"Rend your hearts and not your garments"

The heart is a central theme in God's story. We see from the very beginning that our hearts are inherently evil. Jesus tells us that "out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander." At the center of Jesus' teaching was the idea that he was not so concerned with external expressions of affection and worship, rather He was concerned with a person's heart . He says of the Pharisees in the book of Matthew:

“‘This people honors me with their lips,

but their heart is far from me;
in vain do they worship me,
teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’”

Reading today from Spurgeon's Morning & Evening, "...rend your hearts and not your garments" I felt convicted that I don't always do that. So often I offer Jesus external worship by reading Scripture, praying, gathering for worship while my heart is far from Him. Sometimes I feel the need to put on an act that I am a holy person when in fact nothing could be further from the truth. For many this act would include props such as Christian t-shirts, bracelets, hats, and jewelry. It includes a soundtrack of Christian-only radio, and a rule that Christians only watch "Christian movies". Spurgeon addresses this when he notes "Garment-rending and other outward signs of religious emotion are easily manifested and are often hypocritical." He goes on "Offered without a sincere heart, every form of worship is a sham and an impudent mockery of the majesty of heaven."

I'm not saying that everyone who wears "Christian" clothing is putting on an act. In fact I know a few (OK, only one) Christians who choose to wear this stuff whose hearts are fully devoted to Him. I guess it's just a warning to myself and others to be alert to the fact that God is not pleased with us because we choose to wear a "God Squad" t-shirt. God is concerned with matters of the heart so please "rend your hearts and not your garments."

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Bad News: Santa Claus Is Coming to Town

Pre-Surgery Video from Pastor Matt Chandler

Pastor Matt Chandler video on how not to waste a tumor. Making much of Christ NOW. In THIS. This was shot prior to Matt's surgery last Friday to remove his brain tumor.

Video from Matt

Video worth watching again

Amazing Video!

You can see other videos done by these guys at: http://www.ilovepinatas.com/#

How can Christianity be both monotheistic and Trinitarian?

Listen to Tim Keller's explanation HERE

Acts 9:10-19 - "Go"

Now there was a disciple at Damascus named Ananias. The Lord said to him in a vision, “Ananias.” And he said, “Here I am, Lord.” 11 And the Lord said to him, “Rise and go to the street called Straight, and at the house of Judas look for a man of Tarsus named Saul, for behold, he is praying, 12 and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him so that he might regain his sight.” 13 But Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he has done to your saints at Jerusalem. 14 And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on your name.” 15 But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. 16 For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.” 17 So Ananias departed and entered the house. And laying his hands on him he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus who appeared to you on the road by which you came has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” 18 And immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he rose and was baptized; 19 and taking food, he was strengthened.

This is a different Ananias than the one we read about in chapter 5. Jesus chose to use this Ananias in a different way that he did the Ananias we read about in the earlier chapter. Jesus came to Ananias and said to him “Rise and go to the street called Straight, and at the house of Judas look for a man of Tarsus named Saul, for behold he is praying and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him so that he might regain his sight.”

At this point I think it would do us well to put ourselves in Ananias’ shoes. Jesus came to him and said “look for a man of Tarsus named Saul…” At this point it has to click with Ananias. By this time Saul had developed a reputation that preceded him. When Jesus told Ananias who he was to look for I’m sure Ananias wished he had been wearing a diaper. Imagine a Jew during world war two being told to go to Berlin and look for a guy named Hitler, in order to lay hands on him and pray for him. As we see, Ananias tries to reason with Jesus saying “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he has done to your saints at Jerusalem. And he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on your name.” I love Jesus’ response to a frightened Ananias. There is no negotiation, no rubbing his back, building his self-esteem, no pep-talk, no pleading with Ananias to obey. Jesus answers simply “Go…” He explains to Ananias that Saul is “a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.” Ananias, frightened but obedient “departed and entered the house. And laying hands on him he said, ‘Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus who appeared to you on the road by which you came has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.’”

What if Jesus spoke to you in this way? What if Jesus told you to “Go.” How would you respond? Most of us, myself included, would answer something like “if Jesus spoke to me I would do whatever he told me to.” Here is the truth: Jesus has spoken to us and most of us are not doing what he commands. The Bible is God’s word to us. God speaks to us as much today as he ever has. His words to us are found on every page of Scripture. Do not think that because you don’t hear God audibly speak to you that he is not speaking at all. Whenever we take time to read His word, He is speaking to us just as if He were sitting in front of us. Jesus’ last command to his disciples before his ascension to heaven began with one simple, familiar word: “Go.” Matthew 28:18-20, familiarly known as the great commission reads like this:

And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

So, Jesus has spoken to us and he tells us just as he told Ananias: “Go.” Has Jesus command you, like Ananias, specifically to go to the one person on the face of the earth who is “breathing threats and murder” against you? Chances are probably not. Evangelism starts at home for those who have unbelieving family members. It then extends to unbelieving friends and co-workers. This is something we are commanded by Jesus to do. It’s not something we do on our own either. Jesus said “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore…” Why will we be effective when we tell people about Jesus? Why will our nervous, studdering proclamation of the Gospel gain disciples? I guarantee you it is not because we have “sold” anybody on Jesus. It is solely because “all authority in heaven and on earth has been given” to Jesus, and those whom he has chosen before the foundation of the earth will come to Him.

Lets be honest, talking to Jim two cubicles down from you is not quite as intimidating as the circumstances Ananias faced. Coming into the fire station and proclaiming the Gospel to my friends does not carry with it the perceived threat of imprisonment or death. Step up, obey the God of the universe, emulate the obedience of Ananias and “Go.”

Listen to last Sunday's sermon from Church of the Cross on Acts 9:1-19: The Unexpected, Unconventional, Undeniable Conversion of Saul.

Acts 9:1-9

But Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest ²and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. ³ Now as he went on his way, he approached Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. ⁴And falling to the ground he heard a voice saying to him, "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?" ⁵And he said, "Who are you, Lord?" And he said, "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. ⁶But rise and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do." ⁷ The men who were traveling with him stood speechless, hearing the voice but seeing no one. ⁸Saul rose from the ground, and although his eyes were opened, he saw nothing. So they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus. ⁹And for three days he was without sight, and neither ate nor drank.

I love the language used here of breathing threats and murder. Saul wasn’t just doing what he thought was right by persecuting Christians, he had an active hatred toward them. Saul thought he was doing God’s work and these Christians were enemies of God so in his mind he was justified for his despise of the members of the Way. By this point in the book of Acts we already see Saul emerge as a leader of persecution against Christians. In chapter 7 we see Saul overseeing the execution of Stephen and now he is taking his show on the road with permission from the high priests to bring back to Jerusalem anyone he found belonging to this movement now dubbed as “the Way.” So at this point Saul is the front man in the cause of squashing this movement made up of the followers of Jesus and he is carrying out his task with murderous passion.

There are few places in Scripture where God’s election is seen in action more clearly than in verses three through six:

Now as he went on his way, he approached Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. And falling to the ground he heard a voice saying to him, "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?" And he said, "Who are you, Lord?" And he said, "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. But rise and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do.

