“Everything Happens for a Reason” – True or False?
Posted on April 16, 2015 Leave a Comment
People are divided about whether or not “everything happens for a reason”, including Christians. Some see every moment of life as part of God’s divine plan, others see much of life as random happenings. Further still, some understand life to not only be part of a plan from God but also with a specific purpose (often unknown), while others reject this notion, wondering how God could possibly have some sort of reason for allowing tragedies and severe human suffering.
This is deep stuff, and not to be taken lightly. And as I often say, no one should give a rip about what I think. Instead, we must look to God’s Word for the answers. If what I believe and teach does not come from the Bible, it is mere human opinion and worth little. But, if what I believe and teach comes from the Bible, then it is truthful beyond scrutiny and precious beyond words.
I don’t intend to go in depth on these matters – to do so would require hundreds of pages of reflection! But I do want to present a good chunk of Bible verses to support the idea that everything happens as part of God’s plan and has a reason and purpose behind it.
Consider the following:
Romans 3:3-5
[3] Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, [4] and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, [5] and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.
This teaches us that:
- We can “rejoice in our sufferings” because we are armed with the knowledge that it is not meaningless, but rather is producing in us Christlike character.
- This process of being formed through suffering is not incompatible with God’s love. In fact, verse 5 says it is evidence of God’s love in our lives.
James 1:2-4
[2] Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, [3] for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. [4] And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
This teaches us that:
- Like Romans 3:3-5, James says that we can meet suffering with “joy” because we “know” that it is used by God to strengthen our faith.
- Evidently, suffering and trials are a means used by God to ensure that we are “lacking in nothing” as believers.
1 Peter 4:12-14
[12] Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. [13] But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. [14] If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you.
This teaches us that:
- Christians should expect suffering and trials, and that we can “rejoice” in them.
- We endure suffering with an eye to the return of Christ, when we are rewarded for our faithful service (verse 13).
- Those who suffer for their faith are “blessed”, because it is confirmation of the genuineness of their faith.
2 Corinthians 4:16-18
[16] So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. [17] For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, [18] as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.
This teaches us that:
- The sufferings of this life are “light and momentary” compared to life in heaven, which is an “eternal weight of glory”.
- Our suffering “is preparing for us” our heavenly reward. This means that it is not meaningless, but rather is doing something – specifically, gaining us reward from God.
1 Peter 1:6-7
[6] In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, [7] so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
This teaches us that:
- Our trials are “necessary”, not optional. In other words, they have meaning.
- Trials happen to prove our faith is real and give us confidence that we will be rewarded by Jesus when we see him face to face. This truth is “more precious than gold”!
Romans 8:28
And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.
This teaches us that:
- For the believer, everything that happens (either good or bad) is being worked together by God for their good. Therefore, everything has meaning.
Conclusion
These are just a small sampling of verses that show the Bible teaches that everything does happen for a reason. God has a plan and a purpose for everything in the universe, both the good and the bad, to use for his glory. In each of the above passages, the circumstance at hand is being used by God towards a desired outcome, usually the building up of stronger faith. There is so much more to be said, but let these promises from God’s Word begin to form for you a solid rock of faith to stand on, one that is built on the knowledge that whatever you may face, God is using it for his purposes, and that no suffering – however brutal or irrational – is ever meaningless.
The Amazing Faith of Epaphroditus: 5 Words That Describe the Christian Life
Posted on March 21, 2015 Leave a Comment
Image credit: lifeinchristministries.com
Though the “big names” of the Bible tend to receive the most attention, I have often found myself drawn to the lesser known people mentioned in Scripture. I think it’s because we know so little about most of them, yet their names are still recorded forever in God’s Word. We often make much of Paul and Peter and John and the like, yet during the early church there were hundreds and even thousands of believers who were amazingly faithful and godly people…it’s just that we hardly know anything about them. So, I often find myself coming across a name in Scripture and stopping to wonder, what were they like? How did they come to faith? If I knew them personally, would I be in awe of their faith? Or would they seem like an ordinary, but faithful, follower of Jesus?
In Philippians 2:25-30 (and 4:18), we are introduced to a member of Paul’s ministry team named Epaphroditus. This is the only place in the Bible where he is mentioned, yet he is paid some extremely high compliments, including Paul saying we should honour people like Epaphroditus because he almost died in his service of Christ. Sounds like a faithful guy!
In my short meditation on Epaphroditus, I noticed that Paul gave him 5 specific labels in only one short verse, which I found to be incredibly enlightening. Philippians 2:25 reads (bold mine):
I have thought it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus my brother and fellow worker and fellow soldier, and your messenger and minister to my need…
These five roles are a pretty good summary of what it means to be a Christian. Evidently, Epaphroditus is a great example for us to follow. We may not know a lot about him specifically, but these few words begin to paint a portrait of what kind of person he was.
Brother
All Christians are part of one big family. The Bible speaks of becoming a Christian by using the language of family, where God is our Father and we are his adopted children (Ephesians 1:5). This means that all believers are united as brothers and sisters in God’s household. In fact, our spiritual bond through Christ is even greater than our physical bonds through blood (Matthew 12:48-50). As Christians, we need to be devoted to one another with “brotherly affection”, and see ourselves as being family. Paul and Epaphroditus, although we have no reason to believe they were related to one another, considered each other brothers because of their common faith in Christ. We too must do the same!
Worker
No one becomes a Christian by their works, but everyone who becomes a Christian through faith in Jesus is called to a life of good works (Ephesians 2:8-10). Part of the Christian life means fruitful labor for Jesus (Philippians 1:21-22). Although we are saved and destined for heaven, there is much work to do in the meantime! The gospel must be preached, disciples must be made, prayers must be petitioned, needs must be met, love must be shown, and so forth, until we die or Christ returns. The Christian life is one of joyous labor for Jesus. Like Epaphroditus, we should not waste our days frivolously, but serve Christ and advance the Kingdom with all the strength that God supplies. Apparently, the only thing that could slow him down was an illness that nearly took his life!
Soldier
The Bible uses the language of war to describe the Christian life, saying that believers are soldiers (2 Timothy 2:3), that we must put on armour for battle (Ephesians 6:10-20), and that the Church is storming the gates of hell (Matthew 16:18). We are not at war with any part of humanity, however, but with our own sinful desires and also the Enemy of our souls. The war-like descriptions in the Bible are meant to shake up comfort-seeking Christians and remind them that they are in the front lines of a battle. Souls are at stake. Casualties are real. Get off your butt, suit up for war, and get in the fight! Epaphroditus evidently had this kind of mindset, one which we would be wise to share with him.
Messenger
Christianity does not offer a product. Rather, it offers a Person, and does so in the form of sharing good news. By definition, Christianity is a movement based on a message: that Jesus died for sin and rose for salvation, and any who repent and believe on him will be reconciled to God! Our faith is inherently word-based. This word of salvation and eternal life is what we are called to proclaim. Therefore, every Christian is a messenger, an appointed agent sent by God to share the good news (2 Corinthians 5:20). Like Paul, Epaphroditus was involved in such a ministry. He was a Philippian who was responsible for communicating between Paul and the Church back home. In bringing the Word from the apostle back to his city, and aiding in the preaching ministry of Paul, Epaphroditus gives us a great example of someone who was dedicated to the spread of the gospel. We need to be dedicated to this as well!
