Posts tagged Theology
Saving Mass Murderers
Jul 8th
Adolf Hitler is a man responsible, ultimately, for the deaths of millions. Joseph Stalin is another figure in history responsible for the tragic ending of many lives. Unfortunately, there are many people throughout history that we would recognize as mass murderers. In an instant, Osama Bin Laden became known by virtually all Americans for being the face of terror. He is a man known for being the head of Al Qaeda, a terrorist group who masterminded and carried out the September 11th attacks on the United States. Osama Bin Laden, Adolf Hitler, and Joseph Stalin are by all accounts evil people. And yet, a question lingers: can mass murderers such as them be saved?
The prompting of this post comes at a time locally when two police officers 
lost their lives in a routine traffic stop when a man pulled a gun on them and shot them to death. It was the comments made by someone I know that prompted me to think deeper on the issue of saving those who are most obviously evil among us. The man that killed these two police officers is deserving of whatever the law has in store for him. He will likely get the death penalty and sometime in the not too distant future, this man who murdered two police officers will stand before his creator and be judged. He will be judged, not only for these two murders, but for every sin he committed on this earth. I ask you, when he stands before God, will he be sentenced to hell? Of course, based purely on the way he lived his life, yes he will go to hell. And yet, we could easily say the same thing about our own lives. Based purely on the way I have lived my life, I too would stand before God and the verdict will be read, “Guilty!”
The most amazing, astounding, and sometimes baffling thing about the gospel is that it applies universally to all people, no 
matter how evil we believe they are (and no matter how good we think we are). The Bible states resoundingly that we are all condemned by the law of God. We have all broken God’s laws. In God’s courtroom, we stand as guilty as Osama Bin Laden. Yes, every one of us has the same guilty verdict awaiting us when we stand trembling before Almighty God. However, just as we are all condemned, God has also offered a pardon found in the substitutionary death of His Son. When Jesus died on the cross, he stepped into that courtroom and said, “I will pay the fine.” It does not matter how evil someone is, or how allegedly good they may seem, we are all condemned for our transgressions and we can all be saved by the shed blood and atoning work of Christ – yes, even mass murderers can be saved!
We, as Christians, must be careful of the things we say about those we see as evil. Rest assured that there is plenty of evil to be found. However, when we talk about someone else’s evil in a manner that portrays it as unique to them alone, we do not accurately reflect the evil that is within. Further, were it not for God’s restraining grace, we could not say for sure the level of evil we ourselves are capable of. Instead of the bitter anger for the mass murderer, I suggest we in humble love seek to offer the gospel even to them. I do not pretend to understand some of the seemingly senseless acts of violence that occur each day. More and more, my heart breaks over these acts. And yet, if I understand the gospel correctly, I understand then that I must forgive even the mass murderers among us and pray for their salvation. I hope and pray that those two police officers knew Christ as their Lord and Savior. I pray now that the man that killed them will also come to know the Savior.
Popularity: 9% [?]
Evaluating the Usefulness of Apologetics
Jul 3rd
The first iteration of this site began primarily as a foray into apologetics. As I became more and more passionate about my faith, I found myself wanting to express an intelligent faith. I had always found apologetics interesting. My first taste of defending the faith, ironically, came from a book that in and of itself was not an apologetic. At least, that was not its primary aim. The book was Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis. The way in which C.S. Lewis explained Christianity opened my eyes to an aspect of Christianity that I did not know previously. And yet, ironically, I had read Mere Christianity two times before I was even a Christian. It was a powerful book, but it was not (at least for me) something that led me to salvation. I have been thinking about this a lot lately. I still have an interest in apologetics, but I wonder if it is useful? Does it edify the body, or is it a system founded primarily on a secular foundation of thought? I would like to evaluate these questions in this post.
First and foremost, we need to understand what the practice of apologetics actually aims to do. At its most basic form, an apologetic is simply a defense of the Christian faith. It aims to defend the claim of truth by Christianity. So, in that sense, it would be strange and difficult for me to claim that apologetics are not useful. However, as with all thought systems, apologetics as a system of thought is subject to the corruption of man. Apologetics in the hands of an unsaved purely religious person is no more useful than a science textbook in the hands of Richard Dawkins. In both cases, you will find many truthful statements and a system of thought that in many ways is intelligent, but in the end, both systems are utterly bankrupt of moral authority. Further, as a system of thought or an overarching philosophy, both are tragically destructive and build up human pride rather than making the person more endeared to Christ.
