saved by grace through faith" in the Old Testament long before he wrote it into the New.

What can we learn from this? First, the Old Testament is useful. Modern Christians tend to neglect it. The first Christians found it absolutely necessary ... for the New Testament. Second, Paul received his gospel. Clearly he received it from Scripture. So we should continue to see Scripture as divine revelation rather than a book made by man that isn't so easy to grasp, not particularly relevant for today, and not as a book that has little authority in matters of faith and practice. And when Paul refers to "my gospel," does that indicate that it is different from prior gospels? Not at all! Paul refers to his gospel as "the gospel of Christ" (Rom 15:19; 1 Cor 9:12; 2 Cor 2:12; 2 Cor 9:13; 2 Cor 10:14; Gal 1:7; Php 1:27; 1 Thess 3:2) and "the gospel of God" (Rom 1:1; Rom 15:16; 1 Thess 2:2; 1 Thess 2:8-9). Those who preach that Paul's gospel was different than other gospels miss the point Paul's gospel is rooted in the Word and cannot be different than God's gospel or Jesus's gospel. Thus, from time immemorial, everyone who has been justified has been saved by faith in Christ. Don't let anyone convince you otherwise.

Delusions of Adequacy

We all know that many humans tend to have what we call "delusions of grandeur." You know the type. The swell-chested guy who thinks he's all that. The woman who is sure that any man would want her. The kind that anyone looking on would say, "Have you looked in the mirror?" They overestimate their appearance, their charm, their abilities, most of what they consider "good" about themselves.

I'm not writing this about those people. I'm writing this about the typical human being. Whether or not they suffer from delusions of grandeur, almost all of us suffer from delusions of adequacy. "I may not be great, but I'm okay." Scripture says that natural human beings -- "the many" rather than "the few" (Matt 7:13-14) -- are "dead in sin" (Eph 2:1-3), hostile to God (Rom 8:7), slaves of sin (Rom 6:16-20), blind (2 Cor 4:4), and incapable of understanding spiritual things (1 Cor 2:14). Instead of "adequate," "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Rom 3:23). Humans, as a race, in terms of God's requirements, are far from adequate, let alone grand.

For the unbeliever, then, the only hope is faith in Christ. Only when we, by faith, identify with Christ in His death and resurrection can we have a chance at "newness of life" (Rom 6:3-4). Only by crucifying our old self can we escape our sin problem (Rom 6:6). Only in this newness of life where Christ lives in us (Gal 2:20) can we become "adequate," and even that is His doing (Php 2:13). Ultimately, our only possible boast is knowing God (1 Cor 1:30-31). Our only adequacy is found in Him.

Harder To Go Than Not To

Some have said it's harder to believe than not to. It's harder to be a Christian than not to. Lots of people fall by the wayside because following God is a lot harder than not. So it should come as no surprise that it can be generally harder to go to church than not to.

As it turns out -- and this may be a big surprise -- every church, regardless of its location, its form, its structure, has people in it. Seriously. That means, based on Scripture, that every church will be a mixed population. There will certainly be the born again -- true believers seeking to grow in Christ and follow God. But if you stop there, you're sadly mistaken. There will also certainly be a segment of false believers, people who may think they're saved (Matt 7:21) but are not. They are not necessarily malicious or devious. They may just be confused or misguided. And there are plenty of those in any given church. Finally, of course, there are the false teachers. These are there spreading lies in the name of God. They are a common topic of Scripture, a common warning throughout the New Testament. They go out from us, but they are not of us (1 John 2:18-19). We only recognize this group by their deviation from the truth (1 John 2:19) and their deviation from godliness (Matt 7:15-20).

This, then, is what we expect every time we spend time in church. There will be ... trouble. There will be bad things. We can expect it. We mustn't, however, allow this fact to stop us from doing what is right. We are commanded to fellowship (Heb 10:25). We are commanded to love the brethren (John 13:34-35; 2 John 1:5). We are given spiritual gifts expressly to exercise in the Body (1 Cor 12:7). We have a job; we have a ministry. We are called to minister to one another, and the fact that Satan wishes to disrupt that should be a motivation to work at that ministry harder, not a reason to give up. It may be harder to go to church than not to, but don't let that hold you back. Be a part of God's work among His people and in His world. Be part of a local body and minister where you are planted.