Minister
A minister is one who simply serves. The aim of a minister is to meet the needs of other people. Just as Jesus came “not to be served, but to serve” (Mark 10:45), so the Christian calling is the same. Believers are beckoned by God to be those who put the needs of others above their own. We are meant to be servants, doing whatever it takes to get a particular job done. This requires a great deal of humility and also resolve in the face of conflict or failure. We can deduce from Paul’s comments about Epaphroditus that he was a person who was a faithful servant. He loved Paul and sought to meet his needs. He was a team player who did what was asked of him. He dedicated his life to showing the love of God to others and being a servant of the Kingdom. Oh how we could use that kind of attitude in the Church!
Be an Epaphroditus
We may not know much, but what we do know about Epaphroditus leads us to believe that he was one remarkable Christian! (Actually, he is an example of what an ordinary Christian is meant to be…extra-ordinary!) Here is a believer who was totally sold-out for Jesus. He loved like a brother, laboured like a worker, fought like a soldier, shared like a faithful messenger, and helped others like a great servant. These are some high compliments! I am left wanting to be like him, and looking forward to meeting him in heaven and telling him that his great example was an inspiration to me. I pray that it would be for you as well. Let’s honour Epaphroditus by aiming to imitate his amazing faith!
Is Speaking in Tongues Necessary For Salvation?
Posted on March 7, 2015 3 Comments
There are some Christians who believe and teach that in order to be saved, a person must speak in tongues, which is a miraculous ability to speak in other languages that is given by the Holy Spirit. In particular, a group known as Oneness Pentecostals have popularized this teaching. Yet I would contend that this belief is not Biblical and, in fact, is contrary to sound doctrine and downright dangerous and heretical.
There are a few ways to approach this question. The first is to establish the New Testament’s basic teaching on how salvation works. The second way is to look at the basic arguments that proponents of tongues-salvation make and show the faults in them.
Salvation: A Brief Overview
It is simply impossible to examine every verse of Scripture that speaks of salvation without going to great lengths, so for the sake of brevity I have pulled out some common passages that talk about how to be saved. The message is clear and consistent!
- Acts 16:30-32 Then he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” [31] And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” [32] And they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house.
- Romans 1:16 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 10:9-10 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. [10] For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.
- Romans 5:1 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
- Ephesians 2:8-9 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, [9] not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
The consistent testimony of Scripture, which has been held by Christians for two millennia, is that salvation comes by believing in Jesus Christ. The process of being forgiven for sin and reconciled to God requires nothing but faith in what Jesus has done! He died to pay the penalty for sin and rose again to secure our eternal life, and there is absolutely nothing we can do to earn that gift. It is God’s grace to be received by sinners through faith. That’s it, that’s all…case closed!
To teach otherwise (or believe otherwise) is a damnable lie that perverts the good news and twists the truth of God’s Word. It is no small matter. The eternal salvation of lost people is of the utmost importance, and therefore the message of hope must be truthful, precise and clear. Be saved by faith alone in Christ alone – that is the message we cling to!
Therefore, we ought to reject the doctrine of tongues-salvation simply on the grounds that it adds a requirement to salvation that is unbiblical.
Examining the Tongues-Salvation Doctrine
Nevertheless, it is useful to take the common lines of reasoning that proponents of tongues-salvation set forth and examine them in light of Scripture. We should not just prove our own point, but be able to refute a false one as well. So, let’s look at the two most common points that are used to support tongues-salvation and see how they measure up to the Bible.
Reason #1 – You MUST have the Holy Spirit to be saved, and speaking in tongues is THE evidence you have the Spirit.
It is right to say that a person must have the Holy Spirit to be saved. The second part of Romans 8:9 says clearly “Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.” This is true. However, it is false to contend that tongues is the proof that one has the Spirit.
I have heard one person argue, “Every time a new believer receives the Spirit in the New Testament they speak in tongues.” The following verses would be cited in their defense.
- Acts 2:4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.
- Acts 10:45-46 And the believers from among the circumcised who had come with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out even on the Gentiles. [46] For they were hearing them speaking in tongues and extolling God.
- Acts 19:6 And when Paul had laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they began speaking in tongues and prophesying.
While these are definitely instances of believers speaking in tongues as a result of being filled with the Spirit, it is not a complete picture. There are many other instances in the New Testament where believers are filled with the Spirit and it results in manifestations other than speaking in tongues. For instance:
- John the baptist is filled with the Spirit as an unborn infant, and there is no record of him ever speaking in tongues (Luke 1:15)
- Elizabeth is filled with the Spirit and prophesies (Luke 1:41-42)
- Zechariah is filled with the Spirit and likewise prophesies (Luke 1:67)
- Peter is filled with the Spirit and preaches the gospel (Acts 4:8)
- The disciples are filled with the Spirit and speak the word with boldness (Acts 4:31)
- Saul is filled with the Spirit and has his eyesight restored, and is baptized (Acts 9:17-19)
- Paul is filled with the Spirit and rebukes and blinds Elymas the false prophet/magician (Acts 13:9-12)
- The disciples are filled with Spirit and experience joy (Acts 13:52)
What we see is that speaking in tongues is just one manifestation of being filled with the Spirit. Other manifestations might include prophesying, preaching, evangelism, healing, obedience in baptism, rebuke, and joy. Additionally, the clearest summary of the evidence of the Spirit doesn’t mention speaking in tongues or anything miraculous at all. Galatians 5:22-23 says “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, [23] gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.”
As if this is not evidence enough, the apostle Paul tackles the subject of tongues directly in 1 Corinthians 12 and concludes (twice) that not every believer will speak in tongues. The first example says:
1 Corinthians 12:7-11 To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. [8] For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, [9] to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, [10] to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. [11] All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills.
The entire point of this passage is to show that the Holy Spirit gives different spiritual gifts to different people. Some will be given the ability to speak in tongues, and others will not. Plus, it is the Holy Spirit who distributes these gifts according to his own will, so there is nothing we can even do to control whether we speak in tongues or not.
The second instance in 1 Corinthians 12 is as follows.
1 Corinthians 12:29-30 Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? [30] Do all possess gifts of healing? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret?
In the context of the whole chapter, these are meant to be taken as rhetorical questions. The implied answer is “no”. Paul is teaching that not every believer will be an apostle, prophet, teacher, miracle worker, healer, tongues-speaker, or tongues-interpreter. Therefore, to say that a person must speak in tongues in order to be saved goes against the clear teaching of Paul and the various manifestations of the Spirit among God’s people.
Reason #2 – Jesus said that his followers WILL speak in tongues.
Jesus says at the end of the gospel of Mark:
Mark 16:16-18 “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. [17] And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; [18] they will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.”