I thank God for his grace in election. Saul, a persecutor of Christians and as Jesus points out, a persecutor of Jesus himself, experiences God’s grace in this moment. Saul was a religious person and was an enemy of God. Saul, in his own words was “circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless.” Saul was the guy everyone looked at and said “Wow, he has it all together. I wish I could be as holy as he is.” But it was all meaningless because until this moment in Saul’s life, he was an enemy of God. It was not until Jesus came down and changed him that he became a friend of God. He did not accomplish this own his own. It was not done by his merit or effort. It was accomplished entirely by Jesus who goes on to say that Saul is “a chosen instrument of mine…” There was no Gospel presentation, no altar call, no sinners prayer, or no free will decision. Jesus chose Saul and Saul was changed.

While these verses in Acts are descriptive of the calling of Saul and are not prescriptive in that we are not all to be saved in the exact same manner, the mode of salvation is the same: God calls the sinner, dead in his trespasses and sins, to come to life in Jesus and the sinner is reborn to life in Christ. The account of Lazarus in John 11:38-44 is a perfect illustration of how Jesus saves us:

Then Jesus ,deeply moved again, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it. Jesus said, "Take away the stone." Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, "Lord, by this time there will be an odor, for he has been dead four days." Jesus said to her, "Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?" So they took away the stone. And Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, "Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this on account of the people standing around, that they may believe that you sent me." When he had said these things, he cried out with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come out." The man who had died came out, his hands and feet bound with linen strips, and his face wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, "Unbind him, and let him go.


Lazarus was physically dead, just as apart from the saving work of Jesus we are spiritually dead (Eph 2:1). Jesus came to Lazarus and called him to life. Lazarus did not ponder the Lord’s call and make the decision to accept Jesus’ invitation because dead people don’t ponder anything or make any decisions. When Jesus calls us, the spiritually dead, to come to life, we respond. Just as a dead Lazarus was unable to make any decision regarding Jesus’ call, you and I who are spiritual dead are unable to make any spiritual decisions for ourselves. Salvation is, from beginning to end, the work of Jesus. It is “not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Eph 2:8-9).

So what is Saul’s response to Jesus when he tells him to “rise and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do”? The following verses tell us that Saul rose up and went into the city. Saul’s world had been changed. He was no longer God’s enemy but his chosen instrument who would carry the name of Jesus to the Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel.

Listen to last Sunday's sermon from Church of the Cross on Acts 9:1-19: The Unexpected, Unconventional, Undeniable Conversion of Saul.

Precious Remedies Against Satan's Devices

I just started reading Thomas Brooks' "Precious Remedies Against Satan's Devices", a book about how Satan temps us and ways we can recognize and fight against his tactics. I'll start sharing some of the things I read.

Device: To present the bait and hide the hook

Brooks paints the picture of Satan fishing for men. Satan does this by hiding sin and its effects with "bait". Brooks writes "to present the golden cup, and hide the poison; to present the sweet, the pleasure, and the profit that may flow in upon the soul by yielding to sin, and by hiding from the soul the wrath and misery that will certainly follow the committing of sin." Like a fisherman using the correct bait for specific fish, Satan will use whatever bait each individual person is most prone to bite on. "Satan loves to sail with the wind, and to suit men's temptations to their conditions and inclinations." If you are prone to greed, Satan will put opportunities in front of you for great monetary gain. If you are prone to lust, Satan will be sure to surround you with all that your eyes desire. If gossip is your weakness, Satan will present you with the juciest piece of information that everyone would love to know. Satan is not all-knowing but he is very wise and will use whatever he can to get us to turn from Jesus and follow him.

Remedy (1): First, keep at the greatest distance from sin, and from playing with the golden bait that Satan holds forth to catch you.

Brooks writes "The best course to prevent falling into the pit is to keep at the greatest distance." Sounds like common sense. If you struggle with lust, stay away from the websites you know arouse your desire, stop watching the tv shows that do the same, cancel your subscription to Maxim, Stuff, and all other porn mags. If gossip is your fight, stop associating with the people you know who love to hear and dish out the latest information on everyone in the workplace. Don't play with fire or you will get burned. Proverbs 6:28 says "Or can one walk on hot coals and his feet not be scorched?" Follow this advice.

(2): To consider, that sin is but a bitter sweet.

"That seeming sweet that is sin will quicky vanish, and lasting shame, sorrow, horror, and terror will come in the room thereof." Sin may seem sweet at first but in the end turns out to be bitter, costing us time, money, relationships, health, and most importantly intimacy with Jesus. Brooks writes "When the asp stings a man, it doth first tickle him so as it makes him laugh, till the poison, by little and little, gets to the heart, and then it pains him more than it ever delighted him."

(3): Solemnly to consider, that sin will usher in the greatest and saddest losses that can be upon our souls.

"It will usher in the loss of that divine favour that is better than life, and the loss of that joy that is unspeakable and full of glory, and the loss of that peace that passeth understanding, and the loss of those divine influenes by which the soul hath been refreshed, quickened, raised, strengthened, and gladded, and the loss of many outward desirable mercies, which otherwise the soul might have enjoyed."

(4): Seriously to consider, that sin is of a very deceitful and bewitching nature.

"Sin so bewitches the soul that it makes the soul call evil good and good evil; bitter sweet and sweet bitter, light darkness and darkness light; and a soul thus bewitched with sin will stand it out to the death at the the sword's point with God. So a man bewitched with sin had rather lose God, Christ, heaven, and his own soul than part with his sin. Oh, therefore, for ever take heed of playing with or nibbling at Satan's golden baits."

The Tornado, the Lutherans, and Homosexuality

This is taken from the Desiring God website. You can view the commentary, written by John Piper, here: Article

I saw the fast-moving, misshapen, unusually-wide funnel over downtown Minneapolis from Seven Corners. I said to Kevin Dau, “That looks serious.”

It was. Serious in more ways than one. A friend who drove down to see the damage wrote,

On a day when no severe weather was predicted or expected...a tornado forms, baffling the weather experts—most saying they’ve never seen anything like it. It happens right in the city. The city: Minneapolis.

The tornado happens on a Wednesday...during the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America's national convention in the Minneapolis Convention Center. The convention is using Central Lutheran across the street as its church. The church has set up tents around it’s building for this purpose.

According to the ELCA’s printed convention schedule, at 2 PM on Wednesday, August 19, the 5th session of the convention was to begin. The main item of the session: “Consideration: Proposed Social Statement on Human Sexuality.” The issue is whether practicing homosexuality is a behavior that should disqualify a person from the pastoral ministry.

The eyewitness of the damage continues:

This curious tornado touches down just south of downtown and follows 35W straight towards the city center. It crosses I94. It is now downtown.

The time: 2PM.

The first buildings on the downtown side of I94 are the Minneapolis Convention Center and Central Lutheran. The tornado severely damages the convention center roof, shreds the tents, breaks off the steeple of Central Lutheran, splits what’s left of the steeple in two...and then lifts.

Let me venture an interpretation of this Providence with some biblical warrant.