It would seem that the only way to truly evaluate apologetics is to categorize it rightly. As I see it, there are two categories that are relevant to this discussion. The first is apologetics whose aim is foremost about proclaiming the need for salvation in Christ alone. The second is more general and simply aims to defend the intellectual truths claimed by Christianity. Now both systems ultimately run alongside one another and have many commonalities. However, the thread that holds each one together is very different and is what is most important for this evaluation that I am doing here.
Intellectual Ascent
John MacArthur wrote a book called The Gospel According to Jesus some years ago, which was strongly criticized by many within the greater evangelical world. The reason it was criticized is that it challenged the prevailing winds of evangelicalism and ultimately claimed that a large portion of visible Christianity is delusional in upholding mere religion as opposed to true saving faith. What John MacArthur argued was that many people have an intellectual ascent to the facts of Christianity, but have not surrendered their lives to Jesus. I had never read the Gospel According to Jesus until recently. When I did, it solidified something I had already known. For most of my life, despite claiming to be, I was not really a Christian. I conformed to a faith that was an intellectual ascent to the facts of Christianity. The first time I read Mere Christianity, I actually became more religious and further embedded in false religion. Of course, I didn’t know it at the time.
In evaluating apologetics in a very general sense, I would ask that Christians be ever mindful of the gospel. I believe that anything we endeavor to do as Christians should ultimately come back to the gospel. There is a quote that I am fond of from a sermon by Reverend Al Martin that is relevant to what I am trying to convey. He said, “The cross does not give us a minor shift or two with regards to a few of our ethical and religious values. The cross radically disrupts the very center and citadel of your life from self, to Christ.” If you are a Christian, everything flows from and to Christ. Thus, as I would evaluate anything we do, I would evaluate the usefulness of apologetics. If the apologetic aim does not center on Christ, it is not useful. Of course, God in His magnificence may still use it, so please do not misunderstand. However, it is not in and of itself what we should seek to do in apologetics. It is not God honoring. Instead, it is merely man centered and aimed at the proclamation of religion.
Gospel Centered
As I have stated, I believe apologetics must be gospel centered and flowing from and to Christ. But what does that look like? I wish I could say it was an easy thing to distinguish, but I can’t. It can be a challenge many times to rightly divide the truth. I have read and followed an apologetics ministry, sometimes for years, before realizing that it was simply not gospel centered. And yet, there are some telltale signs that I believe we should watch for. They are as follows:
- When is Christ brought into the argument? There are some apologetics ministries that almost never get to actually proclaiming Christ.
- What is the general tone of the ministry? Is it bitter and argumentative? Or, is it humble and heartbroken over the lost? Make no mistake, proclaiming Christ will get people upset. However, are people getting upset because the person proclaiming the truth is simply mean and argumentative, or are they getting upset because of an accurate proclamation of the gospel? Is it hatred for the messenger because of the message, or hatred for the messenger because of the way it is delivered? We should be heartbroken and humble when we venture to proclaim these truths, issuing the proclamation in love, not anger.
- Is the ministry aimed ultimately at proclaiming the gospel, and bringing lost souls to Christ? Or, is it simply defending truths as a means of intellectual superiority? Our arguments should not be about our intellect, but should at some point draw in on the gospel.
- Is the ministry proclaiming Biblical centered truths, regardless of their secular support, or is it simply seeking to prop the Bible up by secular means? The Bible has stood the test of time, not by human might, but by it being the very Word of God. It is great when our human systems of thought offer support to the Bible, but we should not be confused into thinking that the Bible actually needs that support. Even if every secular system went against the Bible, it does not make it any less true.
These are just some general aspects of an apologetics ministry that might help in evaluating whether it is gospel centered. In the end, the usefulness of apologetics is found in the fruit it bears. For that aim, I believe that the best apologetic is always the one that is within the context of the gospel.
Popularity: 10% [?]
Truths that cannot be Compromised: Part IV
Apr 12th
This is a continuation of a series of articles about truths within Christianity.
Read the first article here: When is it Time for True Christians to go to the Mat?