Those who believe in tongues-salvation will point to this passage and say that Jesus clearly teaches that speaking in tongues “will accompany those who believe”. Yet there are a couple of reasons why this is not the conclusion to come to when interpreting this passage.
- The list is hypothetical, not mandatory. Jesus is not saying that every believer will display every one of these signs. Instead, he is saying that his followers will have signs of power follow them in a communal sense, not an individual one. Actually, all but one of these miracles (drinking poison being the lone exception) is demonstrated by believers in the Bible. Christians cast out demons (Luke 10:17), spoke in tongues (1 Corinthians 12), survived snake bites (Acts 28:1-6), and healed people (Acts 5:16). Yet these are to be seen as displays of God’s power, not normal, everyday occurrences. Anyone who says otherwise I would challenge with this question: “If these are the norm, then why don’t you visit the hospital daily to heal people, or sit around on Saturday night drinking household cleaners?” The reason is because, deep down, we know that Jesus does not mean these to be normal things, but amazing acts of God that will be demonstrated among his people on a case-by-case basis at his own discretion.
- The authenticity of the passage is questionable. If you look up Mark 16:9-20 in your Bible, you will likely find some sort of notation that says that the earliest manuscripts of Mark’s gospel do not contain this passage. In other words, the manuscript evidence shows that Mark 16:9-20 could possibly have been added in by an editor later on and not written by Mark himself. If that were the case, it is not inspired by the Spirit and therefore not truly part of the Bible. Since we are not certain about the authenticity of this passage, we should be cautious about making any firm doctrinal commitments from it. (As an aside, if this freaks you out, the current manuscript evidence questions less than 1% of the Bible as being authentic, and in places where we are unsure, most Bibles place a notation there. What this means is that the Bible you read everyday is amazingly accurate and honest in places where it is not certain.)
Summary
It is obvious from the above that tongues-salvation is an unbiblical idea. It is a damnable distortion of the true gospel and rejects the truth of God’s Word. Our salvation is not dependent on speaking in tongues. Instead, it is dependent on faith in Jesus. He alone can save us, and there is nothing more we need. Saved by faith alone in Christ alone – this is the message we should diligently cherish and joyfully share with the world!
How Can I Know Which Movies, Music, and Video Games I Should Avoid?
Posted on March 1, 2015 Leave a Comment
Entertainment is big stuff these days. Movies, music, and video games combined make up more of our lives than most of us would like to admit. They really are the dominant forces in shaping the culture around us – for good or for bad.
From a Christian perspective, how are we to handle all that is offered to us through these mediums? What is good? What is not? How can we tell the difference? These are important questions to ask.
Wrong Approaches
When it comes to media, there are definitely a few wrong mindsets to have. Here are three of them.
(1) Total Acceptance
Some feel that all movies, music, and video games are acceptable. They simply are what they are, and nothing should be deemed as immoral or unhelpful. This view is wrong for a few reasons, but the main one is that it fails to account for God’s demands of holiness from his people.
(2) Total Rejection
Seeing the possible sinful influence of media, others will reject it altogether. In this case, complete withdrawal from movies, music, and video games is an attempt to avoid a sinful influence and keep oneself unstained by the world. This view also has its flaws, mainly because (1) it fails to understand that God endowed human beings with talents and creativity because he wanted them to use those talents for his glory, and (2) avoiding media altogether will not solve the fact that sin still resides in your own heart.
(3) Total Indifference
A third view is not particularly accepting or rejecting of media, but simply indifferent. The thought that media could have a positive or negative message is met with a mere shrug of the shoulders. This kind of person simply does what they do without thinking or caring much about it at all. This attitude is likewise to be rejected because indifference is simply not an option. Christians are called to be thinking people, exercising discernment in the world around them. So to simply do “whatever” and not think about it is to shirk your calling to be attentive to your own life.
Not Rules, But Principles
The view that I believe is most Biblical lands somewhere in between total acceptance and total rejection, while being anything but total indifference. The Bible does not gives us many rules, such as “If a movie is rated R, it is a sin to watch it” or “If the music has the ‘Explicit Content’ label, it is a sin to listen to it”. These kinds of rules are man-made, and though they might be helpful for some individuals, they are not to be put on all Christians across the board.
Instead, rather than giving us specific rules that would make obeying God quite clear and simple, the Bible gives us principles. Principles, unlike rules, are less cut-and-dry. They take some effort to define, and also require us to ask hard questions about ourselves. Living according to principles, instead of rules, demands that we actually have a living faith and a real relationship with God. It requires that we do the hard work of asking questions and examining our own hearts. There are no easy shortcuts – which means that assessing what media is good or not won’t be simple.
Consider, for a moment, the following Biblical principle:
Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life. (Proverbs 4:23)
Here, the Bible is showing us that our hearts are the source of our lives. Everything we think, say, and do flows out of our hearts. Therefore, if we want to be godly people, we need to be attentive to what is affecting our hearts. The wise person, this verse says, will not just open up their heart to anything, but rather guard it diligently.
The guarding of one’s heart is not a rule, but rather a principle. The principle is to guard one’s heart, but the Bible doesn’t give specifics on how to do that. It is left to the individual believer to figure that out for themselves, with the help of prayer, counsel, and the Holy Spirit. One Christian might come to a different conclusion than another. For example, one believer might decide that to guard their heart they will put accountability software on their computer. This is a wise practice! But because it is not a Biblical command, it would be wrong to say that all Christians should do the same. Another Christian might seek to guard their heart in other ways without any accountability software. For some, this might be the right choice. What this all means is that when it comes to trying to determine what music, movies, and video games should be avoided, it is up to individual Christians to get to know their own weaknesses and temptations, and to then put up safeguards in ways that are wise for their own unique situation. There simply are no straightforward , universal rules in this regard.
How Can I Know My Heart?
If guarding one’s heart is a wise and Biblical principle, just how does one do it? It begins by knowing your own heart well. This is no easy task, as our hearts are full of sin. Jeremiah 17:9 says “the heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?” This is a sober warning to us all. It shows us that if we take self-examination casually and prayerlessly, we are doomed to deceive ourselves. We need the help of the Holy Spirit to convict us and give us clear guidance.
I would point to the following verse as a great place to start:
“All things are lawful for me,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful for me,” but I will not be enslaved by anything. (1 Corinthians 6:12)
What Paul is addressing here are Christians who understand that the Bible doesn’t have many rules (mostly principles), and are using that as an excuse to do whatever they want. These Christians are saying things like, “The Bible doesn’t say I can’t see R-rated movies, so you can’t tell me it’s a sin.” They essentially have the mindset that, if there isn’t a Bible verse specifically condemning a certain thing, then that thing is fair game.
This kind of thinking is flawed, as Paul is pointing out in this passage. He says that though the Bible may not specifically forbid something (“all things are lawful”), it doesn’t automatically mean that we should indulge in those things. Why? Because something can be technically not a sin, but also be unhelpful or enslaving.