1. The unrepentant practice of homosexual behavior (like other sins) will exclude a person from the kingdom of God.

The unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.” (1 Corinthians 6:9-10)

2. The church has always embraced those who forsake sexual sin but who still struggle with homosexual desires, rejoicing with them that all our fallen, sinful, disordered lives (all of us, no exceptions) are forgiven if we turn to Christ in faith.

Such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. (1 Corinthians 6:11)

3. Therefore, official church pronouncements that condone the very sins that keep people out of the kingdom of God, are evil. They dishonor God, contradict Scripture, and implicitly promote damnation where salvation is freely offered.

4. Jesus Christ controls the wind, including all tornados.

Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him? (Mark 4:41)

5. When asked about a seemingly random calamity near Jerusalem where 18 people were killed, Jesus answered in general terms—an answer that would cover calamities in Minneapolis, Taiwan, or Baghdad. God’s message is repent, because none of us will otherwise escape God’s judgment.

Jesus: “Those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them: do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who lived in Jerusalem? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.” (Luke 13:4-5)

6. Conclusion: The tornado in Minneapolis was a gentle but firm warning to the ELCA and all of us: Turn from the approval of sin. Turn from the promotion of behaviors that lead to destruction. Reaffirm the great Lutheran heritage of allegiance to the truth and authority of Scripture. Turn back from distorting the grace of God into sensuality. Rejoice in the pardon of the cross of Christ and its power to transform left and right wing sinners.

When is Abortion Racism?

The Sufficiency of Scripture and Conservatism

"‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’" (Genesis 3:2)

Eve's response to the serpent in Genesis 3 is the first example of man's refusal to trust in the sufficiency of Scripture. Trusting in the sufficiency of Scripture simply means believing that in the Bible God has given us everything we need to be "equipped for every good work." It means that we don't feel the need to add our own morality to the inspired words of Scripture. Granted, in Genesis 3 Adam and Eve did not have the full revelation of Scripture that we have today. But they did have all the information that God intended them to have at that time to live in His perfect will for their lives.

The mistake that conservatives make is that they do not trust in the sufficiency of Scripture. They simply do not trust God enough to believe that everything we need to live our lives in ways that would glorify Him is in the Bible. In addition they are arrogant enough to believe that they can add their own thoughts, preferences, traditions, and morality to God's word. How offensive must that be to a holy and perfect God. To think that God needs your input or advice in instructing people how to live lives pleasing to Him must infuriate Him.

In addition conservatives tend to see themselves as holier or better than everyone else because of the rules they follow (rules which they made up). Conservatives tend to fiercely dislike and argue with liberals. In reality conservatives are no better than liberals even though they would look down on liberals for their refusal to follow or hold to the traditional interpretation of Scripture. I have news for conservatives: you are in exactly the same boat as liberals. Neither of you trust in Scripture. Liberals do not trust in the authority of Scripture while conservatives do not trust in the sufficiency of Scripture. You are both in sin and in need of repentance.

In his book "Christian Beliefs", Wayne Grudem writes "There are issues and situations for which God has not provided the precise direction or rules that we sometimes desire. But because Scripture is sufficient, we do not have the right to add to it's commands or teachings." For example, conservatives who look down on others for smoking cigarettes probably wish there was a verse in the Bible that prohibited the smoking of cigarettes. Since there isn't, conservatives will then find an obscure verse and add their own meaning to it resulting in the opinion that smoking is a sin. Grudem continues "In the same way, with regard to living the Christian life, the sufficiency of Scripture reminds us that nothing is sin that is not forbidden by Scripture either explicitally or by implication. Therefore we are not to add prohibitions where we don't believe Scripture is precise enough." There are situations in a Christian's life where drinking alcohol, going to a movie theater, or eating meat offered to idols would be inappropriate (1 Cor. 8-10). But since there is no explicit or implied teaching that forbids these actions, they cannot be called sinful.

Since the first man and woman we have had a tendency to distrust the creator God and put our trust in His creation, most frequently ourselves. We do this by relying on our own knowledge and insight by adding our own words to the words of a perfect and holy God. This brings us back to our mother Eve. Eve did like many of us continue to do by"exchanging the truth about God for a lie and worshiping and serving the creature rather than the Creator." We should learn from her the serious consequenses of not trusting in the sufficiency of the word of God. As a result of her and Adam's sin, mankind fell and death and decay entered the world. Let us not be like our mother Eve. Let us rest in the peace of the knowledge that in God's word is everything we need to live lives pleasing to Him.

Managing Your Household Well

"He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive, for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God's church?" (1 Timothy 3:4-5)

This is a pretty clear verse. Paul says that before becoming an elder a man must have proven that he is able to manage his own household well. The logic, Paul says, is that “if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God’s church?” (v5). So what does it mean to “manage his own household”?

Paul says in verse 4 that “with all dignity” a man must “keep his children submissive”. A man must have the respect of his children and command their attention and obedience. Also, he must keep his position with his children in treating them with dignity. Children are of no less worth than parents and should be treated with respect. However, as with the relationship between Jesus and the Father, and between husband and wife there is an authority structure inherent to the parent-child relationship. A good snapshot of this part of the parent-child relationship is given by Paul in his letter to the Ephesian church:

“Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. “Honor your father and mother” (this is the first commandment with a promise), “that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land.” Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.”
(Eph. 6:1-4)

As long as parents are not instructing children to sin, (this is what Paul means by bringing them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord) children are to obey and respect their parents. It is the parents obligation to treat their children with love and respect, not provoking them to anger but raise them in a household that places Jesus above everything.

So now that we see what the parent-child relationship is to be let’s look at the husband-wife relationship. The same principal applies here. Husbands and wives are of equal worth in the eyes of God but there is a definite authority structure to the relationship. Let’s look at what husbands are commanded: “Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her” (Eph 5:25). “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh” (Eph. 5:31). “...let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband” (Eph. 5:33). I love the ESV Study Bible commentary on these verses:

…husbands are to love their wives in a self-sacrificial manner, following the example of Christ, who “gave himself up for” the church in loving self-sacrifice. Clearly the biblical picture of a husband laying down his life for his wife is directly opposed to any kind of male tyranny or oppression. The husband is bound by love to ensure that his wife finds their marriage a source of rich fulfillment and joyful service to the Lord. Notably, Paul devotes three times more space to the husband's duty (nine verses) than to the wife's (three verses).

In conclusion, if a man desires to be an elder he must treat his children with respect and love his wife in such a sacrificial way that they find pleasure and protection in their obedience to him. He will manage his household well and prove himself fit to manage God’s church.


For further reading I recommend John Piper's commentary on 1 Timothy 3:4-5: Click here.

What do I do if I've tried to believe in Jesus but can't?

Qualifications for Elders, part 2

"...not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money." (1 Timothy 3:3)

The qualifications for elders continue in verse 3. Verse 2 was a list of characteristics that men should posses to be an elder. Verse 3 continues with a list of characteristics that men shouldn’t have.