Read the second article here: Truths that cannot be Compromised: Part I
Read the third article here: Truths that cannot be Compromised: Part II
Read the fourth article here: Truths that cannot be Compromised: Part III
I ended Part III with the following statement: “In the end, I know the way I am going about these truths is a little strange, but I believe if you take the time to think on these thoughts, you will begin to see the picture. Jesus as the truth, as creator; God in three persons, in unity and community; God as the perfect, self-sustaining, self-existing I AM; and then us, most of the time prideful and dismissive of God. What do you think?” This is a good recap of what has been stated so far, so let’s get at the next step in our journey.
I think it is important to reiterate what our objective is. In a world of relativists that ask Christians to check their truths at the door, I am cutting across the grain of popular culture and arguing that there are such things as objective truths. These truths transcend any one person. They are not my truths, or someone else’s truths, they are quite simply true for all. They are true for me, true for you, and true for every man, woman, and child on this earth. If you are a relativist, you probably find that offensive, but that does not make these facts any less true. So, my ultimate objective is to establish a basic theological foundation of Christian facts that are universal to all true Christian beliefs. For the most part, these truths are directly tied into the gospel and are directly relevant to your soul.
The Condition of Man
There are two great truths that are prevalent throughout the entire Bible that beckon you to submit humbly to God. The first is the holiness of God and the second is the sinfulness of man. I am going to discuss the latter in this article. In our world, almost everyone believes they are a good person. They survey the news and see person after person who has committed crimes that they have not, but never really take the time to understand their own sin. In truth, those same news stories should call us to truth instead of reassure our faith in our own false goodness. Our court system is the very providence of God and it beckons us to recognize God as the creator of order. Those same judges are a picture of God as the righteous judge. God is your judge and one day you will stand before Him with your eternal soul in the balance. What will be His ruling?
What I am trying to get you to see is that you are a sinner. And I am not simply talking about the actual physical acts that you might recognize as sin. Instead, I am trying to get you to see that you are at your very core, a sinner. From day one, out of the womb, you have been a sinner. You did not just make a few mistakes, but you have by your very nature sinned against your creator. So, what is sin? Sin is rebellion against God and the breaking of His law. You are a lawbreaker. Just like those lawbreakers you see on T.V., you are a lawbreaker. The only difference is that while those lawbreakers on T.V. are in trouble for breaking a couple of laws, you have broken more of God’s laws than you can count. Consider the Ten Commandments:
Ten Commandments (Exodus 20)
You shall have no other gods before me
You shall not make for yourself an idol
You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God
Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy
Honor your father and your mother
You shall not murder
You shall not commit adultery
You shall not steal
You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor
You shall not covet
What I would ask you to do is hold these commandments up as a mirror on your life. And lest you believe it too easy, allow these commandments to penetrate to your heart. I am not merely asking if perhaps you have been able to physically avoid some of these, but I am asking you to consider whether in your heart you have kept them. For instance, consider Jesus’ words about our heart in relation to Commandment 7, “You have heard that it was said, ‘Do not commit adultery.’ But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” God is going to judge you not just on what you have physically done, but on the condition of your heart and what you have thusly thought.
Up until now, I have been trying to get you to see God in a certain way and now I am trying to get you to see yourself in a certain way. In both cases, I am trying to get you to see what is objectively true about God and objectively true about yourself. Don’t fall prey to our culture that tells you to accept all beliefs as equally true. I welcome you to tolerate all views, but that does not mean that all views are true. I am laying a stake in the ground here and telling you what the Bible claims throughout, from cover to cover. The condition of your soul is that of a lawbreaker. The diagnosis is clear. You have broken God’s commands and will one day stand before Him as judge. That is a truth that cannot be compromised.
Popularity: 26% [?]
Glory Seekers
Apr 9th
At the heart of man, we find a near constant hunger for glory. It can be seen in almost all of our activities, from stadiums full of people watching a sporting event to a president displaying his bravado as he confidently gives a speech. We can be found seeking glory on the battlefield, or in the office, in the boxing ring, or in the classroom — and many other places. Isn’t that in the end one of our greatest sins? We are made to display the glory of God, but we subvert it to seek our own imitation glory instead. And yet, in the end, we will all display the glory of God.
The Bible says that we will either display God’s glory as objects of wrath or as objects of mercy. So, if you seek temporary glory in this world and subvert the true glory of God, you will for an eternity display the glory of God in being objects of wrath. And yet, in the riches of His kindness, God desires mercy. Wouldn’t you rather be an object of His mercy? Is the temporary satisfaction found in your trivial pursuits really worth it? Can you see how wrong it is to willfully subvert the magnificence of God — how your efforts to establish your fame, popularity, and pleasure-seeking are like an ant shaking its fist at the creator God in willful disobedience? Humble yourself before God and seek His glory, the glory of His Son, and the richness of His mercy.