Let me use the three bolded words from 1 Corinthians 6:12 (lawful, helpful, enslaving) as a means to lay out some good questions for self-examination. When thinking about what movies, music, and video games to avoid, ask yourself questions such as these.
Is it lawful?
The “law” can mean God’s law (Biblical commands), the law of the land (government), or the laws of authority figures (parents, teachers, coaches etc.). A few questions you might ask are:
- Am I disobeying God?
- Am I accessing this media illegally?
- Am I breaking any rules my parents/teachers/coaches have set?
Is it helpful?
Something might pass the “law” questions, but still be unhelpful. We should not mainly ask the question “Is it a sin?” but instead the question “Is it helping my faith to grow?” A few example questions are:
- Is this going to draw me away from God, or to him?
- Is this going to hurt my witness to others?
- Is this going to make me live with a guilty conscience?
Is it enslaving?
Christians are repeatedly commanded in the Bible to be “sober-minded” and “self-controlled”, which are the opposite of being addicted. Some things that might be lawful or even helpful to some, could be enslaving to others. Therefore, we should ask questions like:
- Is this tempting me in an area of weakness?
- Am I able to stop if I wanted to?
- Is this taking me away from more important things?
Make Informed Decisions!
In the end, the main thing to highlight is that Christians ought to be thinking, reflective, prayerful people when it comes to what kinds of media they consume. They ought not to be to quick to watch, listen to, or play anything, keeping in mind that inevitably their hearts will be affected – for better or worse.
One awesome tool to help Christians make informed decisions about media is pluggedin.ca, which is a Christian website that posts detailed reviews of current music, movies, videos, video games, and television shows. It has been very helpful to me, allowing my wife and I to read up on a movie before we go to the show to see it. This has helped us avoid wasting $10 and 2 hours on garbage a number of times. I would encourage anyone to check it out and remember to do the hard work of being in-tune with God and your heart through personal devotions, repentance, and being involved in a Christian community.
Saved By Faith or Works? A Look at the “Contradiction” Between Paul and James
Posted on February 19, 2015 1 Comment
“The Bible is full of contradictions!”
I hear people say this all the time. Most of the time, if you were to ask that person to name one, they can’t. But that is not to say that there aren’t parts of the Bible that don’t seem to fit with the rest. Indeed, there are parts of the Bible that certainly appear to be flat-out contradictions. These apparent contradictions become all the more troublesome when they address increasingly important issues. For example, one of the main questions every religion aims to answer (including Christianity) is “How can a person be saved?” By this they mean, how does a sinful person become forgiven and made right with God, and therefore go to heaven when they die instead of hell? Without a doubt, this is a very important question!
The Bible does address this question a number of times, but two occasions in particular seem to be at complete odds with one another, making some feel that the Bible is not consistent with its message. These are the two verses that are so commonly pitted against each other:
Romans 3:28 For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law.
James 2:24 You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone.
Do you see the obvious problem here? Romans says people are saved (justified) by faith alone, while James says people are not saved by faith alone. It can’t possibly be both, so which one is it?
Dealing With Contradictions
Just as real estate agents use the slogan “location, location, location” to make a point, so Bible translators often will shout “context, context, context” to make a similar point. The purpose of highlighting the importance of “context” in Bible interpretation is because the Bible is a complex book. It is actually more like a library, consisting of 66 books written by different people at different times in different locations to different audiences for different purposes. What this means is you can’t just pull out two random sentences and say that they contradict without first asking some important questions.
In this case, the two most important questions are:
- Who wrote it?
- Who were they writing to?
In answering these two questions, we can shed some light on this confusing problem.
Who Wrote It?
It would be right to say that the author of the whole Bible is God. 2 Timothy 3:15 says that “all Scripture is breathed out by God”, meaning that the whole Bible comes from the mouth of the Almighty. Therefore, if God wrote the book, there would be no contradictions in it (and no errors, for that matter).
Yet simply saying that God is the author is an over-simplified answer, because God wrote the Bible through human authors. It was his plan to communicate with mankind through human agents, declaring his message to the world using chosen people as the medium. We see this articulated by Peter, one of Jesus’ 12 disciples, when he says in 2 Peter 1:20-21…
[20] knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. [21] For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.
This means that Peter saw the Bible as God’s Word being written through human authors; that the Holy Spirit was causing a human writer to record exactly what God wanted them to.
Humanly speaking, the texts in question (Romans 3 and James 2) were written by the apostle Paul and the apostle James, respectively. This is extremely helpful information because we know quite a bit about both of these men.
Paul: From Terrorist to Evangelist
Paul, who was previously known as Saul of Tarsus, was a Jewish Pharisee who hated Christians. He believed that they were distorting the message of God by promoting Jesus as the Messiah, and therefore went on a rampage to shut down the Christian movement. This included him going from town to town imprisoning Christians and, at times, even having them martyred. Then one day, on his way to Damascus to arrest more followers of Christ, Jesus miraculously appeared to him on the road, blinded him, and told him that he was chosen by God to be a Christian preacher. Paul converted and became a believer in Jesus, and spent the rest of his life traveling from town to town preaching the gospel of Jesus, writing books of the Bible, and starting new churches, all while suffering much for his new faith right up until he was eventually killed by the Romans.
(See the book of Acts, especially 7:54-8:3, 9:1-43, and 13:1 to the end of the book.)
James: Jesus’ Little Brother
On the other hand, James was a brother of Jesus, the son of Mary and Joseph (Galatians 1:19, Matthew 13:55). Initially James did not believe that his brother was the Son of God (John 7:2-5), but changed his mind after Jesus appeared to him following his resurrection from the dead (1 Corinthians 15:7). His new faith in Jesus lead him to become part of the early church (Acts1:14) and eventually to become one of the main pastors in the church at Jerusalem (Galatians 2:9).
Paul and James, Ministry Partners
What we see in the Bible is that Paul and James not only knew each other, but were in full agreement concerning the message of Christianity and supported each other’s ministries. This is so crucial to us who are trying to reconcile the passages in Romans 3 and James 2, because friends who agree with each other don’t need to be reconciled!
It is evidence of our cultural arrogance to look back on the Bible and cry “contradiction!” when the very two authors would have never said such things about one another. This is made plain by the interaction between Paul and James on at least three occasions.
Galatians 1
Paul and James met (possibly for the first time) about 3 years after Paul’s conversion. Galatians 1:18-19 says…
[18] Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to visit Cephas and remained with him fifteen days. [19] But I saw none of the other apostles except James the Lord’s brother.
Paul at least met James on this visit, though his primary purpose was to meet with Peter (Cephas). This is noteworthy because Peter also was a key church leader, and this meeting appears to have no disapproval on the part of Peter or James concerning Paul’s beliefs.
Galatians 2
A second, and more significant, meeting took place between Paul and James much later into Paul’s ministry. Galatians 2:1-2,9 records…
[1] Then after fourteen years I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, taking Titus along with me. [2] I went up because of a revelation and set before them (though privately before those who seemed influential) the gospel that I proclaim among the Gentiles, in order to make sure I was not running or had not run in vain….[9] and when James and Cephas and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that was given to me, they gave the right hand of fellowship to Barnabas and me, that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised.