Paul says that an elder must not be “a drunkard”. This means that an elder must not have a drinking problem. He must not rely on alcohol for a good time. The guy who needs a beer first thing in the morning just to get going is not going to qualify for eldership. I’ll go a step further and say that even if the man doesn’t have a drinking problem there should not even be a suspicion that he does. Remember that an elder is supposed to be “above reproach”. So what I mean is this: if a member of your church sees you out to dinner or watching a ball game or at a pub with friends and every time they see you you have a drink in your hand it may appear to them that you have a drinking problem since they always see you with a drink. Now you may not have a drinking problem at all but as an elder you are held to a stricter standard which means you will have to sacrifice some things. It would be unfortunate for members of your church to even have a question in their minds as to whether or not you, an elder, struggle with alcohol. I think it would take you out of the “above reproach” category and cause others to think twice about the authority you have.

With that being said, let me say this clearly: drinking alcohol is not a sin. It’s honestly amazing to me that this is even a debate and shows how legalistic people tend to get. There are plenty of verses in the Bible that speak of Christians drinking and one that even says “No longer drink only water, but l use a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent ailments.” I would think the nail in the coffin to the issue of whether or not alcohol is a sin would be Jesus speaking in Matthew 26:29 where he says “I tell you I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom.” Here is the point: Jesus lived a sinless life, Jesus drank alcohol, therefore alcohol is not a sin. If you say alcohol is a sin then you are saying Jesus was a sinner. End of discussion.

Next Paul says that elders should not to be “violent, but gentle.” I think this goes along with “self-controlled” in verse 2. Elders are not to become violent in their anger. Elders should have enough control over themselves to find appropriate release of their frustration and anger. As elders, you will have a front row seat to the ugly side of peoples lives. You will hear their confessions. You will hear how they have been victimized and abused. What Paul is saying is that elders will see so much that will arouse in them righteous anger that they should not be prone to violence or else church discipline might look like an episode of “The Ultimate Fighter.” Righteous anger is a gift from God and there are things that should make us furious but we should not release that anger in the form of violence.

Paul also says that as a qualification elders should be “not quarrelsome.” We all know people who are always looking for an argument. They always seem to be picking out the negative in everything and complaining about it. They do not offer solutions to any problems, but just like to argue about them. These people are a cancer to relationships, families and organizations, including the church. The last place we want these type of men is in church leadership.

The final qualification in verse 3 is that elders should “not be a lover of money.” Much of an elders life will be devoted to serving God by serving his local congregation. Jesus makes it clear in Luke 16:13 “You cannot serve God and money.” The man who loves money will use it to serve his own desires and needs and do whatever he can to get more of it. This type of man has no place in church leadership. The parable of the shrewd manager in Luke 16 makes it clear that our money is not our own and we should be using it, not for our own comfort and desires, but to, at every opportunity, advance the kingdom of God. The easiest way to tell if you are a lover of money is to look at your bank statement or checkbook and ask yourself where your money is going. If it is not being used for the purposes God has given us but is being used for worthless “stuff” you are not serving God and should not be an elder.

Health, Wealth, and Prosperity (false) Gospel

Before I offer any commentary on this topic please watch the 5 minute video below so you have a frame of reference for what I'm writing about:



The “health, wealth, and prosperity gospel” has taken off in American culture today and the man at the forefront of this false gospel is Joel Osteen. In fairness he is not the only one preaching this but he is the most prominent voice. For the record I don’t have a problem with Joel Osteen talking about becoming wealthy, improving your relationships, living pain free, having total victory or living without anxiety. I do have a problem with him “preaching” these topics under the guise of Christianity. If he wants to call himself a “self-help” expert, have a daytime talk show right after Dr. Phil and make his millions that way, more power to him. But when he sells his methods for “your best life now” as Christianity it becomes disgusting.

To paraphrase Mark Driscoll, just because something is in a “Christian” bookstore, or on “Christian” radio or “Christian” TV doesn’t mean it’s Christian. People have to be discerning about the things they read, watch, and listen to.

Let’s think clearly about this. According to Joel Osteen being a Christian means God will bless you with the following: wealth, good relationships, a pain free life, and a life free of anxiety or worry. Listen to me very carefully: Joel Osteen’s version of Christianity, by definition, must exclude Jesus Christ. Think about that. Christianity without Christ is nothing at all. Allow me to explain.

The “health, wealth, and prosperity gospel” says that as a Christian you will be blessed with wealth. Jesus was born in a barn (Luke 2:12), grew up working a blue-collar job as a carpenter (Mark 6:3), had no money to pay taxes (Matt. 17:27), and no home to live in (Matt 8:20). This is not exactly a picture of wealth.

This false gospel also says as a Christian your relationships will be without strain and full of blessings. Again, lets look at Jesus. His family disowned him (John 7:5), his friends abandoned him (Matt 26:75), Judas betrayed him (Luke 22:48), and the crowds screamed “crucify him!” (Mark 15:13). Why doesn’t Osteen tell us about this?

According to Osteen we will also live pain free lives if we become Christian. Jesus was beaten (Mark 14:65), scourged (Mark 15:15), had his beard plucked out (50:6), had a crown of thorns shoved into his face (John 19:2) and was nailed to a cross (Mark 15:25). That does not sound like a pain free life to me.

Lastly, Osteen says that as Christians we will live lives free of worry or anxiety. The night before Jesus’ crucifixion he was so overcome with dread and worry that he physically sweat drops of blood (Luke 22:44). I don’t personally know anyone who has suffered that much anxiety.

If we believe Joel Osteen and all those who preach the “health, wealth, and prosperity gospel” we end up with a Christless Christianity. We end up with self-help.

I have said this before: life gets much more difficult when you become a Christian. It is not all laughs and smiles and cotton candy. It is pain and heartache and conviction and repentance. But along with it comes joy and peace that I would never trade for the happiness this world has to offer.

Response to "This guy is a kook!"

I recently received a response to Matt Chandler's video which I posted here. Below is the comment I received and after that is my response:

Anonymous Comment:

This guy is a kook! the real reason is... some of us ask why, what, where, who, and prove it. then we get some x convict/ criminal/ gangster/ bad man/ (you fill in the blank) trying to give there version of what they feel the truth is to promote there chosen propaganda, then these self proclaimed "sinners" or "men of god" feel they have the authority to tell you how you should live your life even though you walk a straighter path than they do. They are good because A book told them to be, or because they fear something. Some of us dont need a book to tell us how to be a good human, and some of us dont fear the after life. You should not act in fear, you should act in a way that you know is good because it is the right thing to do and it makes you feel good.

In short, we are all in our own journey for the truth, some of us dont believe we can go somewhere to learn this truth ( like church) although this works for some. We dont choose when our journey begins or often know that it has, and some may never have a journey. and we never know where it may lead us. This is why i left the church, i asked allot of questions with no answers, and the folks that were feeding me the information were not credible in my eyes.

Most of all.... because we dont want to hang out with kooks like that guy!

My Response:

The first thing I want to say to the person who posted this comment is that I apologize on behalf of Christians for the lack of engagement and apparent lack of effort put into answering all of your questions about Christianity. Doubt and inquiry are an essential part of maturing faith so I commend you for asking questions. I sincerely hope you will forgive the people who did the wrong thing by not taking the time to talk through those issues with you. I would love to sit down and talk with you about any questions you may have. I can be sure I won’t have all the answers as I don’t know much but I can promise you I will work through questions with you. If you would like to do this you can email me at rlg024@gmail.com and we can set something up.