News Weakly - 7/8/23

In Stitches
Apparently a woman in Maine found a bear in her backyard that was threatening her dog, so she did what any sane human being would do; she punched the bear in the nose. She ended up in stitches, which I take to mean medical stitches instead of laughing hard at herself for being so stupid.

A Failure to Communicate
In our day of commonly misunderstood words, I offer today's choice: "homophobic." It originally meant "afraid of homosexuals" or more at "afraid I might be one." Ron DeSantis shared a video of Trump promising support for LGBT+ people. It suggested that DeSantis would not give full and unbridled support to all things queer. Homophobic? Only if we've redefined it to mean "anything that disagrees with full-on unrelenting support of LGBT+ stuff." But what will it mean next? If "racist" has come to mean "all you white people," I can see "homophobic" becoming "all you heterosexuals."

Better Living With(out) Science
Biden's "green hydrogen plan" has hit a snag. It requires water, but they're trying to do it where there is a water shortage. Now, hydrogen fuel is our next great climate saver, they tell us. Except that hydrogen fuel is produced by means of natural gas, oil, coal, or electrolysis -- all bad for the environment. But don't you worry. That's just science. We're still pressing on for a better world by contradicting science.

You Go First
Ben & Jerry's told America on the 4th of July that "The United States was founded on stolen indigenous land. This Fourth of July, let’s commit to returning it." They were advocating giving Mount Rushmore back to the Lakota Sioux, but anyone can tell you before white people came to North America all the land was occupied by a host of indigenous people, so when Ben & Jerry's turn over their property to the original indigenous folk, I'll consider taking them seriously. Because to actually carry out their plan as stated means that all non-indigenous people will have to leave. That's 320 million new homeless.

The A-Bee-Cs This Week
You may have heard that they found some cocaine at the White House this week (true story). DC police are saying they may never discover who left the bag labeled "Property of H. Biden" there. On the upside, Biden's promise to restore decency in the White House was fulfilled since that cocaine was of the highest quality. In other news, Ben and Jerry followed up their "We need to give up all land to indigenous people" tweet with the announcement that Native Americans can exchange a white man's scalp for a free pint of Chunky Monkey. In Europe, French President Macron is warning rioters to calm down or he'll call Kyle Rittenhouse.

Must be true; I read it on the Internet.

The Measure of Success

Most of what we do has some version of "success" attached. Am I a good father? Do I do my job well? Am I a good husband? A good pastor? A good son? A good friend? Just about everything carries some sort of measurement to say, "So far, so good." The question is are we using the correct measurement?

When Job faced not one but two disasters from the hand of Satan, his friends assumed that the obvious conclusion was that Job was a sinner. No, Job was a serious sinner. Their thinking was that this magnitude of consequences only came from real sinning. They were wrong. And Job knew it. After the first he declared, "The Lord gives and the Lord takes away; blessed be the name of the Lord" (Job 1:21). When Joseph's brothers "apologized" to Joseph for their mistreatment of him, he told them, "You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good ..." (Gen 50:20). These people were using a different measurement to determine "success." It wasn't increased wealth or power, more comfortable living, "feeling good about myself," or the opinions of others. Their standard was God.

Paul warned of the danger of measuring ourselves by comparing ourselves with others (2 Cor 10:12). Pastors might be tempted to measure their success by church growth numbers and church giving. We humans who are also Christians succumb often to this faulty standard that other humans use. We must not. Remember. We have died with Christ. The life we now live we live by faith in the Son of God. He lives in us (Gal 2:20). It is God who works in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure" (Php 2:13). We have a different standard for success. Are we doing what God wants? Don't buy the lies the world offers. Our standard is Christ.