Why Atheism & Evolution Don’t Work For Me
Posted on August 13, 2015 2 Comments
One way to judge a worldview, such as Atheism or Christianity, is by asking, Can it satisfactorily explain the world around us? By this I mean, do the major points of a given understanding of existence make sense with the way things really are? Does what a system teach line up with reality?
As I have thought about these things over the years, one thing I have come to see is not only that there are compelling (at least to me) reasons for why Christianity makes sense, but there seem to be major inconsistencies within Atheism that make it less compelling. When I consider the various implications of Atheism, they don’t strike me as satisfactorily explaining the universe or human life. And, on the flip side, Christianity increasingly makes more sense to me as time goes on. I know that these remarks are highly controversial and will be very offensive to some. Please know that is not my goal. I simply want to share a few thoughts, and you can take them or leave them based on your own assessment of them.
For clarification purposes, when I speak of Atheism I have intrinsic in that term an evolutionary perspective of the origin of the universe. To me, those two ideas are inseparably linked. Atheism by default has such a view of the universe. Therefore, what I say will inevitably weave together science and religious thought. In the end, I simply don’t believe it’s possible to separate these two fields, and so I won’t bother trying.
Moral Inconsistencies
Probably my biggest problem with Atheism is that it contains what I see to be moral inconsistencies. By this I mean that they way human beings generally are – what they desire, what they think to be good, what they hope in – aren’t what they would be if Atheism were true.
Some examples:
Promoting Moral Absolutes
It makes no sense that someone who believes that humanity has an evolutionary origin would ever promote a moral absolute of any kind. Yet, obviously, it happens all the time. If our greatest ancestor was a single-celled organism that rose to life from a pile of goo, and over time evolved into our very complex form of humanity as it exists today, where does the concept of right and wrong come from?
It is inconsistent for someone who holds to Atheism to say that a particular action is right or wrong, because they have no basis for making such a claim, other than that they simply think it is so. But who cares what you think? If, for example, a man’s wife is murdered in cold blood, it is natural for him to be angry about it. But on what grounds can he say that something wrong has been done? Simply because it was hurtful? Is the presence of pain our moral compass? It cannot be, since the thing that pains one person does not always pain another. In addition, we know that sometimes pain is a good thing, such as the heat of an intense fire warning us that we should stay away from it.
So what makes the murder wrong? It is because society says so? But who cares what society thinks? Are right and wrong determined by a popularity vote? What were to happen if a culture arose – as some have – that see murder as being a morally right thing to do in certain instances? Whose cultural view usurps the other in such a case? The bigger one? The stronger one? It ultimately comes down to a subjective opinion that something is morally right or wrong.
As E.O Wilson and Michael Ruse say:
As evolutionists, we see that no [ethical] justification of the traditional kind is possible. Morality, or more strictly our belief in morality, is merely an adaptation put in place to further our reproductive ends. Hence the basis of ethics does not lie in God’s will…. In an important sense, ethics as we understand it is an illusion fobbed off on us by our genes to get us to cooperate. It is without external grounding.
This is consistent Atheistic thinking. What, however, is not consistent is to imply that morality, if it is just an evolutionary force sensed from within, is a meaningful guide for humanity. It most certainly is not. People disagree with each other on what is right and wrong, and thus moral viewpoints are almost completely useless if they comes from within.
If morality is an evolutionary force that arises from within, and people feel differently about moral issues, then it must be that some people are more evolved than others. Yet, without knowing the future, it is impossible to tell who is more evolved, because we cannot know which moral ideals will lead us into greater flourishing. This means that a logical Atheist cannot make any claims on moral absolutes.
If Atheism is true, and there is no God who governs the universe and determines what is right and wrong, then mankind is left to simply make it up. And if we are just making it up, it is not really binding at all. It is just opinions that aren’t grounded in anything. An Atheist might try to say they are grounded in cultural consensus, but not all cultures agree. Or they might try to say they are grounded in what is best for the human species, but who is to say what is best? Or they might say that people just inherently know, but what happens when people disagree? The reality is that in order to have any sense of right and wrong, and therefore a true system of justice, there must be an appeal to a source that is greater than oneself, and even greater than any one culture or group of cultures. There must be a higher court of appeal that exists beyond any human opinion or feeling.
The Atheist has no ground to make any claims of moral absolutes. They cannot say that something is right or wrong, only that they think or feel it is so. That is shaky ground to say the least. On the other hand, however, it makes sense that mankind can make moral claims if they can find them in a source outside of themselves and greater than themselves. Which leads to my next point…
Condemning Genocide
It is inconsistent for an Atheist to condemn genocide. If natural selection (survival of the fittest) is the means by which humanity came into existence and continues to thrive, then it only makes sense to remove human beings that might hinder the forward progress of our species. It is no secret that Stalin, Mao, and Hitler were all heavily influenced by Darwin’s theories on evolution. What makes no sense is that Atheists call what these men did an atrocity, when really they were just being consistent with their evolutionary mindset. If the human race is to be protected from extinction, then getting rid of weaker individuals makes sense. Why then the outrage? It is because, even for most Atheists, deep down they know the slaughter of human beings to be wrong. But why? What makes it wrong?
We know it is wrong because people are valuable. Yet where do people get their value? For an evolutionist, the only consistent answer is “people have value based on what they can contribute to society”. Therefore if they are mentally handicapped, physically disabled, elderly and unable to work, or possess any other “undesirable” trait, they have no real value to society. They are, in fact, of negative value, because not only do they not contribute to society, they actually drain its resources. Those who come to the conclusion that such people ought to be terminated are sick in the head but at least are being consistent with Atheistic thinking. Perhaps some Atheists will counter by saying that compassion somehow fits into the process of evolution in a beneficial way, and therefore killing people we deem unhelpful to society is not serving the greater good. There’s a worthy argument there, except that it ascribes too much value on compassion. After all, natural selection is anything but compassionate on those individuals whom it aims to dispose of.
If evolution is where we came from and how we will continue to exist, it not only is illogical to condemn genocide but any kind of societal structure that threatens our extinction or weakens our ability to continue to exist. This brings me to my next point…
Affirming Homosexual Relationships
An evolutionist who trumpets natural selection as a good thing, yet would affirm a homosexual relationship as good, is an inconsistent person. Unless, that is, they think that homosexuals deserve to become extinct (which I’m assuming most don’t).
Because homosexuals cannot procreate, their relationships do little to further the human race in terms of evolutionary progress. If homosexuality became the majority relationship, eventually human beings would have less children and would become more susceptible to extinction. In other words, it is not advantageous from an evolutionary perspective to affirm homosexuality. One could argue that having homosexual couples find love and friendship brings value to society, but the lack of childbearing would lead to a lack of existence over the long term. Isn’t existing more important than being happy, from a natural selection point of view? If we are really just a collection of cells and nothing more, happiness is a trivial thing. It is just a perception of one’s personal state based on chemical reactions in the body. Why would we allow such a fleeting thing like happiness to trump the very existence of our own species? The answer is that, in the cold hard world of evolution, we don’t. Therefore, to trust in evolution but affirm homosexuality seems inconsistent, as it weakens our chances of survival.
Speaking of relationships….