Secondly, this posting was not meant to say that this is the only reason that people become “de-churched”, but was intended to offer one explanation for how this happens. So when you say “the real reason (people become de-churched) is….” I would completely agree with you that yours is a valid reason for wanting to leave the church body.

Thirdly, you write a lot about the nature of people. Most of the time you are referring to yourself being “a good human” or “walking a straight path.” I would say that how you define a “good human” is completely subjective, as is everyone else’s opinion, mine included. That is why it is necessary to have an absolute standard of what “good” is. Scripture tells us that “No one is good but God alone” (Mark 10:18). So with God as our standard for good it is important to see that in comparison, none of us is good. Nobody walks a “straight path”, we are by nature rebellious people. Let me stress this: Christians are no better than non-Christians in terms of how “good” we are or how straight a path we walk. Many Christians act as if they are better or more holy than non-Christians which is unfortunate and a misrepresentation of the Gospel. One of the most basic truths of the Bible is that we are all bad people, Christians included, and it is only by Jesus that God does not look at our evil but instead counts Jesus’ perfect life and righteousness as ours.

Fourth, you write about leaders in the church “giving their version of what they feel the truth is to promote their chosen propaganda, then…they feel they have the authority to tell you how you should live your life…” If this is representative of what you have seen in church you have fallen under misguided, uninformed, and likely non-Christian leadership. A pastor, or any Christian for that matter, understands that there are no personal “versions of the truth”. There is one truth, which is communicated in the Bible. Leaders, also, should never “promote their chosen propaganda” but instead faithfully teach the entire message of the Gospel, not just the parts they like. Leaders also understand that in them there is absolutely no authority, but that absolute authority lies in the Bible itself. Man’s words carry no weight if they are contrary to the words of Scripture.

Fifth and possibly the most alarming statement that I read was that you believe that people should do things because “it makes you feel good.” This is called hedonism and is dangerous. As I stated earlier, we are by nature bad people prone to do rebellious things and enjoy doing them. You cannot tell the child molester that it is okay to rape a child because “it makes you feel good.” You cannot tell the Hutu that the murder of one million Tutsi in Rwanda is okay because it “made them feel good.”

Lastly I would like to present you with a very brief description of the Gospel presented in the Bible: Jesus, the son of God, lived the life we should live and died the death we should have died to give us the forgiveness we all need.

How do people become "de-churched"?

Qualifications for Elders, part 1

"Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach..." (1 Timothy 3:2-3)

Here Paul begins listing the qualifications for elders or overseers.

He begins with “an overseer must be above reproach”. That seems to be a pretty vague term. So what does without reproach mean anyway. We know it doesn’t mean that a man has to be without sin. As Paul tells us in Romans 3:23 “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” It can’t mean that the man has to get along and be liked by everyone. Romans 12:18 tells us “If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.” Paul understood that it is not possible to like everyone or be liked by everyone but tells us to do our best to live peacefully with everyone. What Paul is saying here is that if a man desires to be an elder he must, as Ligon Duncan puts it, be “free from scandalous sins and offensive habits that would lay him open to public criticism.” So now the question is what is the definition of a “scandalous sin?” John Calvin would comment: “There will be no one found among men that is free from every vice; but it is one thing to be blemished with ordinary vices, which do not hurt the reputation, because they are found in men of the highest excellence, and another thing to have a disgraceful name, or to be stained with any baseness.” The point is this: no man is free of sin but he must not have any habitual, ongoing, unrepentant sin that would give reason for other Christians to question his character or chafe under his authority.

Paul then says that the elder must be “the husband of one wife”. This raises more questions. This certainly does not mean that the elder must be married. Paul was not married and Timothy probably wasn’t either. Both were single men who ruled over their churches. It also does not mean that divorced men can’t hold the office of elder, as long as their divorce was biblically warranted (Matt. 19:1-9; 1 Cor. 7:12-16). Being “the husband of one wife” means that the husband is a one woman man. This means he takes the covenant of marriage seriously and loves his wife as Christ loves the church. He doesn’t look at porn, he doesn’t flirt with other women, and he doesn’t think of old girlfriends. After Jesus, his wife is the most important person in his life and the way he lives is a testament to that.

An elder must also be “sober-minded”. The elder has to be of sound mind meaning he has to be able to face situations and think through them without overreacting. He cannot be an emotional roller-coaster who has the ups and downs of a teenage girl.

He must also be “self controlled”. The elder must be able to control himself in all areas of his life. He must not be controlled by anything but rather have control of himself. Practically this means being able to say no to the temptations that call out to him daily.

He must be “respectable”. An elder should be the kind of man a person looks at with a great deal of respect for the life that he lives. His life should preach the Gospel as much or more than his words.

An elder should be “hospitable”. The Christian life is not to be lived out alone. There are no “lone rangers” in the body of Christ. One way we live this out is by being hospitable to others. We should welcome others to live the Christian life with us and that means having them into our homes. We should be inviting Christians and non-Christians alike to join us in what Jesus has done in our lives.

The last qualification listed in verse 2 is “able to teach”. This is the qualification that sets elders apart from deacons. An elder must have both a good enough grasp of the gospel and the ability to clearly communicate it so that others may learn and be built up by it.

Who Wants a Stricter Judgement?

"The saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task." (1 Timothy 3:1)

“According to the New Testament, elders are responsible for the primary leadership and oversight of a church. The function and role of an elder is well summarized by Alexander Strauch in his book Biblical Eldership: "Elders lead the church [1 Tim 5:17; Titus 1:7; 1 Peter 5:1-2], teach and preach the Word [1 Timothy 3:2; 2 Timothy 4:2; Titus 1:9], protect the church from false teachers [Acts 20:17, 28-31], exhort and admonish the saints in sound doctrine [1 Timothy 4:13; 2 Timothy 3:13-17; Titus 1:9], visit the sick and pray [James 5:14; Acts 20:35], and judge doctrinal issues [Acts 15:16]. In biblical terminology, elders shepherd, oversee, lead, and care for the local church" (Staff, 2006).

Elders or overseers are men called by God. One of the ways a man knows he is called to be an elder is that he has a desire to do it. Men should not serve as elders or overseers of the church out of duty or because nobody else is stepping up. This is a position that God calls men to and puts a desire in their hearts to fill. Too often we tend to find men in the church who are faithful attendees, faithful givers, good fathers and husbands and push them into the office of elder. I think part of the reason we do this is that, even though these should be the minimum standards for all Christian men, there are not many men who these standards. When a church finds a man that does meet these standards they automatically push him to a position of leadership. This is clearly a mistake for a number of reasons. Among them are the fact that most men don’t meet the further qualifications set forth in verses 2-7. A man that fills the office of elder solely out of feelings of obligation or responsibility is doing a disservice to himself and the church. A man must not accept the position of elder simply because others in the church are elevating him to elder status and requesting that he fill that role. Men should not accept the office of elder light-heartedly. They should know that upon accepting the role elder they will be judged more strictly: “Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness” – James 3:1 (Being able to teach is one qualification for eldership). The decision of eldership must be made in light of Scripture by both the man and his church. They must both assure that he meets all of the qualification set forth in verses 2-7. Before it even gets to that point though, they must determine if God has put a desire in the mans heart to fill the office of elder. If he has no desire, he is not called.