Popularity: 25% [?]
The Nature of Human Will
Mar 30th
One of the greatest offenses to modern Americans is the notion that we do not truly have a free will, especially as it relates to salvation. Our society as a whole is caught up in pride — pride in our sexual orientation, pride in our country, and ultimately, pride in self. Even a large portion of Christians hold to a foundational belief of a completely free will, particularly as it is found in salvation. And while it is not absolutely essential to salvation to understand the nature of the will rightly, we should as Christians seek to see ourselves clearly.
Of course, we do have the ability to make moral decisions within the framework of our lives, the surrounding environment, and the various influences that affect our decision-making skills. However, the Bible makes clear that we are slaves to our sin and so it would be incorrect of us to truly see ourselves as having a completely free will. You can see this most clearly in those most obvious addictions (sex, drugs, etc.). And yet, I would argue that we all have many more addictions that are utterly subtle and permanently overlooked, though they clearly impede our alleged free will. Whether it be an addiction to food, money, or even Facebook, I would argue that the word addiction is underused in our world. We are slaves to the fleshly desires within us. And what I find most interesting is that these subtle addictions do not offend our sensibilities as much as a sovereign God does.
What I would ask you to do, if you are a Christian, is consider how you became a Christian. Is it fair to suggest that God did not lead you to Himself? If God were not actively engaged in drawing you to Himself, would you ever choose Him? I would argue that not a single person on the planet would actually submit to God without God granting them the gift to do so. In fact, Jesus says as much (John 6:44). The real difficulty that we have with a God that is sovereign in salvation is that we somehow believe it is not fair. And yet, Paul answers this challenge by upholding God’s sovereignty (Romans 9:14-16).
For the sake of argument, let’s say we do have a free will in salvation. Let’s say that at any moment, should we choose to, we could decide to go to God of own free will to ask for forgiveness. In that scenario, can we still say we are truly free? As I stated in the opening two paragraphs, we humans are addicts, slaves to our fleshly desires. Even if God leaves the ultimate “decision” up to us, it is nonetheless a result of God’s will to save us in that it is only through His drawing us to Him that we can even submit to God. So, whether you are a full blown Calvinist or not, your will is not completely free. Even if you believe God has left the ultimate decision up to you, there should be no doubt that left to your own devices, you would never actually choose God. And thus, your sinful will must be broken before you can be saved.
Popularity: 7% [?]
Truths that cannot be Compromised: Part III
Mar 27th
This is a continuation of a series of articles about truths within Christianity.
Read the first article here: When is it Time for True Christians to go to the Mat?
Read the second article here: Truths that cannot be Compromised: Part I
Read the third article here: Truths that cannot be Compromised: Part II
In Part I, I stated that we must start this understanding of truth with Jesus. We must understand Him rightly. I then built upon that understanding of Jesus as God by pointing to him also as creator (John 1:3). I now want to expand this concept out to a larger understanding of God in the concept we know as the trinity. Eastons 1897 Bible Dictionary defines the trinity this way:
Trinity – a word not found in Scripture, but used to express the doctrine of the unity of God as subsisting in three distinct Persons. This word is derived from the Gr. trias, first used by Theophilus (A.D. 168-183), or from the Lat. trinitas, first used by Tertullian (A.D. 220), to express this doctrine. The propositions involved in the doctrine are these: 1. That God is one, and that there is but one God (Deut. 6:4; 1 Kings 8:60; Isa. 44:6; Mark 12:29, 32; John 10:30). 2. That the Father is a distinct divine Person (hypostasis, subsistentia, persona, suppositum intellectuale), distinct from the Son and the Holy Spirit. 3. That Jesus Christ was truly God, and yet was a Person distinct from the Father and the Holy Spirit. 4. That the Holy Spirit is also a distinct divine Person.
Now, for my purposes in writing this series of articles, I am not as interested in diving deep into this concept. Instead, I am going to let the above definition stand for itself while I use it along with everything else we’ve discussed to build on our understanding of God. Mainly, I want you to see God in a very different light than what most people would describe him. All other religions, and many branches of Christianity, would describe God in very far away concepts. They do not see God as a person, but as an entity or a force. In many ways, they see God in a very Star Wars mentality where God becomes this underlying current to everything we see, but He does not actually have a will. No, God can be used in whatever way we see fit and whoever uses Him the best wins! This is not a true concept of the Living God.