Enjoying Romance
A consistent Atheist would not put much of a premium on romance. Romance is a subjective experience that, while perhaps enhancing the quality of life (at least we perceive it that way), does little to enhance the continuation of life. What I mean is that, if the survival of humans is dependent upon them having children, it would not hurt our evolutionary chances of survival if we ditched romance in favour of mere animalistic sex. Why bother with meaningful relationships, especially since they can sometimes be a headache anyways? Again, it could be argued that it improves the quality of life, but so what? Wouldn’t we be better off investing our time and money and energy to finding cures for diseases that threaten to wipe us out, than watching sunsets or going to the movie theatre? If we are really alone in this universe and left to fend for ourselves, why are we not more frantic in our search for human survival? Who has time for such trivial things as romance when our very existence is at stake? We would be much better off just scheduling childbearing as best as we can, testing to see which humans are most fit and then mainly breeding them. If we are honest, is not this lifeless, rigid, machine-like mindset the natural outcomes of Atheism, when drawn out to its logical conclusions? The only thing that prevents it is raw emotion.
Taking People Seriously
After saying all of this, why should you even take me seriously? Doubtless, some of you will not. Have it your way. But in reality, if Atheism is true, no one should take you seriously either. Everything you think is just electrical impulses surging through the tissues clumped inside your skull. Everything you say is just the random babblings of an animal. If you fancy yourself evolved, consider that 1000 years from now you will be laughed at as an antiquated joke. So why should anyone take you seriously now? Your opinions hold no weight. Your life and actions are meaningless. You have no value and no one should take you seriously. At least, that would make sense if Atheism were true.
Why so many Atheists cannot see such realities as these is confusing to me. There have been some Atheists over the years who were consistent, to a degree, in their thinking. They took their beliefs about God (or lack thereof) and how the universe came into existence and then drew out logical conclusions. Most of the time we consider their conclusions to be outrageous, but many times they actually make sense, given the premises they began with.
An Alternative
In contrast to this, I see Christianity as being very consistent with its premises and conclusions. God is real and supreme over all, and therefore he sets forth what is right and wrong. That makes sense. God created us and endowed us with intrinsic value, therefore we don’t kill weak people. We care for them. That makes sense. God is the inventor of emotions, therefore we do not neglect them. That makes sense too. God is the one who instituted marriage and formed sexuality, therefore we do it his way. God made us different from animals, therefore we treat each other with respect and dignity. We value people. We love them. We enjoy life. We go outside of ourselves for guidance. We become God-centred instead of man-centred.
To me, it just makes sense.
The Pleasures of True Christianity
Posted on August 11, 2015 2 Comments
I recently read a biography on William Wilberforce, who almost single-handedly abolished the slave trade in Great Britain and, decades later, slavery altogether in the early 1800’s. He began the fight at the age of 21 and the final law to abolish slavery was passed three days before his death over 40 years later. He was truly a remarkable man, one who was absolutely relentless in his pursuit of what he knew was right, despite his efforts constantly being thwarted and voted down. Wilberforce, a devout Christian who thought the evils of slavery to be unthinkable as a man of God, was also described by his friends as a shockingly happy and joyful fellow. He was known to hum hymns as he went about his work and laugh so loud he could be heard the next door over. Even his opponents, who hated his morals and pursuit of freedom for all (because it meant their financial loss), acknowledged that he was endearing to everyone, likeable almost to a fault.
What would make a man, so intent and ferocious about abolishing wickedness, also pleasant to be around? What kept him so cheerful in the midst of such a ruthless and disgusting battle? What rock was his joy built upon that it helped him withstand 4 decades of defeat, slander, and even serious illness?
The answer is God. The love of God made him happy.
Wilberforce did not understand his fellow Christians who were often so gloomy and sullen. He saw being a Christian and failing to be happy as a contradiction. He is quoted as saying:
Pleasure and Religion are contradictory terms with the bulk of nominal Christians.
To Wilberforce, the Christian experience was, by its very nature, a happy one. To know the love of Christ and friendship with God on such a personal level could only lead one into a joyful life; there are simply no other outcomes! He viewed his brothers and sisters in Christ who were unable to rejoice in their salvation as people who had not experienced true Christianity. Instead, they simply did not “get it”. They had knowledge of God in their heads but not in their hearts. The realities to which they ascribed did not seem to strike them as true in any personal way.
He wrote of such Christians:
O! Little do they know of the true measure of enjoyment, who can compare these delightful complacencies with the frivolous pleasures of dissipation, or the coarse gratifications of sensuality…The nominal Christian…knows not the sweetness of delights with which true Christianity repays those trifling sacrifices.
In other words, Wilberforce considered the joy of Christianity not worthy to be compared with lame and inept joys found in extravagant living or sexual fulfillment. Though many aim to find their happiness in such endeavours, those people are settling for lesser pleasures. Perhaps most painfully, the nominal Christian, he thought, who of all people ought to know the fullness of joy, were so often those who thought the service of God to be a great burden. The nominal Christian was one who considered obedience toward God a mere duty, and not a delight. They fail to understand that the commands of God are meant to lead them to life and joy, not strip them of it.
It pained Wilberforce that Christians were putting forth such a miserable front towards the outside world. Others would look on at believers and see their inability to enjoy life and wonder, what’s so great about Jesus? What is so good about the good news that its application in one’s life seems to make them nothing but cranky complainers who can’t even crack a smile?
The Scriptures know nothing of such a faith. Rather, the Bible presents Christianity as the fullest and truest joy a person can know. It is an experience that (dare I use such a word?) can be described as pleasurable. Yes, I dare use such a word, for the Word of God uses such a word.
You make known to me the path of life;
in your presence there is fullness of joy;
at your right hand are pleasures forevermore. (Psalm 16:11)
To know the love of Christ and have friendship with God is a wondrous thing! It is the path to true life, the fullest experience of joy, and the most enduring pleasure available to mankind. Yet, like many Christians in Wilberforce’s day, we simply don’t get it. The average believer today may profess to have faith in Jesus – and, therefore, joy in Christ – but their lifestyle betrays their confession. So many followers of Christ find their joy in the shifting sands of material wealth or good health or success or even sinful desires. This ought not to be! Such an individual has not had an experience, as Wilberforce put it, of “true Christianity”. The true Christian experience is one where the love of God has found a home not only in the head of a Christian but also in their heart. It resonates so deeply within him or her that it bursts forth into song and a joyful life of praise. Christian duty is no longer considered merely a duty but also a delight. The commands of God are not seen to be restricting but rather life-giving. And the calls to radical Christian sacrifice are considered to be “trifling sacrifices”. In fact, they are no real sacrifice in the true sense of the word, for in giving up of one’s own life we find true life. Is this not what our Lord Jesus taught, that those who lose their life for his sake shall find it?
Christian joy is not an add-on to salvation. It is salvation. It is not wrong to say that conversion to Christ happens when one, through the new birth, finds Christ preferable to sin. The unregenerated heart loves sin, but the new heart loves Jesus. This is the very heart of Christianity.
The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. (Matthew 13:44)
If it costs a person everything they have in order to gain Christ, this is not only a trade they will make, it is a trade they will make with joy. No second thought is necessary. The comparison isn’t even close! When one sees Christ as their true treasure and joy, they willingly give up anything in order to gain him. It is an exchange they are happy to make. This is true Christianity.
Therefore, joy in Christ is not optional for the believer. It is essential. One cannot be a Christian but not find their joy in Christ, at least not in a permanent, decisive sense. Certainly there are fleeting moments of temptation where we are lured away by the deceiving pleasures of sin, but the true Christian is remorseful and repentant of such actions, regretting that they saw sin as more enjoyable than God. Therefore they come back to their faith and make their heart right again. But the one who persists in finding joy in sin, despite claiming to be a believer, is exposing themselves to be otherwise. There is no such thing as a Christian who gets more pleasure from the world than from God, long-term.