How crucial this encounter is! Unlike the first meeting in Galatians 1, the substance of which is unknown, this meeting in Galatians 2 gives important details as to what happened among these men. Paul’s purpose in going to Jerusalem to see James (and Peter and John as well) was to share with them what he is teaching in order to make sure they approve of it. He laid before them what he believed the gospel to be so that he would make sure he wasn’t messing it up. The conclusion of the meeting, as verse 9 shows, is that James, Peter, and John all gave Paul “the right hand of fellowship”, meaning they believed he was teaching the same gospel as they were and therefore viewed themselves as partners in ministry.
This is no small point. James, Peter, and John all talk about false teachers in the books of the Bible that they wrote, and they don’t speak of them kindly. These three men were very serious about making sure Christianity was being taught properly, and would not have in one thousand years extended “the right hand of fellowship” to someone they thought was a false teacher. The fact that they closely examined Paul’s teaching and approved of it speaks volumes. It is simply untenable for us to think that Paul and James are teaching opposite truths in Romans 3 and James 2. These were men who knew each other very well and approved of each others teaching and ministry.
Acts 21
This is shown once again later on, as recorded in Acts 21:17-20…
[17] When we had come to Jerusalem, the brothers received us gladly. [18] On the following day Paul went in with us to James, and all the elders were present. [19] After greeting them, he related one by one the things that God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry. [20] And when they heard it, they glorified God.
Once again, Paul and his ministry team go to Jerusalem to meet with the church leaders and share what they have been up to. After hearing of Paul’s work abroad, the elders, a group that includes James, are excited about it and glorify God.
As these three encounters show, it is simply impossible to believe that James and Paul did not agree on how someone is saved. They believed the same gospel and gladly worked together. Therefore, there must be another explanation! Getting to the bottom of our next crucial question will show us the answer.
Who Were They Writing To?
Consider this illustration. Imagine for a moment that you are sitting outside of a gymnasium where a basketball team is practicing. You hear the coach begin to yell, “You’ve got to pass more! Stop shooting the ball!” merely moments later, you hear the same coach yelling “Shoot the ball! You’ve got to learn to pull the trigger!”
At this point you have two options. One is to believe that this coach has an inconsistent message, that he gives directions that simply contradict each other. Such a coach would be quite useless and unhelpful. The alternative view, however, is to consider that the coach might be yelling at two separate players. In the first case, the coach is trying to teach the team ball-hog to stop being selfish and include his teammates, while the second time the coach is encouraging his young, but shy, sharp-shooter to have confidence in his three-pointer. As such, the coach is not being inconsistent, but tailoring his message to fit the needs of whomever he is addressing.
It is the same way with the Bible. Books of the Bible were written with different audiences in mind, and therefore how an author conveys a point will be tailored to that particular people group. This is the case with the books of Romans and James.
Romans, authored by Paul, is written primarily to new Christians and unbelievers. The Roman culture was a religiously diverse society, mainly made up of secular people. They were not very familiar with the Old Testament (the Jewish Bible) and relatively ignorant of God’s Word. As such, Paul is writing to them as naive people, and explaining plainly this truth: no one gets to heaven by anything they do. This is what he means in Romans 3:28 when he says “For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law.” Salvation does not come through works. There is nothing a person can do to earn their salvation. A person can be religious, a helper of the poor, baptized, born into a family with faith, go to church, and still go to hell. This is because no one is justified, or saved, by works. Nothing you do, no matter how good or holy or impressive you think you are, is enough to earn a way into God’s presence in heaven. Rather, salvation comes through faith – trusting in the sacrifice that Jesus made on our behalf. Jesus died to pay the penalty for our sin, and we receive his forgiveness through faith alone. You simply can’t earn your salvation. It is a gift to be received by faith!
On the other hand, James is writing to a mainly Christian audience with a Jewish background. They, like he, converted from Judaism to Christianity when they believed that Jesus was the promised Messiah. Therefore, James’ audience is made up of people who are highly educated in religious matters. What James is specifically addressing are people who say that they have faith, but have no evidence of faith in their lives. They profess to be followers of Jesus, they just don’t do anything Jesus asks of them. So, in James 2:24 when he says “You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone”, he means that you can’t say you have faith and then not have anything to show for it. You can’t claim to be a Christian and then not do what Jesus has called you to do. What that shows is you really have no faith to begin with!
Paul and James Both Believe in Salvation By Faith
We know this is true because, just a few verses earlier, James introduces his subject this way in James 2:14-17 (emphasis mine)…
[14] What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? [15] If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, [16] and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? [17] So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.
When put in context, we see that James is not promoting salvation by works, but rather faith that is real and alive. Notice in verse 14 what he does not say. James doesn’t say, “What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can those lack of works save him?” No, he asks instead, “Can that faith save him?” This shows that James believes a person is saved by faith. But what he takes issue with are people who say they have faith, but no works. This is an oxymoron in his mind. True faith that is alive will produce good works. That is, people who truly believe in Jesus will experience a change in their lives. You can’t say, “I became a Christian and then nothing happened.” That is not real, living faith. James calls that “dead” faith, which is really not faith at all.
This is consistent with the message of Jesus as well. Jesus taught that those who truly believe in him will produce fruit, referring to good works. This means that when a person truly becomes a Christian, things change. They don’t stay the same. God will produce fruit in their lives as evidence that their faith is real. Just as a dead tree doesn’t produce any fruit, dead faith doesn’t produce fruit either. That’s why Jesus says in John 15:8 “By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.” The bearing of fruit (good works) is the proof that a person is a disciple of Jesus.
Lastly, Paul also addressed the same issue (people claiming faith without any evidence of it), albeit in a different way. He says in Romans 6:1-2…
[1] What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? [2] By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it?
Here Paul anticipates a false conclusion by his readers. He explains that salvation comes by faith and not works, and then assumes that some people will hear that as “You are saved by grace, so go do whatever you want! Sin away! It doesn’t matter what you do anyways.” Paul argues that believing you can continue in sin (the opposite of good works) because salvation comes by grace through faith is wrong. Those who put their faith in Jesus but continue to rebel against God’s laws show they don’t have true faith. In this way, Paul and James and Jesus show that they all believe the same thing: Salvation comes by God’s grace as a gift to be received by faith, and if that faith is real, it will be evidenced by a changed life.
What It All Means
This is the gospel – the good news – that Christianity offers the world. You don’t have to go to hell. You can be forgiven. You don’t have to earn that forgiveness – indeed, you can’t! But you can be forgiven through the grace offered to you by Jesus Christ. He died to pay the penalty for your sin, and this is a gift you can’t earn. It is meant to be received by faith. Anyone who receives this gift will live a life of thankful obedience to God, not because they are trying to earn forgiveness, but because they are forever changed by the amazing love of God.