Doubt vs. Unbelief

A Question About Dressing Modestly

I recently received a question about my posting: "Women: Put some clothes on!" It was a very good question so here it is followed by my answer:

Question:

While I agree with you in principal I have one question... how are we to know what is modest and godly? If we are to use the standard of society as a mesure than we risk breaking the rule. IE: If we use todays standard for modesty or even the 1950's idea of modest, than by the standard set forth during say... the crusades our women are dressed no better than an obvious prostitute. Society or what our curent godly friends might say is modest is purely subjective (this is unrefutible because if you ask an opinion of someone that opinion is always subject...that's why it is called an opinion.) than how are we to know what is right? I hope that wasn't to confusing to answer.

Answer:

I think the first step is for women to have an awareness that dressing modestly is an issue that they need to be thinking about when they go into their closets. Sometimes I think certain women are oblivious to the fact that they are wearing something that may be tempting the men around them. I understand that women are not wired the way men are and may not fully understand the power of visual stimulation. This is all the more reason for women to really think about what they decide to put on. So it starts with awareness.

I think the idea of modesty needs to start with women when they are still little girls. It is amazing what I see little girls wearing sometimes. No, they don’t have a developed body to show off and they probably aren’t tempting anyone by their dress. But these little girls will eventually grow up into women who will have bodies to show off and will think that dressing provocatively is completely acceptable because that is what they have been doing since they were a little girl. This is where the daddy’s need to step up. Daddy’s need to celebrate their daughters beauty, and I mean really make a big deal out of it, in the modest ways they dress. So, secondly, I think modesty starts at a young age and with the daddy’s celebrating their daughters’ beauty.

Once a woman is grown up enough to make her own decisions I think she has to ask herself some questions as she is dressing every day. Jesus always concentrated on the heart and motive behind the things we do and dress is no different. Women should ask themselves questions like “Where does this outfit draw attention to?” As John Piper says, "Women should dress in such a way that they draw men's attention towards their eyes, their face, and not towards the other parts of their bodies." In the context of worship women should ask themselves “Am I in any way trying to draw attention to myself by wearing this?” So, thirdly, women should check their motivation for wearing what they wear.

Lastly, women should surround themselves with godly husbands, brothers, and fathers who will give them honest opinions about what they are wearing. This is probably the most practical and effective piece of advice. Men know what is inappropriate and what isn’t in a way that women never could. So seek the advice of Godly men and trust their opinion. Yes, it’s an opinion and as long as it is a Godly man, it is the correct one to seek and trust. If a Godly man thinks something is inappropriate and you don’t, you’re wrong, period. Trust me.

We should never use society as a standard for what is considered modest and appropriate. We should seek what the Bible has to say about the issue and consult Godly, mature Christians for counsel. Will the advice we receive many times be opinion? Yes, but it will be opinion guided into truth by the Holy Spirit.

Jehova's Witnesses at My Door

Female Pastors?

"Let a woman learn quietly with all submissiveness. I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet."

These two verses are among the more controversial verses in Scripture. I’ll try to explain what Paul is saying in these verses but let me begin by making clear what he is not saying.

Paul is not saying that women are in any way inferior to men. He makes this clear in his letter to the Galatians when he says “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” To be clear there is still a distinction between male and female as far as the roles God has assigned to them but they are in every way of equal value in God’s eyes. Paul is not saying that women are prohibited from speaking in church. Paul assumes that women will prophesy in Corinth (1 Cor. 11:4-5) and throughout Scripture women take part in speaking in church services (Ex 15:20; Col 3:16). Paul is not even prohibiting women from teaching in appropriate conditions and circumstances. Priscilla and Aquila both taught Apollos (Acts18:26), but only after they took him aside and were away from the worship setting. Women are also commanded to teach each other (Titus 2:3-4). As John MacArthur says “Nor does it mean women cannot pray, merely that they are not to lead the prayers during the public worship of the church. It does not mean that women do not have spiritual gifts in the area of public speaking and leadership. The issue is where they exercise those gifts.”

What Paul is saying in today’s verses is that women are prohibited from preaching and teaching in church. In verse 12 Paul explains what he means in verse 11. Paul is saying that women are to remain quiet in the sense of preaching and teaching and should remain subject by not trying to undermine the authority of the elders by taking their role. Paul is merely prohibiting what God had already said would happen. In the garden of Eden God told Eve “Your desire shall be for your husband”, literally that she would desire her husband’s position of authority. Paul’s prohibition of women leadership in the church is part of his apostolic duty to remain true to God’s commands. In these verses Paul explicitly and clearly forbids women from having any kind of authority over men in the church. I agree with R.C. Sproul when he says: "All of us have been blessed by mothers, women missionaries and Sunday school teachers, and other females who have taught us the Word without being elders. Let us thank God for the many Godly women in our lives."

This will be controversial but let me be clear: The office of elder/pastor is for men only. If a woman calls herself a pastor she is going against the words of the apostle Paul and thus against the word of God. For any women who call themselves pastor I would encourage you to read and re-read these verses with an open heart and mind and let the Holy Spirit lead you to the truth.

For further study on male and female roles I would recommend "Recovering Biblical Manhood and Womanhood: A Response to Evangelical Feminism", edited by Wayne Grudem and John Piper.

Jewelry is NOT a Sin.

"likewise also that women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel, with modesty and self-control, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly attire, but with what is proper for women who profess godliness—with good works."

A word about jewlelry: Paul is not forbidding the wearing of jewelry here, at all. There is nothing wrong with jewelry. Solomon’s bride in Song of Solomon wore gold and silver jewelry (Song 1:10-11; 4:9), as did Rebekah (Gen. 24:53). There is an appropriate time and place for that as affirmed by the words of Isaiah 61:10:

I will greatly rejoice in the Lord;
my soul shall exult in my God,
for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation;
he has covered me with the robe of righteousness,
as a bridegroom decks himself like a priest with a beautiful headdress,
and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.

In Paul’s day, much like today, jewelry was, and is, used by people to flaunt their wealth to others or scream out “look at me!” Wealthy women in the church at Ephesus were doing just that and this is what Paul is forbidding in this verse. He is confronting anything that would cause people to desire the attention to be on themselves instead of Jesus. He is not forbidding the wearing of jewelry, period.

If you would like to discuss this further feel free to contact me. You know how to reach me.

Women: Put some clothes on!

"likewise also that women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel, with modesty and self-control, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly attire, but with what is proper for women who profess godliness—with good works."

“Women should adorn themselves” or as the NIV puts it “dress themselves.” We can stop right there for now. I don’t think most women have read this in their Bibles. Please, women, dress yourselves.