Joy that is rooted in God is like having built one’s life upon an immovable rock. God never fails, therefore we will never lose our footing. The storms of life may come, bringing genuine heartache and trouble, but with the Apostle Paul we will be able to be “sorrowful, yet always rejoicing”. Hardship will hurt, but it will not be able to uproot our joy, if it is rooted in God. Nothing can do that, not even the fiercest attack from our Enemy. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?
Fellow believers, let this be a call to pursue joy in Jesus. May we so find our pleasure in God that the pleasures of this world look to us to be what they really are: lesser, fleeting pleasures that lead to misery and death. May the outside world look upon the Church and see such a radical difference that they are compelled to know what it is. Let us be so satisfied in Jesus that no earthly trial will shake us irreparably. My we be the kind of people who cannot help but burst forth in praise, in service, in selfless sacrifice, that others cannot help but glorify God because of us. May our Christian experience become so real and true to us that we Christians are the happiest people on the planet.
Wind, Dice, Fish, Plants, and Worms: What Do These Have in Common?
Posted on July 29, 2015 1 Comment
Perhaps you think that the collection of wind, dice, fish, plants, and worms seems like about as random a collection of things (is wind a thing?) as possible. I would tend to agree. Yet there is something that groups all of these very different things together. When one reads the book of Jonah it can be found that, at one point or another in this short book, God is controlling each of them in order to fulfill his purposes in the life of Jonah and others.
God controls the wind, sending a great storm to stop Jonah from running away.
But the Lord hurled a great wind upon the sea, and there was a mighty tempest on the sea, so that the ship threatened to break up. (Jonah 1:4)
God controls the outcome of lots that are cast. It likely wasn’t dice used, but you get the idea. A random draw of names was made, and the lot was cast correctly on Jonah.
And they said to one another, “Come, let us cast lots, that we may know on whose account this evil has come upon us.” So they cast lots, and the lot fell on Jonah. (Jonah 1:7)
God ordains a giant fish (whale?) to swallow up Jonah and then later spew him back out by the seashore.
And the LORD appointed a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights….And the LORD spoke to the fish, and it vomited Jonah out upon the dry land. (Jonah 1:17, 2:10)
God causes a plant to grow up over Jonah to shade him from the sun.
Now the LORD God appointed a plant and made it come up over Jonah, that it might be a shade over his head, to save him from his discomfort. (Jonah 4:6)
God later appoints a worm to come and eat the root of the plant so that it withers and dies.
But when dawn came up the next day, God appointed a worm that attacked the plant, so that it withered. (Jonah 4:7)
This is remarkable, is it not? That God would be involved in such seemingly sporadic goings on such as the growing of a plant or the lunch of a worm. Doesn’t God have bigger things to worry about? What about diseases that take the lives of millions? Or tyrannical dictators? Or human trafficking? Or the deterioration of our planet? What in the world is God doing messing around with puking fish when there are such greater issues at hand? What are we to make of this?
God in Control
The consistent teaching of the Bible is that God is in complete control of the universe. Nothing happens apart from either his direct involvement or sovereign permission. What I mean by this is that there are instances where God is the acting agent, the acting force in something that takes place. Meanwhile, at other times, God is not the acting agent, but is in a passive role, being able to stop what is about to take place but choosing not to. Either way, the Bible presents the truth that God ordains or governs all the activity in the universe in order to accomplish his divine purposes. Nothing happens apart from his control or permission. He is steering human history towards the accomplishment of his plan for mankind.
Remember the former things of old; for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose,’ (Isaiah 46:9-10)
This means that God is working not only in what are perceived to be “big” ways, but in little ways as well. It was that way for Jonah. God had a plan to not only cause the city of Nineveh to repent and spare the lives of 120,000 people, but God also had a plan to work in the heart of his prophet Jonah, who clearly had pride issues and a lack of love. In order for God to spare the city and expose the sin in Jonah, he used the means of a great wind, the correct outcome of a random lottery, the swallowing and spewing out of a fish, the growing of a plant and its subsequent withering by a worm’s eating of it. Each of these seemingly insignificant and random actions were under the control and appointment of God. He used each of them, just at the right time, to bring about the outcome he desired. It ended with Nineveh’s repentance and possibly the repentance of Jonah as well (the story finishes before we find out).
What it Means for You
One takeaway from the book of Jonah for us is that God is in complete control. Nothing that happens takes place outside of his will or permission. This includes seemingly small, random, insignificant details. God is in control of the rusty bolt on your transmission, the dog eating the baking you left out by accident, the TV remote button that keeps sticking, the freckle that you wish you didn’t have, the spot in your living room that gets a poor wifi signal, and the dollar you found in the grocery store parking lot. Or, in my current case, the tons of rotted wood I found when replacing the shingles of my roof. God uses these kinds of things in ways much bigger than we realize. I suspect that we will never understand how all the random goings on of everyday life have affected us until we get to heaven, but when we do, it will be like a light bulb of revelation going off in our heads. Suddenly the randomness will not seem so random and the insignificant will seem more significant.
This, of course, does not mean that God is fickle or trivial. To suggest otherwise would be tantamount to blasphemy! Rather, God is ominous and concerned about weighty things, far more than you and I are. And he is in control of them too. He is in control of ISIS, of world commerce, of the alignment of the planets, and dare I say, even of the cancer growing inside our bodies. And, despite all of the misery that things can bring us, both big and small, God is using them all to bring about the greater good, just as he was with Jonah. Do you suppose that Jonah, being tossed into the sea and swallowed by a fish, did not wonder what in the world God was doing? Yet he rightly credited God with no wrongdoing, and the Lord gave him a second chance. The fish incident was the very means used by God to get Jonah to Nineveh and deliver a message of grace, which was received, and a whole city was spared.
From the story of Jonah, we know that God is in control of the big things and the little things, and that he uses both to accomplish good in the lives of his people. Isn’t that one of the great promises of the Christian faith?
And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. (Romans 8:28)
The “all things” of Romans 8:28 cannot be overlooked. God works all things, including the very thing that is causing you anxiety right now, the thing that drives you crazy, the thing you thought was a curse but actually is a blessing, to accomplish good for you. We saw God do it in the book of Jonah. Even more importantly, we saw God do it in the cross of his Son. From the outside, the crucifixion of Christ seemed like the most random and wicked collection of events, yet God was in complete control and used it to secure the pardon of sinners (Acts 4:27-30). If God can do it for Jonah, and if God can do it in the death of Christ, then he can do it for you too. Actually, it’s not just that he can. He is.
Have Faith!
Let the story of Jonah humble you to see that God is up to things that you simply can’t see or understand. In the little things and in the big things he is accomplishing his purposes, and his purposes are good. He is forging you into a useful vessel for him. He is bringing about the salvation of sinners. He is lifting himself up as glorious and just. He knows what he is doing, even when it makes no sense to us. We can know this to be true, because of Jonah, and because of the cross. Let the evidence of Scripture shape the way you think and build into you a kind of faith that is unshakable in the goodness of the God who has everything under control, serving his purposes and working for your everlasting joy.
The Most Important Word in the Bible
Posted on July 28, 2015 2 Comments
Okay, so let me just admit up front that saying a particular word is the most important word in the Bible is probably an overstatement. If that’s what you are thinking, you win. I concede that point. At the same time, I think that if you give ear to what I am suggesting, you will see the greater point that I’m trying to make. I know that someone somewhere out there will say the right answer is “Jesus” or something like that, to which I give no argument. Jesus, God, grace, salvation, glory, or something along those lines might very well be the most important word in the Bible. I get where you are coming from. The point here is not to be right, I’m just trying to make a case for something many people haven’t noticed.