Along with Jesus, Paul, and James, I say the same thing. We all are sinners in need of salvation. The only way to be saved is through faith in Jesus Christ. His demonstration of love on the cross, if received, will change you from the inside out and produce a life of love and good works. To this I beckon you. Jesus is calling. You need him. Won’t you come home?
Take Life One Day at a Time
Posted on February 15, 2015 1 Comment
Life tends to move in seasons. Some seasons are filled with joy, like the honeymoon of newlyweds or the birth of a child. Some are filled with adventure, like a trip across the world or the start of a new career. And some are filled with pain, like the loss of a loved one or the regret of a life-destroying decision. Over time, we all travel through the various ups and downs that life throws our way. Yet what happens very often is that when someone is in the midst of a down, it can be easy to forget that it is just a season and not a permanent state. In the heartache, the loss, the regret, the loneliness, or the pain, one can sometimes no longer see the light at the end of the tunnel. It feels like the walls are closing in without mercy. The joy of previous life seasons look like tiny dots in the rearview mirror. In the midst of the storm, one can easily lose hope. “There’s no end in sight,” you might think. “How can I possibly go on?”
I think many people have been here at one point or another. Or, perhaps, this is where you are right now. The will to go on is weakened, and the strength to want to is fading fast. What is a person to do during such a time?
The answer: Rely on God’s grace, one day at a time.
Renewed Day by Day
You see, it is so easy to feel the crushing weight of the difficulties you are facing, know that they won’t be going away any time soon, and wonder, “How can I carry this weight for that long? I’m not sure I can even make it through today.” This kind of thinking is sure to defeat us. In fact, it only adds to the problem, because we were not designed to worry about tomorrow. We were made to take life one day at a time. The truth is, you don’t have to make it though tomorrow. You only have to make it through today. God will give you what you need tomorrow when tomorrow comes.
Listen to the apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 4:16…
[16] So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day.
One of the keys to not losing heart is to be renewed “day by day”. Like Paul, our outer selves are wasting away. In other words, all of us are merely human. Our own strength is fading, our bodies are wasting away, our resources for living are draining from us like a leaky faucet. We are only getting weaker every day. So how do we overcome this? Through the inward renewal of the Holy Spirit! For the believer, God’s grace is dispensed in our lives through the Spirit’s presence in our souls. As our bodies waste away, our inner selves are being made new. This happens not once for eternity, but “day by day”.
This “day by day” provision is no small note. One day our renewal will be made permanent – the day we land in heaven and obtain our perfected, ever-strong resurrected bodies. One day we will no longer need renewal because we will be made new for good. But until then, while we remain on earth, our renewal is a day-to-day process. This means, in part, that we don’t need to worry about how we will make it through tomorrow. We will get the renewal we need for tomorrow when tomorrow comes. Until then, we live in the strength God has supplied for us today.
Daily Bread and Morning Mercies
The daily dispensing of grace from God is shown all over the Bible. Think, for example, about how Jesus taught his followers to pray, which included the request to…
Give us this day our daily bread. (Matthew 6:11)
Jesus didn’t teach us to pray for a lifetime supply of bread. He never wanted us to ask for an unending supply. Instead, we are to pray daily for the provision we need. And tomorrow, we will do it all over again! God wants us to take it one day at a time.
Consider also Lamentations 3:22-23…
The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; [23] they are new every morning…
God’s love and mercy are limitless, yet he does not give them all at once. Instead, they are revealed afresh with each rising of the sun. Every dawn, God gives us a new beginning, the grace that we will need to face whatever that day has in store for us…nothing more, nothing less. He supplies “all our needs according to his riches in glory,” and this happens each day for whatever that day holds.
Jesus stressed that we are not to live worrying about the future, but instead live in the present. He says in Matthew 6:34…
Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.
In this way, Christ is encouraging us not to worry about how we will have enough to make it through tomorrow. The truth is that you don’t have enough to make it through tomorrow. But you do have enough to make it through today, and what you need for tomorrow will be waiting for you when you get there. Have faith!
God is Building Our Faith
I believe this is the principle that God was teaching the Israelites as they wandered for 40 years in the wilderness. In Exodus 16, we see that these starving nomads are miraculously fed by God in the middle of the desert. Each morning, God would send a supply of a heavenly bread called “manna” with the dew. The Israelites were to go out and collect what they needed for that day and no more. It was discovered that, if anyone kept extra manna for the following day, it spoiled overnight and became full of maggots. In this way, God was teaching his people a valuable lesson: I will take care of you, but you need to trust me.
God is your heavenly Father. He loves you and knows what you need before you even ask of Him. He will take care of you. He will give you the grace you need. But remember that this is a daily provision. Like a car with a limited tank of gas, you will need to go back for refuelling. God is our provider, and he has grace for every circumstance we will face. But we don’t get that grace until it is needed. This is God’s way of teaching us to rely on him – not like some sick game, but rather for our increasing joy in him.
Let me encourage you to take your life one day at a time. Whatever you may be facing, wherever you are, and however beat down you may feel, God has it taken care of. You need only worry about getting through today. God has got you covered for tomorrow. Meet him anew each morning with the rising of the sun, and find the mercy you require in time of need.
When Hurting People Speak Wind
Posted on February 10, 2015 Leave a Comment
Disclaimer – I write “Leadership Moments” for the volunteers at my church who work in the youth ministry. Each Leadership Moment is meant to equip the everyday youth worker with the knowledge and skills they need to disciple teens as best as they can. Because these articles are for people I know personally and meant for my own church and city context, they may not always be relevant to the wider public. However I put them here for anyone who might benefit from their content.
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Image credit: wordsareart.wordpress.com
The book of the Bible that deals most with human suffering is Job. Job was a righteous man, blameless in his generation, full of faith and virtue. He was greatly blessed by God with a large family and wealth that surpassed anyone in the land. Of course, things did not stay that way for long. God allowed Job’s faith to be put to the test by Satan himself, who had all of Job’s possessions stripped away, his children killed in a freak storm, and his body covered head-to-toe with painful boils. Through all these trials, Job grieves deeply but never loses his faith. What a testimony!
Much of the book contains a dialogue between Job and three of his friends who have come to comfort him. In the course of their discussion, Eliphaz accuses Job of secret sin as the explanation for his suffering. He suggests that God is punishing Job for something he has not repented of. Job defends himself, and in chapter 6, says something very insightful:
[24] Teach me, and I will be silent;
make me understand how I have gone astray.
[25] How forceful are upright words!
But what does reproof from you reprove?
[26] Do you think that you can reprove words,
when the speech of a despairing man is wind?
Job essentially says that rebuke from a friend (“upright words”) are useful when one has sinned, but Job also says that his complaints are not from a lack of faith. Instead, he describes them as “wind” and “the speech of a despairing man”.
In Job 8:2, another one of Job’s friends (Bildad) again calls Job’s words “wind”. He does so in a way that is not really sincere, however. He says:
How long will you say these things,
and the words of your mouth be a great wind?