I believe the concept of the trinity to be hugely important, but I believe that what is attached to this concept is more important for our discussion here. The primary truths that I believe cannot be compromised are those truths that get at the heart of God and ultimately, the heart of the gospel. And so, I believe it is hugely important to understand who God is: a person. And then from there, I believe you must understand what is different about this divine person and why it matters.
The Great I AM
When Moses is at the burning bush, he asks God who he should tell the Israelites that He is (Exodus 3:13)? God answers by saying in verse 14, “God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’” Jesus later connected Himself to this description of I AM in John 8:58. So, what does this mean? For everything else in the world and the universe, we came to be, we exist for a period of time, and then we are gone. God, however, simply is. He has always existed outside of time and continues do so, and always will. What I hope begins to register in your mind from this concept of (I AM) is a God that is self sustaining, in need of nothing, perfect, holy, worthy of praise, in community within the trinity with Christ and the Holy Spirit, and who ultimately, did not create us out of something He lacked. Our purpose is not to fill some need in God. When God told Moses “I AM” he was stating something infinitely profound without needing to justify Himself. I AM.
So, as we build on these truths with a very specific purpose of building on the gospel, I want you to see God as a person in community within the trinity, but I also want you to see Him as a person who is beyond our highest thought (Even now, I am groping for the words to describe these concepts and will ultimately fall short of the mark). Thus, when God acted and spoke this world into existence, He did not do so out of need, but He chose to do so because He had a will. He did so in His abundance and with a purpose of bringing glory to God. God is not far off, but is active in the world with an ultimate plan of bringing His children into the kingdom to experience that abundance and in doing so, bringing Glory to Himself.
In the end, I know the way I am going about these truths is a little strange, but I believe if you take the time to think on these thoughts, you will begin to see the picture. Jesus as the truth, as creator; God in three persons, in unity and community; God as the perfect, self-sustaining, self-existing I AM; and then us, most of the time prideful and dismissive of God. What do you think?
Popularity: 9% [?]
Bible Study in a High Tech World
Mar 20th
I must admit, I barely use my physical Bible any longer. By that, I mean the paper version that actually requires me to turn the pages. I still carry it to church with me (primarily to avoid distracting anyone from questioning whether I am actually playing with my phone in church), but beyond that, I typically do all of my reading now from the Olive Tree Bible Software on my iPod Touch. Given that, I thought it would be nice to share some of the benefits of this software.
Here is what I have found to be the key benefits:
- First and foremost, I now have my Bible with me no matter where I am at. I literally have my Bible in my pocket with me wherever I go and can pull it out and read it whenever is convenient.
- The software includes the ability to highlight versus and make notes on any verse. If you combine this function with an Evernote account, your notes can be automatically synced to Evernote for backup and access later from your home PC.
- I can easily bounce between related verses, view study notes, and find verses. This becomes particularly useful if you combine it with a sermon on your iPod; you can easily follow along and navigate with ease to the verse the preacher is preaching on.
- I can bookmark verses for memorization or to simply revisit at a later time.
- The software is easy to use and completely configurable. It includes settings for the text size (and many more). While the display is not as nice perhaps as reading from an e-ink display on a Kindle or other e-reader, I have had no problems reading on my iPod. While I sometimes feel eye strain reading on a PC, that has not been a problem on my iPod because I have been able to adjust the text size and screen brightness as needed.
- Finally, the software includes access not only to multiple Bibles at the same time, but also many books that are historically useful to our faith. For instance, I currently have a number of books from Spurgeon, Calvin, and others right there on my iPod along with my Bible.
In the end, I thought I would share this tool because it is a tremendous blessing in our modern age to have tools such as this and be able to study the Bible at will. When I think of the majority of people throughout the ages that had no access to the Bible and the fact that I have nearly unlimited access to it, I am thankful!
Popularity: 10% [?]
Truths that cannot be Compromised Part II
Mar 7th
This is a continuation of a series of articles about truths within Christianity.
Read the first article here: When is it Time for True Christians to go to the Mat?