On a number of occasions I have heard someone credit Dan Fuller with this statement:
The Bible is not a string of pearls. It is a chain of arguments.
What he means by this is that the way most of us read the Bible is by treating it like each verse is an individual, standalone thought. We read a passage that strikes us, pull it out, and slap it on a t-shirt or fridge magnet. And, to some degree, that is okay. Yet, the truth is that the Bible is not a collection of disjointed, yet beautiful, ideas (like a string of pearls) but rather is a series of truthful assertions and reasonings that build on each other (a chain of arguments).
Consider, for example, these famous Scripture verses:
For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (Matthew 6:21)
For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16)
For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. (Romans 1:16)
For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus… (Romans 3:23-24)
For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures… (1 Corinthians 15:3)
For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9)
For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. (Philippians 1:21)
For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus… (1 Timothy 2:5)
For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead. (James 2:26)
For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God… (1 Peter 3:18)
Do you notice what they all have in common? They all begin with the word “for”.
I would like to suggest that most important word in the Bible is the word “for”. The word takes other forms as well, such as “therefore” or “because” or “so”, but mainly it is “for”. Why do I think that the word “for” is the most important word in the Bible?
Simply put, if the Bible really is a chain of arguments, and not a string of pearls, then we need to be able to link ideas together that the authors of Scripture intended to link together. The way the Biblical writers linked their ideas was by using the word “for”. The word means “because”; it is used as a way of attaching meaning to a statement.
Consider, for instance, if I said the following: “I ate a big lunch, for I had skipped breakfast.” The second part of the sentence explains the first one. The word “for” answers the question of “why?” It is giving additional information to support and expound the first statement. Now, in such a trivial matter like eating a big lunch, this is no big deal. But what if the material at hand were of grave importance? What if we are trying to pull meaning out of a text ripe with significance? What if we are aiming to deduce the teachings of God? The meaning of life? The path to salvation? Suddenly, the word “for” becomes a very helpful interpretive tool.
Let’s go back to Scripture for a moment and consider how the word “for” can be enlightening. Consider again Jesus’ words in Matthew 6:21. Since it begins with the word “for”, we know it is trying to give additional meaning to the previous sentences. Let’s look at this short unit of thought in its entirety:
[19] Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, [20] but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. [21] For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Jesus is teaching on the subject of material wealth and how we ought to view it and use it. The command is to lay up treasure in heaven, not on earth. This is for two reasons. The first is contained in the clarifying phrases about moths, rust, and thieves. The point is clearly that treasure in heaven is lasting and secure, as opposed to treasure on earth, which certainly is not. But the next statement gives additional motivation to obey the command to lay up treasure in heaven. It is because (“for”) where one’s treasure is, their heart is also.
Jesus appears to be saying that our investments shape our heart. Notice that the treasure allocation comes before the heart location. This is significant. The Bible clearly teaches elsewhere that our actions are fuelled by who we are, such as the teaching that “out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks” (Matthew 12:34). The pattern there is: heart established, actions follow. Yet here the order is reversed. In Matthew 6:21 it is: actions done, heart follows. We know this is the case, otherwise Jesus would have said “Where your heart is, there your treasure is.”
So what we can see is that Jesus is giving us motivation to lay up treasure in heaven. Not only is it lasting and secure, but it helps guide our hearts towards God. You could paraphrase it this way: “Earth is temporary, but heaven is eternal. You want eternal treasure, don’t you? You want to know God more deeply and enjoy him more, don’t you? You want your heart to be close to him, don’t you? Then lay up treasure in heaven, because [for] wherever you invest your treasure is where your heart goes.”
Do you see the connection between these two ideas? The word “for” is used literally hundreds and hundreds of times in the New Testament to link ideas together, building a Christian worldview that anticipates objections and gives good motivations for accepting it as truth and following it’s commandments.
Consider also this example from Mark 8, which contains a string of four consecutive “for” statements:
[34] And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. [35] For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it. [36] For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? [37] For what can a man give in return for his soul? [38] For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”
You could break down this paragraph as one command followed by four reasons to obey it. It might be summarized like this:
- The command: Deny yourself, take up your cross, follow Christ.
Jesus anticipates his hearers asking, “Deny myself? Take up my cross? Why in the world would I do that?” Thus, he follows up his command with four reasons to obey it (all “for” statements). They could be summarized as such:
- Reason #1 – Those who lose their life for Jesus’ sake will find it (verse 35)
- Reason #2 – It does not profit to gain the world but forfeit your soul (verse 36)
- Reason #3 – There is nothing you can give in return for your soul (verse 37)
- Reason #4 – You will be judged by Christ (verse 38)
Do you see why the word “for” is so important to notice? Without it, these are a collection of random statements without a unified thought. But with it, they give weight to the command that Jesus initially puts forth.
Or, consider this text from Genesis 2 that addresses marriage, a hot button issue at the moment in our culture:
[20] The man gave names to all livestock and to the birds of the heavens and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper fit for him. [21] So the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. [22] And the rib that the LORD God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man. [23] Then the man said,“This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh;she shall be called Woman,because she was taken out of Man.” [24] Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.
Notice again the word “therefore” at the beginning of verse 24. You could also translate it as “thus” or “because of this”, which means that what verse 24 is about to say rests on what was said previously. Verse 24 says that marriage is made by God for one man and one woman, and that the reason for this is the pattern given at creation. This has massive implications! For our modern world to try and use the Bible to support same-sex marriage or polygamy, one must contend with the “therefore” of verse 24. They must try to figure out how the definition of marriage in verse 24 doesn’t connect with the story of Adam and Eve in verses 20-23, something that it impossible to do because the author has explicitly connected the two ideas with the word “therefore”.
I could give example after example after example of how the word “for” and its variations are absolutely essential to rightly interpreting the Bible. So many false doctrines and wacky theology has come from people who take verses out of context and fail to read the Bible carefully. The Biblical authors were not stupid people, but chose their words in such a way that the meaning could be discovered for years to come. One central way they did so was the use of connecting words like “for”. The authors aimed to not leave up for grabs how they came to their conclusions, but show in the text by linking ideas together.
I can say that for me personally, grasping the importance of the word “for” (or therefore, so, because, etc.) as the Bible uses it is one of the most important discoveries I have ever made in how to get the most out of my Bible reading and study. It is a simple principle that every Christian should know. If you overlook the “for’s” in the Bible, you simply will miss gigantically important connections that the Bible makes and be naive in your theology and Christian worldview. I want to encourage you to read the Bible a little more slowly and pay attention for connecting words, and when you come across them, stop to consider how the author is using them to make their point. Ask, how do these two verses go together? How does what the second passage teach reinforce what the first passage says? How is the author clarifying his point, giving additional motivation, or anticipating objections?
I guarantee that if you put this into practice you will never read the Bible the same again.
[I’d like to hear from you. What example passages do you have where the word “for” was especially enlightening?]
Come Clean!
Posted on July 2, 2015 Leave a Comment
Psalm 32 is all about the freedom that comes from confessing sin. I’m sure that many of us have, at one time or another, been overwhelmed by our own sinfulness. We feel a deep sense of shame for the things we’ve done and think that God must be disappointed in us. However, this shame and disappointment is meant to drive us towards God to seek forgiveness. Yet, sadly, we often “pull a Jonah” and run the other way instead.
Listen to how the Psalmist describes the effects of failing to confess his sin:
[3] For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away
through my groaning all day long.
[4] For day and night your hand was heavy upon me;
my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer.