We cannot go anywhere in today’s culture, even to church, where we don’t see women wearing inappropriate clothing. To the women: stop wearing skin-tight clothing that flaunts everything you have, stop wearing skirts too short , stop wearing shirts with necklines that show off your clevage, stop wearing shorts so short that your butt is hanging out the bottom. Please, listen to Paul, “dress yourself”, put some clothes on. As Ligon Duncan says:

I want to urge you to think long and hard about what you wear: blouses that are skin-tight and reveal everything; midriffs bared; diving necklines; skirts that are way too short or worn way too low. We need to think about dressing modestly and discreetly. It starts, Dad and fathers, with you. You should say to your wives, or to your daughters...they’re getting ready to go out in something they ought not go out in, and you’ll know, dad and father, “You’re not going out in that.” On the other hand, wives and daughters, it ought to be a desire on your part—perhaps it’s with your husband, perhaps it’s with other godly friends whose judgment you trust—to ask them the question: “Is this modest and discreet?” I want it to be beautiful and attractive, but I also want to be modest and discreet. Does this fit the bill? You ought to be approaching your husbands and fathers, instead of dreading them sharing their opinions. You ought to be inviting them, because it ought to be your desire to dress modestly and discreetly.

We have a huge problem with sexuality in our culture. It is entirely too free and too flaunted. Sexuality is a beautiful thing. Within the context of marriage, the ability of the husband to enjoy the wife and vice versa is one of the greatest privileges that God has given us. But God did not expect that to be shown and shared with every human being who you pass on the street. You are to be modest and discreet in the way you dress. Invite godly friends, sisters and brothers in Christ, to help you dress in such a way that you honor the Lord. Paul is saying that there is a right way to dress and a wrong way to dress. He’s not saying that it’s all just subjective and in the eye of the beholder. There is a way that a person can dress, and it sends one message, and there’s a way that a person can dress and it sends another message. Paul is saying in this passage, “instead of aspiring to be seductive and provocative in the way we dress, let us adorn ourselves instead with a beautiful character and life.

So often today we hear that women do not want to be treated as objects or as pieces of meat but want to be treated with respect and dignity. To the women: if you want to be treated with respect and dignity then dress with respect and dignity. Do not expect to be treated with respect and dignity when you are flaunting what God gave you to anyone who wants to have a look. Stop wearing the low cut shirts and short skirts, start dressing yourselves with dignity and it will be given to you.

Real Men Pray

"I desire then that in every place the men should pray, lifting holy hands without anger or quarreling"

Paul’s addresses men in this verse. He desires that the men pray in every place. This may seem a bit embarrassing to men. Let’s face it in today’s culture Christianity is dominated by females and has a very feminine exterior. As Mark Driscoll puts it the church has produced "a bunch of nice, soft, tender, chickified church boys. … Sixty percent of Christians are chicks," he explains, "and the forty percent that are dudes are still sort of chicks." So men have a tendency to not want to identify themselves with Christianity that is so overtly feminine. That is why it is so important for men who are not “chickified church boys” to step up and lead the way for their families and churches. One of the places to begin is making sure that men are praying in every place. There are two reasons for this.

First, too often we separate our life on Sunday from our life the rest of the week. We may “pray, lifting holy hands” at church but are we doing it in the other places that Paul mentions? Do you have a disconnect between your “church life” and the rest of your life? If so, repent and give Jesus your whole life, not just Sunday from 10:30-12:00. Praying in every place means just what it says. Wherever you go, pray. If you’re out to eat, pray. If you’re at a ball game, pray. If you’re at work, pray. If you’re gathered with friends, pray. Praying in “every place” ties in with the second point I have.

People everywhere need to see real men, not feminine men, worshiping Jesus. We are to pray in every place as a testament to what Jesus has done for us. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying we should pray as a show so that other would see us and praise us. I’m saying that real men realize that “to the King of ages…be honor and glory forever and ever” and we give thanks to him in prayer everywhere we go because that is the desire of a renewed heart. As a result, our lives will be preaching a gospel to those around us who need to see that Christianity is not led by “chickified church boys” buy strong, tough, dedicated, loyal, manly men.

Jews & Salvation

There is One God

"For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time."

These verses are foundational to the understanding of Christianity. Unlike Hinduism, Mormonism, Buddhism, and Shinto, Christianity is a Monotheistic religion, meaning we believe in one and only one God. Verse five makes this clear: “There is one God.” Other verses in the Bible that state our belief include: “…the Lord is God; there is no other besides him.” (Deut 4:35), “…there is no god beside me” (Deut 32:39), “…you alone are God.” (Ps 86:10), “Before me no God was formed, nor shall there be any after me.” (Isa 43:10), “I am the Lord, and there is no other, besides me there is no God.” (Isa 45:5), “…the King of ages, immortal, invisible, the only God.” (1 Tim 1:17).

All other gods are demonic false gods. John 17:3 states that the God of the Bible is “…the only true God.” This lends itself to the knowledge that there are indeed false gods. If you worship any other god besides the God of the Bible you are worshiping a false god and a demon. You may be very devoted and give of your time and money to your church but if it is not a Bible believing, Jesus centered church you are sacrificing to demons: “They sacrificed to demons that were no gods.” (Deut 32:17). “No, I imply that what pagans sacrifice they offer to demons and not to God. I do not want you to be participants with demons.” (1 Cor 10:20). You may even go around telling others that you are Christian. You may include the Bible in your doctrine and may even put the name Jesus Christ in the name of your church but if you are not a Bible believing, Jesus centered church you are worshiping demons: “And what I do I will continue to do, in order to undermine the claim of those who would like to claim that in their boasted mission they work on the same terms as we do. For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. So it is no surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their deeds.” (2 Cor 11:12-15). People worshiping these demons may claim to have experienced miracles or other amazing things which convinces them that they are worshiping the true God. It should not be a surprise when people of other religions experience wondrous powers and miraculous signs because the Bible tells us “The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders” (2 Thess 2:9).

If you get only one thing right in your life this should be it: that you understand “there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.” Eternity for you and most likely for generations of your family after you hinges on your understanding and belief of this fact. Since there is only one God, He is the God of all creation, and He has given but one answer to the plight of sinners. There is one God over all the world, and so there is one message of grace that must be preached to everyone. If you put your faith in anyone or anything other than Jesus you will spend eternity being tormented in hell. If your faith is in the gods of Hinduism, the god of Islam, the gods of this world, the gods of Mormonism, the god of the Jehovah’s witnesses, the god of yourself, the god of money, or the god of anything else you will spend eternity in hell. Despite what Oprah has to say, there are not many paths to God, there is one and only one. Jesus said “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” He did not say that he as “a way, a truth, or a life” he said he is “THE way, THE truth, and THE life.”

Jesus “gave himself as a ransom for all.” Think about that: Jesus, who is fully God, came to earth and gave his life as a ransom for all. This is an enormous difference, it is THE enormous difference between Christianity and other religions. The gods of other religions are all about what you can do for them. You’re entrance to heaven will be judged upon how much you sacrificed for them, or how much you gave to them, or how devoted you were to them, or how many people of other religions you murdered for them. In stark contrast, if you are a worshiper of the God of the Bible your entrance to heaven will not be judged on anything you have done, it will be judged by what Jesus did. Really take the time to meditate on this: the false gods of other religions demand you give up your life for them. The God of the Bible gave up His life for you. In other religions you give your life as a ransom to your demonic god. In Christianity Jesus “gave himself as a ransom for all.”