Read the second article here: Truths that cannot be Compromised: Part I
There are so many amazing truths within Christianity that it becomes difficult to explore a list such as this. Ultimately, any truth is significant and worthy of our effort to defend it. However, the aim here is to defend those truths that are foundational; to defend those truths that cannot be compromised. The aim is to explore the truths that require us to draw a line in the sand and tell the world they cannot cross it – and to do so would surely mean death! The types of truths we are talking about are the truths that get at the heart of God, that draw us closer to Him, and require us to bow humbly at His feet. In continuing these articles, I am not aiming to rank these truths. Instead, I am merely going at them in as logical a way as possible. Please do not consider this a ranking, as all of these truths deserve our reverence. Instead, I am simply trying to link them together, so I will attempt to build upon each prior article.
In Part I (linked to above), I stated that we must start this understanding of truth with Jesus. We must understand Him rightly. I would like to now build upon our understanding of Jesus as God. I will allow John 1:1-18 to show us the way (ESV):
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light.
The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.
And 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. John bore witness about him, and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.’”) And from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.
I highlighted a couple of key pieces of information that will illuminate our understanding of Jesus. I believe this to be hugely important, not only in our understanding of our savior, but also in our foundational thinking as it relates to how we came to be. Everywhere around us there are those who have surrendered to the logic of our day that says, “Matter plus time plus chance equals man.” However, John 1 and Genesis 1 are tied together rather uniquely to claim that Jesus is not only our savior, but also our creator. The Genesis account of creation is tied to Jesus and Jesus is tied to the creation. It is only logical, but it is often either overlooked or otherwise deemphasized by Christians not wanting to seem foolish for believing in creation. I will take the charge of a fool, be it necessary, but I cannot deny what is plain in scripture. In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth (Genesis 1:1). In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him (John 1:1-3). And for those who like to toy around with Genesis 1 to avoid creation, how do you deal with the statement, “and without him was not any thing made that was made”? This is not a description of a God haphazardly making man from goop. It is a description of God in control. It is impossible to mush evolution into two descriptions of God’s creation such as this. And so here is our second key truth: God is our creator. You are not a product of chance. You do not result from a cosmic accident billions of years ago. No, you were wonderfully and fearfully made by God. To deny this is to deny Jesus and ultimately, to deny God.
Now, let me back track so that I do not create a misunderstanding. I am not saying that someone has to have a full understanding of this the moment they become saved. There are examples of Christians, some key ones in fact, that did not come to understand this until later in their Christian walk. There are truths that are foundational that some people will not understand, and yet they may in fact be a Christian. However, in my experience, they are almost always ignorant on the subject. So, what I do not want to create here is an environment of antagonism. Going to the mat is not to be understood as calling out heretics (even if that is sometimes warranted). No, we should be very careful to defend the truth in love. In some cases, we will meet those who are in fact out of the faith and it is for this reason that they do not believe these foundational truths. And then there are those described above that simply have not considered these truths fully. In either scenario, we must hold our ground with love.
Popularity: 6% [?]
Truths that cannot be Compromised: Part I
Feb 15th
I posted a while back an article titled, “When is it Time for True Christians to go to the Mat?” The purpose of that article was simply to open the door to a line of articles I intended to write about specific truths within Christianity that are worth fighting for, that cause division, and ultimately, are the cause of so many branches of Christianity. At the core, these truths are the foundation for right-thinking about Christianity. And while they may cause division, they are worthy of our attention and commitment because if understood rightly, these truths lead us to God Himself. I intend now to begin a series of articles that will take some time to explore. For the most part, they will be short. However, they will take some time because as you can see, I am short on time right now to write. Nonetheless, I see it as a worthy endeavor. For those who read these articles, I sincerely hope these truths spark a passion for God within you as it has me. For those who either disagree with my beliefs expressed here, or for all intents and purposes think I am a bit of a fruitcake, I can only ask your civility in any interaction you may choose to enact.
The Truth
Any discussion of the truth must always begin with Jesus. Jesus proclaimed himself to be “the truth” in John 14:6. The manner in which Jesus described himself as the truth is truly profound. This statement is found in the context of a conversation between Jesus and Thomas. Jesus had just finished saying that he was going to prepare a place for the disciples. Jesus said, “You know the way to the place where I am going.” Thomas responded, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?” It is an interesting statement. In terms of what Jesus is saying, the question by Thomas proves poignant, especially in light of the reply by Jesus. Jesus states in response, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.” This is so simple, and yet so profound that I can write for ages and not understand the depths of such a truth. Jesus is linking Himself into the Father in such a way that cannot be denied. Consider the next part of the conversation:
Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.”
Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you are not just my own. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me…”
And so it is, the foundation for any conversation about truth must begin and end with Jesus. We must rightly understand Jesus to rightly understand truth. It is only when we find ourselves seeing Jesus rightly that the truth becomes clearer. Since Jesus Himself is the truth, and since Jesus Himself is God, we cannot have truth without Jesus. We may have shades of it. We may glean bits and pieces of truth, but we do not have the truth.
In religion, we tend to value experience over substance. We tend to distance ourselves from hard truths and instead gravitate toward emotionalism. Jesus would not relegate Himself to such man-centered garbage. No, He drew a line in the sand and said it begins and ends with Him. Either you are to believe and trust in Him or you are to perish. Notice the phrase, “No one comes to the Father except through me.” It is undeniable that Jesus was not teaching an experience and he was not allowing for a man-centered religion. He was teaching that you must come to the one true God for salvation. Thus, the first truth that we Christians must go to the mat for is Jesus Himself. We must stand for the true Jesus no matter the cost. We cannot relegate Him to some vague concept, express Him merely as a good teacher or prophet, and we mustn’t convey Him as merely the founder of our religion. No, Jesus is God incarnate, the Word that became flesh (John 1:14). We must bow to Jesus as the God of our lives and we must proclaim Him as the true God to those who are lost. We must go to the mat for Him.
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When is it Time for True Christians to go to the Mat?
Dec 2nd
When I was in my early twenties, I found myself in a place of turmoil. My religious beliefs were no longer valid. They could not sustain me. Since I was merely religious and had not yet experienced true salvation, I was trusting in a false belief system that could not help me. Because of this reality, I was being tempted by Satan to abandoned Christianity altogether. One of the lies I began to buy into was the lie that said to me, “Christianity is not true. Look at all the strife and all of the denominations. Such a confused system of beliefs cannot be true.” For a season, I struggled with this question. This was resolved the moment I became truly saved and saw the light. However, the question lingers for those on the outside and so I want to approach this question, but from a different angle. I want to ask the question, when do Christians “go to the mat” for truth?
Here is my purpose: If we can say that there are truths in the Bible that are universally true and that cannot be compromised, then we must resolve that those truths require us to fight the good fight. We must fight that fight in love, but we must fight nonetheless to reserve, to conserve, and to proclaim that very truth. The natural result is that feelings will get hurt and that unsaved people will look on with the support of Satan to question this strife within visible Christianity. And yet, what else should we expect? True Christianity is always in a struggle with the false version being peddled by false converts. It is always the lie that is closest to the truth that is most difficult to contend with. And so, true Christians are always left with the task of proclaiming a truth that the world hates and that false Christians will chastise and diagnose as being hateful. The enormous irony is that true Christians are often ostracized as some strange religious sect despite preaching truth, while false Christians are living a lie and celebrated.
Because Christianity has been, and will continue to be invaded by tares (false Christians), we must understand that this is a battle we will always have to fight. And yet, it is not easy. It is not easy calling out friends and family, and other supposed Christians when they are preaching a false gospel. So, the question remains: when do we go to the mat and when do we remain silent? That is not an easy question to answer because the danger is always present that we become divisive in the name of truth. We have to be delicate and balanced. We have to go to the mat in love. We have to proclaim the truth, but try to do so in as winsome a way as possible. We will offend people because of the gospel, but we have to try to not be offensive in the way we do it. To my regret, I have not always done this correctly. All Christians will fail at this from time to time. But, it must be always on our mind as we seek to be salt and light.
I submit to you that any time truth is at stake in general, and the gospel in particular, we must go to the mat as if our very life depended on it. We must resolve in our minds that no matter whom we offend and no matter what the consequences, we will proclaim the truth. And we must do this while in the Word, while in prayer, and with love for the unregenerate in our hearts. And when we fail to do this in the right way – in a winsome way, in a loving way – we must repent and start anew. We must love the unregenerate even when the unregenerate hates us. It is a tall order to take up our cross and follow Jesus, but it is what we are called to do. So, we must go to the mat for truth. That is a given. And we must do it whenever truth is at stake. The question now before us is what truths in the Bible are so clearly evident, so obvious, and so crucial that we do not compromise them? That is a more difficult question and one I would like to spend some time discussing. I am going to spend a few weeks considering that question and will write again on it in the future.
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