He is clearly burdened by a sense of guilt that simply won’t leave him alone! His silence concerning his sin was supposed to bring him freedom, but instead it had enslaved him. Failure to confess our sin makes us miserable. It leads our souls to shrivel up and not flourish like God designed them to. Not surprisingly, then, the right response is to confess!
See how confession led the Psalmist to the freedom his was looking for:
[1] Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven,
whose sin is covered.
[2] Blessed is the man against whom the LORD counts no iniquity,
and in whose spirit there is no deceit….[5] I acknowledged my sin to you,
and I did not cover my iniquity;
I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,”
and you forgave the iniquity of my sin.
Confessing your sin to God with a heart of repentance leads to forgiveness. The Lord considers the matter to be done and over with, paid for by the shed blood of Christ, leading to a fresh start. The person who has been forgiven by God is “blessed” and walks in newness of life!
What then is the Psalmists advice for the rest of us?
[6] Therefore let everyone who is godly
offer prayer to you at a time when you may be found.
His counsel is simply to seek forgiveness while you still can. A day will come when forgiveness is no longer offered. God is a compassionate God, but his patience does not last forever. Each one of us will give an account to God for the deeds we have done, and therefore we should seek forgiveness while there is still time to do so!
Lastly, what does the Psalmist say is the end result of confession and having our sins forgiven?
[10] Many are the sorrows of the wicked,
but steadfast love surrounds the one who trusts in the LORD.
[11] Be glad in the LORD, and rejoice, O righteous,
and shout for joy, all you upright in heart!
In short, the forgiven man is one who has a deeper experience of God’s steadfast love. He has tasted of the goodness of the Lord, and responds with proclamations of praise. The shame and guilt and bondage is taken away and replaced with confidence and joy and freedom. It is certainly a trade worth making!
Let us be people who do not hide our sin and wallow in the misery that follows, but bring it to the God who forgives and find the joy that he freely offers.
Come clean!
On Why I Write
Posted on June 25, 2015 Leave a Comment
I first started this website back in January of 2012 as a New Year’s resolution. Since then, I have made it my aim to write at least one article per month, which I have only missed once in the past three years. In addition to these articles (which now total over 140), I have spent time writing a short e-book on Manhood and am currently working on another project to help those who self-injure. I also have about 5-6 other book ideas that I’ve filed away and began to organize and set up to work on in the future.
My decision to make writing a significant part of my life was not taken lightly. It came about after much thinking, prayer, and counsel. I thought that it might be helpful to clarify a little what it is I’m trying to do and why I’m trying to do it.
In a recent Ask Pastor John podcast, John Piper addressed the issue of why a pastor should or should not write. He was aiming to answer the question, How do I know if I am called by God to write? I found that his answer hit home, so I’d like to use his response as a way to frame my own.
He defined a call from God to write like this:
It is a recurrent, long term, compelling, benevolent, Christ-exalting desire to write which proves fruitful in the lives of others.
Let’s take these points one at a time.
It is recurrent
A divine call to write is recurrent, meaning that is does not go away. It is not a desire to pick up the pen once, and then not bother with it anymore. The desire is recurrent, not temporary. It simply will not let you alone!
I have found that this has been true for me (thus far). I started in 2012 after feeling like it was something I wanted and ought to do for several years prior. I finally determined to make it happen, and ever since the desire has only grown.
It is long-term
Good writing doesn’t happen overnight. It takes commitment and effort. A writer with a divine calling on their life is in it for the long haul. They don’t take it up as a hobby for a while and then quit. Rather, it becomes the kind of burning desire that is unshakeable and unquenchable. In other words, a true calling from God to write is not temporary. It continues on, even after seasons of writers-block and unsuccessful endeavours.
Perhaps I am still too early into this thing to know for sure, but as of right now I can say that my desire to write feels long-term. My passion is not waning, it is growing. And I have found that my hope is not to write for a while until it gets boring, but to write for life. I hope that if God wills for me to live a long time, I will have a large body of work behind me that will be useful and effective for others.
It is compelling
The way John Piper describes a “compelling” call to write is that it is not merely an “interesting” hobby. A call from God to write is not a side-project, but rather something that is close to who a person is. The desire to write is compelling in a way that makes the craft elevate in importance, beyond that of a mere hobby for free time. The divine call leads the writer to carve out time in their schedule to write, to get up early, to make notes, to draft and re-draft, to keep at it until the job is done right. There is a kind of passion and desire that makes it a priority, perhaps even at the sacrifice of leisure time. I have seen these kinds of things in my life more and more as time goes on.
It is benevolent
A call from God to write is inherently fuelled by the right motives. The difference between a secular writer and a Christian writer is that the Christian writer is aiming to make a difference rather than simply making a point. He is desiring to bring the reader closer to God, not just to entertain them. There is a moral element to their writing that is God-fearing and God-driven.
I admit that it is hard to know my own heart and therefore my true motives for writing. I do believe that my honest desire is to share the gospel with others and help them to read and understand the Bible. Even when I started writing, my aim was to use it mainly as an extension of my pastoring and teaching ministry. I see it as another way to shepherd the people of my church and youth group, while presenting the possibility that the content might be useful for others. Still, my main audience has always been the people I know in real life. I feel that my writing is one means that God can use me, in addition to the ministry I do in more personal settings.
It is Christ-exalting
Writing that is truly of God will glorify Christ. God does not move people to write for their own fame or self-esteem. He moves them to put Jesus on a pedestal and get themselves out of the way. This is certainly a work of the Holy Spirit, and therefore a strong indicator that a desire to write is of God and not of man.
While I know that I can struggle with pride issues, I really do want my writing to be for Christ and his glory. I don’t want to become famous or put forth a false front. To illustrate this, I remember when I first started this website, I sat literally for hours trying to come up with a good name for it, because I was desperate not to use my own name for the URL. I tried countless names, but they were either taken by other writers, way too long, or borderline ridiculous. Eventually my creativity ran out and I used my own name. To this day, I’m still not thrilled about having a website with my name on it. Who the heck am I that I need my own website? It feels absurd, and it probably is. Nevertheless, I’m trusting that in my content and tone it becomes clear that my aim is not to exalt myself but to exalt Christ.
This also is why I often avoid the term “blog”. I don’t really consider myself a blogger in the traditional sense. Honestly, I’m quite tired of the number of online bloggers. The internet has given license to virtually anyone to write and share their opinions, wether they are really qualified to or not. What makes me any different? It’s a tough question, but I hope that my thoughtfulness and precision help others to see that I’m not just another writer who thinks they know everything. Also, again, I try to link my writing to my calling as a “professional” minister, so I hope that I’m not lumping myself in with all those who are just narcissists with an internet connection. I rarely use my writing to address cultural issues or write opinion pieces, and this is intentional. I want my focus to be on devotional material, leadership training, apologetics, Biblical theology, and the like. I plan to stick mainly on this trajectory into the future as well. As I sometimes say, “Who cares what I think? Care about what the Bible says!”
It is fruitful in the lives of others
Lastly, if a desire to write is a truly divine call, then there will be some evidence of God using it in the lives of others. No one can really do anything for God with their writing unless the power of the Holy Spirit is backing it. Thankfully, I have had people send me messages or tell me in person that something I wrote was helpful or inspiring or enlightening to them. I’ve had a few individuals tell me they think I am called to write. I try not to take my own press too seriously, but I do also consider these to be confirmations from God that I am pursuing a true call from him. I hope that I can continue to use this medium to build his Kingdom and be a faithful steward until God decides my time is up, either as a writer or in life.
Until then, please pray for me, that I might stay humble and write for Christ with pure intentions, and also that God might use my writing to make a difference in the lives of others!