In other words, what is happening here is that Job, in his great grief, is saying things that he otherwise would not normally say. He doesn’t really mean what he is saying; rather, he is simply airing out his emotions and venting away his frustrations. His complaints towards God are expressions of immediate pain, but not indicative of a lack of faith. After all, Job is the one who bowed down and worshipped God after his entire life had fallen apart. He had not turned his back on God. But at the same time, it’s not as if Job is some sort of emotionless robot who doesn’t experience pain in the midst of such terrible loss. He is grieving hard, and out of his emotional turmoil come words that are really just “wind”.
Unfortunately for Job, his friends don’t really seem to see it that way. Rather than let his words blow away into the wind like meaningless “speech of a despairing man” (which is what they really are), they instead jump on him and add to the pile of difficulty he is already dealing with. They take his words to demonstrate faithlessness and a heart that is resisting their counsel, and so they press him to repent for a total of 28 chapters. Talk about insensitivity and lack of discernment!
When Words Are Wind
There is a lesson to be learned here. As those who aim to disciple young people, we must be careful to discern what kinds of words a person is speaking – especially those in the midst of turmoil. Are they speaking words that truly reflect the condition of their soul, or are they speaking the wind of a despairing person? It is not an easy task to tell the difference, but we must make a conscientious effort to do so. A failure in this regard would lead us to unnecessarily add to the pain a person is experiencing. If we try to address words that are really just “wind”, we end up wasting time on an “issue” that really isn’t even an issue. Rather than being a help and an encouragement, we would actually be unhelpful and discouraging. O may we avoid such tragic results!
In your efforts to show compassion to those in need, particularly to weep with those who weep, be attentive to spot words that are just “wind”. Here are a few tips that might help you in this regard.
- Know the person well. It is easier to determine if a person is speaking out of their distress when you know them well already. When a person just doesn’t sound like themselves, it is probably wise to initially assume that they are venting their frustrations. As youth workers, we need to get to know our students and their spiritual conditions beforehand.
- Let your words be few. Job’s friends had it right initially – they sat with him for 7 days without saying a word. Often times, silence is the right response. It is usually not helpful to come to a person in emotional distress with a speech prepared. Instead, be quick to listen and slow to speak. What they really need is your presence.
- Pray for discernment. I cannot tell you how many times I have relied on the promise of James 1:5, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.” Even as a pastor with formal education, ministry experience, and lots of training, I find myself in many situations not knowing what to say or do. In such moments, pray for help and go with what you think the Spirit is leading you to do.
- Be a sounding board. People in pain need to let it out. As Job did, they need to express their unfiltered emotions to God in prayer. This is actually seen frequently in the Psalms as well, and so we should encourage people to do that. But while prayer is important, it can also be helpful to vent person-to-person. The point is just to give the hurting person an emotional outlet and let them know they have a friend who is there for them.
Reflection Questions
- Can you think of a time when your words were “wind”? Did someone else take it the wrong way?
- When speaking to students, we need to strike a balance between giving grace and taking seriously what they are saying. Which way do you tend to lean: being too dismissive or jumping on every little thing?
- Can you think of any other tips on how to spot words that are “wind”?
Pastor Google: The Most Influential Pastor in the World
Posted on January 31, 2015 1 Comment
According to Scripture, the job of a pastor is to shepherd people (1 Peter 5:1-2). This simply means he is to act as a spiritual guide, one who others can turn to for counsel and guidance. When people are in need of help, a pastor is meant to be someone who they can seek assistance from. This is why the word “pastor” means “shepherd”. Just as a shepherd watches over a flock of sheep, feeding it and caring for it and protecting it, so a pastor is to do the same for his people. This of course does not negate the need for God, who is the Chief Shepherd (1 Peter 5:4) and is infinitely superior as a help or guide than any mere mortal can ever even hope to be. God ought to be sought in prayer by every believer first and foremost. This is fitting and right. Nevertheless, it is still God’s ordained plan that sinful, limited pastors function as human shepherds over the flock of God.
If we are right in stating that the role of a pastor is to shepherd – to guide, instruct, and counsel – then I’m led to think that the most influential pastor in the world today is not actually a follower of God. In fact, he (it) is not even human at all!
The most-used website in the world is Google. Ever since Google outran its competitors and became the world’s search engine of choice, it has been the go-to source of information for the web. Anyone who wants to know anything about anything almost automatically turns to Google. And why not? Virtually all of the information in the world can be brought to your fingertips in a beautifully organized and specified format within seconds. Thirty years ago no one would have thought this could be possible. Yet the impact of the internet, and especially Google’s information sorting capabilities, can’t be disputed. Because of Google, books are going out of print, libraries are closing down, newspapers are going out of circulation, and dictionaries are being used as doorstops and shelf decorations.
Not surprisingly, the Christian community has not remained unaffected by these changes. There is no doubt that the internet can do much good for the spreading of the Gospel, and indeed it has! Yet at the same time, because anyone can post anything online, there is also a massive amount of spiritual garbage available as well. I often find that, if I use Google to help me in sermon prep, I am overwhelmed by how much sewer I must wade through in order to find a hidden treasure. It is scary to think how many undiscerning Christians might stumble upon this kind of God-demeaning, truth-profaning filth and naively allow it to rot their souls.
There is no doubt in my mind that the most influential pastor in the world is pastor Google. He counsels more people, gives more life advice, divulges more information, and influences more people than anyone else on earth. Considering that Google is really just a collection of the work of fallen human beings who (the majority of) are hostile towards God and dead in their sins is a scary thought to say the least.
Perhaps I am sounding like an old man who wants to go back to the good ol’ days. I’m not aiming for that, nor do I desire it. I don’t hate the internet per se, but while I can see how it can be leveraged for good, I can also see how it can be used as a tool for evil in the hands of the Enemy. As a youth pastor, I know a lot of young Christians who’s faith was shipwrecked, or at least severely weakened, because of stuff they read or saw online. I’m not advocating a bomb-shelter approach where we throw out our routers and cancel our cell phones, but I am worried that the sheep have become too reliant on Google as their shepherd.
In light of all this, I would like to advocate for a healthier approach to spiritual nurturing that doesn’t rely too heavily on the internet. I’m all for information sharing and the giving of advice, but not all information is true and not all advice is helpful. We should use the internet as a source, but not as the primary source of spiritual nourishment. It should not replace the role of a local church, local pastors, a local congregation, and personal Bible reading as the main trough at which to feed. After all, these are God-appointed means for his Kingdom building and Kingdom spreading work. Instead, let’s use the internet as supplementary, exercising caution by resisting the temptation to go overboard.
A few appeals I would like to make in closing:
- Don’t diminish the role of your local church pastor. God, in his infinite wisdom, designed that Christians grow and be nurtured primarily through local churches. This doesn’t mean we can’t make ourselves available to online material, good books, radio and the like. But it does mean that your local church pastor is the main person who is responsible for the care of your soul. Hebrews 13:17(a) says “Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account.” The next time you turn to Google for an answer, ask yourself, “Is this something I should bring to my pastor instead?” Remember that before the internet was around, the pastor was a go-to person for many believers. It has been that way for centuries – millennia even! – and things have still worked out ok. It’s true: the internet isn’t the be-all and end-all.