There is one God and his desire is that you put your faith in Him that you may have eternal life. He gave his life for you and is offering to give you His righteousness. Will you accept the gift that has been offered?

The Word of God

In order to get a better understanding of Christianity I am going to be writing a series of short papers on the basics of the faith. I'm going to be going straight through Wayne Grudem's Systematic Theology so almost everything will be taken from there. This is not an attempt to come up with anything new or add to Grudem's work. A lot will be taken word for word from the text so please don't be offended if you feel I'm plagarizing, I'm just trying to get a better understanding of what I believe and writing it down helps. So, here is the first topic on the word of God:

In Christian circles we hear the term “the word of God” a lot. But what does that actually mean? What are we referring to when we say “the word of God”? In this short paper I will attempt an explanation of what “the word of God” refers to and cite several passages of Scripture to back up my explanation.

The first thing “the word of God” can refer to is Jesus himself. In this instance “the word of God” refers to a person. In Revelation 19:13 we see that “He (Jesus) is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God.” In John’s Gospel we also see Jesus referred to as “the Word”. Chapter one verse one tells us “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” Then in verse 14 John tells us “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” The book of Hebrews tells us that Jesus is “the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature.” Jesus “has the role of communicating the character of God to us and of expressing the will of God for us.”

The second thing “the word of God” can refer to is actual speech by God the Father. We see this in a few forms. God speaks in decrees, or orders as we see in the creation account of the first chapter of Genesis. Psalm 33:6 also tells us:

By the word of the Lord the heavens were made,

and by the breath of his mouth all their host.

God’s decrees cause something to happen or make things come into being.

God also sometimes addresses man personally. This is seen in Scripture when man hears the actual voice of God. Examples include God speaking to Adam in Genesis 2:16-17 and 3:16-19. God audibly spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai in giving the Ten Commandments. In the New Testament we see God speaking at the baptism of Jesus when He says, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”

Additionally, God chooses human lips through which He speaks. Throughout Scripture God raises up prophets to proclaim His word to His people. Although human lips physically speak these words they still carry the weight and authority as being the word of God. Deuteronomy 18:18-20 tells us:

I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers. And I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him. And whoever will not listen to my words that he shall speak in my name, I myself will require it of him. But the prophet who presumes to speak a word in my name that I have not commanded him to speak, or who speaks in the name of other gods, that same prophet shall die.

Similarly in Jeremiah 1:9 we read, “Then the Lord put out his hand and touched my mouth. And the Lord said to me, ‘Behold, I have put my words in your mouth.’” As I said earlier God’s word spoken through human lips carries the same authority as if coming from God himself. “To disbelieve or disobey any of them was to disbelieve or disobey God himself”

Lastly God’s words are also in written form (the Bible). The first instance of this written form was found in the Ten Commandments: “And he gave to Moses, when he had finished speaking with him on Mount Sinai, the two tablets of the testimony, tablets of stone, written with the finger of God” (Ex. 31:8). “The tablets were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God, engraved on the tablets” (Ex. 32:16). Men appointed by God beginning with Moses did further recording of God’s word. “Then Moses wrote this law and gave it to the priests, the sons of Levi, who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and to all the elders of Israel (Deut. 31:9). “And Joshua wrote these words in the Book of the Law of God. And he took a large stone and set it up there under the terebinth that was by the sanctuary of the Lord (Josh. 24:26). God commanded Isaiah “And now, go, write it before them on a tablet and inscribe it in a book, that it may be for the time to come as a witness forever (Isa. 30:8). Likewise God commanded Jeremiah “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: Write in a book all the words that I have spoken to you” (Jer. 30:2).

In the New Testament we see the authors writing with the same authority as the writers of the Old Testament. In 2 Peter we see Peter referring to Paul’s writings as Scripture, referring to the books of the Old Testament:

And count the patience of our Lord as salvation, just as our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom given him, as he does in all his letters when he speaks in them of these matters. There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures.

Likewise in 1 Timothy 5:18 we read, “For the Scripture says, ‘You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain,’ and, ‘The laborer deserves his wages.’” The first part of that quote is taken from the Old Testament (Deut 25:4) and the latter from the New Testament (Luke 10:7) although both are referred to as “Scripture.” “Once again it must be noted that these words are still considered to be God’s own words, even though they are written down mostly by human beings and always in human language.”

Three major benefits arise from the recording or writing down of God’s word. First, there is a more accurate presentation of God’s word for future generations. Second, the opportunity to continually read, review, and test God’s word is available in written form. And lastly, God’s word in written form is much more accessible to many more people than when it can only be proclaimed through oral repetition.

To review, “the word of God” can be used to refer to Jesus himself, who is the Word incarnate, or “in the flesh”. It can also be used to speech by God in the forms of decrees which cause things to happen or create out of nothing (ex nihilo), personal address by God in which His voice is audible, speech through human lips like those of the prophets, and speech in the form of His written word, the Bible.

Thoughts on 1 Timothy 2:3-4

"This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth."

"Evangelistic prayer for all people is rooted in the fact that God desires all people to be saved. It appears that Paul is countering an exclusivist tendency in the false teachers or at least their downplaying of the importance of evangelizing the Gentiles (along with their emphasis on the Jewish law). This statement figures prominently in theological disagreements over the extent of the atonement. It cannot be read as suggesting that everyone will be saved (universalism) because the rest of the letter makes it clear that some will not be saved (4:1; 5:24; 6:10; cf. Matt. 25:30, 41, 46; Rev. 14:9–11)” (Neste, 2008).

This is a controversial verse which many who hold to Arminian theology will argue opposes predestination. The question becomes can God desire something that does not come to pass? The answer is clearly yes. It is clear that God loves all men and Paul’s statement here that God desires all men to be save is completely in line with God’s character. God does not want anyone to perish, but that they would sincerely repent (cf. Ezek 33:11). 2 Peter 3:9 tells us that “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.” Although God desires all people trust in Him, it is clear from the rest of Paul’s letter to Timothy that some will not be saved (4:1; 5:24; 6:10; cf. Matt. 25:30, 41, 46; Rev. 14:9–11).

How then do we reconcile God’s desire for all to be saved with the fact that not all people are saved? John Calvin states that by “all people” in this current context “the Apostle (Paul) simply means, that there is no people and no rank in the world that is excluded from salvation; because God wishes that the gospel be proclaimed to all without exception. The present discourse relates to classes of men, not to individual persons; for his sole object is, to include in this number princes and foreign nations.” So “all people” here is referring to all types of people, all classes of people, Jews and Gentiles, men and women, sinners and saints.

R.C. Sproul says “the Lord desires one thing more than the salvation of all – His glory (Isa 48:11). In one sense, God can truly want all who have ever lived to be saved; however, this desire always defers to His will to glorify Himself, the will in view when the Bible says His will is always done. The Lord is glorified when sin is punished in hell, and so God’s supreme desire is met even when people are not redeemed.”

However one understands the extent of the atonement, this passage clearly teaches the free and universal offer of the gospel to every single human being; “desires” shows that this offer is a bona fide expression of God's good will.