Why the Blind Men and the Elephant Doesn’t Work
Posted on June 7, 2015 Leave a Comment
The story of the blind men and the elephant (which the origins of is tough to determine) is a common illustration used to diffuse a person’s claim to have discovered any sort of absolute truth. It is a favourite in our pluralistic, subjectivistic, open-minded culture. If you are not familiar, the story goes basically something like this…
A group of blind men stumble upon an elephant and begin to investigate it. One man touches the elephant’s side and says, “it is like a wall”. Another man touches the elephant’s leg and says, “it is like a tree trunk”. Another man touches the elephant’s ear and says, “it is like a fan”. Another man touches the elephant’s tail and says, “it is like a rope”. Still another man touches the elephant’s trunk and says, “it is like a snake”.
Though there are variations of the story, you get the basic idea. The main point is that none of the blind men have discovered the truth. Each of them only has a partial grasp on reality. This little story is used to suggest that, particularly when it comes to religion, no single religion has “cornered the market” on truth. Each religion has discovered only a part of the truth, and therefore no religion is superior to another. They are all incomplete and too narrow in their discovery of spiritual reality. Thus, it is arrogant to claim that any particular religion is better or more truthful than another.
While it is an interesting analogy, the story of the blind men and the elephant is one that is really not that helpful because it has some inherent flaws. While every analogy has its limitations, there are some pretty foundational ones that this one contains which lead me to feel that I am not being too harsh in pointing them out.
Flaw #1 – The narrator
Just who exactly is telling us about the blind men and the elephant? This story only works because there is a “narrator” of sorts who stands back and sees what is really going on. This individual, unlike those within the story, can see the whole picture. The folly of the blind men is obvious because of the perspective of the person who can apparently see the whole truth.
Why is this a problem? Because the whole point of the story is that no one person or religion has discovered the whole truth, yet that seems to conveniently exclude the narrator! If the truth is that every person or religion has discovered only part of the truth, then even that claim itself is not fully true. In other words, the narrator is claiming to have a view of reality that is superior to the view of reality that others have, which is ridiculous, since the whole point of the story is to suggest that cannot be the case! The analogy is basically self-defeating. If we really are all blind men stumbling in the dark and coming up with only partial discoveries of truth, then whoever posits that truth is himself blind and only partially true. To suggest otherwise is to take the stance of superior knowledge that the illustration is trying to refute.
What this shows us is that everyone is exclusive. Though the blind men and the elephant story is meant to sound inclusive of other viewpoints, it itself is only one way of looking at reality. Both the person who thinks all religions are equal and the person who thinks one religion is superior to another are exclusive, because both think that their own view of religion is a superior way of thinking.
Flaw #2 – What if the elephant could talk?
In this story, we hear about blind man after blind man making claims about their discoveries that are only partly true. These men are apparently in a sad situation with no one to point out their mistakes. They are stuck living in half-truths due to their blindness. They might argue with each other, but they are essentially helpless with no one to set them straight about what they believe the elephant to be. But the whole situation would change, would it not, if the elephant could talk?
The assumption in this story, as it is applied to religion at least, is that God is silent. Humans are feeling around in the dark to discover God, yet he won’t lift a finger to reveal himself to them. In many religious views, in particular Christianity, that is simply not the case. Christianity makes the claim that God does speak, and he has done so most clearly in his Word, the Bible. So, when people spout out flawed ideas like, “it is a tree trunk,” the elephant itself is there to correct, “No, I’m an elephant”. This encapsulates the Christian view. God reveals himself to us in the Bible so that he may be known. We are not left to make educated guesses or shots in the dark. We can know God because he aims to be known and has spoken to us.
All scripture is breathed out by God… (2 Timothy 3:16)
So the blind men and the elephant story is flawed in that it assumes that God is a non-communicating being, which Christians would strongly contend that he is not! Granted, it is not exactly a simple procedure to try and prove that God does speak. But then again, it is not easy to disprove that either. Both viewpoints are taken, at least in part, by a person’s own determination that God speaks or not. Nevertheless, the blind men and the elephant story makes a massive and significant assumption by choosing to represent God with a silent animal. Not everyone would be comfortable agreeing that such an assumption is obvious or true.
Flaw #3 – Blind men
Yet another problem with this analogy is the use of blind men (or in some variations, men in the dark). This is a second assumption that some people might take issue with. The assumption is that human beings are inherently blind to the truth, and we are all ignorant as a result. No one can discover ultimate reality because no one can see. Again, this only increases the problems of having an all-seeing narrator, who essentially is representing the person arguing against exclusive religions. To assume that people are blind to the truth (yet you are not) is to make an unusually definitive and hard stance for someone who is aiming to be open-minded.
To be technical, Christians do believe that some people are spiritually blind. Furthermore, Christians basically believe that everyone who is not a Christian is blind to the truth, and Christians alone are able to see the truth for what it is. Is that a narrow-minded view? Absolutely! Is it arrogant? Not exactly, since Christians are not necessarily adopting their own view as truth, but rather submitting to the Bible as the truth. In other words, Christians are going outside of themselves to discover the truth, while the pluralistic person is using their own mind to determine the truth. Which, I would ask, is the more humble way? I would suggest that the Christian who, though seemingly exclusive and arrogant, is more humble since he is ultimately admitting that he himself is not the measure of truth. He is not the one to determine it. Rather, he admits he needs help. He must be told what is truth from the outside. All good Christians know that the Bible is their standard for truth, and where they and the Bible disagree, the Bible is right.
Therefore, to suggest that all humanity is blind has two problems. The first is that the person who says that humanity is blind is himself blind, so why should I trust what they say? The second is that, even if everyone is blind, that does not mean there is no ultimate source of truth that is accessible to us. Who is to say that there is not a way to be cured of our blindness?
Conclusion
What I hope this has shown is that believing in a pluralistic view of religions is not necessarily humble or open-minded. More specifically, the story of the blind men and the elephant is a flawed one that does not really help that argument. Ideally, I hope that it is becoming more obvious that, try as one might, no one is really inclusive. In reality, everyone is exclusive. Even the person who says that all religions are valid is being exclusive because they believe that their view of religions is right and yours (if you believe in only one religion) is wrong. That is an exclusive view. The difference is that I, as a Christian, am willing to admit that my view is exclusive.
For me, it comes down to this: There is such a thing as truth. There is a right way and a wrong one. Who is to say what that is? Certainly not me! But God can say what is true and what is not. And so I turn to the Bible to find what God says, and there I hear Jesus Christ (God in the flesh) say:
I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
I am simply saying that I agree with Jesus. I’m going to go with him on this one, rather than come up with my own view. If he says there is one way, and that he alone is that way, then that’s what I believe. The same Jesus also says that this one way is open and available to all. What this means is that Jesus is both exclusive (there is one way) and inclusive (anyone can take it). So, as a Christian, I want to be as exclusive as Jesus is and as inclusive as Jesus is.
Therefore I would simply say, consider perhaps that God is a speaking God, and that he has shown us the one true way. Maybe we don’t all need to be blind men spilling out half-truths. Maybe we can see. And maybe the elephant has spoken. And maybe, just maybe, it is possible to know the truth and have it set you free.