- Consider your sources. When you Google search something, remember that whatever you find has been put there by someone. Do you know who wrote that article or made that video? And if so, how much do you know about them? Are they a credible source? It is not a small point that God chose local pastors to shepherd people. The reason he did so was so that people could see their pastor’s lives up-close and personal. Hebrews 13:7 says “Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith.” In other words, the Bible places high standards on pastors and church leaders (Titus 1, 1 Timothy 3) so that these men would be credible sources. Believers should be able to look at their pastor’s life and see that it is worth imitating and bringing about a desirable outcome. For instance, if your life is falling apart and you’re not sure how to fix it, you should be able to go to your pastor for help and you should feel confident about doing so because you know him to be a man who has his life put together. On the other hand, you have little way of knowing what the people behind the content of the internet are like.
- Exercise discernment online. I do believe that Christians should avail themselves to the internet for spiritual (and other) matters; however, I am trying to advocate doing so in a discerning way. 1 John 4:1 says “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.” When we use Google, we should be careful to investigate what we find with a discerning mind, cautious to receive something too quickly as true or helpful. It is a dangerous thing to read or listen without thinking critically. Christians should be like the Bereans, who didn’t simply take Paul at his word but compared his teachings to the Scriptures to “see if these things were so” (Acts 17:11). Likewise, we believers should approach what we encounter on the internet with the same thoughtful mentality.
The Main Goal Every Parent Should Have For Their Kids
Posted on January 16, 2015 Leave a Comment
Upfront disclaimer: By no means am I claiming to be an expert parent. I’m only about four and a half years into this parenting thing, and one thing I can say is that it is simultaneously the hardest thing I have ever done and the most rewarding thing I have ever done…and I still have a long ways to go! But, even though I’m no expert, one thing I can say with certainty is that the Bible helps parents to know what their goals and priorities should be.
One prominent example would be found in Deuteronomy 6:4-9…
[4] Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. [5] You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. [6] And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. [7] You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. [8] You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. [9] You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
Based on a text like this (and many others), it would not be a stretch to say that the main goal of parenting is to raise children who love God. Our primary responsibility is to pass on saving faith to our kids. To be fair, we can’t make our children follow Christ, but our job is to establish that as our aim in parenting our kids. For this reason, how we parent – our priorities, schedules, friends, activities, and every decision we make – should be shaped with the reality that we are trying to raise disciples of Jesus.
I think that often, even the best-intentioned Christian parent can lose sight of this goal. We all want our kids to be happy and have the fullest life they can experience. Naturally, we would want to include into this thinking success not only in faith but other areas as well, such as academics, friendships, health, sports, the arts, and so on. But what can happen is that, over time, our desire for our children to be well-rounded individuals can overtake the primary task of parenting – that of ensuring they are in the Kingdom of God.
Let me encourage you today to assess your family’s life and determine if following Jesus is the number one priority of your home. I mean really number one. If your child decided to give up their initial dream of becoming a doctor to instead become a missionary in a foreign land, would you discourage them from doing so? The thought that your child might be giving up financial success, material comforts, living close to home, and perhaps even putting their life at risk might be enough to cause any parent a moment of pause. Yet we must remember that our children ultimately belong to God, not us. God is the commander of their lives. He calls the shots. We should encourage our children to seek His will and not ours, or even their own.
Allow me a little flexibility with the Bible (see Mark 8:34-36) for a moment to provoke your thinking. Consider deeply this question:
…If your child would come after me, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. [35] For whoever would save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it. For what does it profit your child to gain the whole world and forfeit their soul?
Allow this perspective to shape the way you parent, and I guarantee you will have nothing to regret.
Don’t Be a “Red-Letter” Christian
Posted on January 5, 2015 1 Comment
I was reading a book recently that left me very disappointed. I did not realize it ahead of time, but the author is one whom could be identified as a so-called “Red Letter Christian”, which is a semi-organized group of Christians who believe that the whole Bible is true but intentionally place particular emphasis on words of Jesus. In focusing on the “red letters” of the Bible (the words of Christ), these Christians aim to funnel the rest of the Bible through the lens of Jesus in order to get at the most pure interpretation of Scripture. In particular, the author I was reading was trying to understand how God relates to human suffering, and was doing so by looking exclusively at the words of Christ and intentionally overlooking the numerous other portions of Scripture that touch on that same subject.
I saw this same viewpoint slip out during the popular Christian movie God’s Not Dead. In a scene that included an interview with Willie Robertson, he of the famous Duck Dynasty TV show, Willie casually said the following which left me screaming “No! Don’t say that!” inside my head:
‘Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will acknowledge before the Father in heaven. Whoever disowns me, I’ll disown him to the Father.’ Those words are written in red, so they’re important.
Wether he meant to or not, Willie Robertson was advocating – or at least demonstrating – the same approach to the Bible that was being used by the author I was recently reading: the one that sees the words of Jesus as more pure than the rest of the Bible. It’s as if, if one wanted to hear from God, you would do fine to read 1 Thessalonians, but what you really should do if you mean business is read the gospel of John. After all, the “red letters” are where it’s really at.
This “red letter” approach to the Bible is a dangerous one I believe, and for several reasons, though I’ll share only one.
It undermines the rest of Scripture.
Most “red letter” Christians that I have read say that they believe that the whole Bible is the Word of God. Yet if that is the case, why the emphasis on the words of Jesus? I mean, if the Holy Spirit is the author of Scripture, then why are his words less important than those of Jesus?
The Bible is pretty clear that the Holy Spirit was writing through human authors in the creation of the Bible. Without getting into all the details, one example of this would be 2 Peter 1:20-21…
knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. [21] For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.
In other words, when the Old Testament prophets were speaking and writing, and when the New Testaments authors like Paul, James, John, Peter, and others were writing, it was the Holy Spirit using them to write the very words of God. That’s why we call the Bible, which was written by humans, the “Word of God”. Therefore, I find it very perplexing when a “red letter Christian” tries to argue against Paul with the words of Jesus. Don’t you realize you are pitting the Holy Spirit against Christ? I’m fairly certain that they agree on everything. Or I find it strange when a “red letter Christian” goes only to the words of Christ for revelation and ignores the minor prophets or the book of Jude. Didn’t the Holy Spirit write those books? Isn’t the Holy Spirit God too?
To elevate the “red letters” above the rest is to view the Bible wrongly. That’s why the book I was alluding to at the beginning of this post left me disappointed. The author was trying to tackle a major subject with only part of the Biblical revelation. That is odd at best and damaging at worst. Instead, we ought to consider the whole Bible when seeking to understand God and the message of Scripture, doing our best as flawed human interpreters to keep an unbiased and balanced use of the whole Bible. After all, if God has revealed himself in Scripture, it only makes sense to pay attention to all of it.
The way I see it, you might as well read the Bible as if the whole thing was printed in red.
Canadian Bible Guy 