What Are the Odds? Why Playing the Lottery Is a Mistake
Posted on May 15, 2015 1 Comment
A recent article by The Atlantic says that Americans spent $70 billion playing the lottery last year. Not $70 million, but $70 billion. To put that figure into perspective, consider that Americans spent more money on the lottery than they did on books, video games, movie tickets, music, and sporting events combined. It works out to an average American adult spending $300 a year playing the lotto. This figure, of course, is in reality much higher since a lot of people don’t play the lottery at all. For instance, since the $300/year figure represents all Americans (both those who play the lottery and those who don’t), it would be true to say that for every American who isn’t playing the lottery, there is another one who spent $600 doing so. The study didn’t cite what the average lottery player actually spends annually, since these statistics are virtually impossible to collect, but we should be aware that the figure would actually be much higher than $300. What these stunning realities say to me is that we can quickly discover what the favourite god is in the Western world. Our favourite god is money.
Scale in billions. Source: http://www.theatlantic.com
There are a number of levels to this issue. One is how the lottery helps to foster the cycle of poverty that exists in North America. According to the research, the most likely person to be playing the lottery is someone who can’t really afford it. As a person’s wealth increases, the less likely they are to be playing the lottery. In other words, while some people say they play the lottery for “fun”, most appear to be doing it as a desperate attempt to get rich. Or, at the very least, to escape poverty. Not surprisingly, however, the vast majority of those who play the lottery never win any significant amount, or often none at all, which only deepens their plight and reinforces a culture where the rich get richer and the poor get poorer.
I’m not aiming to tackle this subject on that level, however. Mainly I am concerned with what this obsession with the lottery is saying about our own hearts, and how it is affecting us spiritually.
Jesus spoke about money more than anyone else in the Bible. He did so because he knew that it was one of the greatest idols of his day. Apparently, not much has changed in 2,000 years. The god of wealth still rules the land, and his servants are willing to do whatever it takes in order for their god to bless them. What is truly sad is that the god of money can’t deliver what he promises. When people think about being rich, they immediately associate it with security, happiness, freedom, peace, and satisfaction. And while not having enough money to meet your needs can certainly rob you of some of these feelings, the truth is that none of the above are things that money can really offer – at least not in a permanent, deep-down-in-the-soul kind of way. Only God can do that.
For instance, Jesus said in Matthew 6:24…
No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.
His point is that people must choose who their god is. Will it be money, or will it be God? We need to make this decision because, quite frankly, we can’t have them both as our god. It’s got to be one or the other. The person who aims to follow God but is in love with money is a person with a divided heart, and inevitably they are held back from truly pursuing God with their whole self. They are a slave to money, even if by choice.
As such, it makes perfect sense why the lottery is as popular as it is. Everyone is searching for what only God can give, the security, happiness, freedom, peace, and satisfaction that comes from knowing the Giver of Life. But since money seems to deliver on these things in such a tangible, immediate, and visible way, we are falsely persuaded to go after it. And so, people clamour at the counter and hand over their cash in hopes of getting a bigger return. The lottery offers hope that is almost always beyond our grasp. How sad it is that we spurn the true God who offers true hope that is easily within our reach.
Chasing after the lottery is a fools game. The lottery companies know it, and that’s exactly why they do it. They play on people’s fears and insecurities to get rich. The book of Proverbs, which aims to impart godly wisdom into people’s lives, warns against the desire to chase after riches.
Wealth gained hastily will dwindle, but whoever gathers little by little will increase it. (Proverbs 13:11)
A faithful man will abound with blessings, but whoever hastens to be rich will not go unpunished. (Proverbs 28:20)
Get-rich-quick schemes are dangerous. They lead to us being “punished”, either as discipline by God or simply by the end result of our own foolish actions: we hand a person our cash and walk away with nothing.
Even those who win the lottery are not in the clear. For one, money can’t save your soul from hell. Jesus said in Matthew 16:26, “What will it profit a man if he gains the whole world but forfeits his soul?” The rhetorical answer is, “nothing”. Those who actually win the lottery are not necessarily better off. In fact, sometimes winning the lottery can be a curse. It was that way for Jack Whittacker, who won a Powerball lottery of $315 million that was gone in just four years. He since said famously, “I wish I’d torn that ticket up.” And he is not alone, as there is a string of lottery winners piled up who blew their fortunes after hitting it big, apparently unprepared to manage their mountain of money. Americans would be better off, as Proverbs says, to “gather little by little”. In fact, if people would simply take the money they spent on the lottery and put it into a decent growth fund, they’d wind up with a hefty chunk of change later on down the road. For instance, using very conservative figures, a person who invests $50 a month in a savings account at 5% annual interest will, after 25 years, have doubled their investment of $15,000 to $29,456. In other words, it is wise to think long-term and save little by little, rather than play the odds of the lottery.
The real issue, when you boil it all down, is the heart. The love of money is what leads people to destroy their lives. Instead, we ought to be content with what we have and seek to use our money wisely, in a way that honours God and blesses others. Treating money this way – as a tool and not as a god – wields great power. This counsel is given in 1 Timothy 6:6-10…
[6] But godliness with contentment is great gain, [7] for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. [8] But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. [9] But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. [10] For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.
This warning is sober. Playing the lottery, which is a strong sign that you desire to be rich, is causing you to get sucked into a trap that will cause you needless pain. Even worse, the love of money that drove those actions may cause you to wander away from God and lose your faith and your soul. May we take heed to such powerful words of caution!
My friends, do everything you can to free yourself from the love of money. It is no god. It will not solve all your problems. In fact, it will probably make everything worse. Don’t get duped into believing that getting rich is the answer. It’s not, and never will be. Jesus alone is the answer. He alone can give you the wholeness of life that you desire deep down. He alone can satisfy. He can, and will, meet every need you have. Turn to Christ, and not to money, and pursue him. It is in this that you will find the joy and peace for your soul that you so long for. Let us free ourselves from everything that tethers us to this temporary world and soar to the heavens with the One who can save our souls.
A Simple Formula for Living the Christian Life
Posted on April 26, 2015 Leave a Comment
Every believer wants to be faithful to God, yet we all know this is no easy task. How can we break down the Christian life in a simple, understandable way? Granted, life is not usually simple. It is normally complex. But I think that as we consider how we can live out our faith day to day, the more simple we can narrow down our focus, the better.
As I lay in bed today sick with the flu, I was encouraged by a brief summary of the life of king Hezekiah in 2 Chronicles 31:21. It says in the New International Version:
In everything that he undertook in the service of God’s temple and in obedience to the law and the commands, he sought his God and worked wholeheartedly. And so he prospered.
In serving God, Hezekiah had four main focuses: God’s people, Bible, prayer, and action.
God’s People
2 Chronicles says that Hezekiah “undertook…the service of God’s temple”. This is significant. His focus was not mainly on expanding the kingdom for his own fame, but rather restoring the house of God that had been profaned and neglected. He had the desire to see God worshipped properly by the people. As such, he put much of his energy towards the Temple that functioned as the dwelling of God on earth.
As New Testament Christians, we no longer use a Temple for God’s house, but we are the Tempe of God. God dwells on earth through his people. So even though we do not focus on a physical Temple as a meeting place with God anymore, we do emphasize the New Testament equivalent, that being the Church of Jesus Christ. Christians are meant to be in community with each other, worshipping together and building one another up, in the aim of having a healthy Body of Christ active in the world. In similar fashion as Hezekiah, our efforts as believers should fuel the Church of God and give resources to fulfilling the mission that Christ has given his Church.
Bible
In his service to God, Hezekiah acted in “obedience to the law and the commands”. I take this to mean that he took God’s Word seriously, and sought to obey it in all that he did. He must have studied the law of Moses a great deal and aimed to submit to God’s rule and decrees. In doing so, he was not pursuing the things that he wanted, but the things that God wanted.
Likewise, we Christians would be wise to build our lives on the foundation of God’s Word. It is there we find the will of God for our lives. This is significant because often we ask the wrong questions. We ask, “What should I do with my life?” instead of “What does God want me to do with my life?” Or, we ask, “What should be my top priorities?” instead of “What are God’s top priorities for me?” I could list dozens of questions as examples, but you get the picture. The point is that we are prone to live life ruled by our own whims, not often enough considering what God has to say. Let us be like Hezekiah and become people who are formed and shaped by the Word.
Prayer
With the foundation of God’s Word, Hezekiah then “sought his God”, which I take to be a reference to prayer. Hezekiah knew that knowing God’s laws were not enough, but he needed to have a personal relationship with Him. Notice that it doesn’t say that Hezekiah “sought God” but rather that he “sought his God”. I see here a personal dynamic. The king paired together the law of God with communing with God, two things that are virtually inseparable.
We believers would be wise to follow this example. Prayer and Bible reading go hand-in-hand. Doing both together keeps us from two tragic, yet opposite, errors. The first error is prayer without Biblical guidance. If we pray a lot but don’t read the Bible much, we will naturally be pulled toward praying in ways that are dictated by our flesh. We simply cannot be people who think like God does without being people of the Word. Therefore, we must aim to have our prayer lives shaped by the reading of Scripture.
The second error is just the opposite: reading the Bible without accompanying prayer. This inevitably leads to a relationship with God that is mainly academic. Or, to put it another way, it leads to Christians who can spout facts about God or quote Bible verses but who have no real relationship with God as if He were a living being. This too is unhealthy. The Bible is not meant to be studied per se, but studied so that we may know God. Its aim is to deepen our relationship with him. Thus, as believers we must always pair the Bible and prayer together.
Action
Hezekiah’s lifestyle of Bible reading and prayer lead to a natural overflow of action. The passage quoted says that he “worked wholeheartedly”. I take this to be the by-product of one who spends time in the Word and in prayer. Understanding God’s will comes from reading the Word, and aligning our heart with God’s heart comes through prayer. What inevitably happens afterwards is a life of action, aiming to live out God’s will and serve him faithfully. If Bible reading and prayer does not fuel a life of action, that is a sign there is something dramatically wrong.
In this way, Hezekiah serves as an example to all who follow God. Within the context of a faith community, Bible reading and prayer come first, followed by a life of service to God. We might think of it like a bicycle. The Bible and prayer are two pedals that work together in unison, and when they are flowing rightly the natural outcome is forward motion. We are moved and compelled to do something. We are not to be those who have a relationship with God that does not affect our everyday lives. Rather, our relationship with God forms and drives our everyday lives in profound and meaningful ways.
Back to the Basics
I see in Hezekiah’s life a simple formula for following God: Bible reading, prayer, and action, within the context of a community of faith. When these four things come together, good things happen. In Hezekiah’s case, the Bible says “so he prospered”. God blesses those who do the basics. The prosperity we experience may not be material, but it definitely is a prosperity of the soul. That is, a flourishing relationship with God and life of service that will be richly rewarded on the Last Day.
My friends, don’t be caught up in the latest Christian trends or anything that aims to be new or cutting edge. Christianity is founded on some basic things that are unchanging. Fellowship with believers, Bible reading, prayer, and action are the things that have built and maintained followers of God since the beginning of time. We need not stray from these for something that seems catchy or clever. Let’s be people like Hezekiah who do the basics and thereby enjoy a life of fruitful service to God and sweet enjoyment of his presence.
Reflection Questions
- How can I be a part of a local church in a more meaningful way?
- What one or two changes should I make to ensure I do regular Bible reading?
- Is my prayer life dictated by my own random thoughts, or by God’s Word?
- What areas of my life is my faith failing to influence? How can I change that?
When Jesus Prays For You
Posted on April 19, 2015 Leave a Comment
I’m not sure if it’s right or wrong, but I find it to be comforting when someone I perceive to be spiritually stronger than I am prays for me. I suppose that subconsciously it feels like God is more likely to answer that prayer because of their impressive faith. That may or may not be the case, it’s natural to feel comforted by the prayers of others we respect spiritually. If that is true of human sinners who pray for us, imagine what it would be like to have Jesus Christ himself pray for you. Now that would be encouraging!
Peter, one of the twelve disciples, had that very privilege. As the hour of Jesus’ death was closing in, Jesus tells Peter that he is under direct Satanic attack. The devil is after Peter, and wants his head on a platter. But Jesus follows up that fear-inducing statement by letting Peter know that he has prayed for him.
“Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat, but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.” (Luke 22:31-32)
These startling words are followed by Peter’s vow to never forsake Christ, which we all know is not what happens. Despite Peter’s initial zeal, when push came to shove he denied even knowing Jesus three times, just as Jesus said he would. What a heartbreaking and crushing moment for someone who genuinely desired to follow Christ! Yet we also know that Peter later regrouped his faith and went on to be a faithful apostle who was eventually martyred for his commitment to his Lord.
I don’t think it’s unfair to conclude that if Jesus had not prayed for Peter, the story would have ended much differently. Instead of bouncing back from his denials of Christ, Peter likely would have never regained the faith he apparently once had. His faith would have suffered a fatal blow from the devastating guilt of betraying his Lord. Satan would have gotten the better of him, leaving Peter down and out, never to recover again.
What power there is in the prayers of Jesus! Notice that Jesus does not say to Peter “if you have turned again, strengthen your brothers”. No, instead he says “when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers”. See the confidence that Jesus has concerning his petitions to the Father. Jesus knows without any doubt that when he prays, God listens. And if Jesus prays for something, it happens.
Not maybe.
Not likely.
Not more than likely.
It just happens…every time.
Jesus Prays For You
What is truly remarkable to think about is that Jesus’ prayer for Peter is not unique. It is not a one-time incident of Jesus being extra nice to someone. It is, rather, the norm for Jesus to pray for his followers. In fact, a major component of Jesus’ current activity is praying on behalf of the saints on earth. At this very moment, and at every hour of every day, Jesus is praying for his followers.
Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. (Romans 8:33-34)
In heaven, Jesus makes intercession for Christians. That means that he is praying for us – even when we are not. This prayer ministry of Jesus seems to focus on the same thing that was Peter’s problem: the faith-attacking work of Satan. Romans 8 asks, “Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect?” There is an answer to that question. The one who brings charges against us is Satan! Revelation 12:10 says that Satan is “the accuser” and that he accuses God’s people “day and night”.
You can almost picture this heavenly scene with your imagination. Satan is there, before the Father, pointing out all of your sins. He is accusing you of wrongdoing, of breaking God’s commands, of committing idolatry and rebelling against God…and, of course, he is right! We all sin, and have reason to be found guilty before God.
Yet, also in the throne room is none other than Jesus, the lamb slain for sin, interceding on your behalf. As Satan screams out “sinner!”, Christ shouts out “redeemed!” As Satan demands “give him to me!”, Christ counters “he is mine!” As Satan accuses “he is faithless!”, Christ proclaims “I have prayed for him!” In the presence of God, Jesus is making intercession for you and I. He is praying, like he did for Peter, that our faith would not fail us. And just as Jesus’ prayer worked powerfully for Peter, so too it will work powerfully for you.
Not maybe.
Not likely.
Not more than likely.
It will.
Turn Again and Be Strengthened
Friends, when you are feeling weak in faith…When you sin and the guilt begins to crush you…When you feel like you simply can’t measure up to God’s standards…When you feel accused and attacked…When you feel like God couldn’t possibly forgive you…When you doubt that you can ever stand before God blameless…
…Look to Jesus and hear him say to you with confidence, “Fear not, my child. I have prayed for you.”
Canadian Bible Guy 